Conant Joins College Heads Backing UMT

President Conant, who had advocated deferring action on universal military training until after the war, joined 20 other college and university presidents in endorsing U.M.T. by means of a letter from Frank D. Fackenthal to Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts. The letter backed the report of the Truman Advisory Commission.

The Fackenthal reply was issued after a group of prominent citizens, headed by Albert Einstein, had denounced the bill as one more step toward military control of American civil life. The group claimed that such domination had already progressed to the point where it "jeopardized our planning for peace." The Einstein report was issued by the National Council Against Conscription.

Military Clique in Government

The Einstein group declared that many key men now in government, naming General George Marshall and Admiral William Leaby, had military backgrounds. It also alleged that "the Army and Navy are extending their influence unto science, education, and industry. Military influence is spreading into high schools to the Boy Scouts of America." the group claimed.

Charging that science and industry are "almost completely" under military control, the report argued that "the fear of a possible enemy plays too big a role in the minds of military men."

On the other side of the issue, Fackenthal, acting president of Columbia University, endorsed the whole integrated program for national security, including military training. The Truman Advisory Committee on University Military Training was headed by MIT President Karl Compton.