European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 25, 1967, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday october 25, 1967 the stars and stripes Page 7 called 7 the hippies of editor s note Merri Man Smith up White House reporter has seen demonstrators for Many causes Over his 27 years covering the Whitehouse. He spent the past week end watching the peace demonstrations. Here is his personal report. Up by Merriman Smith Washington up if on personal impression came from rubbing shoulders and some times noses with the peace demonstrators Here saturday and sunday it was one of dismay at their apparent disregard for fact. President Johnson Gen. Wil Liam c. Westmoreland ambassadors Ellsworth Bunker and Henry Cabot Lodge were totally liars totally wrong demonstrators lounging on the sunny Steps of Lincoln memorial sunday insisted that the press was totally wrong about the size of the crowd a their rally saturday due largely to Hawk publishers or fear of Johnson. Reporters lied to their offices then their offices lied even More. The peace people said it was official that the crowd was Over 250,000. Police and report ers accustomed to crowds week after week thought 50,000 was generous and this included untold numbers of sightseers step with a dil peaceful the camera s super wide Angle fish Eye Lens catches this still peaceful scene of Antiwar demonstrators assembled at Lincoln memorial in the nation s capital. A photo a Long weekend for reporters9 editor s note up re Porter Larry Hatfield happened to be in on two of the High lights of the weekend Vietnam War protest in Washington. Inthe following dispatch he tells what happened to him during the largest War protest in the capital s history. Up by Larry Hatfield Washington up Washington s big Antiwar demonstration is Over and it was a Lon weekend for both the demonstrators and the soldiers defend ing the Pentagon from their assaults. It was also a Long weekend for reporters. It All really started for me saturday when i was clouded in the Back of the head by Federal marshal s Nightstick and ended More than 36 hours late stumbling groggily out of a temporary Federal detention enter in Virginia. Not Hurt the clout from the Marsha probably was an Accident. It happened during the demonstrators frontal assault on the press room door of the beat the crowd to the Steps of the Pentagon by a few Yard Sand started dictating a Story on up s outdoor phone. I was hit but not injured As marshals and soldiers clubbed the demonstrators Back Down the Cement arrest also was an Accident. It came shortly after Midnight monday morning. This was when . Marshals an military police moved into the tiny band of demonstrators Lefton the Pentagon s Steps. They were arrested for staying beyond the Midnight deadline spelled out by the government demonstration permit. I was standing among the 250demonstrators As they were being arrested and loaded int closed vans that used to belong to the women s corps. It was a very quiet arrest. Federal marshal took my lightly just above the Elbow and asked Are you a Walker or a Carrier some of the demonstrators had to be carried to the line of waiting walked voluntarily. I answered i m a marshal looked doubtful but almost believing As reached for my shirt pocket where i was carrying my special Pentagon credentials. But As i did a Burly a sergeant took my other Elbow and the question was loaded me into the truck. They also loaded another reporter John Burnett of up audio into the same Van. Hews a few Steps behind me and also was asked whether he Wasa Walker or Carrier. Don t get smart he answered press and his marshal replied Don t there were about 30 of us inthe closed Van including Jerry Rubin a protest a Short wait the Van travelled what seemed about half mile and stopped. We remained there in the stuff darkness As the demonstrators sorted out their identities an talked of various things. Oddly enough they did t discuss the demonstration. The Sweet smell of marijuana added to the Van closeness. Then the Back doors were thrown open and we saw we merely had been moved to another Side of the Pentagon where a portable booking station had been set up. Booked mugged we were taken out for photos booking and frisking then loaded onto a prison bus. I was docked number 601. Burnett was 602. The bus took us to the Occoquan workhouse a District of Columbia facility that had been taken Over by the Federal Bureau of prisons As detention Center in anticipation of the weekend s arrests. There an official Cut Burnet tout of the crowd after guards saw our press credentials whence emptied our pockets. We were processed anyway giving medical information being thumb printed and having an other Mug shot taken. We were then placed on hard wooden benches in a Back room 2 newsmen s own fault Justice spokesman says Washington up a jus Tice department spokesman said monday that two up reporters had no one but themselves to blame for being detained several hours along with Antiwar spokesman said the reporters could have easily avoided the trip to the latent Lon Center simply a identifying themselves As Mem Bers of the failed to take advantage of the ample Opportunity Todo so at the Pentagon. Even upon their arrival at the detention Center they declined to Volunteer the information that they were reporters. Nonetheless they were expelled after processing officers discovered press cards Amon their of the processing Center while officials contacted Justice department officials in washing ton to determine what to do with an hour later we were moved into another Barren room the front end of Dormi tory 10"and allowed to make the customary one phone Call each. I called up s Washingto Bureau to Tell my editor Why he had t heard from me called the new York Bureau and provided an Audi broadcast report. Then a prison official obviously still awaiting instructions had us escorted to another dormitory where we rejoined the demonstrators. Twas now five and a half hours after the Midnight deadline forthe end of the demonstration. Slight setback during our stay Burnett Andi talked with our fellow prisoners on what the weekend had proved. Their consensus was that the War Effort had suffered at least a slight setback. Our consensus was that it was a Long weekend. Then a Little before 7 a.m.,one of the dormitory guards came to the door and yelled Hatfield and Burnett come on and bring your As we left our former fellow prisoners shouted go Back and Tell it like it Don forget about thanks for guard turned us Over to two Bureau of prison official who said everything was now cleared up there had been mistake charges were being dropped and everyone was sorry. They asked about our treatment. We told them it was Fine which it was. Then we were Given break fast More apologies from More officials and a ride Back to the Pentagon. I and teenybopper from the Washington area. With no provocation at All scores and according to some of the More enthusiastic hundreds of peaceful people were brutally clubbed by Rifle Butts at the Pentagon. Wave after wave of peace Marcher collapsed under Gas uniformed troops Veter ans of Vietnam threw Down their rifles and hurled their helmets aside in shame or disgust to defect to the Flower people but Only to be seized by other soldiers brutally clubbed and thrown into another myth among the hippies peace marchers and assorted allies was that the press failed to cover the Pentagon after dark saturday and thus missed seeing the brutality they said raged Well into the dark hours of sunday morning. One reporter who spent Thelong cold night in the Pentagon parking lot with the demonstrators protested. I was there the whole damned night outside with you people and what you re describing about the press and defecting troops is pure pretty Young girl with autumn Flowers in her Lon Golden hair smiled patronizing by and murmured we would expect you to say two girls who said they wherefrom Columbia University in new York took up this them rather stridently swearing they had seen the actual defection of troops. But when one of the demonstration leaders called for witnesses to prepare a tape recording for submission to Washington and new York newspapers the girls seems they were looking in other directions at the time but unnamed companions saw it Pentagon brutes but you just said you saw this yourself a reporter know the truth said one of the Young ladies More than anything you la get from those brutes at the saturday afternoon a Well dressed Matron of about 60chatted with a up reporter beside the reflecting Pool at the base of the Lincoln memorial. My daughter is Here Wither High school class and i thought i should do my bit too to oppose the War she said in a cultured voice. In t inspirational All these wonder Ful dedicated Young people an nothing violent or within easy earshot a Bare chested Man Leader of one of several delegations from Newyork s hippie Community used a portable Public address system to extol marijuana Che Guevara Heap incredible obscenities on Johnson and his family and urge All within his voice to join his group that night for mass say that such people were representative of the demonstrations Here is of course quite open to argument. My Eeling is that they were definitely representative o those who spoke to the crowds saturday. Naturally they did not present hordes of High school and College boys and girls from he Washington area who seemed More interested in by Jirl relationships and parading heir mod clothes than i substantive discussions. I came away from the weekend feeling depressed by so Nany attractive Young people3 e i n g caught up in virulent frequently irrational hatred name of love and peace
