House Group Approves Most of UMT Blueprint

The House Armed Services Committee yesterday adopted most of the provisions of a blueprint for Universal Military Training, committee officials revealed.

The proposed program provides for six months' training of 18-year-olds, followed by seven and one half years in the reserves. Trainees could not be compelled to go into regular military service without Congressional approval, however, according to the plan.

The House committee, meeting in a closed session, made only a few changes in the original U.M.T. plan drawn up by a special five-man civilian commission last year. The committee may complete its work tomorrow on a point-by-point preparation of a U.M.T. bill to be presented later this month to the House.

Committee officials were still undecided whether the measure will include a specific proposal as to when or how U.M.T. should start if Congress passes the measure.

Vinson's Plan Revised

An earlier plan was proposed by Representative Carl Vinson (D-Ga.) off January 5. Vinson, head of the Armed Services Committee, called for men 17 to 19 years old to volunteer for a six-month training period, followed by another 18 months in the active reserve.

Vinson's plan entailed the volunteering of 60,000 youths in the first few months--as many as the draft boards now call up in the same time. The plan would soon be expanded to 800,000 men a year with a possible four billion dollar expense for training them annually.

The House committee's plan follows Vinson's proposal in regard to the original 60,000-man quota and the expansion to almost a million in a year.

Recommendations Optional

The committee can specify that U.M.T. begin within a few months on a small scale, or it can avoid any recommendations and leave the manner of carrying out the legislation up to the Pentagon.

Military leaders have testified that young manpower is insufficient to run a full U.M.T. program and the present draft simultaneously for more than two or three years. They said U.M.T. is necessary to build up a trained reserve to permit eventual reduction of standing forces.