January 21:

1977 : President Carter pardons draft dodgers

On this day in 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter
grants an unconditional pardon to hundreds of
thousands of men who evaded the draft during the
Vietnam War.

In total, some 100,000 young Americans went abroad in
the late 1960s and early 70s to avoid serving in the
war. Ninety percent went to Canada, where after some
initial controversy they were eventually welcomed as
immigrants. Still others hid inside the United States.
In addition to those who avoided the draft, a
relatively small number--about 1,000--of deserters
from the U.S. armed forces also headed to Canada.
While the Canadian government technically reserved the
right to prosecute deserters, in practice they left
them alone, even instructing border guards not to ask
too many questions.

For its part, the U.S. government continued to
prosecute draft evaders after the Vietnam War ended. A
total of 209,517 men were formally accused of
violating draft laws, while government officials
estimate another 360,000 were never formally accused.
If they returned home, those living in Canada or
elsewhere faced prison sentences or forced military
service. During his 1976 presidential campaign, Jimmy
Carter promised to pardon draft dodgers as a way of
putting the war and the bitter divisions it caused
firmly in the past. After winning the election, Carter
wasted no time in making good on his word. Though many
transplanted Americans returned home, an estimated
50,000 settled permanently in Canada, greatly
expanding the country's arts and academic scenes and
pushing Canadian politics decidedly to the left.

Back in the U.S., Carter's decision generated a good
deal of controversy. Heavily criticized by veterans'
groups and others for allowing unpatriotic lawbreakers
to get off scot-free, the pardon and companion relief
plan came under fire from amnesty groups for not
addressing deserters, soldiers who were dishonorably
discharged or civilian anti-war demonstrators who had
been prosecuted for their resistance.

Years later, Vietnam-era draft evasion still carries a
powerful stigma. Though no prominent political figures
have been found to have broken any draft laws,
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and
Vice-Presidents Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney--none of
whom saw combat in Vietnam--have all been accused of
being draft dodgers at one time or another. Although
there is not currently a draft in the U.S., desertion
and conscientious objection have remained pressing
issues among the armed forces during the recent wars
in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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