Strengthening Channels of Communication, 1968–1970

Abstract

At a time when U.S. women were pushed to the sidelines of antiwar protests because of a focus on draft resistance, American women’s peace groups carved out a place for themselves as middle-aged mothers of draft-age sons. This language paralleled that of Vietnamese women, who also described themselves as mothers of soldiers, allowing Vietnamese and American women to create an authentic bond between them as they also benefited from this language politically. While American women peace activists used this coalition to discuss the establishment of regular communication between POWs and their families in the United States, Vietnamese women publicly admonished the U.S. government's disrespect for life and praised the efforts of American mothers to maintain American ideals.