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How Kerry Quit Veterans Group Amid Dark Plot
NY Sun ^ | 3/12/04 | THOMAS H. LIPSCOMB

Posted on 03/12/2004 5:29:50 AM PST by veronica

When Talk Turned To Assassination He Exited, Vet Says

The anti-war group that John Kerry was the principal spokesman for debated and voted on a plot to assassinate politicians who supported the Vietnam War.

Mr. Kerry denies being present at the November 12-15, 1971, meeting in Kansas City of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and says he quit the group before the meeting. But according to the current head of Missouri Veterans for Kerry, Randy Barnes, Mr. Kerry,who was then 27,was at the meeting, voted against the plot, and then orally resigned from the organization.

Mr. Barnes was present as part of the Kansas City host chapter for the 1971 meeting and recounted the incident in a phone interview with The New York Sun this week.

In addition to Mr. Barnes’s recollection placing Mr. Kerry at the Kansas City meeting, another Vietnam veteran who attended the meeting, Terry Du-Bose, said that Mr. Kerry was there.

There are at least two other independent corroborations that the antiwar group Vietnam Veterans Against the War, of which Mr. Kerry was the most prominent national spokesman, considered assassinating American political leaders who favored the war.

Gerald Nicosia’s 2001 book “Home To War” reports that one of the key leaders of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Scott Camil,“proposed the assassination of the most hard-core conservative members of Congress,as well as any other powerful, intractable opponents of the antiwar movement.”The book reports on the Kansas City meeting at which Mr.Camil’s plan was debated and then voted down.

Mr. Nicosia’s book was widely praised by reviewers as varied as General Harold Moore, author of “We Were Soldiers”; Gloria Emerson, who had been a New YorkTimes reporter during the Vietnam War, and leftist Howard Zinn. Mr. Kerry himself stated in a blurb on the cover that the book “ties together the many threads of a difficult period.” Mr. Kerry hosted a party for the book in the Hart Senate Office Building that was televised on C-SPAN.

Another source is an October 20,1992, oral history interview of Scott Camil on file at the University of Florida Oral History Archive.In it,Mr.Camil speaks of his plan for an alternative to Mr. Kerry’s idea of symbolically throwing veterans’ medals over the fence onto the steps of the Capitol during the Dewey Canyon III demonstration in Washington in April of 1971.

“My plan was that, on the last day we would go into the [congressional] offices we would schedule the most hardcore hawks for last — and we would shoot them all,” Mr. Camil told the Oral History interviewer. “I was serious.”

In a phone interview with the Sun this week, Mr. Camil did not dispute either the account in the Nicosia book or in the oral history. He said he plans to accept an offer by the Florida Kerry organization to become active in Mr. Kerry’s presidential campaign. Campaign aides to Mr. Kerry invited Mr.Camil to a meeting for the senator in Orlando last week, but they did not meet directly.

Mr. Camil was known to colleagues in the anti-war movement as “Scott the Assassin.” Mr. Camil told The New York Sun he got the name in Vietnam for “sneaking down to the Vietnamese villages at night and killing people.”

According to the Nicosia book and interviews with VVAW members who were involved, at theVietnamVeterans Against the War Kansas City leadership conference, Mr. Camil tried to put his plan into effect. He called together eight to 10 Marines to organize something he called “The Phoenix Project.” The original Phoenix Project during the Vietnam War was an attempt to destroy the Viet Cong leadership by assassination. Mr. Camil’s Phoenix Project planned to execute the Southern senatorial leadership that was financing the Vietnam War. Senators like John Stennis, Strom Thurmond, and John Tower were his targets, according to Mr. Camil. They were to be killed during the Senate Christmas recess the following month.

After an attempt to parcel out the hit jobs required to kill the senators, Mr. Camil’s plan was presented to all the chapter coordinators present and the VVAW leadership. Mr. Nicosia’s book recounts, “What Camil sketched was so explosive that the coordinators feared lest government agents even hear of it. So they decamped to a church on the outskirts of town with the intention of debating the plan in complete privacy.When they got to the church, however, they found that the government was already on to them; their ‘debugging expert’ uncovered microphones hidden all over the place. An instantaneous decision was made to move again to Common Ground, a Mennonite hall used by homeless vets as a ‘crash pad.’”

“Camil was deadly serious, brilliant, and highly logical,” Mr. Nicosia told the Sun.

The plan was voted down. There’s a difference of opinion as to how narrow the margin was.

The claims of Mr. Kerry’s involvement in the assassination discussions in Kansas City have apparently not been previously reported.

The most recent book that focuses on Mr. Kerry’s relations with his fellow Vietnam veterans, Douglas Brinkley’s “Tour of Duty,” reports the events as follows: “In a November 10 letter housed at the VVAW papers in Madison,Wisconsin, Kerry quit, politely noting he had been proud to serve in the national organization. His reason was straightforward: ‘personality conflicts and differences in political philosophy.’ In two days,VVAW was meeting in Kansas City and he would be a noshow.”

But in a footnote, Mr. Brinkley acknowledges,“I could not locate Kerry’s November 10 VVAW resignation letter supposedly housed at the Wisconsin archives. The quote I used comes directly from Andrew E. Hunt’s essential ‘The Turning: A History of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (1999).”

When asked by the Sun who told him Mr. Kerry was “no-show” at Kansas City, Mr. Brinkley replied, “Senator Kerry.” Mr. Brinkley also stated that Mr. Kerry did not have a personal copy of the resignation letter either.

But in an interview with the Sun, the “essential” historian Mr. Brinkley relied on as his source, Andrew E. Hunt, said “I never stated that there was a letter of resignation, or even implied in my book that I saw one. I never could find one in the archives in Wisconsin. I don’t know how Brinkley got the idea that I had. I never could figure out when Kerry resigned.” When asked about Mr. Brinkley’s statement that Mr. Kerry didn’t have a copy of the resignation letter either, Mr. Hunt said, “I don’t know about that. I never could get an interview with Senator Kerry. But I never saw anyone who saves things the way Kerry does.”

Whether or not there was a letter of resignation dated November 10 is obviously important, since it predates the Kansas City assassination discussions by two days.

Mr. Camil said he did not recall whether Mr. Kerry was at the Kansas City meeting nor did he recall whether he had discussed his assassination plan with Mr. Kerry.

But Mr. Barnes, the head of the Missouri Veterans for Kerry, said, “I don’t think there was a letter of resignation. He just said he was resigning after the vote.”

Clearly there is considerable confusion about the time of Mr. Kerry’s resignation.According to Mr. Nicosia,“He resigned from the executive committee” after a spectacular argument with VVAW leader Al Hubbard at the July national leadership meeting in St Louis.

But on behalf of the John Kerry campaign, spokesman David Wade told the Sun yesterday that Mr. Kerry resigned from Vietnam Veterans Against the War “sometime in the summer of 1971 after the August meeting in St. Louis, which Kerry did not attend.”

Mr.Wade also said,“Kerry was not at the Kansas City meeting.”

Two-thirds of the American troops in Vietnam at the height of American commitment in 1969 had already been withdrawn in the “Vietnamization” policy in effect at the time of the VVAW Kansas City conference in November 1971. When asked recently by the Sun why the assassinations still seemed necessary, Mr. Camil replied: “The war was still going on. We had to stop it.”


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 1971; 2004; assassination; brownshirtsforkerry; coup; darkplot; johhnfkerry; johnkerry; kerry; kerryrecord; kerryscoupattempt; phoenixproject; scottcamil; sedition; senate; vvaw
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To: veronica
In a phone interview with the Sun this week, Mr. Camil did not dispute either the account in the Nicosia book or in the oral history. He said he plans to accept an offer by the Florida Kerry organization to become active in Mr. Kerry’s presidential campaign. Campaign aides to Mr. Kerry invited Mr.Camil to a meeting for the senator in Orlando last week, but they did not meet directly.

Note that "Scott the assassin" didn't just take it into his head to support Kerry. He was *invited*.

61 posted on 03/12/2004 6:43:55 AM PST by cyncooper ("an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm" GWB 1/20/01)
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To: Sabertooth; Hon
In a phone interview with the Sun this week, Mr. Camil did not dispute either the account in the Nicosia book or in the oral history. He said he plans to accept an offer by the Florida Kerry organization to become active in Mr. Kerry’s presidential campaign. Campaign aides to Mr. Kerry invited Mr.Camil to a meeting for the senator in Orlando last week, but they did not meet directly.

Why would anyone in Kerry's campaign want anything at all to do with Camill, given that he openly boasts of conspiring to assassinate US Senators?



Maybe the offer is to buy Camill's silence re any involvement that al Querry had with Camill.

Do you have handy the thread link where Hon posted about this assassination plot back in February, I think?
62 posted on 03/12/2004 6:45:26 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Even if $oreA$$ pays, America can't afford a 9/10 John F'onda Kerry after 9/11.)
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To: redlipstick; Howlin; onyx
Must read
63 posted on 03/12/2004 6:47:49 AM PST by cyncooper ("an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm" GWB 1/20/01)
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To: cyncooper
He said he plans to accept an offer by the Florida Kerry organization to become active in Mr. Kerry’s presidential campaign.

Uh-oh...bad move on Kerry's part. Good for us, though...we need to get this info out.

64 posted on 03/12/2004 6:48:56 AM PST by ravingnutter
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To: veronica
Is this for real?
65 posted on 03/12/2004 6:51:28 AM PST by threat matrix
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To: veronica
Wow. Yesterday, when I read the story about Kerry's swift boat comrades who support him and the one who doesn't and was fired the other day after going public, I had a moment of pause. One of Kerry's comrades stated, "He is dead wrong" (Gardner is wrong) in his recollections of what happened when Gardner was shot and Kerry turned tail to get the boat out of there. This story brings a whole new meaning to "dead wrong."

66 posted on 03/12/2004 6:53:22 AM PST by petitfour
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To: veronica
Assassination plots? This is far darker than ANYTHING that has been alleged against Kerry yet. Just the BREATH of the thought of carrying anything like this out against high officials has been enough, in recent years, to bring down the FBI on even casual and hypothetical discussions.

And remember, who was President in 1971? There was a widespread belief that Nixon HAD to go, by any means whatsoever. If it was true that Vietnam Veterans Against the War had entertained these thoughts, all the more reason to follow up on the story.

It may bear a little more looking into, but were ALL the questions answered on the plane crash that killed John Tower?
67 posted on 03/12/2004 6:53:39 AM PST by alloysteel
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To: PhiKapMom
In a phone interview with the Sun this week, Mr. Camil did not dispute either the account in the Nicosia book or in the oral history. He said he plans to accept an offer by the Florida Kerry organization to become active in Mr. Kerry’s presidential campaign. Campaign aides to Mr. Kerry invited Mr.Camil to a meeting for the senator in Orlando last week, but they did not meet directly.

Pinging PhiKapMom...we need to get this info out to the proper people.

68 posted on 03/12/2004 6:54:29 AM PST by ravingnutter
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To: Grampa Dave; Hon
Do you have handy the thread link where Hon posted about this assassination plot back in February, I think?
Was VVAW Involved In Plans To Murder 7 US Senators In 1971? What Did Kerry Know?
      Posted by Hon
On News/Activism 03/10/2004 7:29:58 PM PST with 42 comments


"Winter Soldiers"/ "Home To War" | March 11, 2004 | Various
As I posted on a thread a couple of weeks ago, Kerry's group the VVAW had discussing the assassination of pro-war US Senators. Kerry's Group The VVAW Discussed Assassinating Seven Pro-War Senators In December 1971 The following is an excerpt from a book, "Winter Soldiers," by Richard Staciewicz, pp 294-295:In the fall of 1971, tensions over the direction in which the organization was heading, as it spread out into various community activities and took on a more consciously anti-imperialist position, were becoming more evident. In November, an emergency meeting of the steering committee was held in Kansas City. This meeting...
     
 
Is the "Frank Dux" mentioned in the VVAW/Kerry 'Stolen Valor' fraud the "Bloodsport" movie Dux?
      Posted by Dan from Michigan
On General Interest (Chat) 03/07/2004 9:09:16 PM PST with 1 comment


3-8-04
I've seen a list posted on here a few times that looks like this Kerry relied upon phonies and wannabes for support. His prominence has allowed current phonies and wannabes to continue the unsubstantiated allegations made all those years ago and which Kerry appears to condone even today. For example: Elton Mazione, claiming Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) credentials, Kerry's original organization, along with his friends, John Laboon, Eddie Swetz, and Kenneth Van Lesser. They claimed to kill children and remove body parts as part of the notorious Phoenix program. They were neither in Phoenix nor in Vietnam. Kerry's...
     
 
Kerry's Group The VVAW Discussed Assassinating Seven Pro-War Senators In December 1971
      Posted by Hon
On News/Activism 02/18/2004 3:54:31 PM PST with 46 comments


Winter Soldiers - An Oral History Of The Vietnam Veterans Against The War | 1997 | Richard Stacewicz
Please note that the following is an excerpt from a book called Winter Soldiers--but it is NOT the book authored by John Kerry, which is called "The Winter Soldiers." This excerpt is taken from Chapter 4 "Left Face" pages 293-295. Also note that the "JK" quoted is not John Kerry, but John Kniffin. [Begin excerpt] Winter Soldiers - Richard Staciewicz JOHN KNIFFEN, TERRY DuBOSE, SHELDON RAMSDELL, LINDA ALBAND, BARRY ROMO In the fall of 1971, tensions over the direction in which the organization was heading, as it spread out into various community activities and took on a more consciously anti-imperialist...
     

69 posted on 03/12/2004 6:54:47 AM PST by Sabertooth (Malcontent for Bush - 2004!)
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To: rightazrain
"If he was there, he should have reported this horrible plan to the authorities."

The same could be said of the alleged atrocities he witnessed and (supposedly) took part in while in Vietnam. Whether this guy is a liar of mammoth proportions, or an evil thug who committed atrocities and plotted the deaths of U.S. officials (or worse, both), I think there is ample proof he is scarcely qualified to be a U.S. citizen, let alone president.

70 posted on 03/12/2004 6:55:32 AM PST by MizSterious (First, the journalists, THEN the lawyers.)
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To: alloysteel
I'm a bit young to remember or know some of this stuff. What does John Tower have to do with Kerry?
71 posted on 03/12/2004 7:00:24 AM PST by petitfour
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To: veronica
This is amazing. They actually entertained the notion of assassinating US politicians.

A lot of the insane hatred of the left at that time has been forgotten. It doesn't surprise me. It was even creazier then than it is now with Iraq.

Of course what did the liberals get for stopping the Vietnam war? 2 million murders on their hands.

72 posted on 03/12/2004 7:03:29 AM PST by Cubs Fan (Liberals have the inverse midas touch, everything they get a hold of turns to S&*%)
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To: Sabertooth
Thanks for the links. Now I see the connection to John Tower. Who held up John Tower's confirmation in the late 1980s? I vaguely recall when he died, but I'll have to do some reading on the rest. Very interesting. My tinfoil could do overtime for the next eight months.
73 posted on 03/12/2004 7:05:28 AM PST by petitfour
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To: petitfour
I missed this one. Do you have a link?
74 posted on 03/12/2004 7:07:27 AM PST by CatoRenasci (Ceterum Censeo [Gallia][Germania][Arabia] Esse Delendam --- Select One or More as needed)
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To: Sabertooth
Consider the source (Sherman H. Skolnick)...but...

Senator Kerry is married to the widow of the late U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, John Heinz, heir to the ketchup and canned beans fortune. Heinz died in a sabotaged plane crash in 1991, just as he was planning to expose U.S. government complicity in several domestic and foreign political assassinations.

Source

Wow.

75 posted on 03/12/2004 7:07:54 AM PST by ravingnutter
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To: Grampa Dave
Here is a note on Hubbard on CNSnews.com:

Kerry-Linked Anti-War Group Can't Bury Deceit

76 posted on 03/12/2004 7:09:43 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got!!!!)
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To: veronica
I have looked at the VVAW archives in Madison. I didn't get through all of the boxes, because there is far too much stuff, so I can't confirm the resignation letter story. However, in several of the boxes, there are documents on overthrowing government and destroying national infrastructure. These reports were not written by VVAW - they're basically texts you can find on the internet these days - but they were there in their files. Which means that VVAW had them in their files when they turned them over to the archive.
77 posted on 03/12/2004 7:11:59 AM PST by July 4th (You need to click "Abstimmen")
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To: petitfour
Thanks for the links. Now I see the connection to John Tower. Who held up John Tower's confirmation in the late 1980s

Sam Nunn.

If I recall correctly, Chris Dodd was the only Dem to vote for confirmation, to pay back an old debt. Tower had voted against the successful Senate censure of Dodd's father back in about 1967.


78 posted on 03/12/2004 7:12:30 AM PST by Sabertooth (Malcontent for Bush - 2004!)
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To: CatoRenasci





The Tenth Brother
[former Kerry mate from Nam steps forward: "Kerry was chickens---"]


79 posted on 03/12/2004 7:16:35 AM PST by Sabertooth (Malcontent for Bush - 2004!)
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To: CatoRenasci
I'll post a link to the story from yesterday when I find it. I just reread the quote about "dead wrong." The guy says that Gardner's "memory is dead wrong." There's a subtle difference. It was in the Time article from a few days ago:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1094472/posts
80 posted on 03/12/2004 7:19:29 AM PST by petitfour
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