Protest March on the Pentagon

October 21, 1967 - October 22, 1967

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Overview

As many as 100,000 people stage a protest against the war at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. When it concludes, between 20,000 and 35,000 protesters march across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to continue the protest at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara stipulates that government personnel should remain respectful of demonstrators’ right to assemble, and he insists that the Pentagon continue operating as normal during the protest. McNamara personally observes the event from the roof.

Despite the size of the crowd, the protest remains largely peaceful. There are reports of isolated violent incidents during the demonstrations, including accounts of protestors taunting and throwing objects at marshals and military policemen and marshals striking demonstrators. Some demonstrators remain until the end of the day on October 22. During a two-day period, over 650 people are arrested. Roughly four dozen people, including both civilians and government personnel, are injured.¹

¹Paul J. Scheips, The Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1945–1992, Army Historical Series (Washington D.C.: Center of Military History, 2012), 236–237, 254–265; George C. Herring, America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950–1975, (4th edition; New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002), 209; Spencer C. Tucker, ed. The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, (2nd edition; Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011), 703–704; Edward J. Drea, McNamara, Clifford, and the Burdens of Vietnam, 1965–1969, Secretaries of Defense Historical Series, Volume VI (Washington, D.C.: Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2011), 278–283; Melvin Small, Antiwarriors: The Vietnam War and the Battle for America’s Hearts and Minds (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 2002), 75–81.