Randy Kehler
Encyclopedia
Randy Kehler is an American pacifist activist and advocate for social justice. Kehler objected to America's involvement in the Vietnam war
and refused to cooperate with the draft. He was involved in several anti war organisations in the 1960s and 70s.
The refusal of Randy and his wife Betsy Corner to pay taxes for military expenditure resulted in their house being possessed by the US Government, as depicted in the documentary film An Act of Conscience
.
Daniel Ellsberg
's exposure to Kehler in 1969 at a Haverford College anti-war protest was a pivotal event in Ellsberg's decision to copy and release the Pentagon Papers
(which in turn caused President Nixon
to create a group of in-house spies, who caused Watergate, which led to Nixon's resignation).
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and refused to cooperate with the draft. He was involved in several anti war organisations in the 1960s and 70s.
The refusal of Randy and his wife Betsy Corner to pay taxes for military expenditure resulted in their house being possessed by the US Government, as depicted in the documentary film An Act of Conscience
An Act of Conscience
An Act of Conscience is a 1997 documentary film by Robbie Leppzer about the war tax resistance of Randy Kehler and Betsy Corner and years-long struggle that ensues after the IRS seizes their home in Colrain, Massachusetts in 1989, to recover $27,000 in unpaid taxes, penalties, and interest. The...
.
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg, PhD, is a former United States military analyst who, while employed by the RAND Corporation, precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War,...
's exposure to Kehler in 1969 at a Haverford College anti-war protest was a pivotal event in Ellsberg's decision to copy and release the Pentagon Papers
Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers, officially titled United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967...
(which in turn caused President Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
to create a group of in-house spies, who caused Watergate, which led to Nixon's resignation).