(fron the Anerican Militant (April 26th 1965)
I went to the Washington March fron New York on one of the trains chartered by the Students: for a Democratic Society. On the way to Washington, ond again on the way back, I intervicwed o nuriber of young people, If those I selected at randon to talk to were a fair sampling of the denonstretors =< and what I observed in Washington sugsested they were - then there are a good number of thinking, quite wellinforned people in the high schools and eolleses today who sec through. the hoax of an Anerican war of "liberation" in Vietnan not only because they fear the nuclear holocaust it can lead to but also because they are convinced that it ia a dirty, unjust war that the U.S, is waging,
They understond that the war in Vietnan is essentially a civil war and thot justice is on the side of the guerrillas, All whon I spoke to saw Johnson's Faltinore "negotiations" specch os deungogy. And a nunber of then, interestingly, put: their finger on the sanc key point - that Johnson hadn't been serious about negotiation because he refused to necotiate with the South Vietnan National Liberation Front. They oode this point without solicitation,
Differins Reactions, ‘The collese atudenta whon I talked to tended to be on the optinistic side about the prospects for doing saething effective about Victnan. The high-school students and those above college age, on the other hand, tended to be pessinistic about what could be done but fclt that as a matter of personal conscience they nust try anyway.
They were generally anti-establishnent ond radical in their thinking but not an the traditional sense. For most of then Marxism is sonethine yet to be discovercc.
An unusually articulate girl of 15 from the New York High School of Conmerce said angrily: "We're there for the wrong reasons, No war is right. This one in particular is wrong."
What did she think of Johnson's speech? "He peneralized, He didn't say anv: ‘ thing. He contradicted hinself. He talked about ‘outside interference’ there!"
She, too, tas dubious, as to what the march would accouplish, but said:"I * it will show that many people feel this way and noke Frosident Johnson think abou. negotioting."
Her conpanion, a boy of about 15, explained they were nenbers of a school club called "Students for Equality" and that about 20 of then had cone on the march. He noted with cnphasis: "We don't have an adult adviser,"
He said there were perhnps a hundred in the school who shared their views on ’
EE / yy Vietnan. "A lot of the kids feel we should expand the wor," he said, "But nost of then are reclly unaure about it. They don't Imow if Johnson's right or wrong."
A high-school student of cbout 16 said that nost of his fellow students “believe in what's coing on = wp to a point.” He was net over-optinistic about the results of the narch, "linybe it's futile, But maybe people con be woken up."
He thought the propossls in Johnson's speech would bel"desirable if he carried then through”, But, he added arprily, "It's ridiculous not to include the Viet Cong."
He apoke with a thoughtfulness and mararenesa that seened far beyond his years,
Of the need for nezotintions with the suerrillas, he said} "This would probably be a defeat for us in the innediate sense, but in thelong run it wouldn't be, It would help ernse the bad inage we have in Asia.
"People in Asia” he continued, “have been hostile to us ever since we dropped the Honb on Japan, Whether it's true or not, they feel we're using yellow people as guinen pigs for our weapons."
_ Returning to the nature of the guerrilla struggle in South Vietnan, he connented, "Sure, they're probably getting sone help fron Hanoi, Since the Middle Ages there's never been n pure revolutionary movement. All of then get sone cutside help," Discussion Topic A young Negro wougn who ig a dance najor at the Boston College of Music said there wouldn't be too mony people fron her school-on the siarch but assured ne there would be o scood representction fron Harvard, MIT and other Boston-oren collecds.
She said Vietnan was 2 chief topic of disoussion on the canpus and that the people invelved in tryine te do smething about it were largely the aane onea that were concerned with civil richts and other social issues. She said they all felt strongly that the troops should be scnt to Alabaun instead of Vietman and added enphatically, "That's certainly ny opinion."
A young school teacher and her husband, ao cradunte student, were dubious about what the march would accomplish, "I don't think it will really do any good,” she told oe, “It won't acconplish anything in terns of stopping the war, But I fecl it's ny responsibility to go." She added, "I feel very strongly about thia." | It's o notter of what you believe in," she continued. “A few thousand ' | people, parading in front of the Capitel isn't going to change things. ‘The papers | will call ua "atudent radicals." But ooybe it will alert people to the fact that | there are sone who are ceainst this."
Commenting on Johnson's speech, she said cousticolly: "It was typical - very flowery and well-vritten. But it dodged the issues. He should definitely negotiate with the Viet Cong! It's ridiculous!
"It's not a natter of whether they're right or wrong," she added, “or of | wnat I think about then. They simply have o right to decide So for thensclvés. | I'd want the sane thing for uyself."
da Machine Why wos she skeptical about what could be accomplished by those in erecns tion to the war? She desrpribed to ne the thinkine of her fella teachers who uncritically accepted the lies of the propaganda machine, and she added thoughtfully: “It's terribly difficult to convince o people - any people that their country is guilty of ooss nurder."
"Besides," she added, "this country is fat, well-fed. ‘The people don't feel threatened and they won't do anything until they feel they ore."
In an interesting aside, that threv light on the reaction anong radicaiminded people to Khrushchev's placing sisailes in Cuba ond then withdrawing theo, she observed; “This country has no justification for what it's doing in Vietnan,. Guba was ot least in this sphere, I'n for Cuba and I was ogeinst whet was done during the nissile crisis but at least they could point to o base of a foreian power in this sphere. But what can they point to in Vietnan?"
Sceking to uoke her views on Vietnan clearer, she said: "Don't misunderstand née. I'n nota pacifist, I believe in people fighting for what's theirs. But that certainly isn't the case with us in Victnon."
She added, “Actually I'n a socialist. I'n comvinced that sooner or later, one way or another, this country will have to go socialist,"
On the way back fron Washington everyone was tired but there wos a sense of deep satisfaction \ith the denonstration, atenning mainly fron the fact that it had turned cut to be much bigeer than nost people expected,
A drowsy tcen-ored wirl perked up innediately when I asked what she thought of the narch. "It was fantastic” she said. "The turnout was anazing, No one expected nore than 10,000.
"It was needed,” she continued, “but I really didn't expect that 80 many people would take it on thenselves to cone. It mokea pe clad to feel there are so hany people who feel this way ond that there are so nany of then outside of New York,"
On the other hand, a sraduate student fron the University of Wisconsin said he was pleased and heartened but not surprised by the turnout. He explained that he knew there would be at least three or four busloads coming all the way fron Wiscensin so he assuried the sate thing would be happening on the other campuses. "I didn't expect that they would oll just be fron New York," he snid, "There's a change taking place on the canpuses. There's o core lively debate qoing on, ‘The jteach=ins indicated this." ’ A young usn with o Southern accent termed the denonstration "creat". "Johnson better take note," he said, and added: "I'n glad they wound up by arching on the Capitel, It's inpertant thot Coneress should renlise he's banboozling then,"
"I was certeinly clad," he continued, "to see youth out in such nunbera,"
4 radical-ninded social worker echoed his words: "It was extrenely exciting," she said, "to see younm people out in such munbers," eS
>) She_saw a revolutionary significance to the narch. "It was the people agoinst
pointed way," she said. "It was nuch nore pointed than the civil-
It was the biggest meanineful action I've seen people tole « a. ~ = Harry Rine.
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