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Exile Returns

By VVAW

(Louisville, Nov 16) - Steve Grossman, a draft resister, who refused to be inducted into the military returned to the United States on Nov. 16th to discuss the reasons for his resistance to the war in Indochina. He announced that he would be traveling throughout the Northeast and Midwest to point out the total incorrectness of the Ford earned re-entry program during the fifteen-day period he has to turn himself in, in accordance with the punitive plan. Grossman made his plans public at the amnesty conference held in Louisville, Kentucky sponsored by the National Council for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty.

Steve will be speaking at the invitation of VVAW/WSO in ten cities. The purpose of the tour is to point out that resistance to the war in Indochina was right and that people in the United States must realize that universal and unconditional amnesty is the only resolution. Because Ford's earned re-entry plan is a deceitful sham, the exile community and VVAW/WSO, among others, has urged a boycott of the bogus amnesty.

One major point that Grossman made was that Ford's punitive plan negates the fact that the majority of resisters in need of amnesty are the 580,000 veterans with less-than-honorable discharges. He said, "The veterans of the Vietnam-era have been screwed by the American government. There are thousands and thousands of veterans who because of their resistance to the war in Indochina, and the repression of the military now suffer because of bad discharges. It is almost impossible for them to find jobs and besides, they're denied benefits promised to them under the GI Bill, and all because of their resistance to the imperialist military."

Another point that he made at the Louisville conference was that in addition to the veterans, there were thousands of civilians who received jail sentences, fines, and criminal records because they opposed the war in Vietnam. He stated that veterans, civilians and exiles had to unite to fight together to insure that a real amnesty is given.

As for himself, Steve feels that he committed no crime; that his resistance was necessary in order to support the struggle of the Vietnamese people against the economic and military interference of the United States in Indochina. He felt that it was important that an exile from Canada come to the US in order that they could speak directly to the American people. He stated, "By coming here and by speaking in many cities, I hope that people will see that the fight for amnesty is a fight against the system that continues to oppress the Indochinese and at the same time, the people in the United States."

Steve urged all resisters who are eligible for the Ford earned re-entry program to boycott it. The plan, according to the exile, is designed to divide the amnesty movement and cover-up the crimes of Nixon. Steve said that "resisters are not criminals. The real criminals are the corporations, the politicians and the generals."