Customer Reviews

Rads: The 1970 Bombing of the Army Math Research Center at the University of Wisconsin and Its Aftermath

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

RADS manages to capture the sometimes-hysterical jollity of the 1960s and hints at why a conservative governor once described the city of Madison as "25 square miles surrounded by reality." Aside from that, the only thing I can add to the preceding reviews is that when RADS was published in 1992, the present-day remnants of Madison's radical community greeted it with outrage. The crux of their criticism seemed to be that Bates portrays Karl Armstrong's motivation as being more personal than political; that he was seduced by the romantic aura of radical activism and lashed out because of deep-seated rage against his father, who had physically abused Karl when he was a boy. Karl Armstrong himself was quoted in a Madison newspaper as calling RADS "bullsh--."

I think there's some validity to the radical criticism, based on the way Bates withholds the fact of the abuse until page 429 of a 446-page book. Revealing it at the end is a trick out of Jerry Springer, one which cheapens the book. On the other hand, I also can't help thinking that the radical criticism came from people who didn't want to admit that the bombing was a foolish, self-destructive act which effectively discredited the antiwar movement in Madison and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the country. By criticizing Bates' ploy, they didn't have to grapple with the wider implications of RADS.

The 1980 film THE WAR AT HOME documents the Madison antiwar movement (including the bombing) from the radical perspective. It implies that the bombing was a logical if tragic response to U.S. government oppression (it includes much disturbing footage of assorted law-enforcement agencies "controlling crowds" with nightsticks and teargas). It's interesting to see the film and read the book and note how they differ in both interpretation and (sometimes) factual detail.

I'd really like to know what happened to Leo Burt, the bomber who was never captured.

Tom Bates presents the bombing of the AMRC within an intriguing, captivating story. As a high school senior, I have not lived through the war and the anti-war movement. Nonetheless, RADS provided me with enough background information to understand the book (based around the bombing) on both the specific level and the larger scheme of things.

Bates introduces the 'romantic' appeal of political radicalism in the late 60s and early 70s logically and insightfully. In addition, throughout the book, the reader gets to know the bombers and the people with whom they interact.

The book does not include any extraneous chapters. Bates has a reason for every section of the book that he includes. Because of this, the book is never slow to read; much of the book is very suspenseful, set up by the well-chosen quotes that begin every chapter.

This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in radicalism, historic bombings, or the anti-war movement of the 60s and 70s.

The book does a good job describing both the "New Years Gang"'s origins and motivations and the overall mood at UW-Madison in the late 1960's. The UW-Madison campus had at least its share of "activists" in those days. Unfortunately, it also had some misguided townies who were willing to take concrete steps in response to the activists' rhetoric.

The engineering campus tended to be on the sidelines of the activism, and Bate's book fills in some of the blanks from those days. It also provided some of the answers to the questions I had about the incident. The bombing occurred the summer after I graduated from there and two weeks after I was drafted into the Army. The Armstrong trial took place while I was attending grad school at UW after discharge.

There's a number of lessons from this account that would-be bomb makers of any stripe would do well to ponder before going out and blowing up buildings in the name of idealism.

I lived in Madison at the time of the legal procedings of the three captured bombers. Rads is the most comprehensive account of the bombing that I have personally read. However, I agree with a previous review that Bates mistakingly attributes Armstrong's actions to his family history. I believe that Armstrong was motivated personally from his experiences in Chicago during the 1968 convention, and seeing the escallation of the war. I went to the Madison Public Library and read the newspaper files on Armstrong and the others, and there were important events especially after Armstrong's return to Madison that were ommited. I believe that the single most important lesson from this book or from other events of that era i.e. Kent State, is that it was local people, hometown people that were involved in the anti-war movement. These people included both yound and old. They were not communist-sympathizers or professionals from out of town. Young men from Karl and Dwight Armstrong's east-side Madison neighborhood were much more likely to fight and die in Vietnam than men from David Fine's or Leo Burt's background. True, Fine did not light the fuse, but he got off much eaiser than the Armstrongs

I knew bombers David Fine and Leo Burt as fellow members of The Daily Cardinal staff and figuratively crossed swords with them at editorial meetings over the strident content of staff-written editorials.
Bates manages to weave together an number of parallel narratives so the book reads like a novel. To do this he gives colorful, sometimes cruel physical descriptions of his characters, reconstructs conversations that took place years earlier, and describes the thoughts of characters, including Leo Burt, who has never been found and whom, we must presume, Bates never had the privilege of interviewing. But Bates understands his role as journalist and historian and with the above reservations, I believe he performed it well.
He documents the role of the Army Math Research Center in advancing the military capabilities of the U.S., and does so with a lucidity and economy of words that I never found in the exposes of Jim Rowen, who investigated the AMRC in the late '60's and helped inspire the bombing.
Rads traces the influence of three well-known UW history professors, including the Marxist Harvey Goldberg. Their conflicting views illustrate the diversity of thinking about anti-war tactics and revolution.
It is interesting to note in this book how many radicals turned to violence after being beaten by police at anti-war demonstrations.
At last this book is the story of Karl Armstrong. The narrative reveals Karl as confused, ambivalent and in every instance incompetent as an anti-war terrorist, fugitive and defendent, whose achievements were made possible by the countervailing bungling and in-fighting of the authorities. I can at the drop of a hat regale people with hilarious episodes of Karl's stupid criminal tricks, but of course that shortchanges the gravitas and the tragedy of this major episode in 1960s American radicalism.
I do not fault this book for proposing that abuse by his father laid the psychological groundwork for Karl's venture into violence. Bates did not weave this interpretation into his narrative, and I would be disappointed if an author did not offer his interpretation of events after devoting years to their study. The result is that Karl comes across as a sympathetic character, and his anti-war motivations are not discredited.

Anyone having a hard time understanding the Littleton, CO killers should read this book. Bates is specifically investigating the radical culture of revolutionary wannabe's in the '60's, but the tragedy of overheated rhetoric, of turning the personal into the political and of drawing on pop images of heroism for models of action explains all too many tragedies in the modern world.

Karl and Dwight Armstrong are the local losers who decide that injustice and oppression demand direct action, and their story provides more than enough drama to stir MY heart! This is a must-read.

Another good book on the '60's radical scene from a mature perspective is Tom Hayden's book, Reunion.

This is an incredible story about how bumbling college kids with an idea can do great harm. If it wasn't true, you would have a hard time believing that it all really happened. Kind of reminds you of when Jesus said forgive them father for they know not what they do. The short term view of youth is dangerous.

Given the star inflation on Amazon, I am surprised there not more 5 star reviews for this book. Rads in as unbridled masterpiece of nonfiction (I literally read it in one sitting and it took 2 days!). Best book about this era, hands down (honorable mention to Growing Up Underground [Alpert] and They Marched Into Sunlight [Maraniss]) The only other non-fiction book I can think of that is in the same league is American Caesar. Not going to get into the book. It's cheap so order it and read it. You will be rewarded!

Matt

Judy (pal to some) sent this book to me. she like me went to Madison during the late 60's. you did not go to the UW you went to Madison. The school was just part of the place, you grew up in. some never left. I started to read it while reading all my Neuro-Science stuff, my latest kick. then it consumed me. especially the last 100 pages.
this non-fiction book is incredibly well researched and written. history is not easy, nor is reality. of course it is special to me since this bombing took place one month after I graduated and left Madison. it was the exclamation point on my experience. as they say many changes took place.
I think it is a must read for any young person of today. with the war in Iraq it is so timely to see the difference in generations. to see that the generation of then is now the silent majority sitting back and watching history repeat itself, as they say always happens. but then again history is hard to grasp.
I think this book would be the foundation of a monster screen-play and movie. the whole situation has so many angles and levels.
I lived thru this but I did not know anything about this bombing. it was so interesting to me to learn now about it in such detail. but at the edges I shared the same experiences: the Mendota State Hospital for the Insane, professors Mosse and Goldberg, the politicos like Soglen, Mates, the celebrities coming thru town, to disappoint, etc.
I think this book more then any other I have read explores how a young generation was traumatized. back then the terrorists were in the White House. perhaps they still are? out of this trauma came the utter materialism of the last 20 years, this is a perspective as to why. many dreams exploded before and with that building.
Jess, aka Henry Dribble, class of 70

There are many accounts of the sixties which romanticize the activism against the war in Vietnam. RADS provides a sober account of the events surrounding the bombing of the Army Math Research Center in 1970. With the meticulous insight of an historian, Bates provides an overview of the events relating to the bombing without the bias of left or right-wing ideology. His riveting account has the ring of journalistic accuracy rather than stooping to advance a particular political point of view.