The Day the 60s Died: The Kent State Shootings

In April 1970, President Nixon took to the airwaves to announce that the Vietnam War was winding down. Ten days later, he ordered American troops to cross the Cambodian border to attack North Vietnamese troops and destroy enemy supplies. Feeling betrayed, students on American college campuses declared strikes and attacked school buildings that were perceived to be symbols of government authority (such as ROTC). Things were decidedly "ugly and out of control" when the National Guard was ordered to Kent State University by Ohio's conservative governor, Jim Rhodes. The soldiers opened fire on May 4, 1970, killing four unarmed students and wounding others. Filmmaker Jonathan Halperin's PBS-aired documentary recalls those turbulent days, while also examining the lasting effects. Critics contend that Nixon inflamed the situation by calling student protestors "bums," and note that Rhodes later claimed that the students "asked for it." Former guard members say they felt besieged, and received poor intelligence on the crisis. Conservative Nixon advisor Pat Buchanan here dismisses the protest as a "revolt of the over-privileged," while leftist Students for a Democratic Society leader Mark Rudd claims it was a valid reaction against an immoral and illegitimate war. The documentary presents abundant news clips from the period, capturing a nation that was turning into "warring tribes" (indeed, a key moment came when a group of hard hat construction workers attacked an anti-war rally on Wall Street, marking the emergence of the "silent majority"). One of many surrealistic scenes from that time was an early morning visit that Nixon made to the Lincoln Memorial, where he tried to communicate with alienated students. Buchanan notes that the silent majority eventually won the political war, but the protesters won the cultural war, launching successful fights in the gay civil rights and feminist arenas, among other movements. Offering a timely and informative look at an iconic event during an earlier period of deep divisiveness in America, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)