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- The second category of objectors, Class 4-E, were those who objected to any type of military service, but were willing to be assigned to work of national importance such as soil conservation, dam construction, farm experimentation, and forest fire-fighting. The 1940 act was viewed as a more liberal treatment of objector claims since, as opposed to the Draft Act of 1917, it was not limited to the members of recognized religious sects, and it provided for an appeal from the local board (3).
Although a law existed in their behalf, those who objected to war for reasons of conscience were still required to register for the draft, to report for induction, and to undergo a physical examination. Prior to requesting objector status, the men were classified according to military availability by local boards.
In order for a man to be classified as a CO, he had to obtain a special form, director of Selective Service Form 47, and detail his position. Those who failed to request the form, either through ignorance or oversight, often found it difficult to obtain objector status later when they appeared before the local board (4). The local board consisted largely of middle-class professionals, businessmen, and farmers. The men were appointed by the President on the recommendation of the state governor.
- By 1945, Arkansas had formed ninety-four local boards (5). An average
of three men served on each board, but any board could have up to five
men serving at one time. It was the board's duty to classify all registrants,
to review all claims concerning classification, and to inform the applicant
of his right to a personal hearing. The hearings usually took the form
of an inquiry into religious background, training, and beliefs. Local boards
maintained a file on each CO applicant and all official correspondence,
reports, and evidence collected on the applicant's behalf, were to be kept
on file. Applicants were allowed to review the file upon request. As with
many issues which involve individual moral judgments, flagrant violations
of applicants' rights occurred in the appeals process for CO status.
- ________________________
- 3. John W. Masland et al. "Treatment of Conscientious Objectors Under the Selective Service Act of
- 1940," American Political Science Review, XXXVI (August 1942), 698.
- 4. Sibley and Jacob, Conscription, 54.
- 5. Selective Service System, Selective Service and Victory: The 4th Report of the Director of
- Selective Service, 1944-1945 (Washington, D. C., 1948), 423;
cited hereinafter as Victory.
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