The FBI on Kerry, circa '71

[Gary Sisco]

1970s FBI File Pegs Kerry As Moderate

Thu May 6, 3:31 AM ET

By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The FBI (news - web sites), closely tracking the anti-war movement in the 1970s, concluded John Kerry (news - web sites) was a glib, moderate figure in a Vietnam veterans group that took a radical turn around the time he left it, documents show.

The FBI file on Vietnam Veterans Against the War says the organization swung toward "militant and revolutionary-type activities" but accuses Kerry, now the Democratic presidential candidate, of little more than charisma.

The bureau's more than four-year investigation of the organization — everything from its plots to pot luck suppers — is detailed in more than 9,000 pages released Wednesday under a Freedom of Information Act request from The Associated Press.

An FBI summary of the anti-war protests Kerry helped organize in April 1971 says the decorated war hero "overshadowed" many of the organization's other leaders and was "a more popular and eloquent figure" than the rest.

"Kerry was glib, cool, and displayed just what the moderate elements wanted to reflect," the summary says.

Although the FBI was watching Kerry and the other protesters earlier in 1971, it placed the group under active investigation in August of that year following reports from many field offices that members were "engaging in illegal and subversive activities," an FBI memo says. Kerry left the group before the end of 1971 and was not implicated in violent activities or conspiracies attributed to other members in the file.

That memo, which does not mention Kerry, says that in 1972, the group "moved toward increased militant and revolutionary-type activities in addition to continued cooperation with communist-dominated groups and foreign elements hostile to the U.S."

By then, Kerry had moved on to an ill-fated run for a seat in Congress. A newspaper clipping in the FBI file notes his move to politics.

The FBI memo — the names of the sender and recipient are blacked out — asserts that the investigation of the group was never directed or influenced by the Nixon White House. This, despite known efforts by Nixon's aides to discredit Kerry.

Campaigning Wednesday in Los Angeles, Kerry welcomed the release of the records.

"I think it's great," he said. "I'm very proud of my efforts to end the war. I welcome anybody's perusal of them. I'm proud that I stood up to Richard Nixon. And you know, I personally have also requested those documents. So I'm happy to have them out there. It's terrific."

Kerry is mentioned only sporadically in the file, most of which covers the group's activities from 1972 to 1975. During that time, the FBI told field offices to recruit informants among the organization's members.

In one document, the FBI field office in Pittsburgh notes that Kerry spoke at the University of Pittsburgh on Nov. 3, 1971. "The essence of Kerry's speech was to condemn those who did not get involved in social change," the FBI memo says. "He urged those present to make a conscientious commitment to end the war."

An April 12, 1971, FBI memo from Baltimore quotes a confidential source as saying that Kerry had been telling members of the group that "Congress is prepared to listen" to their anti-war agenda but cautioned that it was critical that the coming demonstrations remain nonviolent. Kerry was on the group's national steering committee at the time.

Another FBI memo describes in detail the medals Kerry won as a Navy lieutenant in Vietnam and noted he was a Yale graduate who was named class orator in 1966.

In contrast, others members of the group were accused of conspiracy to riot during the 1972 Republican National Convention, of passing classified information to a Japanese communist leader, and various acts of violence. A Connecticut member was arrested with an explosive device en route to a speech given by Vice President Spiro Agnew.

More benign activities were tracked, too.

One "confidential" memo reports that the St. Louis chapter has begun meeting every other week, "with the business meeting first followed by pot luck dinner which is then followed by a political education rap session."

___

Associated Press Writer Curt Anderson contributed to this report.

[Root Doctor]

"The FBI file on Vietnam Veterans Against the War says the organization swung toward "militant and revolutionary-type activities" but accuses Kerry, now the Democratic presidential candidate, of little more than charisma."

Kerry charismatic? Can't the FBI get anything right?

[clinthopson]

I, for one, believe everything ther FBI says

[Gary Sisco]

You can't believe much, I'll tell you. My mentor got his file from the FOIA and they had him down as a supporter of Weather when he was their most vociferous left opponent. Go figure. Some FBI guys also broke into his lower East Side apartment, from the fire escape -- and went to jail for it! Breaking and entering ain't legal without a warrant, duh. All they found was a lot of books, a typewriter, and his perfectly legal, GI-issue .30 cal carbine from WW2 (of which I am now the proud owner).

For what it's worth, VVAW, of which I was a member, was always, from the beginning, not only the first Viet vet organization -- and now the oldest since it's still around -- it was also *not* doing anything illegal or violent, in that period, or any period. Militant, yes. Rowdy, yes. Violent, no.

The FBI found violence everywhere it looked in those days -- primarily because its agents were provoking or arranging it, as they did with the assassination of Fred Hampton, for instance, and the attempted assassination of Geronimo Pratt, for another. Almost everyone talking violence in those days turned out in the end to be an FBI agent or informer when people went on trial (and they turned up as witnesses for the prosecution) or later, when the FOIA confirmed that the most militant of militant militants were nearly 100 percent FBI. Fred Hampton's "bodyguard" for one. He gave Hampton a mickey to be sure he'd be in his bed, asleep, when the hit took place, which he was. They tried to hit Pratt in his bed, as well, but the one piece of intelligence they didn't have was that he'd been severely wounded in Vietnam and had to sleep on the floor because of a fucked up back. He didn't sleep in his bed. A good thing, considering how they riddled it with bullets in the dead of night. He still ended up doing more time than Nelson Mandela, and for no reason. A judge finally ordered him released as a wrongly imprisoned man some years back.

Nitwits can't even kill anyone right. Much less face to face or even conscious, when they might actually be able to defend themselves. Cowards than and cowards still. Fuck ups then and fuck ups still. Just another bureaucracy, albeit an armed one, so what can you expect.

[Monte Smith]

No offense, Gary, although inevitably this question will cause some: at any point in your life, do you think you could quit referring to this guy as "your mentor?" Especially as you live in Vermont and take care of horses and play no role whatsoever in any world historic revolution?

I apologize for the snarkiness of that, but'd really like to know. I know that I suck, and have never been a revolutionary, and have't served in the Coast Guard, and cannot speak to these martial/class issues, etc., etc.

[Gary Sisco]

Why should I stop referring to my mentor as my mentor? And what relevance has your question to the topic? Is it possible here to talk about anything anymore without engaging in personal questions?

For what it's worth, Monte, I actually have several. One who schooled me in music. Another who schooled me in English lit and Irish lit written in English. And one who schooled me in philosophy and radical history. Excuse me for treating them with the respect due. I'd forgotten it's no longer fashionable. All are still friends and I consider all still my mentors. So what?

Whether I am or am not involved anymore in a movement (not surprisingly, since there isn't one) changes nothing in my relationships with people.

By the way, punk, since you insist on mocking the CG, a CG sailor, 25, from Long Island, was blown to tiny bits the other day when the suicide boats exploded. He was on his way with a six-man crew to interdict. Do you want to question the seriousness of his service, too? Another was wounded yesterday. How about his? I will note once again that you had not the balls to be doing security for the oil terminals and platforms in Iraq -- a USCG duty -- never mind search and interdict duty -- also a USCG duty -- in the Gulf with a six-man crew. Indeed, you hadn't the balls to serve as a clerk on a stateside base in your own home city, for that matter. So, unless you are willing to walk the walk, stop embarassing yourself, Ramboid. Stallone skipped real service, too. Like you -- and every other gung ho prick who makes damned sure his own little ass isn't on the line anywhere -- his precious personal life was more important than anything resembling service or duty.

Try getting a life of your own apart from taking potshots at others on the bbs, nearly all of which are snarky, and personal as well. If you can't or don't want to talk about ideas and history, why not start your own threads.

No offense, indeed. Shut the fuck up with that smarmy ceremony. Offense is the only thing you intended, but it wasn't necessary, really, since the fact that people like you are even possible, never mind living reality, is offensive in itself.

I'll also remind you, Mr Gung Ho, that it was I -- not you -- who attempted to enlist the National Guard after 9/11. You did nothing but run your fingers across a keyboard. Nothing at all. That I was turned down for age changes nothing. You were plenty young enough.

And by the way, two days ago they buried a young man from that same VT Nat'l Guard, which is fighting in Iraq today -- the second VT NG KIA (so far). Indeed, the NG now accounts for two of the eight KIAs (and five wounded) so far from VT alone.

Those were men. You're a punk and always will be, because when your opportunity to show otherwise arose, you punked out. Completely. Like all of your kind.

[Monte Smith]

I mean you could call him Murray and we'd all still know who you were talking about. Or, since you brought up Stallone, the Bookchinator.

[Gary Sisco]

Fuck you.

No offense intended of course.

The main reason is so that when people pull his name up on a search, they don't have to read idiotic, embarassing, and disrespectful commentary from the likes of you.

Murray, by the way, is a vet of WW2 -- your famous greatest generation you pretend to celebrate. So long as it costs you nothing, personally. He's another who's walked the walk. He didn't spend his life as a poseur and coward.

[Monte Smith]

None taken.

[Gary Sisco]

That's too bad. I'll try harder next time.

[jesus marion joseph]

A "glib moderate"? Are they trying to say he was a patsy?

[SpenceJ]

You read 1 or or 3 or 20,000 of the John Kerry files now

http://www.paperlessarchives.com/vvaw.html

and/or

http://www.paperlessarchives.com/john_kerry.html