MR. SCHULTZ: Please state your name.

THE WITNESS: Irwin Bock.

MR. SCHULTZ: Your occupation, please.

THE WITNESS: Chicago police officer.

MR. SCHULTZ: Where are you presently assigned?

THE WITNESS: I am assigned to the subversive unit.

MR. SCHULTZ: Have you ever worn a Chicago police uniform?

THE WITNESS: No sir, I have not.

MR. SCHULTZ: Since becoming a Chicago policeman, have you joined any organizations?

THE WITNESS: Yes, I have. I joined the Veterans for Peace here in Chicago. I am at present a member of the executive committee of that organization. I am on the executive board of the Chicago Peace Council.

MR. SCHULTZ: Mr. Bock, are you or have you been since you became a member of the Chicago Police Department a member of any other organization?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, I am at present on the steering committee of the New Mobilization.

MR. SCHULTZ: While a member of these organizations that you have just related to the Court and to the jury, were you in your undercover capacity as a Chicago police officer?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, I was..

MR. SCHULTZ: Do you recall, Mr. Bock, the next time you saw the defendant Rennie Davis?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, three days later, on August 4, at a meeting at the Moraine Hotel in Highland Park.

MR. SCHULTZ: Were any other defendants present?

THE WITNESS: Dave Dellinger and Tom Hayden. Dave Dellinger spoke first at the meeting. He welcomed the people. He said that "a lot of you have come from the far ends of the country. We haven't come here to disrupt the Democratic Convention, nor have we come here to support any candidate to that convention." He then introduced Rennie Davis as the coordinator of the actions for Chicago.
Davis said to the people that on August 24 movement centers would open up throughout the Chicago area. He said on the following day, August 25, that there would be a huge picket held in the Loop area. He said that we would test the police on this day to see what reaction they would have toward the demonstrators, to see whether or not they took a hard stand or a soft stand. Davis said that on August 29 a rally would be held in the Grant Park area at the Bandshell and from this rally a mill-in would take place in the Loop. The mill-in would be set up so that it would close down such places as banks, draft boards, Federal buildings, police headquarters. Davis said the Loop would be closed on that day.

MR. SCHULTZ: After Davis finished speaking, what, if anything occurred, please?

THE WITNESS: Dave Dellinger adjourned the meeting or the morning session and said we should have lunch. The majority of the people left the meeting hall in the hotel and went toward the beach area.

MR. SCHULTZ: Specifically where on the beach area did you go with your lunch?

THE WITNESS: I joined a group of people close to where Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden were standing.

MR. SCHULTZ: Did you have occasion to overbear anything that the defendants Davis and Hayden were saying?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir. Rennie Davis said that the demonstrators could use the snake dance as they do in Japan to break police lines. Tom Hayden replied to Davis and said, "Yes, we can do that," or "That's great, but the demonstrators need something else to use against the police." He said, "We have the formula for Mace and if we place this in the squirt-tvpe bottle such as a Windex bottle or an atomizer-type bottle, the demonstrators then could use that against the police."

MR. SCHULTZ: Did you hear any more of the conversation?

THE WITNESS: No, sir, I did not.

MR. SCHULTZ: Now, Mr. Bock, when is the next time you saw either Davis, Dellinger, or Hayden?

THE WITNESS: That was August 9. Rennie Davis was at the National Mobilization office, Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, and Lee Weiner, a David Baker-I believe Steve Buff and Richard Bosciano were also present, and there were about ten other people.

MR. SCHULTZ: Do you recall anybody else being present at that meeting, any other defendants?

THE WITNESS: A John Froines was present also.

MR. FROINES: Why didn't he say Dellinger?

MR. SCHULTZ: Do you recall if any other defendant was present?

THE WITNESS: Dave Dellinger was also at that meeting.

THE WITNESS: Hayden said that he, Rennie Davis, and Abbie Hoffman had been making plans for diversionary tactics to take place while the main march was going to the Amphitheatre. These diversionary tactics were the breaking of windows, pulling of fire alarm boxes, the setting of small fires, and that they had two purposes, Davis said the first purpose was to divide the police in such a way that it would take the entire police force to either watch the demonstrators or put down the disturbances.
He said that this would necessitate the calling of the police away from the Amphitheatre and would allow the demonstrators to go to the Amphitheatre and confront the war makers.
Tom Hayden said that if the South and West Sides would rise Lip as they did in the April riots in Chicago here, the city would have a lot of trouble on their hands. Abbie Hoffman turned to Hayden and said, "it would be like another Chicago Fire." Davis then introduced a David Baker, who he said had been active during the Detroit riots in a militant capacity. He said that Baker's group Would be coming to Chicago to aid in the training of the National Mobilization marshals.
Abbie Hoffman said that the Yippies would aid in the diversionary tactics on August 28 and that he wanted the National Mobilization marshals to aid the Yippies on August 25 in defense of Lincoln Park.

MR. SCHULTZ: Mr. Bock, calling your attention to August 13, 1968, in the early afternoon, do you recall where you were?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, I do. I was at the south end of Lincoln Park near the field house.

MR. SCHULTZ: Did you see any of the defendants there at that time?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, I did. Rennie Davis, Tom Hayden, and Lee Weiner.

MR. SCHULTZ: Did you observe anything occur in the presence of the defendants Hayden, Davis and Weiner and in the presence of yourself?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir. David Baker instructed the people present in the snake dance.

MR. SCHULTZ: What, if anything, occurred, please?

THE WITNESS: The people practiced the snake dance as Baker had instructed it and Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis and Lee Weiner took part in that practice both as a demonstrator and in a leadership role in the snake dance.

MR. SCHULTZ: Did you take part in the snake dance?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, I did. . . .

MR. SCHULTZ: Now, calling your attention to Wednesday, August 21, in the early afternoon, with what defendant or defendants did you have a conversation?

THE WITNESS: I talked with Lee Weiner. Weiner told me of a marshals' meeting that was to take place at the offices of the National Mobilization at four o'clock that afternoon.

MR. SCHULTZ: Did you go to that meeting?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, I did.

MR. SCHULTZ: Who was present at the meeting?

THE WITNESS: Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and about fifteen marshals that were to participate during the Democratic Convention.

MR. SCHULTZ: Was there a conversation at that meeting?

THE WITNESS: Rennie Davis said, "We have several alternatives that we can do on August 28 in relation to the march that had been announced."
He said, "First of all we could have the march as we had announced."
He said, "Secondly, we could have a rally take place in the Grant Park area, with a confrontation.
"The last alternative is to hold a rally and then take over some buildings in the Loop area."
He said, "This could be accomplished by giving speeches during the time of that rally to incite the crowd for such a takeover." He illustrated a takeover such as the one that took place at Columbia, physically blocking the entrances and exits so no one could enter or leave. He said, "The people would be arrested in such a situation rather than just merely dispersed."
He then suggested three buildings for possible discussion. One was the Federal Building, one was the Pick-Congress and the other was the Conrad Hilton.
Lee Weiner said at this point that this was too important to discuss here and that we ought to discuss this at his apartment later that evening.

MR. SCHULTZ: You say Weiner said this?

THE WITNESS: I beg your pardon, it was John Froines.

MR. SCHULTZ: If the Court please, I would ask the Court again if he would direct the marshals to direct the defendants and their lawyers to stop laughing out loud as they just did. Mr. Kunstler was probably more guilty of it than any of the defendants.

THE COURT: I direct the marshal to go over there to the defendants' table and request them as we have done repeatedly in the past not to laugh loudly during this trial. This is a trial in the United States District Court. It is not a vaudeville theatre.

MR. KUNSTLER: But, your Honor, we are human beings, too. You can't make automatons out of us, or robots; we are human beings and we laugh occasionally, and if it comes irrepressibly, I don't really see how that really becomes a court matter.

MR. SCHULTZ: Mr. Kunstler is laughing so he can influence the jury with the impression that this is absurd. That is why he is laughing aloud because he--
If Mr. Dellinger would stop talking when we are addressing the Court

MR. DELLINGER: I am trying to tell something to my lawyer. It is absurd. It is--he is a vaudeville actor.

THE COURT: You have made your observation, Sir.

MR. SCHULTZ: May I proceed, your Honor?
After that meeting at the offices of the National Mobilization Committee, where did you go, please?

THE WITNESS: We adjourned the meeting and I went to eat dinner.

MR. SCHULTZ: After you ate dinner, where did you go?

THE WITNESS: I met John Froines, Richard Bosciano, and Steve Buff and drove them out to the meeting.

MR. SCHULTZ: Mr. Bock, please relate the conversation that occurred that evening.

THE WITNESS: Lee Weiner said that we should have a march anyway without a permit since this would provoke an arrest situation. He said he could see the headlines the next day saying "100,000 Demonstrators Arrested Confronting the Democratic Convention."
He said, however, he favored Rennie Davis' last point personally. He said there could be a rally held in Grant Park at the Bandshell, speeches could be given to incite the crowd on the takeover of a building in the Loop area.
He said that the Conrad Hilton would be the best building--for various reasons.
He said that because of the size of the Conrad Hilton, it would be better only if we took over one floor of the Hilton, and he said the fifteenth floor would be best.
Lee Weiner said we probably would get help from within.
John Froines said that such a takeover would be like Columbia, the physical stopping of anybody coming or going in that building. He said it would receive the necessary publicity since the cameras and the press and TV were already situated there.
He said that he and Lee Weiner would report to Rennie Davis the following day the decision of the marshals that evening. . . .

MR. SCHULTZ: Mr. Bock, when we finished yesterday we were at Monday night, August 26, 1968, at Lincoln Park. You were at the fieldhouse area and you saw Davis, Weiner, Froines and Rubin standing together with some other people. Would you relate what conversation occurred when you approached this group, please, at about seven o'clock on the evening of Monday, August 26?

THE WITNESS: Rennie Davis said that the people reacted well to Tom Hayden's arrest and that they stood up well to the police at the statue.
He said, "We should have a wall-to-wall sit-in in front of the Conrad Hilton. When the police come to break these people up, that they would break into small bands and go directly into the Loop causing disturbances. They could break windows, pull fire alarm boxes, stone police cars, break street lights."
Mr. Rubin then said that they ought to do these things and they ought to do one more. He said they could start fires in the Loop.
Mr. Froines then said that the demonstrators would need things to use against the police. He said that they could purchase ammonia from many stores in the city and if they placed this ammonia into small bottles or something that would break. they could throw this at the police. He said by adding soap or soap chips to the ammonia, it would prolong the effects of the ammonia on the police officers or National Guard.
Lee Weiner said that they could let the air out of tires at the stop lights or stop signs in the Loop, jam up the traffic.
A Walter Gross said that it would be faster if we just slashed the tires and then Lee Weiner agreed and said it would.

MR. SCHULTZ: Did you see any of the defendants later on that night, that Monday night?

THE WITNESS: No sir, I did not.

MR. SCHULTZ: All right, now, calling your attention to the next day, which is Thursday, the twenty-ninth of August, in the morning, do you recall where you went, please?

THE WITNESS: I went across the street from the Conrad Hilton into Grant Park.

MR. SCHULTZ: And did you see any of the defendants in Grant Park when you arrived there, please?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir. John Froines and Lee Weiner.

MR. SCHULTZ: Would you relate what occurred, please, on arriving with the group?

THE WITNESS: On arriving, I noticed that Wolfe Lowenthal's arm was bandaged and in a sling, and a companion of his had bandages on also. He told me that he had injured his arm last night in the street.
Weiner said we should have had some cocktails last night. Craig Shimabukuro asked Weiner whether he meant Molotov cocktails or not. He said he did. "They're easy to make. All it takes is gasoline, sand, rags, and bottles."
Weiner said a good mobile tactic would be to pick a target in the Loop area and bomb that target. He said a better diversionary tactic would be the bombing of the underground garage. "Because of the size of the underground garage, it would take an enormous amount of police to protect that area and to search it."
He said or when it was bombed, that it would also take an enormous amount of fire equipment to put any fires out down there. Weiner then asked me if I could obtain the bottles necessary to make the Molotov cocktails. I told him I would. Weiner said that he and Craig Shimabukuro would then obtain the other materials necessary to make the Molotov cocktails, and that we were to meet back in Grant Park one hour from the time we left after the meeting.
At this point. a gentleman came by with a camera, and Lee Weiner said, "That guy just took our pictures. Let's split."

MR. SCHULTZ: After this conversation was over, where did you go, please?

THE WITNESS: I went to phone mv control officer. . . .

MR. SCHULTZ: And after you finished playing baseball, what occurred, please?

THE WITNESS: By now a large group of people had come to the picnic and I saw Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, Lee Weiner and John Froines with other people seated close to the house.

MR. SCHULTZ: Relate, please, the convention that occurred when you arrived at this group.

THE WITNESS: Just as I arrived. a man in a business suit and holding a pad asked Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden a question, "What has the National Mobilization gained from the demonstrations during the Democratic Convention?"
Rennie Davis answered first and he said that we had won America and that the American people now are on the side of the peace movement.
Tom Hayden said that this was the first step toward the revolution and that the second step would be coming soon.

MR. SCHULTZ: Then what occurred, please?

THE WITNESS: Lee Weiner said that the police had arrested Craig Shimabukuro in the underground garage last night. He said that had the police awaited five more minutes, they would have caught him with the necessary materials in his car to make the Molotov cocktails. Weiner said that there must be a police agent high in the staff of the National Mobilization.

John Froines agreed with Weiner, saying there is someone high in the staff of the National Mobilization who is a police agent. Tom Hayden said that he would like to get his hands on that s.o.b. Froines said that "I would like to get my licks in on him, too."
John Froines said the next time the National Mobilization plans anything they will have enough things to use against the police and National Guard so that he wouldn't have to use his own identification to buy the butyric acid which was used earlier that week.

MR. SCHULTZ: At that point, what, if anything, did you do?

THE WITNESS: I made an excuse that I had to work and left the area.

MR. SCHULTZ: No further questions on direct, your Honor.

Trial Transcript Page


Donate to Famous-Trials.com: With your help, Famous-Trials.com can expand and update its library of landmark cases and, at the same time, support the next generation of legal minds from UMKC School of Law.

Donate Now