October 26, 2004

Newly Uncovered Documents Link John Kerry to North Vietnamese/Vietcong (UPDATED)

Via Paul at Wizbang a World Net Daily article reports that recent documents have been uncovered which show that John Kerry's Vietnam Veterans Against the War were being directly directed by the North Vietnamese Communists. The documents were said to be found in archives at Texas Tech Univiersity as part of that university's Vietnam-era archive which holds more than 2 million documents. Some of the documents are translations of intercepted NV/VC communiques.

The first document can be found here. The Winter Soldier Website describes the document as "a 1971 "Circular" distributed by the Vietnamese communists within Vietnam." From the document:

The spontaneous antiwar movements in the US have received assistance and guidance from the friendly ((VC/NVN)) delegations at the Paris Peace Talks.

The second document is described as "a communist Directive designed to motivate discussions within Vietnam about promoting the ongoing antiwar activities in the United States." It can be found here. In the document NV sympathizers are urged to step up propaganda activities that demoralize US troops. The document cites John Kerry's denunciation of 'war crimes' and the staged event where he 'gave back' his medals as examples that would help demoralize the troops.

Kevin follows up that post with a NY Sun article which claims that the NV simply looked favorably on Kerry's activities. Paul also muses that the document "smacks of Bill Burkett written all over it" and that the left will cry foul and forgery.

Let me start off by saying the documents appear real to me. But having said that, do we really learn anything new? I'm just not so sure this is the smoking gun that it is alleged to be. In 1995 I attended a May Day rally in Moscow's Red Square. At that rally I heard the head of the Communist Party USA as he denounced Yankee Imperialism, mourned over the loss of the Soviet Union, and lied about how Soviets once had a greater standard of living than Americans. Did the CPUSA have direct links to the Soviet Union? Of course. Did this guy actually believe the vile garbage spewing from his mouth? As far as I could tell, yes.

The phrase Stalin used for people like this was 'useful idiots'. These were people who thought they were doing what was in the best interests of their own country by betraying that country. It always fascinates me when I hear or read what traitors write. Very rarely does a traitor think of what he is doing as treason. Rather, the common thread among traitors is that they believe that they are smarter than officials in government. They believe that their acts of betrayal are in fact acts of patriotism. So when traitors gave away nuclear secrets to the Soviets at the start of the Cold War, they rationalized it as a higher form of patriotism. If the people in the State Department were only as smart as me they would realize that the only way to gaurantee our nation's safety is if the Soviets also have a bomb.

I look at John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities in much the same way. The fact that he adopted line for line the policy prescriptions of the Vietcong is enough for me. I do not believe he was directed by them. They didn't have to. John Kery was on board the ship regardless of who was steering. If the North Vietnamese told John Kerry to jump, yet he was going to jump anyway that says nothing about control or power.

Most members of the CPUSA probably did not know that they were being funded and directed by the Soviets. Most members of the German Bund did not know they were being funded and directed by the Nazis. That's besides the point. The point is not who directs you but who you sympathize with. If you go to a football game and route for the visiting team expect a few glares. When your country is in a war and you route for the enemy, expect to be called a traitor. Not because we want to demean you and call you names, but because that is exactly what you are--a traitor. If the shoe fits, wear it.

Critical Update: Chad at In the Bullpen just e-mailed with this, and he has posted it at his site here. Here's a tidbit, there's more that you should read, and from what he says you should expect an update later in the day:

I just got off the phone with a worker at the Vietnam archive. She informed me of the following. There were two people from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth at the Texas Tech University archive within the last two to three weeks specifically looking for documents pertaining to John Kerry's anti-war movmement Vietnam Veterans Against the War. She told me there has been a bit of a buzz around there as of late after these two individuals claimed they found something huge. She would not give me any more information and was pretty nervous concerning the questioning.

Critical Update II: Chad at In the Bullpen has his INDC moment. He picked up the phone and called the head of the archive. The documents are real. The head of the archive vouches for them, and he and several of the employees at the archives saw the Swifties looking for them.

Further, the archive has the documents online. Rob at Say Anything has the links so that you can see the original documents yourselves.

Critical Update III: The director of the Virtual Vietnam Archive has set up a webpage where you can download the documents here. As I just told Chad in an e-mail, it looks like the blogosphere is doing some real journalism again. You'll take note that the director of the archive told Chad that not a single journalist has yet talked to him about the authenticity of the documents yet.

Critiical Update IV: As you can probably tell, Chad at In the Bullpen has been keeping me in the loop so to speak, but I'm just a sideline to his main show--a show I should add started with an e-mail I got from Paul at Wizbang. Well Chad has this critical update, and all of you need to spread the word on this--the director of the archive has actually found one of the original captured Vietnamese documents in their microfilm collection. What we saw earlier was the military translation of the document, now we have the original. The authenticity of the document should no longer be in question. However, I would still be cautious about jumping to the conclusion that John Kerry knowingly worked for the North Vietnamese/Vietcong.

Critical Update V: Mark at Tempus Fugit also does some real journalism and has also communicated with the archives and received this e-mail further verifying the authenticity of the documents: "Adding to the authenticity of these documents, they are also available as part of the Combined Document Exploitation Center Collection at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, MD...These documents are also part of the CDEC Collection on Microfilm " Although the archive director notes it might take some time to locate them at either of those locations, the rest of the e-mail seems to add further evidence that these are real.

UPDATES: I'm surfing around, trying to get a feel for what other bloggers are saying and thinking. Here's some of the reaction:

Michelle Malkin: JOHN KERRY, COMMIE TOOL

Frank J: his whole presidency may be a Commie Vietnamese plot of revenge. (humor for those unfamiliar with IMAO)

Jeff G: John Kerry always has been fond of international alliances....

Ed Morrissey (still not returning calls): The best one can conclude from the record is that the VC used Kerry as a pawn to undermine American resolve to fight the war, which allowed them to push the US out of Southeast Asia and eventually resulted in a Communist bloodbath in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Right on Red: I’m afraid this might actually be good news for Kerry. If it turns out his antiwar activities really were “guided� by the Communists, he might win over the remaining few Nader voters.

In the Bullpen: if it's true, it's over for Kerry, not only as President, but as a Senator as well. (Chad also 'donated' money for the Texas Tech archive back when he was an undergrad)

Kevin McGehee: if it pans out, would qualify as “huge.�

AIR: We wonder if Hanoi will extend political asylum to their star player?

Blogs of War: Come on John, I know you want to say something on this!!

On the Third Hand: I’m just going to watch this one carefully.

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy: suffice it to say if Hanoi John's goose isn't cooked, well...I don't know

TacJammer: This could be interesting.

Swanky Conservative: It's so shocking that it reads like a paranoid conspiracy...

Conservative Revolution: if he was working as a Communist man slave during Vietnam, is it any wonder he was so against fighting the USSR during the Cold War?

Pajama Journalist: This is truely astonishing evidence of a conspiracy to manipulate U.S. policy and John Kerry was the vessel by which the communists delivered the poison.

Jeff Quinton: No word. Hey Jeff, what do you think?

Trying on the Glasses: Will the REAL October surprise please stand up?

Voices in My Head: At best John Kerry is a political opportunist with sociopathic lying tendencies. At worst, he is a traitor to his country, a war criminal and the worst hypocrit to ever ascend to political office in the history of America.

Right Wing Nut House: Think of it...a man who betrayed his country in his youth by working with an enemy during war time to ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF THAT ENEMY ON THE BATTLEFIELD AND AT THE CONFERENCE TABLE MAY COULD HOLD THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE UNITED STATES IN HIS HANDS.

Small Town Veteran: I've been up all night and I'm too tired to pick out the best part to excerpt right now

Airborne Combat Engineer: Until I see solid evidence, I'm not going to believe this. For all his faults, I don't believe Kerry was an enemy agent....Besides, the statute of limitations on being a traitor has probably already been exceeded.

Modular Parrot: We’ll see where this goes.

Ace of Spades HQ: "I actually supported my country during the Vietnam War, before I aided the enemy's propaganda efforts"

Editor's in Pajamas: Admission time: I HATE COMMIES!!!

Politicker: I am more than a bit skeptical.

Ben's World: Senator Kerry, this time we are questioning your patriotism.

Phony Kerry: it seems plausible enough to merit a look by somebody with more journalistic pull.

Flash Bang: My suggestion - Pussygate

Slant Point: Looks like the Vietnam Story isn't over.

Powerline: Thomas Lipscomb [author of the NY Sun piece] is an old Timesman who puts his former employer to shame.

Synthstuff: This is like watching a train-wreck in slow motion — what was the Democratic Party thinking when they pushed Kerry as their candidate…

T.C. Leather Penguin: You want high explosives? This sounds like the SwiftVets are about to unleash a friggin' nuke!

Resistance is Futile: if it turns out to be true, John Forbes Kerry's political career is over.

Generation Why: John Kerry's activities during the Vietnam war may provide valuable insight into his current activities and hunger for political power.

Charles Johnson: John Kerry—the man who wants to be President of the United States—worked directly with the Communist North Vietnamese regime to bring about the defeat of the US in Vietnam

Jane: Come on Jane, inquiring minds want to know!

Laughing Wolf: I am not terribly surprised

Antiprotestor: Don't expect the mainstream leftist press to pick up on this, they're much too busy trying to destroy Bush's chances for re-election.

Left Coast Conservative: You know, it would be galling if they would just say, "We are liberals and Kerry's our biatch." But that would take balls and wouldn't be in keeping with the Marxist teachings.

Freshwater Blog: This story is huge if true, not to mention Kerry's goose will be cooked (no pun intended)

Junkyard Blog: All that the new stories and newly found documents prove is what has been obvious for quite a while: John Kerry was North Vietnam's man in Washington.

Electric Venom: for as long as I’ve been alive John Kerry has sought to undermine the United States on the global stage. This Hanoi thing? It’s just another in a long list.

DGCI: think he's perfectly fit to serve. Time, that is, in a Federal lockup.

Digger: I'm sure the left will come out and blab once again about how "this is nothing, just more slanderous items".

ISOU (our favorite lefty): I see no clear evidence of anything other than what has been known for 30 years, that the Vietnamese Government encouraged and supported the anti-war movement...