Research panel member hl*j By DAVE CHUDWIN In an unprecedented move, a member of the committee which oversees secret research on campus has strongly criticized military re- search here, claiming the Univer- sity is perfecting weapon systems "which are being used by the mili- The text of Knox's letter is printed on today's editorial page. tary to kill and incapacitate other human beings." Michael Knox, a member of the Senate Assembly Committee on Classified Research, says the com- mittee has approved projects which are "making a significant contribution to the war technology which is currently being used to destroy and kill in Southeast Asia." Knox's statement, in a letter to history Prof. Gerhard Weinberg, chairman of Senate Assembly, is believed to be the first public crit- icism of the projects by a member of the student-faculty committee. The committee was set up in 1968 following a controversy over classified research the year be- fore. A faculty report, later adopt- ed by the Regents, prohibited re- search "the specific purpose of which is to kill or incapacitate human beings." Through last March, the latest period for which figures are avail- able, the committee had approved 119 proposals and rejected one. "As a committee member I have had the opportunity to review summaries of all classified pro- jects written during the past two and one-half years," says Knox, a graduate student in the social work school. "At this point it is clear to me that most of this secret research is inconsistent with the goals and philosophy of our University." University scientists and engi- neers perform about $10.4 million of research for the Defense De- partment each year, about half of which is classified. The University receives about five per cent of the U.S. military's total expendi- tures for research on the nation's campuses. Specifically, Knox's letter in- cludes charges that: --"University researchers are developing devices to protect bomb and napalm-carrying aircraft so they can reach their targets;" -"They are perfecting systems which can locate human targets so that they can be destroyed;" -"University laboratories a r e improving military missile capa- bilities;" and -University scientists and en- gineers are "developing methods of reducing the detectability of military aircraft and tanks so that they can reach their targets." Knox says in the letter that this "war research is able to continue here, I believe, because it is veiled in a cloud of secrecy." He urges that steps be taken to permit informed discussion of the issue and that Senate Assembly, the faculty representative body, reevaluate classified research and reconsider the "appropriateness of conducting war research at the University." Although he does not propose stopping all classified projects, ts 'U' Knox' recommends in the letter that all "war research funded by the Department of Defense agen- cies" be immediately halted. While declining to comment on the specific content of the letter. Weinberg said last night, "I am assuming these matters will be considered in the normal course when the annual report of the committee is before Senate As- sembly. The Committee of Classified Re- search is required to submit a yearly summary of its activities to Senate Assembly in March for its for its review. Contacted last night, K n o x said he wrote the letter because he wanted to "raise the level of concern on campus." "If the University community was aware of the research going on See MEMBER, Page 8 military work Michael Knox Prof. Weinberg LAOS AND THE 4p4p'.i PEOPLE'S PEACE See editorial pagettt Vol. LXXXI, No. 1 10 Ann Arbor, Michigan-Tuesday, February 9, 1971 Ten Cents DRAB High--18 Low--5 Partly cloudy, chance of flurries Eight Pages 300 U . ., 13 allies killed in offensive asi S. IIC- march for Viet continue tomorrow; Laos drive Plan peaceful march to finish at City Hall By MARK DILLEN After nearly two hours of debate, some 300 people from throughout the local community called last night for a non- violent march tomorrow to protest the invasion of Laos by U.S.-aided South Vietnamese troops. The meeting at the SAB, which included members of various local peace groups, was prompted by a resolution by the recent Student and Youth Conference on a People's Peace calling on demonstrations throughout the nation tomorrow, in response to the invasion. Many of the details of the march were left undecided as the meeting adjourned. However, it was agreed that the march should start at 4:30 p.m. and proceed from the campus -Daily-Tom G Signing of contract Union president Charles McCracken officially signs the con between the University and Local 1583 of the American Fed tion of State, County and Municipal Employes (AFSCME) terday. G.E. LOCK-iN: Parsons convicted in recruiter inc1 ei By ALAN LENHOFF A Washtenaw C o u n t y Circuit Court jury yest convicted Robert T. Parsons, '70, on a charge of res arrest. The case stemmed from last year's General El recruiter lock-in. The jury took only five minutes to reach its verdict charge is classified as a "high court misdemeanor" and c a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Parsons allegedly struck Det. Paul Bunten of the Arbor Police Department on the face mask as Bunter --- Deputy Police Chief H By The Associated Press The invasion of Laos by 20,- 000 South Vietnamese troops, accompanied by U.S. fighter, bombers and-helicopter gun- ships continued yesterday, drawing fire from Communist ottlie forces which resulted in t h e deaths of four Americans and nine South Vietnamese. tract Ten of the 13 fatalities caime Iera- when Communist gunners shot er- down five U.S. helicopters which yes- werentransporting South Vietnam- ese troops across the Vietnamese- Laotian border into Laos. Three South Vietnamese ground troops were killed and 20 wounded in skirmishes along their drive- toward the town of Sepone. The thrust into Laos began at dawn yesterday in an effort by -Daily-Tom Gottieb alied fori es to croute sed by th A PARTICIPANT at last night's meeting at the SAB addresses the crowd. Nearly 300 people attended t North Vietnamese to transport to organize a protest against the Laos invasion. troops and supplies into So u t h Vietnam and Cambodia. i L ITT . -- ^, erday isting ectric t. The arries Ann a and larold While 9,000 American support troops remained at the border,' U.S. officials pledged to provide full air and artillery support for the invasion. Last week, 10,000 South Vietnamese troops provid- ed with American air support be- gan a related drive into Cambodia, which is believed to be aimed at cutting off the Ho Chi Minh trail from the south. The U.S. troops remaining on the Vietnamese side of the border E a-a vv JlL.. i Marijuana ordinance passes first reading area to City Hall where a brief rally is planned. Planners of the march hope to secure .a parade permit from city offi- cials for a route west along Liberty Ave. to Main St., then turning n o r t h toward City Hall. Despite the overwhelming opin- ion that the march be non-violent, the group defeated a motion that would have designated "marshalls" among the marchers to guard against violence. Instead, it was decided that the marchers would "police themselves." Among other forms of protest that were brought up and later dis- missed were having "symbolic" signings of the Peace Treaty at the ROTC facilities at North Hall or in the Ann Arbor offices of Con- gressman Marvin Esch (R-Ann Arbor). Others advocated a silent protest in which participants would march wearing black arm- bands, signifying the recent news blackout on news from the Laotian battle zone. Most of the sometimes noisy de- bate centered on whether there should be "educational" activities connected with the march and whether a class strike should be called in conjunction with t h e march. Both proposals were de- See ASK, Page 8 Reaction critical of Laos move By The Associated Press Several members of the Senate and House, numerous anti-war ac- tivists, and a number of foreign governments criticized the cur- rent American-supported South Vietnamese invasion of Laos, but x initial reaction yesterday was gen- erally muted compared with pro- tests following the U.S. invasion of Cambodia last spring. On Capitol Hill, Senate Major- ity Leader Mike Mansfield (D- Mo.) said that if the effort to cut Communist supply and infiltration routes failed, "It would create a situation which would be extreme- ly serious, which could mean, de- spite the President's intentions, and they're of the best, there would be a shift in that policy of U.S. troop withdrawal." At the United Nations, Secre- tary-General U Thant issued'a statement saying, "The reported incursion . . . is one more deplor- able episode in the long history of the barbarous war in Indo- china." Immediate reaction by the See VIETNAMESE, Page 8 Death sat *Belfast riot BELFAST, Northern Ireland (P) -Street moles, enraged at the death of a five-year-old girl run over by: a British scout car, set fire to ve- hicles and attacked British soldiers 4 in Belfast yesterday. One soldier was wounded severe- ly by rifle fire and another suf- fered cuts from a home-made nail bomb when two army vehicles were ambushed in a Roman Catholic section. Four children were wounded by a spray of submachine gun bullets' in a nearby district as violence ripped Northern Ireland for the seventh straight night. British forces prepared for what they forsee as a prolonged and bloody battle with guerrilla gunmen' determined to end the partition of Ireland and bring largely Protest- ant N. Ireland under control of the Roman Catholic republic to the enia Olson attempted to arrest him came under attacK. te U . 5. cU- d u r i n g the disturbanceAimand reported, with two Ameri- # cans killed and 15 wounded. Mili- front of the West Engineering tary sources said the deaths came Bldg. on Feb. 18. in ,an ambush northeast of Khe The lock-in was the fourth in a Sanh, where the base of the new series action by Students for a offensive is located. The battle toll Democratic Society (SDS) pro- for the Communist forces were un- testing the presence of various re- known yesterday. cruiters on campus. 13 people in- Besides the five helicopters shotI cluding Parsons were arrested dur- down inside Laos, two others: ing the incident. crashed due to mechanical failure. See PARSONS, Page 8 See 13, Page 8 By CHRIS PARKS The law would be in addition to By a vote of 6 to 5 last night, the existing state law which im- Ann Arbor City Council passed on poses a felony for possession of first reading the city's controver- marijuana; the city could choose sial marijuana law. to prosecute under either statute For the ordinance to go into The voting went largely as ex- effect under Ann Arbor law, it pected with councilmen H. C must pass two successive readings. Curry (D-1st ward), James Ste- The deciding second reading was phenson (R-4th ward), Roy Web- scheduled for Council's March 8 er (R-4th ward), Joe Edwards (R- meeting. 3rd ward) and Lloyd Fairbanks If passed, the law will make it (R-5th ward) voting against the a misdemeanor under city law to o r d i n a n c e. Councilmen Henry possess marijuana in Ann Arbor. Stadler (D-5th ward), Robert VARIED APPROACHES Weaver (D-2nd ward), Nicholas, Kazarinoff (D-3rd ward), Robert Faber (D-2nd ward) and Jack Kirscht (D-lst ward) voted in favor.1 Mayor Robert Harris cast the deciding vote in favor of the or-1 dinance, giving it a 6 to 5 majority.; The future of the ordinance ati the second reading remains in, doubt, however. Weaver stated last night that his support of the or- dinance on first reading didn't necessarily g u a r a nt e esupport when it cane up for second read- ing. Weaver indicated his vote on second reading depended largely on a forthcoming report from City Administrator Guy Larcom and Police Chief Walter Krasny on the matter of enforcement of the law. Those opposing the ordinance were led by Stephenson. He argued the ordinance would "mean noth- ing" because the option to prose- cute under felony or misdemeanor was already open to judges under state law which contains a mis- demeanor penalty for use of the drug. Stephenson said judges often Conference, plans peace drive By ZACHARY SCHILLER and CHUCK WILBUR While participants in t h i s weekend's peace conference united in calling for nationwide demonstrations to protest t h e Laos invasion, discussion at Sunday's meetings indicated a variety of views on political ob- jectives related to ending t h e war. a statement calling for people to organize around the treaty in fighting racism, sexism and imperialism. A spokesman for the group urged the audience to support "political prisoners of war" naming Angela Davis, Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins, and to recognize the right to self- determination and self-defense 'x