Althouse
10/10/10
What really happened at Kent State, back in 1970?:
Kent State tape indicates altercation and pistol fire preceded National Guard shootings
John Mangels
The Plain Dealer
10/8/2010
Terry Norman is surrounded by Ohio National Guardsmen as he seeks shelter after allegedly being assaulted by protesters. KSU News Service
KENT, Ohio — A noisy, violent altercation and four pistol shots took place about 70 seconds before Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on antiwar protesters at Kent State University, according to a new analysis of a 40-year-old audiotape of the event.
The discovery adds new perspective to — and raises new questions about — one of the signature events of the 20th century, after four decades of spirited discussion and research.
“They got somebody,” an observer says. “Kill him!” at least two male voices repeatedly shout, followed by sounds of a struggle and a female voice yelling, “Whack that [expletive]!” or “Hit that [expletive]!” Four distinct shots matching the acoustic signature of a .38-caliber revolver then ring out, according to a review by New Jersey forensic audio expert Stuart Allen.
Earlier this year, Allen and colleague Tom Owen examined the recording at The Plain Dealer’s request anddetermined that Guardsmen were given an order to prepare to fire moments before they unleashed a 13-second fusillade of rifle shots at a May 4, 1970 demonstration that killed four students and wounded nine others. What compelled the Guard to shoot is the central mystery of the iconic event, which galvanized sentiment against the Vietnam War…
…Though the tussle and pistol shots, if authenticated, match some key details of a confrontation several witnesses reported seeing or hearing involving a pistol-waving Kent State student named Terry Norman, they raise many new questions…
The entire article is at The Plain Dealer where the audio is also available.
One of the comments at Althouse is also important to read:
Mark Rudd, Bernardine Dohrn, the SDS and the Weathermen very nearly got what they wanted, to provoke a violent confrontation in which somebody would be hurt or killed, and so begin ‘the Revolution.”
On April 10, 1970, when Jerry Rubin spoke on the campus at Kent State, he said: “The first part of the Yippie program is to kill your parents. And I mean that quite literally, because until you’re prepared to kill your parents, you’re not ready to change this country. Our parents are our first oppressors.”
On May 22, at another campus rally, SDS member Rick Skirvin said, “We’ll start blowing up buildings, we’ll start buying guns, we’ll do anything to bring this motherfucker down.”
However, it was not until many years later, on launching Obama’s career from her living room in Chicago, was Dohrn, with husband and fellow Weatherman William Ayers, finally successful.
Each of Pogo’s assertions can be verified with a rudimentary web search. See also this blog entry at 25th Aviation Battalion.
Update: Student John Filo took this iconic photo of 14 year old run-away Mary Vecchio over the body of KSU student, Jeffrey Miller. John Filo’s story is here.
