reflected the feelings of a few who have found it difficult to give up a position favoring "negotiations" and also those who would like to see the antiwar movement diverted into campaigning for "peace" candidates of the Democratic or Republican parties.
The mood of the conference as a whole, however, was strongly against this. The arguments presented in the main by Socialist Workers party speakers carried the day.
Harry Ring summed them up suc-— cinctly. Washington should be selected, he said, because it puts Johnson on the spot more effectively. The theme "Bring the Boys Home Now" is effective in showing that the only real friends the GI's have are opponents of the war. Moreover it reflects the escalation of the antiwar movement, since only two years ago unity could not be obtained on it and the first marches had to be carried out under the less effective slogan of "End the War Now.
As to the date, this proposal came from the students, who -- up to now -have constituted the main driving force in the demonstrations. Schools open about the first of October and require a few weeks to get organized. Hence the antiwar demonstration should be staged as soon as possible after October 15.
While the date should be subject to adjustment in the light of practical considerations, a definite target date is required to pin things down and also to facilitate demonstrations in other countries.
Finally, it is evident that the staging of demonstrations and marches is catching on among the American people. Pro-Johnson forces have now realized this and are indicating that they intend to stage marches, utilizing rather demagogic slogans. The antiwar movement must meet this new challenge.
This position came closest to the consensus of the gathering. Arnold Johnson of the Communist party appeared to recognize this by throwing his weight at the end in the direction of a definite date and Washington as the site.
A different and potentially. more divisive issue was an attempt, again mainly by representatives of the Communist party or speakers under their influence to put the conference on record as favoring
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