SDS SIT-IN DISRUPTS CIA RECRUITING HERE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000300090009-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 1998
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: October 31, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND--COLLEGE PARK
CPYRGHT ?0
replied.
Ritter requested the group to
disperse. "I recognize your
right to express your opinion to
the extent that you don't deny
others their rights," he said.
"I must ask you to leave. You're
welcome to picket or hand out
leaflets."
Silverman read Ritter an SDS
policy statement stating that the
group planned' to stop CIA job
interviews by preventing inter-
viewees from entering the room.
When several interviews were
postponed in the absence of the
CIA recruiter, who left at noon
and did not return until 3:30
p:m., Ritter said he felt student's
rights had been infringed. "He
(the CIA recruiter) will not re-
turn until it becomes safe for him
to do so." said Ritter.
Ritter conferred with the office
of the executive dean for student
life and the president's office to
determine what action would be
taken.
Robert A. Beach 4r., assistant
to the president for University
relations, said that it was up to
campus police Chief, Daniel B.
W isema a to decide whether police
SOS sit-in disrupts
CIA recruiting here
to arrest the demonstrators for
trespassing on public property,
the SDS'ers disbanded. Police
read aloud Section 577a, Article
27 of the 1966 Annotated Code
of Maryland, which defines tres-
passing as a misdemeanor witha
maximum penalty of a $1,000
fine and six months in jail.
According to SDS'er Harsh
Tankha, a graduate assistant in
physics, SDS "succeeded in its
limited objective of disrupting
the interviews."
Outside the engineering build-
ing from about 2 to 3 p.m.
several students stagedacounter
protest, displaying signs that
read "SDS burn youk-selves, not
cards."
The SDS protest began when
SDS'ers adjourned a meeting in
Students for a Democratic So- the student union and walked to
ciety disrupted central Intelli- room 161 of the engineering
gence Agency campus recruit- building where the CIA interviews
ing yesterday by holding a sit- were scheduled. SDS'er Pete
in protest in an engineering build- Silverman called aside R. Bruce
ing classraptn where interviews Ritter, Director of the Creden-
were to have been held. tials and Placement Service, as
About 30 SDS members sat-in, approximately 20 SDS members
from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., caus- began the sit-in.
ing several scheduled interviews Ritter then asked Silverman,
to be postponed and temporarily /Do you call this good faith,
blocking recruiter Arnold Dam- Pete? You'll disrupt the pro-
men from leaving for lunch, gram."
After campus police threatened "That's the idea," Silverman
action would be necessary.
However, Walter B. Waetjen,
vice president for administrative
affairs, said he asked the campus
police to intervene.
At about 3 p.m. most SDS'ers
left the room, claiming they had
accomplished their goal of stop-
ping the interviews.
However, about 10 minutes
later, Ritter returned with Dam-
men and an interviewee, Douglas
Chubb, 27, a senior in math. The
interview took place and $DS
members resumed the sit-in.
At approximately 3:30 p.m.,
Lt. Richard Mayer of the cam-
pus police read the Maryland
state law pertaining to trespass-
ing. SDS members vacated the
room, saying that their major
protest would be Wednesday,
when some of them would refuse
to leave upon request.
Paul Feldman, a senior in civil
engineering forced to forfeit his
interview, said that he was
"really angry about it. These
people talk about rights. I think
they're infringing my rights. I
came for a job interview which
I was prevented from having."
Janis Putman, 22, another stu-
dent unable to attend her inter-
view, said she felt the pro-
testers had infringed upon her
rights since she was unable to
meet with the recruiters.
Several students held a counter
demonstration outside the en-
gineering building. One of the
counter demonstrators, George
Gibson, a junior, said he op-
posed " SDS acting as a spokes-
man for the entire campus."
Continued
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00001 R000300090009-7
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00001 R000300090009-7
FOIAb3b
3 1 OCT 1967
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00001 R000300090009-7