GIs For Peace Records, 1969-1971

Overview of the Collection

Creator
GIs For Peace
Title
GIs For Peace Records
Dates
1969-1971 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 container., (.25 linear feet of shelf space.)
Collection Number
Cage 4617
Summary
Correspondence, writings, newsletters, business records, and miscellanea, all regarding protest of the Vietnam war and other government policies, and concern for soldiers' rights and conditions.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

GIs For Peace was an organization established by military personnel at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas in 1968. The organization aimed to: promote peace; end the Vietnam war, American militarism and institutional racism; support soldiers' rights, improve soldiers' conditions and provide them with counseling; and work for the betterment of the local community.

Resistance to the Vietnam war within the military began in 1966 with individual acts of resistance to authority. The first anti-establishment newspapers began publication in 1967. As the war and civilian protest escalated, so too did protest within the military. Those in the military were lagely isolated and alienated from civilian protest, as well as working in a more repressive environment. GI newspapers, a stateside phenomenom, were a means for GIs to develop a sense of solidarity with other protesters in the military and present a political analysis of local and national events from their own unique perspective.

GIs For Peace was one of many similar organizations in the country. It was typical in that membership was small and transitory, and that it was representative of the thinking of many in the military who were either not willing to chance the consequences of active involvement or chose to express themselves through other means.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection is a group of materials collected by Jim Jones, a founding member of GIs For Peace and editor of the organization's newsletter, Gigline. The mailing list for Gigline includes many listings of other GI newspapers and sympathetic leftist publications and organizations. The correspondence contains materials received by Jones both while he was editor of Gigline and after his discharge from the army. A Different Drum is Jones' recollection of the development of GIs For Peace, with an emphasis on his own participation.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]. Cage 4617, GIs For Peace Records. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

The records of GIs For Peace were donated to the Washington State University Libraries in October 1983 (MS83-36) by James A. Jone

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

BusinessReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Folder
1
Gigline Mailing List
1969-1970
2
Leadership Training Seminar Materials
1969
3
Correspondence
1970-1971
4
Miscellanea
1970; undated

WritingsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Folder
5
A Different Drum
1970
6
Gigline
1970-1971; undated
7
The Old Mole
1969
8
Press Releases
1969

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975--Protest movements

Corporate Names

  • GIs for Peace --Archives (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Fort Bliss (Tex.)