Michael Smith
GI-Civilian March
April 5th Action Committee
Nine thousand GIs have died since the Paris peace talks began. Last week casualties reached a new high with over 450 deaths in just seven days.
North Vietnam is no longer being bombed but more bombs than ever before are being dropped on the South. President Nixon dismisses the idea of a cease fire as “meaningless.”
A New York Times editorial stated several weeks ago that “Since the bombing halt, the enemy has initiated only one battalion-sized assault. By comparison last month American troops mounted 63 battalion operations and South Vietnam staged 664 such campaigns.”
Under this kind of pressure and this evidence of American insincerity it is no wonder that the NLF two weeks ago chose to again display their power. The message was clear.
The U.S. should not expect to win on the ground while they stall in Paris. The Nixon strategy of fight-and-talk while he cynically uses the negotiations as a smokescreen is one that is becoming clear to the American people, especially students and GIs.
The honeymoon usually experienced by all incoming American presidents is rapidly drawing to a close for Mr. Nixon. People are sick of this war and they want to be told that the peace talks are effectively bringing about a peace and not that casualties, bombings, and combat missions have reached a new level.
Mr. Nixon will change his tune, to be sure, but that won’t happen if he’s coddled by a patient and generous public, no, it is only a militant active anti-war movement made up of angry people demonstrating in the streets along side GIs which will do the prodding.
The April 5th GI-Civilian Action in Chicago is designed to do just that. Already hundreds of people in Detroit and hundreds more throughout the state are planning to take their stand in what will be a significant anti-war action.
Can you imagine the political importance of active duty GIs backed up by civilians hitting the streets in seven major cities around the country while the government is trying to continue the war? If you can imagine that--then be there.
The movement needs your support. Meetings are held at 8 p.m. on Mondays at St. Joseph’s Church, Woodward and Holbrook; or, for information, call 273–6646.
Related
See Fifth Estate’s Vietnam Resource Page.