THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT
Viet Nam War

The Viet Nam War affected almost every American in the 1960’s and ‘70’s. The following describes some of the anti-war activities that went on close to home.  This information was taken from the pages of the St. Louis Park Dispatch and materials provided by Marv Davidov, founder of the Honeywell Project. Please contact us if you have additional information or a different point of view.

The Minnesota Committee to end the War in Viet Nam conducted a Teach-In at Coffman Memorial Union at the U of M on November 7, 1966.

On December 8, 1968, activist Marv Davidov organized the Honeywell Project, with the purpose of stopping Honeywell from making deadly cluster bombs that were killing civilians in Laos.

In May 1969, the Honeywell Project leafleted workers at the St. Louis Park plant, handing out information about cluster bombs. Concerned citizens tried to get the City Council to change the zoning law to get rid of the plant.

On December 12, 1969, the Honeywell Project leafleted

workers at all plants in the Twin Cities, including the St. Louis Park plant, alerting them to the evils of the cluster bombs made at the plant.

 

                                                                                           Cluster Bomb

On April 28, 1970, a group including Jerry Rubin and Dennis Banks marched from the Fair Oaks Park to Honeywell Headquarters.  The demonstration was marred by violence and mace.

On May 4, 1970, President Nixon announced that the Vietnam War had expanded into Cambodia, unleashing student protests across the country, including a student strike at the University of Minnesota.  At Kent State University, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on protesting students, killing four and wounding nine others. 

On May 6, 1970, a Wednesday, approximately 600 Park High students attended a rally after school. Student Irving Barr was a moving force.

On May 7 and 8, 1970, 400-500 Park High students staged a student strike by walking out of their classrooms at 7:45. On Friday afternoon, students leafleted the city.

On May 9, 1970, Saturday, approximately 150 Park students joined a march from the U of M to the Capitol, with the slogan “No Business as Usual.” An estimated 40,000 people participated in the march.

On Monday, May 11, 1970, a meeting was held at the Jewish Community Center, and two factions emerged – those who wanted to keep the activity at the high school level, and those who wanted to involve the entire community. As a result, an organization called Park Action Coalition for Students (PACS) was formed.

On June 4, 1970, PACS sponsored a Teach-In at the high school. B. Robert Lewis of the School Board approved the meeting, as long as the students could pay for the required insurance. The Chamber of Commerce came up with the money. A panel of five speakers spoke to about 150 people.

On May 20, 1970, Margie Levie, Gloria Kamman, and others organized Mothers For Peace, with 50 members. The group carried out a public education campaign, and urged people (among other things) not to pay the 10 percent tax on phone bills levied in 1966 to pay for the war. The group also called for the cessation of all American military involvement in Southeast Asia by the end of 1971.

A program was held at the Jewish Community Center on June 13, 1970, which attracted hundreds of concerned citizens.

Protests against the Vietnam War were heating up in 1971. On February 10, about 250 students marched from the U of M campus to the Federal Building on Washington Ave. downtown. They threw some snowballs, distributed leaflets, and got into “rap groups with people about the war.”

On November 6, 1971, there was a 5-state march on the Minnesota capitol to protest the war in Southeast Asia. The march was endorsed by Governor Wendell Anderson, Senator Walter Mondale, and former Senator Eugene McCarthy. There were 17 such marches around the country. The march was coordinated by Dave Riehle, and included representatives from the gay community, women, veterans, teachers, unions, and local politicians.

Protests against the Vietnam War continued in 1972. On April 16, U of M students occupied the Air Force Recruiting Office in Dinkytown and the ROTC office on campus. An organization called Minnesota Clergy and Laity Concerned staged a sit-in at Senator Humphrey's office at the Federal Building in Minneapolis.

On April 26, 1972, protesters besieged Honeywell, which was manufacturing fragmentation bombs.

On May 8, 1972, it was announced that the U.S. was blockading and mining Haiphong Harbor. The next day, 1,500 students held a rally on Northrup Mall.  On May 10, 3,000 students broke into the Army recruiting station, marched to the Armory and then to Coffman Union, where they put up barricades and occupied Washington Avenue. Police were called and the proceeded to beat up students on bridges and spread teargas up and down the mall.  Some of the teargas leaked into the nearby University Hospital. Dinkeytown was teargassed by helicopter.  Governor Wendell Anderson called in the National Guard.  It took two hours to clear the area. 

In October 1972, POW/MIA bracelets could be found on the wrists of many Park High and Central Junior High school students. Each bracelet had the name and other information on a soldier who was a prisoner of war or missing in action in Viet Nam.

The Paris Peace Accords were signed on January 27, 1973, and the United States withdrew from Viet Nam by March 29, 1973. Fighting between Army of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) forces against the dominant combined People's Army of Vietnam and Viet Cong forces brought an end to the RVN and the war in 1975. With the Northern victory, the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with a communist-controlled government based in the new capital of Hanoi.

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.