2 "Harrisburg 8" buttons, 1971, Dan and Phil Berrigan Trial (antiwar movement)

Description

2 buttons from the 1971 trial of the Harrisburg Eight. Historical importance in the antiwar movement.
The
Harrisburg Seven
were a group of
religious
anti-war activists, led by
Philip Berrigan
, charged in 1971 in a failed
conspiracy
case in the
United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
, located at
Harrisburg
. The seven were Phillip Berrigan,
Elizabeth McAlister
, Rev. Neil McLaughlin, Rev. Joseph Wenderoth,
Eqbal Ahmad
, Anthony Scoblick, and Mary Cain Scoblick.
The group was unsuccessfully prosecuted for alleged criminal plots during the
Vietnam War
era. Six of the seven were Roman Catholic nuns or priests. The seventh,
Eqbal Ahmad
, was a Pakistani journalist, American-trained political scientist, and self-described
odd man out
of the group.
Haverford College
physics professor
William C. Davidon
was named as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the case.
In 1970, the group attracted government attention when Berrigan, then imprisoned, and McAlister were caught trading letters that alluded to kidnapping
National Security Advisor
Henry Kissinger
and blowing up steam tunnels.