The records provide only a fragmentary view of draft counseling activities during the years 1968-1972. There is almost nothing to document the center's development or policies; very little correspondence of the coordinator, and virtually no internal memoranda exist. Another unexpected gap results from the absence of counselee record forms and counselor's briefs. The first was a questionnaire that each counselee filled out on his first visit to the center, containing a detailed description of his draft history and his preferred alternatives. Counselor's briefs were listings of administrative actions taken to achieve the classification a man desired. Together these forms constituted the counselee's permanent file at DCIC.
The major portion of the collection consists of pamphlets, reprints, and newsletters reflecting DCIC's aim of providing information on Selective Service regulations. About three linear feet of newsletters and books have been transferred to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Library. The remaining papers have been divided into four series: Correspondence, DCIC Operations, Draft Counselor Training Materials, and Subject Files. Except for the Subject Files which are alphabetical, the folders in each category are arranged with those of more substance preceding.
Within the correspondence series, the incoming and outgoing letters pertaining to draft advice give some evidence of the kinds of information sought by young men. The citizenship information from embassies came in reply to a form letter. The same information is summarized in Exiled: A Handbook for the Draft Age Emigrant (transferred to the State Historical Society Library). The rest of the correspondence is sporadic and routine, consisting of form letters relating to church materials and subscriptions. The Miscellany folder includes letters from other draft counseling centers and a letter from the National Guard's Betterment Association.
The DCIC OPERATIONS series includes two briefs written by the DCIC which provide an overview of its history and aims, as well as limited budget information. Also found in the DCIC history file is a two-page report on the Atwood Community House, a DCIC branch established to serve non-student minorities. The other memos, news releases, and pamphlets give indirect evidence of DCIC activities.
Filed with the DRAFT COUNSELOR TRAINING MATERIALS are conscientious objector (C.O.) claims, some with letters of reference attached, but it is not clear whether these were used in counselor training. Most of the statements to draft boards contain a transcript written by the counselee soon after his hearing, reporting his version of the dialog that took place. As evidence of the reasons advanced for conscientious objection, and the types of questions asked by draft boards, this is probably the most interesting file in the collection. Basic Resource Materials on Military Law was written by the Committee for Legal Research on the Draft at Harvard University; the Handbook for Training Draft Counselors was written by Gene Hooyman and Paul Frazier at the Ann Arbor draft counseling center. “Preparing Cases for Trial” contains guidelines from the Committee at Harvard, and one court decision. The miscellany file contains the DCIC training program outline, workshop schedules, and addresses of other Wisconsin counselors, and a two-page report of a trainer/field worker.
The DCIC's SUBJECT FILES were apparently created at various times, and by different people. They contain mostly pamphlets and reprints to hand out or sell to counselees, as well as a few newsletters. Drafts of informational papers are found in the prisons and conscientious objection folders.
