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9-23-1968

Resist Newsletter, Sept. 1968

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Recommended Citation Resist, "Resist Newsletter, Sept. 1968" (1968). Resist Newsletters. 128. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/resistnewsletter/128 a call to resist ...... illegitimate authority 23 Septe~•er 1968 - 763 M~ssachusetts Avenue, i/4, Camerid~e, Mass., .Newsletter i/16

THE TRIAL OF THE CATONSVILLE NINE A REP.ORT . .ON. .THE. PARIS TALKS

The trial of the Catonsville Nine (Cornell Professor Douglas Dowd, for burning draft board records will member of the Mobilization Steering begin in Baltimore on October 7. We Committee, was one of five American want to share with you some information scholars who recently spent 13 hours about and perspective on the trial, and over two days in discussions in Paris to urge you to join us in activities with North Vietnam's top negotiators. related to the event and to the more The views are his, and the statistics general needs of the anti-war movement. are those given to him and his col­ leagues by the North Vietnamese. The Baltimore trial will be short These figures also were checked with and highly political, both inside and U.S. records. His account of the outside the courtroom. The group has Paris meeting is here printed com­ decided upon a "collective defense"; plete, and it is used by permission. the team of lawyers is led by William From The Ithaca Journal, 13 September, Kunstler. They will not ask for a 1968.) jury (partly because choosing a jury is usually time-wasting and undramatic, By DOUGLAS F. DOWD and partly because judges tend to re­ In June. Dave Dellinger was in Paris talking strict evidence more sharply in jury with representatives of the Peace Delegation of trials). They expect the trial to North Vietnam. They asked him if he· could lo.cate five American scholars to meet with them for an last only 4 or 5 days. The defense exchange of views. The result was that on will be organized primarily to main­ September 4, George McT. Kahin (Cornell), tain and underline the political stand Jonathan Mirsky ( Dartmouth l. Marilyn Blatt Young ( U. of Michigan l, Howard Zinn ( Boston taken by the group. Univ . l and I flew to Paris, where we began to meet with l~aders of the delegation on Sept. 5. Of the Politically, their position is several Vietnamese present at our discussions, the summarized by the following quotations most important were Minister Xuan , Thuy (Harriman' s counterpart l. Nguyen Thanh Le from their statement, issued at the (official spokesman for the North Vietnamese time of the burning: "We, American delegation l. Nguyen Minh Vy (Deputy to the citizens, have worked with the Poor in National Assembly l Xuan Oanh (Head of the Peace Committee of North Vietnam). Our the ghetto and abroad. In the course meetings went on for two days, with conversatioµs of our Christian ministry we have extending over thirteen hours. We were informed watched our country produce more vic­ that those with whom we spo,ke had full powers not only to express views to us, but to make decisions tims than an army of us could console at the Paris talks - something Ambassador or restore." "We destroy these draft Harriman apparently does not have. records not only because they exploit Our first hours were spent. largely in answering questions about the United States: What have ~een our young men, but because those rec­ the attitudes of Americans toward the war since ords represent misplaced power, con­ the beginning o'f the year? In what directions is the centrated in the ruling class of anti-war movement going? What do Americans thinks is happening at Paris? What of the GOP and America." Democratic platforms? What changes if any might be expected . as regards the war thrqughout this "Representing only 6% of the year? How can the war be ended, as we and our world's people, America controls half friends see things? Among those Americans who wish an end to the war which wish to see it end with of the world's productive wealth and freedom and independence for the Vietnamese, 60% of its finance. With our and which wish to see it end but with a subject annual budget of $80 billion plus, the Vietnam? What steps can LBJ himself take toward ending military now controls over half of the the war before he leaves office? What has been the federal property in the world (53% of American reaction to the defeat of the McCarthy, $183 billion). U.S. overkill capacity McGovern, and Kennedy forces at the Chicago convention? It is likely__that a coalition of those Cont. on p. 2 Page 2 The defendents understand that clearly; Catonsville Nine, cont. from p. 1 indeed, they hope their actions will be an inspiration to others. Philip and conventional weaponry exceeds that Berrigan has said, "these are times of the military might of the entire for confronting injustice •.. and to world." confront it justly, non-violently, and with maximum exposure of oneself and "A nation that found life through one's future." revolution has now become the world's number one counterrevolutionary force, not because Ameri can people would have ACTION i t that way, but be cause the rich choose to def end t h e ir power and 1 . We encourage people to use the we a l th. " "We b e lie ve some property October 5- 7 dates as a f ocus f or h as no right t o exi s t. Hitler's gas d irect action a n d o ther p ublic activ­ ovens, Stalin's c on centrati on camps, i t ies directed a gainst t he draft and a t omic-bac teriological-ch emi cal weap­ the war. Ma ny of y ou will be organ­ onry, files of c onscrip tion and s l um izing towards actions a r ound election prope rties are examples h avi ng no day or t oward the national draft card right to e x ist." "Finally, we are turn-in on November 1 4; we feel that appalled by the ruse of the Ame rican October 7 will be a good stepping­ ruling class invoking the cry for 'Law stone for such organizing. Others and Order' to mask and perpe tuate in­ will feel, we think, a keen sense of justice." "Let our preside nt and the unity with the Nine, and will identi­ pillars of society speak of 'Law and fy both with their militancy and their Justice,' and back up their words with political position. For many the date deeds, and there will be 'Order.' We early in October will provide a good have pleaded, spoken, marched and first opportunity to bring together nursed the victims of their injustice. anti-war forces in your community Now this injustice must be faced, and after the summer. this we intend to do ...• " We are suggesting no one particu­ On the morning the trial opens a lar form for such actions, though march will be held from Wyman Park to draft boards and other military instal­ the courtroom. From 6 to 8 each eve­ lations are obvious focusses. This ning there will be a communi ty supper might provide an opportunity to ap­ for all those attending and p artici­ proach men in the military or the pating. From 8:30 on each evening national guard: h e re are two men, there will be forums in which the one a priest, already serving s ix political a nd moral points of the years in jail; the rest face up to defendents' actions can be de eloped, thirty years. We think soldiers will in which witnesses whose testi mony h as be interes t e d i n their acts, because been e xcluded from court can " testi f y" those acts are con cret e a t t empts by about t he r ealities of America p o licy, "safe" civilians to change what i n Vi etnam and e l sewhere, and i n wh ich America is doing to its young me n others in the a n ti- war movement can and to men and women, young and old, join with the men and women on trial . throughout the world.

We also exp ect t h at some d i r e ct We think it will be particularly actions will be organized bef o re a nd important for those connected with during the trial in Baltimo re and e lse­ universities or schools to use this where. I should point out that Father opportunity. It may be a good time Philip Berrigan and Tom Lewis are to reestablish the practice of teach­ already serving six-year terms for ins, particularly in the context of their initial act of pouring blood on establishing sanctuary for a resister Baltimore draft files. It would not or soldier. Sanctuary on university be surprising if maximum sentences campuses can help to do many of the were given in this case too, especially organizing, unifying, and educational if other direct actions against draft tasks we see as essential to the boards occur in connection with it. movement. And it raises fundamental Cont. on p. 4 Page 3

forces will emerge now? Is it likely that there will believed that he meant that more bombs would be be any joint action between the various segments concentrated in a smaller area, doing more of the anti-war movement? damage to civilians? How could he have said that Given the different perspectives of the five only 10 per cent of the North Vietnamese Americans, the answers tended to be at least population lives in the area between the 17th and somewhat diverse ; they are in any case of less 20th parallels, when in fad over four million interest than what we learned from the North people (of 16 million) live in that area? How could Yietnamese. Before going on to that, it should be of the Pentagon go on saying that the bombing is to interest that more than once the Vietnamese made stop infiltration when in fact - by the Pentagon's it clear that their own attitudes and actions were in own figures - in an area of about 200 by about 125 ·no ~ense dependent upon the election " of this or miles containing four million people American that man as president. " They have their position planes dropped over 3,000,000 fragmentation as to what can bring peace in Vietnam, and they do bombs in the three months on June. July, and not intend to alter it in reaction to the American August and over 150,000 tons of explosive bombs in political scene. the same area and time period ( not to mention • • • naval shellings and artillery J. The North Vietnamese, in responding to our • • • questions, made three very important points. In the province of Nghe An there are 426 vtllages. First, the North Vietnamese explained that they In August alone, 211 of those villages were bombed. went to Paris with the clear understanding The province is 180 miles north of the 17th parallel. (developed in earlier and informal conversations ) In Ha Tinh province, there are 250 villages; 217 that the first step would be to determine quickly were bombed in August. In Quang Binh Province, the date upon which all United States bombing and there are 131 villages ; 124 were bombed in August. other acts of war against the North would stop; In all these provinces, schools, hospitals. dams and and that only then would substantive talks take rice paddies were bombed throughout these place. (The new book by Baggs and Ashmore, months, over and over again. Thus the saying: "A " Mission to Hanoi ," makes this equally clear.) grain of rice costs a drop of blood ." As for other The North Vietnam·ese have never wavered from matters: their position that only with an end to the bombing Since March 31 , 40 ,000 additional American of the North could talks begin. In coming to Paris. troops have been landed in South Vietnam. The they were making a concession toward easing the Johnsonia11 explanation for this is that the plans to way, as they saw it; and, as they saw it, the do so were made before March 31. Not even Orwell Americans coming to Paris signified that the would have guessed that such reasoning would flow Americans were ready to stop the bombing very from high places this much before 1984. soon . The only other interpretation of the Paris A final note on the bombing : The largest share of tal~s was that it _was a propaganda effort by the the bombing in the North now takes place from B- United States, which the Vietnamese did not take it 52 's, who " carpet bomb" - which is to say they fly to be. And they made it clear to us that " an end of sa high they can't be seen or heard,· and their the bombing would lead to an end of the war.'' bombs are dropped indiscriminately on an area. Secondly, we had long discussions on the Their explosive and fragmentation bombs are question of reciprocity. There were at least two destroying people, schools, hospitals, and fields in strongly and frequent reiterated points made on a process of bbmbing whose intensity _has never this point. The Vietnamese lack the capacity to been matched in quantity or in savagery, and wage air war, and there is no truly reciprocal de­ whose savage result is that the Administration has escalatory action they can take. But more had the propaganda effect of seeming to have basically, to accept the principle of reciprocity is southt peace while it lias in fact intensified its to accept the American rationalization for its efforts to bring the Vietnamese, not to the bombing, to accept the American version of the negotiating table, but to their kneews. One war. But the Vietnamese see themselves as the impression from our meetings in Paris, an victim and the United States as the foreign indelible one, is that the Vietnamese will never be intruder. brought to their knees. • • • The final point of great impertance we came At the same time, the North Vietnamese seek an away with had to do with the Vietnamese reaction end to this terribly destructive war, and they have to Senator Edward Kennedy's major speech of taken significant steps showing their desire to do Aug . 21. We asked the North Vietnamese so, which manifest their good will. As evidence of delegation how they regarded that speech. They this, their delegation at Paris pointed out that cited his statement that the United States must shortly after Ambassador Harriman suggested (in re~olve " to make an end to this war, not five or ten early June) that a cessation of the rocketing of years •from now ; not after the expenditure of Saigon " might lead to a full bombing halt," the another 100 billions dollars and the lives of another rocketing of Saigon was in fact halted for sixty-six 25,000 of our finest sons : but as· quickly as it is_ days, beginning June 21. They went on to ask us to physfcally possible to reach the essential note the dramatic drop in American casualty agreements . . . Specifically our government figures during this same period - despite the fact .should undertake as soon as possible : First, to end that American ground sweeps and air strikes in the unconditionally all bombing of North Vietnam." South increased and American air raids on the The North Vietnamee strongly endorsed this North more than doubled (repeat: while the position and stated that as soon as all bombing of rocketing stopped ). They appealed to us " to tell the North stops, discussions of the remaining the people of America the truth as it is. Tell them points in Senator Kennedy's proposal could begin. to look at the objective reality of reduced Like Senator Kennedy, th~y stressed that the hostilities on our part." surest and only way to save American lives is to The North Vietnamese will not admit to end the war. reciprocity as a principle, but they have practiced Some of the members of our group had met with serious restraint in deed. The Americans demand ViE> tn~m e::;- -:-- before, but I had not. The experience reciprocity in principle, but have in fact increa!ied the level of viaence. When Johnson announced a limitation of bombing of March 31. who could have Cont. on p. 4 was for me most moving and impressive. I was Page 4 u~prepared f_or the straightforward and warmly friendly quahty of our discussions. There was no 3. We urge you to send at least one rhetoric, no bombast, and only rarely a show of feeling - even when they pointed out to us that of member of your group to participate in the dozen or so Vietnamese we spoke to in our the trial, the forum and the related meetings that each had lost at least one member of events. We believe such participation his family due to the bombings. Perhaps most moving of all was their serious can have substantial effect on build­ and patient attempt to let• us know that they ing the solidarity and coherence of understood why Americans were so concerned the resistance movement, and on plan­ with " honor." They too are concerned with honor, and that is why they fight for their territorial ning future strategy. Dan Berrigan integrity. their freedom, and their independence. suggests that if you must choose and have done so for so many years. They cannot between attending the first two or see why the United States thinks it will be the last two days, you should choose dishonored if it leaves the Vietnamese to· themselves ; they think that the stain on our honor the last two. spreads the longer we bomb, kill, and occupy a small country that " intends us no harm. " They 4. For publicity materials about the told us that "the Vietnamese aspire eagerly for peace. Catonsville Nine (which will be useful It must be a real peace, one of independence and both to you and to them) contact Paul freedom. For this we have not hesitated to struggle Mayer, 300 Ninth Avenue, New York, and lose our lives for four thousand years.' · And N.Y. 10001, or Apt. D, 295 Fort later: "Today, as in our other struggles, we all fight and die for our independence. For this our Washington Avenue, New York, N.Y. children dig trenches from their homes to their 10032, 212 WA-8-2845. schools, do their homework and sleep in the shelters, for they can never hear the planes that ctrop the oomos. · · It was hard to disagree with the North Vietnamese when they said " the only reason the A NOTE ON STRATEGY United States has lost its honor and prestige is that it has carried out agression against a small country. " My own feeling is that in the immediate future we have three fairly clear needs. One is to reunify the anti-war movement, which undoubtedly has more strength than polls and the campaign suggest but which appears badly fragmented and without coherent Catonsville Nine, cont. from p. 2 focus. A second is to keep the issue of the war alive in a campaign in issues about the relationship of the which the candidates have real university to the war. interest in burying it. A third is to continue working to detach certain Please inform our office about institutions from the concensus any plans you have and afterwards supporting the war without at the about the results of your actions. same time providing issues and excuses for the repressive forces 2. For those in the vicinity of already gathering strength. Our Baltimore: we encourage you to par­ feeling is that fruitful work in ticipate in the march on the morning this respect can be done at colleges of October 7 -- which will gather at and universities and with men in the 9:00 a.m. in Wyman Park, Charles and military, reserves and national guard. 29th Street -- and to come to the I wouldn't by any means suggest this trial and evening events. If you are as an all-encompassing strategic organizing groups of people to come, perspective, but it does provide please contact Dee Ann Pappas (3011 some reasonable and attainable goals Guilford, Baltimore, 301 235-0261) for the immediate future. about where to go, the possibility --P.L. of sleeping accommodations, etc. Page 5 GROWING RESISTANCE IN THE MILITARY At this point the ACLU prepared to take the case into court arguing One sign of the growing strength that his right of due process· had of the resistance movement is the rise been d~sregarded. Cajoled by the of resistance in the military. The Chaplain (who offered him a perma­ "Fort Hood Three" and continuing unrest nent desk job) and then threatened t~ere, Capt. Levy's witness against with five years in prison, Harold misuse of medical training, the refusal maintained his total resistance. of 50 men to go to Chicago for riot In a letter to his commanding duty, the stockade riots in Vietnam o~ficer he wrote, and individual, unpublicized acts of resistance mark the opening of another " ••• Daily contact with the envi­ front in the struggle against illegiti­ ronment in which it seemed everyone mate authority. was submitting to the coming condi­ tion of participation in the military Harold Egeln, a Resist contact society, which is within the institu­ person, has - at our request - written tion of war, stirred questions and a detailed narrative of his successful doubts within my own m1nd and con­ battle to be released from the nation's science. Although fully realizing war machine. What follows is an out­ my finitude and mortality, my own line of his narrative and some of his significance in the scheme of the personal comments. universe, this submissive attitude of Man to armed conflict as a solu­ In March, 1966, Harold was tion to the human condition struck inducted into the Army. A few days in me as the key to the whole matter the murderous atmosphere of Fort Dix of war; if men stopped submitting confirmed what had been a growing incli­ to the orders of the institution, nation toward conscientious objection. refused to take up arms against a In his words, "I will not kill my fellow peo~le, and if already bearing arms, man, for I am only a reflection of all decided to turn such arms into plow­ men, as they are reflections of myself. shares, then war might decrease and disappear from societies." I gave life to no one. I shall not take it. I shall work to extend the promise His commanding officer decided · of life." to recommend an administrative dis­ charge, stating that "his lack of Harold was not with his unit when interest in military service makes ~twas shipped out for combat training further training futile." On 1n Kansas - he was alone in the base September 26th his six-month struggle chapel. A few days later he applied ended. Harold received an honorable for discharge as a conscientious administrative discharge accomplished objector. on po~t without having to go through complicated channels in Washington. He refused to train with the M-14 weapon. Frustrated by the strength of One should probably refrain from his conviction, the Army let him tend drawing general conclusions on the lawns while his request was pending. basis bf one case. Harold benefitted He had written to his Congressman, who fro~ his own sophisticated style of would be helpful in dislodging the res~stance, from having a commanding request which had become "lost." But officer who was enlightened enough to the Selective Service administration realize that he could never make a was balking at the request, and the soldier out of him, and from the Army changed its tactics, trying to assistance of Arlo Tatum and the pressure him to accept non-combatant ACLU. His case never entered the status. Harold agreed to accept courts. Pvt. David W. Brown did non-combatant training only on the press such a test case -- and went understanding that if his request ~o prison. Nonetheless, the point were denied he would refuse any is that resistance is possible from further training. In August he within the military. learned that his request had been - Bob Parsons denied. INFORMATION NEEDED ON SELECTIVE LAWYER'S SELECTIVE SERVICE Page 6 CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION DEFENSE PANEL

Air Force Captain Dale E. Noyd, A panel of lawyers has been formed now in confinement for refusing to to handle Selective Service and mili­ train pilots to go to Vietnam, is tary cases in the Chicago area, the writing a book on selective conscien­ San Franci co Bay area, and efforts tious objection. He has done much are underway to form one in Boston. research already, but he is interested Members of the panel will in many in finding other materials regarding instances take cases without fee or at the subject which he might not have a reduced fee depending on the client's found, particularly "obscure items ability to pay. Counselors are urged which I might not--such as statements to refer counselees in need of legal by religious groups ... and religious services, particularly those who have journals other than Christianity and refused induction or plan to refuse in Crisis and The Christian Century." the near future, to the panels. More information about these panels can be If you have information or obtained from AFSC regional and materials relevant to the subject national offices. of selective conscientious objection, please send them to: Capt. Dale E. Noyd LEGAL ACTION ON BOSTON PAINT-POURING c/o Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors Two young pacifists who poured 2016 Walnut Street black paint on draft board files in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 Boston in an open act of civil dis­ obedience have been arrested and will be tried in late September or early STATISTICS FROM THE SS October in federal district court in Boston. Suzanne Williams, 19, of The American Friends Service Amherst, Mass. is being held on $5,000. Committee reports that these statis­ bail after refusing to accept the terrrs tics were published in the 1967 Annual of personal recognizance. Frank Femia, Report of the Director of Selective 20, of West Virginia, who was sentenced Service. Here are the numbers of on Sept~ 9 to four years for induction appeals considered by all the state refusal, is being brought to Massachu­ appeal boards in recent fiscal years: setts for arraignment and trial in the draft files case. Both young people 1965 9,741 have three charges against them in the 1966 49,718 case, penalties for which could amount 1967 119,167 to as much as 14 (?) years plus fines.

And here are the numbers of Presiden­ At the time of their action at the tial appeals: draft board in the Boston Customs House, draft board and other federal 1965 163 employees were so startled that they 1966 798 ushered Suzi and Frank out of the 1967 2,175 building rather than calling police. The two then issued a news release As the AFSC points out, "much o·f the identifying themselves and interpreting · credit for the increases in the number their action. Notified of the date of of men claiming their rights, and not their arraignment, they refused to giving up, goes to you, the hard­ appear because they felt "we have done working draft counselor. The figures nothing wrong and will not voluntarily for the 1968 fiscal year (just ended help put ourselves in prison." They on June 30) aren't out yet, but they expected to be arrested at the head­ should be higher than ever. Keep the quarters of the New England Committee appeal boards working overtime." for Nonviolent Action in Voluntown, Connecticut, with which they are both associated; however, federal officials did not arrest them until they had left the sanctuary of the New England CNVA.