THE VOLUNTOWN PEACE TRUST
  • Home
  • About
    • Gandhi's Three Elements
    • Board & Staffing
    • Annual Report 2021
    • Nonviolence & Safety Guidelines
    • History of the Property
    • Directions
  • Programs
    • Partner Organizations
    • Calendar of Events
    • Activities
    • Rare Documents
  • Rentals
    • A.J. Muste Conference Center
    • Ahimsa Lodge
    • Chuck's Cabin
    • Swann House
    • Johnson Yurt
  • VPT Voice Newsletters
  • A Peace of History Blog
  • Support Us
  • Home
  • About
    • Gandhi's Three Elements
    • Board & Staffing
    • Annual Report 2021
    • Nonviolence & Safety Guidelines
    • History of the Property
    • Directions
  • Programs
    • Partner Organizations
    • Calendar of Events
    • Activities
    • Rare Documents
  • Rentals
    • A.J. Muste Conference Center
    • Ahimsa Lodge
    • Chuck's Cabin
    • Swann House
    • Johnson Yurt
  • VPT Voice Newsletters
  • A Peace of History Blog
  • Support Us

A Peace of History

Only Three Honorable Choices, 1960

12/23/2021

 
In the following two letters, members of the Committee for Nonviolent Action (CNVA) explain the motivations for their actions and give a glimpse into their greater worldview. A month before these letters were published openly in the Polaris Action Bulletin, nine CNVA members were arrested during an action to disrupt the launch of the Ethan Allen nuclear-armed Polaris submarine in New London-Groton, Connecticut. The first letter challenges the prosecuting attorney to indict other (older and more “respectable”) CNVA members, invoking both the letter of the law as well as the spirit of general fairness. This remarkable act of solidarity helped to reframe the narrative of the case from a story of young hooliganism to a story of principled nonviolent activists with radical but logical opinions about the Cold War. Indeed, while the prosecutors did answer the challenge by indicting four more CNVA organizers along with the original nine, most of the charges would ultimately be dropped. In the second letter, even more CNVA members with strong reputations up the ante even higher with the challenge to either 1) indict all pacifists who have taken part in civil disobedience related to Polaris submarines (whether legally or not); 2) to drop the charges altogether; or 3) to resign their positions. Called “a Christmas letter,” this second letter appealed to Christian values that were more common at the time: challenge to unjust authority, love for thy neighbor, willingness to self-sacrifice for the greater good, and conviction to establish peace on Earth. While the second letter did not seem to have as much of an impact as the first, it was a decent play as it kept the prosecutors on their toes, not knowing what to expect from these nonviolent radicals. Despite the CNVA members being charged in court, it was the State that was on the defensive.

See the first part of this story here: http://www.voluntownpeacetrust.org/a-peace-of-history-blog/challenging-a-nuclear-submarine-in-new-london-1960
See the second part of this story here: http://www.voluntownpeacetrust.org/a-peace-of-history-blog/consequences-of-challenging-a-nuclear-submarine-1960 
See the third part of this story here: http://www.voluntownpeacetrust.org/a-peace-of-history-blog/multiple-tactics-to-expose-the-nuclear-threat-1960 

(Click the image below to download the PDF version of the original newsletter clipping)
Picture

--
Take Action

The CT Committee on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes a few pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook or email us at vptcomm@gmail.com

— 
Support Us

If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust 

— 
Source

Meister, Kenneth, Marjorie Swann, Robert Swann. “Text of a letter delivered to the U.S. Attorney in New Haven, Conn., Nov. 28:” Polaris Action Bulletin. 29 December 1960 (Bulletin #17), page 2. 

Dellinger, David, Madeline Gins, Arthur Harvey, Margaret W. Haworth, Kenneth Meister, A.J. Muste, F. Porter Sargent, J. Kathryn Sargent, Marjorie Swann. “Text of a Christmas letter sent to U.S. Attorneys McDonald and Hultgren, Jr.:” Polaris Action Bulletin. 29 December 1960 (Bulletin #17), page 2.

Comments are closed.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.