Memorandum to the Chief of Staff from Brigadier General Joseph E. Kuhn - April 19, 1917

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War College Division 9433-25 War Department Office of the Chief of Staff Washington April 19, 1917. Memorandum for the Chief of Staff: Subject: Regulations necessary for the President to prescribe in order to carry out the provisions of revised draft of bill (WCD 9433-7). 1. Under date of March 29, 1917, the Chief of Staff directed the War College Division to prepare a tentative draft of such regulations as are necessary for the President to prescribe in order to carry out the provisions of the revised draft of bill (WCD 9433-7, February 20, 1917)

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[Page 2] congestion would certainly occur at the places of registration. The classification prescribed has been worked out with the view of avoiding such congestion. (5) Unless prescribed by law, it is deemed necessary that the regulations impose the duty of registration upon the postmasters. Otherwise it might be held that they would not come within the penal clause of the act. (6) The reason for registration in duplicate is obvious and the data required to be recorded with respect to each person registered have been limited to those absolutely essential for classification with respect to citizenship and selective conscription. (7) The certificate of the person registered is required in order to promote accuracy and prevent confusion. (8) The certificate of the postmaster or other person charged with the duty of making registration is required in order that favoritism may not creep in and that information be not recorded and accepted as true which is known to be incorrect. (9) The reason for the incorporation in the regulations of the penal section of the act upon which they are based is obvious. (10,11&12) The provisions of the regulations relative to the filing and disposition of the original and duplicate registration cards will, it is believed, provide in the most efficient and economical manner for their preservation and convenient use. (13) Each person registered should be informed at the time of registration just what will be required of him thereafter. Those liable to military service should be told when and where to appear for physical examination and when and where claims for exemption from service may be filed. This information can most conveniently be furnished on printed forms, the blank spaces of which should be filled in by means of rubber stamps. The information for filling in the blank spaces will, in accordance with the regulations now being prepared for physical examination and the determination of exemptions, be furnished the postmaster in ample time by the United States commissioner and the officer in charge of local physical examinations. (14) It is believed that by far the larger number of alien enemies domiciled in the United States need only to be informed of the laws, etc., regulating their conduct in order to continue law-abiding inhabitants. The advent of war has, of course, materially changed their routine of life and it is only fair and just that they should be informed specifically with respect to just what is demanded of them. 5. Tentative regulations for physical examinations and for the determination of exemptions are in course of preparation and will be submitted irrespective of the action upon the above-mentioned plan for the division of the United States into departments, etc. These regulations will so connect with the regulations for registration as to provide complete machinery for the handling of persons liable to military service from their appearance for registration until their incorporation in military units or their exemption from military service or physical rejection as the case may be. 6. It is recommended that the inclosed tentative regulations be referred to the Judge Advocate General and that the War College Division be furnished a copy of his comments as soon as possible. Joseph E. Kuhn Brigadier General, General Staff, Chief of War College Division, Assistant to the Chief of Staff. 1 incl. added. hwh

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Regulations governing registration prescribed pursuant to the Act of Congress approved ________, 1917. 1. The post Office Department of the United States is hereby designated as the agency for the registration of all persons made liable to registration by the Act of Congress approved ____ 1917. 2. It is hereby made the legal duty of each and every person liable to registration under the aforesaid law to appear personally at the place and time and in the manner hereinafter prescribed, and to then and there submit to registration in accordance with these regulations. 3. Each person liable to registration will be registered at the post-office or branch post-office which is nearest in point of actual distance to his place of residence. From _____,1917, to ______, 1917, both inclusive, all post-offices and branch post-offices will be open for registration from __AM to __PM on each day except Sunday s and National Holidays (or including Sundays and National Holidays). 4. Persons liable to registration, in order to prevent undue congestion at post-offices, will present themselves for registration at the places designated in paragraph 3 by classes arranged according to the first letters of their surnames and, in the cases of those liable to military service, by ages also, as follows:*1st day. All person liable to military service, 19 to 24 years of age, inclusive, and all alien enemies whose surname begin with A. 2d day. Persons liable to military service, 19 and 20 years of age, whose surnames begin with B, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with B. 3d day. Persons liable to military service, 21 and 22 years of age, whose surnames begin with B, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with C. 4th day. Persons liable to military service, 23 and 24 years of age, whose surnames begin with B, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with D. 5th day. Persons liable to military service, 19, 20 and 21 years of age, whose surnames begin with C, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with E. 6th day. Persons liable to military service, 22, 23 and 24 years of age, whose surnames begin with C, those 19 years of age, whose surnames begin with D, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with F. 7th day. Person liable to military service, 20 to 24 years of age, inclusive, whose surnames begin with D, those 19, 20 and 21 years of age, whose surnames begin with E, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with G. 8th day. Persons liable to military service, 22, 23 and 24 years of age, whose surnames begin with E, those 19 to 24 years of age, inclusive, whose surnames begin with F, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with H. 9th day. Persons liable to military service, 19 to 22 years of age, inclusive, whose surnames begin with G, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with I. 10th day. Persons liable to military service, 23 and 24 years of age, whose surnames begin with G, those 19 and 20 years of age, whose surnames begin with H, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with J. 11 day. Persons liable to military service, 21, 22, 23, and 24 years of age, whose surnames begin with H, and all alien enemies whose surnames begin with K. 12th day. Persons liable to military service, 19 to 24 years of age, inclusive, whose surnames begin with I and J, those 19 to 23 *When determining and prior to publication, actual dates should be substituted for

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[Page 3] or training, if any, and basis for claim for exemption for military service if person registered intends making such claim or should be exempted pursuant to law or regulations duly prescribed. 7. Each person registered will be required to certify by signature if he can write or by mark if he cannot write upon his original card of registration that the information furnished by him relative to his registration and recorded thereon is true and correct to the best of his knowledge and belief. 8. The postmaster or other person charged with the duty of making the registration will certify upon the original registration card that he has no reason to doubt the truth or correctness of any notation thereon or in case he has such doubt he will specify the particular information doubted and will state briefly his reason therefor. 9. The following provisions of the aforesaid Act relating to offenses committed in connection with registration are published for the information of all concerned: (Copy penal provisions of Act of Congress approved ______, 1917) 10. The postmaster will cause both the original and duplicate registration cards of all persons registered by him or under his direction to be divided into two classes. The first class shall include the registration cards of all persons liable to military service and shall be known as the citizen File. The other class shall include the cards of all other persons registered and shall be known as the Alien File. The Citizen File shall be further divided into classes. Each such sub-class shall include the cards of all personas born during the same calendar year. The Alien File shall also be divided into classes according to the citizenship of the persons registered so that each sub-class shall include the cards of all the nationals of one country who have been registered. The cards in each sub-class in each file shall be arranged alphabetically according to the first letters of the surnames of the persons concerned. 11. The original registration cards in each sub-class in each file will be filed, in a manner which will permit of convenient and accurate reference, in the safest possible place in the post-office or branch post-office. 12. Upon notification from the commander of the territorial department in which the post-office is located, the postmaster will forward to the person designated by such commander to receive same the duplicate files of registration cards of all persons registered by his office prior to the date of such notification and the postmaster will on each working day thereafter forward to such designated person the duplicate registration cards of all persons registered by his office during the preceding working day. 13. The postmaster will furnish or cause to be furnished to each person liable to military service who was registered in the post-office and who indicates his intention of making claim for exemption from military service, a printed or written statement worded substantially as follows: (Place of registration), (Date), 1917. No claim for exemption from military service made by any person registered in this office will be considered unless duly filed during office hours in the office of the U.S.

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[Page 4] Commissioner located at * (Number) (Street), (City or Town) (State), within five days after the date of the registration of the claimant unless claimant has been prevented by cause beyond his control from filing claim within such period, in which case the claim, together with a sworn statement setting forth the cause or causes which prevented an earlier filing, will be filed as soon thereafter as practicable. Full information with respect to the preparation and filing of claims for exemption and substantiating same can be obtained at the office of said U.S. Commissioner between the hours of *__AM and *__PM. All persons liable to military service who have this day been registered will present themselves for physical examination at ** (House number and street), (City or Town), (State), at **____,____,1917, and will not depart therefrom without the authority of the officer in charge. (s) (Asst.) Postmaster. 14. Each alien enemy will be furnished by the official who conducted his registration with an extract copy of all laws, regulations and orders relating to the conduct of alien enemies and necessary for their guidance.*** *Regulations for the determination of exemptions will provide that the information to be here inserted will be furnished to the postmaster by the U.S. Commissioner. ** Regulations for the conduct of physical examinations will provide that the information to be here inserted will be furnished to the postmaster by the medical officer in charge of the local examining office. *** These extracts should be compiled under the direction of the Judge Advocate General after consultation with the Department of Justice, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor.

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Record of Registration 1. Name 2. Race and color 3. Birthplace 4. Date of birth 5. Occupation 6. Place of business or employment 7. Residence 8. Citizenship 9. Declaration of intention made _____, 19__, at ______ 10. Names of parents: _____father _____mother 11. Birthplace of father Birthplace of mother 12. Name of wife (husband) 13. Names, ages and residences of dependents under 15 years of age _____, age _ years, _____, age_years, ____,age_years, (Form) 4.5

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14. Military service or training 15. Basis of claim for exemption from military service 16. ____,____,1917. I certify that the foregoing information given by me in connection with my registration is correct and true to the best of my knowledge and belief. 17. Signature of witness Signature or mark of person registered. 18. I certify that I have no reason to doubt the truth or correctness of any of the foregoing information except as follows: Postmaster. (Form)

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[Page 2] military school, 1910-12