The Chronology
August 19, 1964 - Clinton registers for the draft
September 1964 - Clinton, age 18, enters Georgetown University
November 17, 1964 - Clinton is classified 2-S (student deferment) "which would shield him from the draft throughout his
undergraduate years."
February 16, 1968 - "The Johnson administration unexpectedly abolished graduate deferments."
March 20, 1968 - Clinton, age 21, is classified 1-A, eligible for induction, as he nears graduation from Georgetown.
Summer 1968 - Political and family influence keeps Clinton out of the draft. "Robert Corrado -- the only surviving Hot
Springs draft board member from that period -- concluded that Clinton's [draft] statement" (the long delays) was the result of
"some form of preferential treatment." According to the _Times_, "Corrado recalled that the chairman of the three-man draft
panel ... once held back Clinton's file with the explanation that 'we've got to give him time to [go] to Oxford,' where the term
began in the fall of 1968.
"Corrado also complained that he was called by an aide to then-Sen. J. William Fulbright urging him and his fellow board
members to 'give every consideration' to keep Clinton out of the draft so he could attend Oxford.
"Throughout the remainder of 1968, Corrado said, Clinton's draft file was routinely held back from consideration by the full
board. Consequently, although he was classified 1-A on March 20, 1968, he was not called for his physical exam until Feb 3,
1969, when he was at Oxford."
Clinton's Uncle Raymond Clinton personally lobbied Sen Fulbright, William S. Armstrong, the chairman of the three-man Hot
Springs draft board, and Lt. Cmdr. Trice Ellis, Jr., commanding officer of the local Navy reserve unit, to obtain a slot for
Clinton in the Naval Reserve.
Clinton secured a "standard enlisted man's billet, not an officer's slot [which] would have required Clinton to serve two years
on active duty beginning within 12 months of his acceptance." This Navy Reserve assignment was "created especially for the
young Clinton at a time in 1968 when no existing reserve slots were open in his hometown unit."
According to the LA Times, "after about two weeks waiting for Bill Clinton to arrive for his preliminary interview and physical
exam, Ellis said he called [Clinton's uncle] Raymond to inquire - 'What happened to that boy?' According to Ellis, Clinton's
uncle replied - 'Don't worry about it. He won't be coming down. It's all been taken care of.' "
Fall 1968 - Because of the local draft board's continuing postponement of his pre-induction physical, Clinton is able to enroll
at Oxford Univ.
February, 2 1969 - While at Oxford, Clinton finally takes and passes a military physical examination.
April 1969 - Clinton receives induction notice from the Hot Springs AR draft board. Clinton, however claims that the draft
board told him to ignore the notice because it arrived after the deadline for induction.
June-July 1969 - Clinton receives a second induction notice with a July 28 induction date and returns home.
July 11, 1969 - Clinton's friend at Oxford, Cliff Jackson, writes that "[Clinton] is feverishly trying to find a way to avoid
entering the Army as a drafted private. I have had several of my friends in influential positions trying to pull strings on Bill's
behalf."
Clinton benefitted from yet another lobbying campaign in order to evade this induction notice. "Democratic presidential
candidate Bill Clinton, who has said he did not pull strings to avoid the Vietnam-era draft, was able to get his Army induction
notice canceled in the summer of 1969 after a lobbying effort directed at the Republican head of the state draft agency."
Arrangements were made for Clinton to meet with Col. Williard A. Hawkins who "was the only person in Arkansas with
authority to rescind a draft notice. ... The apparently successful appeal to Hawkins was planned while Clinton was finishing his
first year as a Rhodes scholar in England. Clinton's former friend and Oxford classmate, Cliff Jackson -- now an avowed
political critic of the candidate -- said it was pursued immediately upon Clinton's return to AR in early July [1969] to beat a Jul
28 deadline for induction."
August, 7 1969 - Clinton is reclassified 1-D after he arranges to enter the ROTC program at the University of Arkansas.
According to Cliff Jackson, Clinton's Oxford classmate, Clinton used the ROTC program to "kill the draft notice, to avoid
reporting on the Jul 28 induction date, which had already been postponed. And he did that by promising to serve his country in
the ROTC, number one, to enrol in the law school that fall ... and he never enrolled."
Comment - Clinton's admission into the ROTC program again runs contrary to his repeated statements that he received no
special treatment in order to evade military service. Col Eugene Holmes, commander of the UArk ROTC program, said
Clinton was admitted after pressure from the Hot Springs draft board and the office of Sen J. William Fulbright (D-AR).
Again, Clinton was receiving preferential treatment. In addition, records from the Army reveal that Clinton was not legally
eligible for the ROTC program at that time. Army regulations required recruits to be enrolled at the university and attending
classes full-time before being admitted to an ROTC program.
Fall 1969 - Clinton returns to Oxford for a scond year.
Clinton was supposed to be at the Arkansas Law School. However, according to Cliff Jackson, "Sen. Fulbright's office and
Bill himself continued to exert tremendous pressure on poor Col. Holmes to get him [Clinton] to go back to Oxford."
September 14, 1969 - The _Arkansas Gazette_, published in Little Rock, headlined a draft suspension was reportedly
planned by the President.
Comment - The article, citing a source, said Selective Service reforms when implemented, would only permit the conscription
of 19-year-old men. In addition, the source said "the Army would send to Vietnam only enlistees, professional soldiers, and
those draftees who volunteered to go." The source contended that these reforms, combined with troop withdrawals, "would
put pressure on the Congress to enact draft legislation already proposed by the President ... and set up a lottery to conscript
only 19-year-old men," the _Gazette_ reported.
From his letter to Col. Holmes, it is very likely that Clinton was in the US on Sep 14 69. He was 23 years old.
September 19, 1969 - "President Nixon, facing turmoil on college campuses, suspended draft calls for November and
December of [1969] and said the October call would be spread out over three months."
The President also indicated that if the Congress did not act to establish a lottery system, he would remove by executive order
the vulnerability to the draft of all men age 20 to 26.
Comment - Again, Clinton was 23 years old.
September-October 1969 - "At some point, Clinton decided to make himself eligible for the draft and said in February
[1992] his stepfather had acted in his behalf to accomplish this. _Newsweek_, attributing the information to campaign officials,
said this all happened in Oct 1969. [Clinton spokesperson Betsey] Wright ... said she believed it took place in September. The
difference is potentially significant. ... If Clinton did not act to give up his deferment until October, he could have known he
faced no liability from the draft until the following summer, that he could take his chances with the lottery and find alternative
service if he got a low number."
October 1, 1969 - "[Nixon] announced that anyone in graduate school could complete the full year."
Comment - Clinton is now safe from the draft through June 1970.
October 1969 - President Nixon suspends call-up of additional draftees until a draft lottery is held in December.
October 15, 1969 - Clinton organized and let anti-war demonstrations in London.
Comment - According to McSorley, Clinton's demonstrations "had the support of British peace organizations" such as the
British Peace Council, an arm of the KGB-backed World Peace Council.
October 30, 1969 - Clinton is reclassified 1-A, eligible for induction.
Comment - "Clinton said he put himself into the draft by contacting his draft board in September or October and asking to be
reclassified 1-A. ... It is not clear, however, whether that occurred at Clinton's urging or whether his failure to enroll at UArk
automatically cancelled his 1-D deferment."
Clinton has never produced any evidence to substantiate his claim that he initiated his reclassification.
November 16, 1969 - Clinton organized and led anti-war demonstrations in London.
December 1, 1969 - Clinton draws #311 in the first draft lottery.
Comment - Clinton was virtually assured that he would not be drafted because of the high lottery number.
December 2, 1969 - Clinton writes to Col. Eugene Holmes, , commander of the UArk ROTC program and states, "From my
work I came to believe that the draft system is illegitimate ... I decided to accept the draft in spite of my beliefs for one reason
- to maintain my political viability."
December 12, 1969 (approximately) - Clinton visits Norway where he meets with various "peace" organizations.
December 12 (approx) - December 31, 1969 - ???
Comment - After visiting Norway with Father McSorley, Clinton's movements and activities are unknown until he arrives in
Moscow on December 31, 1969. Where did he go, what did he do, and who did he meet with?
December 31, 1969 - January 6, 1970 - Clinton travels to Moscow. He later said "relations between our two countries
were pretty good then." He then described his visit as "a very friendly time, a good atmosphere."
Despite Clinton's claim that January 1970 was "a time of detente," relations between the United States and the Soviet Union
were anything but warm. The Soviets were supplying the North Vietnamese with advisors and anti-aircraft weapons.
September 7, 1992 - Col. Eugene Holmes, USA Ret., signs a notarized statement in which he asserts that "there is the
imminent danger to our country of a draft dodger becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States."
He later writes that "I believe that he (Clinton) purposefully deceived me, using the possibility of joining the ROTC as a ploy to
work with the draft board to delay his induction and get a new draft reclassification."
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