l1e tr$9nDii Eighty-one years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan futures past Appealing to Fleming on classified research 1w dave chudwin ai v a Lvtr v w aw a x sn . yaw v v .. u a s 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1971 . NIGHT EDITOR: MARK DILLENI Moratorium: An anachronism DESPITE ALL EFFORTS to stop it, the war in Vietnam continues. U.S. troop strength there remains in the hundreds of thousands, and an unpopular regime reminiscent of the one which originally; spawned the war is now being given a greater capacity to destroy its people and land than any nation of its size has ever had. At the same time, demonstrable anti- war sentiment in this country has slipped to its lowest level in years. The small turnout for last week's moratorium is ample evidence of that. People still hope the war will end, but the spirit of most are down to the point where they have given up fighting. In other words, the war has been de- fused as a political issue, and people still interested in expediting an end to it have been left wondering how opposition can now be re-established. The first step in doing this though is surely to determine how the current wave of apathy has come about. All to easily, it seems, this has been attributed to President Nixon's trickery in using things like television and the nation's police forces. But there seems little basis for these claims, since Nixon has done nothing more to combat anti- war activity than might have been ex- pected from him in advance. Instead, he only seems politically adept compared to his bungling predecessor. A MORE REALISTIC .path to rebuilding a peace movement therefore lies in a reevaluation of both the goals and tactics of the present movement. For when this is done, a realistic analysis shows that the peace movement's demise may well have been caused by its own blindness and stupidity. How has this occurred? First of all, it has happened because the peace move- ment traditionally has been prone to raising false hopes among its participants. Seizing upon the trend toward demonstra- tions as a political technique, it encour- aged, the belief that massive marches throughout the country would have sig- nificant effects upon our foreign policy. The whole idea of using large demon- strations was predicated on the belief that the war was being pushed by polit- ical men, who could be forced to change their ways through political attacks. However, the reality of the matter i that the war is much larger than politics in this country. It has been prosecuted under each of the last four presidents, and their actions were not capricious, but clear corollaries to the policies of their predecessors. It transcends parties, in the same way it transcends the presidency and the Con- gress. Rather than being political, the war has its roots deep in the economic system of this country, and its supporters include such non-political agencies as the mili- tary, the FBI, and the CIA-all of which are freed to pursue the policies of their choosing by the cultural myth which paints them as indefagitable guardians of "freedom." Thus, the war could hardly be stopped just by putting pressure on the political wings of the government. PUT EVEN IF the war could have been stopped through political pressure, the current movement could hardly have chosen a worse tactic than using large demonstrations to capture the eye of the nation through the media. For clearly there is no man with easier access to the media than the president, and thus there is no tactic that could have been out- flanked so easily by the government as a media campaign. Through just plain poor judgment, therefore, the movement sim- ply crippled itself. If the movement has any ground to defend itself on, it usually points' to the fact that it has raised the consciousness of the country concerning the existence of the war. And to some extent, this has certainly been true. However, it is ex- tremely'important for us to realize at this point that the movement has NOT edu- cated people about how to stop the war. And this failing has not only been un- fortunate, it has been downright trecher- ous. For by miseducating the people into are coming out to publicly reaffirm their opposition to the war." T h i s attitude indicates two things: First, that people believe they are making a contribution to stopping the war to be demonstrating one day of the year, even if they go about their normal affairs the; other 364, and second, that people think; ending the war is merely a matter of stopping the shooting in. Southeast Asia. In the first place, this completely mis- reads what lies behind the war. For the war has not really been unique in our history, and is certainly not a freak or a mistake. Rather, it is a logical extension of our general policy of supporting our economic interests abroad. Underdeveloped nations offer our busi- ness vast cheap resources, easily exploited cheap labor, and rich markets for finished technology. To protect these things, it has been necessary for our country to sup- port national governments willing to share a portion of our profits in exchange for complicity in our exploitation of their own people. ALMOST WITHOUT exception, this has led us into conflict with communists, who have been quick to champion the cause of the exploited. This is .the case in Vietnam, as it has been in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia generally. A second cause of the war is our bull- headed militarism. This results from the fact that this country has relied on its military supremacy for such a long time that it can no longer understand a foreign policy predicated on any other terms. Finally,, the war is permitted to con- tinue because people in this society are so racist that the deaths of Vietnamese people don't even register as immoral. We are so concerned with spreading our kind of freedom that we can see them as little more than cannon fodder standingw in the way. THE POINT OF THIS is, that mortator- iums can do little to confront any of these problems. For they are indeed deep- ly rooted in the basics of our economic system and in the psyche of our culture. The only way anything could be done about them, therefore, would be on an ongoing basis. But moratoriums and dem- onstrations are extremely sporadic, to say the least, The danger in continuing, therefore, lies in the fact that they make opposing the war a twice or three-times yearly proposition. For this, any way it is looked at, is miseducation. Clearly, then, the idea of moratoriums must be scrapped, and the tactics of the anti-war movement must be drastically reformed. What might we suggest as an alternative? In general, what is needed is some sort of frontal attack on the aspects of the society which perpetuates war-like ideas. To do this, vast organizational efforts are needed, starting with efforts to work directly with the consciousness of chil- dren. MORE PERVASIVELY, attempts could be made at the college level to edu- cate students who will be teaching the children. Seminars and workshops might be held for them so that they might not transmit to children the ignorances which have led their generation to allow the war to happen. Workers must be reached in a similar fashion, with hard core organizing both on the job and in the community. To accomplish this, teachings could be taken from the University context into com- munities around the state where they are not normally held. But these efforts .should neither be isolated or one-yearly affairs. Within universities themselves, oppor- tunities such as Course Mart's political action course should be encouraged. In conjunction with these courses and semi- nars dealing with militaristic and im- perialistic aspects of the society, research organizations should be formed to back all anti-war efforts with information. In general, since universities are already centers of anti-war and socialist senti- ment, organizers should stop trying to rnnzn them and aihon usinr them as Dear President Fleming: THE ESSENCE OF democracy is peaceful change. When the p e o p 1 e, both directly and through their representatives, in- dicate dissatisfaction with the policies of a public institution, it is the responsibility of that insti- tution to respond to the wishes of the majority and alter its ways. Here on this campus, you and the Regents now have a chance to demonstrate that the Univer- sity will respond to the majority sentiment of students and faculty members without marches, class boycotts and building takeovers, The opportunity is available be- cause after months of delibera- tion, the debate over classified re- search at the University has came to a turning point. Yesterday the representatives of the faculty voted overwhelmingly to recom- mend to the Regents a new policy that would eliminate most secret research on campus. THIS MANDATE for change by Senate Assembly follows an open referendum last spring in which the student body voted to elimi- nate all classified research at the University. Thus, both students and fac- ulty members have taken a stand in favor of making it the gener- al policy of the University to re- fuse research contracts the re- sults of which cannot be published openly. Further, a week-long fast by students and faculty members last March, heavy attendance at for- ums concerned with the question and widespread discussion of the issue has demonstrated a commit- ment to ending classified research on the part of a large number of individual members of the Univer- sity community. The issue is now in your hands, cilities engaging in classified re- search - would have a "cushion time" to adjust. THE NOTION THAT this new policy would immediately throw people out of jobs is just not true. In the. engineering college, for ex- ample, classified . r e s e a r c h amounts to only seven per cent of the sponsored research. Further- more, a number of these projects are classified "for access only"- that is, the results of the pro- ject are open - and would not be prohibited by the ney policy. The only University unit that might be seriously affected by this policy is Willow Run Laborator- ies. Yet Willow Run is already in precarious financial shape and the elimination of classified research will provide the University an op-, portunity to change the status of the laboratories. Willow Run's budget has drop- ped more than one-half during the last five years with equal re- ductions in personnel. Even with classified research, its future is dubious. The policy change would provide a year's cushion ta set up a state-supported research insti- tute, sell the laboratories to indus- try or reorient their focus. From Aug. 14 to Sept. 10 alone, for example, the labs received $2.75 million in new and renewed contract - more than enough money to keep the gates open for another year until a solution can be found. We should be encouraged that the move to end most classified research has not been a hastyac- tion. Students and faculty mem- bers have worked for months edu- cating the community on the is- sues involved. Assembly heard over two dozen witnesses on both sides of the subject and considered the issue at six separate meetings. The policy passed by Assembly is similar to the course followed by many other of the most pres- tigiousnuniversities in the coun- try. It is a practical, flexible poli- cy that is both enforceable and reasonable. But most of all, it is a policy that has the approval of the fac- ulty members and students that make up this university. THEY HAVE GIVEN a man- date for change, and I hope, and believe, that you will respond af- firmatively to their wishes. Sincerely yours, David S. Chudwin 4 Mr. President. The governance of this University is vested in the Regents, but they heavily depend on the information and advice you offer as the University's chief ex- ecutive. While the Regents would prob- ably approve a new classified re- search policy with your support, it is certain they would reject one without it. I urge you, therefore, to pub- licly respond to the mandate of both students and faculty mem- bers by endorsing the proposed The Shah's party: Ignoring the poor By MARYAM SHAYEGAN HASTINGS Daily Guest Writer LAST WEEK THE ancient Iranian city of Persepolis was the center of world attention again. The Shah ("King of Kings", "Light of the Aryans", "Shadow of the Gods") feted the elgacy of 25 centuries of the Iranian monarchy. On hand were hundreds of VIPS including King Huessein of Jordan, President Tito of Yugoslavia, and President Nikolai Pord- gorny of the Soviet Union. President Richard Nixon was invited but sent Vice President Spiro T. Agnew. "As for the over all cost," an Iranian official said, "that is any- one's guess. Just let me say that we have no budget here." Every few weeks for the past nine months, two jets and a caravan of huge lorries have left Paris, bulging with a breathtaking array of riches including tents lined with silver and gold, chandeliers of baccarat crystal and cutlery of solid gold. Not only were the Iranian people excluded from this celebration, but also Iranian taste and tradition were completely ignored, "Every- thing-the 30 cooks, the 150 waiters, the 22 ,tons of provisions" was French, except for the caviar, according to The New York Times. The Shah's primary purpose in holding this celebration was to assert that monarchy is the natural form of government for all Iranian people. Apart from the absurdity of such an assertion in the 1970s, under what premises does the Shah claim a divine right to rule the people of Iran? The Shah's father, Reza Khan, was brought to power in Iran by a coup d'etat engineered by the British in 1921. In 1941 he was forced to abdicate and was sent into exile by the Allies, who then designated his son Mohammed Reza Pahlevi as his successor. The Shah's rule was interrupted between 1951-1955 by the elected nationalist government of. Dr Mohammad Mossadegh. During these two years the people of Iran experienced an honest attempt at democracy. Under Dr. Mossa- degh's leadership, the oil industry was nationalized. The Shah, having lost his power, fled the country. In August 1953 the government of Dr. Massadegh was overthrown with the participation of those nations whose imperialistic interests were greatly threatened, and the Shah was returned to power. The CIA admits its role in the overthrow of Dr. Mossadegh. As Marvin Zonis pointed out in his book, The Government and Politics of the Contemporary Middle East, "It seems conclusively clear at this stage that the CIA did have a key role in those fateful August days." With this brief background in mind, it is understandable why the Shah, by imitating the extravagant expenditures of buried kings of Europe, would like to compensate for his own lack of legitimacy. ANOTHER PURPOSE lay behind these celebrations. The Shah wanted to show those countries which have interests in Iran that he has successfully put down any opposition to his regime and that the country is secure. He can hardly boast of these achievements when his jails hold over 20,000 political prisoners. There have been numerous attempts by the people of Iran to express their disapproval of the present regime, during which hundreds of lives were lost. The refusal of the masses to ride buses due to an increase in the bus fare and the united demonstrations of workers and students against this increase forced the government into doing away with the increase in the win- ter of 1969 Five lives were lost when the police attacked demonstra- tors. Perhaps the most significant of all the recent political struggles in Iran is that of the battle of Siyakal. This battle is significant because it indicates that Iran has entered a period of armed struggle. In Siyakal, a small village in northern Iran, a literacy corps member was arrested for having been envolved in "suspicious" activities. In retaliation, his friends attacked and disarmed the police station, during which a policeman was killed. They later also killed the informer. The Iranian Army was sent to deal with these guerrillas. The Army was met by a group of about 300 men were were highly disciplined and have called themselves "Front for the national liberation of Iran." The fighting continued for a week and according to a government com- munique, two guerrillas were killed and 13 captured. The arrest oc- curred in February, in March the 13 were executed. THE MOST ACTIVE group of Iranians outside of Iran opposing the present regime has been the Confederation of Iranian Students- which was outlawed by the Iranian government in January, 1971. This t +hc -,.orf t he7Ta ~fernment inrdits the success of the Con- policy on classified research. This policy merits your support because it would put into prac- tice a basic value of higher edu- cation - that a University is, above all, a place for the free and open exchange of new knowl- edge. Classified research, because of its inherent secrecy, is incon- sistent with this view you have so often supported. The policy deserves your ap- proval because it would reduce University involvement in the re- search and development of wea- pon subsystems that are being extensively used by the military to destroy human life in Indochina. The University's purpose should be to enrich human life rather than to destroy it and the elimi- nation of most classified research -almost all of which is perform- ed for the military - would bring us closer to that goal. THIS POLICY IS worthy of your endorsement because it is flexible. Some classified projects could be exempted from the gen- eral policy if a majority of a re- view committee determined that the knowledge gained "would so significantly contribute to knowl- edge as to justify infringement of the right to publish openly." This provision helps insure that projects with exceptional promise to increase man's understanding would not be jeopardized if ca- priciously classified by some gov- ernment bureaucrat. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the values of the academic community could change over a number of years. While we must legislate on the basis of present values, the committee's response to requests for exemptions could reflect any changes in attitude of the University community. You should back this policy be- cause it would be practical to im- plement, gradually reducing the amount of classified research on campus over a 12-18 month per- iod. While relatively few classified projects would be approved after regental passage of the new policy, classified contract now in effect would continue until their expir- ation date. Since many of these run for a year or more duration, scientists and engineers at University, fa- r44 Letters to The Daily Voter registration To The Daily: SINCE THE Oct. 13 edition of the Michigan Daily commented editorially on the effectiveness of the efforts of the City Clark's Of- fice in Voter Registration, I would appreciate your printing the fol- lowing information to correct sev- eral serious misconceptions and errors of fact. First of all, the editorial stated that in the city as a whole only about half of those eligible to vote are registered. Working with 1970 Census data and registration fi- gures as of October 1 you will find that around 70,000 persons are over the age of 18 and potentially- eligible to vote. Of this number, 48,500 or 69.28 per cent of the electorate is registered. Of this 70,000 people, 13,865 people are between the ages of 18 and 20. leaving 56,135 people over 21 elig- ible to vote. A total of 45,500 peo- ple over 21 are registered or 81.05 per cent of the 56,135 people eligi- ble. In December, 1970 city voter rolls dropped to 39,629 registered electors as a result of the legally required cancellation of persons who had not voted in two years. The ten month period since De- cember, 1970 has yielded an in- crease of 8,871 registered electors to bring the totals to the October 1, 1971 figure of 48,500. A total of 5,273 ofgthe 8,871 registrations taken in this ten month period were received at places other than City Hall. In 1970 over 3,000 regis- trations were taken outside City Hall, giving a total of over 8,000 in the last 22 months. IN LOOKING at the 13,865 peo- ple between the ages of 18 and 20, a total of 3,062 were regis- tered as of October 1. This is 22.08 per cent of this age group. Since most of the 13,865 people between 18 and 20 are located in the Uni- versity areas, there has been only a month and a half in which to effectively attempt to get this group registered. It is not physic- ally possible, regardless of the techniques used, to have achieved total registration of the 13,865 new electors in so short a time. On October 13 I announced a new registration drive to run from October 18 to October 29, which will again have registrars at the Fishbowl and Union, and in addi- tion spend two days at each ma- The statement that I have re- sisted year around registration and only make registration avail- able during special drives comes from an ignorance of the law. Voter registration is available at the Clerk's Office every business day of the year except on an elec- tion day where prohibited by law. Special drives have been conduct- ed at places other than the Clerk's Office before major elections to coincide with the times most peo- ple, will respond to such efforts and manpower will not be wasted when there is no voter response. to such programs. Voter registration by mail was one suggestion contained in the editorial. Michigan law only au- thorizes registration by mail for military personnel or members of their immediate family or persons who are physically disabled of otherwise unable to apply for registration in person. Training of deputy registrars to assure their full knowledge of the law is essential if we are to ful- fill the basic purpose of registra- tion: to screen out those ineligible to vote. Moreover, if forms and records are not properly executed and filed, the elector runs the risk of being challenged when he ap- pears at the polls to vote. Around 50 per cent of the depu- ty registrars who have been trained are students. Their work has been quite accurate and good. In the coming two weeks, many of these people will be working at campus registration sites. In all, 15 sites will be available in the campus area during the program. I hope my prediction of 40 to 50 per cent registration of the newly enfranchised electorate by the end of October is low. I think the record for the City as, a whole can speak for itself. If we work together, the record for the new voting group can be even better. Harold R. Saunders City Clerk Oct. 15 Women's oppression To The Daily: I WAS QUITE heartened by Dave Chudwin's analysis of wo- men's oppression ("Making t h e Sexes More Human" Oct. 12). It is essential for men who support women's liberation to speak out as he did. I was especially grati- fied by the emphasis he placed on the necessity for interpersonal change as an integral part of in- stitutional change. However, I disagree with his conclusion that members of both sexes must be "nicer" and "more human" toward one another. I don't think Chudwin adequately delineated the oppressor from the oppressed in his article,. It is not incumbent upon the slave to be "nice" to the plantation owner, nor do I believe that women are obliged to be "more human" to- ward individual men or male- dominated institutions which are actively oppressing them. The oppression of women is inhuman. -Michael Castleman Oct. 12 4 0. *r F T 04