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TOoM HAYDEN
religious blocs within the industrial working class learned out of necessity
to join together in the CIO during the thirties).
By creating a more radical and democratic atmosphere within the
United States, this new political-social movement will tip American for–
eign policy to the democratic Left.
6. In all of this, the huge increase in the numbers, education and
activity of the young will be a growing and dynamic force. It could
mean, to end on a wildly optimistic note, the creation of the first mass
constituency for "conscience" politics in American, or world, history.
Tom Hayden
1.
There was a short period in 1963-64 when it seemed pos–
sible that necessary changes in American life might be made with at
least partial, though often reluctant, cooperation from men in ruling
positions. During that time Kennedy had called for a Cold War thaw
and detente, the test-ban treaty was signed, civil rights and anti-poverty
legislation were passed, and, in general, a more rational liberalism-with
which dialogue was possible-seemed to be replacing the conservative
policies of the postwar years. Certainly, the fresh new atmosphere was
one of the factors motivating students- I was twenty-one at the time–
to take direct action against racial injustice.
I stress, it seemed only
possible;
the promising signs even then were
never more than token responses to intransigent problems. As Arthur
Schlesinger's history makes clear, Kennedy was firmly committed to
maintain the Soviet-American "balance of terror"; he invaded Cuba
with second thoughts mainly about the practicality of the enterprise;
was prepared to send troops to Laos if a political compromise was im–
possible; and made the fatal decision to send "advisers" to Vietnam. On
the domestic side, action was always too little, too late and administered
through the wrong people: it took the death of children to pass the 1963
civil rights bill ; Johnson'S War on Poverty has been mostly a political
pork barrel.
The (symbolic) turning point, after which these tiny hopes were
extinguished, came in Summer 1964 when the Mississippi Freedom
