officers stationed at the south end of the Memorial Bridge had officially counted 318,000 marchers proceeding from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon.
"'TJis admission was made to a number of reporters at a press conference in Washington. The reporters included members of United Press International (UPI) and Associated Press (AP) and a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Keith Wisely. Wisely and the other reporters had just flown over the Pentagon, the North Parking Lot, the march route over Memorial Bridge, and the Lincoln Memorial.
"tin their meeting with police officials later in the evening they expressed amazement at the official police crowd estimate of 55,000 since it was apparent that many more demonstrators and marchers were present. The police chief at this point informed the reporters that police crowd control experts using coun-
JOHNSON THROWS IN THE
Public support for Lyndon Johnson and his war in Vietnam has dropped to an all-time low in the U.S. according to the most recent Harris Poll.
Public opinion, as registered by a survey in late October, showed an overwhelming majority of 77 percent feeling no confidence in Johnson's policy. Twentythree percent approved.
ters had been stationed at the south end
of Memorial Bridge and had machine count-
ed 318,000 marchers as they passed by.
"'The reporters were then asked to
not report this real figure but instead
to report the figure of 55,000, official-
ly being released to the press by the po-
lice and military authorities. All the
reporters present pledged themselves to
report the 55,000 figure. They were told
by the police that if the figure of
318,000 were to be reported in the na-
tion's press “the President would be in
a very embarrassing position."
"'T subsequently met with Mr. Wise-
ly,' Bob Grove continued, ‘and was given
the information regarding the true size
of the October 21 March on Washington...
If the information given by the reporter,
Wisely, is correct, it would appear to
indicate evidence of a network of falsi-
fication of facts extending from the
White House, through the Defense Depart-
ment, the D.C. Police Department, and in-
cluding important elements of the press,
especially AP and UPI.'"
New Yorkers who were present at
the mass protest against the attendance
of Secretary of State Rusk at the Foreign
Policy Association dinner at the Hotel
Hilton November 14 had occasion to verify
that this deliberate downgrading of the
demonstrations continues. The New York
Times considered the event important
enough to make it the lead story on its
front page next day and give it the pre-
dominant positions on pages 2 and 3. Yet
it estimated the throng on hand, which
kept the cops busy for five hours, as no
more than 3,000.
The thousand or more policemen
cordoned off the streets leading to the
demonstration area near the hotel and
thus deterred or prevented many people
from joining the pickets. But at least
10,000 New Yorkers came out to voice
vigorous opposition to Johnson's and
Rusk's genocidal war in Vietnam.