Special Message to the Congress Recommending Establishment of an Office of Selective Service Records.

To the Congress of the United States:

In my message of March 3, 1947, to the congress, I recommended that there be no extension of the Selective Training and Service Act at this time. Because I am confident that the Congress and the Nation stand ready both now and in the future to take such action as may be necessary to assure the security of the Nation, and because there are now reasonably good prospects of maintaining at adequate strength the Army and Navy without resort to Selective Service I believe we can liquidate the Selective Service system, except for its records. Since the Act expires on March 31, 1947, we are faced with the immediate need of providing for the consolidation and preservation of records and providing for liquidation of the Selective Service System.

In order to provide for the orderly and expeditious liquidation of the Selective Service System, and to take care of storage and servicing of the records of the System, I recommend the establishment of an "Office of Selective Service Records." It will be the duty of this office to begin immediately the liquidation of all local board offices, and to the centralize at suitable locations in each State valuable accumulation of records for safekeeping, in the event such records are needed in the future. It would not be the part of wisdom to destroy such records until their value has disappeared.

In the immediate future there are certain values to the veterans themselves and to the Nation in retaining and servicing the records apart from reasons of National Security. During the last six months of 1946, the Selective Service System complied with more than 1,000,000 requests from State and Federal agencies for information about veterans. A large number of these requests were in the interest of veterans as individuals. It is desirable to continue to make use of the records in this manner, while at the same time assuring that the confidential nature of these records should not be violated.

I recommend, therefore, the enactment of a law providing for:

(1) The establishment of an Office of Selective Service Records which will (a) liquidate the Selective Service System, and (b) establish and maintain federal record depots in the several states, the District of Columbia, and the territories and possessions of the United States;

(2) Transfer to the Office of Selective Service Records all property, records, personnel, and unexpended balances of appropriations of the Selective Service System; and

(3) The continuance of the confidential nature of Selective Service records transferred to the Office of Selective Service Records with a provision for penalties for violations thereof.

HARRY S. TRUMAN