Official Hits 90 Day Service Plan As Vague Rumor

Plans for 90 day service for two-thirds of the seniors currently enrolled in the Army ROTC program are only vague rumors, a military official said yesterday.

Colonel William H. Wedemeyer, head of Yale's Military Science Department, blasted reports that the Army will put most of this year's graduating seniors on only three months active service, as without basis.

Earlier, the unofficial armed services magazine had reported that only one-third of ROTC cadets would so immediately into service--all of them voluntarily.

One of Many Plans

"There is no indication that the action will take place," Wedemeyer said, "and after many years, it has been my experience to ignore rumors."

"It's probably just one of many plans that I am sure the Pentagon is considering but which have not been leaked to the press as possibilities," Wedemeyer charged.

Wedemeyer warned all ROTC cadets to disregard rumors until final word comes.

Earlier, Colonel Trevor N. Dupuy, Harvard's professor of Military Science, told reporters that he had read about the plan but had not received any definite word from Washington.

According to rumors, under the new plan almost two-thirds of the June graduates would receive training in basic branch schools and would then be released from active duty. They would, however, be obliged to remain with Active Reserve Units.

The remaining third, mostly volunteers, would serve the usual two year Army term.

This June, the Army should receive 14,500 newly commissioned ROTC officers. At the same time, because of a White House budget slash, the Army will have cut its active officer strength almost 12,000 by 1955.