Code,750001
Subject,Dr. David Goldberg
Date ,6/15/16
Interviewer,Naomi A. Randt (formerly Chris Morris)
Abstract,"Dr. David Goldberg, professor of history at Cleveland State University, discusses his involvement in anti-Vietnam war protest activities. He talks about the activism on campus during his time at the University of Wisconsin - Madison from 1962-1966, including CIA Truth Teams, Socialist Club, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and other activist groups. He also relates his story of turning in his draft card, sending a letter to the government outlining his reasons for resisting the draft, and his eventual arrest. He provides information regarding the New Left movement in the United States during the Vietnam War. He also outlines his personal motivations and interest in the anti-war movement, citing an interest in William Lloyd Garrison and Abolitionism during the American Civil War. Dr. Goldberg relates his experience at Martin Luther King, Jr.'s march in New York City in October, 1967, as well as his involvement and subsequent arrest as part of the demonstration at the draft board office in Whitehall, New York in December, 1967."
Special Notes,"Draft Resistance, anti Vietnam War protest"
Minutes:,
0,"Intro: growing up in Brookline, Boston, MA. 1944. Close to Fenway Park"
1,"Immigrant Jewish family, parents owned own business (garment district). Dad, innovative individual, regional wholesaler"
2,"Worked in Dad's business and other garment factories, typical 1950s childhood, into sports and going to the beach"
3,"Dad had interest in art, Hyman Bloom Boston-area artist, Jack Levine. Very well known in the art community"
4,"Mom interest in art, music. Self educated jewish immigrant environment. Different from typical 1950s family. High school experience"
5,"University of Wisconsin - Madison, interest in history. George Mosse, Harvey Goldberg. Great place to go to school. "
6,"Early political consciousness, Community church in High School speakers every Sunday morning"
7,"Opposition to House on Un-American Acitivity, William Worthy. Increased at Madison, ""there had always been a left community in Madison"" Socialist Club wide range of speakers"
8,"Studies on the Left published in Madison. Fall of 1962, demonstration on the Cuban Missile Crisis. ""It wasn't a big thing, maybe 100 people there."" ""Pretty much American life went on as normal."""
9,"""Very, very unusual campus at the time [1962],"" different speakers at least two or three times every week. Exposure to a lot of ideas. International films, Italian, English"
10,"Dad apolitical, Mom ""conventional liberal,"" not a very political family."
11,"Invasion of the Dominican Republic 1965. New Left ""increasingly concerned with the Vietnam War,"" by the spring 1965. Crucial events: successful teach-in, no classes. Self-educated on Vietnam history"
12,"French and the Viet Minh. US violations of Geneva accords. Teach-in ""Highly successful in Madison,"" Spring 1965 State Department, President Johnson concerned with growing anti-war sentiment, sent Truth Team. 300 gathered, barraged them with questions. Had a difficult time."
13,"US invasion of Dominican Republic, early 1965. Played a role in escalating concern in US foreign policy. Made connections between Dominican Republic and Vietnam. More people at demonstrations against Dominican Republic invasion"
14,"Truth Teams - sent to educate US position in Vietnam to deflate opposition, only stirred more opposition to the war in Vietnam. ""Growing militance in anti-war movement"" ""sign of growing anger"" visceral"
15,"Mild form of harrassment, difficult to respond or say anything. No violence towards the Truth Team. Ebb and flow to activism in Madison."
16,"More active in the spring, less so in the summer. Pro-war movement non-existence. ""More of an anti-anti-war movement"" ""people hated the protesters, despised the protesters."""
17,"Anti-war protesters had advantage because of self-education on Vietnam history. ""Madison was a safe haven"" ""very liberal community"" strong progressive tradition, no particular hostility to protesters on campus"
18,Hostility from other places in Wisconsin from people who didn't like anti-war protesters.
19,"Socialist Club, 1965-66, growing number of anti-war organizations. Young Socialist Alliance. Committee to End the War in Vietnam (ad hoc group). A lot of history graduates, undergraduates involved in new left. Sponsored speakers. Spring 1966, exams to evaluate who would get student deferment. Next phase in movement."
20,"2-S Deferment. Escalation of war in Vietnam, need for more man power. Eligibility for draft determined by exams. SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) organized major protest. ""Should the university be complicit with exams that were going to send students off to war."" Created their own exam."
21,"Passed out SDS exam. New stage: sit-in, occupied Bascom Hall, administration building. After 24 hours, real bonding experience. Police never called out. Reached many other campuses. Exams disbanded. ""Tremendous experience."" No satisfactory outcome."
22,Outcome: no university should administer exams. Never joined SDS. Identified with Committee to End the War in Vietnam.
23,"Mass meetings, more hopeful period in the New Left. Very democratic. Huge amount of participation. ""Whole week of protest"" focus on exams and Vietnam war. Steady escalation of activity"
24,"Growing anger by spring 1966 over Vietnam War and Johnson administration. Open debates on what course to take. Felt good to be part of the anti-war movement. ""Absolutely 100% opposed to the war in Vietnam."" totally immoral war, unjust. US should not be involved in fighting. Glad to see more people involved."
25,"Graduated spring 1966. Last semester, Senior Honors Seminar. Really interested in abolitionism, William Lloyd Garrison."
26,"Not fighting for something that affects people where they live but outside. Analogies between anti-war movement & abolitionism. Accepted at Columbia PhD program. Richard Sewell, mentor professor."
27,"Abolitionism. Start small, raise an issue. Disrupt people's lives when fighting a moral cause. Dilemmas of social movement versus self-interested movement"
28,Own analysis. Unusual in movement because of historical interest. Never a united anti-war movement. Debates over course the movement should take.
29,"Holding demonstrations. Vietnam Summer, modelled on Freedom Summer. People into the communities, educate people on US involvement in Vietnam. Educating and demonstrating."
30,"Fall 1966, PhD  program at Columbia. Active campus. Very active SDS chapter at Columbia. Significant difference: ""Mark Rudd and others"" led SDS."
31,"Not impressed with their intellectual awareness, SDS moving in a radical, revolutionary direction. He was more Interested in anti-war movement off-campus. Overwhelmed by PhD workload."
32,"SDS = Students for a Democratic Society, New Left organization. Wasn't involved much off-campus. Went to demonstrations, nothing beyond that."
33,"Escalation in Spring 1967, largest protest against the war. MLK out against the war, speech at Riverside Church. 400,000 people marched Upper West Side of New York City to UN Building."
34,"Marched down Amsterdam Ave, chants, banners, excitement. Puerto Rican working class neighborhood cheered them on. Exhilirating. More people involved in anti-war effort as war escalated. Let down afterwards, because the war continued."
35,"Demonstration every six months didn't amount to much. Fall 1967, The Resistance. Move from protest to resistance. Disrupt American society, ""basic position"""
36,"Really glad when Resistance came along. Raise the stakes. ""You can't continue to function normally if you continue to reign bombs down on North Vietnam"" Favored draft resistance. 2S deferement wrong. Class privelege."
37,"Opportunity to take individual action. Massive civil disobedience. ""They can't thousands and thousands of people in prison"" Turned draft card in to Grace Paley (poet) at rally in NYC Townhall. October 16, 1967. Wrote letter to draft board saying ""I don't want anything to do with you"""
38,"Draft Card turn in. Prominent intellectuals urged draft card turn in. ""Felt good"" "
39,Important to take an individual step. Remembered stories of good Germans not doing anything for Jews. Individual stand in collective way. Motivation for draft card turn in.
40,"Got drafted. Pentagon protest. October 1967, protest to resistance. 1st arrest at Whitehall sit-in. December 1967."
41,The Tombs. Not that active. Gave out leaflets.
42,"Pentagon Protest. Marched, no idea, chaotic aspect to protest. Troops with bayonets. Stuck flowers in guns. Mass chaos."
43,"Pentagon Protest. Creative. Some violence, beatings. No angry, hostile repsonse from troops."
44,Affinity groups. Support groups at protests/demonstrations.
45,"Columbia protest, Spring 1968, arrested. ""If you can remember it, you weren't there."" Hard to remember order of events. Drafted, refused to take physical. Resistance had disipated. FBI visit to mother, harrassment."
46,"Summer 1968, indicted for refusing to take induction physical."
47,"Process of getting drafted, refusing, July 1968. Individual without collective support. Determined. South Boston Army Base, gave out a leaflet to inductees. Driven off by soldiers. Nervous. Waited for indictment."
48,Resistance disappointing. Lasted a year. Asked too much of people to risk jail time. Criticism of the Resistance within the Left.
49,"SDS ""off the law"" analysis. Attracted to people on the pacifist end rather than SDS. Dr. Spock indictment. Real opportunity lost, major impact on Resistance."
50,"Dr. Spock, the baby doctor. ""The Baby and Childcare"" book. Encouraged draft resistance. Spring 1968 trial."
51,"Spock Trial, the opportunity to raise the stakes of anti-war movement. ""Willing to take the risk to stop it."""
52,"New York. Supported people refusing induction at Whitehall. Spring 1968, very chaotic time. Revolutionary movement of SDS. Divisions within anti-war movement."
53,Divisions of anti-war movement. No organized Left movement. Ad hoc.
54,Dave Dellinger. Pacifists. SDS. Organizations came and went.
55,After indictment. Trial scheduled for June 1969. Orals at Columbia. Time before trial. Milwaukee 14.
56,"Milwaukee 14 Trial. Tremendous. Catholic priests. ""Most effective anti-war group I'd ever seen."" Rallied support in their favor. May 1969."
57,Trial June 1969. Mom insisted on lawyer. Plead guilty. Delivered address to court before sentencing. Reasons for opposing the war. Civil disobedience in American history.
58,Sentenced to two years in prison. Served 19 months. Sent to Danbury. Federal prison system.
59,Prison experience. Cell mate helpful advice.
60,"Danbury, early July 1969. Too much to summarize briefly."