Letters

A Point of Difference

Editor:

Gordon Haskell’s article in the March—April 1970 issue of DISSENT, entitled “Civil Liberties: To Hell in a Basket?,” is incorrect in a very important respect.

After correctly pointing out that the ACLU sought to have the indictments against the Chicago Eight dismissed on the ground that the Interstate Riot Act was unconstitutional, he goes on to say: “Having been denied their motions, the ACLU was told by the defendants that they preferred their own lawyers so that they would be free to conduct their defense in their own way. From that moment on, the trial had been a kind of guerrilla theater in a courtroom setting.”

The first erro...