Harvard University and the Vietnam War

During the Vietnam War, Harvard University was the site of a number of protests against both the war generally and Harvard's connections to prosecution of the war specifically.

1969 occupation of University Hall

As part of the wider anti-war movement of the 1960s, student organisations such as the Harvard chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) ran anti-war activities on campus. In October 1967 for instance, a recruitment visit by Dow Chemicals, which supplied napalm to the military, was interrupted by protests. The Harvard Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs drew particular attention, with sit-ins disrupting their meetings. Although the faculty was willing to reduce the programs’ privileges, the Harvard Corporation refused to terminate it. These developments, alongside the creation of a degree program in Afro-American studies, led to the events of April 1969.[1]

On the night of April 8 to 9, a group of about 300 students, led by the SDS, tacked a list of demands on the door of home of Nathan Pusey, then President of Harvard. Not only did it call for the abolition of ROTC, but also for lower rent and student involvement in designing the curriculum for the Afro-American studies degree.[2] The demands were later rejected by Pusey as baseless.[3]:27 At noon on April 9, a group of 30[1] to 70[2] students entered University Hall, ejecting administrative staff and faculty. While most left the building peacefully, some faculty like assistant dean Archie Epps were forcefully expelled.[3]:22 At 4:15pm Harvard Yard was closed off by the administration, citing safety concerns. The occupiers were threatened with criminal prosecution and disciplinary action if they did not leave until 4:30.[3]:24 The Boston Globe estimated the number of students inside University Hall to now be about 500,[2] with at least 3000 onlookers in the Yard.[3]:27 At 5pm, a meeting between moderate students and Dean Fred Glimp was convened at Lowell Lecture Hall, both agreeing on a peaceful resolution of the conflict.[3]:27

At 10pm on April 9, Pusey decided to call in city and state police for help.[2] At 4:45am that night, the mayor of Cambridge, Walter Sullivan, warned the occupiers to leave, before sending over 400 police officers in at 5am.[3]:28 Estimates on the number of people arrested vary between 100,[2] 196,[4]:30 and 300.[5] Amongst them were a number of press people, who got released immediately.[3]:28 At least 75 persons were injured,[5] of which about 50 were treated at hospitals.[4]:30 Most of those arrested were charged with trespassing, of whom around 170 were fined twenty dollars. Three were charged with assault and battery, and two were sentenced to nine months in jail.[2][4]:30

Robert Tonis, chief of the Harvard University Police, believing the police intervention to be unwarranted, spoke with the occupiers, apologising for the actions of the police.[5] The Faculty of Arts and Sciences were quick to condemn the intervention of the police, while also criticising the occupation.[2] A number of students were expelled, some of them without the possibility of reapplication.[2][5] The reaction of the press was mixed: While most were critical of the occupation, some outlets like Newsweek said that faculty and students should have been consulted before police were called in.[6]:12

In the aftermath of the occupation, a series of reforms began. The ROTC lost the privileges not held by other extracurricular activities by a vote of the faculty. The Harvard Corporation later endorsed that vote.[2] Student representatives got a role in the appointment of faculty for Afro-American studies.[1]

References
  1. "Echoes of 1969". Harvard Magazine.
  2. "Harvard Students Occupy University Hall". www.massmoments.org. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  3. "The Occupation" (PDF). Harvard Alumni Bulletin. 71 (11): 18ff. April 28, 1969.
  4. "The Bust" (PDF). Harvard Alumni Bulletin. 71 (11): 28ff. April 28, 1969.
  5. "'Haunted by the War': Remembering The University Hall Takeover of 1969 | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  6. "Reactions" (PDF). Harvard Alumni Bulletin. 71 (11): 48. April 28, 1969.
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