Coming of Age
Coming of Age
The Anti-Viet Nam War Era with Steven C. Topik
The Anti-Viet Nam War Era with Steven C. Topik
Embedded Files
"Everything is based on history. All our knowledge and prejudices are based on the history that we lived and how we understood it."
Introduction
Introduction
An oral history with Mr. Steven C Topik, born in 1949 in Montebello, California. Topik attended the University of California San Diego from 1967 until 1971 and the University of Austin Texas from 1971 until 1978. With strong anti-Viet Nam War sentiments, Topik attended a number of anti-war marches and was a member of anti-US imperialist groups during his pursuit of higher education. Being drafted as he completed his Bachelor of Arts in History in 1971, Topik did not serve in Viet Nam but continued his strong opposition at home in the United States. The opening quote above embodies the historical literacy Topik possesses which began and developed in his coming of age.
Steven Topik's senior portrait, 1967.
Early Life
Topik traveled often when he was younger, visiting his grandmother in Vienna, Austria and other places such as Mexico. His father, having fled Germany because of Nazi presence, served six years in the U.S. military. During his time serving in Austria, Topik's father met Topik's mother and returned to the United States with her in 1948. This was despite the resistance from military officials against foreign-born wives. According to Topik, his father simply stated, "But, I’m a foreigner. She’s not a foreigner to me.”
Growing up, Topik's father continued to have a large influence in his life. Although the family lived in a conservative part of Fullerton, California where politics were not discussed, Topik's father held differing views than most. His father shared these views with Topik with many being the opposition towards the Viet Nam War.
With U.S. involvement in Viet Nam beginning in 1954, it was hard to avoid knowledge of the war. Now known as the television war, Topik was surrounded by the media coverage of what was happening on the other side of the world. The war weighed heavily on his mind as he approached draft-age and graduation from Sunny Hills High School. Among the university pamphlets Topik had were also pamphlets to Canadian universities, in case leaving the United States was needed. Topik would never serve in a war he did not believe in.
Journey of Higher Education
Upon graduating high school, Topik attended the University of California, San Diego in the fall of 1967. While Topik began his undergraduate studies, the campus was still under construction—a physical representation of the culture being constructed by the students as well. It was a culture that directly challenged the status quo and the government of the United States. From the Civil Rights Movement, the Second Wave of the Women's Liberation Movement, the Hippie Movement, the Chicano Movement—the anti-Viet Nam War Movement emerged at a national scale as well. Their activism was displayed through protests, sit-ins, teach-ins, boycotts, and public demonstrations. The young generation of the 1960s and 1970s was accustomed to leaving their homes to gather in large numbers for public displays of disapproval for the war and for the draft.
Martin Luther King Jr. speaks to an anti-Vietnam War rally at the Univ. of Minnesota, 1967. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society.
Summer of Love in Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, 1967. Photo courtesy of the New York Times.
Brown Berets at Lincoln High School. Los Angeles, California, 1968. Photo courtesy of the Boyle Heights Museum.
Embracing the Culture
For Topik and at UC San Diego, it was no different. The narrative that the nation's leaders were feeding to the American public was misleading. Topik acknowledged that the government was not honest about what actually occurred at the Bay of Tonkin and that their agenda of the Domino Theory held no water. In his views, the United States had no business being in Viet Nam.
This was the reason that in his freshman year at UC San Diego, he attended an anti-war march as soon as he heard of one. Although he does not recall much, the one instance Topik remembers was when he stood between police and other students protesting, maintaining the safety of those involved. Alike, Topik joined a group on campus that extended their opposing views regarding the Viet Nam War to those residing in the local communities between La Jolla and Solana Beach through giving talks to explain their point of view on the Viet Nam War.
Back on campus, Topik attended a number of teach-ins that gave talks on the history of Viet Nam and where documentaries of the war were screened. The teach-ins provided answers to the questions that many had: Why was the U.S. in Viet Nam? Should the U.S. continue to be there? How can the U.S. exit from Viet Nam? Topik recalls one of the main organizations at UC San Diego that organized these teach-ins was the cohort of the Students for a Democratic Society on campus, which had shifted their focus to the anti-war efforts in 1965. Although Topik was surrounded by the culture, Topik acknowledges that in the moment the war was not his nor other students' entire life, but it still occupied their minds.
"I wouldn’t say we sat around all the time and talked about the war but it was something that, of course, hung over us."
Triton Times Nov 1969.pdfTriton Times, Vol. 8, No. 7. Published November 14, 1969. Edition courtesy of the UC San Diego Library Digital Collections.
As Topik describes, university students often felt the Viet Nam War looming over them. Campus newspapers served as a space of discussion, which Topik recalls. At UC San Diego, newspapers like Triton Times and Indicator all discussed issues impacting students and the campus culture. Many editions of the newspaper educate readers on political issues, information of foreign countries relative to the United States, the draft, different responses from groups on campus to the War, updates on the Viet Nam War itself, and much more. Below are two editions of the Triton Times discussing opposition to the Viet Nam War through flag protests. In another edition, commentary of Cambodia in relation to the invasions ordered by former President Richard Nixon in May of 1970 is the focus as well as forms of protests that left an impact on the campus. The Indicator also published editions discussing Cambodia and the plans for protests like the one below. Knowledge was power and when digital platforms were not readily accessible, newspapers spread the truth like wildfire.
Triton Times, vol 10 num 11.pdfTriton Times, Vol. 10, No. 11. Published May 11, 1970. Edition courtesy of the UC San Diego Library Digital Collections.
the indicator nov 12 1969.pdfIndicator, published November 12, 1969. Edition courtesy of the UC San Diego Library Digital Collections.
Avoiding the Draft
Avoiding the Draft
The draft was looming around Topik for most of his teenage and early adult years. During his years as an undergraduate student, Topik was not drafted most likely due his status as a college student. However, this exemption quickly changed in 1970 when a lottery system for the draft was enacted. This change resulted in Topik being drafted in 1971. The anti-war sentiment ran through the staff and faculty at UC San Diego. It was common for counselors to advise students how they could avoid the draft through recommending the best draft boards to appear to and ways to fail their physical exam. At Topik's appearance, he used the advice given and ultimately did not pass the physical exam. Topik never saw Viet Nam until his later years in life.
MVNS2407_T02.wavTopik discusses the advice given from UCSD counselors on the Vietnam War draft.
Reflecting upon the draft, Topik realizes that this guidance from counselors at universities had an impact in the demographics of men drafted. Most of everyone he knew also avoided the draft, often those in higher education and from affluent families. The men were, of course, also those who held opposition to the anti-war movement at the universities they attended. In his experience, men from less socioeconomic backgrounds supported the war, most serving through being drafted or volunteering. It was common for those around Topik to avoid serving in active combat, similar "to former President George Bush through the National Guard."
In a commentary by William Casement, a different analysis of the demographics of American men serving in Viet Nam is presented. As someone who also received a college degree and had avoided service because of it, Casement notes that men who were college educated oftentimes had the best end of the stick. Casement's experience and perceptions of the draft were similar to Topik's, but offers an extension to Topik's understandings as Casement did serve. Casement notes that many recent graduates moved to different categories to avoid the war, whether failing their physical exam or taking jobs in teaching or healthcare. In Casement's experience, he served upon being drafted but still was out of harm's way. During training, Casement was treated civilly by the drill sergeant, asked about advice for attending college, and was appointed to an administrative position as a clerk typist after training. Both Casement and Topik acknowledge the advantage those with college backgrounds possessed during the time of the War.
A Step Forward
After graduating from UC San Diego and receiving a Bachelors of Arts in History, Topik moved forward to continue his higher education. Enrolling at the University of Texas at Austin, Topik first completed his Masters of Arts in History in 1974. Then, Topik earned his PhD in History in 1978. Topik's anti-war involvement continued until the end of the war in 1975, extending to Texas.
The University of Texas at Austin was a much larger size than UC San Diego. As the home state of former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, the issues regarding the Viet Nam War were demonstrated at a larger scale and felt more personal to Texans. This was especially true since, as Topik remembers, the former U.S. President was "unknowingly or stupidly sending more and more people to Viet Nam."
At first, as Topik noted, Texans had showed large support towards the beginning of the war. This was largely due to the Domino Theory and the fear of communism instilled by the Cold War. However, at the campus, things quickly changed. The sentiments evolved to questioning authority, disapproving the leadership publicly, and spreading word of the U.S. imperialistic motives. For Topik, arrival to Texas was also accompanied by joining a group that was primarily focused on Latin America which also discussed the Viet Nam war and the guerrilla warfare tactics executed by the Liberation Army of South Viet Nam, an extension of the People's Army of Viet Nam. It was the early 1970s and former U.S. President Richard Nixon had been promising to bring troops home. Because of this, social activism was slowly winding down for Topik as well.
A Nation Divided: A Larger Context
The anti-Viet Nam War movement was a definitive moment in United States history where the nation was divided on whether they did or did not support the war. The largest opposition came from sending more American men to fight a war that had no relevance to them. Along with this, the Vietnamese people had never threatened the United States directly. What was the need to havoc war on their land? The anti-war movement composed largely of American university students, peace activists, and veterans who had served in Viet Nam. It was a phenomenon experienced through organization of college and universities across the nation that unfolded by 1965.
Antiwar March on the University of Michigan Campus, September 20, 1969. Photo courtesy of the University of Michigan.
Student Strike in front of Hopkins Center. Dartmouth College, 1970. Photo courtesy of the Dartmouth Vietnam Project.
An anti-Vietnam War march down Massachusetts street, Kansas, 1970. Photo courtesy of KU Libraries' 1970: The Year That Rocked KU collection.
Scenes of anti-war protestors in Athens, GA, 1972. Footage courtesy of the UGA Brown Media Archives.
In California, the University of California system acted as a network between all of the different campuses connected by the overarching sentiment against the war. UC Berkeley, being one of the most politically organized campuses, extended their information to all the other UC schools down south to UC San Diego. The Eastern part of the United States also saw university student movements. From the University of Michigan to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, students mobilized like never before. The magnitude of this opposition shut down universities time after time again.
Scenes of Moratorium March Against Viet Nam War, Washington D.C., November 15, 1969. Footage courtesy of PeriscopeFilm.
Moratorium to End the War in Viet Nam
Moratorium to End the War in Viet Nam
In October of 1967, a March on Washington D.C. and the Pentagon was held. This was one of the first national demonstration in opposition to the Viet Nam War. The protest sparked disapproval from the American public as well, which continued throughout the entire movement. The demonstration carried into the night, evolving quickly into a riot. According to the U.S. Marshal's Service, arrests of the protesters were made by Deputy Marshals at the scene due to the crowd raiding the Pentagon and throwing rocks, vegetables, and bottles at the Deputies and soldiers. It is important to note the narrative and language used to describe the protesters.
Once again, one of largest nationwide demonstrations held in the movement was the Vietnam War Moratorium held on October 15, 1969. Even the campuses that Topik attended took part: UC San Diego, UC Irvine (which he attended for summer classes in 1969), and the University of Texas at Austin. A month later, on November 15, 1969, the large Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, also known as the Moratorium March on Washington, took place. University and college campuses across the country also rallied in their cities, many marching directly on their campuses or in their surrounding cities.
A Student Movement: Lasting Legacies
A Student Movement: Lasting Legacies
Following the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, opposition to the movement continued to grow as the scene intensified. President Richard Nixon sent orders for ground troops to invade Cambodia on April 28th, yet only notified the American public two days later on April 30th. Thus far, President Nixon had cultivated a narrative that the United States would be exiting Viet Nam and involvement in the war would be winding down. Because of this, the responses on university campuses were immense as soon as the information of the invasion was released. To many, there was no need to cause damage to another country that had not threatened the United States. Regardless, none would predict the events that unfolded in Ohio at Kent State University.
On this day: Four killed in Kent State shooting. Film courtesy of CBS Evening News.
On May 1st, student activists at Kent State held a rally on campus. After the activist activities, students gathered at local bars, many lighting bonfires to socialize. That night, as police patrolled the city, students threw bottles at their cars and broke windows of nearby establishments. In response, the police shut down the bars, causing more unrest from the protesters. By May 4th, the tension between the city police and activists had escalated like no other. The city mayor declared a state of emergency and the National Guard was called to the campus in aims to calm the scene. Despite orders from campus officials, the students continued with their plans and rallied at noon that day on May 4th. While defying orders from the National Guard to disperse, a group of protesters responded with angry shouting and throwing rocks. Tear gas was fired into the crowd, prompting the protesters to moved locations, trapping the National Guards into a football field. Once the guards retreated, twenty-eight of the seventy guards turned their guns towards the crowd. After a thirteen seconds firing, nine students were wounded and four were killed.
Back at UC San Diego, students were taking part of a sit-in at Urey Hall when they heard the news over a radio. It was something that had never occurred before, American students killed on American soil, sending a shock through the nation. Moving forward, anti-war demonstrations would continue to protest the war, the draft, Cambodia, and the events that unfolded in Ohio.
On May 10th, only a few days after the encounter between students and the National Guard in Ohio, another death occurred in opposition to the war. In the Revelle Plaza at UC San Diego, graduate student George Winne Jr. self-immolated around 4 p.m. in the afternoon. As he set himself on fire, Winne carried a sign that read, "In the name of God, end the war."
During his time there, Topik recalls the instance that remained striking within his memory. Topik did not know the full details of the demonstration, yet the death of a student weighed heavily on the student body. The campus and Topik noted the debate between whether Winne's act was one of protest or one of insanity. Regardless, Winne's opposition to the war remained clear as he had left instructions to his mother to send a letter to President Nixon containing his act of protest.
Self-Immolation to Protest Vietnam War, May 1970. Courtesy of UC San Diego Library Digital Collections and The San Diego Union.
The anti-war movement was a part of a larger era within the United States where Americans, specifically students, mobilized in unified efforts across the nation. The movement itself, showcased the ways that the U.S. waged war within their borders against the students of the nation and threatened the right to freedom of speech. The legacies of the movements will forever remain in the history of the U.S. and their efforts have remain embedded within higher education to the present day.
Closing the Chapter
Closing the Chapter
U.S. involvement in Viet Nam War officially came to a close in 1975. All troops were withdrawn from Viet Nam and active members were sent home.
Upon earning his PhD in History, Topik moved out of the United States and taught at the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Brazil from 1978 until 1981. From there, Topik continued as a professor teaching at Colgate University in New York from 1981 to 1984 and then the Univeristy of California, Irvine from 1984 until his retirement in 2019. His field of study is in the history of coffee and Latin America, a striking contrast to what the climate of his coming of age was filled with. Topik closed that chapter of his life. Read more about his academic contributions via his UC Irvine faculty page here.
Visiting a Page
Visiting a Page
In 2018, Topik visited Viet Nam alongside his wife for the first time. The trip held significance to his wife as her older brother had died in the war whom Topik had never met.
The couple went on a guided tour called Overseas Adventure Tours and traveled from the north in Hanoi to down south to Ho Chi Minh City. Topik and his wife visited both monumental and rural places within Viet Nam. In Hanoi, they visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, seeing Ho Chi Minh's grave and the "pretty spartan" home where he lived. There, they saw the sentiments surrounding the legacies of the Viet Nam War, especially through the long line outside of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum of those wanting to pay respects and visit Ho Chi Minh. The Viet Nam War was also portrayed in contrast to the narrative put out by the United States. In Ho Chi Minh City, the War Remnants Museum left an anti-American perspective in Topik's mind. In Viet Nam, the war is commonly known as the "Resistance War against America."
Throughout the visit, Topik and his wife also visited other rural places many being coffee farms. This, of course, coincided with Topik's interest for the history of coffee and the topic in general. Topik recalls coffee drying out in driveways of coffee houses and civet cats aiding in the production of the overall product.
Topik reflected upon his trip to Viet Nam as one that was distinct from the American movies' depiction of the Viet Nam War. The trip highlighted that the country was definitely different than the narrative cultivated by the United States during his coming of age. Viet Nam was not just jungle and rural areas, it was and remains a bustling country with many urban cities full of life and culture.
Steven C Topik
Steven C Topik
Steven C Topik's oral history is the second anti-war movement story in UC Irvine's My Viet Nam Story: Oral History Project. His contribution adds greatly to the understandings of the draft and university student life during the era. The legacy of the anti-Viet Nam War movement continues on through stories like Topik's.
Steven C Topik pictured after his oral history interview in February 2024.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Casement, William. 2020. “Remembering the Vietnam Draft.” Society, March 2020. https://rdcu.be/dHuu0.
“Historical Reading Room - U.S. Marshals and the Pentagon Riot of October 21, 1967.” U.S. Marshals Service, March 7, 2023. https://www.usmarshals.gov/who-we-are/history/historical-reading-room/us-marshals-and-pentagon-riot-of-october-21-1967.
Lewis, Jerry M., and Thomas R. Hensley. 2018. "The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy | Kent State University." Kent State University. 2018. https://www.kent.edu/may-4-historical-accuracy.
Newton, Scott. "Austin Texas. 1970. Guadalupe St." Early Austin Part-1. 1970.
“SDS Changes Focus · Exhibit · Resistance and Revolution: The Anti-Vietnam War Movement at the University of Michigan, 1965-1972.” 2021. https://michiganintheworld.history.lsa.umich.edu/antivietnamwar/exhibits/show/exhibit/draft_protests/sds_changes_focus.
“Students for a Democratic Society · Exhibit · Resistance and Revolution: The Anti-Vietnam War Movement at the University of Michigan, 1965-1972.” 2015. https://michiganintheworld.history.lsa.umich.edu/antivietnamwar/exhibits/show/exhibit/origins-of-students-for-a-demo/origins_of_the_new_left.
All material is courtesy of the respective institutions and university digital collections.
Oral History of Steven C. Topik
Oral History of Steven C. Topik
Title: Coming of Age: The Anti-Viet Nam war Era with Steven C Topik
Description: An oral history with Mr. Steven Topik, born in 1949, having involvement in a number of anti-war marches. The interview focuses on his recollection of his coming of age in the Vietnam War era and a trip to Vietnam in his later life. He was born in Montebello, California, and attended his K-12 years in Fullerton, California. Upon graduation, Mr. Topik moved to La Jolla, California and completed his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in History in 1971 at the University of California, San Diego . Throughout his undergraduate years, Mr. Topik attended a few anti-war marches, displaying his strong opposing views of U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the deceiving narrative told to the American public. He was drafted in 1971 as he finished his B.A. but did not have to serve after failing the physical exam. The interview provides insight into the draft and the demographic of men who typically served. He received his PhD in History in 1978 from the University of Texas Austin. Mr. Topik continued his attendance to anti-war marches until 1975, yet continued anti-imperialist sentiments through a group discussing U.S. foreign involvement on a radio program. The interview also gives the climates of both campuses during his attendance. In 2018, Mr. Topik and his wife went on a tour of Vietnam, visiting major cities.
After receiving his PhD, Mr. Topik taught at the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Brazil from 1978 to 1981. He then taught at Colgate University in New York from 1981 until 1984. In 1984, he began teaching at UC Irvine until retirement in 2019. Mr. Topik has various publications on topics of Latin America and the history of coffee. Steven Topik currently resides in Irvine, California with his wife, cat, and Shih Tzu named Willie.
Keywords: anti-Viet Nam War, anti-Viet Nam War marches, coming of age, higher education, university climate, historian, San Diego, Texas, draft, avoiding draft, trip to Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, War Remnants Museum, coffee, U.S. climate, professor
Decade of Birth/Birth Date: 1949
Interviewee: Steven C Topik
Interviewer: Susana Gonzalez Ochoa
Date Created: February 23, 2024
Length of interview: 01:04:28
Language: English
Type: Oral History
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