Kerry Met With Viet Cong And North Vietnamese In Paris In 1971

Congressional Record ^ | March 6, 2004 | John F. Kerry

[Hon]

A couple of weeks ago I posted this thread about a photograph that I wound in a book about Kerry's group, the Vietnam Veterans Against The War:

Kerry's Group Met With The Viet Cong In Paris In 1971

The Vietnam Veterans Against The War (VVAW) sent their own delegation to Paris to meet with the representatives of the National Liberation Front (AKA Viet Cong) in 1971. At this time John Kerry was their spokesman and defacto leader.

This photograph is from the book "The Winter Soldiers", by Richard Stacewicz, page 284:

Caption: First peace meeting between VVAW and the NLF, Paris, 1971.

Since Stacewicz did not mention whether Kerry had attended this meeting and I did not see it mentioned anywhere else, I assumed he did not attend go on this trip.

I was wrong. Kerry did go to Paris. He did talk with the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. In fact, he was quite proud about it. For it was the first thing that he brought up once he was done with his speech before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 22, 1971:

LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS RELATING TO THE WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1971

UNITED STATES SENATE;
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS,
Washington, D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:05 a.m., in Room 4221, New Senate Office Building, Senator J. W. Fulbright (Chairman) presiding.

Present: Senators Fulbright, Symington, Pell, Aiken, Case, and Javits.

Thank you. [Applause]

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Kerry, it is quite evident from that demonstration that you are speaking not only for yourself but for all your associates, as you properly said in the beginning.

COMMENDATION OF WITNESS

You said you wished to communicate. I can't imagine anyone communicating more eloquently than you did. I think it is extremely helpful and beneficial to the committee and the country to have you make such a statement.

You said you had been awake all night. I can see that you spent that time very well indeed. [Laughter.]

Perhaps that was the better part, better that you should be awake than otherwise.

PROPOSALS BEFORE COMMITTEES

You have said that the question before this committee and the Congress is really how to end the war. The resolutions about which we have been hearing testimony during the past several days, the sponsors of which are some members of this committee, are seeking the most practical way that we can find and, I believe, to do it at the earliest opportunity that we can. That is the purpose of these hearings and that is why you were brought here.

You have been very eloquent about the reasons why we should proceed as quickly as possible. Are you familiar With some of the proposals before this committee?

Mr. KERRY. Yes, I am, Senator.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you support or do you have any particular views about any one of them you wish to give the committee?

Mr. KERRY. My feeling, Senator, is undoubtedly this Congress, and I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I do not believe that this Congress will, in fact, end the war as we would like to, which is immediately and unilaterally and, therefore, if I were to speak I would say we would set a date and the date obviously would be the earliest possible date. But I would like to say, in answering that, that I do not believe it is necessary to stall any longer. I have been to Paris. I have talked with both delegations at the peace talks, that is to say the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government and of all eight of Madam Binh's points it has been stated time and time again, and was stated by Senator Vance Hartke when he returned from Paris, and it has been stated by many other officials of this Government, if the United States were to set a date for withdrawal the prisoners of war would be returned.

I think this negates very clearly the argument of the President that we have to maintain a presence in Vietnam, to use as a negotiating block for the return of those prisoners. The setting of a date will accomplish that.

http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/index.php?topic=Testimony

[pushforbush]

Geedee--
I love Hon's stuff too. Just remember there may be a longer story as to who he or she may be and the source and timng of the information. I hope Hon is saving some presents for closer to election day, such as the medical and medal records you've order up!

[PISANO]

As they say in the MEDIA. [The colloquy] ........while ACCURATE is not the whole TRUTH!

[Hon]

"As much as I despise F'ing Kerry I have to say the picture looks doctored to me. Did the buffoon have his mug pasted in to the group to make his antiwar significance seem greater? I wish I could get a copy of this book to read."

You're probably being facetious. But if you're not, no, the photo isn't doctored. But I don't see Kerry in it. I don't think he is in it, thought it isn't all that clear.

The book was published in 1997, and so it is probably out of print. But you could still probably find it on Bookfinder.com for next to nothing. It may even be at your local library. That's where I found it.

[sully777]

Fox News 2005

Breaking News

This just in! President Ho Chi Minh Kerry met with leaders of the PLO, Hamas and Hezballah to iron out his new peace plan for the Middle East. Kerry citing for the one billionth time that he served in Viet Nam, said that Israel is in danger of war crimes against his Palestian friends.

In related news, President Kerry paid the family of Bin Laden an undisclosed amount of money for reparations. Kerry apoligized for the preceding president and told dignitaries at the Rose Garden ceremony, "We must learn to put 9-11 behind us and work together in unity."


Then I woke up from my nightmare! I've decided that without national security there is NO national economy.

[Hon]

"This may have been covered elsewhere but wasn't Kerry still a member of our armed forces when whe went to Paris to convort with our enemy?"

No, he had gotten out of the Navy on January 3, 1970 (six months early) to run for Congress. He didn't run.

[Hon]

"Not only to film reenactments of his gun fights, which apparently the Brinkley book refers to but all the writings of JFKerry over this very short time frame calls to mind others and their vast writings."

Yeah, isn't it amazing? Kerry not only found and took the time to film himself quite regularly, he also kept a journal of his every thought--which he still has. He even allowed the Boston Globe to publish parts of it.

He sure was a busy bee during those four months he was in Vietnam. And he certainly wanted to make sure that nobody ever forgot that he was there.

[Just mythoughts]

"Yeah, isn't it amazing? Kerry not only found and took the time to film himself quite regularly, he also kept a journal of his every thought--which he still has. He even allowed the Boston Globe to publish parts of it.

He sure was a busy bee during those four months he was in Vietnam. And he certainly wanted to make sure that nobody ever forgot that he was there."

I keep listening intently to hear the media request his "films", maybe he is saving them for his own Tea party, during his convention.

[Hon]

Thanks so much for the kind words. I really do appreciate it and all of the encouragment I have gotten from others on this thread and elsewhere here.

"You're next assignment . . . LOL . . . is to lay your hands on Lurch's medical and medal records from Vietnam."

I don't know if you saw the thread about the book that is reportedly coming out next month by the same Boston Globe reporters who first raised the issue of Kerry's wounds in Vietnam. They are the people who asked Kerry to waive his privacy rights so that they could examine his medical treatments for his three wounds.

It has been reported that their biography is going to question his wounds and his reassignment from Vietnam based on them. If so, it will be quite a story--especially coming from Boston Globe reporters.

[Hon]

...if the United States were to set a date for withdrawal the prisoners of war would be returned.

And this genius wants America to trust him in dealing with terrorists?

++++

If you can stand to plow through the rest of his Congressional testimony, provided by the FRN at wintersoldier.com, you'll see he is laughably wrong on almost every point and prediction he makes.

For instance, here is holds forth on how many South Vietnamese will need to leave after the war:

Senator AIKEN. I think your answer is ahead of my question. [Laughter.]

SAIGON GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE TOWARD COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL DATE

I was going to ask you next what the attitude of the Saigon government would be if we announced that we were going to withdraw our troops, say, by October lst, and be completely out of there -- air, sea, land -- leaving them on their own. What do you think would be the attitude of the Saigon government under those circumstances?

Mr. KERRY. Well, I think if we were to replace the Thieu-Ky-Khiem regime and offer these men sanctuary somewhere, which I think this Government has an obligation to do since we created that government and supported it all along. I think there would not be any problems. The number two man at the Saigon talks to Ambassador Lam was asked by the Concerned Laymen, who visited with them in Paris last month, how long they felt they could survive if the United States would pull out and his answer was 1 week. So I think clearly we do have to face this question. But I think, having done what we have done to that country, we have an obligation to offer sanctuary to the perhaps 2,000, 3,000 people who might face, and obviously they would, we understand that, might face political assassination or something else. But my feeling is that those 3,000 who may have to leave that country --

+++++

He was only off by how many hundreds of thousands?

[cake_crumb]

"Kerry was negotiating with the enemy. He recommended that we immediately accept the enemies terms."

Proving just how French he really is.

[KevinDavis]

Is this true???

[nutmeg]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[cake_crumb]

"As much as I despise F'ing Kerry I have to say the picture looks doctored to me. Did the buffoon have his mug pasted in to the group to make his antiwar significance seem greater?"

I don't even see him in there. Otherwise I would have saved the pic for my Hanoi John collection. Where is he? Do you see him on there??

[nutmeg]

ping

[cake_crumb]

"Since his war days are the only thing he will talk about himself in this campaign, he must still be replaying those films in his free time"

Or replaying portions of them in his campaign commercials.

[Hon]

"Just remember there may be a longer story as to who he or she may be and the source and timng of the information."

Of course there is a longer story for me than just my screen name. That's true for everybody here.

But as for the sources and timing of what I post--I just post what I find on the internet or in books. And I post it when I find it.

I'm not working for or with anybody. And I have no plan. All I am trying to do is ferret out information that most of the media never will.

Lots of people here are doing the same thing. And the more the merrier. I don't think there is any danger of the material running out any time soon.

[cake_crumb]

"I think we should investigate as to why the crews he worked with were such drug-crazed village-burning rapists and murderers."

Don't forget Kerry himself. He's the one who still brags that he committed war crimes - his words - in that short, four month period. And all those alleged heriocs. He was one busy boy, Hanoi John was. I vote he had his own meth lab and private time travel machine. No amount of speed could have put him into all the places, doing all the things he claims to have done.

[Just mythoughts]

I keep watching for those.... not even the adoring press has use them????

[Hon]

Not only did Kerry say that we should immediately accept the Viet Cong's terms, he thought we owed everyone reparations:

OBLIGATION TO FURNISH ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE

Senator AIKEN. Do you think we are under obligation to furnish them with extensive economic assistance?

Mr. KERRY. Yes, sir. I think we have a very definite obligation to make extensive reparations to the people of Indochina.

[cake_crumb]

"Granted, 'staged is my as of yet unproven charge that it's hardly heroic to beach a perfectly-capable boat on a river bank . . ."

It's not unproven. It's pretty well known that Kerry led from the back. He wasn't even the one who fired on the VC and mortally wounded him. The story has only recently changed. I wonder A: how much Kerry paid the guy and B: why the discrepancy in the story has never been brought up by any in the media ("B" is obviously rhetorical)