4 of the most controversial presidential pardons in US history

By CP Staff, Wednesday, December 04, 2024

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, wave to the audience during the Democratic National Convention at the Fleet Center July 26, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts. | Scott Olson/Getty Images

President Jimmy Carter pardons Vietnam War draft dodgers

As one of his first major acts, President Jimmy Carter in 1977 granted a full pardon to men who had avoided the military draft during the Vietnam War by fleeing the country, going into hiding, or refusing to serve. This group is often referred to as "draft dodgers."

Proclamation 4483, also known as the Granting Pardon for Violations of the Selective Service Act, also extended to those who had left the United States to avoid the draft, especially those who had fled to Canada or other countries, as well as those who had resisted the draft by refusing to report for duty.

While Carter intended the pardon to help heal the nation’s post-Vietnam political divide, some saw it as a betrayal of those who had served in the military during the war.