Two Sides to Every Story: Contradictions in Vietnam War Era Political Ephemera

The May 5, 1970 issue of the Georgetown Voice features an emblazoned red fist, tidily representing the edition’s coverage of a potential university-wide boycott. A true period piece, the paper discusses pertinent issues: the Vietnam War and larger Indochina relations, the recent Kent State Shooting, student strikes, and more.
 

Informative flyer concerning the significance of the clenched fist, referred to as the communist salute, with connections to various historic images. It was produced by Arthur Daly of the Dedham Massachusetts Tactical Committee, a WWII veteran and staunchly right-wing supporter. Employing a disparaging tone, Daly calls for a critical analysis of the gesture.

Flyer by the U.S. Army Career Counseling promoting enlistment in the Vietnam War. Featuring a striking image of Vietnamese soldiers, it contains a markedly “us vs. them” call-to-action.
 

This small, mysterious card urges recipients to pledge against the U.S. draft system. Lacking any identifying information, barring a return address, it hints at the underground nature of anti-war organizing.
 

Here, the Georgetown Undergraduate Senate endorses the so-called People’s Peace Treaty, asking students to voice their opinions in the upcoming referendum. The treaty originally claimed to be co-created by student associations in the U.S. and Vietnam. This iteration outlines principles that both parties will adhere to for the cessation of the Vietnam War.
 

This flyer from the D.C.-based National Student Coordination Committee for Freedom in Vietnam and Southeast Asia adamantly opposes the People’s Peace Treaty. Arguing for the treaty’s fraudulence, the group urges readers to think more critically—demonstrating how this single document polarized even those within the same sociopolitical demographics.