The Assassin

Anti-War Protestor

                                                                 Chapter 8

Antiwar Protestor

Matt

It soon became clear to me that John Ellis actually lived in the commune. He knew everyone there. Another young man by the name of Matt appeared to be in charge. He too was a student at Berkeley. This was his third year there.

Matt was at least 6'5" with a mustache and long dark hair that hung down to his shoulders. He was extremely intelligent and articulate. He was obviously in good shape. He was very athletic.

John Ellis told me that Matt had grown up in a wealthy family in the Hamptons. He had been an outstanding athlete in high school. He had been captain of the football, basketball, and rifle teams.

Matt assembled the small group soon after the introductions were made. John Ellis and Matt initially excused me from the room, but after having a conversation that was obviously about me, they called me back in. They had agreed that I could stay.

Everyone deferred to Matt. He was obviously their leader. He explained that he and his friends were part of a movement to end the Vietnam War.

"We intend to force the government to end the war. We will not back down. The government needs to know that we're serious. We will fight fire with fire if necessary.

"Many of the people here have lived here for at least a couple of years. Some of the others are new. They are all willing to help in our efforts.

"Many of us are students at Berkeley and other colleges and universities in the general area. We also have friends who attend other college campuses across the state and country.

"We have all been working together for at least a year to organize as many students as possible to protest the Vietnam War. Our organization has been busy arranging marches at college campuses across the country to protest.

"We plan to coordinate marches on many different college campuses on the same day in October. I believe that the National Guard will resist our protests. The government views us as part of the problem. They would like to suppress our efforts in any way they can.

"There are already thousands of students on different college campuses who will participate. The more extensive the protests become, then the more likely the government will be to listen to us.

"Our goal is to force the government to listen by convincing them that the majority of the people in America oppose the Vietnam War. John Ellis and I have both been traveling from campus to campus and speaking with the leaders on the other campuses.

"We have formed a network that has contacts everywhere. The number of students who are willing to join the protests has been increasing every day. The students are planning a coordinated series of protests, and after these protests are complete, we plan to make a massive march on Washington.

"We will confront Johnson personally. He is responsible for what is happening in Vietnam, and he has to be persuaded to change his mind."

Matt believed that he would be able to put together as many as a million students to march on Washington. That should certainly get the president's attention.

Both Matt and John Ellis asked me to become part of their group. They believed in their efforts and thought that they could succeed in bringing our troops home from Vietnam.

Like the others, however, I would remain at Berkeley and retain my draft deferment, but my time would be devoted primarily to their cause. My college studies would take second place. I could work just hard enough to pass and stay in school. I would lose my college deferment if I flunked out.