Muhammad Ali vs. The Draft | What’s My Name? | 2

American Scandal

Wondery

True Crime, Exhibit C, Society & Culture, History, Documentary, History Daily, American History Tellers, Lindsay Graham

4.6 • 18.7K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1967, Muhammad Ali officially refuses induction into the U.S. military, standing firm in his religious objection to the Vietnam War. He is stripped of his heavyweight title, barred from boxing, and sentenced to five years in prison. Ali fights back with appeals while struggling with mounting legal bills, public criticism, and even suspension from the Nation of Islam.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, this is Lindsay Graham, host of American Scandal.
0:03.1	Our Back catalog has moved behind a paywall.
0:05.9	Recent episodes remain free, but older ones will require a Wondry Plus subscription.
0:10.6	With Wondry Plus, you get access to the full American Scandal archive, add free, plus early access to new seasons, and more.
0:17.7	Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:35.6	Thank you. and more. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. It's early November, 1966, in Washington, D.C.
0:40.3	Attorney Oscar Smith sits in his office in the Department of Justice,
0:44.4	reading interview transcripts to prepare for an upcoming case.
0:48.2	Smith is in charge of reviewing applications for draft deferment.
0:52.0	It's his job to determine whether applicants claiming to be conscientious
0:55.7	objectors are sincere in their beliefs or if they're just lying to get out of military service.
1:01.8	Today, he's assessing the most controversial case that's ever crossed his desk, one involving
1:07.0	heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay, where as he's now known, Muhammad Ali.
1:12.9	Ali is claiming that he's a minister of the nation of Islam, a religion that does not believe in war,
1:19.0	and therefore he must be excused for military service under the 4D exemption for all religious ministers.
1:25.5	Ali's claim has already been rejected once by the draft board in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
1:31.7	But Ali's lawyer appealed the case to a state draft board, which triggered a weeks-long investigation
1:37.2	by the FBI in a formal hearing.
1:40.2	Ali and his lawyers, along with several witnesses, went before a judge to testify about his beliefs,
1:46.2	and in the end, the judge ruled he was in fact sincere and should not be drafted.
1:51.6	But now the task of making a final determination comes down to Smith, and today's the day he has to decide.
2:02.0	Smith hears a knock at his office door, sees a colleague poke his head in.
	...

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