New light shed on Kent State killings--Shots fired at Guard, declassified files indicate

The Washington Times ^ | May 4, 2010 | James Rosen

[jazusamo]

Previously undisclosed FBI documents suggest that the Kent State antiwar protests were more meticulously planned than originally thought and that one or more gunshots may have been fired at embattled Ohio National Guardsmen before their killings of four students and woundings of at least nine others on that searing day in May 1970.

As the nation marks the 40th anniversary of the Kent State antiwar protests Tuesday, a review of hundreds of previously unpublished investigative reports sheds a new — and very different — light on the tragic episode.

The upheaval that enveloped the northeastern Ohio campus actually began three days earlier, in downtown Kent. Stirred to action by President Nixon's expansion of U.S. military operations in Cambodia, a roving mob of earnest antiwar activists, hard-core radicals, curious students and others smashed 50 bank and store windows, looted a jewelry store and hurled bricks and bottles at police.

Four officers suffered injuries, and the mayor declared a civil emergency. Only tear gas dispersed the mob.

An exhaustive review later concluded that this unrest on the streets — the worst in Kent's history — was "not an organized riot or a planned protest."

But the FBI's investigation swiftly uncovered reliable evidence that suggested otherwise. Among the strongest was a pre-dawn conversation — never before reported — between two unnamed men overheard inside a campus lounge later that night. Their discussion was witnessed by the girlfriend of a Kent State student and conveyed up the FBI chain of command 15 days later.

"We did it," one man exulted, according to the inquiry. "We got the riot started."

The second man expressed disappointment at being excluded from the riot's planning. "Wait until tomorrow night," the leader replied excitedly. "We just got the word. We're going to burn the ROTC building."

[wardaddy]

the dorm shots were alleged and backed up in the Jackson State riots

shots alleged at Kent State were never backed up and not dorm oriented I don’t believe

[wardaddy]

none of that has anything to do with whether or not the shootings were justified

my own reversal on youthful liberal-libertarianims from that period came mostly from being southern and getting sick of defending that

which I still have to here amongst some so called ..snort...conservatives

i just think the most strident here should read up all they can and then come back and gnash away

there are facts proven that are not nice and neat about why the Guardsmen went off though I am sure they were tired and pissed

sort of a Boston Massacre moment with troops just edgy

[huldah1776]

Don’t know how my spider-web mentality got me to researching Kent State today, but after just reading this thread, and posting the other day in regards to universities being given military equipment I think I may have been right or some conservative is being pro-active but let’s not tell the administration.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3203986/posts

oh, gathering marxist crowd control info and how to start a marxist riot. Do you think the kids on campus, like the people of Ferguson, would realize that they are being used by outsiders who ship in agitators?

[jazusamo]

I saw the piece on colleges getting weapons and other equipment and was surprised even with the turkey we have in the WH.

It seems to fit in with 0bama’s national police force desires.

[SunkenCiv]

This topic was posted 5/3/2010, thanks jazusamo.