University of Virginia Library

Yaf morally opposes
Vietnam moratorium

which many of the organization's
members now belong. Mr. Kwapisz
emphasized, however, that the
WYCF is "only an adjunct to YAF"
and does not occupy the
mainstream of the organization's
activities.

He pointed out that a "split"
within the national organization's
ranks has erupted between
traditional conservatives and
libertarians. The University's
chapter is "basically still
libertarian," he said. A recent
development in the organization, he
remarked, has been the emergence
of a faction of "laissez-faire
capitalist anarchists," who made an
abortive attempt to assert their
influence at the organization's
national convention in St. Louis
this summer.

Mr. Kwapisz said that the
national constitution of the
organization forbids it to officially
support any political party or
candidate, although individual
members of the organization do
take active roles in the work of
"one of the national parties."

Mr. Kwapisz asserted that the
YAF's have no lies with the John
Birch Society, which, he says, has
tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate
them on a number of occasions. He
also remarked that the YAF's
maintain cool relations with the
National Youth Alliance, the youth
supporters of Southern populist
George Wallace.

Turning to the Vietnam War
Moratorium issue, he described the
opposition of YAF to the
movement as a moral one. "The
question is not whether President
Shannon has the legal right to
cancel classes," he said. "The
question is whether he has the
moral right to use that power for
this purpose. We don't think he
does."

He said that, because of its
involvement in the Vietnam War,
the United States has assumed a
"moral responsibility" to the South
Vietnamese and said that cannot
reject that responsibility.

The purposes of the Moratorium
are not to offer a time for
discussion of our role in the war, he
asserted. Rather, he said, its
advocates are trying to use it as an
"indication of mass disappointment
in President Nixon's policies. This
discussion aspect is only a sham."

Meanwhile, in describing the
goals of his organization, Tom
Gardner, chairman of the Radical
Student Union, stated, "There are
so many things that are necessary
steps toward making this university
a better place, that it would be
impossible to name one specific
change we'd most like to see."

"I would like to see the
University be able to control its
own destiny," Mr. Gardner
continued. "To break the control
of DuPont, the Board of Visitors
and the general government."

"I don't think these will
ultimately be shaken off short of
revolution throughout our society."

When asked if this meant that
the Radical Student Union would
advocate the resort to violence to
bring about desired changes at the
University, Mr. Gardner said, "I
think the only people I've heard
talk about violence at this
university are in the administration.
I would find it deplorable if the
administration resorted to violence
to thwart change."

The RSU was founded last
spring because "there was felt a
need to provide an organization to
encompass the growth of radical
students at the University,"
according to Mr. Gardner.

The basic principle of the RSU
was to serve as a body through
which the various radical
organizations and students at the
University could coordinate their
activities, Mr. Gardner said.

He added, however, "I think
just as SDS and SSOC worked
together last spring to initiate the
activities leading to the Coalition,
the RSU will begin initiating its
own activities."

The RSU has received Student
Council recognition as an
organization which elects its
officers and collects dues. It
currently claims a membership of
about 60 students but Mr. Gardner
says, "We are not so concerned
with quantity at this point."

The Radical Student Union is
not part of a larger, national organization,
Mr. Gardner said, and added
that it is not seeking any outside
support, financial or otherwise.
"We don't have any money," he
said. "We got a little money from
selling pamphlets but we're still in
debt."

"The RSU itself pro
run candidates (for student offices),"
he added, "although I can't
speak for the whole organization."

He continued, "Many individuals
of RSU are working in
many other ways and channels in
the University to bring about
change."

Turning to specific issues which
the RSU will involve itself in this
year, Mr. Gardner could only say,
"Our programs will probably develop
as the issues come out during
the year."