What the papers didn't say...

A poster advertising a series of lectures and talks in February and March 1971 at venues in Melbourne featuring four international Moratorium speakers; Peter Wiley, Co-Ordinator of USA Left wing magazine, 'Leviathan'; Bala Tampoe, Asian Trade Union Leader; Michael Uhl, former USA Lieutenant in Vietnam and Professor Phillip Devillers of the University of Paris. A photograph of Professor Devillers appears at the bottom of the poster. Michael Uhl served in Vietnam as a 1st Lieutenant, leading a combat intelligence team with the 11th Infantry Brigade, based in Quang Ngai Province (I Corps). He became active in the anti-Vietnam War movement in 1969 and testified about US war crimes in Vietnam. He was subsequently a co-founder of 'Citizen Soldier' in 1976, an organisation largely concerned around issues associated with active duty GI's and has concentrated on veteran's health issues such as Agent Orange and radiation exposure and more recently with the group 'Veterans for Peace'. In 1980 he co-authored a book, 'GI Guinea Pigs' with Tod Ensign which reported on the U.S. Defoliation program in Indochina and the Open Air A bomb tests of the 1940s and 50s. Bala Tampoe (Balendra Tampoe-Phillips) was born in Sri Lanka in 1922. In 1939 he entered the University of Ceylon studying chemistry, maths and physics. He received his degree in 1943 and in 1948 was elected General Secretary of the Ceylon Mercantile, Industrial and General Workers' Union (CMU) a post he held for over 53 years. He is recognised as a giant in the trade union movement in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, becoming known as 'Comrade Bala' to thousands of trade union activists. Peter Wiley was a member of the San Francisco editorial staff of 'Leviathan', publishing an article in June, 1969, entitled 'Vietnam and the Pacific Rim Strategy'.