Dr. King,  so moved by the sentiments of the men concerned, would explain his reasoning for entering the Vietnam debate in what can only be best described as the greatest piece of literature I have ever read, Dr. King’s speech is titled,  “Beyond  Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” 

In  the speech Dr. King states:   “The truth of these words is beyond doubt but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one,” he stressed on “speaking up.”

His speech further outlined:  “Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government’s policy, especially in time of war.  Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one’s own bosom and in the surrounding world.  Moreover when the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on.  Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak.  We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. And we must rejoice as well, for surely this is the first time in our nation’s history that a significant number of its religious leaders have chosen to move beyond the prophesying of smooth patriotism to the higher grounds of firm dissent based upon the mandates conscience and the reading of history.  Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movements well and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us.”

As tension are building fuelling political fires in almost every part of the world (today) what is needed most of all is a movement towards certainty and calm, noting history is only important if it helps with our future.

To read Dr. King’s April 04, 1967 Speech:  “Beyond Vietnam :  A Time to Break Silence by Rev. Martin Luther King, click on the link below:  

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html.