Oscar Handlin, Adams University Professor, advocated U.S. intervention in countries threatened by communism and described citizen action against nuclear war as "useless and illusionary" at a Cambridge Forum last night.
Handlin compared the present international situation to "living in the edge of a volcano" and warned that Americans must realize that it can erupt, but meanwhile, there are things we can do to postpone or prevent its eruption."
Handlin said he does not believe in non-intervention and added, "We should do whatever is necessary to keep EI Salvador from going the way of Nicaragua."
Anti-war action, such as the Veterans' Day peace convocations and the Cambridge referendum opposing nuclear weapons, perpetuate the illusion that we can wish away the possibility of nuclear war, Handlin said. In response to questions from the audience, however, he declined to specify what actions citizens could take.
Handlin disagreed with members of the audience on many points of historical fact, saying that their attitudes were typical of American misconceptions of foreign policy. He blamed these misconceptions on the bombardment of the American public by the mass media.
Read more in News
Mass Army/Navy Store Will MoveRecommended Articles
-
Handlin Says Jews Face Split LoyaltiesAmerican Jews may soon have to choose between loyalty to America or to Israel because of changes in U.S. foreign
-
Pre-Registration Proposal Goes to Faculty CouncilHarvard students could sign up for their fall courses in May instead of waiting for registration in the fall under
-
Juggler Wows Museum VisitorsJoseph A Cousin '02 is juggling a busy schedule this summer--literally. Cousin, president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Juggling Club, is currently
-
History Dept. Offers Help For General ExamsThe History Department will hold a series of eight lectures this spring in its first attempt to provide a program
-
The Other Public Service
-
Oscar Handlin, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Harvard Historian, Dies at 95During a career that spanned well over 50 years, Handlin earned a reputation as one of the most influential historians in the United States.