We have in our archives a rare book, although some libraries have it, containing 118 of the most important pieces of literature handed out by the antiwar movement between the years 1964 and 1974. Mutiny Does Not Happen Lightly: the Literature of the American Resistance to the Vietnam War. Edited by G. Louis Heath, a professor of sociology at Illinois State University, it was published in 1976 in a limited edition, “selected so as to present an accurate cross-section of the American resistance to the Vietnam War during 1964-1974.”
Containing mostly information on Who, What, Where of the various demonstrations and marches, we, however, are interested in the Why. We carefully went through all 597 pages of this book for all material that focused on the reasons for the anti-war protests. Here are all the statements of that type that we found. The essence of what the anti-war movement told others as to what the war was all about, is found here.
FROM THE LITERATURE OF THE WAR PROTESTS OF THE 60’S (0ur comments added):
“The May 2nd movement is launching an anti-induction campaign on the campuses. …based on the refusal to fight against the people of Vietnam. Some chapters of May 2 plan to campaign to donate blood and other medical aid to the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Viet Cong) to concretely show our support for national liberation struggles. Receiving blood from U.S. college students will be a terrific morale booster for the Vietnamese people.”
May 2nd Movement- Sept. 8, 1965
(Comment: a little aid and comfort from a U.S. branch of the Viet Cong)
“The game of the rich has caught up to Pig America. The Vietnamese have kicked ass out of U.S. occupational troops. More and more G.I.’s will no longer listen to Pig Nixon’s orders and are turning their guns around on the real enemy. The Provisional Revolutionary Government in Vietnam (Viet Cong) has led the Vietnamese people to complete victory.”
Roxboro School SDS- Cleveland Heights – June 4, 1972.
(Comment: by 1972 the Americans had won all five major offensives at a KIA (killed in action) ratio of 15 to 1, and South Vietnam was 95% pacified. After the Americans fought the enemy to a peace treaty and left, South Vietnam defended itself for two years until bitter anti-war Democrats in Congress betrayed them by cutting off their ammunition. These are the kinds of elementary facts that students never seem to know.)
Leonard Magruder is the founder and president of Vietnam Veterans for Academic Reform.
