'U.S. Out of C. America!'

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BOSTON-On April 9, between 600 and 700 people attended a speakout here against intervention in Central America. The event, held in historic Faneuil Hall, was cosponsored by the Central America Solidarity Organization (CASA) and the Smedley D. Butler Brigade of the Veterans for Peace.

The speakout represented a major expression of the breadth of the anti-intervention movement. For the first time, the anti-intervention movement took the platform at this "cradle of liberty." Faneuil Hall was Boston's historic meeting place of the American Revolution and of the abolitionist movement in the 1830s.

Commenting on the appropriateness of the setting, the meeting's co-chair, Alexei Folger of CASA, said:

"In March of 1770, the day after the ACTioN Closing date: April 26, 1988 Editor: ALAN BENJAMIN Asst. Editors: MICHAEL SCHREIBER JOE RYAN Staff: Paul Colvin, May, May Gong, David Kirschner, Hayden Perry, Kwame M.A... Somburu, Sylvia Weinstein..

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2 SOCIALIST ACTION Boston massacre, Samuel Adams spoke here and demanded, 'British troops out of Boston!' And he won. We're here to demand, 'U.S. out of Central America!' And we're going to win too."

The event's featured speakers included peace activist and Vietnam veteran Brian Willson and John C. Ryan, a former FBI agent who was fired for refusing to investigate Willson as a "terrorist."

Willson spoke clearly of the need to maintain protest actions in defense of Nicaragua's right to self-determination. Noting the parallel to the early years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, he stated that—according to Nuremburg rules— citizens can and should take direct action against violations of international law.

Willson lost his legs when he was hit by a train operated by Navy personnel during a protest at the weapons depot at Concord, Calif., in September 1987. His personal sacrifices have symbolized the dedication of the antiwar and Central America solidarity movements. Willson was welcomed by the Faneuil Hall crowd with a standing ovation.

John Ryan's speech was an indication of how far the anti-intervention movement can reach. Ryan, who was speaking alongside Willson for the first time, described his personal odyssey from FBI agent to peace activist. His contact with the antiwar movement and with liberation theology led him to conclude that the kind of peaceful protest Brian Willson was engaged in was not only legitimate but necessary.

David MacMichael, a former CIA analyst of Latin American affairs, spoke to the meeting on behalf of the Christic Institute. In a landmark lawsuit against the U.S. government, the Christic Institute has provided evidence of undercover operations, drug-running escapades, and assassination plots carried out by a "Secret Team" within the government.

Tess Ewing of the Massachusetts Labor Committee for Human Rights and Democracy in Central America spoke to the meeting about El Salvador.

The meeting raised over $3700 for the Veterans' Peace Convoy to Nicaragua. The Convoy is planning an overland journey through Central America in trucks filled with oats to help feed the Nicaraguan people.

MAY 1988 By BE Socialist Action is two months into its Spring 1988 publication and recruitment drive, and already some important gains have been registered.

Twelve new Socialist Action pamphlets on a wide range of political topics have been produced, with four more titles due out by the end of May. (The new titles are the following: Lessons of the P-9 Strike, Philippines: Reform or Revolution, Stock Market Crash: Its Meaning for Working People, and Lessons of Working Class Defeats: An Analysis of the Popular Fronts in Spain, Chile and Peru.)

Socialist Action members have sold a combined total of 3500 pamphlets. By far the highest-selling pamphlet is Ralph Schoenman's "The Hidden History of Zionism," which has sold over 900 copies. Due to the mounting demand for this work on Zionism, Walnut Publishing Co. has decided to reprint the pamphlet in an expanded 160-page version, which is due out by mid-May.

Socialist Action's Spring forums