As in many cities in the United States during the 1960s, there were demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, to protest the Vietnam War and the military draft. These included multiple demonstrations at the armed forces induction center in Portland, including one on November 5, 1965, and a march in downtown Portland on December 4, 1967.
Sources: "1,000 Line Street in Viet Protest Here," Oregon Journal, November 5, 1965; "Citizens Drown Out Student Protest" and "Demonstrators Argue Viet Nam War Policy," Oregonian, November 6, 1965; "Anti-War Demonstrators Picket Induction Center," Oregonian, July 27, 1967; "3 Youths Arrested at Draft Headquarters," Oregonian, October 17, 1967; "'Tieup' Blocks Door at Induction Center," Oregon Journal, October 19, 1967; "Crowd of 450 Peaceful in War Protest March," Oregonian, December 5, 1967.
The collection consists of three newsletters and two leaflets with content about opposition to the Vietnam War and the military draft, all of which were produced in Portland, Oregon. The newsletters are: Volume 1, Number 1 of "Upper Left," which includes multiple articles about anti-war and anti-draft activities, including an article about a planned demonstration on November 5, 1965; Volume 1, Number 1 of "The Agitator," dated June 26, 1967, which discusses anti-draft, anti-war, and left-wing activities throughout the Pacific Northwest; and Issue 3 of "Gnosis," which discusses anti-draft demonstrations in Portland and elsewhere that occurred in October 1967. One leaflet, meant to be handed to people entering military induction centers, urges people to resist the draft and gives guidelines for how to evade it. The other leaflet is a notice for a meeting on October 24, 1967, in the Winch Social Room at Reed College, to plan for an anti-war demonstration on December 4, 1967. "Upper Left" and "The Agitator" were published at Reed College. All the materials may have been compiled by student activist Hal R. Leyshon; the issue of "Upper Left" was addressed to him, and his name appears on the notice (misspelled as "Leysohn") as a contact person for the meeting.
Collection is open for research.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Anti-draft and anti-war newsletters and leaflets, Coll 1030, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Transferred from the San Francisco Public Library in December 2023 (RL2023-086).
Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society relating to opposition to the draft and the Vietnam War include the Don George letter to the Resistance, Coll 861; and various items in the Politics collection, Mss 1513.
Hal R. Leyshon was a student at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, during the 1960s, and was active in the anti-draft and anti-war movements. He was arrested for disorderly conduct at a demonstration on September 27, 1966. In 1968, he was the temporary chairman at the New Left convention in Portland, where he was selected as the secretary-treasurer of the Peace and Freedom Party in Oregon.
Sources: "Youths Hand Out Leaflets in Protest Against Draft," Oregonian, October 22, 1965; "Reed Teacher Arrested During Anti-War Fracas," Oregonian, September 28, 1966; "Judge Declares Retired Minister Guilty of Obstructing Traffic During HHH Visit," Oregonian, January 26, 1967; "'New Left' Convention Opens Here," Oregon Journal, August 24, 1968; "Peace Party Fails to Gain Ballot," Oregonian, August 26, 1968.