Parsing Kerry's Christmas in Cambodia-When Did NIXON/"HIS" MILITARY First Deny Troops Were There?

Unfit for Command (Link is to Regnery Book Description) ^ | Various | John Kerry

[litany_of_lies]

Quotes from the book (and the historical record):

(from Kerry Senate floor speech in 1986)

"I remember Christmas of 1968 sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia. I remember what it was like to be shot at by the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge and Cambodians, and have the president of the United States telling the American people I was not there...."

(from a Boston Herald article, date not cited, quoting Kerry)

"I remember spending Christmas Eve of 1968 five miles across the Cambodian border being shot at by our South Vietnamese allies who were drunk and celebrating Christmas. The absurdity of almost being killed by our own allies in a country in which President Nixon claimed there were no American troops was very real."

[litany_of_lies]

Here is the BIG unresolved issue (IMHO):

Kerry Band of Liars is now claiming that Kerry meant January or February of 1969 instead of Christmas 1968 to cover the Nixon lie (of course how the South Viets would "drunk and celebrating Christmas" in Jan. or Feb. is not explained, and obviously not explainable).

But Kerry says in his second quote that PRESIDENT NIXON claimed there were no troops in Cambodia. One reason I believe this to be the case is that Cambodia was never mentioned at Woodstock in AUGUST of 1969 (I know that's a wierd reason, but the lefties at Woodstock would have taken the chance to mention it SOMETIME during the extravaganza, doncha think?).

Remember we did not "invade" Cambodia until April or May of 1970.

So... When did PRESIDENT NIXON first claim that we had no troops in Cambodia? Alternatively, when did the military DURING THE NIXON ADMINISTRATION first claim there were no troops in Cambodia?

Anyone who can supply factual information evidence relating to either question should FReepmail me. I'm also searching through an archive of information available to me. When I have firm evidence, I'll post it and circulate it in the blogosphere.

[highlander_UW]

Actually, in December 1968, the president of the United States was Lyndon Johnson, not Richard Nixon. Nixon's statement that there were "no American combat troops in Cambodia" was made in November 1971.

http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/cda/article_print/0,1983,DRMN_86_3109807_ARTICLE-DETAIL-PRINT,00.html

[Irish_Thatcherite]

South Vietnamese allies who were drunk and celebrating Christmas

You missed one piece of Kerry bulls***: why would the non-Christian Vietnamese celebrate Christmas?

[Boundless]

> ... why would the non-Christian Vietnamese celebrate Christmas?

And if the visitation is nuanced to Jan or Feb, what
then were the Vietnamese celebrating?

The imminent departure of Kerry from Vietnam?

[the_Watchman]

It would also be interesting to see if Johnson ever claimed to have not sent troops to Cambodia. We might as well cover the bases now.

[Nova]

Agreed, I would think that any Vietnamese that would have been celebrating Christmas would have been amongst our strongest supporters.

[Nova]

I don't remember any mention of Cambodia in the MSP before the NYT publication of the "Pentagon Papers"

[muawiyah]

One reason for Vietnamese to celebrate Christmas is for them to have been Christian.

We have a large number of Roman Catholic Vietnamese in this part of Northern Virginia.

We also have a large number of Protestant Vietnamese here ~ their people came down from the North as refugees in the early 1950s when the Commies took over.

I also know Buddhist Vietnamese.

[An American!]

Throughout 1969 and into 1970, the North Vietnamese army was making increasing use of sanctuaries in Cambodia, both to supply troops in the field and for use as staging areas for offensives into South Vietnam. Communist violations of Cambodia's sovereignty had begun as early as 1965.
In March 1969, President Nixon ordered unannounced bombing runs into Cambodia to weaken the enemy's supply routes and storage areas. Shortly after the first such attack took place, the North Vietnamese acted on the President's proposal to initiate a secret negotiating channel. While this action met with substantial success, it became clear that a more intensive operation would be needed to counteract North Vietnam's massive abuse of Cambodian neutrality to support its war machine.
On May 14, 1969, President Nixon made his first major address about Vietnam over nationwide TV and radio. His peace proposal went beyond anything previously offered by the United States.
Speech: This is not an invasion of Cambodia

[rwfromkansas]

bump

[igoramus987]

One of Kerry's "Band of Brothers" on the record about Cambodia...

from http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40177

"Wasser points out he has no first-hand knowledge, but says Kerry was involved in a later operation into Cambodia with another boat, involving the transport of Navy Seals."

Gardner and Wasser, a radarman, both served on Kerry's PCF [Patrol Craft Fast] - 44 for about six weeks, from December 1968 through January 1969, with Gardner serving slightly longer.

[Wil H]

You missed one piece of Kerry bulls***: why would the non-Christian Vietnamese celebrate Christmas?

Apparently there are quite a few Catholics in Vietnam, but your point is well taken, I doubt if there would be widespread drunkenness.

[litany_of_lies]

re: Pentagon Papers--

NYT published on June 13. 1971, according to this link:

http://www.jfklancer.com/pentagonpapers/

The link also notes that the papers were provided to the Senate Foreign Relations Committe in 1969 (no date specified).

My recall, admittedly shaky, is that the PPs didn't become news until the NYT published them.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

I forgot that fact as well; in fact LBJ started that war, so to hell with liberals claiming it to be 'the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy', who started it.

My personal opinion of Vietnam is basically that, it was a just war, but was approached the wrong way.

Funny though, when you think about it; the Hippies were chanting: 'LBJ LBJ, How many kids did you kill today' - it just shows how the Demon Rats have changed, the Hippies would not shout that at WJC, the stupid lefties have taken over the DNC apparently - They have certiantly have taken over the show - f*** those EEJITS (Irish for IDIOTS) to hell, do they poccess such thing as SENSE.

[joesnuffy]

Many S.Vietnamese were Catholic....but they still celebrate TET the Lunar New Year...all Vietnamese celebrate it regardless of religion...Sometime around Jan 20 ...

They did shoot alot during TET...lots of fireworks to...

I was in Cambodia in either April or May of 69 and it was funny because as I recall Nixon was denying our presence there at that time....one of the guys had a small Jap transistor radio and we used to listen to it...during our day holds...

The guys I was with said they had been there a couple of times a month or two prior to this...

[Irish_Thatcherite]

The imminent departure of Kerry from Vietnam?

That is possibly it, sure he helped rob their liberty.

[litany_of_lies]

Re: the Wasser claim in WND--

Nice try, no sale. Gardner is infinitely more credible than Wasser in the article, and you must know that.

Wasser has no first-hand knowledge. No one else on earth can attest to Kerry's involvement in transporting Seals to Cambodia, can they? (perhaps they were animals?-ha) That's because it never happened.

Even if that were true, it's a long way from transporting Seals in early 1969 to spending Christmas Eve in 1968 (this presumably means overnight) in Cambodia with drunk S. Viets with Nixon as Prez.

The guy is an A#1 world-class liar who has been caught (literally) "red"-handed, and he shouldn't be in the Senate, let alone CIC.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Agreed, I would think that any Vietnamese that would have been celebrating Christmas would have been amongst our strongest supporters.

Yes, that should be the case.