Vietnam Veterans Against the War records, 1967-2014 (bulk 1967-1975)

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Vietnam Veterans Against the War

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Summary

Records, mainly 1967-1975, of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), a national organization formed in 1967 by Vietnam veterans who favored military withdrawal from Vietnam. After the war, VVAW w...

Records, mainly 1967-1975, of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), a national organization formed in 1967 by Vietnam veterans who favored military withdrawal from Vietnam. After the war, VVAW worked for improved services and benefits for Vietnam veterans. Included are records of the national office, which was located in New York City and then Chicago, documenting national programs and activities, especially participation in anti-war demonstrations and the Winter Soldier war crimes investigation, as well as support for the rights of active-duty G.I.s around the world and political prisoners such as the Gainesville Eight, Gary Lawton, Ashby Leach, and the Leavenworth Brothers. Of special note is correspondence with various incarcerated prisoners. In addition to records from the national office there are records created by three local chapters: Brooklyn-Northern New Jersey (later Clarence Fitch), Madison, and Milwaukee, all focusing on the post-Vietnam War period and primarily documenting Agent Orange work and involvement in the peace movement during the 1980s and 1990s.

The Madison records include radio programs and musical recordings by Jim Wachtendonk.

The photographs document various national demonstrations, an appearance by Brian Willson, activities of the New York chapter, and scenes in Vietnam. The video recordings document activities in Nicaragua, Agent Orange work, and activities in the District of Columbia that preceded Operation Dewey Canyon IV. The sound recordings are primarily from the Madison chapter and include local Agent Orange and Veterans Day events and musical recordings by Jim Wachtendonk. In addition, there is a limited release recording by Joan Baez, an interview of Milwaukee FBI informants, recorded testimony of Vietnam veterans at Faneuil Hall, Boston in 1971, and military counseling workshops.

Involvement in the Agent Orange litigation, the most prominent project of the post-Vietnam era, is incompletely documented, but there are materials on the related class action suit.

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