Alfred Hassler was an anti-war author and activist during World War II and the Vietnam War.
10 Facts About Alfred Hassler
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Alfred Hassler worked with the US branch of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a peace and social justice organization, from 1942 to 1974.
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Alfred Hassler grew up in New York City and attended Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn, and studied journalism at Columbia University.
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In 1942, Alfred Hassler was appointed editor of Fellowship, a pacifist publication published by FOR USA.
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Alfred Hassler was imprisoned for his stance as a conscientious objector during World War II.
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Alfred Hassler led FOR USA delegations to Vietnam in 1965 and 1967 during the Vietnam War, during which he began a collaboration and friendship with Thich Nhat Hanh.
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In 1969, Alfred Hassler founded the Dai Dong Project, which linked war, environmental issues, and poverty, and became the president of the International Confederation for Disarmament and Peace.
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In 1970, he published Saigon, USA, Alfred Hassler supported the Vietnamese Buddhists, arguing they could form a nonviolent "third force" for peace independent of both the South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese governments.
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In 1974, Alfred Hassler retired from his position with FOR USA.
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Alfred Hassler died of cancer on June 5,1991, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, New York, at the age of 81.