DOC RELATES TO PROJECT MERRIMAC (MERRIMACK) - SITUATION INFORMATION REPORT - CALENDAR OF TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: MHCHAOS
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00018188
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2024
• Document Release Date: December 24, 2024
• Publication Date: August 27, 1971

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27 August 71
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SITUATION INFORMATION REPORT
CALENDAR OF TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES
Asterisked items are either reported for the first time, or
contain additions or changes to previously reported activities.
Several hundred activists of various May Ilay'Collectives met at
Atlanta in mid-August. The gathering of the groups had been announced
many- weeks prior, and the announced purpose of the Atlanta session was
to formulate and co-ordinate plans for antiwar demonstrations in the fall.
This conference,participated in by extremely radial and unpre-
dictable activists, was perhaps more chaotic than any preceding session of
similar organizations-in recent history. In the early days of the confer-
ence, a women's collective factionalized over a very basic issue. One
faction maintained a philosophy of government reform, and the other
proposed abandoning this strategy and held that changes should occur
through revolutions and that preparations for revolution should be organ-
ized now in the form of a people's army.
Before any fall plans could be discussed, the May nay Conference
was taken over by male and female homosexuals. The remaining sessions
were devoted to debates on sexism and how best to bring to- the surface
the "gayness in all of us." The thrust of the homosexual participants
(estimated between one third and one half of those attending) were such
arguments as, "you can't fight imperialism until sexism has been con-
quered," and the philosophy that gayness is anti-captialist and anti-
imperialist. The argument goes that "gayness is non-competitive and
loving while capitalism is competitive and hateful."
As �all other 'radical conferences break into workshops and study
groups, the May D'ay assemblage also adopted this course. The categor-
ies, however, instead of being war oriented or welfare oriented, divided
into such categories as "gay women, "gay men," "straight women," and
"straight men." An example of the purpose of the workshop entitled
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"straight men" was how best the participants could prove to their,
homosexual brothers and sisters by their practice, in the next several
days that they were "struggling with their sexism."
One of the meetitig places during the May Day week in Atlanta
was the church of Ralph Abernatliby.. It was reportedly at this site that
Abernathy, addressing an evening session, was hissed and booed for
mentioning the names of former Senator Eugene McCarthy and. Daniel
Ellsberg (who are regardee as hopeless liberals). This expression of
4.is#pprova1 was followed by a black homosexual participant's denunciation
of the reaction to Abernathy as "racist." This participant walked out
and was followed by the remainder of the homosexual men in attendance.
These actions led in turn to one outburst after another,. and the evening
ended in chaos. 10,4c9tt-ta.,
3* ( � 41.4-/ 71
Finally, toward the end of the week's activities, a workshop was
called simply to inform participants of various fall antiwar proposals.
Only about 80 persons showed up, and after some objections that only 40
women and four homosexuals were present, the conference had its first
discussion on the antiwar struggle. What emerged from-the discussion
were two outlines for fall action. The first, termed the "New York City
Give the Man.a. Ileart�Attack proposal," called for civil disobedience to
shut down the New York stock exchange on November 8. This proposal
additionally called for. participation along with the National Peace Action
Coalition and the People's Coalition for Peace and Justice in a mass march
at New York on November 6. Also included in this proposal was a call
for smaller disruptive actions against "racist and sexist" targets in New
York on November 5. � rril` 411-`4; 7/
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- The alternate proposal expressed more of a trend than a firm
plan. Basically, the advocates of the second alternative sought a regional
and local emphasis rather than a National May Day action. In effect, it
would cast May Day iroups in the role of endorsing PCPJ actions and
call for May Day adherents to participate in PCPJ-actions as contingents.
Both ppoposals were formulated to encompass illegal, civil disobedience
and reject the mass mobilization tactics of the NPAC as non-productive.
Neither proposal received clear endorsement, and implementation of
various ideas was Nit up to regions involved.
One well-informed radical left-wing observer, - SDS founder Carl
Davidson, writing in the independent radical newspaper, the Guardian,
concluded that the Atlanta conference marked a political crisis within the
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white radical youth movement. Davidson's view was tat organization-
ally and in the area of leadership, the May Day -Movement was in serious
trouble. Not only was the conference hamstrung repeatedly by anarchism,
but little in the way of new iddas was presenred. The meeting itself
was unrepresentative in that at least one third were homosexuals, all
but six were white, and very few�were students. It is further Davidson's
view that critical to the May Day future was the absence at Atlanta of
-several of its key leaders of spring protest activities. � Rennie bavis,
the generally recognized nitionai May Day leader, and his chief lieuten-
ant, John Froines, were not in attendance and their virtual boycott of
thid meeting leads to speculation that plans are under way to simply let
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the organization die out.
Although the date has not been set, it is presently planned that
another meeting of the May Day Collectives will ge held in New York in
September. b.e. /Veto'. � 7/
For practical purposes the meaning of the May Day Conference_
fiasco at Atlanta indicates at this time that disruptive activities staged
in Washington last May third will probably not re-occur this fall. It
can be expected that the May Day Collective enthusiasm will not be
sustained without the 'charisma of Rennie Davis and others. Other factors,
such as a reduction in even a:semblance of national direction as well as
planning and implementation being left to regional collectives, strongly
indicate not only a lack of strategy but a lack..of intention to stage another
May third.
Plans of the Socialist Workers Party dominated National Coalition
are also not yet firm for fall. It seems at this point, however, that they.,
too, will not attempt to match their success of last spring in one giant
assembly but rather will elect to stage more modest antiwardemonstra-
Adel tions in a number of locations next time. In short, the present signal
is for the pressure to-be off Washington this autumn.
It is believed that the next several months will also see some
drift in radical activities away from the Vietnamese War. The unaffil-
iated 'radical leftists, as well as the Communist Party USA dominated
People's Goalition for Peace and Justice and the pro-Maoist Progressive
Labor Party, alreaey adhere to a multi-issue tactic. As the war dies out,
the Trotskyite Socialist Workers Party will be faced with either a shift
to other radical causes celebre or face extinction. It is quite likely. that
the Trotskyites, as the war continues to wind down, will jump on the
President's recently-implemented economic policy in order to try once
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again the wooing of American. labor. A second fertile field for culti-
vation in the general strategy of. revolutionaries is likely to be in the
field of welfare. Since the war .as a single topic Will be difficult for
the Trotskyites to follow, there will probably. occur some modifications
in their single-issue tactic.
*19-29 August, Fort Collins, Colorado
The annual National Student Congress of the National Student
Association will take place during this period at Colorado State Univer-
sity. Approximately 1,000 student government leaders, representing
over 400 colleges and universities, will be in attendance to determine
National Student Association policy for the coming year and elect national
officers (the term of radical David Ifshin of Potomac, Maryland, is
now up, and Ifshin will be replaced by another studeqt radical). Work-
shops have been scheduled on such topics as student legal rights, sexism,
ecology, student power, racism, voter registration and educational
reform. While in session, conferees will hear speeches by such national
figures as Doctor Daniel Ellsberg, Senator Birch Bayh, Senator George
McGovern, Representative Paul McCloskey, antiwar-baby doctor
Benjamin Spock, self-admitted revolutionary communist David Dellinger,
and National Welfare Rights Organization leader George Wiley.
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*27 August, Washington, D.C.
At the Atlanta conference of May Day Collectives, a circular was
distributed publicizing a planned peoples' protest march to the Department
of Labor on the above date to demand jobs and training for blind people.
The march is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Lincoln Memorial.
No more than a handful of participants, if any, is expected.to particiWe.
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*27 August - 3 September, Washington, D.C.
The Washington Area GI Collective (David E. Jones, co-ordinator)
has requested a permit for the GI Collective to conduct demonstrations
in Lafayette Park dailsy on the above dates. The purpose of the demonstra-
tions is to show the lack of GI rights and to propose ways to improve
this condition. (4.1 'ft, / A f3 � 71
*28 A"ugust, Washington, D.C. and New York
The Progressive Labor Party and its youth group, Students For a
Democratic Society Worker Student Alliance, will hold demonstrations
in the above cities '(and perhaps elsewhere) to demonstrate their disap-
proval of high unemployment. These demonstrations will probably Also
attack President Nixon's dew economic policy. At Washington, parfici-
pants will march from 14th Street and Columbia Road to a. rally site at
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18th Street and Columbia Road. The New York demonstration will be
held in South Brooklyn, and in addition to unemployment will also protest
police brutality and racism. P6.7. fiv 1,16q/13- Nur?'
*28..29 August, Los Angeres, California
. � The Nakional Chicano Movement is planning demonstration activi-
ties on the above dates to commemorate the first anniversary of riots at
Los Angeles in which Mexican-American newsman, Reuben Salazar was
killed. � Ineicres-fr A /11u1-7/:
*l_6' September, Waterloo, Quebec, Canada
Asummer camp, under the sponsorship of the United States
Committee to Aidthe National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, will be
held at Waterloo on the above dates. The organizer of the camp is a group
known as the Association of Vietnamese Patriots. The purposes of the _
summer camp are reportedly to encourage closer contacts between the
Vietnamese living in Canada and activists in the United States antiwar
movement, to exchange political viewpoints, to help bring antiwar move-
ments closer together, and to co-ordinate joint effort's to bring the
Vietnamese War to an end. /7"-, Z. /4 Ve
*9 September,- Washington, D. C.
Right-wing fundamentalist preacher Doctor Carl McIntire, self-
appointed national chairman of the U.S. March For Victory Committee,
- an organization which has protested past.condtct of the war in Vietnam,
1 has requested a permit to demonstrate at the White House on the above
date to protest the President's proposed trip to China. Plans for the
demonstration include A ping-pong table being set up for the.. Nationalist
Chinese table tennis team. McIntire also plans a demonstration in
Washington on UN Day (23-Oct.), but details are sketchy at this time.
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A 9-12 Sef)tember, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
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The Lehigh Valley Chapter of Vietnam Veterans Against the War
has announced a march from Bethlehem to the Pennsylvania State Capitol
on the above dates. On the twelfth, a rally is scheduled at the capitol to
protest continued U.S. presence in Vietnam. 0.;,r /4, 6:;.,a h/dy .
*10-12 September, Wimberly, Texas
� The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group that
has been active in antiwar activities for years, _is sponsoring a conference
on the above dates at the John Knox Ranch. The conferees will discuss
federal tax resistance, protest against grand jury actions, and plan for
fall demonstrations activities in Washington. .
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*18 September, Dayton, Ohio
The Dayton Peoples' Coalition for Peace and Justice has scheduled
a protest against the President when he arrives at Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base to dedicate an Air Force Museum. The Dayton Peoples'
Coalition will protest the air. war and massive killings and deaths in
Vietnam. No additional details of this demonstration are presently known.
.34 / c/ - �f/ /-1 'AY 7/ -
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*27 September, San Raphael, California
- On July 27 Angela Davis officially pleaded not guilty to all charges
of kidnapping and conspiracy in connection with the courthouse shootout
last year. A trial date of 27 September has been set by Judge Richard E.
Arnason. The judge advised that the trial.date was "firm," but he would
consider a delay if the. defense could prove a need for more time.
-0*01/ei_r Y e� 7/
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*6 November, Nationwide 06-'7 )j,t. 71
The National Peace Action Coalition steering committee conference
was held at Cleveland in mid-August. This conference direicted its
attention to the topic of a successful antiwar�campaign this fall. Conference
leaders discussed the need-for minimizing the success of all demonstra-
tions being planned by May Day Collectives.' Conferees expressed the
opinion that should May Day Collectives meet with success in their fall
demonstrations, it would siphon off enthusiasm and support for planned
NPAC demonstrations on November 6. There was some expression by
conferees that a need for unity with the People's Coalition for Peace and
Justice was required for a successful fall antiwar campaign. Reportedly,
regional conferences, to be held in the weeks ahead will plan the various
demonstrations scheduled around the country.
SOURCE: News and Government Media
RELIABILITY: Probably True
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