AMEX/Canada began in 1968 as a mimeographed newsletter of the Union of American Exiles, a Toronto anti-Vietnam War resister group. By the summer of 1969 the newsletter had evolved into a magazine and had separated from the Union of American Exiles, taking the name AMEX: The American Expatriate in Canada. In 1971 the title was shortened to AMEX/Canada, for American Exiles in Canada. Gradually AMEX/Canada evolved into an organization which continued to publish a magazine of the same name.
From 1969 to 1971 Stan Pietlock and Dee Knight edited the magazine, which encouraged war resisters to become involved with progressive Canadian political organizations and to maintain an anti-war commitment while assimilating into Canadian society. In 1971 Jack Colhoun, then writing articles for other political magazines, convinced the editors to re-examine their amnesty stand and to publish an issue containing Colhoun's pro-amnesty articles. During the following year Pietlock became increasingly opposed to the treatment of the amnesty issue, and Colhoun became more actively involved with the magazine. In 1973 Pietlock resigned after attempting to stop production of the magazine. Thereafter, AMEX/Canada was free to work for unconditional and universal amnesty for Vietnam War resisters.
During 1972 and the first half of 1973 AMEX/Canada was published on a bi-monthly basis. Unable to build a base of support in Canada due to the fear of retribution from the Canadian government, AMEX/Canada began to use the media in order to become involved in the amnesty discussion then taking place in the United States.
In 1973 AMEX/Canada actively worked to form a coalition of amnesty organizations. The resulting National Committee for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty (NCUUA) began a grassroots education program. AMEX/Canada played an important role in this coalition because it presented unified programs to NCUUA, while other member organizations were divided and unable to agree.
When President Ford announced his clemency program in 1974, AMEX/Canada called for a boycott of the program, although it was supported by NCUUA. The International Conference of Exiles (September 21-22, 1974) hosted by AMEX/Canada and NCUUA focused media attention on the exile response to the program. To keep the issue alive, AMEX/Canada established the Toronto American Exiles Association, which consisted of many war resisters who had recently become interested in the amnesty issue. AMEX/Canada concentrated its work in Toronto, but also financed speaking tours by exiles in the United States, and it opposed the movement within the NCUUA to endorse compromise amnesty legislation.
During the boycott, which was very successful in terms of the number of supporters although unsuccessful in convincing President Ford to initiate new amnesty legislation, AMEX/Canada and NCUUA suffered from internal dissension. These struggles weakened both groups, although AMEX/Canada was able to retain control of NCUUA. As a result, NCUUA was more active in its support of the amnesty issue, and it organized a National Amnesty Week in February 1976. Publicity from this event brought amnesty back into national politics. With help from the media which by then considered it to be the voice of the exile community, AMEX/Canada unsuccessfully continued to oppose President Jimmy Carter's limited pardon during 1977. In December 1977, stating that the amnesty issue had been resolved for the vast majority of war resisters, AMEX/Canada published its last issue.
For researchers requiring more detailed background, the last issue of the magazine was a history of AMEX/Canada written by Jack Colhoun. This history may be found in the first box of the collection.
