(1973). She says: Sadly, I remember the shootings vividly. New York: College Notes and Texts, 1971. A Gallup poll in the wake of the shootings found that 58 percent of Americans blamed the students for the deaths at Kent State, while only 11 percent blamed the National Guard. I was thinking about possibly going to the student union, get a cup of coffee. But only one of them hit me and then the shooting stopped, and I was relieved. And Governor Rhodes made a famous speech on the 3rd of May, saying that we were the worst element in our society, worse than the communists, the knight riders and the vigilantes. I'm Rebecca Roberts in Washington. (3) Did the Kent State University administration respond appropriately in their reactions to the demonstrations and with Ohio political officials and Guard officials? 2. Who was responsible for setting fire to the ROTC building? Satrom was fearful that local forces would be inadequate to meet the potential disturbances, and thus about 5 p.m. he called the Governor's office to make an official request for assistance from the Ohio National Guard. Further tragedy was prevented by the actions of a number of Kent State University faculty marshals, who had organized hastily when trouble began several days earlier. It's one of the myths of the burning of the ROTC building. The Truth About Kent State: A Challenge to the American Conscience. It has the best annotated bibliography available on the literature on the shootings and is the basis for the annotations that follow. Best, James J. Payne, J. Gregory (1981). So I got behind this pile of gravel. ROBERTS: We have an email from Lenny(ph) in Lake Worth, Florida who says, I was a Kent grad and also a member of the Ohio National Guard unit, although thanks be to God I wasn't on active duty that day. ROBERTS: Joining us now from member station WKSU in Kent, Ohio, is Jerry Lewis. Warren, Bill (Ed.) Mr. KAHLER: That's always been one of the misconceptions. This book presents a harsh analysis of the communications problems that permeated the University during May 1970. The incident on May 4, 1970, now known as the Kent State massacre, dramatically changed the nation. Did the banning of the rally violate First Amendment rights? Dean's shaking his head, and that's we don't know. Dubuque, IA: Haldeman, H.R. Third, and most importantly, May 4at Kent State should be remembered in order that we can learn from the mistakes of the past. Mr. YOUNG: Dr. John Peoples, in his book "To Survive and Thrive: The Quest for a True University," credits me with coming on the scene immediately thereafter and start reciting some words that I had heard in Washington, D.C. in 1963, go back to Mississippi. BRENDA: What happened at Ohio State was there was a lot of protesting. Brenda, welcome to TALK OF THE NATION. I don't have the schedule in front of me and I didn't memorize it. Protests occurred the next day, Friday, May 1, across United States college campuses where anti-war sentiment ran high. Guardsmen testified before numerous investigating commissions as well as in federal court that they felt the demonstrators were advancing on them in such a way as to pose a serious and immediate threat to the safety of the Guardsmen, and they therefore had to fire in self-defense. Sunday, May 3was a day filled with contrasts. Kent State I was - Kent is my hometown and I was in second grade at the time. Thomas Grace was also approximately 60 feet from the Guardsmen and was wounded in the left ankle. Dr. LEWIS: Well, I think Dean has a wonderful story that clarifies this, but this happened all the time. Mr. KAHLER: Well, a capital sentence or a capital punishment usually is reserved for our courts. The only thing they did, when the civil suit was settled, and Dean can talk about that later on, was they issued a statement of regret, which was pretty weak. Kent State But Kent State was not the only tragedy of the era. Four young people were killed, shot in the back, including two women who had been walking to class." We are going to talk about Jackson State, where students were killed 10 days later in just a minute. Mrs. Holstein has said that she was hoping for a much stronger statement of apology. Dr. LEWIS: Well, the major thing was the announcement by President Nixon that the troops had invaded Cambodia, which signaled to students, particularly students but all males who were eligible for the draft, that the war was not only not ending, but it was spreading. I know that you have to go. 150 yards. BRENDA: Oh my gosh, okay. The May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State still loom large in our national conscience. New York: Random House and Reader's Digest Books. By Nina Bahadur May 4, 2017 Howard Ruffner/Getty Images On this day 47 years ago at Kent State University in Ohio, four students were killed and nine others wounded when armed Photos from Kent State campus on 50th anniversary of May 4 shootings. When they turned and started to fire, I said to myself, they're going to shoot, and I jumped on the ground and had no place to hide. New York: Times Books. Yeah. Could local law enforcement personnel have handled any situations? These books have the advantage of a broader historical perspective than the earlier books, but no single book can be considered the definitive account of the events and aftermath of May 4, l970, at Kent State University.(1). Were they justified in firing? facebook, Kent State Kent Campus - There was they just shut down all the classes. Did you realize she was dead? In late April of 1970, however, the United States invaded Cambodia and widened the Vietnam War. ROBERTS: Gene Young is a civil rights activist who was a Jackson State student during the killings on May 14, 1970. I had a different perspective, perhaps. Five months after the Vietnam War ended, on April 30, 1975, I arrived as a freshman at Kent State. We thank Mr. Dzeda for reading this article and offering his reactions, although he bears no responsibility for the ideas expressed in this article. In a 1974 federal criminal trial, District Judge Frank Battisti dismissed the case against eight Guardsmen indicted by a federal grand jury, ruling at mid-trial that the government's case against the Guardsmen was so weak that the defense did not have to present its case. And he said to the editor, I think I've got some good pictures and, in fact, won the Pulitzer Prize with the picture. The Kent State killings, by contrast, were shocking because they happened in the very heart of middle America. Forty years ago tomorrow, on May 4th, 1970, students at Kent State University in Ohio gathered to protest America's involvement in the Vietnam War. He's also there at WKSU. Mr. YOUNG: Well, okay. He joined us from member station WKSU in Kent, Ohio. And some of us - many students went home but some of us stayed on to try to bring attention to what had happened on the campus of Jackson State that morning. Dr. LEWIS: I did shortly afterwards. At the time the building burned down, there were virtually no students at that site. Thus, University leaders printed and distributed on Monday morning 12,000 leaflets indicating that all rallies, including the May 4rally scheduled for noon, were prohibited as long as the Guard was in control of the campus. Transcript On May 4, 1970, students on the Kent State University campus in Ohio gathered just before noon on the commons. I had a three-month-old baby, a husband who turned in a master's degree and was arrested during that time. And I'm thinking, why are they shooting at me? And we didn't realize as one of the major documentaries said, it was the day that war came home. pinterest, HEERF CARES/CRRSAA/ARP Act Reporting and Disclosure. It didn't make my recovery any easier. And I wanted to get them to get out of there, so I began to run around the back of the parking lot saying - I'm Dr. Lewis, those are real bullets, you must leave. (2) contains a picture of the shootings of May 4 accompanied by the following summary of events: "In May 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, National Guardsmen confronted student antiwar protestors with a tear gas barrage. We were escorted by a convoy of other National Guard. The language of dealing with the abortion issue is very vitriolic and has led to many deaths. Kent State Shooting Divided Campus And Country : NPR Nice to be here. The victims or the students were being blamed for the shootings and, therefore, the National Guard had to protect schoolchildren from the students, but in fact, the killing was done by the National Guard. Fiery speeches against the war and the Nixon administration were given, a copy of the Constitution was buried to symbolize the murder of the Constitution because Congress had never declared war, and another rally was called for noon on Monday, May 4. I remember the guard coming into town and I believe it was that day they took us out of school. Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew had called us bums, effete snobs, and I think Spiro Agnew had called us nattering nabobs of negatism. John was worried about the FBI confiscating his camera, so he drove over to a small paper in Pennsylvania where he had interned. It was a construction site, a supply depot, and there was gravel there. And then there are some other activities that are happening - I mean, just a whole host of things. Hindsight suggests that another method would have resolved the confrontation. So what do you remember from that time 40 years ago? Part of the How the Kent State massacre marked the start of America's Robert, welcome to TALK OF THE NATION. 808-989-8255 is the number to call, or you can email us: talk@npr.org. So they used that language to victimize students. What the 1970 Kent State shootings tell us about - The & Hill, Michael (1974). Members of the Ohio National Guard were already on duty in Northeast Ohio, and thus they were able to be mobilized quickly to move to Kent. And I finally made it over probably at the bottom of the hill on the practice football field around 100 yards away from them at the exact moment that they reached the top of the hill, turned and wheeled with their rifles in a shooting formation or shooting position and then commenced firing almost immediately. And I just couldn't believe it. And I didn't realize it, I guess, until this morning but, you know, people in Kent - people at Kent State think of the event as a - the May 4th time or simply May 4th, where the rest of the country calls it Kent State. When I realized what she was watching, I was horrified and started crying and asked why, why, why? We have email from Edward(ph) who says, didn't the radical students burn down the ROTC building? He was shot and paralyzed during the student demonstration on May 4th. But that was a kind of worry we had when we're dealing - because what we all realized, and Dean can speak to this certainly, is that this Guard was not under control. That has become one of the things talked about when people mention the Jackson State incident. Okay, I just turned off the car. Because there were so many race riots going on, we were held in reserve. Excellent photographs are included. He's a professor emeritus of sociology at Kent State University. Four Students Were Killed in Ohio. America Was Never the Same. And I remember the blood-curling scream of Mary Gibbs when somebody told her it was her brother, Phillip Gibbs, who was one of the students who had been killed that evening. We will hear your stories in a moment. In Robert McNamara's (1995) book, "In Retrospect:The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam" is a way to begin is an illustration of the this process. John Filo, a Kent State photography major in 1970, continues to workas a professional newspaper photographer and editor. Now, later on, at the in 2000, at the 20th anniversary, when we dedicated the memorial, the former governor of the state of Ohio, Richard Celeste, did apologize to, not only to the parents of the slain students but to the wounded students. John Cleary was over 100 feet from the Guardsmen when he was hit in the upper left chest. Four students were killed when Ohio National Guard troops fired at some 600 anti-war demonstrators. Our approach is to raise and provide answers to twelve of the most frequently asked questions about May 4 at Kent State. The report examines not only the shootings at Kent State but also the student movement of the sixties and the shootings at Jackson State University. Our number here in Washington is 800-989-8255. Yelling and rock throwing reached a peak as the Guard remained on the field for about 10 minutes. It prompted a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and Go ahead. Go back to Alabama. Kent State after Fifty Years All rights reserved. The impact of the shootings was dramatic. Mr. KAHLER: Well, he was closer than that. And I think everybody was absolutely in was fearful of each other without knowing each other or understanding each other. The Day the '60s Died | Apple TV Kent State massacre: 50 years since the shooting that changed Mr. DEAN KAHLER (Former Student, Kent State University): Yes, I am. Those words and my voice had a calming effect on some of my fellow students who have been traumatized by the tragedy that just taken place on that campus. The Justice Department and the President's Commission on Student Unrest basically said that students didn't burn the building down. Police three fired on a group of students, killing two and injuring twelve others. Dean Kahler was the most seriously wounded of the nine students. JACK (Caller): Well, thank you. Although it was by no means a massacre, it was horrifically shocking. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. For example, Norman Duffy, an award-winning teacher, gave off-campus chemistry lectures and tutorial sessions in Kent and Cleveland. ROBERTS: Right now, we're talking about what happened on May 4th, 1970, the shootings at Kent State University. And was getting a little tired at that point in time. Back then, we were - you were either a dove or a hawk and never the twain shall meet. For instance, on the 20th anniversary, I had a student walk up to me and hand me some brass from an M-1 bullet that she had kept in her drawer for 20 years. And so, students had gathered on the commons on May 4th a little before noon to protest the presence of the Guard. I'm in Kent also for the 40th anniversary commemoration of the killings at Kent and Jackson State. These orders have since been determined by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to have been lawful. (5) Did the Guardsmen conspire to shoot students when they huddled on the practice football field? Copyright 2010 NPR. One student is standing near the Miller body closer than Vecchio. Some of the Guardsmen on Blanket Hill, fearful and anxious from prior events, may have believed in their own minds that their lives were in danger. But you're absolutely right. The Ohio National Guard, in its efforts to disperse the crowd, opened fire. Reprint edition by Arno Press. Second, the University faculty was called upon to conduct research about May 4 communicating the results of this research through teaching and traditional writing about the tragedy. The book has a strong bias, but it provides the only detailed analysis of this long and important trial. Kent State shootings - Wikipedia And let's hear from Robert(ph) in Escalante, Utah. One of them stood up and proclaimed to the office that the actions of the Guard at Kent State was the best way to handle these student protests, that if we shot more of them, the protests would cease. By May 5, a photograph taken by John My colleague and I, Ray Adam(ph), collected some data on students who were directly exposed to social controlled violence at Kent State, you know, on May 4th. So it radicalized me at the same time, to the point where I became very involved in politics. This remains the best single source for understanding the events of May 4. 9-21. Mr. KAHLER: And not everyone thought that the rifles were full of blanks. And so, it was greeted with a lot of jeering and cheers and anti-war slogans. You know, 40 years later, that sounds shocking, but I guess at the time, it wasn't that uncommon. Despite the substantial literature which exists on the Kent State shootings, misinformation and misunderstanding continue to surround the events of May 4. Debra(ph) in Reno, Nevada says, she remembers coming home from high school that afternoon and her mother was watching TV and ironing. And it's unfortunate that those words do have consequences. My mother said they were throwing rocks. Four students are seen in the immediate background. Sunday, there was another confrontation with the National Guard that had come on campus when the ROTC building was attacked, and then May 4th occurred. The - we - the victims, were blamed for this, and that was primarily because in the late '60s and into the early '70s, the speeches by our political leaders who supported the war basically said that if you were against us, then you were a communist or you were a dirty hippy. Police there fired on a group of students, killing two, hurting 12 others. Prof. LEWIS: Well, we certainly understood immediately that there were injuries and deaths, but not the scope of - I only - I took field notes three hours after shootings and I identified three people who were down, one who I thought was killed, that was Sandy Scheuer. I know our country has had a long history of using vitriolic language in political speech, but it does have consequences. What is going on with this country? H. R. Haldeman, a top aide to President Richard Nixon, suggests the shootings had a direct impact on national politics. And I thought it was ridiculous. I'm Rebecca Roberts in Washington. This photo, taken by John Filo, won the Pulitzer Prize. Dr. LEWIS: Well, Governor Rhodes said in his famous press conference on Sunday, May 3rd, that the campus would not be closed. The most comprehensive and accurate commission investigation is The Report of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest (1970) chaired by William W. Scranton. On May 4, 1970, students on the Kent State University campus in Ohio gathered just before noon on the commons. This is a rather sketchy book written with a strongly held viewpoint that the Guardsmen committed murder. The Kent State Coverup . Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Many of them thought that murdering students was justified. And not only do we mention the students who were shot here at Kent, but on the 15th of May, you know, students were killed in Jackson State. This is a detailed narrative and analysis of the events of May 4 and their aftermath. Experts who find the Guard primarily responsible find themselves in agreement with the conclusion of the Scranton Commission (Report , 1970, p. 87): "The indiscriminate firing of rifles into a crowd of students and the deaths that followed were unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable.". A total of 28 Guardsmen fired between 61 and 67 rounds over 13 seconds. We don't have real good data but our estimate is there were 800 schools closed down, over four million students on strike. We hope that the agreement to end the litigation will help to assuage the tragic memories regarding that sad day. This is an early, useful volume which reproduces local and national newspaper articles on the shootings as well as radio and television broadcasts. But it's a day of mourning, a day of celebration at the same time, and a day of looking forward. Soon afterward, with no provocation, soldiers opened fire into a group of fleeing students. A photograph of Mary Vecchio, a 14-year-old runaway, screaming over the body of Jeffery Miller appeared on the front pages of newspapers and magazines throughout the country, and the photographer, John Filo, was to win a Pulitzer Prize for the picture. Eszterhas, Joe & Roberts, Michael D. (1970). Accuracy and availability may vary. On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine Kent State students. Its almost 12:20 or so. The legal aftermath of the May 4 shootings ended in January of 1979 with an out-of-court settlement involving a statement signed by 28 defendants(3) as well as a monetary settlement, and the Guardsmen and their supporters view this as a final vindication of their position. (l971). 1.7k Views. Mr. KAHLER: There is the usual day of speeches, of commemoration and memoriam to the students who were killed, and we will dowse the candles at approximately the time of the shootings, around 12:20 or so. Nearly 1,000 Ohio National Guardsmen occupied the campus, making it appear like a military war zone. Go to npr.org and click on TALK OF THE NATION. Some of the students went on a veranda of one of our buildings and other students went down in a parking lot, and the National Guard went into a practice football field, where there became an exchange of tear gas back and forth.
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