FLASHBACK '94-'96: Another Great 101st Airborner ScrmngEagle Garnett Bell Hated Kerry As Well.

HEARING OF THE MILITARY PERSONNEL SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE -- L/N | SEPTEMBER 17, 1996 | Bob Dornan

REP. DORNAN: For example, there was the yachtsman, remember, when Senator Kerry was taken to the cleaners over there down in the Forcor (ph) area of Canto (ph). They moved him briefly -- I think he just sat in a car. Kerry came in and examined the prison, Kerry left, they moved the prisoner right back in the prison.

MR. BELL: He was an American citizen who was arrested in a boat and we were checking the access to see if the Vietnamese were being sincere, if they were fully cooperating. Senator Kerry asked the Vietnamese, do you have any Americans detained in this prison now or have you ever had any Americans, and the Vietnamese said, no, we don't have any Americans in here now and we never have had.

So that was -- we took that at face value, at least the senator did. The senator came back and said the Vietnamese are cooperating, very candid, straightforward, et cetera, et cetera. About eight months later, this American was released and he had just happened to be held in that same prison. And he said he was moved out of that prison the day before Senator Kerry arrived there to inspect, and they moved him back into that same prison two days after Senator Kerry left.

REP. DORNAN: The godfather of communism -- MR. BELL: So they weren't being as straightforward as we thought. I mean, I really didn't think they were anyway.

REP. DORNAN: The godfather of communism, V.I. Lenin, said that when you're lying to further the cause, it's not a lie, so nobody should be surprised. How about your telephone and your facsimile communications, who installed all of that?

HEADLINE: HEARING OF THE MILITARY PERSONNEL SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE SUBJECT: VIETNAM WAR POW/MIA ACCOUNTING CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT DORNAN (R-CA) --DECEMBER 18, 1995

REP. DORNAN: Mr. Bell, could you just pause there for a second. For everybody visiting in the committee-room, for my distinguished colleague, Mr. Pickett, and for me to analyze for the 100th, 200th, 300th time, we give advance notice to the communists in Vietnam that we have live sighted reports at such and such a location weeks if not months in advance. And then Senator Kerry will go to that site as though it is somehow or other a spot congressional investigation of a U.S. prison where there are alleged human-rights violations, as though it's Geraldo Rivera going into an old peoples home decades ago that put him on the map and won him journalistic awards.

Here we are, show us your senior citizens. It is a planned Potemkin tour where it would be impossible for the Vietnamese to say O.K. you got us, this is the only live American left in Vietnam and gosh darn you, you picked the right prison on the right day. Lets go up there -- it's a three hour helicopter flight -- and your going to find him. This is absurd and yet you read it in articles published in government publications and given out to the news media that we are making these on-site -- you know -- rapid investigative hits. And General Wold is dutiful in the way he stays through these long hearings and takes notes, and this general, again, is something that we've got to convey to the families that we're not being snookered or that we're not conveying that we are making excellent surprise raids to nail down anywhere in the country these live- sighting reports. It creates such angst and proper hurt among the family members. I just wanted to under-score that and maybe we'll never have to visit that again. Continue Mr. Bell.

MR. BELL: Our testimony during the last hearing, I think the figure used was 1,706 live-sighting reports have all been investigated and there's no evidence that any Americans were remaining or are remaining in Vietnam. I don't think that that meant that these 1,706 reports were investigated. I believe approximately 100 reports were investigated and the other remaining -- some 1,600 reports were reviewed and found not to have merit for warranting an investigation. The 100 reports which were investigated on the ground, the information was provided to the Vietnamese in advance. Vietnamese security officials did accompany us to prisons. We were told that no Americans were in any of those prisons or siting locations, and our government does have information that indicates Americans were actually held there.

I think this was a good opportunity for the Vietnamese. The example that you cited earlier, where Sen. Kerry went to the prison and the man was moved out one day prior to his arrival and two days back, I think had they left that man in there, during Senator Kerry's visit, it would have had much more impact and been much more convincing as far as their sincerity and objectivity in conducting these investigations.

Rep. Dornan: ... We cannot leave this issue in the hands of the Frances Zweinigs of the world, or Tom Harkin or John Kerry, who worked with you wonderfully, and used you to their end to end this issue so they could press on with the people that they admired, the friends of Fidel Castro in Hanoi.

2 posted on 10/26/2004 9:44:49 PM PDT by DSBull (Liberal logic: the most mutually exclusive words in the universe!)

Not much sympathy for Kerry here among either of them... But here we have just another story about Kerry being duped by the Vietnamese that gets no play in the press.

Was he duped? I have read things that indicate he may not have been duped, just decided the issue needed to go away. Would not put it passed him..It wouldn't be the first time he hurt POWs.

4 posted on 10/26/2004 9:53:40 PM PDT by DSBull (Liberal logic: the most mutually exclusive words in the universe!)

I'm talking about this story that Bell and Dornan are talking about when the Vietnamese moved an American prisoner (non-POW) out of the jail so Kerry could visit.

>> B1 Bob, damn I miss him...

B1 Bob was great on some things; but on others he was as dumb as a rock. For example, he once stated on the Town Hall Forum, "The National Guard is the Militia". That is dumb. Of course he was defeated in the next election. If he had a clue about the Constitution he might have survived the election.

Oh, I know, I just like to hear him talk..I wish he could get a radio show nationally or something.. I always liked him when he was slamming Rats...No Fear..And of course..no restraint either sometimes.

7 posted on 10/26/2004 10:00:44 PM PDT by DSBull (Liberal logic: the most mutually exclusive words in the universe!)

He wasn't duped. Search FR archives and you will find threads pointing to evidence that Kerry shredded hundreds of documents verifying POWS. His cousin made millions off a set up deal when the POW issue was supposedly settled.

All the circumstantial evidence points to Kerry being a Communist agent, spy and traitor to the US.

The hard evidence, if it still exists, is buried, hidden, sealed, or destroyed.

I beleive some of it still exists and will one day surface.
I only hope he is still around to stand trial when it does come out.

8 posted on 10/26/2004 10:07:03 PM PDT by RebelTex (Freedom is Everyone's Right... ...and Everyone's Responsibility!)

I know, I was referring to Kerry and should have typed it. I think Kerry knew, from what I have read and decided that for the "good of the Country" and his career he would just make it the MIA issue go away.

11 posted on 10/26/2004 10:29:26 PM PDT by DSBull (Liberal logic: the most mutually exclusive words in the universe!)

>> If he had a clue about the Constitution he might have survived the election.<<

That, and if all those illegals didn't vote against him . .

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.