Unrequited Love

The letter of protest was much milder than most of the antiwar mail that enters the White House each week, but it had its own special kick. "Viet Cong terrorism is real," it said. "So are the innocent victims of U.S. bombing, strafing and shelling." It went on to describe the war in Viet Nam as "an overwhelming atrocity." What made the letter unusual was that it was signed by 49 members of the International Voluntary Service, a private Peace Corps-like organization whose 170 staffers in Viet Nam exemplify the best of the U.S.'s outgoing altruism (TIME, April 17). With it came the resignation of four top I.V.S. officials.

The I.V.S. dropout was led by Donald Luce, 33, an agricultural expert from East Calais, Vt., and the director of the I.V.S. team in Viet Nam. It developed only after months of soul-searching and internal maneuvering with the official U.S. AID superstructure in Saigon. Luce and his colleagues objected primarily to the "over-Americanization" of the war effort since mid-1965, felt that air and artillery strikes in Viet Cong country, by creating more refugees, were only prolonging the war and destroying the fabric of Vietnamese society. "Protesters usually put emphasis on napalm and other so-called atrocities," said Luce. "Destroying the family structure is the most dangerous thing. Look at the kids around bars who ask for Salems to smoke."

Anxious to avoid being tagged as extremists, Luce and the other I.V.S. protesters made sure that no newcomers from the New Left would sign their petition: all the signers were longtime (up to ten years) veterans of the Viet Nam scene. All felt that the American pacification effort, coupled with the harsh tactics necessary in a guerrilla war, have proved counterproductive to the U.S. aim of granting freedom of choice and opportunity to the Vietnamese. Massachusetts-born Hope Harmeling, 24, who teaches English for the I.V.S. in Saigon, touched another source of frustration by admitting that her view was "colored by not getting the response from Vietnamese that I had hoped for. Yes, like unrequited love."

U.S. mission officials were offended by the "rude, crude manner" in which the protest was lodged: the New York Times front-paged it before President Johnson even saw the letter. They pointed out that 26 other voluntary agencies are serving in Viet Nam without protest, and that less than a third of the I.V.S. personnel signed the letter to President Johnson. I.V.S. Director Arthur Z. Gardiner accepted Luce's resignation with regret, then made plans to head for Saigon to select replacements for the foursome from the staff in the field.

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