Transcription of the recorded statement of Harold Rice conducted by the Commission on KSU Violence.

[Unknown]: You want to start in, if you don’t mind?

[Harold Rice]: Alright.  Now where do you want me to start from-

[Unknown]: Well, let’s start from-

[Harold Rice]: When I first got beat up with the stones back when we burnt the ROTC?

[Unknown]: No, no, not at that.

[Harold Rice]: Alright.

[Unknown]: That’s another point. Let’s start about a quarter to twelve when the-

[Harold Rice]: When I first got the orders to pick up the bullhorn.

[Unknown]: Yeah.

[Harold Rice]: Okay. Alright. You want to tape?

[Unknown]: Go ahead.

[Harold Rice]: Alright. My partner, Joe [Patolmi?] and I was in the cruiser, and we were–had a detail to come into the station. When we arrived on station, there was at that time the radio–the man on the radio was receiving a call from the Army requesting that we bring back the bullhorn that used the night before to disperse the crowd. They knew that we had it. Prior to that, the night before, I went to–rode around in the Army jeep and we dispersed the crowd the night before with it. So, they requested that we bring the bullhorn back down.

[Unknown]: When you dispersed the crowd the night before, did you tell them that all type of meetings were forbidden?

[Harold Rice]: Were canceled.

[Unknown]: Canceled, alright.

[Harold Rice]: I didn’t say forbidden. I said canceled.

[Unknown]: Alright.

[Harold Rice]: And the night before–this was the orders that I received, and that they must disperse and go back to their dorms.

[Unknown]: Alright.

[Harold Rice]: And this was the night before. The curfew was on, so I was told. And so we went all through-so the next day, when the General called, and he asked for us to bring the bullhorn over, they wanted to use it to talk to the people on the hill. So, Joe and I was in there, I said, “Okay, I’ll take the horn over to him.” And so I put the horn in the car, Joe [Patolmi?] and I drove over. I requested from a captain there where the General was. I was told to report directly to him and give it to him. Well, the man came up in a business suit and surprised me that he was a general.

[Unknown]: General Abernathy.

[Harold Rice]: Canterbury.

[Unknown]: Canterbury, yeah.

[Harold Rice]: He introduced himself, we shook hands, and I was very much shocked and surprised. And I told him then, I says, “I have the bullhorn that you requested, sir. Where do you want it at?” He said, “I’m too damn busy.” He says, “I want you to disperse that crowd like you did last night.” He says, “Call up there on the hill and tell these people.” And he says, “I’m too damn busy.” So, we proceeded, we got out the cruiser, I put the bullhorn on top of the car, and I turned up the volume as loud as I could.

[Unknown]: Now this was from the road–

[Harold Rice]: This was down by the dispersing line–

[Unknown]: Alright. Where the–right.

[Harold Rice]: So, I was calling up to them and pleading with them, more or less, to leave the area immediately. Well, the General and some of these aids come by and says there’s too damn much noise, and being–this is the words they used–too damn much noise, you’re going to have to go up on the hill. And I looked at him sort of odd. “Me go up there on the hill?” He called Ritchie, our driver, he says, “You go ahead and get in the jeep, you take this horn up, and tell them to disperse.” He turned to the captain and said, “Put two Guards in the backend.”

[Unknown]: Alright.

[Harold Rice]: So, the two Guards got in, so we proceeded to go up the hill. We went up on the right side.

[Unknown]: Now this is towards the bell?

[Harold Rice]: No. This is over next to the hall. We were trying to drive over towards the bell.

[Unknown]: Alright.

[Harold Rice]: Straight up the hill, along that walkway, you know? Right up to the Commons. So, we proceeded to drive straight up that, right next to the walkway, so we make a perfect line across. We were anywhere from ten to fifteen feet from them, and I could look directly at the people. All through the training that I’ve had, to try to observe and try to check people, see the ones that we knew to make sure we knew who we’re looking at. So, as we were driving past them, we were pleading with them. As we got practically in front where the main body was, one or two were waving a black flag and so forth. This–I can tell you and I mean it, frankly: I don’t know everybody on this campus, but I’ve seen, and you know, and when I got up there, I would say that 95 percent of the people that I looked at, I’ve never seen before. That’s no joke, I mean–

[Unknown]: This is in the main nucleus–

[Harold Rice]: This is the main body that all–

[Unknown]: What are we talking about? Twenty, thirty people right there?

[Harold Rice]: No, I’m talking about the main body. There’s approximately two hundred people. Maybe better, standing right there in that main body.

[Unknown]: Did they throw anything at you?
 
[Harold Rice]: Yes, I was stoned. When we went through the first time, we were going very slowly. We were stoned. I was hit five or six times. The Guards in the back, I shut the mic off every once in a while, and I tell the Guard in the back, “Sit still.” That’s what I would tell him. And I would turn the mic on, and I was pleading with them. I said, “Please, leave this area immediately.” And we pleaded with them. So, we made the complete line all the way across to the bell and on over. So, we started to turn to go back down. I said, “Alright, let’s make another run.” So, we circled again. We went right back up the second time. Well, once again though, I was trying to look right in the crowd to see the people that I knew and I seen a few that were familiar faces, but majority of the people that I seen was not. So, once again, we–I pleaded. This time, I told them, I didn’t plead. I told them, I said, “You must leave this area immediately.”

[Unknown]: Did you have a riot act written out that you–

[Harold Rice]: No. There was nothing written because it was told [unintelligible].

[Unknown]: Alright. It was strictly verbal.
 
[Harold Rice]: And they, as a matter of fact, when he ordered me to go up there, I didn’t know really what to say.

[Unknown]: Did you tell them of the consequences?

[Harold Rice]: No, I–the first time, I pleaded with them, begged them to leave. The second time, I told them. The third time, I said, “This is an order. You must leave this area.” See, we made three passes.

[Unknown]: Do you think this mic could be heard up on the hill?

[Harold Rice]: Yes sir. All the way up because we were practically right in with them. As a matter of fact, there was a gray-haired fella that was with the television–

[Unknown]: Right.

[Harold Rice]: I forget what he is. As a matter of fact, he even–

[Unknown]: That was CBS, right.

[Harold Rice]: He carried a big microphone. He was practically, I wondered why in the world he was even–

[Unknown]: And he picked you up.

[Harold Rice]: And I’m sure that he picked us up. He was trying to follow with that big, long mic he had. And–

[Unknown]: Were you stoned each time?

[Harold Rice]: Each time. The third time though the Guards were getting it. Now, I picked out two that I knew. I mean, I didn’t know, I–

[Unknown]: You recognized.

[Harold Rice]: No, I didn’t recognize them. I picked them out, the two. The first one threw was a heavy boulder and hit the jeep and bounced up over the jeep and hit me that way. And I watched him pick up the second one, and he threw it and when he hurled it at me the second time it hit me in the side here and I pointed to him and the Guard says, “Let’s get him.” He was gonna drive right in the crowd and I said, “Whoa, stop.” I shut the mic off. I could see us four guys getting in that mess and getting killed, right? So, I told him, “Whoa, stop here.” So, we turned, and I said, “Let’s get us the hell out of here.” Being bluntly, but honestly, because they were–stones were coming fast and hard by then. I had my shield on my face off my riot helmet. These fellas didn’t have any face protection at all, and I was afraid that one of them would be hit in the face with a stone.

[Unknown]: Were these Guards–they had their rifles with them. Do you think they had their clips in then?

[Harold Rice]: I don’t know.

[Unknown]: You don’t know.

[Harold Rice]: Truthfully, I was, well, I won’t lie to you, I was scared. When you face them guys–

[Unknown]: That’s right, that’s right. About how many times now did you tell the crowd to disperse from there?

[Harold Rice]: Numerous amount of times. I kept repeating it and repeating it and repeating it. And can I tell you the words that they were using? Honestly, they were saying, “Go fuck yourselves” I mean, might as well tell you the whole story and the four-letter words, that’s all they know. And well, you heard the chant more than once. And they talk about your wife, your mother, and that, what you can do to yourself, and this and that. Well, this was–it was so arranged in design that the chant that they would get through was making, you know, making everybody a little bit jumpy. But each time we made it past, these Guards were right with me.

[Unknown]: Where do you think they got the rocks?

[Harold Rice]: They had them dispersed. It was beautiful how they had them dispersed. They had them planted. I could see how they would move in different areas.

[Unknown]: You think they brought them in? They weren’t at The Commons?

[Harold Rice]: They were definitely there. Because it was beautifully–how they moved themselves in a position where they were at so they could throw them.

[Unknown]: Did they, did the National Guard finally send a runner up to your jeep to bring you back in?

[Harold Rice]: No. I told them to back down. I didn’t want to take a–

[Audio ends abruptly. End of tape.] ×