COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES JOHN C. STENNIS, THOMAS J. MCINTYRE, New Hampshire SAM NUNN, Georgia JOHN C. CULVER, Iowa Mississippi, Chairman STROM THURMOND, South Carolina BARRY GOLDWATER, Arizona DEWEY F. BARTLETT, Oklahoma GARY HART, Colorado PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont T. EDWARD BRASWELL, Jr., Chief Counsel and Staff Director JOHN T. TICER, Chief Clerk SUBCOMMITTEE ON MANPOWER AND PERSONNEL SAM NUNN, Georgia, Chairman HARRY F. BYRD, JR., Virginia JOHN C. CULVER, Iowa WILLIAM L. SCOTT, Virginia DEWEY F. BARTLETT, Oklahoma FRANCIS J. SULLIVAN, Professional Staff Member CONTENTS Hoffmann, Hon. Martin R., Secretary of the Army, accompanied by Lt. Gen. Sidney B. Berry, Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy; Downey, Hon. Thomas J., a Representative in Congress from the Second District of the State of New York; accompanied by Fred McKee, Rear Adm. Kinnaird R., U.S.N., Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy; accompanied by Lt. Col. George Robillard, U.S.M.C., Allen, Lt. Gen. James R., Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy; accompanied by Brig. Gen. Stanley Beck, Commandant of Cadets__ Buckley, Col. Harry A., Cochairman, Superintendent's Special Study Group on Honor at West Point, accompanied by Lt. Bill Reid, Co- chairman; Col. Dana Mead, Manager of Research; Maj. Iain Reilly, Chairman, Purposes Committee; Capt. Richard Thoden, Member, Adjunct Committee; Capt. Harold L. Wilhite, Jr., Chairman, His- torical Development and Procedures Committees; Lt. James Abcouwer, Purposes Committee; Lt. John Grech, Historical De- velopment and Procedures Committees; Lt. Lonnie Keene, Purposes and Discretion/Sanctions Committees_- Moore, Dr. Robert H., professor of English, University of Maryland, and former professor of English, West Point Military Academy____ HONOR CODES AT THE SERVICE ACADEMIES MONDAY, JUNE 21, 1976 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MANPOWER AND PERSONNEL Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:03 a.m., in room 1318, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator Sam Nunn, chairman, presiding. Present: Senators Nunn, Culver, Bartlett, and Hart of Colorado. Also present: Francis J. Sullivan, professional staff member; W. Clark McFadden, general counsel, John T. Ticer, chief clerk; Charles J. Conneely, Kenneth W. Fish, John A. Goldsmith, George Travers, professional staff members: Louise A. Hoppe, and Roberta A. Ujakovich, research assistants, Mary G. Ketner, clerical assistant, Jeffrey Record, assistant to Senator Nunn; Charles Stevenson, assistant to Senator Culver; and Fred Ruth, assistant to Senator Bartlett. OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR SAM NUNN, CHAIRMAN Senator NUNN. Secretary Hoffmann, Superintendent Berry, Commandant Ulmer, it is a pleasure to have you here. This subcommittee meets today on a matter of serious national concern stemming from recent revelations of a major cheating incident which took place at West Point last March. According to press reports, approximately 20 percent of the entire class of 1977 at the U.S. Military Academy has been implicated in cheating on a take-home quiz in an electrical engineering course. This is not the first cheating incident which has occurred at our service academies, but it is the largest, and it comes at a time when our Military Establishment is attempting to retrieve its traditional standing in society in a post-Vietnam, post-Watergate environment. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is our oldest military service academy. For almost two centuries, the "long gray line" has produced an impressive share of our great military leaders. Scott, Lee, Jackson, Sherman, Pershing, Eisenhower, MacArthur, and Ridgeway are just a few of the names that adorn the Point's hallowed halls. Moreover, millions of Americans still view West Point-and I think rightfully so-as one of the repositories of traditional American. values a bastion of certainty, calm, and self-assurance in an era of turbulence and ever-changing ethical standards and lifestyles in our Nation and indeed in the world. Thus, West Point is not only a principal breeding ground for the Army's Officer Corps of the future, it is also a living monument to our country's past. Any degradation of West Point's renown affects us as Americans and as celebrants of our Nation's 200th anniversary. Additionally, as taxpayers, the American people through their elected representatives have other legitimate grounds for inquiry into the character and performance of an institution which is supported entirely by public funds. Each individual who graduates from a service academy represents a public investment of up to $100,000. The separation of a large number of students prior to graduation for any reason, therefore, cannot and should not escape public attention and scrutiny. The focus of these hearings is not confined to cheating or to West Point. It is the subcommittee's intention to look at our other service academies and to explore broader issues which may bear directly or indirectly upon the educational development, moral standards, and overall character of the future officers of our military services. These young people who are in the service academies today are the people who lead our sons and daughters in time of dire peril to our country. Prominent among these issues are the various honor systems now in effect at the service academies. The subcommittee intends to explore a number of questions, including, but not limited to the following: What are the purposes and procedures of the honor codes and the honor systems and are they serving the purpose for which they are intended? What are the differences between academy honor systems, and how do they affect student performance? Is violation of the honor codes infrequent and limited in scope or is it a common occurrence? With respect to the West Point honor code, which was formally institutionalized by then Superintendent Douglas MacArthur in the early 1920's, is its "nontoleration" provision essential to the maintenance of honorable conduct, or does it reduce cadets to petty policemen obligated to inform upon their fellow cadets? That is of course a very serious question, and I assure you we will respect all reasonable grounds. Mr. Secretary, after we have opening statements by either Senator Culver or Senator Bartlett, I will ask you to proceed. Senator Bartlett, do you have an opening statement? These hearings are very important not only as a means of enlightenment for the Congress, but also for the good of the military academies. Today we are focusing on West Point. This is of special significance to me because I am a member of its board of visitors. The recent events at West Point have caused the Army to pause and reflect upon what the code of honor means not only to the cadets but to all officers in the Army. The code does not end with graduation from West Point. It is an ideal, a code that its graduates hold sacred throughout their careers. There have been other violations of the honor code at West Point and the Air Force Academy in the not too distant past, but the Academy survived. I believe that they will continue and will survive to serve the purpose for which they were created. My main concern in these hearings, Mr. Chairman, is that there may be a tendency to throw out the baby with the bath water, and I would |