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On 1 June 197O at about 1500, the captain of the attack carrier USS Midway made two announcements. But we are only concerned with the one pertaining to MDM. He made it clear that the ship's officers had intercepted, opened, and read the letters intended for other members of the Midway. They had handed them over to the captain. Only after he had inspected the contents of the envelopes did the captain let them be distributed. He said we were free to read the contents and makeup our own minds whether or not we agreed with the information in them. This is a constitutional right given to all citizens of the USA. Nice of him to allow us to exercise this right, wasn't it? But to this ‘privilege’ he added his own subtle command by saying if one had been sent to him he would hand it over to ONI and let them handle it.

We also know that on 2 June 1970 he held a forum which was a real joke. He made it clear that he had unleashed the ONI dogs on MDM. He also in his own subtle way made the fol Iowing accusations against MDM:

l) He said the Bulkhead and the pamphlet Military Duty, Service or Subservience? Contained misinformation from sources of questionable reliability.

2) Because the return address reads ‘Student Research Facility’, the captain thought students had something to do with the paper.

3) Following his ridiculous assumption that students were writing a Gl paper he got even more lost by questioning how students could pay the cost of the Bulkhead.

BACK
Our answer to your accusations, oh captain:

l) MDM is an organization of active duty GI's. The Bulkhead is written by active duty GI's. Aren't GI's a reliable source? The pamphlet was written by a newly reborn Army GI for the Student Research Facility. Isn't he a reliable source?

2) Because of ONI harrassment and brass harrassment on base, we have an office in Berkeley at 2214 Grove St. We share the office with the Student Research Facility.

There are no students in MDM except students in military schools.

3) We do not get any fundsfrom Hanoi, Peking, Moscow, Cuba, or any foreign governments. We also do not receive our funds from the CIA.

No, captain, the dissent is RIGHT lN THE MlDST OF YOUR OWN COMMAND. The GI's in MDM get funds from their own pockets, from ads in Bulkhead, from contributions we solicit from sympathetic civilians, and from fund raising.
Food far thought: if the Nuremburg trials proved one thing, they proved that each Gl is responsible for his own actions. How many German war criminals went to their deaths with these words on their lips? “But I was only obeying my orders.”

POWER TO THE PEOPLE signed, Members ot MDM imprisoned on the USS Midway.

Up Against the Bulkhead, vol. 1, no. 3

Library - Reading Room

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