Kerry Long Time Pal And Campaign Advisor Was Behind Schwarzenegger Hitler Smear

Compiled

[Hon]

From CNN:

Schwarzenegger disputes alleged pro-Hitler quote

'I despise everything that the Nazis stood for,' candidate says

Tuesday, February 24, 2004 Posted: 0546 GMT ( 1:46 PM HKT)

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Disputing media reports of a book proposal transcript from the 1970s that paints a picture of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger as an admirer of Adolf Hitler, the California gubernatorial candidate said Thursday that he doesn't remember making the alleged comments and has always despised the Nazi leader.

"I hated the regime -- hate the regime, the Third Reich, the whole Nazi philosophy -- have always fought against it," Schwarzenegger said at a hastily called news conference late Thursday.

"I despise everything that the Nazis stood for, or Hitler stood for."

An article published in Thursday's editions of The New York Times chronicles a book proposal in 1975 by film producer George Butler in which Schwarzenegger reportedly expressed admiration for Hitler.

Schwarzenegger appeared in the Butler film "Pumping Iron," a documentary on competitive bodybuilding.

According to the book transcript as reported Thursday by the Times, Butler considered Schwarzenegger to be a "flagrant, outspoken admirer of Hitler," who also frequently played Nazi marching tunes and "pretended to be an S.S. officer."

Also, according to the Times, the Butler book proposal quotes Schwarzenegger as saying, "I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education up to power. And I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for what he did with it."

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/03/schwarzenegger.hitler/

George Butler was a close friend of John Kerry's former brother in law and has also been a long time friend of John Kerry's. His photo graces Kerry's hard-to-find book "The Winter Soldier."

Butler made a documentary about the Vietnam Veterans Against The War called "The Winter Soldier" which won awards at the Cannes and Berlin film festivals.

Butler is currently listed as a Kerry campaign advisor.

Lastly, George Butler was recently awarded a Heinz Foundation Award (cash and a medal). The Heinz Foundation is controlled by Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz.

[Hon]

More to come.

[anniegetyourgun]

Why am I not surprised. Sending this to various media types?

[syriacus]

Hmmmmm....

[Hon]

Sorry.

I am probably wrong about this George Butler having won a Heinz Award. It was another George Butler:

http://www.heinzawards.net/recipients.asp?action=detail&recipientID=67

[eureka!]

Great work. I'll forward to Drudge, just for the h*lluvif...

[finnman69]

The HEINZ connection strikes again.

[Hon]

"Kerry and Schwarzenegger have a relationship that goes back nearly 30 years, from the time that the Democratic presidential contender's high school friend, George Butler, discovered Schwarzenegger and decided to make the bodybuilder the focus of a documentary film, "Pumping Iron," which launched his movie career.

In the ensuing years, Schwarzenegger would gain celebrity status with his roles in such movies as "The Terminator." The Austrian native improved his English and became a naturalized American citizen. Kerry, meanwhile, would rise from Navy veteran and antiwar activist to Massachusetts lieutenant governor and US senator. Along the way, their paths crossed constantly.

At times, Kerry would see Schwarzenegger in the company of Butler, a photo buff who has archived Kerry's life in pictures since their time together at the St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H. Later, the actor married newswoman Maria Shriver, niece of Kerry's Democratic colleague, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/09/18/schwarzenegger_still_a_friend_says_kerry?mode=PF

[Hon]

Again, I'm probably wrong about the Heinz connection. It is another George Butler.

[mass55th]

There's supposed to be some guy making a movie/video about Kerry...for his campaign. I'm wondering if it's the same guy.

[Hon]

"ABC News and The New York Times had carried statements Thursday attributed to Schwarzenegger in 1975 during the filming of the bodybuilding documentary "Pumping Iron." Schwarzenegger was said to have told an interviewer that he admired Hitler's rise to power and wished he could have experienced the thrill the Nazi leader must have had holding sway over huge audiences.

The news organizations said the remarks were contained in transcripts from a book proposal made by "Pumping Iron" director George Butler. On Friday, Butler, in a statement issued by the Schwarzenegger campaign, said the remarks were taken out of context or inaccurately quoted."

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/10/4/153114.shtml

Lest we forget, these accusations were made at the perfect time to do the most damage to Schwarznegger's chances. Only Kerry's good buddy would have had access to these transcripts.

After the damage was done, Butler apologized. But only after the damage was done.

[Hon]

"There's supposed to be some guy making a movie/video about Kerry...for his campaign. I'm wondering if it's the same guy."

I'd be suprised if it wasn't Butler, since he is quite the documentary maker. His most recent was the one about Shackleton.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

The CNN article quoted in this post, or at least the first part of it, is also from Oct. 3, 2003: http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/03/schwarzenegger.hitler/index.html

The date given at the top is indeed in the CNN page, but that doesn't mean this is a new article as the URL shows.

[Hon]

Yep. Here you go:

Kerry emerges on big screen
By Tatsha Robertson, Globe Staff, 10/9/2003

...And the documentary filmmaker George Butler, a close friend of Kerry, is making a film about the Democratic presidential campaign.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/10/09/kerry_emerges_on_big_screen?mode=PF

[Hon]

And this:

Cashing In on Kerry

“I’m a slave to his success.” Filmmakers and writers root for their man.

By Meryl Gordon

It was that other Massachusetts politician with the initials JFK who said, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” That maxim has proved apt lately for the band of writers and filmmakers who have tied their careers to the once sputtering, now sparking campaign of John Forbes Kerry.

Documentary filmmaker George “Pumping Iron” Butler has enjoyed a similar fillip. He had been working on a film about Kerry, a friend, but says, “I had to stop this fall, because I couldn’t raise any more money.” With 40 hours of film already in the can, he was more than relieved by the Iowa caucuses result. “By midnight, I got quite a lot of calls from investors.” He expects to complete the 90-minute documentary by September. “I’m a slave to his success,” Butler says, laughing.

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/n_9820/

[mass55th]

Thanks for the info and link. I thought it might be the same jerk. He was interviewed on Fox News one afternoon. It's interesting to note that Kerry hasn't disassociated himself with some of the people he was in VVAW with. Goes to show you where his true feelings lie.

[Hon]

This is the photo used for the cover of John Kerry's book, "The Winter Soldier":

Vietnam vets raise the flag in "distress mode" on a night march to the White House during Operation Dewey Canyon III, April 1971, Photo by George Butler

[rogueleader]

So George Butler thought that Schwarzenegger was a Nazi and then he put him in his film?

Eh?

[Hon]

Two more George Butler photos from the Dewey Canyon III demonstration: