By the late 1990s, the Vietnam War resister with the highest profile in
Canada was never drafted, was never even eligible for the draft, yet de-
spite what would appear to be a technical disqualification, was in the
first wave of Americans to seek asylum in Canada because of opposi-
tion to the war. Her name is Diane Francis. Her trek north began shortly
after graduation from a Chicago-area high school in 1964. She had en-
rolled in the pre-med program at the University of Illinois and, at the
age of eighteen, was preparing to pursue the American Dream when
fate intervened in the form of a handsome twenty-one-year-old Eng-
lishman named Frank Francis.

Diane and Frank met during the summer of 1964. He was a graphic
designer who had come to the United States the year before to find work
after becoming disillusioned with the politics of his native England. He
was granted a "green card," which allowed him to accept employment
as an alien, but there was a condition attached -- he was required to reg-
ister for the U.S. draft. Since the draft board in Queens, New York, was
closest to his point of entry into the United States, he registered there,
not really giving much thought to it at the time.

Diane and Frank dated throughout the summer and into fall. By the
end of the year, they realized they wanted to make a life together, but
Frank's uncertain draft status hung over them like a dark cloud. At that
time, Selective Service regulations specified that married registrants
could be given a deferment, so in the spring of 1965, Diane withdrew
from school and married Frank.

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