[Vision2020] Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution

[No Weatherman]

Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution
An interview with Weathermen insider/FBI informant Larry Grathwohl on
whether to believe Obama when it comes to Bill Ayers.
October 28, 2008 — by Bob Owens

When Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn led the domestic terrorist group
Weather Underground in 1969, a chance meeting led Army veteran Larry
Grathwohl into joining the group. Grathwohl served as a courier,
running messages between the group's leadership (called the "Weather
Bureau") and individual cells that were to carry out attacks.

Grathwohl was also an informant for the FBI.

In an interview from the 1982 documentary No Place To Hide that
recently surfaced, Grathwohl discussed what the Weathermen intended to
do after overthrowing the U.S. government, including what they would
do with those Americans who refused to embrace communism.

"I asked, "Well what is going to happen to those people we can't
reeducate, that are diehard capitalists?" And the reply was that
they'd have to be eliminated.

"And when I pursued this further, they estimated they would have to
eliminate 25 million people in these reeducation centers.

"And when I say "eliminate," I mean "kill."

"Twenty-five million people.

"I want you to imagine sitting in a room with 25 people, most of which
have graduate degrees, from Columbia and other well-known educational
centers, and hear them figuring out the logistics for the elimination
of 25 million people.

And they were dead serious."

Twenty-six years later, I caught up with Larry Grathwohl, and asked
him about the Weathermen, their leaders then and now, and what he
thinks about the relationship between Bill Ayers and Democratic
presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Pajamas Media: You stated in your interview in No Place to Hide that
you wanted us to "imagine sitting in a room with 25 people, most of
which have graduate degrees, from Columbia and other well-known
educational centers, and hear them figuring out the logistics for the
elimination of 25 million people." A lot of people have now had the
opportunity to listen to you, and contemplate the horrors these people
planned. Can you recall who these people are by name, and who the
ringleaders of this plan were?

Larry Grathwohl: Conversations regarding this occurred in Cincinnati,
Detroit, Flint, and Buffalo. Participants included Bill Ayers,
Bernardine Dohrn, Mark Rudd, Linda Evans, Jeff Jones, and many others.

Pajamas Media: Was this merely an academic matter to them, or were
they serious about killing 25 million Americans that would not bend to
their political will?

Larry Grathwohl: I suppose you could consider this a purely academic
discussion in that the Weathermen never had the opportunity to
implement their political ends. However, I can assure you that this
was not the case. There was an absolute belief that they, along with
the international revolutionary movement, would cause the collapse of
the United States and that they would be in charge. Nixon was of great
concern and how his end would be conducted. This may sound absurd in
today's context, but the Weatherman believed they would succeed.

Pajamas Media: Did they ever devise a cover story to explain to the
rest of America how roughly one in ten disappeared?

Larry Grathwohl: When I suggested that this might be a difficult
proposition they looked at me like I had three heads. They would be in
charge! They would be in control! Who would oppose them? Lambs to the
slaughter I guess.

Pajamas Media: Were any of those Weathermen involved in concocting
this plan particularly excited or enthusiastic about the death camps,
or was it merely a means to an end?

Larry Grathwohl: Of course they were enthusiastic as it was
representative of the success of "the revolution."

Pajamas Media: Scattered news accounts on the Internet note that you
were instrumental in foiling Weather Underground attacks in February
of 1970, in Detroit. The Weathermen built two bombs targeting the
Detroit Police Officers' Association (DPOA) building and the 13th
Precinct. Were the goals of these attacks symbolic property damage as
were some other Weathermen attacks, or were these targets selected to
kill police officers?

Larry Grathwohl: The instructions I received from Billy Ayers was that
the bombs to be used in Detroit must have shrapnel (fence staples,
specifically) and fire potential (propane bottles). The intention was
to kill police officers.

Pajamas Media: One of the Detroit bombs was to be placed on the side
of the DPOA building, and the blast was likely to cause damage to the
adjacent Red Barn Restaurant, which had mostly African-American
customers. Who ordered the attack, and what did he say when you told
him that innocent civilians would be killed?

Larry Grathwohl: When I objected to Billy Ayers that more innocent
people would be killed in the restaurant, he replied, "Innocent people
have to die in a revolution." Billy also acknowledged during a
criticism session in Buffalo that Bernadine placed the bomb at the
Park Police Station which resulted in the death of Police Officer
McDonnell.

Pajamas Media: Bill Ayers came out of hiding around 1980, became a
college professor, and has served on numerous boards and foundations.
Do you think he's changed in his radicalism?

Larry Grathwohl: Has Billy changed? I hardly think so.

Pajamas Media: If conditions permitted, do you think Ayers would still
engage in violence to further a political agenda?

Larry Grathwohl: He has acknowledged his support of anti-American
groups and stated he felt that the Weathermen hadn't done enough.

Pajamas Media: Do you consider Bill Ayers an attempted mass murderer?

Larry Grathwohl: I'm not certain Billy is a mass murder; his ego just
wants him to be in charge. Note that Billy never does anything that
involves risk. He has no problem allowing his women to do the evil
task, Diane Oughton and even Bernardine, but never him. As for what he
might do, hasn't he said he doesn't rule out the possibility of future
bombings? [Ayers said he didn't "want to discount the possibility" in
this New York Times article from  September 11, 2001. — Ed.]

Pajamas Media: Would you let your children attend a college or
university class taught by Ayers or his wife, Bernadine Dohrn? What
would you tell parents who have had their children exposed to Ayers'
academic programs, like the Small Schools Workshop?

Larry Grathwohl: As for Billy's ideas on education, isn't it apparent?
Reading, writing, and arithmetic aren't important! Radicalism is
what's important. Fits right in with the Billy Ayers view of creating
mindless soldiers to follow his commands — where best to lay the
foundations of a revolution than with the young?

Pajamas Media: Do you think there is there any way that Democratic
presidential candidate Barack Obama could not have known that Bill
Ayers was a domestic terrorist? Is there any reason that the American
people should accept Barack Obama's newest excuse about his
relationship with Bill Ayers, where Obama claimed that he thought
Ayers was "reformed"?

Larry Grathwohl: If we are to believe Mr. Obama, he just didn't know
Billy was as radical as he apparently is. Really? Just like he didn't
know the Rev. Wright was as radical as he is? Obama is a politician
and he wants me to believe that he never discussed politics with the
Rev Wright or Billy Ayers?

Mr. Grathwohl concluded the interview with a question of his own.

"Have you seen the [Bill] O'Reilly attempts to interview Billy? He
called the police to 'protect' him! Doesn't surprise me a bit: Billy
needs others to stand up, not him. He's too important! Do you think
his new book [Race Course Against White Supremacy, co-author
Bernardine Dohrn] has something to do with his position? I bet we hear
a lot from Billy and Bernardine after the election. Especially if
Obama wins."
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/eyewitness-to-the-ayers-revolution/