Been waiting 'till he died to post that one?
On August 19, at the national convention of Veterans of Foreign Wars in the city of Chicago, I announced my intention to give these young people a chance to earn their return to the mainstream of American society so that they can, if they choose, contribute, even though belatedly, to the building and the betterment of our country and the world....and 20 days later, on September 8, 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon.
Ford Made Historic Speech On Draft Dodgers In Windy City
Dana Kozlov
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_361232457.html
...Ford had been in office for just 10 days when he gave a speech at Chicago's Conrad Hilton. In it, he proposed giving earned clemency to the 50,000 or so draft dodgers who fled the country. Less than three weeks later - in another controversial move - Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon.
Medium: Radio
Program: As It Happens
Broadcast Date: Jan. 21, 1977
Host: Alan Maitland, Interviewer: Barbara Frum
Guest(s): Jack Kalhoon
Duration: 4:57
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-348-1933/conflict_war/draft_dodgers/clip10
In his first act as president, Jimmy Carter pardons those who peacefully evaded the draft by travelling abroad or failing to register. Military deserters, however, have not been included in the blanket pardon. In the two-tiered system, deserters can apply for a limited pardon to be reviewed on a case by case basis. CBC Radio's Barbara Frum talks to one frustrated military deserter who would like to go home again.
• In 1974, President Ford offered a partial amnesty for war resisters. Of the 350,000 eligible candidates, only 21,800 were granted clemency. Exile groups in Canada, Sweden, Britain and France boycotted the program. They particularly disliked the stringent process that required them to swear the oath of allegiance. This measure was particularly offensive because former president Richard Nixon, who was also pardoned under this umbrella package, was treated much easier despite his role in manipulating the democratic process in the Watergate affair.
• The blanket pardon allowed draft dodgers without criminal records or charges to come freely back into the country without having to go through a legal process. As such, no true figure exists of how many draft dodgers took advantage of the amnesty. It is estimated, however, that only 15 per cent of the evaders went back to the United States.
Jimmy Carter's News Conference of February 13th, 1980
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=32928
I have not called for and do not anticipate calling for a draft. The best way to prevent having a draft in the future and mobilization of our Nation's efforts, both natural and human efforts, is to be prepared. The registration which I have called for, and which I am sure the Congress will approve, will permit us to save 90 to 100 days, weeks or even months, in a mobilization effort, if it should be called for in the future. We are not advocating the draft; we are advocating registration for a draft.