Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium / University of Washington

Underground GI newspapers (antimilitarist) 1965-1975

by James Lewes

These maps and charts locate 768 periodicals associated with the GI antimilitarist movement in the era of Vietnam war. As opposition to the war grew, dissent spread through the military forces. By 1970, antiwar periodicals for GIs were available near most military bases in the US and at bases in Europe and Asia, especially in West Germany and Japan. Some were newspaper tabloids with substantial circulations, others were turned out on mimeograph machines. Many were short-lived, partly because of steps that military or local authorites took to supress them. Historian James Lewes digitized thousands of periodicals and pamphlets for the online GI Press Collection supported by the Wisconsin Historical Society. From that massive collection he has identified the newspapers and newsletters shown in these interactive maps and charts. Lewes is author of Protest and Survive: Underground GI Newspapers During the Vietnam War (Praeger Publishers, 2003).

The maps are hosted by Tableau Public and may take a few seconds to respond. If slow, refresh the page. Here are other maps and articles on Underground/Alternative Newspapers History and Geography . 

Move between five maps and charts below

Special thanks to Dr. James Lewes who supplied several hundred entries from the GI Press Collection and offered corrections on many other entries.

Additional Sources: Annotations (Baltimore, Md.: Alternative Press Centre, 1996). Roger Lewis, Outlaws of America: The Underground press and Its Context (London: Heinrich Hanau, 1972). Robert H.Muller, From Radical Left to Extreme Right: Current Periodicals of Protest, Controversy, or Dissent (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Campus Publishers, 1976, 1970 and 1974 editions). The Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives 1960 – 1974 (Alexander Street Press, 2016). Underground Press Collection: A Guide to the Microfilm Collection (Ann Arbor, Mich. (Hoover Institution, 1988). University of Oregon Underground Press Directory. University of Washington Underground Press Directory. Ken Wachsberger,.Insider Histories of the Vietnam War Underground Press (East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State University Press, Parts 1 & 2, 2011 and 2012). Independent Voices: An Open Action Collection of an Alternative Press .

Research and data compilation: Katie Anastas, Arianne Hermida.

Maps: James Gregory

Additional underground press maps and charts


Click to see databaseDatabase of 2,621 periodicals 1965-1975

This sortable database shows publications by state, city, type, and circulation level.