Members of the May 2nd Committee met in New York City over the weekend to decide whether or not the movementt should be disbanded on the national level. Contacted in New York and in Cambridge they refused to comment on the outcome of the conference.
On the local level, Jared M. Israel '67, executive of the Harvard-Radcliffe May 2nd Committee, said that although the chapter will remain in name, its members will increase their participate in Harvard-Radcliffe Students for democratic Society.
Israel explained that although M2M has been important as a mouthpiece against the war in Vietnam in the fall '64, "in 1966 it would be destructive to the peace movement to try to recruit more radical elements of SDS."
Political Spectrum
The beauty of SDS, Israel continued, is that it encompasses a political spectrum which ranges from liberal to the the post radical elements. SDS presents our position on Vietnam as well as other nations, Israel continued.
One of the main reasons members of M2M have started to work more in, SDS, Israel said, is that M2M was originally a "one issue group" which advocated a militant position against the war in Vietnam and U.S. 'imperialist' policies. It has some clear to a number of our member he continued, "that Watts and Vietnam are connected and that it is important to take domestic as well as foreign policy stands."
Canniballstic Policy
Israel said that in a discussion among local members of the May 2nd Commitee, the alternatives seemed to be before a "cannibalistic" policy whereby M2M would remain in competition with SDS in the recruiting of dynamic members and a "cooperative" policy which would entail members of M2M working in SDS toward a common goal. "It was decided unanimously to follow the latter policy," Israel reported. "I don't think we could pull recruits out of SDS anyway," he added.
A "cannibalistic" policy, Israel continued, would not only damage the best interests of the overall peace movement, but world also tend to push SDS toward the Right. M2M has become "isolated" in the Harvard community, Israel said, and by changing with the times and working with SDS "we simply change form without compromising our principles."
"May 2nd is becoming a fossilized beast while SDS is a thriving young mammal," Israel concluded
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