The Reconstructionist, organ of the Reconstructionist movement, declared editorially today that it opposed the Administration’s Vietnam policy and called on President Johnson and the Pentagon “to concentrate upon ending the war rather than winning it.”
Rabbi Emanuel S. Goldsmith; assistant editor, said the editorial reflected the collective opinion of the publication’s editorial board which is composed of Dr. Mordecai M. Kaplan, founder of the Reconstructionist movement; Rabbi Ira Eisenstein, editor, and Rabbi Goldsmith. The editorial was the first in which the publication took a stand on the issue. Previously, it had staunchly defended the right of others to voice dissent from official policy.
The editorial charged that the war was being waged without a formal declaration, as required by law. It asserted that the war aims had not been revealed to the people, who were expected to participate in it and support it, and it charged that “in the prosecution of the war, American leaders have concealed the truth so often that their word is no longer to be relied upon.” The editorial also pointed out, in listing objections to present Vietnam policy, that “reliance upon use of military force defeats itself.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
