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The Report of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest; Including Special Reports: The Killings at Jackson State, the Kent State Tragedy.
This is the report issued by the President's Commission that was established after the tragedies at Ohio's Kent State University and Mississippi's Jackson State College. It is complete with photographs, extensive bibliography, and a detailed list of those who testified.
356 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1970
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November 5, 2022
This book records the proceedings and findings of the Scranton Commission, which President Richard Nixon convened on June 13, 1970 to study campus unrest in general and the killings at Kent State University and Jackson State University specifically.
The President appointed former Republican governor of Pennsylvania William Scranton as the chairman of the commission, which was then named after him, and gave him the authority to subpoena witnesses. However, the effect that this important right could have had on the findings of the commission was offset by the time limit that President Nixon imposed: the commission had to submit a report to him by October 1. This deadline allowed the Ohio National Guardsmen to avoid being subpoenaed. None of the guards who were involved in the shootings appeared before the Scranton Commission, which made its investigation useless.
The Scranton Commission failed to come up with any explanation for the Kent State Massacre and, thinking that the Justice Department would convene a federal grand jury, it had avoided touching on any possible criminal aspects of the Ohio National Guard's conduct. In the conclusion to their special report on Kent State, the Commission stated that, although the killings constituted a national tragedy, it was not a unique tragedy: "Only the magnitude of the student disorder and the extent of student deaths and injuries set it apart from similar occurrences on numerous other American campuses during the past few years." The throwing of rocks, the waving of black flags, and the verbal abuse on the part of students are described by the commission as "violent and criminal" and "dangerous, reckless, and irresponsible." The aiming and firing of M-I rifles and .45 pistols into a crowd of demonstrators, observers, and passers-by is described as "unnecessary, unwarranted and inexcusable," though.
In depicting the actions of the students as criminal and the actions of the Ohio National Guard as just unnecessary, the Commission disregarded its own findings that the May 4 protest "began as a peaceful assembly on the Commons – the traditional site of student assemblies," and that "the decision to disperse the noon rally was a serious error," and that "only when the Guard attempted to disperse the rally did some students react violently."
However, the report condemned as unjustified the "general issuance of loaded weapons to law-enforcement officers engaged in controlling disorders," except "in the case of armed resistance that trained snipers are unable to handle." It also admitted that this was not the case at Kent State and that the behavior of the guardsmen contributed to the confrontation.
THE REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON CAMPUS UNREST reached the right conclusions, but then demonstrated that nothing would be done about the situation. Furthermore, it was used as a substitute for a serious investigation. It is still an important document, though. This book will be of interest to those who want to deepen their knowledge of the Kent State Massacre.
The President appointed former Republican governor of Pennsylvania William Scranton as the chairman of the commission, which was then named after him, and gave him the authority to subpoena witnesses. However, the effect that this important right could have had on the findings of the commission was offset by the time limit that President Nixon imposed: the commission had to submit a report to him by October 1. This deadline allowed the Ohio National Guardsmen to avoid being subpoenaed. None of the guards who were involved in the shootings appeared before the Scranton Commission, which made its investigation useless.
The Scranton Commission failed to come up with any explanation for the Kent State Massacre and, thinking that the Justice Department would convene a federal grand jury, it had avoided touching on any possible criminal aspects of the Ohio National Guard's conduct. In the conclusion to their special report on Kent State, the Commission stated that, although the killings constituted a national tragedy, it was not a unique tragedy: "Only the magnitude of the student disorder and the extent of student deaths and injuries set it apart from similar occurrences on numerous other American campuses during the past few years." The throwing of rocks, the waving of black flags, and the verbal abuse on the part of students are described by the commission as "violent and criminal" and "dangerous, reckless, and irresponsible." The aiming and firing of M-I rifles and .45 pistols into a crowd of demonstrators, observers, and passers-by is described as "unnecessary, unwarranted and inexcusable," though.
In depicting the actions of the students as criminal and the actions of the Ohio National Guard as just unnecessary, the Commission disregarded its own findings that the May 4 protest "began as a peaceful assembly on the Commons – the traditional site of student assemblies," and that "the decision to disperse the noon rally was a serious error," and that "only when the Guard attempted to disperse the rally did some students react violently."
However, the report condemned as unjustified the "general issuance of loaded weapons to law-enforcement officers engaged in controlling disorders," except "in the case of armed resistance that trained snipers are unable to handle." It also admitted that this was not the case at Kent State and that the behavior of the guardsmen contributed to the confrontation.
THE REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON CAMPUS UNREST reached the right conclusions, but then demonstrated that nothing would be done about the situation. Furthermore, it was used as a substitute for a serious investigation. It is still an important document, though. This book will be of interest to those who want to deepen their knowledge of the Kent State Massacre.
Displaying 1 of 1 review