Washington -- 1969 and 1970


First of all, I would like to get an idea of how you got to Washington. Did you take a chartered bus? Did you travel there with friends? Did you hitchhike?

When you came to Washington, what were your expectations? Did you want your voice to be heard by our government? Were you looking for a confrontation with the "establishment"? Did you want to demonstrate the strength of the antiwar movement to our government? Were you hoping to change the world, or end the war? Did you want our president to rethink his foreign policy?

Hewd you been to Washington before? Had you been to any antiwar rallies in Washington? Were you there for the civil rights rally in '63? How did this visit to DC compare with previous ones? How did the atmosphere of the rally compare -- how was it different? How did it make you feel -- more hopeful or more disillusioned?

You met the forces of law and order there. How did they behave, in your opinion? Tense -- even paranoid? Did they seem too eager to use teargas? Did they seem patient in the face of provocations? Can you illustrate your feelings with particular stories from the rally?

Were you arrested during the rally? If so, what were the circumstances? How did the police treat you? How long did they detain you? In general, how did they behave? Where were you during the rally? If you were there in '69, did you hear about the wall of buses surrounding the White House block? If you were there in '70, did you hear about Nixon's "midnight chat" with protestors at the Lincoln Memorial? How did you hear about them? From the mainstream press? The underground press? The antiwar grapevine? Did you hear about them during the rally? Afterward? If so, how soon afterward? How did these stories make you feel? Looking back on the rally from a perspective of 25 years, do you have any insights about it that you wish to share? How has it affected your perception of public assembly or public protest?