'VIOLENT' SHOULD DESCRIBE WEATHER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400340030-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Sequence Number: 30
• Content Type: NEWSPAPER CLIPPING

Approved For Releast,?AQ1qgi, : CIA-R?T01315R000
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
26 January 1979
uder
ory
14 Ian has often resorted to violence
to bring about certain personal or
societal changes. -
.. Early on, one'learns through fairy
.tales that violence is permissible
when used to slay dragons and evil
knights, and thus facilitate the re-
scue of the damsel in distress.
'One learns too - from Hansel and
Gretel - that if a wicked witch is
keeping you against your will in a
gingerbread house, you are permit-
ted to violently kick her into a hot
oven and make. your escape.
But at the- same time, most of us
also are taught that while some
people in real life are violent, we
would be better off using the word
violent' only to describe certain
weather conditions:
Brigade actions were
;o make people think
Tuesday morning, however, the
violent actions of members of the
Revolutionary Communist'Youth
Brigade against a CIA recruiter, here-
on campus, have caused a con-
troversy that will remain in the air
for some time..'.,. .. ..., .. _
. The brigade picketed Hitchcock
'.Hail - where the. recruiter was in-
terviewing students '-= to protest'
against capitalism and the CIA's pre=
sence on campus and in Iran.
At the.climax of the protest, red
paint, symbolizing, the "blood of
people around the' world,"?wass
hurled on the recruiter: Papers,
desks, walls and several bystanders
were also splattered. The recruiter
was escorted from the campus by
police.
The CIA has had a long history o
recruiting at universities across.the.
country. Often, professors and other
students, working undercover fortbe
agency, spotted ' -students who
seemed likely candidates for the CIA
and submitted the student's name for
investigation as a possible employee:
During thiir process, the student
being investigated had no idea. off
.what was going on.
A Select U.S. Senate Committee
found that such covert practices have
existed at over 100 universities in the'
country..
While some universities are asking
faculty members to divulge informa-
tion of involvement with the CIA,
Ohio State has taken no_action on.the,
;situation.
While no -definite=proof of such
`practices exist at Ohio State, one
wonders why the university has not
taken steps to prove otherwise.
And since the university has made
no moves to limit CIA activities, one
brigade member feelsithat it is up to
their group to "run the CIA off cam-
pus," whether the recruiting is cov-'
ert, or open and above board, as was
the recruiting done Tuesday. - -
According to George Preston, an
ex-marine and treasurer.for the or
ganization, the actions by..the group
Tuesday were to make people think.
"Very few students are sitting on
the fence now. We've been leaflettingl
on the Oval and have found that
people are either for usor againstI
us." Preston said. While few students may be sitting,
on the fence, even fewer seem to be
taking up, red banners and singing!,
songs of comradeship as they change
Classes-,
Too. many, students still believe. in,
the `American Dream,,'' but`according
to Preston, because of capitalism, the
`American Dream' has turned to
ashes.
Preston compares the attitudes of
students today with those of students
in 1962.-,!,
"Students aren't conscious. You
can tell by the way they don't vote,"
-he said.
"The only difference is that when
unrest occurred later in the sixties,
students weren't organized. Now we
are," he said..
Preston insists that the CIA has no
right to be on campus. 'If~does not;
matter that the agency is open about
its presence and students are wil-
lingly signing-up for interviews.
Brigade members say that 'the`
CIA's involvement in Chile, Iran and j
other countries must be ended. And'i
the only way, they believe, is through
violence. . .
According to Preston, support for
the group numbers in the hundreds.
This may be true, but with only 10,
active members in the group, it may
also be true that the Oval is actually
situated in the middle-of Lake Erie.
Some students may believe in the!
group's ideas, but violent tactics
have alienated many. And according I
to, Preston,- the paint-throwing inci-
dent was mild.
Covert practices exist
,on oyer-I campuses
"Ask any Iranian student what he
would have done if hehadgotten that
close to a CIA agent." he said.
Indeed, an Iranian student may
have done a bit more than toss a bit of
paint. But red paint looks better on
barns than people,. and everyone
would be better off if the word-vio-
lent' were used. only to describe ter-
: tain weather conditions, and not
human actions.
Gregory McGruder is a senior from
Toledo majoring in journalism.
STAT
11/
Approved For Release 2006/10/31 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400340030-1