Graduates at UCSD Told of N-War Perils

The mood was celebratory at UC San Diego on Sunday. The sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze caressed the campus, smiling faces were plentiful as a rousing bagpipe band ushered in graduation ceremonies for 800 students at John Muir College.

After congratulating students and wishing them well, former Gov. Edmund G. “Pat” Brown moved to a more somber topic, one that seemed to catch some of the several thousand spectators by surprise on this balmy late-spring day.

“This threat of nuclear war, this sword hanging over our head by a slim, slim thread, this threat of a nuclear winter . . . is indeed our first order of reflection today,” the 81-year-old Brown said in a firm voice.

If the threat of “man-made Armageddon,” as Brown put it, seemed far from peaceful La Jolla on this vibrant Sunday, the former governor did his best to bring it to the forefront. He spoke of the worldwide military buildup, the deadlocked arms talks and the nuclear threat facing mankind.

Earlier, one speaker had mentioned the campus’ reputation--undeserved, she said--for surfboards and beach bunnies.

“Our challenge, and the burden you must assume,” Brown told the assembled graduates, “(is) how to avoid a new major war, a nuclear confrontation that will, if it ever happens . . . lead to the end of our civilization. . . . We see a continuing growth in militarism and a preparation for war across the world.”

The force of Brown’s address was evident, but it is less clear whether the message found an audience. As he spoke, someone blew soap bubbles into the air. Overhead, a low-flying plane buzzed the proceedings, trailing a streaming red banner that read:

“Atta girl, Lori Dykstra.”

The commencement exercises at John Muir College were among five such ceremonies held Sunday at UC San Diego. During the activities, more than 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students received their degrees.

Meanwhile, at United States International University in San Diego, 856 students also graduated Sunday.

UCSD officials introduced Brown as a logical choice for commencement speaker at John Muir College, which is named after a Scottish-born conservationist and writer who settled in 19th Century California. It was during Brown’s two-term tenure as governor, from 1959 through 1966, that UC San Diego was born as a general campus within the University of California system.

Brown’s commencement address was titled, “Reflection on the New Worlds You Will Live In.” The former governor pointed out that today’s college graduates are experiencing an “astonishingly revolutionary era.” When they were born during the turbulent 1960s, Brown noted, the space age was still young, the civil rights movement was only heating up, the war in Vietnam was still escalating and college campuses were brewing with unrest. Race riots would soon spread to 40 U.S. cities.

“Honda, Toyota, Datsun were just a gleam in Japanese auto makers’ eyes,” said the former governor, who has remained active in public affairs. “Coke was just a soft drink.”

While many things have changed, Brown noted at least one constant: the threat of a nuclear conflagration.

“(It) is a dilemma which my generation created, which your parents inherited, and which you now share,” Brown said.

Brown, the second Democrat to be elected governor of California during this century, condemned the policies of Republican President Reagan, who, he noted, “gave up acting to replace me” in 1966. Brown cited the “dangerous and unstable” Star Wars defense system, the nation’s largest-ever peacetime arms buildup, the Reagan Administration’s apparent decision to not abide by the terms of the SALT II arms limitation agreement and the “insane” arms race. But Brown acknowledged Democrats must share the blame.

Recalling a recent trip he took to the Soviet Union, Brown said that the Russian people, like Americans, fear a nuclear war and seek peace. But, Brown added, Reagan’s polices serve as “a tragic reminder that Cold War thinking dominates this Administration, as it has previous Democratic and Republican administrations.” The applause that followed his remarks was scattered.

“Pledge that you will use the knowledge and skills which you received at the university not only for personal . . . goals,” Brown said. “Knowledge and knowledge alone is the only weapon against the scourge of war.”