In war, the Greek historian Herodotus once explained, truth is the first casualty. But some- times where questions of war and militarism are concerned truth departs from the scene long before the first shot is fired. So it is with the national debate over draft registration and the possible return of military conscription. After President Carter’s State of the Union message in January 1980 announcing draft registration, a mass movement arose opposing this step toward the eventual resumption of conscription and a further escalation of the new cold war.

The Carter administration’s rationale for the draft was shaky. The draft was yet another gesture designed to send a signal to the Soviet...