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␈↓ ↓H␈↓α␈↓ α+THE PRO-NUCLEAR COUNTER-DEMONSTRATION AT DIABLO CANYON

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The␈α↔purpose␈α↔of␈α↔this␈α⊗memo␈α↔is␈α↔to␈α↔evaluate␈α⊗the␈α↔results␈α↔of␈α↔the␈α↔pro-nuclear␈α⊗counter-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓demonstration at Diablo Canyon on August 7, 1977.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Background:␈α⊂Anti-nuclear␈α∂groups␈α⊂throughout␈α∂the␈α⊂country␈α∂organized␈α⊂demonstrations␈α⊂taking␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓occasion␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂August␈α⊂6␈α∂anniversary␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂bombing␈α⊂of␈α∂Hiroshima.␈α∂ The␈α∂San␈α⊂Francisco␈α∂Bay
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Area␈α
anti-nuclear␈α
groups␈α
announced␈α
early␈α
in␈α
the␈α
summer␈α
a␈α
plan␈α
for␈α
a␈α
"symbolic␈α
occupation"␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α∞site␈α
where␈α∞the␈α
Diablo␈α∞Canyon␈α
nuclear␈α∞plant␈α
of␈α∞Pacific␈α
Gas␈α∞and␈α
Electric␈α∞Company␈α
is␈α∞in␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓final␈α
stages␈α
of␈α
construction␈α
and␈α
awaiting␈αlicensing.␈α
 In␈α
order␈α
The␈α
Sunday␈α
Diablo␈α
Canyon␈αaction
␈↓ ↓H␈↓was␈αpreceded␈αby␈αa␈αSaturday␈αrally␈αin␈αGolden␈αGate␈αPark␈αin␈αSan␈αFrancisco.␈α The␈αmain␈αanti-nuclear
␈↓ ↓H␈↓speakers␈α∞were␈α∞Barry␈α∂Commoner␈α∞and␈α∞Daniel␈α∞Ellsberg.␈α∂ Commoner␈α∞undertook␈α∞to␈α∂portray␈α∞nuclear
␈↓ ↓H␈↓energy␈α
as␈αplot␈α
to␈α
prevent␈αeveryone␈α
from␈αhaving␈α
his␈α
own␈αsolar␈α
plant␈αindependent␈α
of␈α
the␈αutilities.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Ellsberg␈α
connected␈α
nuclear␈α
energy␈α
with␈α
the␈α
bombing␈α
of␈α
Hiroshima␈α
and␈α
gave␈α
the␈α
hard␈α∞line␈α
self-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓righteousness appropriate to encourage the future occupiers to face arrest.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The␈α
demonstration␈αconsisted␈α
of␈αabout␈α
600␈α
people,␈αmany␈α
of␈αwhom␈α
merely␈αsat␈α
on␈α
the␈αbeach
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α
listened␈α
to␈α
the␈α
music␈αand␈α
speeches.␈α
 They␈α
didn't␈α
have␈αa␈α
"name␈α
band"␈α
to␈α
attract␈αpeople.␈α
 There
␈↓ ↓H␈↓were perhaps 100 activists and 55 people went over the fence and got themselves arrested.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The␈αpro-nuclear␈αcounter-demonstration␈αwas␈αproposed␈αabout␈αtwo␈αweeks␈αpreviously␈αby␈αJohn
␈↓ ↓H␈↓McCarthy␈α∞and␈α
Tom␈α∞Connolly.␈α∞ There␈α
was␈α∞no␈α∞prior␈α
publicity␈α∞-␈α∞through␈α
lack␈α∞of␈α∞experience␈α
and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓energy␈α∞rather␈α∂than␈α∞from␈α∞intention.␈α∂ The␈α∞participants␈α∂were␈α∞personal␈α∞contacts␈α∂and␈α∞friends␈α∂of␈α∞the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓organizers.␈α⊂ About␈α⊂60%␈α⊂of␈α⊂those␈α⊂who␈α⊂said␈α∂they␈α⊂would␈α⊂come␈α⊂actually␈α⊂drove␈α⊂down␈α⊂to␈α⊂San␈α∂Luis
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Obispo (four and a half hours).

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The counter-demonstration included the following:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓1. Carrying signs with pro-nuclear slogans.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓2.␈α⊃Distribution␈α⊃of␈α∩the␈α⊃attached␈α⊃leaflet␈α∩entitled␈α⊃"You␈α⊃are␈α⊃making␈α∩a␈α⊃mistake"␈α⊃addressed␈α∩to␈α⊃the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓demonstrators.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓3. Talking to any press, radio and TV people who were there.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The␈α
anti-nuclear␈α
people␈α
were␈α
entirely␈α
polite␈α
and␈α
friendly␈α
and␈α
willing␈α
to␈α
discuss␈α∞the␈α
issues
␈↓ ↓H␈↓with anyone who wanted to talk about them.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The object of the counter-demonstration was two-fold:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_1.␈αTo␈αshow␈αthat␈αthe␈αnuclear␈αissue␈αwas␈αnot␈αbetween␈α"public␈αinterest␈αgroups"␈αand␈αthe␈αutilities
␈↓ ↓H␈↓but between different public views on what energy policy would benefit the country.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_2.␈α
To␈αsteal␈α
a␈α
fraction␈αof␈α
the␈α
publicity␈αthat␈α
the␈α
anti-nuclear␈αside␈α
was␈α
going␈αto␈α
get␈α
for␈αtheir
␈↓ ↓H␈↓illegal action.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_In␈αso␈αfar␈αas␈αwe␈αreached␈αpeople,␈αwe␈αachieved␈αthe␈αfirst␈αobjective.␈α The␈αfact␈αthat␈αthe␈αcounter-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓demonstration was not organizeed by the utilities or the nuclear manufacturers was accepted.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ εH␈↓ 91


␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_As␈αfor␈αthe␈αsecond␈αobjective,␈αwe␈αachieved␈αpublicity␈αout␈αof␈αproportion␈αto␈αour␈αnumbers.␈α Our
␈↓ ↓H␈↓TV,␈α⊃radio␈α⊃and␈α⊃press␈α⊂coverage␈α⊃was␈α⊃quite␈α⊃uneven.␈α⊂ CBS␈α⊃and␈α⊃NBC␈α⊃found␈α⊂even␈α⊃the␈α⊃fact␈α⊃of␈α⊂a
␈↓ ↓H␈↓counter-demonstration␈α∂unnewsworthy,␈α∂while␈α∂ABC␈α∂gave␈α∞Tom␈α∂Connolly's␈α∂statement␈α∂a␈α∂good␈α∞play.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓This␈α⊂correlates␈α⊂with␈α⊂the␈α∂programming␈α⊂these␈α⊂networks␈α⊂have␈α∂presented␈α⊂on␈α⊂the␈α⊂nuclear␈α⊂issue,␈α∂so
␈↓ ↓H␈↓perhaps␈α∂nothing␈α∞minor␈α∂we␈α∞could␈α∂have␈α∞done␈α∂would␈α∞have␈α∂influenced␈α∞matters.␈α∂ Coverage␈α∂in␈α∞Bay
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Area␈α⊃and␈α⊂other␈α⊃newspapers␈α⊃seemed␈α⊂quite␈α⊃random,␈α⊂and␈α⊃it␈α⊃remains␈α⊂whether␈α⊃this␈α⊃depended␈α⊂on
␈↓ ↓H␈↓whom␈αwe␈αmet␈αand␈αwhat␈αwe␈αsaid␈αor␈αmerely␈αon␈αthe␈αviews␈αthe␈αjournalists␈αtook␈αof␈αthe␈αnuclear␈αissues.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓However,␈α∞it␈α∞seems␈α∞likely␈α∞that␈α
we␈α∞could␈α∞have␈α∞done␈α∞better␈α
if␈α∞our␈α∞action␈α∞had␈α∞been␈α∞more␈α
publicity
␈↓ ↓H␈↓oriented.  This might have been done in the following ways:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_1.␈α
Our␈αspokesman␈α
should␈α
have␈αlistened␈α
to␈αthe␈α
Commoner␈α
and␈αEllsberg␈α
speeches,␈α
since␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓news␈αmedia␈αwanted␈αanswers␈α
to␈αthe␈αspecific␈αpoints␈α
they␈αraised␈αas␈αwell␈α
as␈αour␈αgeneral␈αpoint␈αof␈α
view.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓The␈α⊂format␈α⊂of␈α⊃news␈α⊂coverage␈α⊂of␈α⊃a␈α⊂controversial␈α⊂event␈α⊃confers␈α⊂a␈α⊂benefit␈α⊃to␈α⊂the␈α⊂side␈α⊃that␈α⊂has
␈↓ ↓H␈↓specific answers to the points raised by the other side.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_2.␈α
We␈α
should␈α
have␈α
listed␈α
the␈α
news␈α
media␈α
present␈α
and␈α
made␈α
a␈α
specific␈α
effort␈α
to␈α
reach␈αeach␈α
of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓them.  A press release would have helped in addition to the leaflet.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_3.␈α∞We␈α∞should␈α∞have␈α∞considered␈α∞making␈α∞a␈α∞passive␈α∞human␈α∞chain␈α∞blocking␈α∞the␈α∞access␈α∞of␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓demonstrators␈α∂to␈α∂the␈α∂part␈α∂of␈α∂fence␈α∂they␈α∂wanted␈α∞to␈α∂cross.␈α∂ This␈α∂would␈α∂not␈α∂have␈α∂been␈α∂a␈α∞serious
␈↓ ↓H␈↓attempt␈αto␈αprevent␈αthem␈αfrom␈αdoing␈αtheir␈αthing,␈αbecause␈αthey␈αwould␈αhave␈αbeen␈αable␈αto␈αgo␈α
around
␈↓ ↓H␈↓us,␈αand␈αwe␈αwould␈αhave␈αmade␈αthat␈αclear␈αto␈αthem,␈αbut␈αit␈αwould␈αhave␈αbeen␈αa␈αsymbolic␈αopposition␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓their␈αsymbolic␈αillegal␈αaction,␈αand␈αit␈αmight␈αwell␈αhave␈αassured␈αus␈αof␈αhalf␈αthe␈αpublicity.␈α This␈αwould
␈↓ ↓H␈↓have␈αbeen␈αmuch␈αmore␈αthan␈αhalf␈αthe␈αpublicity-value,␈αbecause␈αof␈αthe␈αsmall␈αnumber␈αof␈αpro-nuclear
␈↓ ↓H␈↓demonstrations.␈α⊃ Even␈α⊃the␈α⊂anti-nuclear␈α⊃media␈α⊃representatives␈α⊂might␈α⊃have␈α⊃been␈α⊃constrained␈α⊂to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓report such a symbolic confrontation, because it would have been a distinct news event.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_It␈αshould␈αbe␈αremarked␈αthat␈αwe␈αwere␈αdiscouraged␈αfrom␈αthe␈αcounter-demonstration␈αby␈αPacific
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Gas␈αand␈αElectric␈αCo.,␈αand␈αon␈αtheir␈αadvice,␈αpeople␈αfrom␈αthe␈αAmerican␈αNuclear␈αSociety␈αdidn't␈αtake
␈↓ ↓H␈↓part.␈α Their␈αostensible␈αreason␈αwas␈αthat␈αthey␈αfeared␈αa␈αfight␈αthat␈αwould␈αdestroy␈αthe␈αrespectability␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α
pro-nuclear␈αside.␈α
 In␈αfact,␈α
there␈αwas␈α
no␈αmood␈α
among␈αeither␈α
the␈αanti-␈α
or␈αpro-␈α
nuclear␈αpeople
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈α∞could␈α∞have␈α∞led␈α∞to␈α∞a␈α∞fight.␈α∞ One␈α
can␈α∞also␈α∞imagine␈α∞that␈α∞the␈α∞public␈α∞relations␈α∞professionals␈α
at
␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.G. and E are made nervous by any events that aren't under their professional control.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_However,␈αnuclear␈αenergy␈αis␈αtoo␈αimportant␈αto␈αthe␈αcountry␈αto␈αleave␈αits␈αdefense␈αentirely␈α
to␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓public relations departments of the utilities.