The following interview was given to The Militant, an American socialist journal, on April 12 by Clark Kissinger, national secretary of Students for a Democratic Society. The SDS organised the March on Washington which at its peak was 30,000 strong,
Q- What do you hope the March will accomplish?
A. Well, I think there are two main goals of the March. The first is to meke some sort of dent in the conception that there is a concensus of all the people behind the President on the war in Vietnam. We want to make it known that there is another point of view in America and that there is a sizeable portion of American public opinion which dissents from America's current role in South East Asiae
The second goal of the March is to make some effort towards the reconstitution of a viable peace movement in the U.S. or at least to bring together some sort of coalition of all forces within the U.S. which oppose the war in Vietnameeee
Q- In the process of organising the March, have you noticed any evidence . of a new mood on campuses regarding the war in Vietnam? :
A. That's difficult to say because in operations piloting a desk in New Py York I wouldn't have the same experience as someone who is travelling on the campuses. : However, I think there is a new mood on the campuses. I'm not sure I would ascribe it directly to the war in Vietnam alone. All of the activities which have been going on this year - the Free Speech Movement, the protest against the war in Vietnam, and so forth -° - have contributed to a growing student movement that's been developing since 1960. The large outpouring of student support for this demonstration is symptomatic of the growth of the student movement in America.
Q- What is your personal reaction to Johnson's recent speech on Vietnam?
A. He simply reaffirmed his previous position that the U.S. would not tolerate a successful revolution in Vietnam. He probably went further in that speech then ever before in attributing the causes of the war to North Vietnam; that is, characterising the war as a war of aggression as if an army had marched across the 17th parallel into South Vietnam.
His supposed unconditional negotiations were obviously quite conditional. His first condition was that the U.S. would not negotiate with those we are fighting, namely, the National Liberation Front. His second condition was that he would not enter into an agreement that would mean a victory for the N.L.Feeeee
@- Do you think the speech will slow down the protest movement...?
A. I don't think soe We did have one or two calls the next morning wanting to know if the March had been called off or not, but when we told them it wasn't, they seemed to be quite satisfied. Most people that I've talked to, and of course I deal primarily with militants and people who are in the movement, saw through the speech.e..1 think a lot of students were really turned off by the speech and didn't realise before it that Johnson was that bad. I don't think it will have any effect upon the March, or on the growing movement in the country against the war.