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Student protests, 1972-1973

1972-05-12 Daily Iowan Article: ""Protesters block I-80"" Page 3

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Page 2 - The Daily Iowan - Iowa City, Iowa- Friday, May 12, 1972

Des Moines sees largest rally in years

By STEVE BAKER
Daily Iowan Staff Writer
DES MOINES - There's a statue of Abe Lincoln and his son Todd near the State Capitol entrance here. 
Usually, it's a pretty quiet locale. But Thursday was different. 
As a crowd of 1,200 peaceful anti-war demonstrators headed back to their colleges and jobs across Iowa, Abe was left holding a placard that read "Fuck Nixon."
That was the thrust of a statewide peace rally that started with speeches and singing at Des Moines federal building and ended with a march to the Statehouse. 
There the group burned an effigy of President Nixon in a fountain and made themselves at home, climbing onto statues and tying white armbands - the Vietnamese symbol of mourning - onto statued figures. 
Amidst the singing and chanting, the group - mainly youthful in character - then converged on the State Capitol doors, under the watchful eye of security guards, highway patrolmen and Des Moines police. 
The demonstrators chanted "We want Ray," but Iowa Gov. Robert Ray wasn't in the building to listen to the crowd's opposition to the Indochinese War. 
However, organizers of the rally persuaded the participants to remain peaceful and to "go knock on doors and turn out of office people like Nixon and Ray."
Marchers stretched out six block enroute to the statehouse and chanted "Peace Now" in echoing choruses. 
"Join us," they urged bystanders. 
"I've got to work... do you want to buy a Rambler?" was one salesman's reply although many flashed peace signs at the crowd. 
The demonstrators came from a flock of different schools in Iowa, although the majority appeared to be Iowa State University students. About 75 Iowa Citians made the trip. 
It was the largest anti-war march in the Iowa capital city, at least in recent years. 
The protest activities got underway with speeches by several anti-war leaders, including Democratic gubernatoral candidate and State Sen. John Tapscott, State Rep. Arthur Small (D-Iowa City) and Iowa AFL-CIO leader Jim Winghert. 
U.S Sen. Harold Highes (D-Ia) also addressed the group via telephone telling them he will help launch a 50 state campaign today to end the war by congressional action. 
According to Hughes, the effort - dubbed Peace Alert USA- "is based on the conviction that people at the grassroots of all 50 states can move Congress to act."
Hughes said the most critical period for action is "the next six weeks" and that the operation must "influence members of Congress who've never voted for peace before"
Tapscott, who greeted the crowd with a Sammy Davis Jr. type fist and peace sign salute, told the crowd he agreed with Small's earlier suggestion that Ray *again ground the Iowa National Guard airplanes if he's opposed to this immoral war."
Winghert called on the group to form a coalition of "workers, students, blacks and other minorities" to defeat supporters of the war effort in upcoming elections something that was a running theme through most of the speeches. 
Throughout the activities at the federal building, a pair of counter demonstrators paced up and down behind the crowd. Their placards read "American- Support it or leave it" and "Commie Puppets are demonstrating."
"I'm just an ordinary American citizen" one of the two, Dale Hanson of Des Moines said "It's time we started backing our president."
Hanson, who said he was a Marine corporal on leave, added that "it's not for me to decide if it (activation of mines of North Vietnamese harbors) is wrong."
But the two counter-pickets attracted little attention from the banner waving sign carrying peace group - many said they were attending their first demonstration. Others were veterans. 
For instance, two somber elderly men with long flowing beards seemed almost in tears when talk of a potential escalation was mentioned in speeches
One held a sign that read "Stop Dick or we all die."

Summit still on, Russ visitor hints

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Nixon, smiling and injecting the word "friendship" into casual conversation, met Thursday with a Soviet trade minister who later said: "We never had any doubts" about the May 22 Moscow summit. 
The comment by Foreign Trade Minister Nikolai Patolichev came after a surprise White House meeting, described officially as a "courtesy call" by the minister and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly F. Dobrynn. 
However, after walking with Nixon to a helicopter which flew the President to his Camp David retreat, presidential adviser Henry Kissinger was asked by newsmen whether the summit was still on "We just don't know" Kissinger replied
Kong based British vessel. This left 31 foreign merchant ships still in Haiphong including 12 flying Soviet flags, 
Asked whether Russian naval ships are en route to the Tonkin gulf area. Pentagon spokesman Jerry Friedheim said said: "I have nothing to report Thursday morning on either Chinese or Soviet fleet movements."
On Wednesday Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird said only that there was no evidence of Soviet naval movements in response to the mines. 
So far, Friedheim reported there were "no mine sweeping operations going on" in the entrances to the seven North Vietnamese ports. 
The tone of the first high level Soviet
discussed his visit to Washington for trade talks but did not talk about Vietnam or the planned summit. 
Ziegler said Patolichev's White House visit had been under discussion for several days. The minister had arrived in Washington on Sunday for talks with Secretary of Commerce Peter G. Perterson and other officials, following up on the November visit to Moscow by then Commerce Secretary Maurice Stans. 
Although officials would not comment it seemed unlikely that the Soviet officials would use the meeting to deliver the Kremlin statement denouncing Nixon's orders to mine North Vietnamese ports
The statement distributed by the govern

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3 (of 4) Page 2 - The Daily Iowan - Iowa City, Iowa- Friday, May 12, 1972 Des Moines sees largest rally in years By STEVE BAKER Daily Iowan Staff Writer DES MOINES - There's a statue of Abe Lincoln and his son Todd near the State Capitol entrance here. Usually, it's a pretty quiet locale. But Thursday was different. As a crowd of 1,200 peaceful anti-war demonstrators headed back to their colleges and jobs across Iowa, Abe was left holding a placard that read "Fuck Nixon." That was the thrust of a statewide peace rally that started with speeches and singing at Des Moines federal building and ended with a march to the Statehouse. There the group burned an effigy of President Nixon in a fountain and made themselves at home, climbing onto statues and tying white armbands - the Vietnamese symbol of mourning - onto statued figures. Amidst the singing and chanting, the group - mainly youthful in character - then converged on the State Capitol doors, under the watchful eye of security guards, highway patrolmen and Des Moines police. The demonstrators chanted "We want Ray," but Iowa Gov. Robert Ray wasn't in the building to listen to the crowd's opposition to the Indochinese War. However, organizers of the rally persuaded the participants to remain peaceful and to "go knock on doors and turn out of office people like Nixon and Ray." Marchers stretched out six block enroute to the statehouse and chanted "Peace Now" in echoing choruses. "Join us," they urged bystanders. "I've got to work... do you want to buy a Rambler?" was one salesman's reply although many flashed peace signs at the crowd. The demonstrators came from a flock of different schools in Iowa, although the majority appeared to be Iowa State University students. About 75 Iowa Citians made the trip. It was the largest anti-war march in the Iowa capital city, at least in recent years. The protest activities got underway with speeches by several anti-war leaders, including Democratic gubernatoral candidate and State Sen. John Tapscott, State Rep. Arthur Small (D-Iowa City) and Iowa AFL-CIO leader Jim Winghert. U.S Sen. Harold Highes (D-Ia) also addressed the group via telephone telling them he will help launch a 50 state campaign today to end the war by congressional action. According to Hughes, the effort - dubbed Peace Alert USA- "is based on the conviction that people at the grassroots of all 50 states can move Congress to act." Hughes said the most critical period for action is "the next six weeks" and that the operation must "influence members of Congress who've never voted for peace before" Tapscott, who greeted the crowd with a Sammy Davis Jr. type fist and peace sign salute, told the crowd he agreed with Small's earlier suggestion that Ray *again ground the Iowa National Guard airplanes if he's opposed to this immoral war." Winghert called on the group to form a coalition of "workers, students, blacks and other minorities" to defeat supporters of the war effort in upcoming elections something that was a running theme through most of the speeches. Throughout the activities at the federal building, a pair of counter demonstrators paced up and down behind the crowd. Their placards read "American- Support it or leave it" and "Commie Puppets are demonstrating." "I'm just an ordinary American citizen" one of the two, Dale Hanson of Des Moines said "It's time we started backing our president." Hanson, who said he was a Marine corporal on leave, added that "it's not for me to decide if it (activation of mines of North Vietnamese harbors) is wrong." But the two counter-pickets attracted little attention from the banner waving sign carrying peace group - many said they were attending their first demonstration. Others were veterans. For instance, two somber elderly men with long flowing beards seemed almost in tears when talk of a potential escalation was mentioned in speeches One held a sign that read "Stop Dick or we all die." Summit still on, Russ visitor hints WASHINGTON (AP) - President Nixon, smiling and injecting the word "friendship" into casual conversation, met Thursday with a Soviet trade minister who later said: "We never had any doubts" about the May 22 Moscow summit. The comment by Foreign Trade Minister Nikolai Patolichev came after a surprise White House meeting, described officially as a "courtesy call" by the minister and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly F. Dobrynn. However, after walking with Nixon to a helicopter which flew the President to his Camp David retreat, presidential adviser Henry Kissinger was asked by newsmen whether the summit was still on "We just don't know" Kissinger replied Kong based British vessel. This left 31 foreign merchant ships still in Haiphong including 12 flying Soviet flags, Asked whether Russian naval ships are en route to the Tonkin gulf area. Pentagon spokesman Jerry Friedheim said said: "I have nothing to report Thursday morning on either Chinese or Soviet fleet movements." On Wednesday Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird said only that there was no evidence of Soviet naval movements in response to the mines. So far, Friedheim reported there were "no mine sweeping operations going on" in the entrances to the seven North Vietnamese ports. The tone of the first high level Soviet discussed his visit to Washington for trade talks but did not talk about Vietnam or the planned summit. Ziegler said Patolichev's White House visit had been under discussion for several days. The minister had arrived in Washington on Sunday for talks with Secretary of Commerce Peter G. Perterson and other officials, following up on the November visit to Moscow by then Commerce Secretary Maurice Stans. Although officials would not comment it seemed unlikely that the Soviet officials would use the meeting to deliver the Kremlin statement denouncing Nixon's orders to mine North Vietnamese ports The statement distributed by the govern