Library - Reading Room
Supporting Materials for Sir! No Sir!
Fonda And Friends Visit GI Center
Friday, May 22 (1970) Jane Fonda and Mark Lane rapped with about twenty GIs at Baltimore GIs United movement center. They arrived at GIs United after being expelled from Ft. Meade for attempting to get signatures for a petition to Congress denouncing the war. Fonda was indignant. "Petitioning to Congress ... is perfectly legal. An MP arresting someone for this is committing a federal crime. Yet they busted us for it. We asked them what we had done that was illegal. They said they did not know. They pushed us around too. We all have bruises." Miss Fonda is planning to press charges against the officer in charge.
At GIs United, Fonda wanted to know what she could do to assist GIs. She and her people are opening an office in Washington whose sole function will be to receive complaints from GIs. She wants the harassed GI to know that "there's someone behind them, someone that will stick up for them." Fonda stated "most of the activism which soldiers are harassed for is perfectly legal, if only they knew that."
Regarding the activities of GIs United, Fonda offered "if it would be any help for me to come or if there's anything I can do, tell me."
Two films were also shown. The first concerned with the dehumanizing process of basic training and the inequalities of military discipline. The second was a documentary revealing the hoistile feelings of South Vietnamese citizens, towards their 'saviours', the US military.
Open Ranks, vol. 1, no. 9