October 24, 1981
-- Round Three: The Political Controversy --
Controversy begins almost immediately.
Tom Carhart -- at the Committee of Fine Arts meeting in Oct 1981 -- typifies
the criticism when he calls the design a "black gash of shame," an insult
to the Vietnam Veterans. Henry Hyde leads congressional opposition,
and it looks like the project will stall. Senator Warner convenes
a meeting at which a compromise is reached in agreement that a statue and
a flag will be added to the Lin design. Groundbreaking takes place
March 26, 1982, in anticipation of a Veterans Day completion (of the Wall
-- the statue and flag will come later).
MAY 1981
May 13: Perot tells Scruggs he will not come
to the Memorial Day celebration because he would have
to say he doesn't like the design. Feels the design is not for those
who came home living.
May 16: "Inadequate Memorial," two letters to
the editor, Washington Post, 05/16/81: A12 (Course
Documents)
May 16: "Of Heart & Mind; Vietnam War Memorial;
The Serene Grace of The Vietnam Memorial," by
Wolf Von Eckardt, Washington Post, 05/16/81: B1 (Lexis-Nexis)
May 16: "Colonel Is Fired Over Article Criticizing
Vietnam Memorial," by Charles McCollum, Washington
Star, 05/16/81: A1 (Course Documents)
mentions article in Pentagon News
May 18: "Remembering Vietnam," New York Times, 05/18/81: A18 (New York Times)
May 21: "A Winning Design to Honor the Dead,"
[letters to the editor by Spreiregen and Gerlach]
Washington Star, 05/21/81 (Course Documents)
May 23: "Washington Diarist: Memorials" by Charles
Krauthammer, New Republic, May 23, 1981: 43
(Course Documents)
$250,000 at Radiothon somewhere in here
JUNE 1981
June: "Vietnam Veterans Memorial Design Competition,"
Architectual Record, 169, 47 (Course
Documents)
June: "Unmonumental Vietnam Memorial, " AIA Journal, 70, 17 (Course Documents)
Jun 01: "Remembering What?" Wall Street Journal, 06/01/81: 26 (Course Documents)
Jun 01: "Bringing the Vietnam Vets Home," by Lance Morrow, Time, 06/01/81, 45
Jun 05: "The Vietnam Veterans Memorial: A Description
of the Design Concept," by the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Fund (Course Documents)
June: Dept of Interior -- National Capital Memorial Advisory Board Committe
Jun 28: "Clouds of Doubt Engulf Viet Nam Memorial,"
by Paul Gapp, Chicago Tribune, 06/28/81: G12
(Course Documents)
Jun 29: ????"A Vietnam Memorial and a Few Ironies,"
New York Times, by B. Drummond Ayres Jr.,
06/29/81: B5 "A Vietnam Memorial and a Few Ironies," New York
Times, by B. Drummond
Ayres Jr., 06/29/81: B5 (New York Times) a Yale senior
is headline
Jun 30: "Remembering Vietnam Veterans," by Jan
C. Scruggs, Wall Street Journal, 6/30/81: 31
(Course Documents)
JULY 1981
Jul 07: Commission of Fine Arts meets:
minutes and transcript and statement by Scott Brewer
(Course Documents)
Jul 13: "The Forgotten Warriors," Time, 07/13/81, 20
Jul 23: "None But the Dead?" by Douglas Womack,
Washington Star, 07/23/81 (Course Documents)
*****July 30: "Profile: Roger Brodin," by Craig MacIntosh," Minneapolis Star. (ill'd 3.16.02)
Aug**: "An Extraordinary Competition," by Allen Freeman, AIA Journal, August 1981: 47-53
Aug 06: National Capital Planning Commission approves
Sep 18: "Stop That Monument," National Review, 18 September 1981: 1064 (Course Documents)
Oct 13: Commission of Fine Arts meeting (minutes, transcript, and statements in Course Documents)
ostensibly the granite issue -- carhart does his thing
Facts About the Vietnam Memorial (after the Oct 13, 1981, Commission of
Fine Arts
meeting)
*****Oct 14: "Commission Rejects Veteran's
Protest, Reapproves Vietnam Memorial Design" Washigton Post
C, 3. (ill'd 3.14.02)
Oct 15: "Vietnam: In Memoriam," Plain Dealer, 10/15/81: A28 (Course Documents) LN?
Oct 16: "Vietnam War Memorial," by James
J. Kilpatrick, National Review, 16 October 1981: 1170 (Course
Documents) reply to Sept 18 editorial
Oct 24: "Insulting Vietnam Vets," by
Tom Carhart, New York Times, 10/24/81: 1:23 (Lexis-Nexis
Newspapers)
Oct 24: 60 Minutes???? or is that another year????
Oct 28: Press conference to announce inscription
Nov & Dec: see p. 85 in Heal: Wolf von Eckardt, National Review again
Nov 04: Letter from Scruggs answering Carhart. (Course Documents)
Nov 05: Perot tells Scruggs that he has
received many letters from veterans disliking the design, and he asks for
Carhart's phone number.
Nov 08: "Memories That Shape Our Future(s),"
by William Greider, Washington Post, 11/08/81: C1-2
(Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Nov 08: "Viet Vets: Doing It Ourselves," by William Vogt, Washington Post, 11/08/81, C1
Nov 09: "Storm over a Viet Nam Memorial,"
by Wolf Von Eckhardt, Time, 9 November 1981: 103 (Course
Documents) LN?
Nov 10: Commission of Fine Arts meeting
final approaval given
packet of letters received after the Oct and Nov meetings (Course Documents)
Letter of Francis Watson(Course Documents)
Nov 11: "How to Remember Vietnam," New York Times, 11/11/81: A30 (Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Nov 11: "Free the Veterans," Wall Street Journal, 11/11/81 (Course Documents) DJ?
Nov 11: "Finally, We Honor the Vietnam
Dead," by James J. Kilpatrick, Washington Post, 11/11/81: A27
(Course Documents) LN?
Phyllis Corbitt, letter to the ed. New York Times, 11/11/81: A30
Nov 14: "Model of Simplicity; Another
Look at the Vietnam Memorial; Model," by Benjamin Forgey,
Washington Post, 11/14/81, C1 (Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Nov 15: "A Better Way to Honor Viet Vets,"
Tom Carhart, Washington Post, 11/15/81: C5 (Course
Documents) LN?
Nov 16: Letter from Webb to Clay. (Course Documents)
Nov 20: Letter to Watt by several members
of the House. (Course Documents)
Nov 22: "War Is a Very Private Agony," New York Times, 11/22/81, 4:24 (Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Nov 24: Letter from Webb to Scruggs,
resigning from the National Sponsoring Committee. (Course
Documents)
****Nov 24 "Letter" Washington Post, Nov 24, 1981, A, 16 (ill'd 3.14.02)
Dec 01: Letter from Grady Clay to Interior Secretary James Watt (Course Documents)
Dec 02: Scruggs responds to Webb over his resignation. (Course Documents)
Dec 02: Webb replies. (Course Documents)
Dec 03: National Capital Planning Commission?
*****Dec 04 "Personalities" by S. Zakaroudis and L. Romano, Washington Post D, 3. (ill'd 3.14.02)
Dec 07: press conference by critics making demands
Dec 07: "The Vietnam Memorial," by Milt Copulos -- press release? (Course Documents)
Dec 08: "Veterans Fault Viet [Vietnam]
War Memorial Plans," by Norman Hannah, Washington Post, 12/08/81:
A11
Dec 11: "Open Book Memorial," by Norman Hannah, National Review, 12/11/81: 1476
Dec 11: Perot tells Scruggs to stop plans
for the memorial because of the controversy and offers to fund a new
competition. Scruggs tells him he will try to reach a compromise
on the design.
Dec 14: "Process for Selecting Design
for National Vietnam Veterans Memorial," by Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Fund (Course Documents)
Dec 14: Internal memo indicating Carhart
is claiming that a possible Communist selected the design. (Course
Documents)
Dec 14: "What Vietnam Did to Us: A Combat
Unit Relives the War and the Decade Since," Newsweek,
12/14/81, 49
Dec 15: AP story that Perot wants a Gallup poll on the design.
Dec 18: "Reassessing the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial," by James Webb, Wall Street Journal, 12/18/81: 22
(Course Documents) Dow Jones?
Dec 21: "Publicity and Support for Memorial
since Announcement of Design," by Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Fund (Course Documents)
Dec 22: VFW presents big check (Rocky Bleier)
Dec 26: "An Insulting Memorial," by Patrick Buchanan, Chicago Tribune 12/26/81: N1 (Course Documents)
*****Dec 26: Memorial does not Honor Vietnam Vets, by P. Buchanan, Chicago Tribune, N, 1 (ill'd 3.14.02)
Dec 27: "Fund at Halfway Point For Vietnam
Memorial," New York Times, 12/27/81, 1:51 (Lexis-Nexis:
Newspapers)
Dec 30: Representative Henry Hyde begins
his "Christmas offensive," sending a letter to Congresspeople and the
president (Course Documents)
sometime late 1981: Tim O'Brien article --
Emmett Tyrrell in American Spectator
1982
Jan 03: "Maya Lin and The Great Call
Of China; The Fascinating Heritage of the Student Who Designed the
Vietnam Memorial," by Phil McCombs, Washington Post, 01/03/82: F1 (Lexis-Nexis:
Newspapers)
Jan 04: Secretary Watts puts project on hold
Jan 07: Representative DeNardis circulates a "Dear Colleague" letter rebutting Hyde's. (Course Documents)
Jan 11: Symms and Helms etc to Watt. (Course Documents)
Jan 12: Hyde to President Reagan. (Course Documents)
Jan 13: "War Memorial Faces Hurdle at
Interior," Washington Post, 01/13/82: A21 (Course Documents)
LN?
Jan 13: "Watt Raises Obstacle On Vietnam
Memorial," New York Times, 01/13/82: A12 (Lexis-Nexis:
Newspapers)
Jan 14: "In Defense of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial," by Jan C. Scruggs, Wall Street Journal, 01/14/82
(Course Documents) DJ?
Jan 15: "Viet Memorial Opens Old Wounds,"
by Phyllis Schlafly, Buffalo Evening News, 01/15/82: 21 (Course
Documents)
Jan 27: Senator Warner hosts a reconciliation party, compromise to add flag and statue?
Jan 28: Maya Lin and Scruggs etc on Good Morning America
Jan 28: White House Memo: Summary of
Compromises on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Design (Course
Documents)
Jan 30: "Flag, Hero Added: Stark Vietnam
Veterans Memorial to Be Modified," by Mike Feinsilber,
Philadelphia Inquirer, 01/30/82 (Course Documents) LN?
*****Feb "Politics Threaten to Engulf Vietnam Memorial Design" AIA Journal, 71, 13 (ill'd 3.14.02)
Feb 04: Watts agrees with a compromise
Feb 11: Letter from Scruggs to Watt asking for approval. (Course Documents)
Feb 19: "Vietnam Vets' Memorial May Begin in Two Weeks," by Paul Hodge, Washington Post, 02/19/82: A18
(Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Feb 22: "Tribute to Sacrifice," by Hugh Sidey, Time, 02/22/82: 19 (Course Documents) LN?
Feb 25: Watts writes to Fine Arts Commission
(Brown) asking for their required approval. (Course
Documents)
Feb 27: "Memorial Delayed; Vietnam Memorial
To Be Reviewed," by Benjamin Forgey, Washington Post,
2/27/82: C1 (Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Mar**: "Vietnam's Aftermath: Sniping
at the Memorial." by Grady Clay, Landscape Architecture 72.2 (March
1982): 54-56 (Course Documents)
Mar**: "Vietnam War Memorial Flap: Is
It a "Black Wall of Shame"? by Michael J. Weiss, Washingtonian,
03/82 (Course Documents)
Mar??: "Finally We Come Together, by Milton R. Copulos, Heritage Foundation have
Mar 02: Letter from James Marvin (Course Documents) have
Mar 03: "A Viet Vets Demand: Ask Us about
Shrine!", by Hoag Levins, Philadelphia Daily News, 03/03/82: 18
(Course Documents)
Mar 04: National Capital Planning Commission approves
files? have
Doubek's statement (Course Documents)
Mar 05: "Vietnam Vet Memorial Action,"
by Benjamin Forgey, Washington Post, 03/05/82: B9 (Lexis-Nexis:
Newspapers)
Mar 06: "Monumental 'Absurdity,'" by
Benjamin Forgey, Washington Post, 03/06/82: C5 (Course
Documents) LN?
Mar 09: Chronology of Events:Involvement of Secretary of Interior in Approval of Design
Mar 09: Fine Arts Commission approves Minutes and Transcript (Course Documents)
Doubek's statement (Course Documents)
Letters about the proposed additions from Jan - March (Course Doucments)
Mar 09: Letter from Brown to Watts. (Course Documents)
Mar 10: "Commission Acts on Vets Memorial
Design," by Benjamin Forgey, Washington Post, 03/10/82: B6
(Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Mar 11: meeting with Watts
Mar 11: Watts to Scruggs. (Course Documents)
article by Milt Copulos about the meeting
Joseph Zengerle in Washington Post
same or different?
Mar 12: "Watt Okays a Memorial Plan;
Site of Statue, Flagpole Still to Be Decided;Watt Approves Memorial
Plan With Changes," by Jean White, Washington Post, 03/12/82: C1 (Lexis-Nexis:
Newspapers)
Mar 13: ?????"Watt Clears the Way
for a War Memorial to Vietnam Veterans," New York Times, 03/13/82,
1:11(Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Mar15: permit for construction
******March 22 "Watt approves a Vietnam Memorial," Newsweek, 38. (ill'd 3.14.02)
Mar 24: Senate press release: "Vietnam
Veterans' Memorial Compromise Reached Warner Says" (Course
Documents)
Mar 25: "Compromise on Vietnam Memorial," Washington Post, 03/25/82: B2
Mar 26: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Groundbreaking Ceremony
program (Course Documents)
Mar 27: "Ground Broken in Capital for
Memorial on Vietnam," by Bernard Weinraub, New York Times,
03/27/82, 1:1 (Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)
Mar 27: "Reconciliation: Ground Broken
for Shrine to Vietnam War Veterans," by P. McCombs, 03/27/82,
Washington Post: 14 (Lexis-Nexis: Newspapers)