The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
80th Year, No.78
Friday, Feb. 13, 1970
Calley to stand trial
FT. BENNING, Ga, (UPI)—A military judge swept aside all but two defense motions Thursday and ruled that Lt. William L. Calley Jr., must stand court-martial, beginning May 18, for the alleged My Lai massacre.
The Army announced in Washington several hours later that a fifth soldier, Capt. Thomas K. Willingham, 25, of Allenhurst, N.J., also had been charged in the My Lai case. A Pentagon spokesman said Willingham now faces the military equivalent of a grand jury investigation, and that specifications will be published if the probe upholds charges.
Calley's case is expected to set a precedent for the others. Thursday's ruling was regarded as a key one.
The ruling by Lt. Col. Reid W. Kennedy capped four days of testimony by nine military witnesses called by the defense in an attempt to show that widespread publicity and "command influence" by high
military officers and the White House had rendered it impossible for Calley to get a fair trial.
The military judge set May 15 for further hearings on the "command influence" issue, but the fact he set a court-martial date and his earlier comments concerning the matter gave ample evidence of his leanings.
Kennedy struck down the first argument, saying that while "the publicity has been extensive . . . it has had no effect upon this court and this court can provide a fair trial for Lt. Calley."
Reed told defense attorney George W. Latimer Wednesday that "at this point, there is no evidence that these people—those allegedly involved in the command influence—communicated with anybody down here at Ft. Benning.
"If the defense would come up with evidence that Gen. William C. Westmoreland called Gen. Orwin C. Talbott
then I would have to take some action." Westmoreland is Army chief of staff, and Talbott is the commanding general of Ft. Benning.
The 26-year-old Calley, a short, balding man from Miami, is specifically charged with the premeditated murder of 102 Vietnamese men, women and children on March 16, 1968, the day the platoon he commanded swept through the hamlet of My Lai 4.
Calley, dressed in his olive green officer's uniform, showed no emotion over Thursday's ruling, which all but assured he would have to stand trial.
Apart from ruling in favor of the defense on the command influence issue, about the only thing that could hold up the court-martial now would be a finding that some of the 10 presently empanelled members of the court-martial board had been influenced by publicity. If such a finding were made, a new search would simply be made for unprejudiced jurors.
Clifford calls for timetable
ST. LOUIS (UPI)—Former secretary of defense Clark Clifford Thursday called on the Nixon administration to announce a definite timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam.
"I would suggest we remove our ground troops by the end of 1970 and remove the balance of our troops by the end of 1971." Clifford said.
He said the announced timetable would be of "great benefit since, first, it would get our men out of the war and, second, Saigon would have to make an honest effort to end the war if the American troops are out."
Clifford, who replaced Robert S. McNamara in February 1968 as defense secretary under President Lyndon Johnson, was asked who in the Johnson administration first suggested a halt to the United States'
bombing of North Vietnam. The question was posed as a result of a taped television program presented last Friday in which Johnson said the suggestion first was made by then secretary of state Dean Rusk.
Cifford replied, "I believe it is undignified and inappropriate for me to answer that question. There is no conflict as to who made the first suggestion. Secretary McNamara made the suggestion in 1967—a full year before I took office."
Clifford said he finds fault with the Nixon Vietnam policy on three points which the President "has reiterated four or five times as conditions determining disengagement from the war."
Clifford called Johnson's decision to halt the bombing March 31, 1968 "a watershed" in the course of American policy in Vietnam.
He listed them as "one, progress in the Paris peace talks, two, lessening of the level of combat and, three, the speed at which the South Vietnamese can take over the burden of combat."
Clifford said to depend on the first two conditions would be "unwise since they are within the discretion of Hanoi. "The third point leads to foot dragging ... because Saigon is not making an honest effort to end the war."
Clifford said, "The Saigon government does not want the war to end. They like it the way it is now...we're protecting them in office."
"The South Vietnamese government like the American support that's like a golden pump pumping all that money in there."
Reflections
Photo by Steve Haynes
The still waters of early evening mirror landscape and sky on a warm and sunny winter afternoon. The location is Lakeside Lake northwest of Lawrence
Violence closes schools
By United Press International
Racial violence closed three schools in different parts of the nation Thursday while President Nixon was speaking out against the busing of students to achieve racial balance and unequal application of integration laws in the North and South.
Los Angeles balked at a court order which school officials said would result in the daily busing of 240,000 students and "destruction of the school district." Civil rights leaders invited Southern governors to join a suit demanding complete integration of San Francisco's schools.
One of the schools closed by violence was the senior high school in Lima, Ohio, where black and white students engaged in fistfights following a talk by Richard Thomas, a Negro poet and graduate student from Michigan State University.
Thomas referred to George Washington as "Georgie baby," and said he was a "white president" who kept Negro slaves.
He then raised a clenched fist in a black power salute.
About 300 white students walked out while Thomas was talking, touching off scuffling in which one student was injured. Officials closed the school for the remainder of the day.
High schools in Baltimore, Md., and the neighboring city of Annapolis, also were forced to close.
Officials said Annapolis High, scene of numerous racial disturbances, was a "shambles" after students went on a
The entire Annapolis police force was sent to the school to quell the disturbance by blacks.
Classes also were dismissed at Eastern High in Baltimore after an argument between a teacher and a female Black Panther escalated into a general altercation at the all-girls school.
rampage, tearing down bulletin boards smashing windows, desks and other furniture.
President Nixon's views on current Supreme Court integration orders were contained
in a White House memorandum distributed to a few Republican senators in Washington.
Weather
Partly cloudy to cloudy and colder today and tonight. Chance of light rain or snow tonight. Saturday, partly cloudy and continued cold. Northeast winds, 10 to 20 m.p.h. today. High in the 30's. Low tonight in the 20's.