MICHIGAN STUDENTS HOLD WAR CRIMES HEARING
By Neil Bronson
Detroit
Despite two weeks of right-wing harassment, a war crimes hearing modeled after the International War Crimes Tribunal of Bertrand Russell was success-—fully held here, mustering an impressive array of witnesses and evidence to present to a legal panel and as many as 500 onlookers at Wayne State University.
The April 12 hearing was the highlight of Vietnam Week and was organized by a subcommittee of the Detroit Student Mobilization Committee. On the panel were civil-liberties lawyer William Goodman, National Lawyers Guild Chairman James Lafferty, and noted black nationalist leader Attorney Milton Henry.
The hearing was convened by Charles Larsen, chairman of the student government as well as the Detroit Student Mobilization Committee. Vietnam Week coordinator Eve Rosen introduced the panelists and law student Victor Papakhian, who acted as chief counsel.
Papakhian presented the legal basis for the procedure, citing the Nuremberg definitions of crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He cited other international treaties, conventions and covenants on which these definitions were based.
Attorney Henry, speaking for the panel, concluded that there was sufficient basis to proceed to the evidence portion of the presentation. Under this section, Mobilization Committee member Jan Garrett read a brief historical summary of U.S. intervention and presented slides and written material demonstrating the bombing of civilians in north Vietnam by the U.S. Garrett also summarized the reports of the investigating commissions cooperating with the International War Crimes Tribunal and urged the audience to make themselves acquainted with the results of the International Tribunal when they become available.
Marine veteran Carl Campbell deseribed his experiences in Vietnam and the torture and murder of supposed NLF [National Liberation Front] prisoners that he and his buddies had witnessed.
After an initial presentation on
individual responsibility and complicity
by chief counsel Papakhian, Ron Halstead,
a member of Students for a Democratic
Society, gave a report on Dow Chemical,
maker of napalm whose headquarters is
located a few hours' drive away in Mid-
land, Michigan. Halstead reported on an
interview he had had with the president
of Dow and proved that Dow's managers
were profiteering off the war and ratio-
nalizing it in a manner no different
from the Nazi munitions-producers in
World War II.
Jon Rothschild, Ann Arbor Spring
Mobilization Committee member, reported
on the University of Michigan's research
in ballistics and special weapons banned
under international law.
Letters had been sent to-the U.S.
government, Dow Chemical and the Univer-
sity of Michigan to send representatives
to present their points’ of view and
answer questions; their absence was sym-
bolized by empty chairs containing their
names prominently displayed.
Rev. Albert B. Cleage Jr. des-
cribed the black people's attitude to the
war and their unwillingness to partici-
pate in it.
Each of the panelists made a
statement at the end of the hearing.
William Goodman stressed the limitations
of the hearing and the fact that it had
no power to enforce any conclusions; he
expressed the hope that his profession
would find some way to overcome this gap
in the law. James Lafferty stressed indi-
vidual responsibility, the responsibility
of the citizen, especially those not in
the armed forces, to make a political
decision to oppose the illegal war.
Then Milton Henry announced that
the panel, acting in part under the pre-
cedent of the Nuremburg trials of Nazi
war criminals, had found "probable cause
to believe that the U.S. government has
committed acts of aggression under inter-
national law."
The indictment had moral force if
not legal force, he said.
BIG