Posted on 08/17/2006 3:07:06 PM PDT by Fedora
John Kerry and Ned Lamont’s Common Ancestry
Corliss Lamont and the VVAW
By Fedora
When John Kerry threw his political machine’s fundraising support to Ned Lamont this week, he was in a sense returning a favor the Lamont family had once done for Kerry’s old organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). Prior to Kerry’s affiliation with that group, Ned Lamont’s great-uncle Corliss Lamont and his great-aunt Helen had actually helped finance the creation of the VVAW in 1967.
In August 1972, as US government prosecutors were preparing a case against VVAW members indicted in the “Gainesville Eight” case, FBI headquarters collected its field offices’ reports on the VVAW into an Information Digest Special Report. In the process of documenting the VVAW’s links to the Communist Party (CP) and Socialist Workers Party (SWP), the report mentioned the role Corliss and Helen Lamont played in funding the creation of the VVAW.
The text of the report, taken from Section 32 of FBI File HQ 100-448092, is available online at Winter Soldier.com, along with a guide to key individuals and groups mentioned in the report (Scroll down the “What’s New” section to the link for August 20, 2005). The first passage in the report mentioning the Lamonts begins as follows [bracketed text in italics indicates the FBI’s notes handwritten on the typed original document]:
On May 8, 1967, Corliss Lamont [C.P. Member], identified as a member of CPUSA in sworn testimony before a Senate Committee in August, 1951, wrote to a Bernard Koten stating that he would contribute $1,000 [the first of several large payments to be made during the next year] toward the cost of the New York Times advertisement calling for the Memorial Day action.The Lamont letter concluded, "We [Helen and Corliss] agree with you and Wolins that the Vets can be very important in stopping Johnson's war of aggression in Vietnam.”
The “Memorial Day action” mentioned here refers to the event which spawned the VVAW. The event was a May 30, 1967 Memorial Day demonstration organized by Veterans for Peace (VFP), an antiwar group founded in Chicago in 1966 by Leroy Wolins, a Communist Party member and leader of the New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. (NOTE: There is also a present-day group called Veterans for Peace that was formally founded in 1985.) Wolins, New York antiwar groups linked to the CP and SWP, and Vietnam veteran Jan Barry Crumb planned to use the demonstration to attract Vietnam veterans to the antiwar movement. The demonstration was promoted through an ad placed in the New York Times, paid for by the Lamonts as mentioned above. During the demonstration Crumb recruited five veterans, who joined him to convene the first meeting of the VVAW on June 1, 1967. VFP continued to support the VVAW as it grew and expanded, and remained particularly close to the VVAW in certain regional branches such as the Chicago VVAW.
After mentioning Lamont’s letter to Koten, the FBI report goes on to emphasize the “considerable significance” of Koten’s background. It notes Koten’s links to Soviet front groups and his 1956 appearance before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee. During Koten’s appearance he was represented by Joseph Forer, a member of the CP-linked National Lawyers Guild and law partner of identified CP member David Rein. The FBI report observes, “In 1966-67, David Rein was ‘president pro tem’ of the VFP Washington, D.C. organization.”
The report then discusses Wolins’ background before continuing:
On June 30, 1967, a check for $488.52 was sent to Corliss Lamont by the VFP organization with a covering letter which said:"The contributions on the ad came to something under 50% of its cost. Pursuant to our commitment, we're accordingly returning to you herewith our check for $488.52. Thanks again for your help in making the ad possible. Its effectiveness in turn helped ensure the success of the Memorial Day action in Washington."
An addendum to the FBI report notes that Lamont later sent Koten payments for another ad in the New York Times to promote the VVAW in fall 1967:
On 10/3/67 Corliss Lamont sent a second contribution of $500 to Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) via Bernard Koten toward the cost of an antiwar advertisement which appeared in the New York Times 11/19/67 headed "Vietnam Veterans Speak Out."
From the seed of the Lamont family’s contributions, the VVAW eventually grew into the organization that helped propel John Kerry to a Senate seat and Presidential candidacy. In this way, John Kerry also can be said to represent the lineage of Corliss Lamont, and his support of Ned Lamont can be seen as returning an old family favor to a distant political cousin.
Fedora is a guy?
I always wondered if Fedora was male or female.
Awesome researcher, that is for sure.
Yes.
Great post Fedora !! ....And Tonk!! BTTT !!
Yes, Fedora ( which is the name of a wonderful hat that men used to wear ) is a man; a brilliant, funny, fantastic at research, very interesting one. :-)
Fedora is also a Red Hat Linux project :)
I have NO idea what that means.
LIEberman DOES share ALL of their views, except on the WOT.
Fedora is a linux operating system
Not in their eyes. He is not sponsored by the Victory Funds. That is crucial.
David Mixner would rather have a Log Cabin Republican than a non GLSEN democrat.
BTTT
Isn't that one your talking about the one that Kerry had a link to on his website at one time?
My eyes are so tired do you have a 'Cliff Notes' version? :>)))
Yes indeed.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1493302/posts
FR Exclusive: John Kerry, Mary Landrieu, MoveOn DNC and Katrina
That's about $14,000 worth of bicycle. His next bike, the custom-built Gigolo will cost Teresa even more.
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.