Public Affairs; Martin Luther King Moratorium Day

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we. Experimented with the meaning of nonviolence in our struggle for racial justice. In the United States. But now. The time has come for man to experiment with nonviolence in all areas of human comfort. And that means nonviolence on an international scale. If we are to have peace on earth. I want to loan you will kids must become. Ecumenical rather than sectional. No individual can live alone. No nation can live alone. And as long as we try. If this were the judgment of God is upon us. We either. As a

problem. Or we are all going to perish together is tomorrow Thursday January 15th. What have been the forty first birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King was assassinated April 4th 1968 at the time of his death Dr. King a Nobel Peace Prize recipient was attempting to bridge the civil rights movement and the peace movement with his message of nonviolence. He was in the midst of organizing the poor people's campaign in Washington D.C. This was to be a demonstration where the poor on mass would speak out against the degradation of their poverty in the land of plenty. Dr. King spoke on numerous occasions stating his feelings on the war and on the domestic scene. Here are some of his views in this composite from the Massey lectures distributed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and from a film prepared for the public broadcast laboratory of the Ford Foundation.

I suppose it is not surprising that I had several reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision. That is I'd thowt set a very obvious and almost fast connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I have been waging in America a few years ago I was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if that was a real promise of hope for the poor both black and white through the poverty program that I would experiment a new beginning. Then came the build up in Vietnam and I watched the program broken and to rate it as if it were some. Plaything of a society gone mad on war and I knew that America would never invest the necessary energy and rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like

Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic Oh destructive suctioned and so I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it I said. Was. In. How. We should. Use our. Nation's. Distribution of economic power. Yet. We must see that it is. Easy. To eradicate. It if you. Are right.

And you will. See that this is. Different. This. Time. Try to. Be less knowledgeable of. But my experience in the ghettos of the north over the last three years especially the last three summers as I have worked among the desperate rejected and angry young man I have told them that motto have cocktails and rifles would not solve their

problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they ask and write a list so what about Vietnam. They ask of our own nation. Wasn't he using massive doses of violence to solve its problems to bring about the changes it wanted. That questions hit home and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today my own government. We want each community. We must remember that we must. For the last three the last of him nonviolent

and it hasn't worked. When people tell you that nonviolent real word Telamon Hatter work. We know what has worked all across the South and about our water going on Morning Joe has been trying. This church building would catch on fire right now. For foul was ran out and got four or five buckets of water on that. Form for. And we for Warner. And it. Put the fire out. We were insane or want to can't put fire out we would just say you need a reference. God. Way was where. I know it was. Where action and passionate relationship works and man that works with sure and it works but. Yet very much the chant that

you know what it was. Yes and I thought that very sad. We can't let go of the city of Washington and do something that makes them change it. And when we say what happened St. Pete is such a bitch nation upside down and I have to. Get it right side up for the sake of those boys for the sake of this government for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling limbs. I cannot be silent. But those who ask the question if you are civil rights leader and I mean to exclude me from the movement for peace I am so by saying that I have worked too long and hard now and again segregated public accommodations to end up segregating my moral concerns.

Justice is indivisible. It must also be sad that it would be rather absurd to work passionately and unrelentingly if I integrated school and not be concerned about the survival of the world and wish to be integrated. I'm a start of say further something in the very nature of our organizational structure than the Southern Christian Leadership Conference led me to this decision in 1957 when a group of us from that organization we chose as our motto to save the soul of America. Now it should be and can definitely claim that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. Continuing the observance of the 15th of each month as moratorium day community

groups across the nation are honoring Dr. King's birthday in remembrance of his stand on the Vietnam War and its effects on our nation. Three members or groups in the Boston area that are planning for Thursday activities gathered in our studios to discuss the legacy of Dr. King. Its relevance to today's world and to tomorrow's observances. BERNARD LAFAYETTE former program director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is a Boston University Law School. Jerome Grossman president of the Massachusetts envelope company is a member of the Massachusetts political action for peace committee. MARTIN Go open is a member of the new Urban League. Yeah. Close this is Dr. King. Could you indicate is this a problem. Yes and without question and Dr. King had very strong feelings against the war in Vietnam and

I think that many people misunderstood him at one point when he first came out and took a public stand back in like three years ago before the Riverside Church. And I think what people did not understand was that he was a man who had given his whole life so adult life to end in segregation and discrimination and the nonviolent position is a very clear position against all forms of violent wars. And as he classically said that he thought himself at a point where he could not segregate his conscience and he was forced to speak out. And I think that many people saw this as well uniting the peace movement and the civil rights movement. Not all those ational sense but

certainly in a philosophical sense there's no real separation because the problems that our nation faced with and and the mastic seen as sort of the same kind of problem faced with. An end to national scene and that is our method and procedure for dealing with problems and conflicts whether they be political or whether they be social education and I think that King's position was very clear that he was opposed to one Vietnam very strongly and he thought that an addition that kind of money that will waste in an immoral way in Vietnam could be used in a very constructive way to deal with some of the social ills we have in this country. Do you feel the policies or the methods that we have employed as a country could be changed legislatively or by putting massive pressure on our government.

Yes he did. And this was the foremost action it was taken that was to rank the attention of the American people on the very serious problems that exist on the domestic level and to make the people solo where and to dramatize it in such a such a way that people be forced to take a position and to speak out thus forcing the government and the legislative powers to act and to make those kind of changes that were necessary to deal with those problems. And that's the same thing was true in relationship to his position in Viet Nam and the peace movement the same film and same method. We feel that it was a time we didn't have as many politicians speaking out you know against a one Vietnam. There were very few but I think because of the want and ongoing and exposure I think and the persistence of the peace

movement the civil rights movement has really brought these problems to rest on the conscience and the minds of the mouth public and I think that the American public is speaking out forcefully way and the politicians and those people that this nation cannot afford to ignore them anymore. Mr. Grossman those sentiments. Dr. King valid for this moratorium. Well I'm sure that Mr. LaPierre indicated the last three years of Dr. King's life. He was one of the leading opponents of the war in Vietnam. I also believe that if he were alive today that he would be participating in the moratorium. No question in the minds of anybody who knew him that he would be out there as his wife Mrs. correct is now painting in the moratoria. He would have participated on October 15.

He would have participated in November 15 and he certainly would have participated now. And we think that there is a real consistency or consonance between the objectives of the moratorium and the nonviolent philosophy of the cane and we think that this nonviolent philosophy not only has to apply inside of America in the way the American government treats its citizens black or white rich or poor from urban areas or rural areas but also in the way America treats people outside of the United States. And we would agree with Dr. King that one of the great tragedies is the fact that American power is being used around the world like evil Aron's and the most evil Aaron is the use of American power. In Vietnam it's a tragedy and one that we know he would

be right. My chain with us if he were alive today alive on January 30. How will these sentiments be communicated particularly today. Well the level of activity is conditioned by this season of the year by the elements and also by the fact that we have already had three successful moratoriums. There are going to be activities in a great many junior high schools high schools and colleges all over the state. We have been successful in getting a great many school committees and principals to focus on that day not only on the principals of Dr. King but also how they relate to the war in Vietnam. One thing that we don't want is that this should be an exercise in ritual fat to a T. Empty

praise for the life of a Nobel Peace Prize winner. We want to read laid his life to the major problems of America. So far as the moratorium is concerned number one Vietnam. But also to the problems of the poor. In addition to this we are encouraging people in factories and offices to take time off from their work either during the coffee break before work after work or lunch out to have a discussion. Based on his works and his writings on the meaning of his life and how it applies to the war in Vietnam in addition to this there will be extensive canvassing handing out writings of Dr. King in my own city of Newton we have been able to get the mayor of Newton to declare this is Matt Luther King Day but we hope theyll be a rub off in the form of discussions at every level. Some minor notes over the Massachusetts Turnpike many young people are going to stand all day with

signs reminding people of the American youth whose lives have been so bitterly wasted in this futile war and also the money which could go to solving America's problems he's found some of the things that are going to be done. This nation of war is a positive step. I see a Vietnamization as a total and absolute fraud a fraud consciously perpetrated by President Nixon and one of which there are contradictory statements coming out every day between Washington and Saigon Washington says the war is going to be turned over to my president. Q In my actual He and his cohorts in Saigon but in Saigon president Chu says to the South Vietnamese gangsters with whom he controls South Vietnam Don't worry the Americans are never going to leave and they're going to keep their soldiers here to protect us from the South Vietnamese people. And they're going to keep that dollars here so that we can break off from the

joints and the various rackets in South Vietnam. So you have contradictory stories come from Saigon and Washington and the reason for each of their policies depends upon what each of them beads and what it to stay in power. Nixon has got to tell the American people he's getting out of Vietnam in order to stay in power. But he never told us how or why or when. So far as Saigon is concerned the only way they can stay in power is just tell him that the Americans are going to stay. The chances out of they're both aligned because they're both improvising on a daily basis in order to stay in power. Used to be observant on teen what is going on. And as it relates to the domestic problems well in keeping with the principles of the late Dr. Martin Luther King was interesting in waging war and racism and reordering of commitments and priorities of this

country. Look at the legacy that was passed on to our youth who protested what today after 20 years of a full time war economy we've created a war mentality in this country. A woman telling me that as I chalked the suburbs full of guns and karate lessons and white policeman teaching white Housewives. Use of those governments like Dr. King we are saying that our problems here at home and our priorities should be people orientated so that racism and the war in Tripoli wound up in the philosophy of this country. We're trying to combat both so that the black community will be holding many black awareness sessions and the war and its disastrous effects on commitment on priorities will be the prime time that a lot of them feel that their war specifically is a white problem can't be a white problem. The great

majority of the troops fighting in Vietnam on the front lines are black people who are fighting against brown people. It's a white problem in that in that the war in itself is a form of white colonialism and a form of white imperialism and just the presumptuousness of a white country going into a brown country and creating things like free fire zones that says any citizens of those countries found in those zones can be shot. When we have situations like the massacres is no longer a white problem. Just because I think he if you say that the black community guides the peace movement and the anti Vietnam movement is essentially a white suburban middle class movement I think you're probably right. But that may only be a question of style. The style for the acting out against the war in Vietnam has taken certain forms which

reflect white middle class America but our soundings indicate that the opposition to the war in the black community is at least as deep as it is in the white community. Maybe deeper but the form which it has taken as set by white suburbia I think make it very difficult for people in the cause city both black and white of moderate income and a different lifestyle to participate. The white liberals have often been accused of too much rhetoric and not enough action. Complicity in subtle racial discrimination. Discussions on the 15 solve anything. While I don't know if will solve anything but the certainly of the discussions in the black community have been billed as a black awareness so we have to you know show to community people and to anybody else who wants to listen you know how racism is permeated and what kinds of forms it takes and one form of take one real form

takes courses. This war with its spending and legalization of what kinds of troops and it's again the drain off of priorities that the white community and celebrate a great day in. I'm going to focus in addition to the. War in Vietnam. Are they going to focus on the reallocation of priorities and the reallocation of resources. So there will be that dual thrust with regard to the white liberal movement being heavy on rhetoric and small in performance. I suppose there's a good deal of substance to that. I think here in many ways the same charge was made of Dr King who was rather a Titian and I think that when you rely on philosophy and the technique of nonviolence

sometimes it looks as though you're not making any dramatic progress. Sometimes it takes a lot longer but sometimes that change is more thorough. I like to say that this is just you know this you know I've been you know concerned mainly with rhetoric. I think that just by looking at the facts of history you can very quickly you know reject it. He was a man who spent many days and months in jail and demonstrating. This is the thing that he is known for. This is the thing that distinguished Dr. King from other. Civil rights leaders and the fact that his concern for people was not one that came from the platform alone but one that ended up. And

you know the charges and complaints and analysis of the problem. But I doubt you can clearly see from his life that he was a man who put his feet in the street and he marched and he was beaten and he spent many. You know as I said days and months in jail and this was primarily known for his appealing voice and message. I think that the use of many people across the nation and the world but a thing that I think that. It makes Dr. King outstanding and renowned as a fact that he was an activist he believed in action and I thank God this is the thing that has made a great difference in the peace movement the fact that more people now. I imagine you can see them in motion and I think that that

this is a thing to put pressure on the government as people what makes it impossible. Although Nixon said to ignore you know as long as there are speeches being made by people that have to pay attention to it. But in addition to these speeches you know who is listening and what's happening as what is visible in a very visual age now and we can't you know respond to what we see in many cases and I think when we see thousands of people and have millions and across the nation millions of people you know actively participate in demonstrations and in the street and that is the mistake that many people have made out. I want to say this that people say the days of marching is over you know and that's one of the charges is in a nonviolent march some common thing some true. I think when we look at the things that happened last year. You Think You Can we point to a successful social change came about as a result of the marches of the demonstrations. Some people say well I'm tired of going to Washington you know we went

to Washington every year for the last 10 years you know demonstrating peacefully. But you know what. Every year is different. It wasn't the same as it was four years ago maybe when four years ago. But there are more people and there were more people in Washington last time there was one and I think that this is the thing we must look to in Charleston South Carolina where the Southern Christian Leadership Conference under the leadership of Dr. Ralph David Abernathy was successful in bringing in millions of dollars into the black community as a result of the. The hospital strike in Charleston South Carolina. There were daily marches. Sometimes I want to thousands of people but the pressure at the intended until a Desdunes all kind of legal methods to try to stop the marches and you can be sure when I try to use legal methods to restrain you you're on the right track and I think the whole community was socially dislocated as a result of those marches and schools turned out and people can respond if they give something for people to do in an active way.

The contributions are very important. People must continue to give funds to the peace movement because it's not over yet. You know there may be a glimpse of a victory or peace movement but it is not over yet. Funds are still needed also needed in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to continue the work of Dr. King. His commitment to poor people in the south and across the nation both black and white and I think that we could see a new period develop and Dr. King's life just before was that began to unite the Indians the Mexicans and the. The poor white black put on Reagan's and the poor people's campaign of 68 which was his last. Yeah but he was killed and as he was you know the process of building this. I think that this unity among

the suburban whites among the poor inner city people and rule people of the South. But I think that that is not Dennehy and that's one thing I think is very important when we talk about the deal of separation today which is important some respect for black people to gain an identity and to be able to control their own all those ations and be able to make decisions affecting their lives and that image is very important. But at same time just as we have a united nation there was a time when people must get together and look at the common problems and I think the war is one of these problems that help to unite people and give the kind of universal strength that is needed for us to. Yes bring about three important changes that affect all people. I think Mr. LaPierre has a very important point here. And all of the many points which he and I would like to focus on one and that

is the fact that so many individual say what can I do. All I can do is be one of a lot number anonymous faceless people. This is not going to give me personal satisfaction. I'm just going to be one of the great you pardon the use of military expression. I can't think of anything else at that point you know is singularly inappropriate with you. But but it seems to me that. The important thing is to build a constituency for a particular set of ideas and the idea that constituency gets the better chance you have of affecting important change. I can show all kinds of examples some of them are dramatic so non-dramatic just let me give two. Five years ago when Mr. Laffey

peace activities were completely ignored by the people in control of policy in Washington because our constituency meaning the average person on the street committed themselves to this. We now have a situation where the president of the United States has got to react either with us or against us really doesn't make any difference as long as we can get him to react to what knowledge our existence as a force. Let me give another example on a local level. I come from the city of Newton there for at least 12 years. I have been I and many others have been trying to change some features of the city of New particularly with regard to employment of minority groups and constituency has been growing small steadily. And just last Sunday Newton adopted the

strongest job by US rules for all city contracts leading to a minority group employment in the state of Massachusetts. Now I bring this out to indicate anybody who is interested that individuals can help just by putting their bodies on the line and by being part of a mass constituency because this mass constituency is read by people in power. Regardless of the form of government regardless of whether it's a democratic government regardless of whether the government is wants to be responsible or not I have to be responsive to a large constituency that constituency Mr. Grossman is undergoing I think some growing pains or a certain a learning experience right now. That Dr. King knew all too well the fact is most black people know all too well. And that is the fact that they have learned rather painfully the same lesson that that white middle class people learning now that their government on occasions has a capacity to lie to him also that they can mass

a quarter of a million people and go to Washington on a peaceful demonstration and be told we will not respond to you. We won't even listen to you. This is this is been the fate of black people for years in this country that their protests have gone unheard and responded to and they've learned to deal and live with this kind of frustration that the peace movement is undergoing right now so in that respect you know there is that kind of a connection. And there is that kind of allure an experience that I think that Dr. King was trying to get involved in at the time of his death. I'm sure I'm sure that's true. That can be repeated again. You know all kinds of ways. I remember telling a story to Quito St. Laurent before he died when he came out to my office. Common piece of business or information that we had and I was telling him about some of the frustrations that white suburban middle class people have in the city of Newark. I was telling him in particular about one school that was built in the

19th century. And that was claimed by the parents of the kids that went to this school to be so unsafe that they wouldn't let the kids go up on the third floor of the PTA wouldn't it. And for 15 years they tried to get into the school and they only got a new school when a fire of questionable Arjen broke out and the school was burned down and the city and they had to put up a new school on the site. OK well the parallels here today and in fact forms there is now a sense of urgency and of course a sense of urgency is the death of 40000 Americans and of the back of the war and the sense of urgency in the in the black community is the repression by the same administration and you know that allows for the 28 Panthers to be killed and you know the same parallels the same lessons are being learned again by both groups. And this is this is what we call racism.

One of the many tentacles of forms of racism is you know I think that what we're witnessing that this particular time is it is a kind of oppression that harms the black community to really act in a defensive light. And many people asked a question about nonviolence in relationship to some of the things that happened today. And I think that we have to look at it in the contacts in which it really is. In the south where Dr. King devoted most of his life. I think that the most military and military oriented person would say that you could not get the right to vote by shooting down the courthouse. Somehow that had to be the kind of

mass participation on the part of this and the jazz people to gain that right and their insistent way. I think that many white people and maybe northern lights cannot appreciate the fact that the civil rights bill had some effect in bringing about tremendous psychological and social changes in relationship to being able to sit down and eat. It doesn't mean anything to most people not because you know they had the facilities open that I think I don't think they realize the impact you know what it's of that the very fact that people are moving in the south today in a political way. Had it roots and gain and dignity and self-respect and being able to mass and movement in order to

desegregate buses and Montgomery on the Freedom Ride. These things run by psychological changes and also give people hope and knowledge to move on to that out is. We certainly could not get people and Green County and in other areas of Alabama to run for public office. If they were afraid to go around and try to register to vote. So the. Then the new thrust is a political process. But first I had to be the psychological chains broken from the minds of people not of for them to be able to move politically they had to have hope. So I'm not one of the pessimists even though we are in a repressive period and we're faced with the domestic balance on the part of the administration that somehow as black people we are used to suffering. And I think this is one of things that Dr. King it was said was that we must be willing to suffer.

We think of the kind of struggle involved and it is a war is a war against the forces of evil. When the forces of good and I think that we must continue to recognize that and must be prepared and ready to fight. The question is how we wanted to fight. And I do believe in Dr. King's position is that not to bring about a peaceful goal that we must use peaceful means. That's my personal point of view and I think that any way you look at it it's one thing to have a defensive movement and to validate you know in a way to protect the community as another thing to use and aggressive force. We did not wait for the police to attack attacked us. We move forward and we move in and we create the situation and we take the

aggressive and the authentic because we feel that the greatest defense we can have the kind of repression is going on this country is to have a strong sense to be out and open and to be movement and to make goes on objective very clear and exposing the evil in the balance that ministration perpetrate against us. If the attitudes that were engendered by the late Dr. King brought so much change as you have cited why all the direct action groups losing ground in the face of more militant groups what has happened to core to this. I think that what we've seen happen at this point is the one in a way of support for these organizations. I think that it took a while for many Americans and we're talking about arousing the nation and yet in the majority to form a consensus. Remember it's not my nation as a whole with

type in my white people. Now that's been a problem started with you know white people in this country. And that's where it still rests with white people. There's been a lack of support because white people got concerned about what happened and the civil rights movements and many people only moved when white people were injured in the movement. I think I can clearly point to the kind of reaction that you know we had when as I was so that kill and the two white young people in Mississippi along with the black and white Unitarian minister I think that this really drew the attention to the American public. And remember that classic statement that President Johnson made you know and talking about the situation in Selma saying that one good white man has died. So we've got to do something. And so what we've

got really is a reaction to the elf question that white people have that they had every time they would not believe black people who say we can't register vote we hungry you know we can't work. They don't believe it. Marty go open. You know he has to say it because my people don't have faith in what black people are saying and not think that when black people moved to the position of saying we will be our spokesman. We will run our own albums ations will make our own decisions. Many white people pull out of the movement and thus they also withdrew their funds and I think this is one of the reasons why a corps is not as strong as it once was and this is also a reason why they are Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is almost defunct. This is one of the reasons why the Southern Christian Leadership Conference right now is suffering the funds at the same time. Because we made a few

gains. White people I contend we have made gains and this is one reason why many white people say well they can vote now they can eat what they want so things are alright. You know I don't really intend to do much the kind of thing that Dr. King was pointing to before he died was a factor the kind of problems that we are faced with now a very difficult problems. They're not easy is it only took a stroke of the pen to solve some of the problems in the south. You know such as a voting bill such as the Civil Rights Bill you know on public accommodations and that kind of thing. But now it's going to take some real you know logic amounts of money. You know we're talking about the economic change in the basic economic conditions of the black and poor people in this nation and it's not going to be easy. President ministration instead of a fight now is not to try to get them to make appropriations and get them to make more progressive changes and allocate more money the problem we have now is keeping the money that we have.

And so I'll struggle now is for survival when a more difficult period and you know as Dr. King pointed out and his speeches and he said sometimes we have to go around the mountain not to get there and he said that sometime when we've gone around the mountain. So I've been going in opposite direction because the way the road is turning and the road has turned so in a different period looks like many cases we're going backwards. We have to go around these turns you know to reach out go and I am optimist I believe when I get there the deaf and I could be a easy struggle. Mr. President this problem that is directly compound by the war again where we have a 77 billion dollar defense budget. We don't again have the kinds of monies to attack the root causes of the problems sloppier speaks about. To the you know in the in the last 10 years we've had confrontations bloody confrontations

we had them at the voting booth at the school door at the lunch counter. These games could have been were given up fairly easily without too much of a price tag. Now the next confrontation will probably be at the factory gate or the construction site because there's money involved and we do not have a country that can supply a job for every person who wants one. You know therefore we don't allow people we can only selectively allow certain people to have the right to earn a living and to live like a human being. So as we undergo these this dehumanization process and of course black people are the ones being affected by it the most. We have a situation where we again have this kind of defense economy that only allows certain kinds of people to work to maintain themselves to live. And they are fantastically and very reactionary really trying to protect what they have and refuse to give up. And the most reactionary elements today

unfortunately in our society are among the blue collar workers. And you know it's here is where the depths of racism are. And with with the with the great a struggle will occur over the next few years and unless we have that reordering of priorities it's going to be even more oppressive than you know we see those signs of today. Critics have pointed out however that if you take the money out of the defense budget and put it into solving problems facing the country and domestic way it will launch the country into a bigger depression than we've seen because you know specifically the big industries that have been built up for defense projects will have all the unemployed that you know that's that's not so. I'll jump in anyway. Flight plans can't be. And there are many uncertainties that the government can offer. One of them suggested it was suggested by the United Auto Workers while the

route they came up with a proposal where a portion of the income of a large corporation was heavily dependent on what work. I don't call that defense work because it's war work. Offensive and aggressive war work that this money be withheld from their balance sheet and that they get certain tax benefits from withholding it and they only get the money back with certain benefits as they make plans and proposals whereby they will be able to convert their factories to domestic production and also they have to put their workers to work. It's possible to shift the workers to shift the factories or even build new factories for them. There's nothing you're wrong as nothing unusual about that. The problems of converting the American economy from a war economy to a civilian economy. I fired from an Super Bowl and there are all kinds of plans

around and I think that that is. False a shield that is put forward by the Pentagon and certain defense contractors. All it would require is a certain amount of planning a certain amount of humanitarian planning to take care of not only the stockholders not only the factory owners but the factory workers too and the consumers could very easily be down at a very very small loss and as a matter of fact be the coarsening of this kind of economic catastrophe is done every day in the week by the government for certain favored industries like the oil industry which gets a depletion allowance which is related to this same sort of thing and many other tax benefits which are given to industry and there's no reason why they can't be given to defense industry and defense workers in order to smooth the transition. Very clearly that this was the theme of the recent three day conference on conversion and MIT. And again the dominant thing that they tried to communicate to the even

more recent American Association of Advancement of Science conference held here in Boston and it was out of those two conferences very clearly indicated that the government is not looking not planning. Conversion in any shape manner it's business as usual and nobody is even thinking about this there are no structures set up for eventual conversion. Another area too is there is an immediate need for many of the services or social service kinds of work that the government can get involved in this is everything from land reclamation to hospital aides to two day care centers two services for senior citizens and this whole field could overnight practically absorb a couple of million workers and literally two million plus workers. But there again there is no structures sponsored by the governments for training of people in this area. That is so so important.

You know the question really is is our federal government run defense contracting or is it. Well more and more exacting money I hope you will agree I think perhaps you will agree it is acting as a front and as sort of a lawyer for the lie just defense contractors and they just have to stop this they have to adopt policies that are consistent with the needs of all workers ahead of all businesses are remembering you remember in the 50s we used to joke about the phrase what's good for General Motors is good for the country. Well this is been subtle ised and into what we call the establishment now surely we see this in every form of our government. Just in the small instance like the Jablonski affair where the Department of Labor responded to the union hierarchy and not to the union rank and file. We know you know the emphasis and the concerns of our federal government are and they are not people orientated. And this was the message of Dr. King that we should get

away from these vested interests and get back to people organization. She was just one example before I lose it. I'm sorry. And that is just as an example the orientation of the government. Look at what the government is not doing for I don't mastic shoe industry with regard to helping them to modernize their technology and modernize their plants. Imagine if we had the same situation with regard to flame throwers or tag gas. The United States government would build a new plant at no charge and lease it to the maker. The United States government would establish a center for the development of the technology. Tear gas and flame throwers. Then they would turn it over to private industry and they would say Write it on a cost plus basis or in a guaranteed return. Why can't you can't do that because we have to lay aside 15 billion. Remember it was

9 billion now it's now it's up to 15 billion for the ABM plus. Yes based on what you said and what we've seen happen. The problem is not the economic problem. The heart of it and the cause of it is not one where we do not have. We can't train people we can't develop the techniques and methods and the means for dealing with these problems. It's one clearly of an attitude where there is the concern and the will we can find the creative genius to deal with them. He didn't accidentally become one of the strongest military countries in the world today. It was no accident. It was concerned it was an attitude and I think this is a thing that that we are dealing with. If we can change the basic attitude of our country in the basic concern and I think that people have to insist that we have a government that's

more socially responsive. That we have the brain power we have the talent and we have the tools. We have the natural resources. And I think that if we can employ these natural resources with the right frame of mind that we can deal with these problems and this is what the movement is about the peace movement and also the civil rights movement and wish both of which Dr. King strongly pushed and advocated. BERNARD LAFAYETTE of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Martin Goban of the new Urban League and Jerome Grossman of mass politics. Activities in the greater Boston area range from a 24 hour vigil on Bedford common to the tolling of the passing bell and Upton for the men who have died during the past week in the war in Framingham. Winchester and Waltham selectman have been petitioned to declare tomorrow. Martin Luther King Day mayors of Malden and Lynn have received similar petitions in

Lexington and Swampscott selectman have already set aside the day in honor of the Nobel Prize winner in Newton the mayor announced that the city hall will be the scene of a ceremony honoring Dr. King. In Lexington Arlington Cambridge Swampscott and Rockport. Schools will hold observances of Martin Luther King Day materials will be available in most of these schools for students and teachers in Fitchburg a program sponsored by the NAACP and the moratorium committee will be held at the first parish church to honor Dr. King. Mrs. Arna Ballantine former chairman of the Massachusetts Council against discrimination will speak in Saugus Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m. at the Clifton Dale Methodist Church on the effects of the war on our nation's poor in Quincy. A memorial service and vigil will be held at 7 p.m. in the United First Parish Church in Cambridge. The Cambridge Society of Friends will

hold a special service at 7:30 p.m. on Dr. King in Boston. Leaflets will be distributed in business and residential districts on this station tomorrow evening at 7:30. You can hear the complete recordings of two of Dr. King's Massey lectures they are entitled to conscience and Vietnam. And Dr. Martin Luther King's sermon on peace if we continue that would be no doubt in my mind and in the mind of the work that we have no intentions in. It will become clear that a minimum expectation is to occupy it as an American colony. And men will not refrain from thinking that maximum hope is to go into war so that we may be nuclear installations. Somehow this madness must cease. We must

stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor to Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste. Whose homes are being destroyed whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price so smashed our hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my nation. The great initiative in this war was the initiative to stop it must be ours. This program came he was a public radio service station WGBH FM in Boston.