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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.=20
Kerry at first denied attending the November 1971 meeting of Vietnam =
Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in Kansas City, Mo. But according to FBI =
files obtained by CNSNews.com, Kerry was in attendance at the 1971 =
meeting that 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.=20
"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 at a televised press =
conference two weeks ago, Kerry said, "I haven't talked to Al Hubbard =
since that week" of the April 1971 Meet the Press appearance.=20
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.=20
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 from 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 said.=20
"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."
More recently, 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.
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =
size=3D3>Five days after=20
<B>CNSNews.com</B> reported that Democrat John Kerry had attended a 1971 =
anti-war meeting at which the possible assassination of U.S. senators =
was=20
discussed, the presidential hopeful is still backpedaling on statements=20
regarding his whereabouts during that meeting. <BR><BR>Kerry at first =
denied=20
attending the November 1971 meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War =
(VVAW)=20
in Kansas City, Mo. But according to FBI files obtained by =
<B>CNSNews.com</B>,=20
Kerry was in attendance at the 1971 meeting that included talk of =
possibly=20
assassinating U.S. senators. VVAW members discussed targeting =
then-Senators=20
Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, John Tower of Texas and John Stennis =
of=20
Mississippi because of their continuing support for the Vietnam=20
war.<BR><BR>Early last week, Kerry's presidential campaign spokesman =
David Wade=20
told the <I>New York Sun</I>, "Kerry was not at the Kansas City =
meeting." Wade=20
added that Kerry had resigned from the VVAW "sometime in the summer of=20
1971."<BR><BR>But following the March 18 publication of the =
<B>CNSNews.com</B>=20
</FONT><A=20
href=3D"http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewPolitics.asp?Page=3D\\Politics\\archi=
ve\\200403\\POL20040318a.html"=20
target=3D_blank><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =
size=3D3>report</FONT></A><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>, in which the FBI files were used to =
corroborate=20
Kerry''s attendance at the meeting, Wade reversed himself. <BR><BR>"If =
there are=20
valid FBI surveillance reports from credible sources that place some of =
those=20
disagreements in Kansas City, we accept that historical footnote in the =
account=20
of his work to end the difficult and divisive war," Wade said in a =
statement=20
late last week.<BR><BR>Kerry also retreated from an earlier comment he =
made in=20
response to a <B>CNSNews.com</B> question about former VVAW executive =
director=20
Al Hubbard. Kerry and Hubbard appeared together on an April 18, 1971 =
broadcast=20
of the news show <I>Meet the Press </I>to discuss their anti-war=20
efforts.<BR><BR>But Hubbard, who had passed himself off as a decorated =
Air Force=20
captain, was later shown to have lied about his military record. An =
</FONT><A=20
href=3D"http://www.cnsnews.com/Politics/Archive/200403/POL20040303a.html"=
=20
target=3D_blank><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>investigation =
</FONT></A><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>in 1971 by a CBS News reporter =
revealed that there=20
were no military records showing that Hubbard had either served in =
Vietnam or=20
was injured there.<BR><BR>When asked about his relationship with Hubbard =
at a=20
televised press conference two weeks ago, Kerry said, "I haven't talked =
to Al=20
Hubbard since that week" of the April 1971 <I>Meet the Press</I> =
appearance.=20
<BR><BR>But after <B>CNSNews.com</B> </FONT><A=20
href=3D"http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewPolitics.asp?Page=3D\\Politics\\archi=
ve\\200403\\POL20040318a.html"=20
target=3D_blank><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =
size=3D3>reported</FONT></A><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3> that FBI files and eyewitness =
accounts from=20
former VVAW members had placed Kerry and Hubbard in the same place on =
several=20
occasions after the <I>Meet the Press</I> appearance, the Kerry campaign =
conceded that the senator was also incorrect on that point. =
<BR><BR>Other news=20
outlets, including the <I>New York Times</I>, the <I>Washington Post</I> =
and ABC=20
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=20
when he resigned from the VVAW and the last time he saw =
Hubbard.<BR><BR>Gerald=20
Nicosia, author of the book <I>Home to War: A History of the Vietnam =
Veterans'=20
Movement</I> and a Kerry supporter, told <B>CNSNews</B>.com last week =
that Kerry=20
was being less than truthful about his anti-war activities.<BR><BR>"I am =
having=20
some problems with the things he is saying right now, which are not =
matching up=20
with accuracy," Nicosia said. <BR><BR>"I am in kind of an awkward =
position here.=20
I am a Kerry supporter and I certainly don't want to do anything that =
hurts him.=20
On the other hand, my number one allegiance is to truth. So I am going =
to go=20
with where the facts are, and John is going to have to deal with that," =
Nicosia=20
said.<BR><BR>Kerry hosted a reception in Nicosia's honor in 2001 when =
the book=20
was released and </FONT><A=20
href=3D"http://www.geraldnicosia.com/html/geraldframeset2.html?htow/gnhom=
etowarreviews.html~content"=20
target=3D_blank><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =
size=3D3>praised</FONT></A><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3> it as an "important new book [that] =
ties together=20
the many threads of a difficult period in our history every American =
should take=20
the time to understand in its totality."<BR><BR>More recently, Nicosia =
offered=20
some advice for Kerry: "The chickens are coming home to roost, and =
unfortunately=20
he is starting to backtrack and I personally don't think backtracking is =
going=20
to work because people are going to go at him and find the =
discrepancies,"=20
Nicosia said.</FONT><BR><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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