Revolutionary Nonviolence: Essays

One of the remarkable men, staring off with "Statement on Entering Prison" (1943) & ending in 1970 with "Statement Before Sentencing on Anti-Riot Conviction". During WWII Dellinger went to jail proclaiming that "all war is evil & useless." This collection of short essays from 1943-69, many of which originally appeared in Liberation magazine, bear witness to a quarter century of pacifist protest & civil rights activity. An abiding humanism is central to his tactics & tenets: no pig-hater he: "The only way we can begin to break the vicious circle of blindness, hatred & inequality is to combine an uncompromising war upon evil institutions with an unending kindness & love of every individual--including the individuals who defend existing institutions." But he never forgets where his sympathies ultimately lie: better to resist oppression violently than not at all. Visits to & vindications of N. Vietnam, Cuba & Peoples China are relatively scrupulous affairs, since he makes point of seeking out opposition elements & asking embarrassing questions of the authorities. The bulk of the essays report & analyze movement developments right up to the Chicago police riot of '68. He closes with a comparison between the indictment of the Chicago conspirators & Hitler's attempt to discredit Communists in the Reichstag Trial.