The Truth about Kent State: A Challenge to the American Conscience

For many Americans, the tragic events on the campus of Kent State University on May 4, 1970, passed into history with Attorney General Mitchell's refusal to convene a federal grand jury to investigate the deaths of the four students. But, as this passionately and cogently argued book shows, the Nixon Administration's non-action is an outrage against justice, as disturbing in its way as the shootings themselves. The events of that day were recorded on film by various photographers. When viewed in conjunction with the testimony of eyewitnesses, this photographic record does much to bolster the view that: the members of the Ohio National Guard were in no danger at the time of the shootings; some guardsmen turned and fired in concert at the students on a pre-arranged signal; some guardsmen shot deliberately at predetermined targets, not randomly into the crowd; some guardsmen later conspired to fabricate their story of what happened, and lied to the FBI. In short, as argued by Mr. Davies, it is time to reopen the official books on what one Ohio National Guardsman has called "the four murders at Kent State."