1967 Draft Law Expiration May Leave Some Draftable

Even if Congress fails by July 1 to extend President Nixon's authority to draft men into the Armed Forces, students may still be inducted after their deferments expire.

Spurred by the possibility that Congress will not complete new draft legislation by July 1-the date when the old law expires-the Selective Service is now studying a provision of the 1967 law which may allow drafting after the July 1 expiration date.

The key phrase in the 1967 draft law reads: "No person shall be inducted for training and service in the Armed Forces after July 1, 1971, except persons now or hereafter deferred."

Since college seniors lose their deferments in June, they represent a large group which may be affected by the 1967 law.

However, a spokesman for the Selective Service in Boston indicated that the law's implications for deferred students is still unclear. The law "is going to be subject to interpretation," the spokesman said.

Other national Selective Service officials estimate that about 400,000 students will lose their deferments this summer. Of these, only those with lottery numbers below the present cutoff number, 126, can be drafted. Since about half of the men tested usually fail their physical examinations, there will still be between 60,000 and 70,000 former students who may be still draft--able when the old draft law lapses.

Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) foresees political problems arising from the lapse of the 1967 law. "These men, the college students, are going to raise hell and object if they're the only ones drafted," he said.