Oral+History+Interview


 * Interview: **

**Sterling Hall Bombing, University of Wisconsin, August 24, 1970** Anna, Merrill and Rose interview of William Groeschell (Uncle Bill)

In the spring of 1970, there were many student demonstrations protestingthe war in Vietnam. Some of those protests reached a point where theyweren’t so peaceful, and the National Guard was called out, and policeused tear gas and mace against the protesting students and groups.Consequently there was mace and tear gas in many building and in thegrass that could be “kicked up” when walking causing eye irritations.Classes were canceled for a number of days, and many professors offeredincompletes for course work. I took an incomplete in one class for a termpaper … it was the only thing I had left to do to graduate. I was ready totype the paper the night of August 23rd.
 * Where were you when the bomb went off?**

Aunt Barb and I were just married less than two months before, and wehad moved from our campus apartments into an apartment about 2-3 milessouth of the UW campus. She was sleeping as I typed away late into thenight. It was 3:40 in the morning and a huge boom shook our building andrattled the windows. I remember flinching at the typewriter and lookedover my shoulder into the bedroom as Aunt Barb shot straight up in bed.We didn’t know what happen until later in the morning.

No, I didn’t, and being that early in the morning only a few people werethere. Unfortunately, a researcher was killed that was doing somelast minute things before leaving on vacation with his family. Anotherresearcher was injured who was an assistant to a professor who lost datarecorded over 19 years of a physics experiment … that experiment wasnot the target of the bomb, nor was the other researcher’s activities. Beinga math major the target, of Sterling Hall’s math research department, didhave my attention, but I never had any math classes in Sterling Hall.
 * Did you know anyone in the building or anyone near it?**

No, I didn’t, and after looking at their photos, I didn’t recognize any ofthem. 
 * Did you personally know any of the suspects?**


 * What was your opinion on the war before the bombing? ** Wow, that’s a big question. But let me put it this way. The country becameinvolved in Vietnam in 1954 in a small way and it slowly grew into somethinglarger than anyone thought it would. I think the country, and that includes thepoliticians, knew by 1970 that it had to end, and efforts were being made to endit, but it was going very slowly for many reasons.

On campus the war was very unpopular, and this included many othercampuses, but not all. Back then we didn’t have 24 hour news, but we hadthe six o’clock news and the ten o’clock news, and that was the first time thatpictures of daily war were shown in the living room. People in general haddifferent views, but as I said, by 1970 most felt it was a war to be ended. Howthe war was to end was also a matter of opinion.
 * What was others opinions on the war before the bombing?**

It didn’t. It did affect my opinion about the escalating protests. Just as Isaid we started out with a small military involvement in Vietnam that grewmuch larger than anyone expected, the anti-war movement had also gonea step too far. The bombing, coupled with the students shot at Kent State in May 1970, was more than anyone expected. It was a bad finale to the “violentsixties (on campuses)”. I think most people, except for the most radical protesters, felt as I did. It didn’tchange opinions about the war. Those opinions were already established.
 * How did this affect your opinion on the war?**
 * How did this affect others opinion of the war?**


 * How was this event publicized?** Back then the TV channels went off the air late at night. I couldn’t goto the TV and turn it on … I’d just get “snow”. We might have turned onthe radio, but can’t remember if we did that. So, I’d have to say that wedidn’t know until a few hours later when the TV channels came on. It wascertainly in the news on the radio and TV, and in the papers throughout thecountry.


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