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This anonymous twelve-page pamphlet, colloquially referred to as Army Math Research, was likely produced in 1970 by the Marion Delgado Collective in Madison, Wisconsin. Its stark cover art depicts a rifle labeled “ARMY” fed by a bullet marked “Math Research,” set against a background of repetitive text proclaiming “A(M+RC)=Genocide.” Inside, the authors condemn the University of Wisconsin’s Army Math Research Center (AMRC) as a key cog in the “war machine,” justifying the earlier August 1970 bombing that killed a university researcher and caused widespread damage on campus.
Historical Context
- Vietnam-Era Rage: By 1970, frustration with the protracted Vietnam War had boiled over in radical circles. Anti-war activists shifted from peaceful protests to property destruction aimed at institutions they believed were furthering U.S. militarism.
- The Bombing: On August 24, 1970, the AMRC in Sterling Hall was attacked with a truck bomb by four young anti-war radicals. While intended to disrupt what they viewed as a lethal research operation, the explosion tragically killed physics researcher Robert Fassnacht.
- Marion Delgado Collective: The pamphlet emerged from the radical student environment, endorsing direct action as a response to institutional complicity in the war.
Content, Strategy, and Symbolism
- Justification of Violence: The text defends bombing as a necessary act of resistance against “genocide,” a term used to frame the U.S. military’s Vietnam War operations and the AMRC’s role in calculating bombing trajectories and other warfare logistics.
- Moral and Ethical Debate: While acknowledging the accidental death of the professor, the writers lament it as “collateral” in an otherwise righteous crusade. This tension reveals the sharp moral conflict within the late-1960s and early-1970s protest movements, where radical tactics sometimes clashed with broader public opinion.
- SDS Report Excerpts: Portions of a 1969 Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) report detail the AMRC’s ties to the Department of Defense, reinforcing the pamphlet’s argument that mathematics research was weaponized against Southeast Asian populations.
- Hand-Drawn Cover: The black-and-white illustration—an oversized assault rifle sketched with “Army” and “Math Research”—drives home the notion that purely “academic” work had become lethal ammunition for the U.S. war effort.
Impact and Legacy
Immediately after its publication, A(M+RC)=Genocide fueled debate over the moral boundaries of protest. Some activists praised its uncompromising stance on targeting institutions viewed as war profiteers. Many others, however, regarded the justification of violence as a tragic misstep, particularly given the fatal outcome. As the anti-war movement evolved, the bombing became a symbol of how quickly the line between righteous indignation and lethal extremism could blur.
The pamphlet remains a stark artifact of radical protest culture, laying bare the depths of anger and the ethical dilemmas that defined America’s tumultuous Vietnam War era.
Special thanks to the USC Digital Imaging Lab for their support in digitizing this item.
