Alfred Hassler
| Alfred Hassler | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1910 Allentown, Pennsylvania |
| Died | June 5, 1991 (aged 80–81) Good Samaritan Hospital Suffern, New York |
| Education |
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute Columbia University |
| Occupation | author, anti-war activist |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy |
Alfred Hassler (1910–1991) was an anti-war author and activist, active during World War II and the Vietnam War. He worked with the U.S. branch of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR USA), a peace and social justice organization, from 1942–1974.
Hassler was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the United States. He grew up in New York and was educated at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. He studied night classes in journalism at Columbia University.
He worked as a journalist at the Leader-Observer in Queens and then American Baptist Publications in Philadelphia.
In 1942, Alfred 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 World War II. 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, 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 let to his collaboration and friendship of Thích Nhất Hạnh. 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 "Third Force" for peace independent of both the Saigon and Hanoi governments.
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