Kerry spoke of meeting negotiators on Vietnam - Claimed US Was "Murdering" Vietnamese

Boston Globe ^ | 3/25/04 | Michael Kranish and Patrick Healy

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON -- In a question-and-answer session before a Senate committee in 1971, John F. Kerry, who was a leading antiwar activist at the time, asserted that 200,000 Vietnamese per year were being "murdered by the United States of America" and said he had gone to the Paris and "talked with both delegations at the peace talks" and met with communist representatives.

[BunnySlippers]

•

[mware]

Interesting the Boston Globe doing this article. Perhaps they wanted to dump this story while GW is getting hit by the media for 911.

[Preachin']

Today, an active duty member is required to report any contact with a communist to the government, even if it is accidental. Failure to do so can result in discharge and or revocation of security clearances.

I knew a guy who was discharged from the Air National Guard for marrying a lady from a communist country.

I am not sure how these rules applied then or now to active or reserve members at that time.

[GailA]

Cheap, I mean..er..cheap...I'll have to form a consulting committee to look into just how cheap. :-)

[kabar]

Kerry claims to have served on activie duty from 1966-70 and then 1972-78 in the Reserves. The gap of two years goes unexplained. No one has a total commitment of 10 years over a 12 year period. We need an explanation and full disclosure of Kerry's service records to determine, among other things, Kerry's status during the 2 year gap.

[shrinkermd]

" In a question-and-answer session before a Senate committee in 1971, John F. Kerry, who was a leading antiwar activist at the time, asserted that 200,000 Vietnamese per year were being "murdered by the United States of America" and said he had gone to the Paris and "talked with both delegations at the peace talks" and met with communist representatives

I find it hard to believe this man is a Presidential candidate. Even harder to believe is the neglect of the above issue by the mainstream press. Incredible!

[An.American.Expatriate]

It's no mystery.

Kerry was released from active duty in 1970 and went into inactive reserve status to fulfill his commitment (6 years) - during this time he retained his commission as an officer!!

In 1972 (the end of his original commitment) he enlisted in the "active" reserves.

All service commitments are for 6 years (even reenlistments). The amount of time actually spent on "active" status (regular or reserves) is not important.

While in inactive status, you can be recalled to active duty in time of national need, but this almost never happens - you are effectively "out of the service" and NOT subject to the UCMJ etc... for you normal daily actions. However, as a commsioned officer of the United States, some restictions ALWAYS apply, regardless of the status.

[Sybeck1]

The mainstream press doesn't care, they just don't want Bush in office. Kerry could have raped, maybe even possibly had people killed in the past and the press wouldn't care. Wait a minute, they have done that before!

[proud American in Canada]

"He refused to carry out his oath as an officer, and cannot not in anyway be relied on to carry out the similar oath as President."

Very well said.

[Barnstormer]

You might want to read Article 2 of the UCMJ. Any one who is a member of the Fleet Reserve is still subject to the UCMJ!

[q_an_a]

please don't make a sensible argument.

[An.American.Expatriate]

Is the Fleet Reserve the same as the "inactive" reserve??

If so, I would find this to be very interesting because several articles of the UCMJ (adultery for example) would be very hard to apply to someone in an inactive status.

That said, the fact that Kerry was still an officer of the United States during the period that he actively became a member of a group which seriously debated assassinating US Senators and engaged in other seditious activities AND during which he, admittedly, meet with representatives of the enemy (for WHATEVER reason), should be sufficient grounds for excluding him from holding an office of trust and responsibility with the US.

[tractorman]

Kerry – The pro-anti-war protester hero.
There, I think I’ve finally got it.

[StriperSniper]

yesterday confirmed through a spokesman that he did go to Paris and talked privately with a leading communist representative. But the spokesman played down the extent of Kerry's role and said Kerry did not engage in negotiations.

He we go with more trying to have both ways, hero and traitor.

[InvisibleChurch]

sounds like Flipper should bring all Viet Nam vets to trial for murder

[savedbygrace]

Kerry's statement dealt with the question of whether he was trying to negotiate in Paris as a private citizen and was thus on that "borderline" of what was allowable. A US law forbids citizens from negotiating with foreign governments on matters such as peace treaties. Meehan said Kerry was not negotiating.

Didn't Kerry bring back a document he co-signed that was like a peace treaty or something? Hazy memory here.

[VadeRetro]

Kerry, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, yesterday confirmed through a spokesman that he did go to Paris and talked privately with a leading communist representative. But the spokesman played down the extent of Kerry's role and said Kerry did not engage in negotiations.

He just happened to be there talking to the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong representatives to the Paris Peace talks while the VVAW was negotiating a published and well-documented separate peace? What a coincidence!

[twigs]

Kerry's speech before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 22, 1971 is one of the best-known moments of his life

Let's keep it that way. This man has no business in public life today, other than being behind bars for treason against his country.

[twigs]

He also asked to go to Paris to study for a year instead of going into the military; his request was turned down. This makes me think Kerry was a communist before his VN tour--no wonder he hated it so! Someone needs to dig into his school years. This man needs to be thoroughly researched.

[VadeRetro]

Kerry responded that, "I realize that full well as a study of political science. I realize that we cannot negotiate treaties, and I realize that even my visits in Paris, precedents had been set by Senator [Eugene] McCarthy and others, in a sense are on the borderline of private individuals negotiating, et cetera."

The borderline was very much in his rearview mirror by then.