Kerry Still Backpedaling on Presence at 1971 Anti-War Meetings

CNS News.com ^ | March 24th, 2004 | Mark Morano

[Sabertooth]

(CNSNews.com) - Five days after CNSNews.com reported that Democrat John Kerry had attended a 1971 anti-war meeting at which the possible assassination of U.S. senators was discussed, the presidential hopeful is still backpedaling on statements regarding his whereabouts during that meeting.

Kerry at first denied attending the November 1971 meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in Kansas City, Mo. According to FBI files obtained by CNSNews.com, that 1971 meeting included talk of possibly assassinating U.S. senators. VVAW members discussed targeting then-Senators Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, John Tower of Texas and John Stennis of Mississippi because of their continuing support for the Vietnam war.

Early last week, Kerry's presidential campaign spokesman David Wade told the New York Sun, "Kerry was not at the Kansas City meeting." Wade added that Kerry had resigned from the VVAW "sometime in the summer of 1971."

But following the March 18 publication of the CNSNews.com report, in which the FBI files were used to corroborate Kerry''s attendance at the meeting, Wade reversed himself.

"If there are valid FBI surveillance reports from credible sources that place some of those disagreements in Kansas City, we accept that historical footnote in the account of his work to end the difficult and divisive war," Wade said in a statement late last week.

Kerry also retreated from an earlier comment he made in response to a CNSNews.com question about former VVAW executive director Al Hubbard. Kerry and Hubbard appeared together on an April 18, 1971 broadcast of the news show Meet the Press to discuss their anti-war efforts.

But Hubbard, who had passed himself off as a decorated Air Force captain, was later shown to have lied about his military record. An investigation in 1971 by a CBS News reporter revealed that there were no military records showing that Hubbard had either served in Vietnam or was injured there.

When asked about his relationship with Hubbard, Kerry told CNSNews.com at a televised press conference two weeks ago, "I haven't talked to Al Hubbard since that week" of the April 1971 Meet the Press appearance.

But after CNSNews.com reported that FBI files and eyewitness accounts from former VVAW members had placed Kerry and Hubbard in the same place on several occasions after the Meet the Press appearance, the Kerry campaign conceded that the senator was also incorrect on that point.

Other news outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and ABC News picked up on aspects of the stories this week, reporting on the FBI surveillance of Kerry and his group and Kerry's inaccurate assertions regarding when he resigned the VVAW and the last time he saw Hubbard.

Gerald Nicosia, author of the book Home to War: A History of the Vietnam Veterans' Movement and a Kerry supporter, told CNSNews.com last week that Kerry was being less than truthful about his anti-war activities.

"I am having some problems with the things he is saying right now, which are not matching up with accuracy," Nicosia told CNSNews.com.

"I am in kind of an awkward position here. I am a Kerry supporter and I certainly don't want to do anything that hurts him. On the other hand, my number one allegiance is to truth. So I am going to go with where the facts are, and John is going to have to deal with that," Nicosia said.

Kerry hosted a reception in Nicosia''s honor in 2001 when the book was released and praised it as an "important new book [that] ties together the many threads of a difficult period in our history every American should take the time to understand in its totality."

Kerry is set to host another reception for Nicosia on April 19 on Capitol Hill.

Nicosia offered some advice for Kerry.

"The chickens are coming home to roost, and unfortunately he is starting to backtrack and I personally don't think backtracking is going to work because people are going to go at him and find the discrepancies," Nicosia said.

[Sabertooth]

Nicosia offered some advice for Kerry.

"The chickens are coming home to roost, and unfortunately he is starting to backtrack and I personally don't think backtracking is going to work because people are going to go at him and find the discrepancies," Nicosia said.

John Kerry prefers to get his advice from Ted Kennedy and the Clintons, thank you.

[A CA Guy]

My first response to this article would be...

How did they manage to get "CNSNews.com" written so many times into this article, seems very amateurish!

Oh, and Kerry should be probably hung for treason.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

The fact that Kerry Tales are coming out about this gives it legs as far as my little brain is concerned. I have a friend who was reluctant to even ponder any of this. Now, I'd say his opinion will change.

[Bigg Red]

Gotta love it!

Hit 'im again! Harder! Harder!


It's very interesting that even this supporter is questioning Kerry. Sounds like she has enough honesty to actually eventually see the light and leave the Rat party.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"If there are valid FBI surveillance reports from credible sources that place some of those disagreements in Kansas City, we accept that historical footnote in the account of his work to end the difficult and divisive war,"

For those in Rio Linda, "If we got caught in a lie, then yes, he was there, for all the right reasons, and we proudly say that too."

[An.American.Expatriate]

BTTT - glad to see that this is starting to get reported more - let's hope it becomes impossible to ignore.

I can't help but hope that the seeple can still wake up and see what they are blindly supporting....

[W04Man]

Bump,

http://W-04.com

[Izzy Dunne]

According to FBI files obtained by CNSNews.com

Has this hit the mainstream press yet? (I don't have a TV, and my blood pressure won't stand reading the WashPost or L.A. Times).

My guess is this issue will sound like this in the ABCNNBCBS world:

Kerry was at a meeting in Kansas City, but the outrage continues about how those Republicans got the FBI files...

[LibLieSlayer]

"Oh, and Kerry should be probably hung for treason".

I agree, but we need to soak the rope in "brine-water" and crushed glass first!!!

LLS

[OldFriend]

Kerry did not lie......he misspoke!

Can't wait for Kerry to resume campaigning, he has vulgarity syndrome that makes for interesting commentary!

[Caipirabob]

"I'd like to answer these allegations just as soon as...as soon as I return from vacation. Yeah, vacation...that's the ticket..."

[1903A3]

There are several terrorist organization wanting to destroy the USA out there
None as dangerous as the Democratic Party

[7thson]

I was watching The Big Story w/John Gibson. He had a guy on at the end of the program that was a member of VVAW - Kerry's group - 33 years ago. John asked him a couple questions about if Kerry was at this KC meeting. The guy kinda stumbled around and said he did not know if he was there or not, it was 33 years ago, yada, yada, yada. Then Gibson got him on the Phoenix story and the guy said that one guy brought this up at the conference, wanted to make it a US thing. Gibson than asked what the Phoenix project was, the guy explained that this project was the killing of Viet Cong leaders. Than Gibson real quick asked what did Kerry say about this, and the guy rushed out and said that Kerry spoke out strongly against it. Never mind he said a few moments earlier that he could not remember if Kerry was there or not. Did anyone else see or hear this the way I did?

[doug from upland]

Barnes was one of the guys who had to stay outside and get messages. Only the most trusted of leadership were in that Mennonite hall. From Gerald Nicosia's book, Home to War ---

The rest of the members, even trusted leaders such as Randy Barnes and John Upton (who had earned their credibility in the mud and tears of Dewey Canvon III), were forced to wait outside on the grass, where messengers brought frequent word of what was going on inside. According to Barnes, everybody knew that the discussion in that hall "was grounds for criminal indictment of conspiracy."

[HenryLeeII]

"If there are valid FBI surveillance reports from credible sources that place some of those disagreements in Kansas City, we accept that historical footnote in the account of his work to end the difficult and divisive war," Wade said in a statement late last week.

People who talk like this are lower than cockroaches. For as much as the "intellectuals" and elites like to belittle President Bush for the way he speaks and doesn't "do nuance," I think these are qualities that endear him to many Americans. Democrats are not Americans, having separated themselves from their former countrymen due to basic ideological differences, so I don't include them among the latter group.

[Noumenon]

I want the ale and single malt concession at the hanging. Lurk gets the buffet and mead concession.

[upcountryhorseman]

Doesn't this constitute sedition?

[Hon]

"I was watching The Big Story w/John Gibson. He had a guy on at the end of the program that was a member of VVAW - Kerry's group - 33 years ago. John asked him a couple questions about if Kerry was at this KC meeting. The guy kinda stumbled around and said he did not know if he was there or not, it was 33 years ago, yada, yada, yada. Then Gibson got him on the Phoenix story and the guy said that one guy brought this up at the conference, wanted to make it a US thing. Gibson than asked what the Phoenix project was, the guy explained that this project was the killing of Viet Cong leaders. Than Gibson real quick asked what did Kerry say about this, and the guy rushed out and said that Kerry spoke out strongly against it. Never mind he said a few moments earlier that he could not remember if Kerry was there or not. Did anyone else see or hear this the way I did?"

The vet (and VVAW and Kerry campaign worker) is Randy Barnes. He is one of the guys who first said Kerry was there--but then changed his story after being heavily leaned on by Veterans For Kerry (and VVAW member) John Hurley.

And, no, you aren't alone. I didn't see the show, but I've seen others comment on it--such as here:

"John Gibson, interviewing a VVAW member who was at the 1971 KC meeting on Fox just moments ago, asked if Kerry was there. The gentleman said he did not remember Kerry being at the meeting at all.

But Gibson's redirect won the day. Gibson outlined the Phoenix Program (a military operation aimed at knocking off North Vietnamese leaders) and talked about Scott Camil's suggestion that VVAW pursue a domestic Phoenix operation to kill US Senators supporting the war. Gibson asked the vet (I didn't catch his name) how Kerry reacted to the plan. The vet said Kerry didn't like the plan and loudly argued against it. He thereby accidentally proved that Kerry was there at the meeting, and that he (the vet Gibson was interviewing) was not telling the truth when he said he did not recall Kerry being at the meeting at all. He did recall Kerry's presence enough to remember details about the argument, he just lied about it when asked directly earlier in the inverview.

Curious, no? Is Kerry asking veterans to go to bat for him and lie to the press about that meeting and his attendance? It sure looks like it.

Now why would he do that?"

http://junkyardblog.transfinitum.net/archives/week_2004_03_21.html#002958

[Lurker]

The mead's just about ready to bottle.

12 lbs. of wildflower honey
5 lbs. of fresh blueberries.
1 lb. of Vermont Maple Syrup.

The hygromoter says it's about 11 1/2% abv.

I'm going to make this batch sparkle like champagne.

I'll send you a bottle once we have it done.

Be careful, as you can't taste the alcohol but it's gonna pack a punch. If the apricot ale we've got aging is ready I'll throw a bottle of that in as well.

I'm going to toast the memory of Harpseal with the first bottle. I think he'd like that.

L

[BushisTheMan]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think Nicosia got the files using the "Freedom of Information" act.