Above, Brig. Gen. Robert Canterbury, left, the National Guard commander, and Prof. Glenn Frank of Kent State University faced off on May 4, 1970, as Frank begged Canterbury not to advance on students after the shootings. (Akron Beacon Journal)
By Robert Giles
Armed soldiers moving against protesting citizens, teargas grenades, incendiary language, destruction of property, law and order, a threatened First Amendment.
These characteristics, and more, define an America today struggling to come to terms with the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer abetted by three fellow officers.
If you turn back time 50 years, you can envision a chilling parallel to the moment, May 4, 1970, when four students were slain and nine wounded by Ohio National Guard soldiers on the campus of Kent State University.
For the past 18 months, I have been living in 1970.
My book, When Truth Mattered: The Kent State Shootings Fifty Years Later, tells the story of the Akron Beacon Journal in its relentless effort to learn the truth about the murder of those students peacefully protesting the Vietnam War.
The book was published on March 30, just as the nation was going into a lockdown against Covid-19.
In the weeks since, I have been interviewed nearly 50 times by radio newscasters. Inevitably, I am asked this question: “Do you see parallels between Kent State and today?”
“Yes,” I respond. “And the number of parallels is chilling.”
Kent State demonstrators, angered by President Nixon’s decision to send U.S. troops into Cambodia, believed they could protest without fear, protected by First Amendment freedoms.
Compare that horrible moment of violence in 1970 with what is playing out now around the White House and the streets of America’s cities. The parallels go on and on:
Incendiary Language: Shortly after his speech, President Nixon called anti-war activists “bums.” On Sunday, May 3, Ohio Governor James Rhodes made a brief visit to Kent State. He described student protesters as “worse than the Nazi brown shirts.”
Destruction of Property: On Friday night, May 1, Kent State students threw beer bottles through tavern windows in downtown Kent. The following night, they rallied at an old, wooden ROTC building, burning it down. Acts of poor judgment that heightened the tension.
Over-reaction by public officials: After students trashed downtown bars, the mayor of Kent called the Ohio governor and asked for National Guard troops to be sent in both in town and on the campus.
A political victory as the first priority for campaigning officials: Ohio Gov. James Rhodes arrived in Kent on Sunday morning, May 3. He was in a tight race with Rep. Robert Taft Jr. for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate, an election to be held the following Tuesday, May 5.
Leaders played to their political base: Rhodes rejected suggestions to close the campus, saying that would be seen as giving in to the “anti-war radicals.” He wanted to be known for being tough on the protesters.
Trampling on freedom to speak out against the unpopular war in Vietnam: When told of the Kent State demonstration planned for noon Monday, May 4, Rhodes ordered the National Guard to break up the protest; “There will be no assembly, peaceful or otherwise.”
National Guard soldiers over-armed and under-trained: Dressed for combat to disburse unarmed student demonstrators, the soldiers wore steel helmets, gas masks, and carried M-1 rifles with bayonets fixed. Few demonstrators knew their weapons carried live ammunition.
Fired tear gas grenades at demonstrators: The spring breeze blew the smoke away, making the tear gas ineffective.
Without orders, the Guardsmen turned and fired at the students: Never before had U.S. soldiers purposefully shot and killed American college students on their own campus.
Guard commanders threatened to shoot again at students: After killing four students and wounding nine, officers threatened to shoot again if protesters refused to disburse.
Viewing the press as the enemy: After the Beacon Journal published the summary of the FBI investigation –– that the Guardsmen were not in danger and did not need to shoot –– President Nixon said he was going to have the story “shot down.”
Failure of leadership: Kent State President Robert White’s absence created a leadership vacuum that was filled by Gov. Rhodes and the National Guard. Guard commander, Brig. Gen. Robert Canterbury, failed to exercise the qualities of command and leadership indispensable for a commanding officer.
A presidential mantra of “law and order:” This became a powerful theme for President Nixon in the 1960s.
Thinking back 50 years, what did we learn then? How should it guide us now?