Alfred Hassler (1910–1991) was an anti-war author and activist during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. He worked with the U.S. branch of the

Fellowship of Reconciliation The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR or FOR) is the name used by a number of religious nonviolent organizations, particularly in English-speaking countries. They are linked by affiliation to the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). ...

(FOR USA), a peace and social justice organization, from 1942 to 1974.

Early life and education

Hassler was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1910. He grew up in New York and was educated at

Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United St ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He studied night classes in journalism at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

Hassler worked as a journalist at '' The Leader-Observer'' in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

and then American Baptist Publications in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. In 1942, Hassler became the editor of a pacifist journal called ''Fellowship'', published by FOR USA. He was imprisoned for his stance as a conscientious objector during

. While imprisoned, he wrote a book, ''Diary of a Self-Made Convict''. He authored several anti-war books and articles and co-authored the 1957 advocacy comic book ''

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story ''Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story'' is a 16-page comic book about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and the Montgomery bus boycott published in 1957 by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR USA). It advocates the principles of nonvio ...

'', published by FOR USA. In 1958, Hassler became executive secretary of FOR USA. Hassler led FOR USA delegations to Vietnam in 1965 and 1967, which led to his collaboration and friendship of

Thích Nhất Hạnh Thích Nhất Hạnh ( ; ; born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo; 11 October 1926 – 22 January 2022) was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, historically recogni ...

.Mary Hershberger, ''Traveling to Vietnam: American Peace Activists and the War''.

Syracuse University Press Syracuse University Press, founded in 1943, is a university press that is part of Syracuse University. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. History SUP was formed in August 1943 when president William P. Tolley pro ...

, 1998. , (p. 21, 157) In 1969, Hassler founded the Dai Dong Project, which linked war, environmental issues and poverty, and he became the president of the International Confederation for Disarmament and Peace. In his 1970 book ''Saigon, U.S.A.'', Hassler supported the Vietnamese Buddhists, arguing they could form a

nonviolent Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

"Third Force" for peace independent of both the Saigon and Hanoi governments. Hassler retired from his position with FOR USA in 1974, and with his wife Dorothy founded a retirement community in Almeria, Spain. In the 1980s, he returned to New York.

Death

Hassler died of cancer on June 5, 1991, at Good Samaritan Hospital in

Suffern, New York Suffern is a village that was incorporated in 1796 in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York. Suffern is located 31 miles northwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 census, Suffern's population was 10,723.Thich Nhat Hanh Thích is a name that Vietnamese monks and nuns take as their Buddhist surname to show affinity with the Buddha. Notable Vietnamese monks with the name include: * Thích Huyền Quang (1919–2008), dissident and activist * Thích Quảng Độ ( ...

and Sister Chan Khong, became the subject of a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

and animated feature documentary film entitled ''The Secret of The 5 Powers''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassler, Alfred 1910 births 1991 deaths Activists from Allentown, Pennsylvania American conscientious objectors Journalists from Pennsylvania Writers from Allentown, Pennsylvania