I mean, the reality is, there were 24,000 American troops on the ground in South Vietnam. Colonel, Michelle Malkin (search) actually discovered other quotes that she had said. She visited Russia in the early Sixties, and was personally impressed by the deference she received. You will not be surprised to hear that I have bowdlerised the above considerably, removing racial designators and course expressions of various sorts. Putnams Sons. MacArthur complained that his conduct of the war was compromised by spies within the U.S. government: "The enemy receives my (Pentagon) directives before I do". Mr. Nolan wrote something that helped me better understand the fury of this sort of reaction. In fact, when the Tet Offensive broke, Jane Fonda was the featured pinup girl in that months issue of Leatherneck , the official publication of the Marines. It never happened. I dont think they know, Fonda said in a news conference when she returned home. Manywere there to protest the Vietnam War. ET!. Trusted Writing on History, Travel, and American Culture Since 1949. The Washington Post spent that day with Fonda, following her and a dozen or so students to Fort Meade in Maryland, where they planned to hand out antiwar leaflets to soldiers. This, probably more than anything, earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane.. Rumors spread and still persist that she betrayed them by accepting secret notes and then turning them over to the North Vietnamese. Just another old women of no consequence, don't give her any credit for ending the war, people like John Kerry and Max Cleland don't even think it's over yet. "KOREA: Shortly thereafter Truman, with Congress averting its eyes, committed U.S. troops to Korea. Yeah, said my stepdaughter, Jill, when I told her about this. _taboola.push({ The Veterans of Foreign Wars passed a resolution calling for her to be prosecuted as a traitor. Please, you cant let them be published. Also Read: 'Jane Fonda in Five Acts' Film Review: Doc Explores the Many Lives of the Actress-Activist, She posed on an antiaircraft gun used to shoot down our American pilots. True, by Fondas admission. Its folklore, but folklore of a curiously evolved sort. Watch "Hannity & Colmes" weeknights at 9 p.m. However, the fact that she advocated Communism does not give anyone license to make up stories or slander. CHRIS WALLACE: Who the people in the Nixon administration? Thats all the ground troops were going home. In no sense am I a Fonda apologist. And the question I have is 50 years later, how do you look back on that particular chapter? container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', Did our government lie to us during Vietnam? I mean, the fact is, there's no statute on treason, by the way. Kellysaid she was among those at Fox News sexually harassed by Ailes. Also Read: Megyn Kelly Trashed by Rosie O'Donnell as 'Spineless Wanna Be Barbie' for Jane Fonda Spat. And, you know, I think they thought, Oh, shes this white privilege rich, famous daughter of all of that stuff. Jane Fonda tested the limits of patriotic dissent. All Rights Reserved, Copyright MAGA Conservatives. Others were hoping to catch a glimpse of a famous Hollywood actress. http://www.truthminers.com/truth/hanoi_jane.htm; Biden Should Remove Cuba from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism, Descendants of Slaveholder Donor Denounce Law School Name Change, How Social Media and Community Schools Could Fill in Gaps Teaching Black History, American Girl Dolls Declare the 1990s Ancient History, Review: DeSantis's Book is a Campaign Tome Written by ChatGPT, Reconsidering Phillis Wheatley's Place in the Revolutionary Era, Philosopher Lewis Gordon's Impact on Black Jewish History, Quintard Taylor's Black Past Project Fights Erasure of History, Review: The Unfinished Business of "Double V", One Reason to Confirm National Archivist Fast? During the photo sessions during her visit to Vietnam, she strongly believed were setups and a grave mistake on her part. ET! Dave Its folklore, but folklore of a curiously evolved sort. As Pioneer Rap Trio Suffers Tragic Loss, Long-Awaited Back Catalog is Finally Released, Bret Baiers Interview With FBI Director Shows What A Joke It Is to Pose Him As Foxs Real Journalism Successor to Chris Wallace, Jimmy Kimmel Calls Tucker Carlson Putins Favorite Little Nesting Doll After He Accused Kimmel of Using Foreign Gov. She posed on an anti-aircraft gun used to shoot down our American pilots. Once U.S. forces were committed in large numbers the U.S. federal government, as in Korea, prohibited them from attacking specified enemy sanctuaries (staging areas) into which the communists retreated, regrouped, re-armed and launched renewed attacks. In July of 1972, she made two trips to According to the email she visited Hanoi in 1968. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Why has no one been hanged for high treason? Aristide was an ENEMY of Communism, hence his downfall. That begs the question, responsible for what? In it, she apologizes once again for insulting the men and women who fought in Vietnam. During the visit she posed for several pictures. If a prisoner tried to escape, it is quite understandable that he would probably be beaten and tortured.. I have great, great children, talented, smart, and I just didnt know how to do it. Her lawsuit started it all: Former Fox host Gretchen Carlson claims Ailes repeatedly sexually harassed her. The Roger Ailes and Bill OReilly scandals have cast even some old departures in a new light. [2] Peter Collier, The Fondas; A Hollywood Dynasty. Fox News has enhanced the careers of numerous women who have served as hosts. They knew we were coming. It is always distressing to find American citizens who benefit from the protection and assistance of this government lending their voice in any way to governments such as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam distressing indeed, said State Department spokesman Charles W. Bray, according to a July 1972 Reuters story. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. And it was a terrible mistake because of the image that it showed, which was not at all what the reality was. Number two: You've got the POW meeting, where she sits down and holds a press conference for propaganda purposes with these prisoners of war. For a great many people, its not enough that Jane Fonda went to North Vietnam, offered encouragement to an army that was daily killing her countrymen, climbed up on that anti-aircraft gun, insisted that all American prisoners were well treated, and so on. NORTH (on camera): What did the guys in your squad say about this? I spent many years its when I made coming home talking to American soldiers, who had been in Vietnam and the things they told me were heartbreaking. A photograph caught her looking through the scope of an anti-aircraft gun, surrounded by revolutionaries. I mean, he realized that. Heres how we saw the article we ran: It is a survey of the singular career of a woman who both drove and was driven by many of the largest social concerns of her era, and who came to embody some of them. She was reportedly also an aspirant for a role on "Fox & Friends," the network's morning show. Fifty years later, he bears witness again. Did we lie about the body that we planted on Omaha Beach (search), trying to convince the Germans that we were going to land somewhere else? I make it a habit not to intervene as an intern. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. She called our POWs hypocrites and liars and referred to their torture as understandable. Market data provided by Factset. It never happened. Laurie Dhue was a familiar presence on Fox in the early 2000s but left the network in 2008. Radio broadcasts, which attempted to shame American troops: Fonda did record messages that the North Vietnamese played for Americans to weaken their resolve. In 2005, she apologized again on 60 . I am assured it will be taken care of. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Due to the pressure of so-called "rationalists", Article VI, Paragraph 3 of the Constitution forbids Congress from excluding Communists, Anti-Semites, or Globalists from its membership, allowing the control that you decry. Have a tip we should know? But And, as she does, each POW palms her a scrap of paper with his Social Security number written on it. re: Jane Fonda visiting BR this weekend Posted on 3/3/23 at 9:43 am to Chipand2Putts. No article of ours gets hundreds of letters, but this one did, very few of them friendly. A young photographer took this harrowing image of the Vietnam War. For a great many people, its not enough that Jane Fonda went to North Vietnam, offered encouragement to an army that was daily killing her countrymen, climbed up on that anti-aircraft gun, insisted that all American prisoners were well treated, and so on. She has said that she regrets doing this. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, Megyn Kelly Trashed by Rosie O'Donnell as 'Spineless Wanna Be Barbie' for Jane Fonda Spat, 'Jane Fonda in Five Acts' Film Review: Doc Explores the Many Lives of the Actress-Activist, How Jane Fonda Explains 'Hanoi Jane': 'Regret to My Dying Day', said she was among those at Fox News sexually harassed by Ailes. Its something very like the worst sort of lovers betrayal, the deep wound that time itself often is powerless to heal. No, after the Left's "victory" in the United State's withdrawal from Southeast Asia, the matter of consequences was conveniently dropped from the discussion. Those words were written by Michael Benge, a civilian advisor captured by the Viet Cong in 1968 and held as a POW for 5 years. It was my mistake, and I have paid and continue to pay a heavy price for it. Why? Kelly attacked Fondas Vietnam War history to defend questions about plastic surgery. Again and again against incredible odds, and at great cost in American casualties, U.S. forces stopped the enemy; but were prevented by President Truman from administering the coup de grace. Kelly responded with a cannon by bringing up the time Fonda posed on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. His alliance with the Reds made sense, since both upheld elite control of the world. I get up, and as I start to walk back to the car with the translator, the implication of what has just happened hits me. But newly discovered tapes tell a very, very different story. Thus, Europe, Russia, China, Korea, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, the Middle East were turned into killing grounds, and their existing governments destroyed. In her 2005 memoir, My Life So Far, Fonda wrote of the infamous photo this way: Still,for some veterans, no apology from Fonda will ever change their views of her as an adversaryof America and the troops during wartime. This article was published more than4 years ago. The war was being fought by the air during during the Nixon administration. Heres a transcript of her remarks so you can judge for yourself. Did Jane Fonda Betray US POWs by Handing Over It was my mistake and I have paid and continue to pay a heavy price for it.. Have a tip or story idea? And the more they tried, the more. On this weeks edition of HBO Max and CNNs Whos Talking to Chris Wallace, the host covered much of that territory, including that 1972 visit. On a hot, stickyMay afternoon in 1970,a crowd of several thousand students and protesterstook over the University of Maryland mall. And I didnt even think and they sang me a song and Im made me laugh. By July 1972, when Fonda accepted an invitation to visit North Vietnam, America had been at war overseas and with itself for years. She went to tour the countrys dike system, which was rumored to have been intentionally bombed by American forces something the U.S. government to this day forcefully denies. target_type: 'mix' Truman warned Chiang to integrate communists into China's nationalist government or American aid would be withdrawn. The people who are speaking out against the war are the patriots. She said the radio addresses were the only way to get access to American soldiers, because she was barred from meeting them at their bases in South Vietnam. Imagine its the Battle of the Bulge and Betty Grable is up on top of a German tank saying the Yanks are fighting an evil war. Its not a preposterous analogynot as far as the soldiers involved are concerned. It was to these traditional Americans, alienated by the Sixties, that the email was targeted, playing on their hopes that finally, at long last, Jane Fonda would have to answer for her choices. Thats what made me laugh. I mean again, I'm not trying to be pedantic about it, but an apology is, "I'm sorry for what I said. I hardly even think about where I am sitting. Her book just may not make the bestseller I said that the POWs claiming torture were liars, hypocrites, and pawns. NORTH: And mine too, brother, even after 37 years. But when you know why you did something, and youre willing to admit the mistakes that you made, but stand up for the things that you did that that mattered? If it wasn't I must be missing something. Nevertheless, there are Vietnam veterans out there who served in the war zone before 1969 who are convinced that Jane Fonda was in cahoots with the Commies during their own tours. Each of them suggested that they had done at least one interview with Fonda, and individually they were looking into the historical accuracy behind the claims made about Fonda and why she became such a lighting rod for controversy. WebNevertheless, there are Vietnam veterans out there who served in the war zone before 1969 who are convinced that Jane Fonda was in cahoots with the Commies during their own WebJane Fonda & TheVietnam War. JANE FONDA: Well, I didnt like it. "Flashpoint Vietnam," the real story about the road to the war. Peter Braunsteins article speculated that Jane Fonda had this ability to a degree unique in modern times. I remember one retired lieutenant colonel describing a conversation he had with an angry trooper about the treasonous behavior of Jane Fonda in the midst of the 1968 Tet Offensive. If a prisoner tried to escape, it is quite understandable that he would probably be beaten and tortured., Also Read: How Jane Fonda Explains 'Hanoi Jane': 'Regret to My Dying Day', Even she had to apologize years later for that gun picture True. Truman refused. Joe? Jane Fonda For the next severalyears, Fonda would continue as one of the most prominent public faces in the antiwar movement. Four die; one, Col. Larry Carrigan, survivesjust barely, but it is he who tells about the incident. However, when my credibility is challenged, I will respond. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. When I contacted him, Benge confirmed that the story was indeed his own, and true." Meanwhile the mass media suddenly reversed its pro-war policy: denying our beleaguered troops moral support from home. She was young and famous at the time, maybe the Iraqi insurgents could get some of the present crop of empty headed celebrities, Britney Spears perhaps, to pose next to those Muslim mopes in robes and head towels while they aim their weapons. Kelly was defending herself after Fonda said over the weekend that the question was so inappropriate and that Kelly is not that good an interviewer.. But the reality of it is, Alan, this is a woman,who I quite frankly feel sorry for. Mr. Nolan wrote something that helped me better understand the fury of this sort of reaction. As Jane Fonda promotes her new film, "Monster-in-Law", its up to all of us to let our children know about the specific activities she undertook during the Vietnam War. And I didnt even think and they sang me a song and Im made me laugh. JANE FONDA: it was a mistake to go, I never wanted to go to any military installations. We have no right to attack that country. They realized that the war was wrong, that we werent wanted there. Jane Fonda came clean in an interview with Chris Wallace about her Hanoi Jane days and her failure as a mother. Her suit was later settled for a reported $20 million. And definitely not fonda Fonda. [2] While criticizing America, she made laudatory comments about the Soviet Union. The reality of it is an apology is saying, "I am sorry, I really do apologize for what I did over there, and I'm asking for your forgiveness." SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Jane Fonda says she is sorry for some of her actions during the Vietnam War. I think so, and I would hope that all Americans will at least speak their minds at the movie box office and refuse to further enrich one of the greatest American traitors. 's and eMediaMillWorks, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. Her visit actually took place in 1972. Jane Fonda was more than just an actress born to a wealthy and prominent Hollywood family. wars the intention of which is not to win but to bleed) is quite plausible. Now, I leave it NORTH: Well, yes, as a matter of fact I think she is. It all has nothing to do with where I am sitting. Never. and booed people attending the event, according to the Frederick News-Post. CHRIS WALLACE: When you got that nickname Hanoi Jane, how did you feel at the time? She called our president, according to this report, "a new type of Hitler," pilots "war criminals.". The POWs who were there have denied that this ever occurred. No one with half a brain took Jane Fonda seriously then, or for that matter, now. Of course, she was a Vietnamese. It wasnt firing at the time, and Fonda said in 2011 she hardly even thought about where I was sitting and that it is possible that it was a set up, that the Vietnamese On campus, she was pushing her movement to turn U.S. soldiers into pacifists. Troop B, 2nd squadron, 17th Cavalry, RVN, 1969-70 I did not know then. We have no right to bomb military targets in Vietnam. North Vietnam, 1972,: Jane Fonda is in the midst of her visit when an N.V.A. How unfair! Hanoi Jane: Photos of Jane Fonda's Trip to North Vietnam in 1972 They realized that the war was wrong, that we werent wanted there. Jane didnt make her infamous and idiotic trip to Hanoi until 1972. Almost all the messages said we had no business writing about Fonda because she was a traitor. We once published an admiring profile of Benedict Arnoldwhose actions did the nation real damage in a way Fondas fulminations never couldand nobody made a peep. "War Stories," Colonel, we'll be watching this Sunday, 8 p.m. as usual. Hardly misdirected anger, Jane Fonda really was merely a silly and shallow child of privilege who allowed herself to be used for propaganda. To begin with, the title is deliberately misleading: his real point has nothing to do with Jane Fonda. Heres the picture that was used to shut shut down American plants, critics, and there were millions of them, called you a Hanoi Jane and said you were a traitor. Jane Fonda Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. After all, she is an American; surely shell carry the message home to the families that their husband or son is alive. The media heaped calumny on U.S. military leadership; presented biased, horrifying scenes depicting "the wanton killing of Vietnamese civilians", and the "degeneracy" of our fighting men and women. And the more they tried, the more I. JANE FONDA: I know what Im doing. Hows this for a story? I dont know what else to do. In replying, I discovered that the Good Book notwithstanding, a soft answer turneth away wrath no more than zo percent of the time. And the question I have is 50 years later, how do you look back on that particular chapter? Jane Fondas first impression of Americas involvement in Vietnam was that it was a just cause. Many Americans traveled to Vietnam on peace delegations to end the war, yet it was Jane Fonda who was captured as a timeless image when she was photographed looking through a Viet Cong anti-aircraft gun. Jane Fonda Watch "Hannity & Colmes" weeknights at 9 p.m. The cover called her Ms. ED GRUMMETT, USMC: The night before we made the landing at Chu Yuan (ph) we were listening to Hanoi Hannah and how they were going to annihilate us on the beach. And, as she does, each POW palms her a scrap of paper with his Social Security number written on it. Hanoi Jane told 60 Minutes that photos snapped while she sat on an enemy aircraft gun was a betrayal and the largest lapse of judgment I can imagine. Though she did say, meeting the locals, other artists, and intellectuals were well worth it. [3] And she referred to the POW's as hypocrites and liars.[4]. Over the years, as Fonda reinvented herself as a fitness maven and again a movie star, she apologized many times for the antiaircraft gunphoto. His replacement, General Ridgway, said after the war: "The reason we didn't win is because I was under orders not to win". Fonda may have regrets about those photos in particular, but shes never regretted her political activism. She continued openly to question the accounts of the U.S. government and American POWs, who told devastating stories of the torture they endured at the hands of the North Vietnamese. I sang a song. Why Do People Hate Jane Fonda? Her 'Hanoi Jane' Episode, Here it is. From Urban Legends: Libertarian commentator Jedediah Bila appeared on Fox's "Outnumbered" and later turned up on ABC's "The View.". or redistributed. Jane Fonda and the Vietnam War. I mean, the reality is, there were 24,000 American troops on the ground in South Vietnam. Copyright 1949-2022 American Heritage Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. But look, you have more to talk to us about something you're going to show us. She has to be a murderess too. CHRIS WALLACE: Your most famous protest was 50 years ago when you went to North Vietnam at the height of the war there. Due to actions and images some people consider unpatriotic or treasonous, she earned Maybe. And I refused to have them scare me away from being actively against the Vietnam War. Again the secret policy of the financiers was: "containment of communism" while disallowing an American victory. Do any right-wingers ever decry the fact that Bush and the conservatives overthrew Aristide because he was a socialists----then invited the Chinese Communists in to our hemisphere? This "police action" quickly developed into a full-blown but undeclared war. There was a real Colonel Carrigan, and he was a POW in Vietnam. Now, aid and comfort can be measured a lot of ways. She went to tour the countrys Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images "It was a very tumultuous and polarized time," she said in the HBO documentary. Did Jane Fonda Really Apologize for Vietnam? Oliver North Weighs In You know, I have an organization in Georgia that deals with adolescents, and Ive studied parenting. Jane Fonda North Vietnam, 1972,: Jane Fonda is in the midst of her visit when an N.V.A. Jane Fonda Thats what made me laugh. Youre gonna come through it, okay. Rudi Bakhtiar jumped from CNN to Fox News in 2006. Lets break down her remarks. Outspoken host Elisabeth Hasselbeck left "The View" to join "Fox & Friends" in 2013, which she exited at the end of 2015. She still does not know what she did wrong. But she maintains she was not a traitor by speaking out against the war or trying to turn soldiers against it, because she still believesthe U.S. government was lying to them. America. The Ms. , we thought, would signal a bit of ironic distance from the broad, ingenu- ous affection contained in Miss America. COLMES: She didn't say the words she wanted her to say. It evidently didnt. tips@mediaite.com. officers, toward the Chinese border amid cries of protest from Wall Street which feared war with "our trading partner" Red China. JANE FONDA: It was a terrible mistake. and how good she feels in her 70s.