Brian VanDeMark

So a minority fired.

And of those roughly 35 who fired, the vast majority of them either fired toward the ground or in the air.

But there were probably about 10 to 12 who fired into the crowd.

Wow.

And that's what precipitated what followed.

It's a perfect storm of tragedy, Tom.

The multiplicity of factors, long-term, intermediate-term, and short-term, coalesce to create this tragedy.

Well, there was no merit to that after the fact based on investigations that occurred following the shooting.

But the broader point is at the time, there had been reports submitted to the National Guard intelligence officer on Kent State's campus that morning that there were reports of snipers either on campus or in town, which were retrospectively proven false.

But

At the time, it ratcheted up the fear, anxiety on the part of the National Guardsmen who were there.

Mm-hmm.

What was the Scranton Report, which came out of this, a president's commission?

Mm-hmm.

President Nixon, after the tragedy, appointed a Blue Ribbon Commission to investigate what had occurred and why it had occurred.

And these are very responsible, thoughtful, experienced people across a spectrum of occupations that were really top drawer.

And the commission's basic judgment was that the shooting itself was unnecessary and warranted and unjustified.

Well, again, it depends on who and where you focus.

But for example, most opinion polling in Ohio in the days, weeks, and months after the shooting effectively defended the guardsmen playing the students.

Though nationally, majority of the American people thought it was excessive, reckless, and inappropriate.