IN THE NAME OF PEACE (1969)

Year Published: 1969

Creator: robert-m-johnson-american-world-films

Complete Record: 00:00:46 The segment opens with a speaker challenging the President's dismissal of moratoriums, emphasizing the power of public protest. 00:01:28 It then delves into the historical concept of government as a servant of the people, contrasting it with the modern dilemma of measuring public will through elections, polls, or protest. 00:02:01 The narrative highlights the intensity of anti-war sentiment, with speakers asserting that change only occurs when people take to the streets. 00:03:01 The segment concludes by noting that the Vietnam War brought about an unprecedented level of protest in the name of peace, contrasting it with previous periods of national unity during foreign conflicts. 00:03:52 The film introduces the anti-war movement, highlighting criticisms and responses from protest leaders regarding demonstrations conducted in the name of peace. 00:05:26 Stuart Meacham, a pacifist and member of the New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, explains the committee's role as a rallying point for the anti-war movement, driven by public weariness of the war. 00:06:42 Sidney Peck, co-founder of the New Mobilization Committee, discusses the organization's origins and its principle of non-exclusion, welcoming all groups opposed to the war, including Marxists and communists. 00:07:35 The segment addresses the significant presence of communists, including active leaders like Sidney Peck and David Dellinger, within the New Mobilization Committee, which they openly acknowledge and embrace as a source of strength for the movement. 00:09:01 Josh Muravchik, National Chairman of the Young People's Socialist League, explains their refusal to affiliate with the New Mobe due to their opposition to coalescing with communists and totalitarians, whose goals are antithetical to their own. 00:10:01 Philip Abbot Luce, once a leader in the militant New Left and now college director of Young Americans for Freedom, criticizes the New Mobe's organizational structure, stating that united fronts with communists inevitably become controlled by them. 00:11:18 Fred Halston, a member of the Socialist Workers Party and on the New Mobilization Committee's steering committee, states that the organization is dishonest for not informing its followers that it advocates for a communist victory in Vietnam rather than just peace. 00:12:15 Muravchik believes that those who openly support the 'Liberation Movement' in Vietnam, referring to the Viet Cong, do not belong in the Peace Movement as they are not for peace but are 'hawks on the other side' who serve the interests of Hanoi and the Viet Cong. 00:13:30 The speaker suggests that a communist government in South Vietnam would be preferable to the current situation, despite being critical of Hanoi and the NLF. 00:14:21 Within the National Mobilization, organizers feel the war should end and would side with the opposition if forced to choose. 00:15:47 A concern is raised that communists, being power politicians, tend to take over organizations once allowed in, exploiting the good intentions of other members. 00:16:28 Antiwar voices are growing louder, with calls for massive demonstrations in Washington and other cities, despite warnings of potential violence from officials. 00:17:26 Forty thousand demonstrators participate in a "March Against Death," carrying names of American soldiers killed in Vietnam, followed by hundreds of thousands marching to demand an end to US involvement. 00:18:42 Despite the peaceful nature of most protests, some violence erupts when several thousand march on the Justice Department, leading to discussions about who provoked it. 00:19:28 One perspective suggests a hard core of agitators uses inflammatory remarks and disruptive tactics to provoke police officers and cause trouble. 00:20:10 Another view questions the New Mobilization Committee's responsibility for the violence, especially given their inclusion of groups like the Weathermen, known for their violent tendencies. 00:21:06 The speaker asserts that even without permits, they would have marched, considering it a legal demonstration and encouraging participation. 00:21:47 The Weatherman group is accused of intending to create violence at the demonstration, expressing anger when students did not participate in their violent acts. 00:22:20 Stewart Meacham, speaking for the New Mobe, denies disturbing the peace but declares they disturbed the war, conspiring for peaceful protest against US aggression in Vietnam. 00:23:32 After a period of inactivity, the New Mobe announced new protests for 1970, expanding their focus beyond Vietnam to include various social issues and liberation struggles. 00:24:32 The new mobilization expanded its program to include support for Black Panthers, ecology, and poverty, as it lacked sufficient student support for immediate Vietnam withdrawal. 00:25:17 The Left engages in revolutionary rhetoric, urging revolution to destroy the state and replace it with a totalitarian government. 00:26:20 Militants exploit the discontent of young Americans who seek constructive changes, not out of hatred for America, but out of love for it. 00:27:29 Militants are skilled at manipulating crowds' emotions to incite them into action, often under the guise of free speech, posing a danger to the country. 00:28:02 The segment begins by emphasizing that change should occur through established governmental processes, referencing Winston Churchill's view on democracy as the best, despite its flaws. 00:28:32 It acknowledges that protest and dissent, while sometimes causing harm, have also positively contributed to improving the American governmental system. 00:28:44 The segment then raises critical questions about the extent to which dissent can be tolerated in a free society and when protest actions become detrimental to public interests or too divisive to heal.