Biography
William Harvey was a Black marine imprisoned, along with George Daniels, for his opposition to the Vietnam War. In December 1967, the military convicted Harvey of "disloyal statements" and Daniels for "advising, urging and attempting to cause insubordination, disloyalty and refusal of duty." When the imprisonment of Harvey and Daniels became known through the American Servicemen's Union, nearly a year after their incarceration at Camp Pendleton, the significance of the case was immediately evident. Harvey and Daniels had not been convicted of any act, but had been given 6 to 10 years at hard labor for their words alone. It was also clear that the "crime" was not simply opposition to the U.S. war in Vietnam; the underlying reason for the officers' seemingly harsh reaction was Harvey's and Daniels' defense of their nation, the people of Black America.
The Movement’s July 1968 military-resistance report places Black Marines PFC Daniels and Corporal Harvey in actual confinement at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, following their court-martial for private antiwar discussion. It reports nominal terms of ten and six years respectively and says they had accepted assurances of leniency rather than obtaining a civilian lawyer; the ACLU was appealing. This adds a contemporary institution location and defense context. It does not show that the entire term was served, establish a new intake or release date, or replace other separately documented prison locations.
