dents in the building prepared for the worst, while SDS leaders started planning tactics for after the police raidmaneuvers and statements that would "use" the bust to enlarge the revolution at Columbia and spread it to other campuses. A key factor was the press and television. This is the first television-reared generation in America's colleges, television having been introduced commercially in 1948, and the Columbia rebels played to its omnivorous need for visually dramatic and sensational material. The press generally, but television in particular, were used frequently and effectively, even brilliantlyon occasion, by the young leftist intellectuals. "The whole world is going to see the pigheadedness and brutality of the power structure. Just watch," said one leftist. That Monday night nearly 300 journalists, TV cameramen and reporters, left-wing film makers, free-lance photographers, and amateur picture-takers and writers were on the Morningside campus. Drs. Kirk and Truman took what they hoped would be sufficient steps to minimize the use of force. They specified two warnings by megaphone to those in the buildings: one by a University representative, followed by an announcement by a police representative. The police were to allow anyone who wanted to do so to leave the buildings, without arrest, before their entry. They were to enter the buildings wherever possible through the University belowground tunnels to prevent front-door entry. No nightsticks were to be allowed inside the buildings. The Police Department was to provide stations of medical aid in case of violent resistance by some protestors. The paddy wagons were to be on Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway to hasten and de-centralize the removal of students. There was to be no effort to clear the campus of the expected crowd of pro-Strike spectators. The action was to be undertaken largelv by uniformed police; detectives and plainclothesmen were to be few and on hand chieBy for interrogation, for making arrests, and for protection against violent zealots among the spectators. And, the bust was to begin about 4: 00 a.m., when, it was felt, most spectators would have gone to their rooms to sleep. At midnight, a selected group of SPRING, 1968
1,000 policemen were assembled at downtown station, where they were five different station houses on :\Ianhat- booked for "criminal trespass." tan's upper West Side. With a ColumThe other building that was accesbia representative present to answer sible by underground tunnel was Low questions, each contingent of cops was Library, and that building was entered carefully briefed for an hour and a half next. Inspector Frederick Kowski and on the special nature of the action. his men, including six policewomen, Each Police Inspector in charge told left the 25th Precinct at 148 East 126th the men several times, "Remember, Sh'eet drove into the campus via the these are college kids, not hardened 119th Street driveway. They went criminals." Most of the police seemed through a tunnel and re-formed in Low matter-of-fact, as if they were being Rotunda behind the curtain in front of dispatched to a City Councilman's fu- the Faculty Room. They then proceedneral or the arrival of the Beatles. The ed to the oak double door of the Presiofficers in charge seemed highly pro- dent's suite, where University Vice fessional and conscientious, like brain Provost Paul Carter read the University surgeons about to operate on Robert statement through a bullhorn. The poKennedy's son. The first police arrived lice statement followed 10 minutes afon campus around 2:00 a.m., two hours ter. The double door had to be opened earlier than the University requested. with police crowbars since the rebel About 1,500 students, mostly under- students had locked it and piled a half graduates and many sympathetic to the ton of desks, file cabinets, and furniture rebels, were still walking around on behind it. Then, on the left was another campus. door leading to a corridor that ended in The first building the police ap- a third door to the President's office. proached was Hamilton. There were The second door was also locked and about 10 young faculty members and barricaded and the entire corridor was about 30 students in front of the doors piled with furniture. The policemen to prevent the police from entering. At spent over a half hour moving furni2: 00 a.m. a University official read a ture, which they placed in other offices. prepared statement through a bull- At approximately 3:00 a.m. the cops horn to the Negro students inside ask- had cleared a path from the President's ing the students to leave immediately office, and asked the students once without punishment or be subject to ar- again to come out. The students sat rest on the charges of trespass. 10 one still inside, singing "We Shall Not Be came out. Ten minutes later a police of- Moved." The police had to break down ficial read a similar statement of warn- the third door too. All 93 students in Low had decided ing. Another 10 minutes passed. Then Inspector Eldridge Waithe, a Negro, to offer "passive resistance." That is, tried the front doors, but they were they would not get up when asked, locked. At the same time, however clung to other students with locked (2: 20), about 100 police broke into the anTIS when the police tried to take them basement through an underground tun- out, went limp as wet rags when lifted nel, after clearing away a pile of office up or ushered out bv officers. "Half furniture. All 86 black students, includ- leech, half dead man," as one student ing 14 females, were in the main lobby, described it. This required the police to accompanied by a lawyer, who said: carry them out, drag them out, or push "These people are not leaving volun- most of them out-which they did. The tarily. They want to be arrested.' The Tactical Police Force contingent, wearpolice, led by three egro officers and ing black leather jackets, formed a accompanied by Civil Rights Commis- gauntlet in the corridor from President siOller \Villiam Booth, then ushered the Kirk's office to the center of the Rotunstudents, who walked with calm digni- da and the slouchy resisters were tv, out through the tunnel to Amster- shoved expeditiously down the line. dam Avenue, where several police bus- Twice, the fast shoving of the limp stues were parked. No student offered any dents resulted in pileups of students on resistance. 10 handcuffs were used. the Boor near the end of the gauntlet. Not one student was pushed or prod- While some students walked out poutded. "Smooth as glass," said one police ing. about 15 students resisted actively, sergeant. "I hope each building goes refusing to allow the police to touch that way." They were driven to a them and Bailing at the policemen's 65