from a
special correspondent. It is clear that the increasing opposition to the Vietnam War in the United States Army is posing a threat to the administration who are countering this with serious infringements of the right to freedom of speech, as laid down in the U.S. Constitution and applying to all citizens,ivilian or otherwise. The question is whether the Army can deny a G.I. his right to hold and express political views differing from those of the Washington Administration. This is what is at stake in the case of Private Howard Petrick, the 21 year old soldier who is threatened with court-martial solely for expressing his anti-war and socialist opinions to his fellow soldiers. Prior to being drafted last July, Petrick had been active in the anti-war and socialist movements and since then he has continued exercising his rights by expressing his views on Vietnam and other issues. Petrick had never crossed army regulations and was regarded as a good soldier by his superiors. However, on April lst, he was interrogated and told by an Army lawyer that there was a real prospect of his being court martialled. This news came after another interrogation at which he refused to answer 70 questions regarding his political beliefs and possession of anti-war literature seized by the authorities. Several other G.Is were also questioned and had their lockers searched. After that, Petrick was transferred to a new unit which isolated him from the G.Is who had been taking an interest in his beliefs. For several weeks he was not permitted any leave. On April 17th he was told that the investigation on him had been sent to the Army department in Washington D.C. and his case is now pending decision in the Pentagon, with the threat of a jail term or court martial hanging over hin. In only a short time, support for Howard Petrick has grown tremendously. Over 200 prominent individuals have become sponsors of the Committee to defend the rights of Private Howard Petrick.. The sponsors are members of more than 70 anti-war organisations, veteran pacifists, draft-resistance unions, high school groups, etc. The Defence Committee has been circulating news sheets and would appreciate donations towards covering publicity costs. Address - Committee to defend the rights of Howard Petrick, Box 569 Cooper Station, New York, N.Y. 10003., U.S.A.