Lessons of the Sixties
A History of Local Washington, DC Activism for Peace and Justice from 1960-1975
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Historical Documents:
Federal Employees Organize Against the Vietnam War
Overcoming fears of reprisals, Federal employees created employee-run organizations in opposition to the Vietnam War, beginning about 1967 until the end of the war in 1975. Thousands of employees from dozens of agencies participated in these groups' events.
Over 2500 Federal employees signed a petition against the war which was published in the Washington Star in two phases, the first of which occurred on April 1, 1968.
Federal Employees for Peace (FEP) honored Daniel Ellsberg at a special dinner to recognize his courage in releasing the Pentagon Papers to the American people. The dinner, held at La Gemma restaurant on September 23, 1971 drew an enthusiastic capacity crowd of over 900 people, with many more turned away. He received a scroll with the language of the Federal Code of Ethics (shown below: "Loyalty to highest moral principles and to country above loyalty to person, party or government department.") along with a giant "Declassified" stamp.
Articles about the Ellsberg dinner:
Washington Star article by Mary McGrory
Congressional Record: Congressman Rarick rails against the Ellsberg award; includes Washington Post article on the event
Federal employees for Peace conducted a referendum on the Vietnam War among Federal employees, with 83% of 7,407 employees from across the government voting to end the war.