[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]
[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]
BRAGG BRIEFS
Against The War In Indochina
Bragg; Briefs is published in the spirit of the Declaration of independence and the United States Constitution. It is a free press published by active duty GI's stationed at Port Bragg , North Carolina dedicated to establishing: responsible alternatives to the current military and economic systems.
vol. '3 1'40.5 July 1970
25sc zonation free to servicemen
BRAGG BRIEFS v TOLSON
in Circuit Court of Appeals
On June 2nd, a district court decision ruling that Fort Era authorities are right in denying distribution for
briefs on post was appealed to the U..;. Court of Appeals for, the Fourth Circuit in Richmond.
Arguing that denial of distribution rights has nothing to Co with loyalty, discipline, and ::morale of troops but stems from the military command's disapproval of antiwar sentiment and activity, C, i's United attorney Leonard
urged the court to see itself, not the army, ac the -party qualified to rule on the applica-
bility of the 1st arienument to soldiers and apply recent -.Al.).-
reme Court ruling s which see the 1st amendment as "a curb on governmental abuse" to this particular case, forcim, the Army to allow on post distribution of Bragg Briefs: and other printed matter.
Crew-cutted as U.S. at-
attorney J.C. Proctor, presumably referring to Fort Bragg ;I's, argued that there is a "need for isolation of troops -prior to con-bat so that no one can communicate" with them and that "the 1st amendment cannot be applied in a
Continued on back page
Blacks Begin Boycott
The !flack Organizers from Fort Brag:, are spearheading- a major 'Boycott of downtown Fayetteville Merchants ,o pressure the town into tearing down the "Slave Market", the brick building at the center of the traffic circle on Hay street which once was the site of the local slave auction. Some city officials are quick to deny that the market was ever used for the sale of slaves, though it is interesting to note that the market has been important in maintaining Fayetteville 'Old South' image. Funds were quickly secured for rebuilding it when
it was blown up several years ago. About twenty black or-
organizers have spent the last two Saturdays on Hay Street in front of the Major department stores and clothing, stores explaining the boycott and asking Gi's and black residents of Fayetteville not to buy anything in the downtown area until the .-,lave Market is torn down.
One brother emphasized that the flack Organizers are asking- for full support starting- this payday and continuing as ion:; as necessary.
He pointed out that once businessmen be :in losing money they're
to begin asking what's causing this and if they begin to g--et hurt badly enough then they are going 1,o want to see the Slave market torn down.
.several attempts have been made in the past to rid the town of the .lave market. Once in the 19th century it was burned down and about ten year ago it was bombed.
Continued on back page
in depth:
S.E.ASIA
1'he following are excerpts from a story by John Everingham for Dispatch trews Service which was first to release details on the
by Lai incident. John has been travelling extensively in Cambodia:
Villagers in the Siem Riep area in western Cambodia, the site of the splendor of Ankor Wat, said officials representing the deposed head of state had been polite when visiting homes in the area, calling on the population to support the new Government. Three government-employed temple guards in the outlying forest areas claim that more than 80 men whom they knew personally from villages nearby had taken to the hills to join the new Liberation Army.
"When the fighting starts, many in. Lon Nol's army will change sides. They are forced into his army, but they really love Sihanouk," an old man explained, say-
that he would fight for Sihanouk were he not so old.
A refugee from Saang, the town destroyed by government bombers hunting very few Viet Con;, came looking for work. lie had left his wife and family in the countryside. He spoke warmly of the Viet Con.--, telling how they arrived in his village as the "Sihanouk Restoration Army" wearing, Sihanouk badges and promising to restore the Prince of the people would support them.
He emphasized that the Viet Con; stole nothing, and paid for what they took.
A school teacher from Neak Loup;, the Mekong River ferry town that has exchanged hands several times, said, "In the front they were Viet Cong but Cambodians supported them from behind."
South Vietnamese navy marines in Neak Loung on the Mekong River expressed the desire not to fight the Viet Cong or Sihanouk Cambodians who they also fought but to turn against the army of Lon Nol whom they hold responsible for the massacres of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians.
And at the army press relations office in Pnompenh, a Lon
military spokesman admitted, "If we didn't have the Americans behind the South Vietnamese, we would have to do somethings to
(continued on page 5)
Know your Chain of Command -
David Packard
(MI) The very rich think differently from you and me. Davi Packard, Deputy Secretary of Defense, who is very rich, once said of his own class that "Profit is the monetary measurement of our contribution to society." We think his profit is the neasurer.:err of 'h _c theft frcr the people who work for companies, he controls inside and outside the U.S., from taxpayers, esd fro:. GIs who have to use the.products and protect his investments.
Before Nixon chose him to Le Mel Laird's number one honcho, Packard was chairman of Hewlett-Packard Electronics, on the board of directors of General Dynamics, the board of trustees of Stanford University, adviser to Stanford Business School, Director of Stanford Research Institute, a friend of the Hoover Institute for War, Peace, and (counter) Revolution, and the Urban Coalition. He's only got about $300,000,000.
Hewlett-Packard. has about 13,000 employees and did $266,500,000 of business in 19(e?, alone - most of it with the government, and most of that for the Department of Defense (DOD). That averages $20,500 per employee, but no chance; Hewlett-Packard is non-union, and women assemblers in one of the Palo Alto, California plants sweat through poor lighting, hot solder, and robot treatment to get paid bare minimum wages. Their overseas plants pay much less, and Hewlett-Packard has set up a sat-elite company in predominantly Black East Palo Alto, just like any other colony.
Packard is into war and foreign policy, which are pretty much the same thing. General Dynamics built the F-111 for a whole lot of money, even if it has problems like the wings falling off. If you don't have to fly it or rely on it for air support, the F-111 is as funny as Lockheed's C-5A and Cheyenne helicopter, Chrysler's useless tank, and the M-16. General Dynamics Electric Boat Division also builds nuclear submarines like THRESHER.
Men like Packard see a lot of connections in their world. Take his relationship with Stanford, from which he graduated in 1934. That school produced a hell of a lot of top managers, lawyers, defense industry engineers, and ROTC wonders. Stanford Research Institute does defense research ranging from CBW (chemical & biological warfare) to counter - insurgency and riot control studies. The Hoover Institute (a joke to scholars) is staffed by professional anti-communists who can be courted on for a missile scare whenever profits for, say, General Dynamics, aren't fat enough.
Now, when Packard became Deputy Secretary of Defense, he put his money into a trust fund and took a lower salary than he got from Hewlett-Packard. He still has a 30 acre home plus a cattle ranch, and since inflation or a depression just can't do that much to 300 million dollars, he can afford to be a "public servant", especially since his favorite companies will be served well. Dudes like Packard don't lack for "walking around" money. i'ackard says of the brass, "They'_ re just as good as the kind of people you have at the Lop levels of a good business organization.
e've got 'a good dedicated team, working together." The brass and the industrialists, it appears, are not only working together, they're falling in love.
Packard isn't stupid though, he thinks he's got us coming and going. He's got us as taxpayers fattening Hewlett-Packard and General Dynamics profits, as workers who produce the value those companies 7,et, and as meDavidd women in the Armed Forces he helps control us so we can protect his interests. But Packard is worried, as all those people he has exploited for years are beginning to get together, hemeasuremento feel the pinch. "fromven't felt quite the came sense of satisfaction" he says. Faybe we should take up a collectioandor him.
Brass & Business
Old generals never die, but what is worse they don't fade away either! Where do old generals go? Into the Elysian Fields of "Defense" Contracting.
2,100 retired high ranking officers are holding executive positions in the top 100 war contracting firms. These 100 firms receive 68% of the Pentagon's business. The ten leading "defense" firms employ 1,065 retired officers. These ten firms ripped off 25% of the war trade.
Almost 90% of the Pentagon's contracts and 98% of NASA's are negotiated without competive bidding. Cost increase above the original estimates on major weapons systems usually run 100 to 200% higher than originally projected.
se
Lockheed harbors 210 retired officers - more brass than any of the other-defense giants. These include five former Air Force Generals and (because it has a major contract to provide the Navy with Polaris and Poseidon missiles) twelve former Admirals and three former Marine Generals. 88% of Lockheed's business comes from the Pentagon. -
General Dynamics employs 113 ex-officers and has $2.2 pillion in defense contracts; Boeing Aircraft Corp. with 169 ex-officers had $762 million; McDonnell Douglas Corp., 144, $1.1 billion; North American Rockwell Corp., 104, $669 million; General Electric Corp., 89, $1.4 billion; LingTemco-Vought Inc., 69, $758 million; Westinghouse Electric Corp., 59, $251 million; TRW Inc., 56, 3127 million; and Hughes Aircraft Co., 55, $286 million.
Now lets trace the careers of some specific officers. MajorGeneral Nelson M. Lynde Jr. was Commanding General of the Army Weapons Command from 1962 to 1964.
He was responsible for the development, procurement, and field service support of Army weapons
and negotiated the initial contract for the M-16 rifle. Five months after retiring from the Army he went to work for Colt Industries, the sole supplier of the N-16. The M-16 developed so many mechanical and financial problems that it was investigated by Congress. It was called a "worthless piece of junk" by the GIs who first used it in Nam and the jam-ups and other malfunctions in combat endangered lives. But the congressional sub-committe investigating the M-16 some how forgot to pass judgement on whether or not General Lynde's employment with Colt was a conflict of interest. In other words the congressional committee was too scared to get down to the real nitty gritty.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Procurement, Thomas D. Morris retired from the Pentagon in 1968 and went directly to the vicPackardency of Litton Industries. In the last year of Morris' power as procurement boss, Litton's Pentagon contracts jumped from $180 million in 1967 to $466 million in 1968 - a 2021, increase. In 1967 Litton was 36 on the list of top 100 defense contractors, in 1968 it became fourteenth. Senator Proxmire said, "So Morris' vice presidency can be viewed both as a payoff for the huge Pentagon business shifted in 1968 and as assurance of immense future influence for Litton." Again getJustice Department has not initiated any conflict of interest proceedings.
There are at least 2,000 more brass biographies that could be told, all with the same cynical
plot - "From Military Academy measurementDefense Contracting In Three Easy Steps or, How I Learr.ed to Take Orders and MaMaybeKilling in Death."
Military Intelligence
Coke Boycott
in his speech on the national economic "crisis" Pres Nixon called on business to live up to its social responsibility by not raisin,; prices and wages. it would be nice if they would, but the drive for profit prevents it. The National Council for Economic Action says that only financial action by the consumer will cause our leaders in the business community to pay attention to any-thine- besides their ledgers. The business community has refused
to take a stand on any of the moral issues of our time unless
there is a clear profit in it for them. For example, the race problem has been worth a fortune to Insurance companies who were able to invests billions in slum areas in high interest loans guaranteed by the government as a part of the Black Capitalism program.
Auto makers in Detroit hire a few hundred hard-core unemployed Blacks and make all sorts of points in the community; points which might well have saved their companies from Black riots directed at their real oppressors. Cheap Insurance!
The war in Indochina is one issue concerning which the government is not about to give any incentive to anyone to discuss. Of course, no incentive would influence Kaiser Jeep, but there are many companies not directly involved in defense spending; which could easily lobby for peace. Coca-Cola is an excellent example. As all major corporations do, Coke maintains a lobby in Washington to help its interests along. Therefore "all" we have to do is to make it worth Coke's while to have its lobbyist work for peace. The tactic is selective purchasing, and it means quit drinking Coke and switch to Pepsi, Canada Dry,
or Dr. Pepper.
ill It dark?
Coke has 45 of the domestic market; and 70,. of its income is from sales of Coke. Besides, their mother company only sells the syrup, the bottlers do all the work and have formed a lobby to work against the mother company. As soon as they start to hurt you can bet they will start to scream at Mama Coke.
Attacking Coke has other good aspects; because of the high degree of automation, few workers will be hurt, and because of the large number of substitutes the retailers will not be hurt. Thus the effects will be directed only at the target.
One other significant fact is that 50,, of the soft drinks are consumed by people under 25. This is a very important segment of the population.
Let's get behind the NC :A on this thine; and see if we can't force our economy to end this filthy war before this filthy war ends US.
Economics & Empire
A 5111 recently introduced in the senate forbids the president to send American troops to other countries for more then thirty
days to protect americans interests" without theconsent of the .,ennte. The key phrase ',ere is
ericaa ioLere;O:s. At least one senator the :cn-
ate should have q voice In determing nr exactly what American Interests are.
A6 can see financial reasons for every war and every venture into other countries In American history. In tqct, might won-
der if American Interest!: aren't Identical to business Interests; 2f ter all, it doesn't Tatter to
a dead GI that J. .Teel Is
' ettin5,z its tung-sten ':Lore cheaply in ,)let ae than e"olivip.
Capitalismm provides of
the -lotlvacion for our presence in Indochina. Economics say
that there are three elements in production: Land, Labor, and Capital. -Land as used here implies not just dirt but various com ponents of dirt, such as ='old, bauxite, iron ore, and coal; in other words, natural resources. labor includes all forms of human effort directed at production, and includes white and blue collar workers, and management. It also include-; entrepreneurs, the people who take risks with their money and use their talents to make sure that the other elements of production are used efficiently, that is, for the :greatest profit.
Capital includes all the machines and facilities needed in production. It does not include money as such; cash is regarded as nothing more than a medium of exchange, and as a measure of work done.
In pure capitalism, it is assumed that everyone wants to make
as much money as possible. It follows that everything is produced as efficiently as the three elements permit, because someone who can produce more efficiently will make more money. it also follows that each element of the production is paid as much as she he, or it contributes to the final product. The entrepreneur is also paid; this is called normal profit.
The urge for profit, however, is the chief source of deformity in the system. Everyone wants
to -,et the edge on his competitor so he can make more money. This is done in three primary ways: by setting a new market, by influence the old market, and by getting laws passed to limit the num ber of companies producing the product. Then a business accomplishes any of these ends, it
:fie is an economic or windfall profit.
how does the war fit into this Picture? Indochina is an excellent new market for many American products form soft drinks to computers to bombs. Pepsi and Coke have important outlets in Indochina, particularly Cambodia, and are able to produce cheaply in view of the low labor costs. Com puters are important status symbols and even have a few legitimate uses as weak governments try to gain credibility among; their citizens. Of course, the bomb makers are doing great business dealing out death to the peasants by the thousands.
In addition there are many valuable resources in the area, including!, the enormous labor market which permits cheap production of such things as tungsten, rubber, and rice cheaply.
Thus American Interests are very definitely involved in Indochina. But many people call this programmed economic exploitation of these "underdeveloped" nations Imperialism, and rightly so.
A Chat with the President
While watching President Nixon's interview with the press last week, I decided to have my own little chat with Dick. If John Chancellor couldn't get answers, maybe a GI would fare better with the Commander in Chief.
Here's how it went:
PFC: "Sir, PFC Singer reports." Dick: "Carry on; you do need a haircut, but let's forget that tonight." 1
PFC "Sir, you say the Cambodian
invasion was a great success, that a great deal of supplies were captured, food taken, 15,000 enemy killed, prospects for peace enhanced, and that now Hanoi has no choice but to negotiate. What happens if they do not negotiate?" Dic: "Uh, your belt buckle is tarnished."
PFC "Suppose Phnom-Penh falls or is threatened by the enemy forces, what would be the action of the United States. Would we face another Vietnam on the grounds of 'protecting Cambodia's self-determination.' If things really got bad, would the U.S. resort tonuclear weapons?"
Dick; "Those boots are a disgrace, I sugest you..."
PFC: "Excuse me, sir, let's get to the point. You say, your Constitutional powers justify incursions such as Cambodia. Do they impede withdrawl? Seems the Constitutional powers do not permite the President to send 500,000 troops, how does rectifying this error by saying you must protect them make any sense? I suppose if you sent 300,000 troops to Argentina, you would back the war by stating they must protect themselves."
Dick: "Let me make this perfectly clear..."
PFC: "No, instead of making it perfectly clear, or with a heavy heart, tell the truth. Tell everyone you've got this hangup with a victory over Communism in S.E. Asia; and a desire to get reelected. So you stage this Cambodia thing to 1) bring Hanoi to its knees -negotiate from a position of strength-, 2) display to the middle that the U.S. will not wilt, and 3) in the atmosphere of polarization politics, you can still manipulate a majority of Americans to your point of view. Ie., they still go for that allowing S. Vietnam to gain self-determination nonsense."
Dick: "You're out of order!"
PFC: "Let's forget our respective roles for a second. Can't we get to the truth, discuss things openly, admit failure, focus on domestic problems, set some rational precedents for the future course of this nation. End the damn charade."
Dick: "That's subversive."
PFC: "So be it, we will question as long as people are dying. Cambodia, just exemplifies years of failure, death, deceit, and elicits delusions of peace... What happened to so called COSVN headquarters? How about the looting by S.Vietnamese troops in Cambodia? How about ignoring for a moment bias and discussing Cooper-Church, and the repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution?
Dick: "Err, excuse me, I must make a phone call." "Hey Testy, low -crawl up here in a hurry, I got some questions to ask."
Cambodia
Into The Madness
Richard Dudman, a correspondent for the St Louis Dispatch, was cap-tured by the enemy forces in Cambodia on May 7th and released on June 15th. He is a man that is known not to have any partiality toward the Communist regimes; but having seen the indiscriminate devastation that American technology and fire power brought upon other human beings that he was with while captured, he has given a vivid account that rings throughout with his own vehement opposition to our activities in Cambodia.
He not only described graphically what it is like to be on the wrong end of a B-52 raid and an attack by helicopter gunships, but he was also able to give a first hand account of what effect these things had on the people. He saw hundreds of civilians who fled the attacks together with guerrilla troops. As he described it(New York Times, June 27), "In this massive migration we felt that we were watching the terrorization of the peasants of Cambodia. We felt we were observing the welding together of the local population with the guerrillas. The peasants were turning to the fighters as their best friends. We felt that this held the most serious significance for American policy."
Another point that Dudman stressed was the concept of being an "outsider." By this he meant the fashion in which America can wage war on another people without herself for the most part being personally involved in this war or having to suffer the full consequences of war as a country. This he feels is symbolized by our use of air power in the war. Naturally the average man would probably have reservations about plunging his bayonet into a baby's throat, but he may be very capable of heroically pressing a
button or throwing a switch a great distance away from where the savage effects of that little button are brought to bear.
It was announced during the week that ended June 27 that the U.S. would go on bombing Cambodia after the promised withdrawal of American troops June 30.
I think there is a basic conclusion that every person should
be able to draw from this account if he looks within himself. The dearest thing to any person is the people he loves. I don't think there is an instrument or system of any kind which will cause a man to dedicated himself
more intensely to a cause than for him to see the objects of his love callously destroyed before his very eyes.
I'm an American GI and I know some people that I love very much. Personally I don't think there is anything that would evoke a deeper commitment prom me, even against insurmountable odds, than if I saw the people I love deliberately made to suffer arid die. All I can feel for the map that
is my supposed enemy is sympathy and I cannot help but hop that
someday he will be able t avenge his injustice.
AFTERTHOUGHT:
Nixon seems to have kept his promise to withdraw all U.S. land forces from Cambodia by June 30th. The operation was a big hoax. Nixon sentenced several hundred more GI's to death so that he c uld keep a promise. American t oops are withdrawn only to prot ct
them from the saturation b bombing which will follow on Cambodan villages. The worthless Lon Nol government is left, almost cer-
tainly to fall to either Thieu's bandits or the pro-Sihanouk forces who should never have been ousted -and would never have been had it not been for the treache of AID and the CIA. Lon Nol is bringing treason charges against Prince Sihanouk -the hero of the Cambodian people. It is amazing how easily the United States can screw up a country.
Saigon's Population Fights Thieu
and his American Friends
SAIGON (Li- S) -- The current struggle started in early March a. a reaction against new taxes and increased tuition in the schools. About the '3.!Ea time, inflation reached gigantic proportions.
the first demonstration was by high school students and resulted in several arre.!t!;. two days later the head of the :aip;on student Union was arrested and charged with being a communist instigator. This
, in turn touched off a -series of demonstrations and arrests, including a boycott of classes at the University of .aieon supported by
Fa majority of the students and many faculty members. During the boycott there were a member of fasts and several rallies of more than 5000 students.
About the middle of march some
of Vietnam's 300,000 disabled war
veterans took to the streets with wheel chairs, wooden legs and crutches. The veterans moved into Saigon and set up temporary housings in the plush lawns in front of government buildings. Police came with clubs and beat or arrested many veterans. public outcry against the clubbing s has forced police to be restrained. A loose coalition -a:: now been formed by students and veteranswho have not been able to collect pension money because the Thieu rc Lue ha:; found "better" uses for the funds.
In mid-April, just as demon-strations be can to wane, news of the massacre of Vietnamese in Cambodia by the Lon Nol government reached Saigon. Students occupied the old Cambodian embaseey and used it as a head-quarters for their demonstrations which began as a protest t against
Le.
It soon became clear that Saigon had a hand in the massacres. Police be an breaking up demonstrations against Cambodia, and the Saigon government, which had remained strangely silent on the massacres, recognized the Lon Nol regime. Refugees from Cambodia told of fleeing from Lon Nol's troops and being rescued and escorted to the border by NLF and DRV troops, who had to fight off attacks by the Saigon army as well
Buddhists joined the protests by occupying the Quoc Tu Pagoda, headquarters for the pro-Saigon Buddhist faction. The occupation, a protest against the pagoda's silence on the complicity of the U.S. and Saigon in the massacres, was broken up by Saigon police disguised as Buddhist chaplains. At least three persons were killed in the attack and scores were wounded.
More fuel was added to the fire
when news of the arrested student leaders torture leaked out. Conditions of three students who failed to appear at the Military Field Court on April 20 were described in an article in ;Saigon news-
paper Tin :axle: i Nguyen Tan Tai: Electricity, anesthesia, soapy water, and truncheons were used on him. Presently he lies unconscious with a weak pulse. Doung Van Day: Soapy water was put in his ears; his ears were then beaten. He is now deaf in one ear, which also drains blood and puss. Nor can he hear clearly from the other ear. His two legs are paralyzed. Than Khien: He is about in the same condition as the other two but more severely beaten. His two legs are paralyzed and his knees show little reflex."
The Saigon government refused to comment on the accuracy of the article. But the paper was confiscated for the ninth time in a month because the article was deemed "harmful to national security".
During May and the first part of June, the struggle heightened. Nearly 80 students were arrested by Thieu's police during a mass demonstration on May 9 at the Ministry of Education when they tried to block traffic. Agence France Presse reported that the students "were well organized" to disperse quickly when the police hurled peppergas grenades and "then reassemble and continue their attacks at once."
In response to the skyrocketing cost of living which is currently rising by about 7 to 10%
a month, more than 60 of Saigon's 124 unions began a one-day strike on June 15 in sympathy with government workers who have been fired recently. In demonstrations of solidarity with the striking workers, hundreds of students fought riot police in front of the U. embassy. The students' rake
was not turned merely against the Thieu government: The New York Times reported that, "During the demonstrations, a U.. military police jeep was set ablaze with gasoline, and its occupant, a sergeant, wag clubbed and kicked by several young Vietnamese men
as he fled..."
The political repression by the Saigon government is uniting the many factlons opposing the regime. Many Vietnamese see a strong sim- ilarity. between the present ac- tions of the government and the oppression of the Diem regime just before it was brought down by a coalition of students, Buddhists, and dissatisfied army officers. A Vietnamese student writes: "If these are the last days of the Thieu regime, then they (the arrested students at monks) will surely all be killed. This is what happened. before Diem's government fell."
IN DEPTH: S.E. ASIA
(Coninued from pace 1) stop them. If we can't make the South Vietnamese leave, perhaps the Americans can do something."
Ile also said that reports of ARVN soldiers raping Cambodian women, killing civilians, looting and stealing in the occupied east were probably true and that his government "has an agreement with the South Vietnamese government to stop it."
Pnompenh, a beautiful city of leafy boulevards, cool street restaurants and numerous parks, has been captured by a grim military atmosphere. Few people dare speak against the military govern ment in public.
General Lon when imposing
martial law June 1 threatened, "All those who oppose the government will be killed." He then read off a lengthy list of crimes against the state for which people would be court-martialed and executed. He was, in effect, hang. ing a threat of execution over anyone who acted to assist the "restore Sihanouk" movement.
To mark the introduction of martial law in Pnompenh on June 1 the army imposed a surprise one hour curfew at four in the afternoon with the explicit warning that anyone who ventured on the streets would be shot....
All high school and university students, alone with their teachers, have been forced to take up arms. Some volunteered for service, were given a few days training and then sent out to war. The-others must stand guard duty in the city and take military instuction in the city parks.
The militarization of the country has been thorough. All police in the country have been drafted. Every civil servant, down to bellboys in government hotels, has been made into an army "commando."
(civilians holding key government positions have been jailed or replaced by army officers. Civilian governors of all 19 provinces have been replaced by majors, colonels and generals.
One of the most interesting clues of all is the failure of the massive anti-Sihanouk propaganda campaign. Posters signed by
government departments and universe sities, both extensions of the army at the present time, are torn down, except from government
GI's Plan for Action
Let Congress Know--
GI's United has begun a program to stimulate massive support from the U.S. Congress to take action on grievances and war protests. Many of us have gripes, or have witnessed injustices, but for one reason or the other have remained silent. July is time for GI Strike-back. Picking up pencil and paper is one way to begin.
We will attempt to collect all statements from GI's concerning injustice and present them to different Congressmen who have shown sympathy to the cause. Also they will be sent to the newly formed GI grievance -lobby- office headed by Jane Fonda, Mark Lane, and Donald Duncan. Some action will be taken. The anti-war senators and representatives have not been reluctant to initiate investigations in the Defense Department and other areas for remedy.
There are no irrelevant injustices. Certain areas of Army practices are definitely held in contempt by the Congressmen and the nation. These are political repression, racism, corruption, abusive administration of military justice, and the disclosure of war crimes and atrocities.al guide as to what our statements may focus upon:
Political Repression
A. Restriction from anti-war protest activity like the May 16th rally.
B. Harrassment for anti-war views
C. Transfers due to anti-war views
D. Loss of security clearances
* It is supposedly your constitutional right to freely express viewpoints. You're a citizen; the military at least by word recognizes this status. Off duty you may participate in anti-war groups and may exercise your inalienable right of free speech. Any instance of harrassment intended to threaten you and thus prevent free expression should be reported
Racism
A. Discrimination in any aspects of treatment: MOS, promotions, punishment
B. Views on the racial seminars
C. Suppression of cultural identity.
* There is a viewpoint stemming from Black ideology towards reluctance to deal with the Congress of the U.S. However, we feel this program may help bring needed reform - why not give it a shot.
Military Justice
A. Unfair Article 15's, court-martials, etc.
B. Stockade conditions Corruption
A. Officers using Army property for there own use
B. Misappropiations of Unit Funds
C. Harrassment to participate (money wise) in Army functions (Y.A.C. etc.) get witnesses to verify the incident
3) Send one to a Congressman of your choice (example: mailing it to Hon. John J. Senator, U.S.Senate, Washington, D.C.) Send one._ also to GI's United, Box 437, Spring Lake, N.C.
4) Write separate statements for each incident or topic. Besides seeking individual remedies, we are trying to show Congress and Defense Department a pattern of Military misconduct, which will increase the effect of our protest.
Your statements will be forwarded to the Fonda-Lane-Duncan office and to various sympathetic congressmen. Allard K. Lowenstein a congressman from New York (got the 1968 McCarthy campaign rolling) has been in contact with us, and has expressed keen desire to be of assistance. Senators have initiated inquiries in most of the topics mentioned.
Don't hesitate to bring forth any basis of grievance. Really, all it takes is t hour of your time. Who knows it just may help. It is definitely worth our efforts to at least try. Write On!
War Crimes
A. Witness to My Lai type --Learn the Facts --
murders, or other unscrupulous
activity GI's United has initiated a new
B. Treatment of prisoners of educational program which will war bring major issues to focus at
C. Any statement by Vietnam weekly meetings. World crisis returnees involving abuses of should be a time for a quest for
good justice - ie. working in in- information and meaningful diaproper MOS's, extended front line logue.
exposure, command incompetence, Dick Olson heads the educational
stockade conditions committee, and hopes to provide a
wide range of topics for discus-
sion. All facts of the Vietnam War
Vietnam crisis, are of grave concern, and
will hopefully be covered. This
A. Statements critical of includes the history of Vietnam,
U.S. policy in S.E. Asia Rand Reform, U.S. Foreign Policy,
B. Letters disclosing il- up to date coverage of the pro-
legitimate activities by the U.S. gress of the war, Vietnamese culin say Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, ture, and prospects for peace.
South America, etc. Other relevant 'today' topics as
11.11.111.111111111MMEMBWomen's Liberation, the Black
crisis, Latin America, Thailand,
If you have been a victim or Politics in America, GI rights,
have witnessed incidents of in- and ecology will also be stressed.
justice like those mentioned a- There will be lecturers, and of
Bove here's what to do: course all are invited to join in
1) Clearly state the incident, discussion.
with brief explanation of the Everyone is invited to these
background in the case. meetings, and urged to partici-
2) Ifyou'rea victim, try to pate.
IN, Pork*, awl Hart
GI's Enjoy Free Concert at Rowan Park A bit of advice
Legal Protection for YOU--
Many of us do not have access to Army regs; or just do not have faith in adequate assistance concerning legal or administrative rights. GI's United now offers guidance in
areas from discharges to court martial rights.
Headed by Bill Lynch(a lawyer prior to induction) the counseling committee will attempt to either all questions, or at least guide everyone to proper channels toward desired remedies. Efforts are being made to provide a collection of people well versed
1 . .
1 raining Center Extorts
For the past three pay days and the days immediately following there has been a flurry of activity at company formations throughout the Training Center as Company officers and cadre "persuade" trainees to buy thousands of dollars worth of Youth Activity Carnival tickets. These tickets are sold under the super hype of winning a car or a number of other small token prizes. There is only one car being given away and even the number of ridiculous "bubble gum machine" type prizes are highly limited. Especially when you consider the amount of trainees which are cajoled in every way but physical force into buying these tickets. Even they are in competition with the rest of the post for prizes. That limits chances of winning anything to a-
in all facets of military justice and everyegulations. We also call out fQuakerneHouseelp as a coright.
Herecrosst some of the fields of formationsvor:extrassicopies or discharge; 206, 200 both2 discharges; compassionate reassignmcall Civilian litigation information; Article 15 rights; cotirt-martial and other military justice related problems.
Got a problem, don't hesitate to call the following numbers: 485-1570 or 497-6526.
Money From Trainees
bout 1 to 50,000. Not very good odds. The pitiful and disgusting aspect of the court-martialn remains in the fact that the trainee, the most underpayed and exploited soldier in the service, does not, in reality have a definate choice as to whether or not he will buy tickets. To quote one Company Commander whom I heard addressing his troops "You will cooperate in these sales". Having been associated with the selling of these tickets on a Battalion level for about a month I witnessed many of the ways in which trainees were intimidated into buying tickets. Some examples are: Group punishment, such as pushups or low crawling, taking down a list of names of men who did not buy tickets or did not buy 'enough' of them, threatened restriction to company area over weekends., and the list could go on and on. I know of companies in which there were five tickets to every man in the company and the sales were 100.
This 4th of July ticket sale situation serves as another prime example of the trampling. of human rights and dignity which is so much a part of the military today. Not until all GI's stand up and demand their rights and refuse to be exploited will this sponging of individuality cease.
You open your wall locker and scratch another wasted day spent in the army off of your calender. You take off your fatigue shirt and lay it on your bunk. As you glance at it you notice the combat infantrymans badge above your breast pocket and the combat patch on your right shoulder. Once again your mind conjurs up the memories or the atrocities ana senseless murders against the Vietnamese people that you had witnessed. to are not proud of having been in Vietnam and yet you wear trite cloth patches glorifying the senseless killing. Finally in a rush of emotion you rend the cloth brands from your uniform and hurl them into space.
This fictitious account of a soldiers internal struggle of conscience can be mirrored by the feelings, thoughts, and beliefs of many of our Vietnam veterans. One needs but talk to them to see that there are many who are ashamed, not proud, of our governments actions in Southeast Asia. It is only logical then that they shoula strip their uniforms of all paraphenalia and decorations that deal with this unjust conflict. This is simply one more way in which an individual can assert his opposition to war. Don't parade in front of the world daily covered with blarshouldtches and ribbons for all to see that you are proud of your former presence in Southeast Asia! Instead, before you put on any uniform again make sure you have removed all evidence of your participation in war. On your fatigue shirt remove the combat out fit patch from your right shoulder. Take off the combat infantry mans badge above your pocket and any other patch or badge which you may find objectionable. Whenwearing greens or khakis don't pin on a combat infantrymans badge or any Vietnam campaign ribbons. Also leave off a purple heart ribbon or any other decoration which you may question.
In this small, but significant way decry the farce and pity that is Amerikan policy in Vietnam and Cambodia. Now wear your uniforms with a little more pride and a lot less guilt.
G.I.s UNITED MEETING
GI's United meets es,ery Tuesday at 7 P:: at Ow old Qazd.er flouse, 324 Ray ri4.1,1 a-
ctu.is from the USO. Fur in-
fornatioa and ,::.tra c...pies of bragg briefs (for b.-tit friends and general distribution)
cid]. 497-6526
FT LEWIS CG GOES BANANAS
G.I. ALLIANCE
On the weekend of May28th, GIs representing over 30 bases met in Atlanta to set up a much needed
national GI organization.
The representatives agreed on a proposal to start a national clgoinghouse. The basic activities of the national office are; information centerelievinging a network of communications between bases, acting as liason betwePentagond civilian organizations, coordinating (through regional conferences) national activities, contacting lawyers and organizations interested in doing GI work and making contacts givenational media with press statements from the various bases.
The office has been set up and is opperating in Washington D.C., staffed by the former 'GI Task CAMP' PENDLETONbe. This ofWoodand staff is completely disafiliated with New robe n.Niovemen.movementinchargesnd inmakinginterests of GIs.
The first tmilitarynal conferences have been hsld and the office has distributtd its first newsllonger
The Soemissaryn coMference waorganizersAtlanta, June 1 +
Ft. Bragg was represented, , in this region. Those present exptessed their backing ofpresidentace and laid plans for -te GI Strickback action, to begin June 30th and extend through the entire month of July. Proposed actions inWas!-- ington urgingsctight aOn agreed to initiate a Washington vigil that would call GIs on leave to Washington to express their dissent for curreslogansnment policies.dedicating
BLACKS BbuildingsOTT
Continugovernmentge 1 ",re feel tMaximiliandown:radine to our people and we feel that the whMaximilianare usexecuted let tSWEDENks know that they were once slaves and brefusingwe don't control anything we will always desertind oSwedene. The black sisters and brothers that are comin,s, leaving.look at the slaPOLKarket and ask questions and when they find out that it was used to sell their sisters and brothers back in the 1800's
and it still stands today, they'll automatically feelsolicitinges
arecounselingo them. Thisdesertat we are tryin-_disloyalty
Another brother added, "As long as harket .2quare stanMay 28thill remind black people that we have been stepped on. The more black people think of such thinTs the more hatred will develop in
our hearts."
The Black Cranizers also plan to circulate petitions anon, the black residents of Fayetteville to try to get the _lave karket torn down.
He pointed out that once businessnm be:in losiiv money they're -2,-oing to beLin askin:; what's tau-sin,: this and if they be in to et hurt badly enou.s-h then they are going to want to see the 1.1ave harket torn down.
Several attempts have been made in the past to rid the town of the Slave harket. Once in the nineteenth cenoperatings burned down and once about tiaye= ae-o it was bombed-------
MST CLASS BRAGG BRIEFS v TOLSON
(continued from page 1) Et Lewis (JKP)..me
military context." He also made fear could be the first steps in
lengthy mention of his own ex- a milheldy coup in the ti, Lajdistributed
periences as a military command- Generconference Pearson has placed
er.
himself in contempt of 6 US _,ena-
On the same docket was a case
texpressedfusin-T, to reconize
involvin-, the Prat of Fort thek-
c
son soldiers to hold public meet-
onsressional holds barrio,, ship-
item of 13 conscientious objectors
in,T:s on post. Another crew-cutted
US attorney provided the hirhlisht from Ft Lewis.
The whole problem arose over
of this case when he ar-ued tha:t
theprobable procedural errors and
the on17 tnins: objectionable in
denial of due process in thedowngading
meetin:s by 2ort Jacl:son eoldie-s
cessinfT of the 13 CO applications.
was the fact that thev were
After the applications were den-
on the ,Iilitary reservation and
led, the 13 enlisted the aid of that soldiers had been and wouldled,
senators Laiskie, Uoodell, Munson,
always be allow.-,,d to meet and be
rercy, Cranston, and others to
involved in nolitical activities investiTate the manner in which
off post in nearby Golumbia, .south
the applications were processed.
Carolina without interference bv
the army. CID a-onto. and unifo=ed marketnsquareravels in a staff
car with 1.P cars in front and back
1:CO's patrol the street n-
s of Colu
7ivin-T DR's to GI's who don't sal-
bia warnincs trainees from the fort
uteOranizersTled similar cases in
not the taire newspapc,-s asd other the past perhaps causim2; him to be antiwar literature, sayin- that denied promotion to Lt. cien. ne
they mi,-,ht .set article 15s or
refused to process article 138
court martials for doinf so; a=7-
a:ents were also involved in J investi7,ations initiated by the 13
asainst himself and company com-
harrassins and eventuall7 closine :
slander CPT ,elvin ques-
the UFO - an antiwar GI coffee-
tionin the use or misuse of their
house in Columbia.
powers in the CO cases. There cases The main proble:1 in both would be no le4a1 recourse in the
lies in workinr; out conflictins
local federal court as Jude James provisions in the U.,). Constitu- Lolt, a retired colonel, has never Lion, one which provides for theLolt,
establish lent and maintenance of judted a. a.inst the Army.
,3-y direction of Pearson, 8 of
an army and the other w:dch oc-
the 13 were put on orders for Viet
cassionally provides for certain
basic ri:hts. The -;ovel-niaent ar-
Nam.- 2 are now AJOL, 6 refused the orders and are now in pre-
sues in both cases that GI's have
trial confinement, one of the ot-
noconstiutional ric,hts at all. her 5 with only 50 days left in
A decision is vet to be made.
the service was finally taken off orders. Efforts were made to use force to shanghai several of the CC's to Vietnam, a practice not unknown at Ft Lewis.
It was rumored that Department of the Army was ,soincs to send a Pentagon "heavy" to Ft Lewis to look into the possibility of relievino-, Pearson of his command. As for the threat of a coup, it seems that Pentaeon officials are upset that Pearson had taken pre-
7/ mature and independent action and
t will try to eliminate Pearson from their future plans. In all probability, Pearson will be riven a psychiatric examination and be processed for elimination from the service under the provisions of AR 635-212 (Unfitness and Unsuitability).
FORT -- PVT CAinP PEIWLETON PFC Jesse iiood-
is facing general court martial ard, while s o- ittir in a .iiovement
char,es for makin a poster for for a Democratic hilitary staff
his wall locker which Gays "i house along with 25 other GIs and
will no lon;er be an eniee,ary for civilian or:anizers, was wounded this imperialist military machine. by a burst of automatic weapons Freedom - or death to iresident fire from a passingautomobile.
Nixon. He has spent about five Official memoranda have been
months in pre-trial confinement. sent around the post ur;ine: tisht-
Cn June 15th, four Ft Lewis er security on aerosol paint which
GIs and four civilians :sere ar- has been used to paint slos,ans on
rested for dedicatin the main buildinss and other -overnment
post chapel to haximilian dur-
property.
in the regular 11:00 service. st i,aximilian was e.,:ecuted in
3.:EDLN -- Reports indicate that
295 A.D. for refusin ; induction
into the Roman army. many who de:-ert to 3weden collect
reenlistment bonuses and Army loans before leavint. Far out!
FORT PCLE -- A stockade rebellion
left the library ransacked and
KELLY AFB -- A 2nd Roger Priest,
several fires for authorities to
contend with. George 1.41;e, is to be tried for
"solicitins, and counselin.: troops to deeert" and "promoting disloyaltyse4end disaffection."
