◆ SpookStack

eee ee, CE OE 8 current effosts in community devel woent in the US. and around the worla, including South Vietnam. i Twice during my stay I had to seck .. + ‘anderground sheher during air raids: I felt and heard the bomb explosions and the defensive shel! bursts some tg Bailes away. After one raid. on Easter _ Sunday, I walked around Hano!. Within half an hour alter the raid I found > anyself sitting beside a bake in a central ~ park writing to my children, telling * them how ule Vietnamese children were playing, wading, fishing, running . barefoot. Ie struck me hard that our -:; Bombs were killing children like these, ro a much Hke my own. Later that after- moon I came across a Protestant church’ in which about 45 prople,-old and — Lie young. were praying. a On a visit to Phu Xz, a village about v+ ° “four miles from the cenicr of Hanoi ‘ 7 long the Red River dike, we picked up — 7 + souvenir of a US. bombing raid. Ir . was a baseball-sized antipersonnel frag. <- - tRentation bomb (luckily, this one was a - ‘+ dud) which explodes imto hundreds of _. <7". “fragments and pelleu designed 10 de- . 7 #trey people bue leave buildings and. | : . property undamaged. The wnit from r.: 2. which our bascball came holds suo such >... - borabs, which spread over a wide area on impact. At a preis conference in _ Hong Kong after our return we showed eur baseball, and the U.S. government oor ct geabaequently admitted having used such =- - weapons in the north since February | a [° “The Phoenix voyage waa planned af- oo Ez. +: “er other attempts at sending medical -- -- + Supplies wo North Victnam had failed. | 257’ wer two years ago the American >. Friends Service Committee began trying _ to sfnd relief wo the three Vietnams: re Saipon, the National Liberation. Front <a 7) (Vietcong) and Hanoi, However, US. es... {government policy permitted relief only ~ =. :- $9 the south, where there are now three . AFSC. Tams: & community de — Po | cy welopment <7. ] community center and (soon to become .- —~F-+-2; @perational) a physical therapy center...” er hoe Commitice Quakers in Canada de-~ r _. veloped a medical aid program for all of on ‘pam and the N.LF. When Americans *- gram the US. state deporiment decided ep be te =. wacial and economic justice; and the-- -_ project, a child day care and ~ - h the Canadian Friends Ser ore -Cross also discouraged uz From Septem. . - 2° ber 1966 until about the time the Phoe- Vietnam, sending supplies to the Red «..~ - Cross societies of South and North Vict. - =~ began making contributions to this pro- *. 2 2 Reprinted by A QUAKE wt 20 South 12th Street, Philadelphia, a nn ee ee BMALHMLAL LIGH, afi SAUTICIICU prever contro! division of the ircasury depa: _ ment under the 1917 Trading with the -; -Enemy act. In the fall of 1966 the ~ » @easury department asked the Toronto _- Bank used by the Canadian Friends - Service Committee lo cooperate In stop- ’ ping American contributivhs. The bank refused (“We are not yet your gist state”). Then the treasury deparrment sent instructions to all US. banks to refuse to negotiate cancelled checks made out to the Canadian society. (The US. government had also blocked tro AQ.A.G. bank accounts in Philadelphia -_ totalling $1,400.) In September 1086 the government did relent to the extent of - permitiing Quaker groups to make do- nations of about $15,c00 for Vicmam relief. Apparently such aid was though to be in the national interest at that “ NewGresp | tive action through the foreign ase: . ~ ., AQA.G, had been established in july * 1966 to challenge the U.S. war policy in Vietnam, help bring the war to an end, get medical aid to civilians in all of Vietnam and stimulate al] Quakers to work harder for peace in Vietnam. Hor- - _ ace Champney, a retired social psychol. ogist and printer from Yellow Springs, Ohio, suggested chat ax a means to continue and expand our aid ux both aides we sail the Phoenix into Haiphong with 2 Quaker crew, some of whom were |. yeady to may wochelp distribute che mocdical supplies and share in the suffer: ing of the North Victnamese. Again our _ bank accoun: was blocked. Since the (- government refused to validate our : passports for the crip, we know we werc ., Fishing revocation—which became an actuality upon our return. With the bank accounts. The state department -. told us that if we made the trip we * $10,000 fine for violation of the Trading . with the Enemy act. At this writing the ~~ government hac nor decided whether to Nowh Vietnam government and Red ‘from Vudich Tung. chairman of the elon Me Be tes feet TT aa ae ia : *. : 7 - @ooperation of the American Civil Lib- erties Union we are now appealing both “ ‘the revocation and the blocking of the” - would be subject. to a maximum pun- ° ishment of ten years in prison and/or a move against us on that charge. - =~. |: ." Not only was the U.S. government - "T+ agaisist our going to North Vietnam: the nix reached Tokyo we received no re” ~Bponse to our repeated letters to Normh Vietnam. Then we received two cables. R ACTION GROUP. Penna DUt tO Bend Ihe Medical aia to ! and to contact a North Vietnames resentative abroad if we had othe gestions to help the people in Vie We replied that we appreciated concern for our afety but were aw westiy ee _ and willing to cake all risks invol ’ Goals and Accomplishmente Most people are acquainied nonviolent protests, Ours was a Ff against war as an institution as ¥ against ovr government's role i war. We. were attempting to cr chaunel through which Americans give and administer medical aid t ian causulues in North Vietnam 3 - offer a concrete expression of thi ness of humanity across man-mad riers of alienation. . We did accomplish many thin; ” delivered the medical aid in per the Red Cross society. We estal friendly direct communication wi ‘Red. Cross and people of Norit nam. We came home fecling son sonal identification with the Vieunamese. Moreover, a num! Quakers and Friends meetings _ moved to act more forcefully on n aid and peace projects as a result trip. We -have had innumerable -tunities to talk to the American about this war and moral value-t hewspapers, radio and television Since returning we have .m ‘change in the attitude of “Am s toward the war: there is much questioning of U.S. policy, more | tion to i. We have visited man tors, representatives and their ass In genera}, the legislators are int in our experience; they listen arte and are seriously searching for ternative to the administration's But in our visits to officials — treasury and state deparuments the White House we have founc interest in. our experiences —2 a polite listening. They have seen - fensive about US. policy, unwil wonsider alternatives. We have clearly uosuccessful.in our effort ' tyade the government to char “Vietnam policy, -: Another goal we did “was establishment : - Quaker presence in North Vietr ‘administer medical aid and help not fully ; of an. Ar rebuilding of destroyed homes, bh - and schools. We were told in “thar because of health and safe "sons the time was not right for “say, but that when the time co , ..- ebuild Vietnam we would be wi -North Vietnamese Red Crass society, He - nop te cares