Former Harvard Student Faces Trial Tuesday for Failure to Accept Draft

"I believe non-violent non-cooperation is the most effective form of opposition to any aggressive force," David Reed '68 told a skimpy SDS audience last night.

Reed faces trial Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. in the old Federal Building for refusing to obey induction orders and report for his physical.

Speaking on "Non-cooperation with the Draft," the former Harvard student explained that he did not accept a 2-S deferment because it is a "class privilege."

Reed left Harvard in February, after burning his draft card, and went to Germany, "unwilling to face up to the confrontation between the government and my principles," he said. There he was convinced that it was his duty to "return and provide an example to all those who object to the aggressive war in Vietnam."

Returning to the country, he found a second draft card waiting for him. He promptly burned it and ignored subsequent notices from his local board to appear for a physical.

Reed assured his audience that "the whole process of non-cooperation really is not that frightening."

Although Reed anticipates a sentence of up to three years, he has decided not to hire a lawyer, but to represent himself at the trial. "With the violations I've piled up," he added, "they could put me away indefinitely."

Asked about carrying out the principle of non-cooperation to the extent of not appearing in court, he said, "I don't want to evade the law; I want to confront it."

The decision to burn his draft cards, which he did publicly on the steps of the Boston Courthouse, was motivated by personal feelings, and by the desire to show others that "such a course of action is possible," he said. "Non-violent non-cooperation is most successful when large numbers of people are involved.

When asked whether he plans to continue his education at a later time, he replied "I'm going to talk to Dean Monro Monday about readmission to Harvard. But I figure I'll have several years to think about it."