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Long rumored, often written off as "just conspiracy talk," Richard Nixon's successful efforts to sabotage the 1968 Viet Nam Cease-Fire Agreement in order to hurt the Democrats in the Presidential election... an act that led to another 20,000 American deaths, and which was a capital offense under the Logan Act... that was no mere smear story, that was the actual real deal, as documented now by George Will.
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The new release of extended versions of Nixon's papers now confirms this long-standing belief, usually dismissed as a "conspiracy theory" by Republican conservatives. Now it has been substantiated by none other than right-wing columnist George Will.
Nixon's newly revealed records show for certain that in 1968, as a presidential candidate, he ordered Anna Chennault, his liaison to the South Vietnam government, to persuade them refuse a cease-fire being brokered by President Lyndon Johnson.
Nixon's interference with these negotiations violated President John Adams's 1797 Logan Act, banning private citizens from intruding into official government negotiations with a foreign nation.
Published as the 40th Anniversary of Nixon's resignation approaches, Will's column confirms that Nixon feared public disclosure of his role in sabotaging the 1968 Vietnam peace talks. Will says Nixon established a "plumbers unit" to stop potential leaks of information that might damage him, including documentation he believed was held by the Brookings Institute, a liberal think tank. The Plumbers' later break-in at the Democratic National Committee led to the Watergate scandal that brought Nixon down.
Nixon's sabotage of the Vietnam peace talks was confirmed by transcripts of FBI wiretaps. On November 2, 1968, LBJ received an FBI report saying Chernnault told the South Vietnamese ambassador that "she had received a message from her boss: saying the Vietnamese should "hold on, we are gonna win."
As Will confirms, Vietnamese did "hold on," the war proceeded and Nixon did win, changing forever the face of American politics----with the shadow of treason permanently embedded in its DNA.
Long rumored, often written off as "just conspiracy talk," Richard Nixon's successful efforts to sabotage the 1968 Viet Nam Cease-Fire Agreement in order to hurt the Democrats in the Presidential election... an act that led to another 20,000 American deaths, and which was a capital offense under the Logan Act... that was no mere smear story, that was the actual real deal, as documented now by George Will.
I think it's possible that Nixon, as smart as he was, possessed the most corrupt, ruthless, and amoral mentality ever to occupy the Oval Office. He was utterly dishonest and self serving.
I think it's possible that Nixon, as smart as he was, possessed the most corrupt, ruthless, and amoral mentality ever to occupy the Oval Office. He was utterly dishonest and self serving.
Exactly. I know it's popular in certain circles to refer to George W. Bush as the Worst President Ever, but I'm personally convinced it was Nixon.
And for those who didn't follow the link, this is no idle speculation. The man actually did it, and now the proof is in the public record, having finally been released from the archives.
If Republicans dismiss something as a conspiracy theory then there is a decent chance it actually happened. It's also a fact that Ronald Reagan actively worked with the Iranians to try to convince them NOT to release the American hostages because he knew the hostage crisis would hurt President Carter's reelection chances. That's conspiring with a hostile foreign government to do harm against the country and its citizens. That is simply treason and the man should have been hanged.
This certainly happened, but violating the Logan Act in the way Nixon and Kissinger did is not "treason" in a legal sense; only, perhaps, in a moral sense.
The urge to call Nixon's actions "treason" fails for the same reason that it fails when applied by RWNJs to Jane Fonda; treason is very specifically defined in the U.S. Constitution itself. "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." (Art. 3 Sec. 3) That's a high bar, and it was made high for a reason.
This certainly happened, but violating the Logan Act in the way Nixon and Kissinger did is not "treason" in a legal sense; only, perhaps, in a moral sense.
The urge to call Nixon's actions "treason" fails for the same reason that it fails when applied by RWNJs to Jane Fonda; treason is very specifically defined in the U.S. Constitution itself. "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." (Art. 3 Sec. 3) That's a high bar, and it was made high for a reason.
Good point.
It was certainly evil and diabolical, but it's not treason.
The shame is that in a sense, I really like Nixon and believe that he actually had the potential to be one of the century's best presidents if he wasn't so damn paranoid.
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