AMNESTY UPDATE the National Amnesty Newsletter Issue No
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
o bimonthly publication of the national council for universal and unconditional amnesty april 1974 AMNESTY UPDATE the national amnesty newsletter issue no. 1 NATIONAL AMNESTY OFFICE NOW A REALITY! HOUSE HOLDS AMNESTY HEARINGS The National Council for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty has opened its —Duane Shank National on.. | ,i | \>) Lafayette Street, New York NY 10012. Tel. 212/228-1500. Jerry Olsen ha« liffii hired as National Coordinator. (Biographical sketch elsewhere in this (Duane Shank is a convicted non-registrant issue I presently working with NISBCO [National Since April of 197.1 representatives of many organizations have met together to form a Interreligious Service Board for Conscien ii.ii.iin.il .<II.II..I lu. iiii.oiiilii.ini.il amnesty. Io dale fifty-four national and local groups tious Objectors] .-Ed.) have i ..I l IM .mim il, \< i UA, is committed to obtaining an unconditional amnesty for all who restated the war in Indochina. • The Subcommittee on Courts, Civil The Statement ol Purpose of NCUUA reads in full: Liberties and the Administration of Justice of the House Judiciary Committee recently The purpose ol the National Council for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty is to completed three days of hearings on the mol>ili/i- the American people to work for a universal and unconditional amnesty thirteen bills relating to amnesty pending and to oh., ate them concerning the structures and institutions that created the war before it. Thirty witnesses were heard, m Southeast Asia. The Council is committed to working for universal and including representatives from the Defense Unconditional amnesty for all persons suffering disabilities because of opposition to Department, Justice Department, Selective the l im till States involvement in the war in Southeast Asia, to the draft, and to the Service System, five Members of Congress military. and twenty-two public witnesses. The press and other news media gave fairly extensive Our demand is an immediate amnesty without conditions (such as alternate service) coverage to the hearings, though most of it and without ease by-case review for: consisted of repeating arguments against •all military rcsisters (including "deserters"), whether in exile or underground in amnesty. Virtually no coverage was given the United States; to the proponents of a universal, uncondi •all persons who, because of their opposition to the war and the military, have been tional amnesty (UUA), although nineteen ulmiinsiiatively punished, convicted by civilian or military courts, or are subject to of the total thirty witnesses gave state pioncutlon; and ments in support of a UUA. These included •all veterans with less-than-honorable discharges. three members of NCUUA's Steering Committee. The war in Southeast Asia is not over. The movement to achieve a universal and The only really new argument advanced Unconditional amnesty for American war resisters demands that the United States was from a Deputy Assistant Attorney Government fully implement the Cease-Fire Agreements and thereby immediately General who made the point that only the cease all military operations in Southeast Asia, end support of its client Executive could grant an amnesty- governments in Indochina, and insist upon the release of all political prisoners in Congress had no constitutional rights in South Vietnam. that area. Several later witnesses rebutted A twelve-person Steering Committee has been set up, composed of six members that proposition, and the subcommittee representing those who would be direct recipients of an amnesty, and six members members present didn't seem to give it representing groups which are developing programs to mobilize on the issue. The Steering much credence. Subcommittee attendance Committee has met regularly since last summer to formulate policy and program. at the hearings was small—Representatives Members are: civil rights representative Virginia Collins, SOUTHERN CONFERENCE Kastenmeier, Drinan and Smith were in EDUCATIONAL FUND (New Orleans); civilian résister representative Jeanne Friedman, constant attendance, with brief visits from CAMPAIGN FOR AMNESTY (San Francisco); counseling group representative from Representatives Mezvinsky, Railsback and CCCO/AN AGENCY FOR MILITARY AND DRAFT COUNSELING (Philadelphia); exiles Sandman. representative Dee Knight, AMEX/CANADA (Toronto); families of resisters represen The major weakness of the hearings is tative Sandra Rutherford, VANCOUVER AMERICAN EXILES ASSOCIATION shown by my words above—"gave state (Vancouver); G.I. organizers representative Ellie Weissman, LEGAL IN-SERVICE ments in support of a UUA". With the PROJECT (Boston); liberal organizations representative Henry Schwarzschild, ACLU exception of Jeremy Mott, a convicted (New York); peace movement representative Irma Zigas, WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE draft résister, all of the pro-UUA testimony and WOMEN STRIKE FOR PEACE (New York); prisoners representative Walter Collins was in support of, rather than from SOUTHERN CONFERENCE EDUCATION FUND (Louisville); religious denominations potential amnesty recipients themselves. representative Fred Hofrichter, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST and INTERRELIGIOUS There were no exiles, veterans with bad TASK FORCE ON AMNESTY (Washington); religious peace groups representative Trudi discharges, military resisters or people with [Continued on page 6] [Continued on page 4] 1 DON LUCE IS GUEST OF EXILES Bucklin-Johnson Campaign Begins On 20-21 December Don Luce, journalist, agronomist, and The NCUUA Steering Committee decided at its February consultant on Vietnam, was the featured speaker at public meeting to launch a nationwide campaign for amnesty focusing meetings held in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Toronto, on two representative cases, those of Richard Bucklin and Robert Ontario, by organizations of American war resisters in Canada. Johnson. Luce, recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Dick Bucklin left the army in Germany when he concluded Vietnam and liberated areas of South Vietnam, spoke of the that he could no longer provide even indirect support for the war; reconstruction in both areas. Schools, hospitals, housing and he spent 4/4 years in Sweden before returning to the U.S. and industry are being reconstructed slowly after the terrible gave himself up last Independence Day. He is currently serving 15 devastation of the war, he told those who attended. He pointed months at hard labor in Ft. Leavenworth, after which he will out, though, that the Thieu regime and the U.S. Government receive a Bad Conduct Discharge. were continuing to refuse implementation of the Paris Peace Bob Johnson is a black Mississippian drafted ahead of turn Accords. The Thieu regime, with active U.S. support, has refused because he was a civil rights activist. After 11 months alternate to release more than 200,000 political prisoners they hold, has service as a hospital dishwasher, he was transferred to a hospital refused to work toward free elections, has continued military in Jackson MS, with no provision for his food or lodging. As his assaults against Provisional Revolutionary Government territory, family is large and poor, he was unable to afford the assignment and has been preparing to resume the war on a full-scale and refused to go. He is now serving a five year sentence at Eglin basis—with the possibility of direct U.S. military involvement, Air Force Base in Florida. Luce explained. Literature describing these two men and the need for universal Luce was interviewed by many newspapers and radio stations and unconditional amnesty will be available soon. The immediate during his visit to Canada. He stressed that the war is not over and goals of the campaign are to publicize the cases of Bucklin and that the mass media is ignoring Viet Nam, except for attempts to Johnson,to secure their immediate release; and to emphasize the prepare public opinion for resumption of U.S. involvement by issues behind our call for universal and unconditional amnesty: talking about the "Viet Cong preparing major attacks" and "Reds the criminality of the war, discrimination in the military and the break peace treaty." He insisted that people must mobilize danger of further imperialist adventures. Working from this base, against the Thieu regime and U.S. governmental moves before we will mobilize the hitherto latent support for total amnesty and full-scale war is resumed. compel Congress and the President to grant it. This will require The Luce visit to Vancouver and Toronto was part of a united the cooperation of all amnesty groups on both the national and action endorsed by the nine member organizations of the the local level, and the establishment of groups where they do not recently-formed Coalition of American War Resisters in Canada exist already. (CAWRC). (See Canadian Exiles Unite on Amnesty, elsewhere in Jon Steinberg, an experienced worker in the civil rights and this issue.) By holding the meetings, the exiled war resisters anti-war movements, has been hired to coordinate this campaign. expressed solidarity with the 2-300,000 South Vietnamese Speaking engagements have already been set up in many cities, political prisoners. Vinh Sinh, a young Vietnamese man from the petitions are now being prepared, and contact groups are being Association of Vietnamese Patriots, also attended both meetings. enlisted throughout the country. If your group has not been He received and returned expressions of American-Vietnamese contacted already, and you would like to participate, please