[Cross talk]

[Unidentified Speaker]: Del Corso. Del Corso.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Right or left?

[Unidentified Speaker]: Any place.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Come on, get up here Don.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Bob?

[Cross talk]

[Unidentified Speaker]: Come on, Don. Get it. Here, pull him a chair in here.

[James Rhodes]: Now do you know everybody here? This is–Robert Krupansky is the district attorney for the federal government.  You know the mayor, Del Corso, Chiaramonte, and Don Kane. I want to sum this up, and then you can ask questions of any of us. We’ve seen here at the city of Kent, especially, probably the most vicious form of campus-oriented violence yet perpetrated by dissident groups and their allies in the state of Ohio for this reason: most of the dissident groups have operated within the campus. This has moved over where they have threatened and intimidated merchants and people of this community.

Now it ceases to be a problem of the colleges in Ohio. This now is the problem of the State of Ohio, and I want to assure you that we’re going to employ every force of law that we have under our authority, not only to get to the bottom of the situation here at Kent, on the campus, in the city, and we have asked the complete cooperation of the district attorney of the federal government, because federal supplies were burned and destroyed in the ROTC building. And these people, after we can find them after a complete investigation, will be turned over to the federal government. We’ve asked the county prosecutor for a complete and comprehensive investigation. And there’s some people now out on probation that, there had been a strong word to the fact that they had participated in this. Now, we’re going to put a stop to this, for this reason: the same group that we’re dealing with here today, and there’s three or four of them, they only have one thing in mind, that is to destroy higher education in Ohio. And if they continue this, and continue what they’re doing, they’re going to reach their goal for the simple reason that you cannot continue to set fires to buildings that are worth five and ten million dollars because you cannot get replacements from the high general assembly. And last night, I think that we have seen all forms of violence, the worst. And when they start taking over communities, this is when we’re going to use every part of the law enforcement [agents?] of Ohio to drive them out of Kent.

We’re going to make two recommendations, Ohio general assembly. Now, we’ve had this at Miami in Oxford, Ohio, also Ohio State University, we had 32 police officers injured, and a couple very severe. We have these same groups going from one campus to the other. And they use a university, state supported, and [attack their habit of sanctuary?]. And in this, they make definite plans of burning, destroying, and throwing rocks at police, and at the National Guard, and the highway patrol. We’re asking the legislature that any person throwing a rock, brick, or stone at a law enforcement agent of Ohio, a sheriff, policeman, highway patrol, National Guard, becomes a felony. And secondly, we’re going to ask for legislation that any person, in administrative side or as a student, if these people are convicted, whether it’s a misdemeanor or felony, participating in a riot, they’re automatically dismissed, there’s no hearing, no recourse, and they cannot enter another state university in the state of Ohio. We are going to eradicate the problem. We’re not going to treat this simply. And as long as this continues, higher education Ohio is in jeopardy. And if they’re continued to give permissive consent, they will destroy higher education in this state.

And I would like for–we were very fortunate last night, we had 700 National Guard in this area on the trucker strike. Had they not been here, there would’ve been fourteen or fifteen other burnouts, and I’m talking about buildings. And it was just through the good fortune the other incidents happening parallel with this, and that we had here, the county prosecutor, the mayor, the chief of police, and the fire chief, and every law enforcement agency here have been very cohesive in this. And I want to congratulate all of you. They’ve done a great job, everybody here, the city attorney, everybody here, the judicial system, all of them have done a good job here, but they’re limited. There has to be some way of getting some subsidy for these people to fight, and these people just move from one campus to the other, and terrorize a community. They’re worse than the Brownshirts and the communist element, and also, the Night Riders and the vigilantes. They’re the worst type of people that we harbor in America. Now, I want to say that they’re not going to take over campus, and the campus now is going to be part of the county and the state of Ohio. There’s no sanctuary for these people to burn buildings down, of private citizens, of business in the community, then run into a sanctuary. It’s over with in Ohio.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Who’s next? General? General Del Corso.

[Sylvester Del Corso]: All right. As the governor mentioned, it was very fortunate that we had troops assembled here for another mission, and at the request of the mayor of Kent, we moved our forces in here, and we were able to put a stop to this very quickly, and contain the fire to the one building, provide security for the fire department, which was initially pelted by rocks. The fire hose were cut, and they were forced to evacuate the campus because of this, because they didn’t have enough protection. And shortly after we arrived, which was less than half an hour or so later, security was put on the truck by the armed troops, and they moved back in and contained the fire to the one building. And we have sufficient force in the area, we will apply whatever degree of force is necessary to provide protection for the lives of our citizens and his property.

[Unidentified Speaker]: General, how long are you going to keep the Guard in?

[Unidentified]: Can we, let’s go down the line here [‘til we question everybody?]. Colonel Chiaramonte of highway patrol.

[Robert M. Chiaramonte]: Well, we’re a mobile organization, we put 100 men on in very short time. We have men that are well-trained, but they’re not trained to receive bricks. We won’t take it. Any hoodlum with a gun will be handled the same as any other hoodlum. The next phase if we encountered it elsewhere is where they start sniping. They can expect us to return fire.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Mr. Mayor? Mayor-

[LeRoy Satrom]: Governor Rhodes, as mayor of the city of Kent, I wish to thank General Del Corso and the National Guard for their prompt action and response to my request for help in the–quelling the disturbance in our city. We are now organized to protect the citizens of our city, we will take all necessary, I repeat, all necessary action to maintain order. That the cooperation of the Ohio National Guard and other law enforcement agencies which have been very cooperative will, to bring peace and quiet to our city in the very near future. We ask for all the cooperation from citizens of Kent, in God’s help, we will succeed.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Don Kane?

[Don Kane]: Mr. Governor, I think that the basic responsibility exists that the students have a privilege to go to school, not a constitutional right. And as prosecutor of this county, my responsibility is to the citizens of this county, and anyone who’s violating a state or local law is going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Thank you.

[Interviewer]: Bob Krupansky?

[Robert Krupansky]: Governor, mayor, I’ve assured both you and the mayor that we will continue our investigation into the incident. And in the event that the violations of federal law become apparent, appropriate action will be taken immediately.

[Rhodes]: Let me say here that we are just as stern for peaceful decent and orderly protest. But when the technique of The Weatherman, and the SDS, and Student Mobilization Committee, when this is employed, and fire bombing and violence, and let me also say that death is not going to stand in their way to answer their purpose. And we’re going to employ everything that we possibly can to protect the buildings that are payed for by the taxpayers of Ohio. And we expect complete cooperation of everybody involved in this. And I know it is not an easy task, but is something that you must do if we’re going to stop this at its grass roots. And this is all we’re trying to do. Now questions, of any of it.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Governor?

[Rhodes]: Yes?

[Unidentified Speaker]: Last year, we had this problem with the student demonstration, and we found that in our county had terrific burden on the courts to move this many cases to the courts. Will the state be able to assist the-

[Rhodes]: We’ll help with the court. We’ll help with the court. We’ll do anything with [a local official?] we can help. We promised them at a meeting this morning. Any help that they need, we’ll help them.

[Unidentified Speaker]: General Del Corso, how long do you expect to keep the Guard in Kent?

[Rhodes]: Well, I’ll answer that. Until we get rid of them. I don’t want to take any authority away from the general, but I wanted to cut it short.

[Del Corso]: You got me outranked, governor.

[Unidentified Speaker]: All right. Horace?

[Unidentified Speaker]: Mayor, how many people were threatened downtown?

[Satrom]: We have no actual number, but we know several phone calls to the police station, and we also see the signs downtown which is evidence that they were-

[Unidentified Speaker]: They were threatened if they didn’t put the signs in the window, they were, they were going to burn and burn.

[Satrom]: That is right, sir.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Governor, do you, did I get the impression that you said you knew who set fire to the ROTC building?

[Rhodes]: I do not have the direct evidence, but I think it can be, it’s available. And I think in the end, this is going to be a new trend, we’re going to prosecute, and as for the prosecution, Don Kane has given his assurance on the inciting of a riot. The civil rights of the citizens threatened downtown by a mob hanging certain signs, they’re violating the civil rights, and this is a federal violation. And we’re going to try to enforce every law.

[Unidentified Speaker]: General, or anyone, is there an average estimate, a total estimate on damages done on campus and downtown on the two nights of disorders?

[Del Corso]: Well, I don’t know about the total damage estimate, perhaps the mayor could answer that from the downtown situation.

[Satrom]: At this time, we do not have a complete answer for that, sir.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Where’d the fire chief go?

[Unidentified Speaker]: Fred?

[cross talk]

[Unidentified Speaker]: I would estimate roughly the damage to the ROTC building and its contents would probably run forty to fifty thousand dollars. The building itself, not too much value, but the contents worth something different.

[Unidentified Speaker]: The fire chief had a story here to tell you, so he told us it’s, tell them what happened last night.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Send that news to the mayor, chief.

[Various individuals speaking]

[Fred Miller]: I’m Chief Miller of the Kent Fire Department. We did receive this call at approximately eight o’clock last night about this ROTC building being on fire. We proceeded to the campus area for this fire, immediately after starting laying on this fire, we were surrounded, harassed, interfered with by the rioters, they did damage our hose, they cut it, and we had to pull out. We were getting stoned, both with cans, bricks, you name it. We did pull out, and within the very short period after that, after being assured of protection, we did move back in on the scene. We finished up on the scene early this morning.  

[Unidentified Speaker]: Can I get the chief of police, where’s the chief?

[Unidentified Speaker]: Right here.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Come on, chief.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Do you want to hear of anybody else now?

[Roy Thompson]: I’m Chief Thompson of the city police department. We have mobilized all our forces, put our men on twelve-hour shifts. We’ve given full protection to all the merchants downtown as far as possible. We have men in every block, prevent firebombing, so forth. At this time, it’s quiet.

[Rhodes]: We are going to ask for an injunction as the attorney general here, shortly. This is equivalent to a state of emergency, and it will give some additional authority to some of the people that’s affiliated with the state of Ohio.
 
[Unidentified Speaker]: What type of authority?

[Rhodes]: What’s that? Arresting authority.

[Unidentified Speaker]: National Guard-
 
[Rhodes]: Now there’s no, there’s no place off limits in this hour. Let me assure everyone, that there’s no place, there’s no sanctuary, no place off limits. And we’re going to disperse crowds. I’m going to help the mayor enforce a curfew. Now, and I will say this for Don Kane, and the Sheriff, and all of them here, and the mayor, and now, I want to repeat, all the fire chief, and the police chief, all of them, they’ve done an outstanding job. They’re limited in the way of help at this hour, and we’re going to supply everything that we possibly can.

[Unidentified Speaker]: When will the injunction go into effect?

[Rhodes]: Well I, we’re all trying to work on it right now.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Governor, what size organization do you think that you’re up against here at the university?

[Rhodes]: Well, let me–I think that we’re up against the strongest, well-trained, militant, revolutionary group that has ever assembled in America.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Why do you think Ohio’s been a target?

[Rhodes]: Why Ohio? Ohio’s not only a target, the only thing is, we’ve done something different instead of prolonging a 15 day at Columbia, and a 12 day at Harvard, and 3 years are Berkeley, we’re gonna do something about it. And with them.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Governor, can you elaborate on what this injunction is going to do that you’re asking the attorney general for?

[Rhodes]: The injunction will give some more police power to people we want here, be some plain clothes people, too. We’re going to employ every weapon possible.

[Unidentified Speaker]: You think-

[Rhodes]: I think it’s a sad state of affairs that taxpayers living in this community have to live in fear. For the simple reason that we have a handful of people, and these people causing the trouble are not all students of Kent State University. They assembled here one week, they assembled another week, and it’s constantly. Let me say this, that inciting a riot can reach in to some of the campuses. Now, we don’t care where it touches, the members of the faculty inciting a riot, they’re just as guilty as the students carrying out the acts.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Will there be classes held tomorrow?

[Rhodes]: What’s that?

[Unidentified Speaker]: Will there be classes held?

[Rhodes]: As far as I’m concerned, keep the university open, we’ll keep it open for you. And I’ll say 99 percent plus of the students at Kent State want it open. They’re here for an education.

[Unidentified Speaker]: I’d like to ask the mayor a question. Is there a difference between the provision of the curfew tonight and last night?

[Satrom]: Not at this time. Same-

[Unidentified Speaker]: I understood that the curfew tonight was also going to include vehicular traffic, that wasn’t true last night. Is that going to be true tonight?

[Satrom]: We allowed some vehicles to pass last night-

[Unidentified Speaker]: Well, I understood that tonight’s curfew was also going to be enforced against vehicular traffic, is this right?

[Satrom]: Well, that was enforced last night for a time, sir.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Well, it didn’t start out that way. I was driving out that way-

[Rhodes]: Because they were limited last night, now they have the force, and if we have to call in another 700 Guard, they’ll be here.

[Unidentified Speaker]: You mentioned being flexible to the complete curfew last night. Governor Rhodes, have you given any consideration to the possibility of having to ask the president for federal troops?

[Rhodes]: We have all the troops we need. And I want to tell the ones who are, had a studied plan for violence, and we will outnumber, maybe ten to one before the night’s over. So, they can just pick up their bags and start leaving. Ones we haven’t got arrested.

[Unidentified Speaker]: We heard varying reports of the number of arrests last night, we heard the chief, how many men actually were there?

[Thompson]: As far as–our reports aren’t complete yet, between 40 and 50 arrests, and we’re going of course, to be more strict tonight, but we can’t fall underneath this, the burning and threatening of our merchants, and our citizens, as well as our school. But I’ll be right behind the National Guard, giving our full support. Anything that’s necessary, like the Ohio law says, use any force that’s necessary.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Let me-

[Thompson]: Even to the point of shooting. We don’t want to get into that, but the law says that we can, if necessary.

[Rhodes]: Let me say this, that if they can intimidate and threaten, Joel, the merchants of this community, and other people, no one is safe in Portage County, it’s just that simple. No one is safe. And I do not believe that people understand the seriousness of these individuals organized in a revolutionary frame of mind, believe me.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Does anybody here know the extent of the damage that was done to the airport this morning?

[Unidentified Speaker]: This was brought to our attention at the former conference. Maybe someone from Sheriff can answer that?

[Unidentified Speaker]: Sheriff?

[Unidentified Speaker]: He went up to the–.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Can you answer this?

[Chief Deputy for Portage County Sheriff]: Yes, I’m chief deputy for Portage County Sheriff, [unintelligible]. We understand there were several planes damaged by a stolen vehicle, they were soaked in kerosene, and on fire. Our officers are on the scene now, while the state fire marshal is investigating it. And we don’t know what they took, the damages are now, we do so believe, several thousand dollars.

[Unidentified Speaker]: Wasn’t there a runway damaged?

[Chief Deputy for Portage County Sheriff]: Not to my knowledge, [unintelligible] plane [unintelligible]. They took the truck that they had stolen and smashed it [unintelligible].

[Cross talk]

[End of recording.]


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