Dish towel demonstration for peace: 1964

A crowd of 400 women picket the White House March 4, 1964 demanding peace in Vietnam and nuclear disarmament while carrying a 750-foot-long banner composed of dish towels with thousands of signatures.

The following excerpts are from an article by Sue Cronk that appeared in the Washington Post March 6, 1964:

“Nearly 400 women picketed the White House Wednesday afternoon in a demonstration urging president Johnson to ‘make 1964 the year the world turned away from war.’”

“Members of Women’s Strike for Peace from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia were lobbying for a peace program that includes strong opposition to the proposed NATO multi-lateral force (MLF).

[The Multilateral Force (MLF) was an American proposal to produce a fleet of ballistic missile submarines and warships, each manned by international NATO crews, and armed with multiple nuclear-armed Polaris ballistic missiles. The proposal was floated by the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations. The proposal sparked protests and withered when American and European differences over basing strategies and financing could not be reconciled and died when the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed.]

“As they marched along Pennsylvania Ave., led by WSP founder Dagmar Wilson of Washington, they unfurled a 250-yard-long banner of dish toweling bearing thousands of signatures.”

“Some carried placards asking the President to “Find a Peaceful Solution in Vietnam” and “Make Our Earth a Nuclear-Free Zone.” A few wheeled baby carriages including Jane Ackerman of Philadelphia who brought her 7-month-old Hand to ‘ride’ his first picket line.”

“When the line broke up, groups of members dispersed to confer with various vongressmen, sdministration officials and foreign diplomats.”

“The WSP groups gathered in St. Marks Episcopal Church, 3rd and A Streets, SE, to compare notes on their visits at the end of the afternoon.”

“They reported ‘disappointment’ over the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency’s Attitude toward MLF as a ‘last ditch obstacle to proliferation of nuclear weapons.”

“They were pleased with the statements of Soviet First Secretary Viktor P. Karpov that Russia wants general disarmament, withdrawal of troops from foreign territories, observation posts to insure against surprise attacks and a non-aggression pact between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries.”

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsmw1miEv

Photo by F. Routt. The image is courtesy of the D.C. Public Library Washington Star Collection © Washington Post.

Taken on: March 4, 1964

Tags:

Women’s

Strike

Peace

picket

protest

demonstration

banner

dish

towels

White

House

nuclear

atom

bomb

disarmament

Vietnam

War

Washington

District

Columbia

1964 « less

Sets appears in: • Women's Strike for Peace: 1961-70 • Women against war: 1920-81 more » • No Nukes: 1950-85 « less

Camera: Nikon D5100, f/9.0, 1/40 sec, 24mm (=36mm), ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D5100
Lens:	18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.025 sec (1/40)
Focal Length:	24mm (35mm equivalent: 36mm)
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 17.0 (Macintosh)
Show full info

Stats: 1,474 views