THE DRAFT: The Congressman’s Son

“The local board does not have the heart to induct other boys of this county into active service when Mr. Beamer [is] allowed to remain at home through apparent political influence . . .”

With that announcement, the three-man draft board of Wabash County, Ind. resigned in a body last week. Reason: Selective Service headquarters in Washington had asked the board to postpone induction of a Congressman’s son, John V. Beamer Jr., 24, an engineer. His employer, Procter & Gamble Co., had requested an occupational deferment. Said the board’s chairman: “We thought we had [Beamer] in the Army, where he belongs. But some sinister influence or individual in Washington saw fit to interfere.”

When it heard of the local board’s resignation, Selective Service headquarters in Washington quickly disallowed Procter & Gamble’s request. Congressman Beamer, who represents Indiana’s Fifth District (including Wabash County), protested that neither he nor his son “contacted Selective Service on any level in an effort to secure deferment,” and charged that the county board’s action was political. And in Honolulu, where he is honeymooning, young Beamer said—and he was probably right—that he expected to be drafted soon.