i rra ;,, ,. :ra . r rr."" .... .".t~y.i: ::..... "::."".:.: ".:. ". ... :..:..:..?.f1. ,"* Seventy-Seven Years of Editorial Freedom EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS 1 THE VIEW FROM HERE The Wolverine War of 1972 BY ROBERT KLIVANS :v i:' tif::tm;;,; ?. :. },;.4:":^:5:^:v'r.^{"'r :ti4".'M1:."«4 w^ '.':viM'^}}... ' -am m#Emmm W a m sam ti ss Where Opinions Are Free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. Truth Will Prevail NEWS PHONE: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must he noted in all reprints. AY, OCTOBER 31, 1967 NIGHT EDITOR: DANIEL OKRENTI Granting Advisory Boards Their Death-Wish THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL Advisory Boards-created in an attempt to in- clude student concerns in the decision- making process-are not doing an effective job of advising anybody. In- deed, some cannot even communicate among themselves, while others-par- ticularly the ones assigned to Vice Presi- dent for Student Affairs Richard Cutler and Vice President for Research A. Geof- frey Norman-cannot establish com- munications between the members and vice presidents. The attitude of the vice presidents toward their boards is aptly summed up by Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Wilbur K. Pierpont: "The board has not changed any of my decisions." Pierpont's board is afflicted internally with a common malady in the board system: apathy of the membership. In its chairman's own words, "half to three- fourths of the people don't attend meet- ings." Thus, the fear expressed by the chairman of the board attached to Cut- ler that "the real danger is in just be- coming a polite and listening guest" is unfounded, for such a state can never materialize when no "guests" ever show up. Another shortcoming is the hesitancy of the vice-presidents to relate meaning- ful information to the students. For example, Norman's board was completely unadvised about the classified war re- search taking place at the University. But at least one member of that board is willing to accept the vice president's assurance that "nothing is going on that should concern you." The committee connected with Vice President for Academic Affairs Alan F. Smith makes another point reflecting existing conditions: "We don't know what students want, and the opinions we express are only the personal opin- ions of our nembers." Student Government Council is finally deciding that something must be done. SGC President Bruce Kahn called a meeting several weeks ago for the total boards' membership. Only four people attended. He has called yet another meeting to "review the problems" and see what re-organization is needed. Several of the board chairmen speak vaguely about "reorganizing" their com- mittees, but these attempts are merely prolonging the self-deception. All pre- tense of establishing "relationships" be- tween student and administration in the form of the vice presidential advisory boards as they presently exist should be dropped. If SGC can somehow miraculously re- place the administrative vice presidents with people who will admit to a student role in decision-making, and if it can find people interested enough to attend meetings, and if it can get a student consensus on what is needed, then the University will have reached the point where some kind of representative stu- dent-administration rapport can be es- tablished. Until then why waste any more of the vice-presidents' valuable time? -KEN KELLEY THE REVELATION two weeks ago that the University is advising Thailand in counter-insurgency opera- tions has created a stir of dismay and disapproval across the campus. Professors and students shuddered when they heard that their University was known as the "free leader in (combat) surveillance." But the whole reaction by Ann Arbor's academic community has been overly severe. What's wrong with the University excelling in a competitive field like war research? In a year of sagging football and basketball fortunes, being Number One in something is rather nice. And, moreover, the University's newly-revealed excellence is in a field of expanding opportunities. It takes little imagination to visualize the following story in newspapers across the country only five years from now: BANGKOK, THAILAND, Oct. 31, 1972 - Intensive bombing of the northern Thai provinces entered its sec- ond week today as University of Michigan aircraft made 47 bombing attacks. Meanwhile, Wolverine-led troops advanced into the highlands in an attempt to dislodge a guerrilla unit near the village of Ubon Bleccch. Michigan's commanding officer, four-star General Jeffrey Normal, refused to call the latest effort "esca- lation," instead labelling it a "mere extension of pre- vious military advisory operations." In a press conference at Diagagon Supreme Head- quarters near Ypsilanti, Mich., Chief of Advisory Opera- tions General Rune Willow said there was no intention of committing any undergraduate students to combat operations. "We are merely serving in an advisory ca- pacity to the Royal Thai Forces," said General Willow, "and all advisory troops will be limited to graduate stu- dents, who will continue to receive academic credit for their battlefield research." When asked to justify the present use of 10,000 Uni- versity "advisors" in the Thai arena, the General dis- missed the question, claiming that the information was classified. MICHIGAN'S counter-insurgency war has come under intensive criticism lately by critics charging that it is escalating into another "Bolivian-style" involvement. (This refers to the 1969-1971 war conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Andes Mountains.) Michigan officials have consistently denied that they are pushing for their own "university war" in Southeast Asia. But few will refute the deepening commitment of Wolverine time and money Into the Thai project. Thailand operations were first exposed back in 1967, when that indignant student newspaper, The Michigan Daily, exposed the preliminary counter-insurgency work undertaken by Willow Run Labs (now knowns as "Su- preme Headquarters"). The program was almost can- celled in a wave of stormy protest, but cooler military minds prevailed, and the University continued its classi- fied work. In 1968, more contracts were taken out for ground surveillance work, and the History Dept. accepted a classified Defense Dept. grant to study the past course and possible future of guerrilla movements in Thailand. This was followed in 1969 by a classified contract to the Psychology Dept. for psychological warfare and a sim- ilar pact with the Economics Dept. to undermine the guerrilla economy. BY 1970 MICHIGAN had sent 50 graduate students from 13 departments to Thailand as part of a new Ex- change Program with Bangkok University. By 1971 the number was 2,500 and the bulk of these were advising the Thai forces on how to use guns, shoot cannons, and erect electronic fences. Only this year, with the unexplained rise in guerrilla activity, has the University been forced to deploy more and more graduate students, researchers, and professors on "military sabbaticals" to the Asian battlefield. With the "escalation" of the last few months, Mich- igan has now more men and weapons in the field than Stanford University used at the peak of its Indonesian Intervention of 1971. GENERAL NORMAL has predicted that the Univer- sity will shortly be able to withdraw from the Thai project, as the contract expires in 1973. Said General Normal: "We are not sending Michigan students and professors to fight a war in Thailand that should be fought by the Thais themselves." There was little comment from the White House. "I will not interfere," President Reagan has said, "in the proper affairs of any public university." 4q A Letters: The Punk' Agitators Are At It Again The Folly of the Fair To the Editor: A YEAR AGO the so-called stu- dents for a Democratic So- ciety published a document out- lining a program to achieve stu- dent control of all universities in the United States. This program was so radical that most responsi- ble people ignored it just as their counterparts in Russia, Germany, and China had done in regards to similar publications decades ago. During the past year SDS, which is not student run and which has the same regard for democratic principles at Hitler and Stalin had, has started the implementation of this program on the college and university campuses across the country. At Michigan we have witnessed the shouting down of several of our statesmen at a Uni- versity sponsored meeting. Press confrences being held by President Hatcher and by President-elect Fleming have been rudely in- terupted. The offices of several of the Vice Presidents have been in- vaded. In additionto interruption of the normal business activities of these offices for extended periods, I have heard that during one in- vasion, material was removed from inside the desk of one of the Vice Presidents. Taking courage from the complete inaction on the part of the Administration to the above criminal acts SDS and Voice re- cently conducted a rowdy sit-in at a meeting on the North Campus devoted to research matter forcing cancellation of the meeting great- ly inconveniencing several guests of the University who had come here from Washington, D.C. IN SPITE of these many acts of trespass, these criminal interrup- tions of University activities, and this complete defiance of Univer- sity regulations by this small law- les group the administrators of the University of Michigan have formulated no policy to cope with them and have taken absolutely no disciplinary action. Administrators, how long is this foul situation going to continue. What do these punks have to do to get you gentlemen to live up to your responsibilities to the Re- gents, to the State of Michigan, and to the people of the State of Michigan. When are you going to announce a firm policy relative to these in- terruptions? When are you going to arrest these professional agita- tors who are crawling around our campus? When are you going to start suspending students who openly defy your regulations? If you don't take action imme- diately, you might as well forget it. Students power will have taken over. Then we shall have no need for paid administrators. --John J. Carey Professor of Electrical Engineering An Explanation To the Editor: "OPPOSING Classified War Re- search," by Professors Gen- dell and Mayer, published Oct. 27, contains much with which I can agree and a good many specifics which I question. Permit me to comment on one. The gentlemen state that "fear of losing government contracts underlay the University of Mich- igan's servile capitulation to HUAC," and that "freedom of dis- sent was less important in the minds of the administration than generous research grants." The categoric statement and the emotional description bring into qr NERE G6OES ~' ~THE FEAR~LES . 'WORLD' WARIU PILOT ' ALL OVER NOM 00( IENIAtII, AND POSSIBLY CHINA ANLI$ROSA-- IF QI4LY TOSE S'rjPIP CIVILNJAW~' WOULD ' lJLA NME,. fK N 1 f4Ps~z M sity Community of Aug. 18, 1966 and reiterated in various forums, including the Ad Hoc Committee on the Disclosure Question, "When the University has defended the rights of members of the Univer- sity Community to exercise their citizen rights, it has been made clear that these are rights under the law. For the University to de- fend on the basis of law in previous instances but to defy lawfully con- stituted agencies in this instance would be inconsistent and would weaken our position in the fu- ture." One may agree or disagree with judgment. But that is not what Professor Gendell and Mayer have done in their reference to the HUAC incident. They have re- peated a shibboleth andadded an assumption unverified and unsub- stantiated. -Jack H. Hamilton Assistant to the Vice President for University Relations Influence To the Editor: (CONCERNING John Miller's ar- ticle on the Homecoming Con- cert of the 21st, it is rather ob- vious that Mr. Miller's review might have been slightly more skillful, to the point, and perhaps even believable had he not spent the evening under the influence of Buffy's hemline. -Bill Kohen, '70 All letters must be typed, double-spaced and should be no longer than 300 words. All let- ters are subject to editing; those over 300 words will gen- erally be shortened. No unsign- ed letters will be printed. 44 EXPO 67 caine to a close Sunday night. The Montreal world's fair that drew more than 50 million visitors during its six-month exhibition ended with a giant fire-works display symbolizing its suc- The Daily is a member of the Associated Press and Collegiate Press Service. Fall and winter subscription rate: $4.50 per term by carrier ($5 by mail); $8.00 for regular academic school year ($9 by mall). Daily except Monday during regular academic school year. Daily except Sunday and Monday during regular summer session. Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Michigan, 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48104. Editorial Staff ROGER RAPOPORT, Editor MEREDITH EIKER, Managing Editor MICHAEL HEFFER ROBERT KLIVANS City Editor Editorial Director SUSAN ELAN ........... Associate Managing Editor STEPHEN FIRSHEIN.....Associate Managing Editor LAURENCE MEDOW...... Associate Managing Editor JOHN LOTTIER.........Associate Editorial Director RONALD KLEMPNER .... Associate Editorial Director SUSAN SCHNEPP.............Personnel Director cess and glory. Over 200,000 people swarmed over the fair site to enjoy for the last time the "man and his world" exposition. Among officials there per- vaded an aura of self-congratulation for the immense success Expo 67 has experienced. Speeches were made, and Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson issued a statement: "Every one of the more than 50 millions of people who have moved across these grounds has become more conscious of our global neighbor- hood and of the fact that every man on this planet is linked to every other man." JIEN THOUSAND miles away, according to the Associated Press, "U.S. infan- trymen surprised a Viet Cong company near the Cambodian border today and it was all but wiped out by artillery, na- palm and aerial bombs." question both their data and their objectivity. I participated in the discussions which lead to the decision to re- spond to the subpoena from a standing committee of the Con- gress. The subpoena commanded "copies of certificates or state- ments of membership" of specific organizations "filed for the pur- pose of obtaining status as an ac- credited campus organization." The membership and organization names previously had been sub- mitted, without any question of confidentiality, to the Student Government Council. NO MENTION or allusion to government contracts was made in those discussions. Freedom of dis- sent was. an important concern. Central to the decision to respond to the subpoena was consistency in compliance with law. As was stated in a Report to the Univer- 04 A Democratic Defense of the Sit-In --JOHN LOTTIER Associate Editorial Director By ANATOL RAPOPORT The author is professor of math- ematical biology and senior mathe- matician at the Mental Health Re- search Institute at the University. IMPLICIT in the ideal of democ- racy is the conviction that de- cisions arrived at collectively with full participation of the members of a society or a community some- how maximize e v e r y one's chances of being dealt with fair- ly. Implicit in this conviction is a belief that in a democratic so- ciety or community the use of force to assure compliance can be reduced to a minimum. For if people are dealt with fairly, they will internalize the standards of fairness; and so violations of vi- tal social norms (crime) will oc- cur only sporadically. If such violations of social norms occur not as isolated acts (crime) but as collective actions, either of the following conclusions suggests itself: (1) The society or community where such collective violations occur is not democratic. (2) The violators reject the ob- ligations which a democratic so- ciety or community imposes on its members. MANY WILL agree that the actions of resistance which mark- ed the early days of the civil rights movement warrant the first conclusion. Negroes had been sys- tematically excluded from all phases of the political process in the southern states. Accordingly, when Negroes refused to leave lunch counter stools, on order, +l'.r~lin ot hp a ,,~ 1.rr cpi ofr justification for the civil rights sit-ins will not justify similar ac- tions against the Federal Govern- ment. Similarly, many will con- demn the forthcoming sit-in, pro- testing the University's collabo- ration in secret war research. Fac- ulty participation in the sit-in may appear especially inappro- priate. It might be conceded that, should the administration and the regents ignore resolutions of faculty bodies passed after due discussion and deliberation, more vigorous pressures might then be justified. ple. No absolute monarch held such power. This power accrued to the president not through a suppression of formal political procedures but as a result of his- torical processes unforeseen by the designers of our republic. The war currently waged by the United States completely belies the demo- cratic ideal, In the words of Hans Morgen- thau, it is Metternich's war waged by the nation of Jefferson and Lincoln. Our democratic ideals have not prevented this war; nor do our conventional political pro- oration in secret war research ought not to be judged only with reference to the violations of es- tablished rules. The judgment ought not to be divorced from the issue involved and from the larg- er social context. The issue is the war now waged by the United States which makes a mockery of the democratic ideal. To be sure, other broader issues have also manifested themselves in the recent upheavals. However, these issues have crystallized as a consequence of the Vietnam war, because the war has under- .':A... Jt% . The dissenters will not be silenced, and tensions will continue in the society at large and in universities in particular until the chasm between the democratic ideal and the present practices is clearly seen. ':.":.".' .::': J "J ",R":: V:::::,:":::":"{: .;:Jtt.{y: {ity;.;..;{ { R-{.: :r..,.,.{: J: rR: :". " 4':;{..jEJ. r, ....... the democratic ideal and the present practices is clearly seen. The sit-ins are manifestations of this determination and ought to be recognized as such. Finally, acts outside conven- tional political channels ought not to be confused with anti-so- cial uses of power, as long as they are basically non-violent. Such acts often elicit violence on the part of the defenders of the sta- tus quo, but in doing so only make overt the covert pressures which subvert democracy - the control of communication chan- nels,' the encouragement of con- formity by a system of status re- wards, the elimination of social content from the machinery of politics, etc. These are pressures against which actions through formal political channels are powerless, because these pressures are precisely what has divorced the democratic ideal from formal political procedures. SUCH ACTS outside conven- tional channels, now called "civil disobedience," raise the apprehen- sion that if minorities will not abide by majority decision rules, nothing but anarchy will result. This would indeed be the case if the dissenters on every issue re- sorted to obstructionist tactics. There is, however, little danger of that. It takes a large amount of courage (or, perhaps, will power) to participate in these so- called acts of civil disobedience. Ordinarily psychic resources of this sort are not available except where the very foundations of nne's idetity a~.nd dignity of a N However, a resort to what ap- pear to be acts of disruption in an institution functioning on for- mally democratic principles will be condemned by many as a mat- ter of principle, quite aside from the merits of the issues involved. Those who assume that the Uni- versity is a democracy (at least for its faculty) will draw the sec- ond of the conclusions stated above, namely, that the partici- pants in the sit-in have rejected the obligations concomitant to participating in a democracy. I SUBMIT that the choice is not confined to the two conclu- sions. There is a third, especially relevant to the issue involved and cedures seem sufficient to stop it. People can be easily deprived of their rights while conventional procedures seem to remain intact. For example, complete enfran- chisement of the Negroes does not in itself guarantee their civil rights in states or communities where they are a numerical mi- nority. EVIDENTLY democracy in- volves more than formal demo- cratic procedures, in the same way as legitimacy involves more than formal legal procedures. The re- turn of fugitive slaves to their owners in the 1850's may have been required by law; but in vio- lating the law the Abolitionists mined the legitimacy of the pow- er which is waging it. The broader social context in- volves not merely the question of what shall be the research policy of the University, but whether it is appropriate for any University (an institution dedicated to en- lightenment) to collaborate in the waging of war, especially if the collaboration requires the dis- avowal of one of the cardinal p r i n c i p 1 e s of enlightenment, namely free and open dissemina- tion of knowledge. THE ISSUES of war and of the adaptation of an institution of enlightenment to the needs of war-making are not ordinary L c7: ;