Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, December 3, 1970

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The original documents are located in Box D30, folder "Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium,
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, December 3, 1970" of the Ford Congressional
Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
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Digitized from Box D30 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
MILTON S. EISENHOWER SYMPOSIUM, JOHNS
HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,
4 P.M., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1970.
The 9.5.m The 1970s - Peropective on
IN CONSIDERING WHAT I WOULD SAY
HERE TODAY, I AT FIRST THOUGHT OF CONCENTRATING
ALL OF MY REMARKS ON CAMPUS DISORDERS.
BUT AFTER FURTHER REFLECTION DECIDED TO
COVER ALMOST THE ENTIRE RANGE OF VIOLENCE ON
THE AMERICAN SCENE TODAY -- AND THIS OF
COURSE INCLUDES ALL TYPES OF VIOLENT CRIME.
I WILL, THEN, TALK WITH YOU NOT
ONLY ABOUT CAMPUS DISTURBANCES WHICH ERUPT
INTO VIOLENCE BUT ALSO ABOUT STREET CRIME
AND ORGANIZED CRIME. LET ME TALK FIRST
ABOUT CAMPUS VIOLENCE.
THE COLLEGES OF AMERICA ARE IN
CRISIS. THEY ARE NOT CAUGHT UP IN CRISIS
BECAUSE OF PEACEFUL DISSENT. THEY ARE TORN
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BY DISRUPTION AND THE POLITICS OF
CONFRONTATION -- THE POLITICS OF VI OLENCE.
THIS ADDRESS IS PART OF A SYMPOSIUM
ON "PERSPECTIVES ON VIOLENCE." THERE CAN BE
NO SENSIBLE REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM OF CAMPUS
VIOLENCE WITHOUT THE MAINTAINING OF A SENSE
OF PERSPECTIVE.
BY THAT/I MEAN/THAT WE FIRST OF
ALL MUST RECOGNIZE THAT LESS THAN 200 OF
OUR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING HAVE
BEEN RIPPED BY VIOLENCE WHILE SOME 400 OTHERS
HAVE SUFFERED THROUGH SOME FORM OF
NONVIOLENT DISRUPTION. THERE ARE, IN FACT,
NEARLY 2,600 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN
AMERICA WITH A TOTAL ENROLLMENT OF MORE THAN
SEVEN MILLION STUDENTS. THE VAST MAJORITY
OF THESE STUDENTS NEITHER TAKE PART IN/NOR
SYMPATHIZE WITH CAMPUS VIOLENCE.
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BUT WE MUST BE DEEPLY CONCERNED
WITH THE CAMPUS VIOLENCE THAT DOES OCCUR,
SINCE IT NOT ONLY TRAMPLES ON THE RIGHTS
OF NON-VIOLENT STUDENS BUT ALSO RESULTS IN
PROPERTY DAMAGE AND OCCASIONALLY EVEN THE
LOSS OF LIFE.
WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE
CONFRONTATION POLITICS OF THE CAMPUS --
NON-NEGOTIABLE DEMANDS, STRIKES AND
BOYCOTTS, ARSON, WILLFUL DESTRUCTION OF
PROPERTY, ASSAULT AND BATTERY, THE OCCUPATION
OF BUILDINGS, INTERRUPTION OF CLASSES,
DISRUPTION OF MEETINGS, THE BARRING OF
ENTRANCES TO BUILDINGS, HOLDING
ADMINISTRATORS CAPTIVE. ON A FEW CAMPUSES,
IT SEEMS CLEAR THAT REVOLUTIONARIES SEEK
NOTHING LESS THAN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE
UNIVERSITY.
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
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TO THOSE WHO ARE QUICK TO CONDEMN
COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS, LET ME SAY THAT NO
UNIVERSITY CAN AVOID A CONFRONTATION WITH
THOSE WHO ARE DETERMINED TO ENGAGE IN
REVOLUTIONARY POLITICS.
THE ACTIONS OF THE MILITANTS ON
OUR CAMPUSES ARE COMPLETELY WITHOUT
those suh to destry university
JUSTIFICATION. THEY under our system
IF
HAVE LEGITIMATE GRIEVANCES,
THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO PRESENT THOSE
GRIEVANCES, INDIVIDUALLY OR COLLECTIVELY.
THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO ASK THAT THOSE
responsible
GRIEVANCES BE GIVEN A RESPECTFUL HEARING
AND THAT APPROPRIATE REMEDIAL MEASURES BE
ADOPTED.
1
BUT THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO
INTERFERE WITH THE PROPER FUNCTIONING OF ANY
UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE.
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THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO PREVENT
OTHER STUDENTS FROM PURSUING THEIR STUDIES.
3
THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO DESTROY
PROPERTY OR OCCUPY SCHOOL BUILDINGS BY
SIT-INS OR SLEEP-INS.
FOR ANY STUDENT VIOLATION OF CIVIL
OR CRIMINAL LAW THERE SHOULD BE NO AMNESTY.
THERE SHOULD BE APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT,
FAIRLY ADJUDICATED AND ADMINISTERED BUT
INEXORABLE.
THE UNIVERSITIES THEMSELVES HAVE
THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAINTAINING
Certanily me Purchast, no longtes should operate a college uning
ORDER ON CAMPUS
PROPERL SO. HOWEVER IN
Made
CASES WHERE THEY, ARE UNABLE OR UNWILLING
TO PERFORM THAT FUNCTION, OUTSIDE
INTERVENTION BECOMES NOT ONLY NECESSARY BUT
MANDATORY.
WHERE OUTSIDE INTERVENTION BECOMES
NECESSARY, THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT FOR
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CONTROL OF THE SITUATION IS PLANNING. PLANS
MUST BE FORMULATED BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY
AND CIVIL AUTHORITIES TO DEAL WITH CAMPUS
Infortunty
VIOLENCE IF IT SHOULD OCCUR.
I
UNDERSTAND
THIS WAS NOT TRUE AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY.
AT NO TIME SHOULD A UNIVERSITY
ADMINISTRATION COMPLETELY ABDICATE ITS ROLE
TO THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES.
WE CAN MAINTAIN ORDER ON OUR
CAMPUSES -- AND I SPEAK ONLY OF DOING SO IN
A MANNER THAT DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THE
RIGHT OF PEACEFUL DISSENT. WE MUST INSURE
FREEDOM OF DISSENT WHILE PRESERVING ORDER.
THESE TWO GOALS ARE NOT INCOMPATIBLE. IN
FACT, THEY SHOULD BE INSEPARABLE.
STUDENTS SHOULD BE ALLOWED
FREEDOM OF DISSENT AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT
INTERFERE WITH THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. THAT
IS THE KEY TO CAMPUS DISCIPLINE AND AN
GEBALD
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ORDERLY PURSUIT OF LEARNING.
STUDENTS SHOULD BE DEALT WITH
FIRMLY IF THEY ENGAGE IN WILLFUL DEFAMATION,
PUBLIC OBSCENITY, INCITEMENTS TO CRIME,
AND ANY OTHER CIVIL OR CRIMINAL MISCONDUCT.
TODAY'S GENERATION OF COLLEGE
STUDENTS IS PERHAPS THE MOST IDEALISTIC IN
THE HISTORY OF AMERICA. THIS SPEAKS WELL
FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY. BUT THAT
IDEALISM SHOULD EXPRESS ITSELF IN PRESSURE
FOR PEACEFUL CHANGE -- FOR CHANGES WITHIN
THE SYSTEM.
DOES ANY AMERICAN IN HIS RIGHT
MIND REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE QUALITY OF
LIFE IN THIS COUNTRY WOULD BE IMPROVED BY
TEARING DOWN QUR SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT AND
and destriging
The means by which patienties have tim built and fronthis HAS assembled compurated &
DESTROY ING OUR ARGE CORPORATIONS.
w have Manison prevails in Government so There more academic freefon
MARXISM EL IMINATED THE EVILS OF THIS EARTH:
IN THE 1969-70 ACADEMIC YEAR
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THERE WERE 1,800 CAMPUS DEMONSTRATIONS.
THE F.B.I. REPORTS THAT THESE DEMONSTRATIONS
RESULTED IN EIGHT DEATHS, 462 INJURIES AND
7,500 ARRESTS. TWO-THIRDS OF THOSE INJURED
WERE POLICE OFFICERS ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL
THE DEMONSTRATIONS.
ACCORDING TO THE F.B.I., MILITANTS
ENGAGED IN 247 INSTANCES OF ARSON, 313
SIT-INS IN ACADEMIC BUILDINGS, AND
282 ATTACKS ON CAMPUS ROTC FACILITIES.
PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS ESTIMATED AT
$9.5 MILLION.
IN A RECENT BOMBING CASE, THAT
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ON
AUGUST 22, 1970, ONE STUDENT WAS KILLED
AND THREE OTHERS WERE INJURED.
DURING THE LAST ACADEMIC YEAR,
THE SDS AND BLACK MILITANTS WERE
FORD
RESPONSIBLE FOR A SHARP INCREASE IN RACIAL
GER
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DISORDERS ON CAMPUSES AND IN NEARBY AREAS.
THE NUMBER OF THESE DISORDERS INCREASED
BY 68 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR FOR
A TOTAL OF 530.
MAJOR RACIAL DISORDERS INVOLVING
THE SDS, BLACK MILITANTS AND OTHERS
OCCURRED IN 200 CITIES, 33 STATES AND THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DURING THE PAST
ACADEMIC YEAR. THESE DISORDERS RESULTED
IN INJURIES TO 500 PERSONS, INCLUDING
70 POLICE OFFICERS AND 30 TEACHERS.
AUTHORITIES MADE 1,800 ARRESTS.
TWO EXTREMIST GROUPS -- THE
WEATHERMEN AND THE BLACK PANTHERS -- ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE MOST DRAMATIC
EPISODES OF VIOLENCE IN THIS COUNTRY.
THE WEATHERMEN, AN SDS SPLINTER
GROUP, BOMBED A NEW YORK CITY POLICE
FORD ABRARA
DEPARTMENT FACILITY AND INJURED EIGHT PERSONS.
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THE BLACK PANTHERS HAVE
COMMITTED 200 SEPARATE INCIDENTS OF SERIOUS
VIOLENCE. MEMBERS OF THE BLACK PANTHER
PARTY HAVE BEEN CONVICTED IN MORE THAN
400 CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS RANGING FROM
POSSESSION OF EXPLOSIVES TO MURDER.
ACCORDING TO THE F.B.I., THE BLACK PANTHERS
ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING NINE
POLICEMEN AND WOUNDING 48.
THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY HAS
CONNECTIONS WITH THE COMMUNIST REGIME IN
NORTH VIETNAM AND ARAB TERRORISTS IN ALGERIA
AND JORDAN.
ANGELA DAVIS, AN AVOWED COMMUNIST
WITH BLACK PANTHER CONNECTIONS, IS ALLEGED
TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDER OF A STATE
JUDGE SITTING IN MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
SHE ALLEGEDLY BOUGHT THE GUNS USED IN THE
KILLING. SHE IS NOW IN CUSTODY, UNDER
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
INDICTMENT FOR MURDER AND KIDNAPPING.
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THERE IS A COMPARATIVELY NEW
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE "EAST
COAST CONSPIRACY TO SAVE LIVES." ITS
MEMBERS INCLUDE FATHER BERRIGAN, WHO WAS
RECENTLY APPREHENDED BY THE F.B.I. AND NOW
IS IN DANBURY PENITENTIARY. THIS GROUP TALKS
OF BLOWING UP UNDERGROUND CONDUITS AND STEAM
PIPES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND
KIDNAPPING HIGHLY PLACED GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
THEIR DEMANDS [INCLUDE AN END TO ALL BOMBING
OPERATIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE
RELEASE OF SO-CALLED POLITICAL PRISONERS
LIKE THE BLACK PANTHERS.
WE READ AND TALK OF THESE
TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS/AND BECAUSE THEY
ARE SO ATTENTION-ARRESTING/WE LOSE SIGHT
OF THE BULK OF VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE TEND TO FORGET THAT DURING
FORD
THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD, 1963-68, FOR INSTANCE,
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INDIVIDUAL ACTS OF VIOLENT CRIME RESULTED
IN MORE THAN ONE MILLION INJURIES AND OVER
50,000 HOMICIDES.
WE ARE INCLINED, Too, TO DISMISS
A RISE IN THE RATE OF VIOLENT CRIMES BY
ATTRIBUTING IT TO AN INCREASE IN THE
POPULATION.
BUT THE FACTS ARE THAT OVER THE
PAST DECADE THERE HAVE BEEN OMINOUS
INCREASES IN WHAT WE CALL THE TRUE RATES
OF HOMICIDE, ROBBERY AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT.
THE TRUE RATES OF THESE VIOLENT
CRIMES NOW ARE THE HIGHEST THEY HAVE EVER
BEEN SINCE EARLY IN THE 1900'S. WE LEAD THE
MODERN NATIONS OF THE WORLD IN VIOLENT CRIME.
WITHIN JUST THE PAST 10 YEARS, THE NUMBER
OF VIOLENT CRIMES COMMITTED IN THE UNITED
STATES ANNUALLY PER 100,000 PERSONS HAS
DOUBLED.
R.FORD UBRARI
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THE AMERICAN PUBLIC SHOULD NOT
HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR. YET PERSONAL SAFETY
IS AT THE TOP OF TODAY'S PUBLIC CONCERN
BECAUSE THE SOARING CRIME RATE HAS PROVOKED
FEAR AND DISTRUST IN ALL AMERICANS.
MANY SOCIOLOGISTS TELL US THAT
Park
THE ROOTS OF CRIME CAN BE FOUND IN THE
There is substance To this account. That in why we have
Check Hold
BASIC CONDITIONS OF LIFE. IF THIS IS so,
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE ASKING THEMSELVES,
WHY SHOULD AMERICA BE PLAGUED WITH A
RECORD-HIGH INCIDENCE OF CRIME IN A TIME OF
AFFLUENCE. One answer would he -as The main body ?
our society grew more afflect/others were left whind
Have THINK THE ANSWER IS
MANY-FACETED. FIRST OF ALL, MANY EVENTS OF
THE SIXTIES COMBINED TO CULTIVATE A DISRESPECT
FOR THE LAW. THE FEELING GREW THAT IF YOU
DISAGREED WITH A LAW OR A RULE ON MORAL
GROUNDS YOU WERE PERFECTLY JUSTIFIED IN
FORD LIBRARY & PRALD
BREAKING IT. INITIALLY THIS DISOBEDIENCE
-14-
WAS PASSIVE, THEN IT EXPLODED INTO VIOLENCE
ANOTHER REASON FOR THE SHARP RISE IN CRIME,
I FEEL, TRACES TO THE FACT THAT THE
DISADVANTAGED WERE PROMISED MUCH AND
RECEIVED LITTLE / THE THIRD IS THAT LAW
ENFORCEMENT HAS SIMPLY BROKEN DOWN IN
AMERICA.
WE MUST, THEN, BUILD ON THE
WRECKAGE OF THE SIXTIES. WE MUST REKINDLE
RESPECT FOR THE LAW. WE MUST MAKE LAW
ENFORCEMENT PROCESSES WORK SO THAT PUNISHMENT
FAIR,
FOR THE GUILTY IS SWIFT AND SURE. IN TERMS
OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS, WE MUST NOT PROMISE MORE
THAN WE CAN DELIVER.
WE ARE, I BELIEVE, ON THE WAY TO
DOING EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE OUTLINED HERE.
WE ARE MORE THAN DOUBLING FEDERAL
AID TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
AND COURT IMPROVEMENTS UNDER THE SAFE STREETS
ACT.
-15-
WE HAVE ENACTED LEGISLATION -- THE
ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1970 -- WHICH
PUTS TOGETHER AN ORGANIZED ASSAULT ON
ORGANIZED CRIME AND BOMBINGS IN THIS
COUNTRY.
WE HAVE LAUNCHED THE MOST
PROGRESSIVE AND FAR-REACHING FEDERAL ATTACK
ON DRUG ABUSE EVER UNDERTAKEN BY THE UNITED
STATES.
AND WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR EFFORTS
IN EDUCATION AND MANPOWER TRAINING WITH A
VIEW TO MAXIMIZING THOSE EFFORTS AND
DELIVERING AT LEAST AS MUCH AS WE PROMISE.
LONG BEFORE THE ORGANIZED CRIME
CONTROL ACT WAS APPROVED, THE ADMINISTRATION
BEGAN MAKING LIFE MISERABLE FOR RACKETEERS.
THE SYNDICATE BECAME AN EMPIRE IN TROUBLE
TO THE GANGSTER, THE LAW SUDDENLY BECAME
VERY MENACING. THE ADMINISTRATION'S
FORD NERARY
BEEFED-UP STRIKE FORCES WORKED CLOSELY WITH
-16-
STATE INVESTIGATORY COMMISSIONS TO PUT THE
HEAT ON THE RACKETEERS. THE RESULTS ARE A
TESTIMONIAL TO THE ADMINISTRATION'S DEEP
COMMITMENT TO THE WAR AGAINST CRIME. OF
THE SIX SYNDICATE "FAMILIES" IN THE
NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY METROPOLITAN AREA, THE
LEADERS OF FIVE ARE EITHER IN PRISON OR
UNDER HEAVY ATTACK.
NOW THE WEAPONS IN THE WAR
AGAINST CRIME HAVE GROWN IN NUMBER AND
EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH ENACTMENT OF THE
ADMINISTRATION'S ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT
OF 1970. BASICALLY, THE LAW PROVIDES FOR
NEW PERJURY AND CONTEMPT PROCEDURES
CALCULATED TO INDUCE RELUCTANT WITNESSES
TO TESTIFY. IT ALSO PROVIDES STIFFER JAIL
TERMS FOR HABITUAL CRIMINALS.
BESIDES GIVING AUTHORITIES MORE
RD
WEAPONS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME, THE GERAL NEW
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ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ZEROES IN ON
BOMBINGS, ARSON AND OTHER CRIMINAL ACTS
WHICH HAVE THREATENED TO TURN OUR CITADELS
OF LEARNING INTO CITADELS OF VIOLENCE.
THE NEW LAW LIMITS INTERSTATE TRAFFIC IN
EXPLOSIVES TO LICENSEES AND OFFICIAL PERMITTEES
AND PROHIBITS THE SALE OF EXPLOSIVES TO
MINORS, FELONS, FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE, DRUG
ADDICTS AND MENTAL DEFECTIVES. IT ALSO
BRINGS THE F.B.I. INTO ALL BOMBING AND
ARSON CASES AT COLLEGES RECEIVING ANY FORM
OF FEDERAL AID.
SOME AMERICANS FIND IT DIFFICULT
TO UNDERSTAND HOW A WAR AGAINST ORGANIZED
CRIME IS GOING TO HELP IN FIGHTING STREET
CRIME. WHAT THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND IS THAT
ORGANIZED CRIME SPAWNS STREET CRIME.
ORGANIZED CRIME ENCOURAGES STREET
CRIME BY INDUCING NARCOTICS ADDICTS TO
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
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MUG AND ROB.
ORGANIZED CRIME ENCOURAGES
HOUSEBREAKING AND BURGLARY BY MAKING IT
EASY TO DISPOSE OF STOLEN GOODS.
ORGANIZED CRIME FLOURISHES BECAUSE
OF ITS VIRTUAL MONOPOLY ON ILLEGAL GAMBLING,
THE NUMBERS RACKET, AND THE IMPORTATION OF
NARCOTICS.
AN ESTIMATED 50 TO 75 PER CENT
OF THE CRIMES COMMITTED IN OUR NATION'S
STREETS ARE PERPETRATED BY DRUG ADDICTS.
THIS IS WHY THE ADMINISTRATION IS MOVING
SO FORCEFULLY TO HALT THE IMPORTATION OF
ILLEGAL NARCOTICS.
WE MUST, OF COURSE, ATTACK CRIME
ON MANY FRONTS. THAT IS WHY THE AID WE GIVE
TO LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND OUR COURTS
THROUGH THE SAFE STREETS ACT IS JUST AS
IMPORTANT AS OUR EXPANDED EFFORT AGAINST
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
ORGANIZED CRIME.
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AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR
SYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE HAS BROKEN DOWN
AND OUR DETERRENT TO CRIME HAS THEREFORE
BROKEN DOWN WITH IT.
THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE
CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE -- THE
EISENHOWER COMMISSION -- HAS ESTIMATED
THAT ONLY 50 PER CENT OF SERIOUS CRIMES ARE
ACTUALLY REPORTED, THAT JUST 12 PER CENT
LEAD TO ARREST, THAT ONLY 6 PER CENT ARE
CONVICTED, AND THAT ONLY 1.5 PER CENT ARE
IMPRISONED.
IS IT ANY WONDER THAT THE
CRIMINAL TODAY BELIEVES CRIME DOES PAY.
THE FOLLOWING EISENHOWER COMMISSION
STATEMENT SHOULD BE IMPRINTED ON THE MIND
OF EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN: "THE SAD FACT
IS THAT OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AS
PRESENTLY OPERATED, DOES NOT DETER,
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
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DOES NOT DETECT, DOES NOT CONVICT AND DOES
NOT CORRECT."
THIS IS A SERIOUS INDICTMENT OF
AMERICAN SOCIETY. IT IS NOT ONLY A CHARGE
BUT A CHALLENGE. AND IT IS A CHALLENGE TO
WHICH WE MUST RESPOND, A CHALLENGE WE MUST
MEET.
THIS IS WHY I PLACE SUCH STRESS
ON THE SAFE STREETS ACT AND THE MATCHING
GRANTS WE ARE MAKING UNDER THE PROGRAM TO
STRENGTHEN OUR LOCAL POLICE AND OVERHAUL
OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE.
OUR SYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
MUST BE MADE TO FUNCTION EFFICIENTLY. THIS
IS THE ONLY WAY TO CURB CRIME IN THIS COUNTRY.
WE MUST REACH A POINT WHERE THE POTENTIAL
LAWBREAKER FEARS VIOLATING THE LAW AS MUCH
AS INNOCENT CITIZENS TODAY FEAR TO EXERCISE ORD
THEIR RIGHT TO MOVE ABOUT FREELY IN THEIR
LIBRARY
COMMUNITIES.
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THE TASK OF FIGHTING CRIME IS
NOT HOPELESS, THE BATTLE IS NOT IN VAIN.
WE MUST PERSIST IN THE FIGHT
AGAINST CRIME, AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE MUST
JOIN THE CONGRESS AND ALL OF OUR STATE AND
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN COMBATTING
IT.
ALL OF OUR LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS
MUST BECOME CONCERNED. THEY MUST BECOME
INVOLVED. THERE IS NO ESCAPING
RESPONSIBILITY IN THE WAR AGAINST CRIME.
WE ARE ALL INVOLVED.
I AM CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AS I
LOOK DOWN THE ROAD. I SEE DAYLIGHT AHEAD.
THE PRESIDENT IS STRONGLY
COMMITTED TO THE CONTROL OF CRIME.
WASHINGTON IS PROVIDING DOLLAR HELP AND
OTHER MUCH-NEEDED TOOLS AS WELL.
FORD
THERE IS A COMMITMENT TO THE
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WAR AGAINST CRIME AT ALL LEVELS OF
GOVERNMENT -- FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL.
AND THERE IS GREATER SUPPORT EACH DAY ON
THE PART OF ALL OF OUR LAW-ABIDING
CITIZENS.
WHAT WE MUST DO NOW IS TO CONVINCE
THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT IN AMERICA THAT THERE
IS "NO HIDING PLACE DOWN THERE" AND THAT
PUNISHMENT FOR THEIR CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY
FAIR,
WILL BE SWIFT AND CERTAIN. I SAY WE CAN DO
THAT. I SAY WE ARE ON OUR WAY. I SAY
LET'S GET ON WITH THE JOB.
--END--
GERALD R. LIBRARY FORD
Distribution Full
Gallerus 1:30 p.m. 12/3/70
maffice Copy
mail pm. 12/3/70
AN ADDRESS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
REPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AT THE MILTON S. EISENHOWER SYMPOSIUM
AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
4 P.M. DECEMBER 3, 1970
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY
In considering what I would say here today, I at first thought of concen-
trating all of my remarks on campus disorders. But after further reflection I
decided to cover almost the entire range of violence on the American scene today--
and this of course includes all types of violent crime.
I will, then, talk with you not only about campus disturbances which erupt
into violence but also about street crime and organized crime. Let me talk first
about campus violence.
The colleges of America are in crisis. They are not caught up in crisis
because of peaceful dissent. They are torn by disruption and the politics of
confrontation--the politics of violence.
This address is part of a symposium on "Perspectives on Violence." There
can be no sensible remedy for the problem of campus violence without the maintain-
ing of a sense of perspective.
By that I mean that we first of all must recognize that less than 200 of
our institutions of higher learning have been ripped by violence while some 400
others have suffered through some form of nonviolent disruption. There are, in
fact, nearly 2,600 colleges and universities in America with a total enrollment of
more than seven million students. The vast majority of these students neither take
part in nor sympathize with campus violence.
But we must be deeply concerned with the campus violence that does occur,
since it not only tramples on the rights of non-violent students but also results in
property damage and occasionally even the loss of life.
We are all familiar with the confrontation politics of the campus--
non-negotiable demands, strikes and boycotts, arson, willful destruction of
property, assault and battery, the occupation of buildings, interruption of classes,
disruption of meetings, the barring of entrances to buildings, holding
administrators captive. On a few campuses, it seems clear that revolutionaries
seek nothing less than the destruction of the university.
(more)
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To those who are quick to condemn college administrators, let me say that
no university can avoid a confrontation with those who are determined to engage in
revolutionary politics.
The actions of the militants on our campuses are completely without
justification.
If they have legitimate grievances, they have a right to present those
grievances, individually or collectively. They have a right to ask that those
grievances be given a respectful hearing and that appropriate remedial measures be
adopted.
But they have no right to interfere with the proper functioning of any
university or college.
They have no right to prevent other students from pursuing their studies.
They have no right to destroy property or occupy school buildings by
sit-ins or sleep-ins.
For any student violation of civil or criminal law there should be no
amnesty. There should be appropriate punishment, fairly adjudicated and
administered but inexorable.
The universities themselves have the primary responsibility for maintaining
order on campus. Properly SO. However in cases where they are unable or unwilling
to perform that function, outside intervention becomes not only necessary but
mandatory.
Where outside intervention becomes necessary, the essential ingredient for
control of the situation is planning. Plans must be formulated between the
university and civil authorities to deal with campus violence if it should occur.
I understand this was not true at Kent State University.
At no time should a university administration completely abdicate its role
to the civil authorities.
We can maintain order on our campuses--and I speak only of doing so in a
manner that does not interfere with the right of peaceful dissent. We must insure
freedom of dissent while preserving order. These two goals are not incompatible.
In fact, they should be inseparable.
Students should be allowed freedom of dissent as long as they do not interfere
with the rights of others. That is the key to campus discipline and an orderly
pursuit of learning.
Students should be dealt with firmly if they engage in willful defamation,
public obscenity, incitements to crime, and any other civil or criminal misconduct.
(more)
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Today's generation of college students is perhaps the most idealistic in
the history of America. This speaks well for the future of this country. But that
idealism should express itself in pressure for peaceful change--for changes within
the system.
Does any American in his right mind really believe that the quality of life
in this country would be improved by tearing down our system of government and
destroying our large corporations? Has Marxism eliminated the evils of this earth?
In the 1969-70 academic year there were 1,800 campus demonstrations. The
F.B.I. reports that these demonstrations resulted in eight deaths, 462 injuries and
7,500 arrests. Two-thirds of those injured were police officers attempting to
control the demonstrations.
According to the F.B.I., militants engaged in 247 instances of arson, 313
sit-ins in academic buildings, and 282 attacks on campus ROTC facilities. Property
damage was estimated at $9.5 million.
In a recent bombing case, that at the University of Wisconsin on August 22,
1970, one student was killed and three others were injured.
During the last academic year, the SDS and black militants were responsible
for a sharp increase in racial disorders on campuses and in nearby areas. The
number of these disorders increased by 68 per cent over the previous year for a
total of 530.
Major racial disorders involving the SDS, black militants and others
occurred in 200 cities, 33 states and the District of Columbia during the past
academic year. These disorders resulted in injuries to 500 persons, including
70 police officers and 30 teachers. Authorities made 1,800 arrests.
Two extremist groups--the Weathermen and the Black Panthers--are responsible
for some of the most dramatic episodes of violence in this country.
The Weathermen, an SDS splinter group, bombed a New York City Police
Department facility and injured eight persons.
The Black Panthers have committed 200 separate incidents of serious
violence. Members of the Black Panther Party have been convicted in more than 400
criminal violations ranging from possession of explosives to murder. According
to the F.B.I., the Black Panthers are directly responsible for killing nine
policemen and wounding 48.
The Black Panther Party has connections with the Communist regime in North
Vietnam and Arab terrorists in Algeria and Jordan.
(more)
-4-
Angela Davis, an avowed Communist with Black Panther connections, is alleged
to be responsible for the murder of a State Judge sitting in Marin County, California.
She allegedly bought the guns used in the killing. She is now in custody, under
indictment for murder and kidnapping.
There is a comparatively new terrorist organization known as the "East
Coast Conspiracy To Save Lives." Its members include Father Berrigan, who was
recently apprehended by the F.B.I. and now is in Danbury Penitentiary. This group
talks of blowing up underground conduits and steam pipes in the District of
Columbia and kidnapping highly placed Government officials. Their demands include
an end to all bombing operations in Southeast Asia and the release of so-called
political prisoners like the Black Panthers.
We read and talk of these terrorist organizations and because they are so
attention-arresting we lose sight of the bulk of violence in the United States.
We tend to forget that during the five-year period, 1963-68, for instance,
individual acts of violent crime resulted in more than one million injuries and
over 50,000 homicides.
We are inclined, too, to dismiss a rise in the rate of violent crimes by
attributing it to an increase in the population.
But the facts are that over the past decade there have been ominous increases
in what we call the true rates of homicide, robbery and aggravated assault.
The true rates of these violent crimes now are the highest they have ever
been since early in the 1900's. We lead the modern nations of the world in violent
crime. Within just the past 10 years, the number of violent crimes committed in
the United States annually per 100,000 persons has doubled.
The American public should not have to live in fear. Yet personal safety is
at the top of today's public concern because the soaring crime rate has provoked
fear and distrust in all Americans.
Many sociologists tell us that the roots of crime can be found in the basic
conditions of life. If this is so, millions of Americans are asking themselves,
why should America be plagued with a record-high incidence of crime in a time of
affluence?
I think the answer is many-faceted. First of all, many events of the Sixties
combined to cultivate a disrespect for the law. The feeling grew that if you
disagreed with a law or a rule on moral grounds you were perfectly justified in
breaking it. Initially this disobedience was passive, then it exploded into violence.
(more)
-5-
Another reason for the sharp rise in crime, I feel, traces to the fact that the
disadvantaged were promised much and received little. The third is that law
enforcement has simply broken down in America.
We must, then, build on the wreckage of the Sixties. We must rekindle
respect for the law. We must make law enforcement processes work so that punishment
for the guilty is swift and sure. In terms of social programs, we must not promise
more than we can deliver.
We are, I believe, on the way to doing exactly what I have outlined here.
We are more than doubling Federal aid to local communities for law enforce-
ment and court improvements under the Safe Streets Act.
We have enacted legislation--t Organized Crime Control Act of 1970--which
puts together an organized assault on organized crime and bombings in this country.
We have launched the most progressive and far-reaching Federal attack on
drug abuse ever undertaken by the United States.
And we have expanded our efforts in education and manpower training with a
view to maximizing those efforts and delivering at least as much as we promise.
Long before the Organized Crime Control Act was approved, the Administration
began making life miserable for racketeers. The syndicate became an empire in
trouble. To the gangster, the law suddenly became very menacing. The Administration's
beefed-up strike forces worked closely with State investigatory commissions to put the
heat on the racketeers. The results are a testimonial to the Administration's deep
commitment to the war against crime. Of the six syndicate "families" in the New
York-New Jersey metropolitan area, the leaders of five are either in prison or under
heavy attack.
Now the weapons in the war against crime have grown in number and effective-
ness through enactment of the Administration's Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.
Basically, the law provides for new perjury and contempt procedures calculated to
induce reluctant witnesses to testify. It also provides stiffer jail terms for
habitual criminals.
Besides giving authorities more weapons in the fight against trime, the new
Organized Crime Control Act zeroes in on bombings, arson and other criminal acts
=
which have threatened to turn our citadels of learning into citadels of violence.
The new law limits interstate traffic in explosives to licensees and official
permittees and prohibits the sale of explosives to minors, felons, fugitives from
justice, drug addicts and mental defectives. It also brings the F.B.I. into all
bombing and arson cases at colleges receiving any form of Federal aid.
(more)
-6-
Some Americans find it difficult to understand how a war against organized
crime is going to help in fighting street crime. What they do not understand is
that organized crime spawns street crime.
Organized crime encourages street crime by inducing narcotics addicts to
mug and rob.
Organized crime encourages housebreaking and burglary by making it easy to
dispose of stolen goods.
Organized crime flourishes because of its virtual monopoly on illegal
gambling, the numbers racket, and the importation of narcotics.
An estimated 50 to 75 per cent of the crimes committed on our nation's
streets are perpetrated by drug addicts. This is why the Administration is moving
so forcefully to halt the importation of illegal narcotics.
We must, of course, attack crime on many fronts. That is why the aid we
give to local police departments and our courts through the Safe Streets Act is
just as important as our expanded effort against organized crime.
As I mentioned earlier, our system of criminal justice has broken down and
our deterrent to crime has therefore broken down with it.
The National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence--the
Eisenhower Commission--has estimated that only 50 per cent of serious crimes are
actually reported, that just 12 per cent lead to arrest, that only 6 per cent are
convicted, and that only 1.5 per cent are imprisoned.
Is it any wonder that the criminal today believes crime does pay?
The following Eisenhower Commission statement should be imprinted on the mind
of every American citizen: "The sad fact is that our criminal justice system, as
presently operated, does not deter, does not detect, does not convict and does not
correct.
"
This is a serious indictment of American society. It is not only a charge
but a challenge. And it is a challenge to which we must respond, a challenge we
must meet.
This is why I place such stress on the Safe Streets Act and the matching
grants we are making under the program to strengthen our local police and overhaul
our entire system of criminal justice.
Our system of criminal justice must be made to function efficiently. This
is the only way to curb crime in this country. We must reach a point where the
potential law-breaker fears violating the law as much as innocent citizens today
(more)
-7-
fear to exercise their right to move about freely in their communities.
The task of fighting crime is not hopeless; the battle is not in vain.
We must persist in the fight against crime, and the American people must
join the Congress and all of our state and local law enforcement agencies in
combatting it.
All of our law-abiding citizens must become concerned. They must become
involved. There is no escaping responsibility in the war against crime. We are
all involved.
I am cautiously optimistic as I look down the road. I see daylight ahead.
The President is strongly committed to the control of crime. Washington
is providing dollar help and other much-needed tools as well.
There is a commitment to the war against crime at all levels of government--
Federal, state and local. And there is greater support each day on the part of all
of our law-abiding citizens.
What we must do now is to convince the criminal element in America that
there is "no hiding place down there" and that punishment for their crimes against
society will be swift and certain. I say we can do that. I say we are on our way.
I say let's get on with the job.
# # #
Full Distribution
Q Office Copy
AN ADDRESS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
REPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AT THE MILTON S. EISENHOWER SYMPOSIUM
AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
4 P.M. DECEMBER 3, 1970
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY
In considering what I would say here today, I at first thought of concen-
trating all of my remarks on campus disorders. But after further reflection I
decided to cover almost the entire range of violence on the American scene today--
and this of course includes all types of violent crime.
I will, then, talk with you not only about campus disturbances which erupt
into violence but also about street crime and organized crime. Let me talk first
about campus violence.
The colleges of America are in crisis. They are not caught up in crisis
because of peaceful dissent. They are torn by disruption and the politics of
confrontation- the politics of violence.
This address is part of a symposium on "Perspectives on Violence." There
can be no sensible remedy for the problem of campus violence without the maintain-
ing of a sense of perspective.
By that I mean that we first of all must recognize that less than 200 of
our institutions of higher learning have been ripped by violence while some 400
others have suffered through some form of nonviolent disruption. There are, in
fact, nearly 2,600 colleges and universities in America with a total enrollment of
more than seven million students. The vast majority of these students neither take
part in nor sympathize with campus violence.
But we must be deeply concerned with the campus violence that does occur,
since it not only tramples on the rights of non-violent students but also results in
property damage and occasionally even the loss of life.
We are all familiar with the confrontation politics of the campus--
non-negotiable demands, strikes and boycotts, arson, willful destruction of
property, assault and battery, the occupation of buildings, interruption of classes,
disruption of meetings, the barring of entrances to buildings, holding
administrators captive. On a few campuses, it seems clear that revolutionaries
seek nothing less than the destruction of the university.
(more)
-2-
To those who are quick to condemn college administrators, let me say that
no university can avoid a confrontation with those who are determined to engage in
revolutionary politics.
The actions of the militants on our campuses are completely without
justification.
If they have legitimate grievances, they have a right to present those
grievances, individually or collectively. They have a right to ask that those
grievances be given a respectful hearing and that appropriate remedial measures be
adopted.
But they have no right to interfere with the proper functioning of any
university or college.
They have no right to prevent other students from pursuing their studies.
They have no right to destroy property or occupy school buildings by
sit-ins or sleep-ins.
For any student violation of civil or criminal law there should be no
amnesty. There should be appropriate punishment, fairly adjudicated and
administered but inexorable.
The universities themselves have the primary responsibility for maintaining
order on campus. Properly SO. However in cases where they are unable or unwilling
to perform that function, outside intervention becomes not only necessary but
mandatory.
Where outside intervention becomes necessary, the essential ingredient for
control of the situation is planning. Plans must be formulated between the
university and civil authorities to deal with campus violence if it should occur.
I understand this was not true at Kent State University.
At no time should a university administration completely abdicate its role
to the civil authorities.
We can maintain order on our campuses--and I speak only of doing so in a
manner that does not interfere with the right of peaceful dissent. We must insure
freedom of dissent while preserving order. These two goals are not incompatible.
In fact, they should be inseparable.
Students should be allowed freedom of dissent as long as they do not interfere
with the rights of others. That is the key to campus discipline and an orderly
pursuit of learning.
Students should be dealt with firmly if they engage in willful defamation,
public obscenity, incitements to crime, and any other civil or criminal misconduct.
(more)
-3-
Today's generation of college students is perhaps the most idealistic in
the history of America. This speaks well for the future of this country. But that
idealism should express itself in pressure for peaceful change--for changes within
the system.
Does any American in his right mind really believe that the quality of life
in this country would be improved by tearing down our system of government and
destroying our large corporations? Has Marxism eliminated the evils of this earth?
In the 1969-70 academic year there were 1,800 campus demonstrations. The
F.B.I. reports that these demonstrations resulted in eight deaths, 462 injuries and
7,500 arrests. Two-thirds of those injured were police officers attempting to
control the demonstrations.
According to the F.B.I., militants engaged in 247 instances of arson, 313
sit-ins in academic buildings, and 282 attacks on campus ROTC facilities. Property
damage was estimated at $9.5 million.
In a recent bombing case, that at the University of Wisconsin on August 22,
1970, one student was killed and three others were injured.
During the last academic year, the SDS and black militants were responsible
for a sharp increase in racial disorders on campuses and in nearby areas. The
number of these disorders increased by 68 per cent over the previous year for a
total of 530.
Major racial disorders involving the SDS, black militants and others
occurred in 200 cities, 33 states and the District of Columbia during the past
academic year. These disorders resulted in injuries to 500 persons, including
70 police officers and 30 teachers. Authorities made 1,800 arrests.
Two extremist groups--the Weathermen and the Black Panthers--are responsible
for some of the most dramatic episodes of violence in this country.
The Weathermen, an SDS splinter group, bombed a New York City Police
Department facility and injured eight persons.
The Black Panthers have committed 200 separate incidents of serious
violence. Members of the Black Panther Party have been convicted in more than 400
criminal violations ranging from possession of explosives to murder. According
to the F.B.I., the Black Panthers are directly responsible for killing nine
policemen and wounding 48.
The Black Panther Party has connections with the Communist regime in North
Vietnam and Arab terrorists in Algeria and Jordan.
(more)
-4-
Angela Davis, an avowed Communist with Black Panther connections, is alleged
to be responsible for the murder of a State Judge sitting in Marin County, California.
She allegedly bought the guns used in the killing. She is now in custody, under
indictment for murder and kidnapping.
There is a comparatively new terrorist organization known as the "East
Coast Conspiracy To Save Lives." Its members include Father Berrigan, who was
recently apprehended by the F.B.I. and now is in Danbury Penitentiary. This group
talks of blowing up underground conduits and steam pipes in the District of
Columbia and kidnapping highly placed Government officials. Their demands include
an end to all bombing operations in Southeast Asia and the release of so-called
political prisoners like the Black Panthers.
We read and talk of these terrorist organizations and because they are so
attention-arresting we lose sight of the bulk of violence in the United States.
We tend to forget that during the five-year period, 1963-68, for instance,
individual acts of violent crime resulted in more than one million injuries and
over 50,000 homicides.
We are inclined, too, to dismiss a rise in the rate of violent crimes by
attributing it to an increase in the population.
But the facts are that over the past decade there have been ominous increases
in what we call the true rates of homicide, robbery and aggravated assault.
The true rates of these violent crimes now are the highest they have ever
been since early in the 1900's. We lead the modern nations of the world in violent
crime. Within just the past 10 years, the number of violent crimes committed in
the United States annually per 100,000 persons has doubled.
The American public should not have to live in fear. Yet personal safety is
at the top of today's public concern because the soaring crime rate has provoked
fear and distrust in all Americans.
Many sociologists tell us that the roots of crime can be found in the basic
conditions of life. If this is so, millions of Americans are asking themselves,
why should America be plagued with a record-high incidence of crime in a time of
affluence?
I think the answer is many-faceted. First of all, many events of the Sixties
combined to cultivate a disrespect for the law. The feeling grew that if you
disagreed with a law or a rule on moral grounds you were perfectly justified in
breaking it. Initially this disobedience was passive, then it exploded into violence.
(more)
-5-
Another reason for the sharp rise in crime, I feel, traces to the fact that the
disadvantaged were promised much and received little. The third is that law
enforcement has simply broken down in America.
We must, then, build on the wreckage of the Sixties. We must rekindle
respect for the law. We must make law enforcement processes work so that punishment
for the guilty is swift and sure. In terms of social programs, we must not promise
more than we can deliver.
We are, I believe, on the way to doing exactly what I have outlined here.
We are more than doubling Federal aid to local communities for law enforce-
ment and court improvements under the Safe Streets Act.
We have enacted legislation--th Organized Crime Control Act of 1970-which
puts together an organized assault on organized crime and bombings in this country.
We have launched the most progressive and far-reaching Federal attack on
drug abuse ever undertaken by the United States.
And we have expanded our efforts in education and manpower training with a
view to maximizing those efforts and delivering at least as much as we promise.
Long before the Organized Crime Control Act was approved, the Administration
began making life miserable for racketeers. The syndicate became an empire in
trouble. To the gangster, the law suddenly became very menacing. The Administration':
beefed-up strike forces worked closely with State investigatory commissions to put the
heat on the racketeers. The results are a testimonial to the Administration's deep
commitment to the war against crime. Of the six syndicate "families" in the New
York-New Jersey metropolitan area, the leaders of five are either in prison or under
heavy attack.
Now the weapons in the war against crime have grown in number and effective-
ness through enactment of the Administration's Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.
Basically, the law provides for new perjury and contempt procedures calculated to
induce reluctant witnesses to testify. It also provides stiffer jail terms for
habitual criminals.
Besides giving authorities more weapons in the fight against crime, the new
Organized Crime Control Act zeroes in on bombings, arson and other criminal acts
which have threatened to turn our citadels of learning into citadels of violence.
The new law limits interstate traffic in explosives to licensees and official
permittees and prohibits the sale of explosives to minors, felons, fugitives from
justice, drug addicts and mental defectives. It also brings the F.B.I. into all
bombing and arson cases at colleges receiving any form of Federal aid.
(more)
-6-
Some Americans find it difficult to understand how a war against organized
crime is going to help in fighting street crime. What they do not understand is
that organized crime spawns street crime.
Organized crime encourages street crime by inducing narcotics addicts to
mug and rob.
Organized crime encourages housebreaking and burglary by making it easy to
dispose of stolen goods.
Organized crime flourishes because of its virtual monopoly on illegal
gambling, the numbers racket, and the importation of narcotics.
An estimated 50 to 75 per cent of the crimes committed on our nation's
streets are perpetrated by drug addicts. This is why the Administration is moving
so forcefully to halt the importation of illegal narcotics.
We must, of course, attack crime on many fronts. That is why the aid we
give to local police departments and our courts through the Safe Streets Act is
just as important as our expanded effort against organized crime.
As I mentioned earlier, our system of criminal justice has broken down and
our deterrent to crime has therefore broken down with it.
The National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence--the
Eisenhower Commission--has estimated that only 50 per cent of serious crimes are
actually reported, that just 12 per cent lead to arrest, that only 6 per cent are
convicted, and that only 1.5 per cent are imprisoned.
Is it any wonder that the criminal today believes crime does pay?
The following Eisenhower Commission statement should be imprinted on the mind
of every American citizen: "The sad fact is that our criminal justice system, as
presently operated, does not deter, does not detect, does not convict and does not
correct.
"
This is a serious indictment of American society. It is not only a charge
but a challenge. And it is a challenge to which we must respond, a challenge we
must meet.
This is why I place such stress on the Safe Streets Act and the matching
grants we are making under the program to strengthen our local police and overhaul
our entire system of criminal justice.
Our system of criminal justice must be made to function efficiently. This
is the only way to curb crime in this country. We must reach a point where the
potential law-breaker fears violating the law as much as innocent citizens today
(more)
-7-
fear to exercise their right to move about freely in their communities.
The task of fighting crime is not hopeless; the battle is not in vain.
We must persist in the fight against crime, and the American people must
join the Congress and all of our state and local law enforcement agencies in
combatting it.
All of our law-abiding citizens must become concerned. They must become
involved. There is no escaping responsibility in the war against crime. We are
all involved.
I am cautiously optimistic as I look down the road. I see daylight ahead.
The President is strongly committed to the control of crime. Washington
is providing dollar help and other much-needed tools as well.
There is a commitment to the war against crime at all levels of government--
Federal, state and local. And there is greater support each day on the part of all
of our law-abiding citizens.
What we must do now is to convince the criminal element in America that
there is "no hiding place down there" and that punishment for their crimes against
society will be swift and certain. I say we can do that. I say we are on our way.
I
say let's get on with the job.
# # #

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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D30, folder \"Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium,\nJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, December 3, 1970\" of the Ford Congressional\nPapers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box D30 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nMILTON S. EISENHOWER SYMPOSIUM, JOHNS\nHOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,\n4 P.M., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1970.\nThe 9.5.m The 1970s - Peropective on\nIN CONSIDERING WHAT I WOULD SAY\nHERE TODAY, I AT FIRST THOUGHT OF CONCENTRATING\nALL OF MY REMARKS ON CAMPUS DISORDERS.\nBUT AFTER FURTHER REFLECTION DECIDED TO\nCOVER ALMOST THE ENTIRE RANGE OF VIOLENCE ON\nTHE AMERICAN SCENE TODAY -- AND THIS OF\nCOURSE INCLUDES ALL TYPES OF VIOLENT CRIME.\nI WILL, THEN, TALK WITH YOU NOT\nONLY ABOUT CAMPUS DISTURBANCES WHICH ERUPT\nINTO VIOLENCE BUT ALSO ABOUT STREET CRIME\nAND ORGANIZED CRIME. LET ME TALK FIRST\nABOUT CAMPUS VIOLENCE.\nTHE COLLEGES OF AMERICA ARE IN\nCRISIS. THEY ARE NOT CAUGHT UP IN CRISIS\nBECAUSE OF PEACEFUL DISSENT. THEY ARE TORN\nLIBRARY\n-2-\nBY DISRUPTION AND THE POLITICS OF\nCONFRONTATION -- THE POLITICS OF VI OLENCE.\nTHIS ADDRESS IS PART OF A SYMPOSIUM\nON \"PERSPECTIVES ON VIOLENCE.\" THERE CAN BE\nNO SENSIBLE REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM OF CAMPUS\nVIOLENCE WITHOUT THE MAINTAINING OF A SENSE\nOF PERSPECTIVE.\nBY THAT/I MEAN/THAT WE FIRST OF\nALL MUST RECOGNIZE THAT LESS THAN 200 OF\nOUR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING HAVE\nBEEN RIPPED BY VIOLENCE WHILE SOME 400 OTHERS\nHAVE SUFFERED THROUGH SOME FORM OF\nNONVIOLENT DISRUPTION. THERE ARE, IN FACT,\nNEARLY 2,600 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN\nAMERICA WITH A TOTAL ENROLLMENT OF MORE THAN\nSEVEN MILLION STUDENTS. THE VAST MAJORITY\nOF THESE STUDENTS NEITHER TAKE PART IN/NOR\nSYMPATHIZE WITH CAMPUS VIOLENCE.\nBERALD FORD LIBRARY\n-3-\nBUT WE MUST BE DEEPLY CONCERNED\nWITH THE CAMPUS VIOLENCE THAT DOES OCCUR,\nSINCE IT NOT ONLY TRAMPLES ON THE RIGHTS\nOF NON-VIOLENT STUDENS BUT ALSO RESULTS IN\nPROPERTY DAMAGE AND OCCASIONALLY EVEN THE\nLOSS OF LIFE.\nWE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE\nCONFRONTATION POLITICS OF THE CAMPUS --\nNON-NEGOTIABLE DEMANDS, STRIKES AND\nBOYCOTTS, ARSON, WILLFUL DESTRUCTION OF\nPROPERTY, ASSAULT AND BATTERY, THE OCCUPATION\nOF BUILDINGS, INTERRUPTION OF CLASSES,\nDISRUPTION OF MEETINGS, THE BARRING OF\nENTRANCES TO BUILDINGS, HOLDING\nADMINISTRATORS CAPTIVE. ON A FEW CAMPUSES,\nIT SEEMS CLEAR THAT REVOLUTIONARIES SEEK\nNOTHING LESS THAN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE\nUNIVERSITY.\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\n-4-\nTO THOSE WHO ARE QUICK TO CONDEMN\nCOLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS, LET ME SAY THAT NO\nUNIVERSITY CAN AVOID A CONFRONTATION WITH\nTHOSE WHO ARE DETERMINED TO ENGAGE IN\nREVOLUTIONARY POLITICS.\nTHE ACTIONS OF THE MILITANTS ON\nOUR CAMPUSES ARE COMPLETELY WITHOUT\nthose suh to destry university\nJUSTIFICATION. THEY under our system\nIF\nHAVE LEGITIMATE GRIEVANCES,\nTHEY HAVE A RIGHT TO PRESENT THOSE\nGRIEVANCES, INDIVIDUALLY OR COLLECTIVELY.\nTHEY HAVE A RIGHT TO ASK THAT THOSE\nresponsible\nGRIEVANCES BE GIVEN A RESPECTFUL HEARING\nAND THAT APPROPRIATE REMEDIAL MEASURES BE\nADOPTED.\n1\nBUT THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO\nINTERFERE WITH THE PROPER FUNCTIONING OF ANY\nUNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE.\nFORD & LIBRARY GERALD\n-5-\nTHEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO PREVENT\nOTHER STUDENTS FROM PURSUING THEIR STUDIES.\n3\nTHEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO DESTROY\nPROPERTY OR OCCUPY SCHOOL BUILDINGS BY\nSIT-INS OR SLEEP-INS.\nFOR ANY STUDENT VIOLATION OF CIVIL\nOR CRIMINAL LAW THERE SHOULD BE NO AMNESTY.\nTHERE SHOULD BE APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT,\nFAIRLY ADJUDICATED AND ADMINISTERED BUT\nINEXORABLE.\nTHE UNIVERSITIES THEMSELVES HAVE\nTHE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAINTAINING\nCertanily me Purchast, no longtes should operate a college uning\nORDER ON CAMPUS\nPROPERL SO. HOWEVER IN\nMade\nCASES WHERE THEY, ARE UNABLE OR UNWILLING\nTO PERFORM THAT FUNCTION, OUTSIDE\nINTERVENTION BECOMES NOT ONLY NECESSARY BUT\nMANDATORY.\nWHERE OUTSIDE INTERVENTION BECOMES\nNECESSARY, THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT FOR\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\n-6-\nCONTROL OF THE SITUATION IS PLANNING. PLANS\nMUST BE FORMULATED BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY\nAND CIVIL AUTHORITIES TO DEAL WITH CAMPUS\nInfortunty\nVIOLENCE IF IT SHOULD OCCUR.\nI\nUNDERSTAND\nTHIS WAS NOT TRUE AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY.\nAT NO TIME SHOULD A UNIVERSITY\nADMINISTRATION COMPLETELY ABDICATE ITS ROLE\nTO THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES.\nWE CAN MAINTAIN ORDER ON OUR\nCAMPUSES -- AND I SPEAK ONLY OF DOING SO IN\nA MANNER THAT DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THE\nRIGHT OF PEACEFUL DISSENT. WE MUST INSURE\nFREEDOM OF DISSENT WHILE PRESERVING ORDER.\nTHESE TWO GOALS ARE NOT INCOMPATIBLE. IN\nFACT, THEY SHOULD BE INSEPARABLE.\nSTUDENTS SHOULD BE ALLOWED\nFREEDOM OF DISSENT AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT\nINTERFERE WITH THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. THAT\nIS THE KEY TO CAMPUS DISCIPLINE AND AN\nGEBALD\n-7-\nORDERLY PURSUIT OF LEARNING.\nSTUDENTS SHOULD BE DEALT WITH\nFIRMLY IF THEY ENGAGE IN WILLFUL DEFAMATION,\nPUBLIC OBSCENITY, INCITEMENTS TO CRIME,\nAND ANY OTHER CIVIL OR CRIMINAL MISCONDUCT.\nTODAY'S GENERATION OF COLLEGE\nSTUDENTS IS PERHAPS THE MOST IDEALISTIC IN\nTHE HISTORY OF AMERICA. THIS SPEAKS WELL\nFOR THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY. BUT THAT\nIDEALISM SHOULD EXPRESS ITSELF IN PRESSURE\nFOR PEACEFUL CHANGE -- FOR CHANGES WITHIN\nTHE SYSTEM.\nDOES ANY AMERICAN IN HIS RIGHT\nMIND REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE QUALITY OF\nLIFE IN THIS COUNTRY WOULD BE IMPROVED BY\nTEARING DOWN QUR SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT AND\nand destriging\nThe means by which patienties have tim built and fronthis HAS assembled compurated &\nDESTROY ING OUR ARGE CORPORATIONS.\nw have Manison prevails in Government so There more academic freefon\nMARXISM EL IMINATED THE EVILS OF THIS EARTH:\nIN THE 1969-70 ACADEMIC YEAR\nFORD & LIBRARY GERALD\n-8-\nTHERE WERE 1,800 CAMPUS DEMONSTRATIONS.\nTHE F.B.I. REPORTS THAT THESE DEMONSTRATIONS\nRESULTED IN EIGHT DEATHS, 462 INJURIES AND\n7,500 ARRESTS. TWO-THIRDS OF THOSE INJURED\nWERE POLICE OFFICERS ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL\nTHE DEMONSTRATIONS.\nACCORDING TO THE F.B.I., MILITANTS\nENGAGED IN 247 INSTANCES OF ARSON, 313\nSIT-INS IN ACADEMIC BUILDINGS, AND\n282 ATTACKS ON CAMPUS ROTC FACILITIES.\nPROPERTY DAMAGE WAS ESTIMATED AT\n$9.5 MILLION.\nIN A RECENT BOMBING CASE, THAT\nAT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ON\nAUGUST 22, 1970, ONE STUDENT WAS KILLED\nAND THREE OTHERS WERE INJURED.\nDURING THE LAST ACADEMIC YEAR,\nTHE SDS AND BLACK MILITANTS WERE\nFORD\nRESPONSIBLE FOR A SHARP INCREASE IN RACIAL\nGER\nLIBRARY\n-9-\nDISORDERS ON CAMPUSES AND IN NEARBY AREAS.\nTHE NUMBER OF THESE DISORDERS INCREASED\nBY 68 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR FOR\nA TOTAL OF 530.\nMAJOR RACIAL DISORDERS INVOLVING\nTHE SDS, BLACK MILITANTS AND OTHERS\nOCCURRED IN 200 CITIES, 33 STATES AND THE\nDISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DURING THE PAST\nACADEMIC YEAR. THESE DISORDERS RESULTED\nIN INJURIES TO 500 PERSONS, INCLUDING\n70 POLICE OFFICERS AND 30 TEACHERS.\nAUTHORITIES MADE 1,800 ARRESTS.\nTWO EXTREMIST GROUPS -- THE\nWEATHERMEN AND THE BLACK PANTHERS -- ARE\nRESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE MOST DRAMATIC\nEPISODES OF VIOLENCE IN THIS COUNTRY.\nTHE WEATHERMEN, AN SDS SPLINTER\nGROUP, BOMBED A NEW YORK CITY POLICE\nFORD ABRARA\nDEPARTMENT FACILITY AND INJURED EIGHT PERSONS.\n-10-\nTHE BLACK PANTHERS HAVE\nCOMMITTED 200 SEPARATE INCIDENTS OF SERIOUS\nVIOLENCE. MEMBERS OF THE BLACK PANTHER\nPARTY HAVE BEEN CONVICTED IN MORE THAN\n400 CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS RANGING FROM\nPOSSESSION OF EXPLOSIVES TO MURDER.\nACCORDING TO THE F.B.I., THE BLACK PANTHERS\nARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING NINE\nPOLICEMEN AND WOUNDING 48.\nTHE BLACK PANTHER PARTY HAS\nCONNECTIONS WITH THE COMMUNIST REGIME IN\nNORTH VIETNAM AND ARAB TERRORISTS IN ALGERIA\nAND JORDAN.\nANGELA DAVIS, AN AVOWED COMMUNIST\nWITH BLACK PANTHER CONNECTIONS, IS ALLEGED\nTO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDER OF A STATE\nJUDGE SITTING IN MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.\nSHE ALLEGEDLY BOUGHT THE GUNS USED IN THE\nKILLING. SHE IS NOW IN CUSTODY, UNDER\nFORD & LIBRARY GERALD\nINDICTMENT FOR MURDER AND KIDNAPPING.\n-11-\nTHERE IS A COMPARATIVELY NEW\nTERRORIST ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE \"EAST\nCOAST CONSPIRACY TO SAVE LIVES.\" ITS\nMEMBERS INCLUDE FATHER BERRIGAN, WHO WAS\nRECENTLY APPREHENDED BY THE F.B.I. AND NOW\nIS IN DANBURY PENITENTIARY. THIS GROUP TALKS\nOF BLOWING UP UNDERGROUND CONDUITS AND STEAM\nPIPES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND\nKIDNAPPING HIGHLY PLACED GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.\nTHEIR DEMANDS [INCLUDE AN END TO ALL BOMBING\nOPERATIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE\nRELEASE OF SO-CALLED POLITICAL PRISONERS\nLIKE THE BLACK PANTHERS.\nWE READ AND TALK OF THESE\nTERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS/AND BECAUSE THEY\nARE SO ATTENTION-ARRESTING/WE LOSE SIGHT\nOF THE BULK OF VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES.\nWE TEND TO FORGET THAT DURING\nFORD\nTHE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD, 1963-68, FOR INSTANCE,\nLIBRARY\n-12-\nINDIVIDUAL ACTS OF VIOLENT CRIME RESULTED\nIN MORE THAN ONE MILLION INJURIES AND OVER\n50,000 HOMICIDES.\nWE ARE INCLINED, Too, TO DISMISS\nA RISE IN THE RATE OF VIOLENT CRIMES BY\nATTRIBUTING IT TO AN INCREASE IN THE\nPOPULATION.\nBUT THE FACTS ARE THAT OVER THE\nPAST DECADE THERE HAVE BEEN OMINOUS\nINCREASES IN WHAT WE CALL THE TRUE RATES\nOF HOMICIDE, ROBBERY AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT.\nTHE TRUE RATES OF THESE VIOLENT\nCRIMES NOW ARE THE HIGHEST THEY HAVE EVER\nBEEN SINCE EARLY IN THE 1900'S. WE LEAD THE\nMODERN NATIONS OF THE WORLD IN VIOLENT CRIME.\nWITHIN JUST THE PAST 10 YEARS, THE NUMBER\nOF VIOLENT CRIMES COMMITTED IN THE UNITED\nSTATES ANNUALLY PER 100,000 PERSONS HAS\nDOUBLED.\nR.FORD UBRARI\n-13-\nTHE AMERICAN PUBLIC SHOULD NOT\nHAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR. YET PERSONAL SAFETY\nIS AT THE TOP OF TODAY'S PUBLIC CONCERN\nBECAUSE THE SOARING CRIME RATE HAS PROVOKED\nFEAR AND DISTRUST IN ALL AMERICANS.\nMANY SOCIOLOGISTS TELL US THAT\nPark\nTHE ROOTS OF CRIME CAN BE FOUND IN THE\nThere is substance To this account. That in why we have\nCheck Hold\nBASIC CONDITIONS OF LIFE. IF THIS IS so,\nMILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE ASKING THEMSELVES,\nWHY SHOULD AMERICA BE PLAGUED WITH A\nRECORD-HIGH INCIDENCE OF CRIME IN A TIME OF\nAFFLUENCE. One answer would he -as The main body ?\nour society grew more afflect/others were left whind\nHave THINK THE ANSWER IS\nMANY-FACETED. FIRST OF ALL, MANY EVENTS OF\nTHE SIXTIES COMBINED TO CULTIVATE A DISRESPECT\nFOR THE LAW. THE FEELING GREW THAT IF YOU\nDISAGREED WITH A LAW OR A RULE ON MORAL\nGROUNDS YOU WERE PERFECTLY JUSTIFIED IN\nFORD LIBRARY & PRALD\nBREAKING IT. INITIALLY THIS DISOBEDIENCE\n-14-\nWAS PASSIVE, THEN IT EXPLODED INTO VIOLENCE\nANOTHER REASON FOR THE SHARP RISE IN CRIME,\nI FEEL, TRACES TO THE FACT THAT THE\nDISADVANTAGED WERE PROMISED MUCH AND\nRECEIVED LITTLE / THE THIRD IS THAT LAW\nENFORCEMENT HAS SIMPLY BROKEN DOWN IN\nAMERICA.\nWE MUST, THEN, BUILD ON THE\nWRECKAGE OF THE SIXTIES. WE MUST REKINDLE\nRESPECT FOR THE LAW. WE MUST MAKE LAW\nENFORCEMENT PROCESSES WORK SO THAT PUNISHMENT\nFAIR,\nFOR THE GUILTY IS SWIFT AND SURE. IN TERMS\nOF SOCIAL PROGRAMS, WE MUST NOT PROMISE MORE\nTHAN WE CAN DELIVER.\nWE ARE, I BELIEVE, ON THE WAY TO\nDOING EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE OUTLINED HERE.\nWE ARE MORE THAN DOUBLING FEDERAL\nAID TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT\nAND COURT IMPROVEMENTS UNDER THE SAFE STREETS\nACT.\n-15-\nWE HAVE ENACTED LEGISLATION -- THE\nORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1970 -- WHICH\nPUTS TOGETHER AN ORGANIZED ASSAULT ON\nORGANIZED CRIME AND BOMBINGS IN THIS\nCOUNTRY.\nWE HAVE LAUNCHED THE MOST\nPROGRESSIVE AND FAR-REACHING FEDERAL ATTACK\nON DRUG ABUSE EVER UNDERTAKEN BY THE UNITED\nSTATES.\nAND WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR EFFORTS\nIN EDUCATION AND MANPOWER TRAINING WITH A\nVIEW TO MAXIMIZING THOSE EFFORTS AND\nDELIVERING AT LEAST AS MUCH AS WE PROMISE.\nLONG BEFORE THE ORGANIZED CRIME\nCONTROL ACT WAS APPROVED, THE ADMINISTRATION\nBEGAN MAKING LIFE MISERABLE FOR RACKETEERS.\nTHE SYNDICATE BECAME AN EMPIRE IN TROUBLE\nTO THE GANGSTER, THE LAW SUDDENLY BECAME\nVERY MENACING. THE ADMINISTRATION'S\nFORD NERARY\nBEEFED-UP STRIKE FORCES WORKED CLOSELY WITH\n-16-\nSTATE INVESTIGATORY COMMISSIONS TO PUT THE\nHEAT ON THE RACKETEERS. THE RESULTS ARE A\nTESTIMONIAL TO THE ADMINISTRATION'S DEEP\nCOMMITMENT TO THE WAR AGAINST CRIME. OF\nTHE SIX SYNDICATE \"FAMILIES\" IN THE\nNEW YORK-NEW JERSEY METROPOLITAN AREA, THE\nLEADERS OF FIVE ARE EITHER IN PRISON OR\nUNDER HEAVY ATTACK.\nNOW THE WEAPONS IN THE WAR\nAGAINST CRIME HAVE GROWN IN NUMBER AND\nEFFECTIVENESS THROUGH ENACTMENT OF THE\nADMINISTRATION'S ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT\nOF 1970. BASICALLY, THE LAW PROVIDES FOR\nNEW PERJURY AND CONTEMPT PROCEDURES\nCALCULATED TO INDUCE RELUCTANT WITNESSES\nTO TESTIFY. IT ALSO PROVIDES STIFFER JAIL\nTERMS FOR HABITUAL CRIMINALS.\nBESIDES GIVING AUTHORITIES MORE\nRD\nWEAPONS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME, THE GERAL NEW\nLIBRARY\n-17-\nORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL ACT ZEROES IN ON\nBOMBINGS, ARSON AND OTHER CRIMINAL ACTS\nWHICH HAVE THREATENED TO TURN OUR CITADELS\nOF LEARNING INTO CITADELS OF VIOLENCE.\nTHE NEW LAW LIMITS INTERSTATE TRAFFIC IN\nEXPLOSIVES TO LICENSEES AND OFFICIAL PERMITTEES\nAND PROHIBITS THE SALE OF EXPLOSIVES TO\nMINORS, FELONS, FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE, DRUG\nADDICTS AND MENTAL DEFECTIVES. IT ALSO\nBRINGS THE F.B.I. INTO ALL BOMBING AND\nARSON CASES AT COLLEGES RECEIVING ANY FORM\nOF FEDERAL AID.\nSOME AMERICANS FIND IT DIFFICULT\nTO UNDERSTAND HOW A WAR AGAINST ORGANIZED\nCRIME IS GOING TO HELP IN FIGHTING STREET\nCRIME. WHAT THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND IS THAT\nORGANIZED CRIME SPAWNS STREET CRIME.\nORGANIZED CRIME ENCOURAGES STREET\nCRIME BY INDUCING NARCOTICS ADDICTS TO\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\n-18-\nMUG AND ROB.\nORGANIZED CRIME ENCOURAGES\nHOUSEBREAKING AND BURGLARY BY MAKING IT\nEASY TO DISPOSE OF STOLEN GOODS.\nORGANIZED CRIME FLOURISHES BECAUSE\nOF ITS VIRTUAL MONOPOLY ON ILLEGAL GAMBLING,\nTHE NUMBERS RACKET, AND THE IMPORTATION OF\nNARCOTICS.\nAN ESTIMATED 50 TO 75 PER CENT\nOF THE CRIMES COMMITTED IN OUR NATION'S\nSTREETS ARE PERPETRATED BY DRUG ADDICTS.\nTHIS IS WHY THE ADMINISTRATION IS MOVING\nSO FORCEFULLY TO HALT THE IMPORTATION OF\nILLEGAL NARCOTICS.\nWE MUST, OF COURSE, ATTACK CRIME\nON MANY FRONTS. THAT IS WHY THE AID WE GIVE\nTO LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND OUR COURTS\nTHROUGH THE SAFE STREETS ACT IS JUST AS\nIMPORTANT AS OUR EXPANDED EFFORT AGAINST\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\nORGANIZED CRIME.\n-19-\nAS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR\nSYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE HAS BROKEN DOWN\nAND OUR DETERRENT TO CRIME HAS THEREFORE\nBROKEN DOWN WITH IT.\nTHE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE\nCAUSES AND PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE -- THE\nEISENHOWER COMMISSION -- HAS ESTIMATED\nTHAT ONLY 50 PER CENT OF SERIOUS CRIMES ARE\nACTUALLY REPORTED, THAT JUST 12 PER CENT\nLEAD TO ARREST, THAT ONLY 6 PER CENT ARE\nCONVICTED, AND THAT ONLY 1.5 PER CENT ARE\nIMPRISONED.\nIS IT ANY WONDER THAT THE\nCRIMINAL TODAY BELIEVES CRIME DOES PAY.\nTHE FOLLOWING EISENHOWER COMMISSION\nSTATEMENT SHOULD BE IMPRINTED ON THE MIND\nOF EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN: \"THE SAD FACT\nIS THAT OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AS\nPRESENTLY OPERATED, DOES NOT DETER,\nFORD & LIBRARY GERALD\n-20-\nDOES NOT DETECT, DOES NOT CONVICT AND DOES\nNOT CORRECT.\"\nTHIS IS A SERIOUS INDICTMENT OF\nAMERICAN SOCIETY. IT IS NOT ONLY A CHARGE\nBUT A CHALLENGE. AND IT IS A CHALLENGE TO\nWHICH WE MUST RESPOND, A CHALLENGE WE MUST\nMEET.\nTHIS IS WHY I PLACE SUCH STRESS\nON THE SAFE STREETS ACT AND THE MATCHING\nGRANTS WE ARE MAKING UNDER THE PROGRAM TO\nSTRENGTHEN OUR LOCAL POLICE AND OVERHAUL\nOUR ENTIRE SYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE.\nOUR SYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE\nMUST BE MADE TO FUNCTION EFFICIENTLY. THIS\nIS THE ONLY WAY TO CURB CRIME IN THIS COUNTRY.\nWE MUST REACH A POINT WHERE THE POTENTIAL\nLAWBREAKER FEARS VIOLATING THE LAW AS MUCH\nAS INNOCENT CITIZENS TODAY FEAR TO EXERCISE ORD\nTHEIR RIGHT TO MOVE ABOUT FREELY IN THEIR\nLIBRARY\nCOMMUNITIES.\n-21-\nTHE TASK OF FIGHTING CRIME IS\nNOT HOPELESS, THE BATTLE IS NOT IN VAIN.\nWE MUST PERSIST IN THE FIGHT\nAGAINST CRIME, AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE MUST\nJOIN THE CONGRESS AND ALL OF OUR STATE AND\nLOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN COMBATTING\nIT.\nALL OF OUR LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS\nMUST BECOME CONCERNED. THEY MUST BECOME\nINVOLVED. THERE IS NO ESCAPING\nRESPONSIBILITY IN THE WAR AGAINST CRIME.\nWE ARE ALL INVOLVED.\nI AM CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AS I\nLOOK DOWN THE ROAD. I SEE DAYLIGHT AHEAD.\nTHE PRESIDENT IS STRONGLY\nCOMMITTED TO THE CONTROL OF CRIME.\nWASHINGTON IS PROVIDING DOLLAR HELP AND\nOTHER MUCH-NEEDED TOOLS AS WELL.\nFORD\nTHERE IS A COMMITMENT TO THE\nLIBRARY\n-22-\nWAR AGAINST CRIME AT ALL LEVELS OF\nGOVERNMENT -- FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL.\nAND THERE IS GREATER SUPPORT EACH DAY ON\nTHE PART OF ALL OF OUR LAW-ABIDING\nCITIZENS.\nWHAT WE MUST DO NOW IS TO CONVINCE\nTHE CRIMINAL ELEMENT IN AMERICA THAT THERE\nIS \"NO HIDING PLACE DOWN THERE\" AND THAT\nPUNISHMENT FOR THEIR CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY\nFAIR,\nWILL BE SWIFT AND CERTAIN. I SAY WE CAN DO\nTHAT. I SAY WE ARE ON OUR WAY. I SAY\nLET'S GET ON WITH THE JOB.\n--END--\nGERALD R. LIBRARY FORD\nDistribution Full\nGallerus 1:30 p.m. 12/3/70\nmaffice Copy\nmail pm. 12/3/70\nAN ADDRESS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.\nREPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nAT THE MILTON S. EISENHOWER SYMPOSIUM\nAT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND\n4 P.M. DECEMBER 3, 1970\nFOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY\nIn considering what I would say here today, I at first thought of concen-\ntrating all of my remarks on campus disorders. But after further reflection I\ndecided to cover almost the entire range of violence on the American scene today--\nand this of course includes all types of violent crime.\nI will, then, talk with you not only about campus disturbances which erupt\ninto violence but also about street crime and organized crime. Let me talk first\nabout campus violence.\nThe colleges of America are in crisis. They are not caught up in crisis\nbecause of peaceful dissent. They are torn by disruption and the politics of\nconfrontation--the politics of violence.\nThis address is part of a symposium on \"Perspectives on Violence.\" There\ncan be no sensible remedy for the problem of campus violence without the maintain-\ning of a sense of perspective.\nBy that I mean that we first of all must recognize that less than 200 of\nour institutions of higher learning have been ripped by violence while some 400\nothers have suffered through some form of nonviolent disruption. There are, in\nfact, nearly 2,600 colleges and universities in America with a total enrollment of\nmore than seven million students. The vast majority of these students neither take\npart in nor sympathize with campus violence.\nBut we must be deeply concerned with the campus violence that does occur,\nsince it not only tramples on the rights of non-violent students but also results in\nproperty damage and occasionally even the loss of life.\nWe are all familiar with the confrontation politics of the campus--\nnon-negotiable demands, strikes and boycotts, arson, willful destruction of\nproperty, assault and battery, the occupation of buildings, interruption of classes,\ndisruption of meetings, the barring of entrances to buildings, holding\nadministrators captive. On a few campuses, it seems clear that revolutionaries\nseek nothing less than the destruction of the university.\n(more)\n-2-\nTo those who are quick to condemn college administrators, let me say that\nno university can avoid a confrontation with those who are determined to engage in\nrevolutionary politics.\nThe actions of the militants on our campuses are completely without\njustification.\nIf they have legitimate grievances, they have a right to present those\ngrievances, individually or collectively. They have a right to ask that those\ngrievances be given a respectful hearing and that appropriate remedial measures be\nadopted.\nBut they have no right to interfere with the proper functioning of any\nuniversity or college.\nThey have no right to prevent other students from pursuing their studies.\nThey have no right to destroy property or occupy school buildings by\nsit-ins or sleep-ins.\nFor any student violation of civil or criminal law there should be no\namnesty. There should be appropriate punishment, fairly adjudicated and\nadministered but inexorable.\nThe universities themselves have the primary responsibility for maintaining\norder on campus. Properly SO. However in cases where they are unable or unwilling\nto perform that function, outside intervention becomes not only necessary but\nmandatory.\nWhere outside intervention becomes necessary, the essential ingredient for\ncontrol of the situation is planning. Plans must be formulated between the\nuniversity and civil authorities to deal with campus violence if it should occur.\nI understand this was not true at Kent State University.\nAt no time should a university administration completely abdicate its role\nto the civil authorities.\nWe can maintain order on our campuses--and I speak only of doing so in a\nmanner that does not interfere with the right of peaceful dissent. We must insure\nfreedom of dissent while preserving order. These two goals are not incompatible.\nIn fact, they should be inseparable.\nStudents should be allowed freedom of dissent as long as they do not interfere\nwith the rights of others. That is the key to campus discipline and an orderly\npursuit of learning.\nStudents should be dealt with firmly if they engage in willful defamation,\npublic obscenity, incitements to crime, and any other civil or criminal misconduct.\n(more)\n-3-\nToday's generation of college students is perhaps the most idealistic in\nthe history of America. This speaks well for the future of this country. But that\nidealism should express itself in pressure for peaceful change--for changes within\nthe system.\nDoes any American in his right mind really believe that the quality of life\nin this country would be improved by tearing down our system of government and\ndestroying our large corporations? Has Marxism eliminated the evils of this earth?\nIn the 1969-70 academic year there were 1,800 campus demonstrations. The\nF.B.I. reports that these demonstrations resulted in eight deaths, 462 injuries and\n7,500 arrests. Two-thirds of those injured were police officers attempting to\ncontrol the demonstrations.\nAccording to the F.B.I., militants engaged in 247 instances of arson, 313\nsit-ins in academic buildings, and 282 attacks on campus ROTC facilities. Property\ndamage was estimated at $9.5 million.\nIn a recent bombing case, that at the University of Wisconsin on August 22,\n1970, one student was killed and three others were injured.\nDuring the last academic year, the SDS and black militants were responsible\nfor a sharp increase in racial disorders on campuses and in nearby areas. The\nnumber of these disorders increased by 68 per cent over the previous year for a\ntotal of 530.\nMajor racial disorders involving the SDS, black militants and others\noccurred in 200 cities, 33 states and the District of Columbia during the past\nacademic year. These disorders resulted in injuries to 500 persons, including\n70 police officers and 30 teachers. Authorities made 1,800 arrests.\nTwo extremist groups--the Weathermen and the Black Panthers--are responsible\nfor some of the most dramatic episodes of violence in this country.\nThe Weathermen, an SDS splinter group, bombed a New York City Police\nDepartment facility and injured eight persons.\nThe Black Panthers have committed 200 separate incidents of serious\nviolence. Members of the Black Panther Party have been convicted in more than 400\ncriminal violations ranging from possession of explosives to murder. According\nto the F.B.I., the Black Panthers are directly responsible for killing nine\npolicemen and wounding 48.\nThe Black Panther Party has connections with the Communist regime in North\nVietnam and Arab terrorists in Algeria and Jordan.\n(more)\n-4-\nAngela Davis, an avowed Communist with Black Panther connections, is alleged\nto be responsible for the murder of a State Judge sitting in Marin County, California.\nShe allegedly bought the guns used in the killing. She is now in custody, under\nindictment for murder and kidnapping.\nThere is a comparatively new terrorist organization known as the \"East\nCoast Conspiracy To Save Lives.\" Its members include Father Berrigan, who was\nrecently apprehended by the F.B.I. and now is in Danbury Penitentiary. This group\ntalks of blowing up underground conduits and steam pipes in the District of\nColumbia and kidnapping highly placed Government officials. Their demands include\nan end to all bombing operations in Southeast Asia and the release of so-called\npolitical prisoners like the Black Panthers.\nWe read and talk of these terrorist organizations and because they are so\nattention-arresting we lose sight of the bulk of violence in the United States.\nWe tend to forget that during the five-year period, 1963-68, for instance,\nindividual acts of violent crime resulted in more than one million injuries and\nover 50,000 homicides.\nWe are inclined, too, to dismiss a rise in the rate of violent crimes by\nattributing it to an increase in the population.\nBut the facts are that over the past decade there have been ominous increases\nin what we call the true rates of homicide, robbery and aggravated assault.\nThe true rates of these violent crimes now are the highest they have ever\nbeen since early in the 1900's. We lead the modern nations of the world in violent\ncrime. Within just the past 10 years, the number of violent crimes committed in\nthe United States annually per 100,000 persons has doubled.\nThe American public should not have to live in fear. Yet personal safety is\nat the top of today's public concern because the soaring crime rate has provoked\nfear and distrust in all Americans.\nMany sociologists tell us that the roots of crime can be found in the basic\nconditions of life. If this is so, millions of Americans are asking themselves,\nwhy should America be plagued with a record-high incidence of crime in a time of\naffluence?\nI think the answer is many-faceted. First of all, many events of the Sixties\ncombined to cultivate a disrespect for the law. The feeling grew that if you\ndisagreed with a law or a rule on moral grounds you were perfectly justified in\nbreaking it. Initially this disobedience was passive, then it exploded into violence.\n(more)\n-5-\nAnother reason for the sharp rise in crime, I feel, traces to the fact that the\ndisadvantaged were promised much and received little. The third is that law\nenforcement has simply broken down in America.\nWe must, then, build on the wreckage of the Sixties. We must rekindle\nrespect for the law. We must make law enforcement processes work so that punishment\nfor the guilty is swift and sure. In terms of social programs, we must not promise\nmore than we can deliver.\nWe are, I believe, on the way to doing exactly what I have outlined here.\nWe are more than doubling Federal aid to local communities for law enforce-\nment and court improvements under the Safe Streets Act.\nWe have enacted legislation--t Organized Crime Control Act of 1970--which\nputs together an organized assault on organized crime and bombings in this country.\nWe have launched the most progressive and far-reaching Federal attack on\ndrug abuse ever undertaken by the United States.\nAnd we have expanded our efforts in education and manpower training with a\nview to maximizing those efforts and delivering at least as much as we promise.\nLong before the Organized Crime Control Act was approved, the Administration\nbegan making life miserable for racketeers. The syndicate became an empire in\ntrouble. To the gangster, the law suddenly became very menacing. The Administration's\nbeefed-up strike forces worked closely with State investigatory commissions to put the\nheat on the racketeers. The results are a testimonial to the Administration's deep\ncommitment to the war against crime. Of the six syndicate \"families\" in the New\nYork-New Jersey metropolitan area, the leaders of five are either in prison or under\nheavy attack.\nNow the weapons in the war against crime have grown in number and effective-\nness through enactment of the Administration's Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.\nBasically, the law provides for new perjury and contempt procedures calculated to\ninduce reluctant witnesses to testify. It also provides stiffer jail terms for\nhabitual criminals.\nBesides giving authorities more weapons in the fight against trime, the new\nOrganized Crime Control Act zeroes in on bombings, arson and other criminal acts\n=\nwhich have threatened to turn our citadels of learning into citadels of violence.\nThe new law limits interstate traffic in explosives to licensees and official\npermittees and prohibits the sale of explosives to minors, felons, fugitives from\njustice, drug addicts and mental defectives. It also brings the F.B.I. into all\nbombing and arson cases at colleges receiving any form of Federal aid.\n(more)\n-6-\nSome Americans find it difficult to understand how a war against organized\ncrime is going to help in fighting street crime. What they do not understand is\nthat organized crime spawns street crime.\nOrganized crime encourages street crime by inducing narcotics addicts to\nmug and rob.\nOrganized crime encourages housebreaking and burglary by making it easy to\ndispose of stolen goods.\nOrganized crime flourishes because of its virtual monopoly on illegal\ngambling, the numbers racket, and the importation of narcotics.\nAn estimated 50 to 75 per cent of the crimes committed on our nation's\nstreets are perpetrated by drug addicts. This is why the Administration is moving\nso forcefully to halt the importation of illegal narcotics.\nWe must, of course, attack crime on many fronts. That is why the aid we\ngive to local police departments and our courts through the Safe Streets Act is\njust as important as our expanded effort against organized crime.\nAs I mentioned earlier, our system of criminal justice has broken down and\nour deterrent to crime has therefore broken down with it.\nThe National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence--the\nEisenhower Commission--has estimated that only 50 per cent of serious crimes are\nactually reported, that just 12 per cent lead to arrest, that only 6 per cent are\nconvicted, and that only 1.5 per cent are imprisoned.\nIs it any wonder that the criminal today believes crime does pay?\nThe following Eisenhower Commission statement should be imprinted on the mind\nof every American citizen: \"The sad fact is that our criminal justice system, as\npresently operated, does not deter, does not detect, does not convict and does not\ncorrect.\n\"\nThis is a serious indictment of American society. It is not only a charge\nbut a challenge. And it is a challenge to which we must respond, a challenge we\nmust meet.\nThis is why I place such stress on the Safe Streets Act and the matching\ngrants we are making under the program to strengthen our local police and overhaul\nour entire system of criminal justice.\nOur system of criminal justice must be made to function efficiently. This\nis the only way to curb crime in this country. We must reach a point where the\npotential law-breaker fears violating the law as much as innocent citizens today\n(more)\n-7-\nfear to exercise their right to move about freely in their communities.\nThe task of fighting crime is not hopeless; the battle is not in vain.\nWe must persist in the fight against crime, and the American people must\njoin the Congress and all of our state and local law enforcement agencies in\ncombatting it.\nAll of our law-abiding citizens must become concerned. They must become\ninvolved. There is no escaping responsibility in the war against crime. We are\nall involved.\nI am cautiously optimistic as I look down the road. I see daylight ahead.\nThe President is strongly committed to the control of crime. Washington\nis providing dollar help and other much-needed tools as well.\nThere is a commitment to the war against crime at all levels of government--\nFederal, state and local. And there is greater support each day on the part of all\nof our law-abiding citizens.\nWhat we must do now is to convince the criminal element in America that\nthere is \"no hiding place down there\" and that punishment for their crimes against\nsociety will be swift and certain. I say we can do that. I say we are on our way.\nI say let's get on with the job.\n# # #\nFull Distribution\nQ Office Copy\nAN ADDRESS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.\nREPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nAT THE MILTON S. EISENHOWER SYMPOSIUM\nAT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND\n4 P.M. DECEMBER 3, 1970\nFOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY\nIn considering what I would say here today, I at first thought of concen-\ntrating all of my remarks on campus disorders. But after further reflection I\ndecided to cover almost the entire range of violence on the American scene today--\nand this of course includes all types of violent crime.\nI will, then, talk with you not only about campus disturbances which erupt\ninto violence but also about street crime and organized crime. Let me talk first\nabout campus violence.\nThe colleges of America are in crisis. They are not caught up in crisis\nbecause of peaceful dissent. They are torn by disruption and the politics of\nconfrontation- the politics of violence.\nThis address is part of a symposium on \"Perspectives on Violence.\" There\ncan be no sensible remedy for the problem of campus violence without the maintain-\ning of a sense of perspective.\nBy that I mean that we first of all must recognize that less than 200 of\nour institutions of higher learning have been ripped by violence while some 400\nothers have suffered through some form of nonviolent disruption. There are, in\nfact, nearly 2,600 colleges and universities in America with a total enrollment of\nmore than seven million students. The vast majority of these students neither take\npart in nor sympathize with campus violence.\nBut we must be deeply concerned with the campus violence that does occur,\nsince it not only tramples on the rights of non-violent students but also results in\nproperty damage and occasionally even the loss of life.\nWe are all familiar with the confrontation politics of the campus--\nnon-negotiable demands, strikes and boycotts, arson, willful destruction of\nproperty, assault and battery, the occupation of buildings, interruption of classes,\ndisruption of meetings, the barring of entrances to buildings, holding\nadministrators captive. On a few campuses, it seems clear that revolutionaries\nseek nothing less than the destruction of the university.\n(more)\n-2-\nTo those who are quick to condemn college administrators, let me say that\nno university can avoid a confrontation with those who are determined to engage in\nrevolutionary politics.\nThe actions of the militants on our campuses are completely without\njustification.\nIf they have legitimate grievances, they have a right to present those\ngrievances, individually or collectively. They have a right to ask that those\ngrievances be given a respectful hearing and that appropriate remedial measures be\nadopted.\nBut they have no right to interfere with the proper functioning of any\nuniversity or college.\nThey have no right to prevent other students from pursuing their studies.\nThey have no right to destroy property or occupy school buildings by\nsit-ins or sleep-ins.\nFor any student violation of civil or criminal law there should be no\namnesty. There should be appropriate punishment, fairly adjudicated and\nadministered but inexorable.\nThe universities themselves have the primary responsibility for maintaining\norder on campus. Properly SO. However in cases where they are unable or unwilling\nto perform that function, outside intervention becomes not only necessary but\nmandatory.\nWhere outside intervention becomes necessary, the essential ingredient for\ncontrol of the situation is planning. Plans must be formulated between the\nuniversity and civil authorities to deal with campus violence if it should occur.\nI understand this was not true at Kent State University.\nAt no time should a university administration completely abdicate its role\nto the civil authorities.\nWe can maintain order on our campuses--and I speak only of doing so in a\nmanner that does not interfere with the right of peaceful dissent. We must insure\nfreedom of dissent while preserving order. These two goals are not incompatible.\nIn fact, they should be inseparable.\nStudents should be allowed freedom of dissent as long as they do not interfere\nwith the rights of others. That is the key to campus discipline and an orderly\npursuit of learning.\nStudents should be dealt with firmly if they engage in willful defamation,\npublic obscenity, incitements to crime, and any other civil or criminal misconduct.\n(more)\n-3-\nToday's generation of college students is perhaps the most idealistic in\nthe history of America. This speaks well for the future of this country. But that\nidealism should express itself in pressure for peaceful change--for changes within\nthe system.\nDoes any American in his right mind really believe that the quality of life\nin this country would be improved by tearing down our system of government and\ndestroying our large corporations? Has Marxism eliminated the evils of this earth?\nIn the 1969-70 academic year there were 1,800 campus demonstrations. The\nF.B.I. reports that these demonstrations resulted in eight deaths, 462 injuries and\n7,500 arrests. Two-thirds of those injured were police officers attempting to\ncontrol the demonstrations.\nAccording to the F.B.I., militants engaged in 247 instances of arson, 313\nsit-ins in academic buildings, and 282 attacks on campus ROTC facilities. Property\ndamage was estimated at $9.5 million.\nIn a recent bombing case, that at the University of Wisconsin on August 22,\n1970, one student was killed and three others were injured.\nDuring the last academic year, the SDS and black militants were responsible\nfor a sharp increase in racial disorders on campuses and in nearby areas. The\nnumber of these disorders increased by 68 per cent over the previous year for a\ntotal of 530.\nMajor racial disorders involving the SDS, black militants and others\noccurred in 200 cities, 33 states and the District of Columbia during the past\nacademic year. These disorders resulted in injuries to 500 persons, including\n70 police officers and 30 teachers. Authorities made 1,800 arrests.\nTwo extremist groups--the Weathermen and the Black Panthers--are responsible\nfor some of the most dramatic episodes of violence in this country.\nThe Weathermen, an SDS splinter group, bombed a New York City Police\nDepartment facility and injured eight persons.\nThe Black Panthers have committed 200 separate incidents of serious\nviolence. Members of the Black Panther Party have been convicted in more than 400\ncriminal violations ranging from possession of explosives to murder. According\nto the F.B.I., the Black Panthers are directly responsible for killing nine\npolicemen and wounding 48.\nThe Black Panther Party has connections with the Communist regime in North\nVietnam and Arab terrorists in Algeria and Jordan.\n(more)\n-4-\nAngela Davis, an avowed Communist with Black Panther connections, is alleged\nto be responsible for the murder of a State Judge sitting in Marin County, California.\nShe allegedly bought the guns used in the killing. She is now in custody, under\nindictment for murder and kidnapping.\nThere is a comparatively new terrorist organization known as the \"East\nCoast Conspiracy To Save Lives.\" Its members include Father Berrigan, who was\nrecently apprehended by the F.B.I. and now is in Danbury Penitentiary. This group\ntalks of blowing up underground conduits and steam pipes in the District of\nColumbia and kidnapping highly placed Government officials. Their demands include\nan end to all bombing operations in Southeast Asia and the release of so-called\npolitical prisoners like the Black Panthers.\nWe read and talk of these terrorist organizations and because they are so\nattention-arresting we lose sight of the bulk of violence in the United States.\nWe tend to forget that during the five-year period, 1963-68, for instance,\nindividual acts of violent crime resulted in more than one million injuries and\nover 50,000 homicides.\nWe are inclined, too, to dismiss a rise in the rate of violent crimes by\nattributing it to an increase in the population.\nBut the facts are that over the past decade there have been ominous increases\nin what we call the true rates of homicide, robbery and aggravated assault.\nThe true rates of these violent crimes now are the highest they have ever\nbeen since early in the 1900's. We lead the modern nations of the world in violent\ncrime. Within just the past 10 years, the number of violent crimes committed in\nthe United States annually per 100,000 persons has doubled.\nThe American public should not have to live in fear. Yet personal safety is\nat the top of today's public concern because the soaring crime rate has provoked\nfear and distrust in all Americans.\nMany sociologists tell us that the roots of crime can be found in the basic\nconditions of life. If this is so, millions of Americans are asking themselves,\nwhy should America be plagued with a record-high incidence of crime in a time of\naffluence?\nI think the answer is many-faceted. First of all, many events of the Sixties\ncombined to cultivate a disrespect for the law. The feeling grew that if you\ndisagreed with a law or a rule on moral grounds you were perfectly justified in\nbreaking it. Initially this disobedience was passive, then it exploded into violence.\n(more)\n-5-\nAnother reason for the sharp rise in crime, I feel, traces to the fact that the\ndisadvantaged were promised much and received little. The third is that law\nenforcement has simply broken down in America.\nWe must, then, build on the wreckage of the Sixties. We must rekindle\nrespect for the law. We must make law enforcement processes work so that punishment\nfor the guilty is swift and sure. In terms of social programs, we must not promise\nmore than we can deliver.\nWe are, I believe, on the way to doing exactly what I have outlined here.\nWe are more than doubling Federal aid to local communities for law enforce-\nment and court improvements under the Safe Streets Act.\nWe have enacted legislation--th Organized Crime Control Act of 1970-which\nputs together an organized assault on organized crime and bombings in this country.\nWe have launched the most progressive and far-reaching Federal attack on\ndrug abuse ever undertaken by the United States.\nAnd we have expanded our efforts in education and manpower training with a\nview to maximizing those efforts and delivering at least as much as we promise.\nLong before the Organized Crime Control Act was approved, the Administration\nbegan making life miserable for racketeers. The syndicate became an empire in\ntrouble. To the gangster, the law suddenly became very menacing. The Administration':\nbeefed-up strike forces worked closely with State investigatory commissions to put the\nheat on the racketeers. The results are a testimonial to the Administration's deep\ncommitment to the war against crime. Of the six syndicate \"families\" in the New\nYork-New Jersey metropolitan area, the leaders of five are either in prison or under\nheavy attack.\nNow the weapons in the war against crime have grown in number and effective-\nness through enactment of the Administration's Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.\nBasically, the law provides for new perjury and contempt procedures calculated to\ninduce reluctant witnesses to testify. It also provides stiffer jail terms for\nhabitual criminals.\nBesides giving authorities more weapons in the fight against crime, the new\nOrganized Crime Control Act zeroes in on bombings, arson and other criminal acts\nwhich have threatened to turn our citadels of learning into citadels of violence.\nThe new law limits interstate traffic in explosives to licensees and official\npermittees and prohibits the sale of explosives to minors, felons, fugitives from\njustice, drug addicts and mental defectives. It also brings the F.B.I. into all\nbombing and arson cases at colleges receiving any form of Federal aid.\n(more)\n-6-\nSome Americans find it difficult to understand how a war against organized\ncrime is going to help in fighting street crime. What they do not understand is\nthat organized crime spawns street crime.\nOrganized crime encourages street crime by inducing narcotics addicts to\nmug and rob.\nOrganized crime encourages housebreaking and burglary by making it easy to\ndispose of stolen goods.\nOrganized crime flourishes because of its virtual monopoly on illegal\ngambling, the numbers racket, and the importation of narcotics.\nAn estimated 50 to 75 per cent of the crimes committed on our nation's\nstreets are perpetrated by drug addicts. This is why the Administration is moving\nso forcefully to halt the importation of illegal narcotics.\nWe must, of course, attack crime on many fronts. That is why the aid we\ngive to local police departments and our courts through the Safe Streets Act is\njust as important as our expanded effort against organized crime.\nAs I mentioned earlier, our system of criminal justice has broken down and\nour deterrent to crime has therefore broken down with it.\nThe National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence--the\nEisenhower Commission--has estimated that only 50 per cent of serious crimes are\nactually reported, that just 12 per cent lead to arrest, that only 6 per cent are\nconvicted, and that only 1.5 per cent are imprisoned.\nIs it any wonder that the criminal today believes crime does pay?\nThe following Eisenhower Commission statement should be imprinted on the mind\nof every American citizen: \"The sad fact is that our criminal justice system, as\npresently operated, does not deter, does not detect, does not convict and does not\ncorrect.\n\"\nThis is a serious indictment of American society. It is not only a charge\nbut a challenge. And it is a challenge to which we must respond, a challenge we\nmust meet.\nThis is why I place such stress on the Safe Streets Act and the matching\ngrants we are making under the program to strengthen our local police and overhaul\nour entire system of criminal justice.\nOur system of criminal justice must be made to function efficiently. This\nis the only way to curb crime in this country. We must reach a point where the\npotential law-breaker fears violating the law as much as innocent citizens today\n(more)\n-7-\nfear to exercise their right to move about freely in their communities.\nThe task of fighting crime is not hopeless; the battle is not in vain.\nWe must persist in the fight against crime, and the American people must\njoin the Congress and all of our state and local law enforcement agencies in\ncombatting it.\nAll of our law-abiding citizens must become concerned. They must become\ninvolved. There is no escaping responsibility in the war against crime. We are\nall involved.\nI am cautiously optimistic as I look down the road. I see daylight ahead.\nThe President is strongly committed to the control of crime. Washington\nis providing dollar help and other much-needed tools as well.\nThere is a commitment to the war against crime at all levels of government--\nFederal, state and local. And there is greater support each day on the part of all\nof our law-abiding citizens.\nWhat we must do now is to convince the criminal element in America that\nthere is \"no hiding place down there\" and that punishment for their crimes against\nsociety will be swift and certain. I say we can do that. I say we are on our way.\nI\nsay let's get on with the job.\n# # #"
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