Even before the court-martial was convened at Fort Benning in 1971, fairness loomed as the major problem. The My Lai massacre had been the most widely publicized military atrocity in U.S. history. Lieut. William Calley was the only defendant convicted, though 25 of his superiors and subordinates had been implicated in varying degrees. Had it been fair to single him out? With all the publicity, could he possibly have had a fair trial? Could he have had equitable treatment from a military system eager to purify itself of My Lai?
As his...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
