Rhino
03-09-2001, 04:23 AM
WarLady1
Owner/Op/Moderator
posts: 923
(1/28/01 8:13:40 pm)
| Del All
The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.newsmax.com/archives/...5358.shtml (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/...5358.shtml)
John LeBoutillier
Friday Jan. 26, 2001
Tomorrow, January 27, is the 28th anniversary of the single worst act of betrayal in American history.
Tomorrow is the 28th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords – the agreement that supposedly was going to end the Vietnam War.
On January 27, 1973, in an ornate conference center on Avenue Kleber in wintry Paris, then-Secretary of State William P. Rogers signed the agreement. America let out a collective sigh of exhausted air; the dreadful war was finally over.
But, of course, it was not over.
Two more years of agony would ensue. On April 30, 1975, with a new president, Gerald Ford, in the Oval Office, the North Vietnamese officially won the Vietnam War when their tanks rolled into Saigon.
The Paris Peace Accords soon faded from memory for most Americans, who just wanted to put this horrible episode in our history behind them once and for all.
But that agreement contained two interrelated clauses: numbers 21 and 8b. They were – and have been ever since – linked in one of the most heinous betrayals in American political history.
In order to get out of Vietnam, as Henry Kissinger, the Peace Accords’ architect, so desperately wanted, he and President Nixon had to secretly – in a private letter – promise to pay the communist North Vietnamese $4.75 billion, ostensibly to "heal the wounds of war," as Clause 21 said.
All Nixon wanted – besides putting the war in our rearview mirror – was the return of all remaining U.S. POWs in SE Asia. Clause 8b promised that Hanoi would help round up these men. The two clauses were then – and have been since – linked together by Hanoi. The Vietnamese have said a thousand times, "You pay us the money and we will ‘go look’ (ha ha) for your missing POWs."
It has since been learned that Hanoi kept behind about 1,200 U.S. POWs as a hedge against Nixon-Kissinger’s $4.75 billion promise.
Well, guess what?
It is now 28 years later and we have yet to pay one cent to Hanoi.
And guess what else?
Not one of those POWs has ever been released.
Kissinger was so desperate to keep secret the $4.75 billion promise to Hanoi that he and his sidekick, General Brent Scowcroft, kept that letter classified for four years! Even members of Congress were told that no such letter existed and no such financial promise had ever been made to Hanoi.
OK, fine. You may now want to say, "To hell with the Commies in Vietnam. We shouldn’t pay them a penny!"
Normally I would share your sentiment.
But please explain to the 1,200 U.S. POWs why their lives have been relegated to serving as slaves to Hanoi and sacrificial lambs for the preservation of political careers back here in Washington.
The answer is simple: We Americans like to think we are "a shining city on a hill serving as a beacon for all the world to follow." Well, in the case of our extrication from the Vietnam War we behaved exactly like our enemies: We broke agreements, lied about it and betrayed our national character.
America as a nation and as a people will not be whole until we go back to Vietnam and bring each and every surviving POW home – no matter the financial cost.
Only then can we put January 27, 1973 – the most shameful day of betrayal in American history – behind us.
What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? --Thomas Jefferson (Memo to Ted Kennedy)
AtomicLibSmasher
TaskMaster
posts: 264
(1/28/01 8:17:12 pm)
| Del
Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This better not be true......
“Americans are so enamored with equality they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” -Alexis de Tocqueville
Rhino
Gold Star Member
posts: 140
(1/28/01 8:22:18 pm)
| Del Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I doubt the 1,200 figure is, but you never know....
"We have every right to dream heroic dreams." - Ronald Reagan
pjallittle
Gold Star Member
posts: 253
(1/28/01 8:49:22 pm)
| Del Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited by: pjallittle at: 2/5/01 12:01:51 am
MarkHamilton
New Member
posts: 2
(1/28/01 8:59:41 pm)
| Del Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, that is not exactly how I heard it. It is true the US promised billions to rebuild N. Vietnam, when all the the peace treaty provisions were adhered too. It was pretty clear within months of the signing that the North did not withdraw all troops to North V. or stop its infiltration and aggression against the South.
Americans hope (as we always do) that money talks against fanatics and ideologues...N.V. could have cared less as its real goal was apparent.
The REAL betrayal is that of the United States to the South Vietnamese; i.e. we promised continued arms, ammo, and air support as long as needed. By the fall of Vietnam, Congress embargoed any funds for Vietnamese ammunition and the SV Army shriviled in the closing months.
This betryal is widely known and accepted - and shows how we sell out friends .... too bad.
Rink03
New Member
posts: 8
(1/30/01 4:01:40 am)
| Del
Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately Warlady and I am touching on a different but similar topic to that of the 'Betrayal' and 'Breaking of agreements'.
If you take a look at the Native American history of this country you will see that this nation's government's have again and again broken one agreement treaty after another; promised payment and recompense for lands taken from the Indians that have been reneged upon over and over up to this very day, this is nothing new to me. Take a look at the Cherokee Trail of Tears; the Cherokee were the Most civilized Indian nation in the country, yet they were betrayed by this country's government.
I know this is a ruthless statement that bothers me, but if our government can betray an entire people in this very country, whats a few POW's???
I remember the Vietnam war and it had put an indelible mark upon me, I have not forgotten the Vienam POW's and I object to the fact that they all were mainly deserters, that is a lie and a slap in the face to those families that are still torn asunder by this unhealed wound. That may be a rumor, but to me its a shameful rumor that is not worthy of mentioning.
If it ever could bring back the POW's by all means pay the commie bastards and be done with it, I wish this Nations leaders would get some guts and do whats right on this no matter how distasteful it may be to them.
My 2 cents worth of drivel...
You don't have to like it -- you just have to do it
And meet all life's challenges head on!
absinthe
New Member
posts: 3
(1/30/01 4:40:46 am)
| Del MarkHamilton...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's true that every side in the area had many people who were out for number one..themselves. But when you talk nationalities..the only S. Viet forces that ever proved themselves as truly loyal were the 'Yards' that worked alongside us in SF squads. Thats a pretty small number when you think of everything that went on.
Yes..there were others who did something but lets not forget that the S.V. insisted that they have a liason to whom General Abrams would brief on our Spec Ops activities. That person relayed everything, (down to the individual mission manifest), to the VC command.
Please don't expect any Americans to be sympathetic to Southern Viet. We infused millions into their economy and they still tried to rip off joe.
A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."--Stephen Crane
Owner/Op/Moderator
posts: 923
(1/28/01 8:13:40 pm)
| Del All
The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.newsmax.com/archives/...5358.shtml (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/...5358.shtml)
John LeBoutillier
Friday Jan. 26, 2001
Tomorrow, January 27, is the 28th anniversary of the single worst act of betrayal in American history.
Tomorrow is the 28th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords – the agreement that supposedly was going to end the Vietnam War.
On January 27, 1973, in an ornate conference center on Avenue Kleber in wintry Paris, then-Secretary of State William P. Rogers signed the agreement. America let out a collective sigh of exhausted air; the dreadful war was finally over.
But, of course, it was not over.
Two more years of agony would ensue. On April 30, 1975, with a new president, Gerald Ford, in the Oval Office, the North Vietnamese officially won the Vietnam War when their tanks rolled into Saigon.
The Paris Peace Accords soon faded from memory for most Americans, who just wanted to put this horrible episode in our history behind them once and for all.
But that agreement contained two interrelated clauses: numbers 21 and 8b. They were – and have been ever since – linked in one of the most heinous betrayals in American political history.
In order to get out of Vietnam, as Henry Kissinger, the Peace Accords’ architect, so desperately wanted, he and President Nixon had to secretly – in a private letter – promise to pay the communist North Vietnamese $4.75 billion, ostensibly to "heal the wounds of war," as Clause 21 said.
All Nixon wanted – besides putting the war in our rearview mirror – was the return of all remaining U.S. POWs in SE Asia. Clause 8b promised that Hanoi would help round up these men. The two clauses were then – and have been since – linked together by Hanoi. The Vietnamese have said a thousand times, "You pay us the money and we will ‘go look’ (ha ha) for your missing POWs."
It has since been learned that Hanoi kept behind about 1,200 U.S. POWs as a hedge against Nixon-Kissinger’s $4.75 billion promise.
Well, guess what?
It is now 28 years later and we have yet to pay one cent to Hanoi.
And guess what else?
Not one of those POWs has ever been released.
Kissinger was so desperate to keep secret the $4.75 billion promise to Hanoi that he and his sidekick, General Brent Scowcroft, kept that letter classified for four years! Even members of Congress were told that no such letter existed and no such financial promise had ever been made to Hanoi.
OK, fine. You may now want to say, "To hell with the Commies in Vietnam. We shouldn’t pay them a penny!"
Normally I would share your sentiment.
But please explain to the 1,200 U.S. POWs why their lives have been relegated to serving as slaves to Hanoi and sacrificial lambs for the preservation of political careers back here in Washington.
The answer is simple: We Americans like to think we are "a shining city on a hill serving as a beacon for all the world to follow." Well, in the case of our extrication from the Vietnam War we behaved exactly like our enemies: We broke agreements, lied about it and betrayed our national character.
America as a nation and as a people will not be whole until we go back to Vietnam and bring each and every surviving POW home – no matter the financial cost.
Only then can we put January 27, 1973 – the most shameful day of betrayal in American history – behind us.
What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? --Thomas Jefferson (Memo to Ted Kennedy)
AtomicLibSmasher
TaskMaster
posts: 264
(1/28/01 8:17:12 pm)
| Del
Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This better not be true......
“Americans are so enamored with equality they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” -Alexis de Tocqueville
Rhino
Gold Star Member
posts: 140
(1/28/01 8:22:18 pm)
| Del Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I doubt the 1,200 figure is, but you never know....
"We have every right to dream heroic dreams." - Ronald Reagan
pjallittle
Gold Star Member
posts: 253
(1/28/01 8:49:22 pm)
| Del Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited by: pjallittle at: 2/5/01 12:01:51 am
MarkHamilton
New Member
posts: 2
(1/28/01 8:59:41 pm)
| Del Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, that is not exactly how I heard it. It is true the US promised billions to rebuild N. Vietnam, when all the the peace treaty provisions were adhered too. It was pretty clear within months of the signing that the North did not withdraw all troops to North V. or stop its infiltration and aggression against the South.
Americans hope (as we always do) that money talks against fanatics and ideologues...N.V. could have cared less as its real goal was apparent.
The REAL betrayal is that of the United States to the South Vietnamese; i.e. we promised continued arms, ammo, and air support as long as needed. By the fall of Vietnam, Congress embargoed any funds for Vietnamese ammunition and the SV Army shriviled in the closing months.
This betryal is widely known and accepted - and shows how we sell out friends .... too bad.
Rink03
New Member
posts: 8
(1/30/01 4:01:40 am)
| Del
Re: The Most Shameful Act of Betrayal in US History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately Warlady and I am touching on a different but similar topic to that of the 'Betrayal' and 'Breaking of agreements'.
If you take a look at the Native American history of this country you will see that this nation's government's have again and again broken one agreement treaty after another; promised payment and recompense for lands taken from the Indians that have been reneged upon over and over up to this very day, this is nothing new to me. Take a look at the Cherokee Trail of Tears; the Cherokee were the Most civilized Indian nation in the country, yet they were betrayed by this country's government.
I know this is a ruthless statement that bothers me, but if our government can betray an entire people in this very country, whats a few POW's???
I remember the Vietnam war and it had put an indelible mark upon me, I have not forgotten the Vienam POW's and I object to the fact that they all were mainly deserters, that is a lie and a slap in the face to those families that are still torn asunder by this unhealed wound. That may be a rumor, but to me its a shameful rumor that is not worthy of mentioning.
If it ever could bring back the POW's by all means pay the commie bastards and be done with it, I wish this Nations leaders would get some guts and do whats right on this no matter how distasteful it may be to them.
My 2 cents worth of drivel...
You don't have to like it -- you just have to do it
And meet all life's challenges head on!
absinthe
New Member
posts: 3
(1/30/01 4:40:46 am)
| Del MarkHamilton...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's true that every side in the area had many people who were out for number one..themselves. But when you talk nationalities..the only S. Viet forces that ever proved themselves as truly loyal were the 'Yards' that worked alongside us in SF squads. Thats a pretty small number when you think of everything that went on.
Yes..there were others who did something but lets not forget that the S.V. insisted that they have a liason to whom General Abrams would brief on our Spec Ops activities. That person relayed everything, (down to the individual mission manifest), to the VC command.
Please don't expect any Americans to be sympathetic to Southern Viet. We infused millions into their economy and they still tried to rip off joe.
A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."--Stephen Crane