glypMirlyigan JBaihl
Seventy-nine years of editorial freedon
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan

JAMES WECHSLER
Will Nixon's equivocation never stop?

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.

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1970

NIGHT EDITOR: ANITA WETTERSTROEM

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Strange priorities:
Weapons over people

THE UNIVERSITY'S decision to deny
the Ann Arbor Gay Liberation- Front
(GLF) use of University facilities for a
conference on homosexuality only re-em-
phasizes the need for such a conference.
At their conference, GLF, a recognized
student organization, hoped to have doc-
tors, lawyers and c 1 e r i c s examine the
medical as well as legal and religious
questions of homosexuality. Rarely is first
hand information on homosexuality avail-
able to any large group of people. Such
an opportunity was offered Ann Arbor,
and President Fleming turned it down.
Fleming argues that University facili-
ties can only be made available to a con-
ference that is "directed primarily toward
those people who have a professional in-
terest in the field."
This could not possibly be the same man
who addressed the jam packed crowd of
just ordinary people at the opening rally
for the Environmental Teach-in that
went on to virtually monopolize University
facilities for an entire week. This was a
teach-in not directed at those who have
a professional interest in the field, but
rather towardeducating the average cit-
izen about the environmental crisis.
Despite this event, universities, in gen-
eral, have been negligent in their respon-
sibility to provide the community with
as much information as they can, even if
a particular s u b j e c t is unpleasant to
many.
The University is not so careless about

its responsibility to professionals,
ever.

how-

LAST SUMMER, for instance, the Uni-
versity sponsored a 10-day conference
entitled "Topics in Military Operations."
The t o p i c s discussed included weapon
capabilities, s y s t e m effectiveness and
logistics and costs.
In the 1969 catalog of engineering sum-
mer conferences the conference is boldly
described as providing "engineers, man-
agers and decision-makers with back-
ground in the concepts, procedures, as-
sumptions and effectiveness of quantita-
tive approaches to planning for the next-
generation weapons."
But, President Fleming voiced no ob-
jections to this conference. Why, then,
did he prohibit the GLF conference which
most assuredly could not even approach
the barbarity of a weapons meeting?
ALL THE GLF wishes to do is open a
forum to discuss the multitude, of
problems facing a significant segment of
our society, while the weapons conference
is trying its best to find the most effective
and the cheapest ways to kill.
In creating this tragic situation, the
University has once again demonstrated
its lack of interest in solving people's
problems, and its eagerness to assist the
defense department.
-ALEXA CANADY
Co-Editor

EVER SINCE Spiro T. Agnew and his
ghosts began haunting the media,
there has been renewed debate about the
nature of that elusive spirit called "ob-
jectivity." It became increasingly clear as
he pursued the subject that his model
craftsmen were those who betrayed neutral
symnathy for the Administration.
But the dispute long preceded Agnew's
advent into our lives.
The complexity of the matter is pointed-
ly illustrated in the case of the speech on
Vietnam delivered by President Nixon Mon-
day night (and released to the press just
10 minutes before he went on the air).
Surely millions of Americans who did
not watch or hear his performance-or
failed to pay very close attention-were
under the impression early yesterday that
he had made a solemn unequivocal promise
to bfing back 150,000 more troops within
the next 12 months. That was the head-
line story for the morning newspapers. But
it was a gross oversimplification-to the
point of distortion-of a complicated and
in crucial respects, devious message.
Far more accurate and thoughtful ap-
praisals were offered in the 'instant" post-
speech commentary by Eric Sevareid and
Ed Newman, among others seemingly un-
daunted by Agnew, who seemed more
struck by the questions raised by Nixon's
speech than by what was obviously de-
signed to be the bomshell figure of 150.000.
THIS IS WHAT the President said in
the key pasages involving troop with-
drawal:
"I am therefore tonight announcing
plans for the withdrawal of 150.000 Amer-
ican troops to be completed during the
spring of next year . . . The timing and
pace of these new withdrawals with the

overall schedule will be determine
best judgement of the current
and political situation . . .
"But I again remind the leaderst
Vietnam that while we are takir
grave risks for peace, they will b
grave risks should they attempt to
occasion to jeopardize the securit
remaining force in Vietnam by i
military action in Vietnam, in C
or Laos. I repeat what I said No
Dec. 15: if I conclude that increase
action jeopardizes our remainingf
Vietnam, I shall not hesitate to tak
and effective measures to deal w
situation."
The Daily News Page 1 headli
''Nixn on Viet: We'll Pull Out 15
Year," and The Times said: "Nixo
Out 150,000 From Vietnam in a Y
Average Withdrawals of 12,000a
Would Continue."
Let us not damn the headline
or those who wrote the dispatch
deadline fire. How does one say
type that Nixon has announced
will withdraw 150,000 more men
specified intervals in the next 12
if the enemy does nothing to dis
timetable, in which case he willi
undisclosed forms or reprisals?E
is what he really said, and it is
cheerful news than the headlines
For it unmistakably raised anew t
unanswered quesiton in the Nixo
gagment program: will we re-esca
widen the war if Hanoi is deen
cooperative?
THERE IS AN EVEN crueler mi
tion-or deception-in this pacific
headline. The reader whose son o
is being trained here or about to b
must have been swept by an em

d by our relief when the 150.000 figrue was unfolded,
military In fact there is no promise of immunity.
The unheralded truth, confirmed by in-
of North quiry at the Pentagon yesterday. is that
ng these under the most optimistic application of
e taking the Nixon formula, 23.000 men will con-
use the tinue to be sent to Vietnam each month
y of our while 35,000 are rotated homeward upon
ncreased completion of one-year "tours." That is
ambodia how the figure of an average 12,000
v. 3 and monthly withdrawal is reached. A perverse
'd enemy soul might even suggest that Nixon . hould
forces in have included this explanation in his dis-
ke strong sertation on disengagement. Perhaps those
cith that most intimately involved do not have to
be told. But a realization that 276,000 here-
ne read: tofore unscarred by the war will be sent
50,000 in into the Vietnam wasteland in the coming
n to Pull year to insure the overall reduction of
Year . . . 150,000 might have cast a shadow over the
a Month headline joy.
e-writers. ONE COULD FURTHER cloud the air
es under by asserting that full accoits of the Pres-
in large ident's speech should have included refer-
that he ences to the informed claims of Averell
at un- Hariman and others that Hanoi has re-
months peatedly signaled a readiness to accent a
rupt the coalition solution in Saigon. Nixon has
resort to chosen to construe these overtures as
But that meaning that we are being asked to "over-
far less throw" the Thieu regime. Others contend
offered. that only our presence prevents South
the great Vietnamese dissidents representing many
n disen- groups from joining to overthrow a des-
late and potic cabal.
med un- But such elaboration may obscure the
essential point: the quest for truth in
journalism is a rough exercise, and espe-
isconcep- cially so when we are dealing with so ex-
cation by pert a word-and-numbers-Juggler as Rich-
r brother ard Nixon and with a war that has made
e drafted fools and frauds of so many other men.
motion of ( New York Post
Some hope?

-w"

4'-

Liberation'

of North Hall:

A justification for
intervention in Cambodia

THE FOLLOWING is an excerpt from an
address made to the Senate, May 1,
by Sen Hugh Scott (R-Penn.):
I think that Americans are unhappy
when they see American soldiers fighting
with one hand tied behind their backs.It
is an attempt to prevent American sol-
diers from fighting under this type of
disability that the President has taken a
decision which is difficult and the out-
come of which is not guaranteed: but a
temporary move which it is hoped can re-
sult in removing from American forces
a disability which certainly would impede
the orderly and planned withdrawal and
de-escalation of the war.
For the past five years or more the
Communists in Vietnam have had a de-
cided advantage which has been denied
to the South Vietnamese and Americans.
They have had a safe haven from which
to launch attacks into Vietnam and into
which they could retreat quickly and eas-
ily when those attacks failed or were
turned back.
This has undoubtedly prolonged the
war in Vietnam. It has without question
cost American lives and has cost Ameri-
can wounded-personnel.
I advocated at least five years ago the
right of hot pursuit, which was subse-
quently authorized, and the right to enter
and clear out sanctuaries which was not
adopted until last night.
S4 UNTIL NOW, for a number of rea-
sons, the United States has not been
able to do anything about the Communist
No time to talk
PRESIDENT NIXON apparently is a man
who lives by the clock. Just after the
horrible incident at Kent State Univer-
sity, several students from there drove to
Washington to see the President. The
news reports following this event noted
that Nixon "met for nearly an hour" with
the school representatives.
Not a full hour, mind you. Not even 60
minutes, but barely the time of one lone
class period, one regular length TV show.
That was all the deaths of four Kent State
students was worth.
What a tragedy that the proverbial
affairs of state or whatever else Nixon
claims as an excuse can so get in the way

haven. The most important of these has
been our recognition of the neutrality of
Cambodia and our steadfast refusal here-
tofore to cross the Camborian frontier.
Now, however, the Communists have
apparently overplayed their hand. They
no longer even pay lipservice to Cambo-
dian neutrality. Their puppet ruler in
Cambodia having been deposed, they have
begun on their own an offensive against
t h e Cambodian Government a n d the
Cambodian people. They have openly in-
vaded.
Further, for the first time in the Viet-
namese war, the Communists have broad-
ened their strategy. They are using these
havens on Cambodian soil not only to
attack Vietnam, but now to attack to the
west, into the heart of Cambodia itself.
In short, it seems now the Communists
are stretching themselves very thin. They
are lengthening their supply lines. They
are using their limited manpower and
material in two wars at once, against
Vietnam and against Cambodia.
Prior to this, the United States has felt
it was futile to attack the safe-house
bases the Communists established across
the border in Cambodia.
This has been the official U.S. position;
it has not been mine, since I have felt
otherwise for five years.
Now, the Communists themselves have
changed the situation. The expansion of
the war into Cambodia has been of their
choosing. Apparently they thought their
immunity would last forever. Not so, since
last night. Should we be passive forever,
while we suffer casualties from Cambo-
dian-originated forces?
THERE IS obviously a certain risk in
what the United States is now doing.
There is also a considerable risk in doing
nothing. The President has chosen the
course calculated to produce the greater
gain, the more positive and the most or-
derly desired result.
It may be that this attack across into
the Communist bases in Cambodia will
ultimately s t a n d alongside the fabled
Inchon landing undertaken by General
MacArthur during the Korean war, be-
cause here we again used the most an-
cient military tactic, the element of sur-
prise.
The action now undertaken by the
United States is a purely military action.
It must be weighed purely within that

By CARLA RAPOPORT
11TESTERDAY'S "liberation" of
North Hall is a prudent action
when compared to the fate of
numerous ROTC buildings around
the country. And, unless the police
are called in. the act will prob-
ably go unnoticed outside Ann Ar-
bor. As non-violent demonstrations
usually go, the action will prob-
ably be carried on by a determined
hundred or so, until they feel their
effectiveness has been lost.
Yet this particular non-violent
plan for vocalizing the University
students' dissatisfaction with the
U.S. has an appealing, intriguing
quality. Rather than the fear and
intense hate which characterize a
violent confrontation, this action
is pure fun for the participants.
Painting smiling faces on papered
walls surrounding rooms which
must have housed classes on ele-
mentary bayonet thrusting is an
undeniable "up."
HOWEVER. THE afternoon at
the ROTC building was more than
self-satisfying t h e r a p y session.
Pressing issues were discussed by
various committees in rooms us-
ually used for an entirely different
type of disc ssi on.
The idea of using the ROTC
building for a community supper
and a day-care center is extremely
inviting. Almost every student and
faculty member. including Presi-
dent Robben Fleming. deplores the

U.S. policies in Indochina. Yet, at
the same time, ROTC is allowed to
continue functioning on the cam-
pus. On one hand we are con-
demning the war. but on the other
we are allowing the campus to be
used as a training group for that
same war.
FOR NEARLY a year now, many
students have pressed for a child
day-care center. The same admin-
istration which found plenty of
space and money for ROTC was
unable to find any space or money
for a day-care center, could only
set up a committee to study the
problem.
But even the administration was
unable to ignore the glaring need
for such a facility. Many women
are denied access to the University
because they are unable. to find
reasonable priced day-caretfacili-
ties for their children. In some
extreme cases, student mothers
have found is necesary to leave
their child alone for an hour or
more each day because they have
been unable to find anyone to care
for the child. Unfortunately the
problem is much deeper than just
the student mother, it also in-
cludes the working mother. The
women that are employed by the
University often find it necessary
to spend a large share of their in-
come on frequently inadequate
day-care.
The University clearly has a

-16

responsibility in this area, and the decision to allow the Gay Liber-
use of part of North Hall would ation Front (GLF) to use part of
certainly give a boost to a day- North Hall for an office stands
care center. in a welcomed contrast to the
University's refusal to allow GLF
THE PRESENT TENANTS in to use University facilities for a
North Hall have also shown an' conference.
awareness toward the problems of The "liberation" of North Hall
its fellow students that the Uni- is probably nothing more than a
versity often lacks. The group's temporary phenomenon. But it is

provoking some very serious
thoughts on how to make the com-
munity a better place to live for
everyone. And more importantly,
it is bringing people together in
an attempt to solve their prob-
lems, and perhaps it is giving
them some glimmer of hope that
the quality of life really can be
changed.

fit'

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Agnew bla,

To the, editor:
ALLISON KRAUSE, 19. Sandy
Scheuer, 20. Jeffrey Miller, 20.
William Schroeder, 19. I h o p e
those names scream inside your
head tonight, Mr. Agnew, for
these dead Kent State University
students are martyrs to your self-
serving political ambitions. I con-
sider you morally responsible for
their murders.
You have said, ". . . At a state
college in Ohio the powder keg
exploded, resulting in tragedy that
was predictable and avoidable."
Exactly. For once I agree with
you. The deaths of these innocent

students were predicted by you-
indeed, the National Guardsmen
pulled the triggersat your behest,
incited by your recommendation
to adopt get-tough-with-the-Com-
mie-kids tactics. And this tragedy
was also avoidable. Avoidable, that
is. if your inflamatory fulmina-
tions had not created a climate
that sanctions repression of dis-
sent.
THOSE OHIO GUARDSMEN
who fired into the crowd of stu-
dents were conditioned by your
irresponsible rhetoric to expect
official praise for dealing with an

ned for
unruly young crowd with this ul-
timate "firmness." For you have
also said. "One modest suggestion
for my friends in the academic
community: the next time a mob
of students, waving their non-
negotiable demands, starts pitch-
ing bricks and rocks at the Stu-
dent Union - just imagine they
are wearing brown shirts or white
sheets - a n d act accordingly."
President Nixon too has added his
note of approval. After all, these
students are not human beings
who happen to disagree with his
policies. They are "bums.".You
and he contrast the protestors un-
favorably with American soldiers
fighting in Vietnam on the basis
that the "bums" are against kill-
ing in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos,
or on the campus, and the soldiers
will kill on command - for peace,
of course. Will you never see the
contradiction?
Four innocent students h a v e
now been killed as a consequence
of your rash remarks, for shoot-
ing bullets at the protestors was
the logical extension of your ex-
hortations spewed forth since the
October15 Moratorium. It seems
that you have succeeded too well
in whipping up the rage of the
Silent Majority, the backbone of
the National Guard,against those
who differ with the Administra-
tion's views.

'\ ii

Kent State

yield the conclusion that our cam-
pus is plagued with as serious, if
not more serious, a litter problem
as the outlying areas. The melting
snow has revealed the product of
our neglect: random but generous
distribution of cigarette butts and
unwanted food packaging, studded
with glaring concentrations of dis-
carded leaflets. This observation
holds indoors as well as outdoors.
It is a rarity to find a classroom
in the heavily LSA-dominated
Haven-Mason complex which has
not .acquired a wall-to-wall carpet
of assorted refuse by 4 p.m.
The cost to the University of
cleaning up this unnecessary mud-
dle must be substantial. I believe
BAM would agree that this money
could be better spent.
During the teach-in, over 4000
people applauded Ralph Nader's
suggestion t h a t pollution-free
zones be created around university
communities. Inherent in this pro-
posal, of course, is the belief that
the University is capable of be-
coming a model community. A
visitor to our campus today would
hardly be impressed.
We must sublimate our own
actions before we can ever be jus-
tified in condemning those of oth-
ers, If those of us who are aware
of environmental problems fail to
develop the required sense of com-

Peace day
To the Editor:
WE MUST STOP the decay of
our cities, the impoverishment of
our people. We must s t o p the
weakening of our economy, t h e
destruction of our future. We can
do so by stopping the war in Asia,
and doing it now.
On the first Friday beginning
in June through September you
must stop your daily routine.
Withhold your labor for that one
day of the month; there should
be no work, no classes, no buying
or selling. Lawyers a n d clerks,
farmers and businessmen, factory
workers and students, and in a
word - .all of us should call in
sick or put a sign on the door,
"closed for the day." You needn't
march or write letters to y o u r
congressman, though you m a y;
but you personally must withhold
your labor on that one day. If 1
out of 30 participate in June, then
by August, perhaps we can have
1 out of 6, and this ratio is suffi-
cient to cause the nation to pause.
By the first Friday in September
we may close down the nation for
one day, and this may be suffi-
cient to demonstrate the magni-
tude of our concern and the pow-
er of our resolve. It may also be
sufficient to immediately close
down the war and open up the
future. This is not intended to

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