We are deeply gratified by the cease fire accord presently in force in Vietnam. It has brought cessation to a war we have long opposed and for which we saw neither moral nor legal sanction.
We express our most reverent hope that this cease fire will ripen into an abiding and lasting peace, and that it will provide the needed opportunity to reconcile the deep domestic divisions which so embitter our society. It is time now to "bind up the wounds of the nation."
In our considered judgment, based on the Jewish religious demand always to temper justice with mercy, the first way to affect this healing process is by Congress granting unconditional amnesty to those young men who found, early or late, that they could not participate in that war and so either went to prison, resisted or deserted. As we make peace with our enemies, let us also make peace with these, our youth.
We call upon Congress to grant unconditional amnesty as an act of reconciliation and compassion that can help speedily to reunite the American people for the key tasks of justice and peace which lie ahead.