The decisi6én to plan another national action against the Vietnam war was made by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at their annual convention, attended by 300 young people, in Kewadin, Michigan, on June 9-13. SDS called the March on Washington to End the War in Vietnam last April.
The SDS convention, and the national council meeting which followed, discussed the connection between the war in Vietnam and the movements for social change in this country. They concluded that the war economy and mentality prevent domestic progress in the areas of poverty, Civil rights and university reform.
The main discussion of a national "antiwar focus" was on a proposal to advocate that soldiers refuse to fight in Vietnam. It was suggested that if the Government chose to prosecute such advocacy under the Espionage Act the students would use the U.S. government's thesis in its prosecution of the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials in Germany after World War II, as their defence. The Nuremberg precedent referred to holds that the citizen has a higher duty than that to the Government when the Government is committing crimes on a mass scale, :
Despite press reports to the contrary, this plan was not adopted. It had been stated from the beginning of the discussion that a referendum of all SDS members would be necessary before such a drastic plan could be carried out. The opposition to this plan came from those who didn't want a national antiwar focus for SDS, as well as from those who thought the plan too impractical or dangerous.
Because of the opposition to the plan, other possibilities for SDS-sponsored or supported antiwar activities were discussed briefly in the national council meeting held after the convention. Among the suggestions were an-~ other and larger March on Washington, a National Protest Day, a Third Continental Congress, and Hiroshima Day activity. Two international projects were proposed: an international teach-in to be held in Canada; and the establishment of an international tribunal, consisting of prominent intellectuals and scientists, who would evaluate the morality of the war in Vietnam.
All of these suggestions were referred to a subcommittee for further consideration. While the convention and national council meeting decided to focus on the Vietnam war, exactly what projects SDS will undertake next were left open for further discussion.
The convention passed the "anti-red-baiting" amendments to its constitution which were proposed by Clark Kissinger. The main amendment changed the last sentence of the preamble of the consitution, which had read, "It (SDS) feels the urgency to put forth a radical, democratic program counter= posed to authoritarian movements both of Communism and the domestic right." The sentence now reads, “It feels the urgency to put forth a radical, democratic program whose methods embody the democratic vision." Another amendment struck dow a section relating to membership eligibility in SDS, which was red-baiting and exclusionist of Marxists in intent.
There was very little opposition to these amendments. Most of the delegates wanted to state the aims of the group positively and not in terms of what individuals or groups should be excluded. This attitude was an exten-
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SDS plans further anti-war action (Continued)
sion of the non-exclusion policy followed in the march on Washington, The opposition to this policy and to the anti-red-baiting amendments was led by Tom Kahn of the League for Industrial Democracy (LID), SDS's parent group.
In a discussion with this reporter after the amendments were passed, Kahn bemoaned the fact that so many SDSers were in favour of the amendments and the policy of noneexclusion. Kahn said SDS is recruiting students who are too far left.
The national council discussed relations with LID and decided not to capitulate to conservative pressures exerted by this group, These pressures were especially strong during the preparations for the March on Washington, not only because of SDS! non-exclusion policy, but also because of the antiadministration focus of the march,
The industrial unions department of the AFIACIO, which had been giving money to SDS, cut off its funds to the student group, largely because of the March on Washington. The convention decided to attempt to establish an independent financial base, depending upon a large number of small contributions rather than a few large ones.
Many views were presented during the convention on political strategy, They ranged from reform Democratic Party politics to independent political action. Two Young Socialist Alliance members were asked to report to the political strategy workshop on their experiences supporting the election campaigns of the Socialist Workers Party and the Freedom Now Party.
The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party challenge to the seating of the ractist congressmen from Mississippi, the Noel Day campaign, and other forms of electoral activity were reported on, No one line on political strategy was adopted, but only a small minority favoured trying to reform the Democratic Party or working for a 'realignment! of the two major parties,
A’ national council was elected. Carl Ogelsby and Jeff Shero were «| elected president and vice president, pending a referendum to decide the organisational structure of SDS. Many delegates opposed the concept of « national officers and even national structure, preferring regional or even local autonomy. Clark Kissinger was appointed national fund raiser by the national council.