Word: sds
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...SDS now began its public sparring with the Kennedy Institute. From this point on, relations between the two groups deteriorated slowly but steadily. Gordon, because he was respected by both sides and because he kept certain confidences, was still able to act as a go-between. But though he frequently talked to the antagonists, he was not able to eliminate the basic conflicts...
McNamara's presence, it could be reasonably said, amplified the anti-war sentiment already present at Harvard. Even if some of SDS's leaders had been predisposed not to demonstrate, they would have been hard pressed to resist the will of the rest of the organization...
There were other less ideological, but still very important reasons to protest. Harvard, over the last two years, has been a frustrating place for SDS. The organization has never been able to achieve a truly wide impact; no issue has seemed clear-cut enough to attract strong, long-term support. SDS members complain about the apathy of the average Harvard student. They often yearn for something closer to a Berkeley. The Harvard student body doesn't seem to get stirred up, and the Harvard administration is difficult to offend...
This year, many members of SDS perceived a change. At the beginning of the semester, more than 1000 students (including graduate students) signed interest cards, and the initial general membership meeting atracted about 200 people. Disaffection with the war seemed to be growing, and SDS members believed that people were increasingly willing to commit themselves. Moreover, there was another stimulating issue: the draft and class rankings. SDS was virtually the only organization eager to take an active stand on the rankings...
With the visit of McNamara, SDS saw yet another opportunity to generate interest in itself and in the war. Here was a clear-cut chance to do something -- a chance for a large number of SDS members to become involved in a significant anti-war protest. There was a good deal of personal satisfaction in this prospect for more experienced SDS leaders, who anticipated shattering the stolid indifference of the Harvard campus. The McNamara visit, then, was not to be ignored. It was potentially at least, the stuff of which strong organizations are made...