Page Four SCARLET AND BLACK Friday. November 7, 1969 State Department Official confronts Vietnam War Critics Here By John Gardner Thomas Barnes, 8 U.S. State Department Far East special- ist who visited Grinnell last week, encountered serious questioning on the American role in Vietnam, mild heck- ling, and, by his account, the first happening he had ever witnessed. The heckling came from a number of the estimated 200 students present tor his speech } Washington Continued from Page 1 Committee to coordinate the bus transportation. In addition to the scheduled activities, actions are also being planned by a militant “red flag contingent.” The radical group is being formulated by a coali- tion including the Black Pane ther Party, the Committees Against Fascism, Youth Against War and Fascism, the Commit- tee of Returned Volunteers, Yippies, and various factions of SDS. Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hotl- man, two of the defendants in the “Conspiracy 8" trial, are expected to participate in the Washington action. Plans at the present call for a march on the headquarters of the Department of Justice with demands oi “Stop the Trial” (or the Conspiracy 8) and ”Free All Political Prisoners.” A march on the “Injustice Department” will tollow the mass march on Sat- urday. During the mass march, members of the “red flag con» tingent” wrll march together carrying red ilags, Viet Cong flags, and banners showing solidarity with the Vietnamese people. The planning for the radical faction, was begun at a meeting in Newark, N. 1., with much oi the impetus coming from the newly formed “Mad Dog" caucus of SDS which supports neither the Weatherman or RYMVII factions. Although RYM—II is expected to par- ticipate in the Washington action, Weatherman as yet has not been involved. All plans tor Washington are tentative as the 5&3 goes to press, pending the securing of parade permits and the con- firmation Of final arrange- ments. The Justice Department has so for denied a permit for the Saturday march, fearing vio- lence while the “White House is surrounded." MOYER'S SHOE SERVICE repairs shoes Next to Crinnell State Bank Thursday night (Oct. 30) in Herrick Chapel, and the hapr pening was staged by Jacob Margolin, a New Jersey sopho- more, who took a microphone in the questionrandranswer ses- sion that followed Barnes’ speech and lambasted the “Pig” of American foreign policy. Barnes appeared under the auspices of the International Studies Program, and was seated with a panel composed of iacuity members Alan Nas— ser (Phil), Terry Farssinen (History), and Jolln Guthrie (Diplomat-in-Residence), along with F, W. (“Tommy”) Toma- sek, a local attorney. From the panel members, as well as the students. came the chal— lenges to the facticity of the utficial’s analyses of American presence in the Far East, as well as to his predictions for the future in Vietnam. His official topic was “Vietnam ~ Present and Future.” The program began with Barnes' general analyses of the political and economic Sltllr ations of those Southeast Asian countries with which Barnes was most familiar from his service in Bien Long in Viet- nam, and his current position as "country officer” in Laos with the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian Affairs. His descriptions of the ”rich ness” of each of the countries he touched on later served to introduce the question oi American economic motives in interfering with the internal affairs of each of the countries. Before Nasser introduced this problem, the town attor- ney scored Barnes in the words of an old Walter Lippman col» umn on the dangers of Ameri- can intervention in a country "reasonably beyond our sphere of influence.” Barnes replied that America would have to be more careful of its use of power in the future (after Vietnam), “because it makes good sense.” Speaking while a student held a viet Cong tlag througlir out the program and the ques- tion-andanswer session that followed it, the official replied to points Nasser raised about the economic underscoring or FOR SCHOOL 9" TVPEWRIYE R suerues GRINNELL OFFICE SUPPLY G‘lNNEU—flbwA Arron (rats, The Risiofiite the intervention of America in the affairs of thirdrworld (and primarily exporting) countries by saying that he did not think that the U.S. was in Vietnam “for tungsten and tin," and that he did, in fact believe, there was a certain moral im» perative in the us, presence. Commenting later in the pro gram that he said he did not regard the American interven tion as necessarily immoral or unjust, for one reason, he said, because “President Nixon has clearly enunciated a policy of withdrawal." State Department official po- sition appeared to enter into Barnes’ views on the history or the Viet Cong and the relative power of the National Libera- tion Front in South Vietnam; both views were hotly critir Cized by both Nasser and Stu- dents in the audience. Barnes stated that the formation of the Viet Cong dated from the 1950's, and was in fact formed on directive from Peking, to a counterpoint of quiet state- ments such as “That is a lie" from the philosophy professor. The power of the Viet Cong, the official stated, is broken at the present time, although. he conceded, it could build itself up to its former high-water- mark in four to iive years. As the question-andanswer W Thomas Barnes, a Far East specialist with the State Depart- ment, spoke in Gr-innell recently and countered criticism of US. policies by students and faculty members. session continued. the magni- tude and necessity of such American sacrifices as the “defense” of Hue were dressed in the pragmatic‘and iinemo tional style of Barnes expla- nations. The State Department official retained his dispassinnr ate calm until the end of the evening, however, and at one point deflected a question on President Nixon’s war plans by saying, “Let's wait and see what Mr. Nixon says on No- vember 3." Although it seemed evident Barnes neither expected nor considered possible a major policy switch by Nixon, he commented that the nation might well be surprised by the President’s remarks. However, in the long heralded speech delivered Monday night, Nixon announced no major policy changes. 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