SCOTT CAMIL ARCHIVE -- (John Kerry's would-be assassin colleague from the VVAW)

Various | March 22nd, 2004

[Sabertooth]

In 1971, Scott Camil, a Vietnam Vet who was radicalized by Jane Fonda during the Winter Soldier Investigation, and a subsequent colleague of Senator John Kerry while the latter was the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, was the architect of a proposed VVAW conspiracy to assassinate seven sitting U.S. Senators. The assassination plot was debated at a VVAW conference in Kansas City, on November 12-15, 1971, and a number of eyewitness accounts, as well as FBI files obtained by Kerry biographer under the Freedom of Information Act, have placed Senator Kerry at the Kansas City VVAW conference, despite denials by him and his campaign. The revelation of the FBI files has recently caused the Kerry 2004 campaign to backpedal on their denial.

This information is potentially explosive, in the midst of a Presidential campaign where Senator Kerry is the presumptive Democrat nominee, and in which the Kerry 2004 campaign is maintaining ongoing contact with the Senatorial Assassination plotter, Scott Camil, who is now active in the Green Party in Florida.

It seemed prudent, then, to create an archive on Free Republic of available information on Scott Camil, both to preserve it from going down the memory hole as the Kerry campaign attempts to put a lid on this story, and to provide a one stop access for anyone interested in researching Camil’s activities.

Some of the links and stories posted will be available elsewhere on FR, and some will be redundant. So much the better, this will be a work in progress, and the goal is to be as comprehensive as possible. The FR keywords CAMIL and SCOTTCAMIL are two invaluable resources that are already ongoing, and comprehensive archiving of Camil-related threads is encouraged. Below are threads appearing under those keywords to date:

THE KERRY DOSSIER (post here anything you've uncovered on Kerry)
			Posted by Liz On 02/11/2004 10:04:05 AM PST with 466 comments 2/11/04 | FR INVESTIGATIVE TEAM <p>WASH TIMES 2/11 Rep. Sam Johnson, Texas Republican, who spent nearly seven years in a prisoner-of-war camp in Vietnam, said yesterday the photograph of Mr. Kerry with Miss Fonda will hurt him nevertheless. "I think it symbolizes how two-faced he is, talking about his war reputation, which is questionable on the one hand, and then coming out against our veterans who were fighting over there on the other," Mr. Johnson said. Mr. Johnson recalled that his North Vietnamese captors played recordings of Miss Fonda telling U.S. troops to give up the war. "Seeing this picture of Kerry with her at antiwar demonstrations in the United States just makes me want to throw up."</p>
Kerry camp hiring 'assassin'? (Man who plotted murder of congressmen offered job)
			Posted by Sabertooth On 03/15/2004 9:52:04 AM PST with 64 comments World Net Daily ^ | March 15th, 2004 A Vietnam veteran who plotted to kill members of Congress in 1971 is reportedly ready to accept a position working in the presidential campaign of John Kerry. Leaders of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, including John Kerry, debated a plot to assassinate congressmen in November 1971, according to a report in the New York Sun. The Kerry campaign denies the senator and presidential candidate was present at the meeting, saying he quit the organization prior to the heated session in Kansas City, Nov. 12-15, 1971. However, Randy Barnes of Missouri Veterans for Kerry, disputes that account. Barnes participated in...
Kerry Friend Beau Dietl 'Shocked' by Assassination Plot
			Posted by Carl/NewsMax On 03/20/2004 8:47:40 PM PST with 123 comments NewsMax.com ^ | March 20, 2004 | Carl Limbacher Legendary former New York City homicide detective Beau Dietl said Saturday that he was "shocked" by reports that Sen. John Kerry participated in a 1971 Kansas City meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War where a plot to assassinate seven U.S. Senators was considered. "I was shocked listening to the story," Dietl told WABC Radio's Monica Crowley, who had just broadcast an update by the reporter who broke the news last week, The New York Sun's Thomas Lipscomb. "I like John very, very much as a person," said Dietl, who's a personal friend of the Massachusetts Democrat. "But if...
John Forbes Kerry – Domestic Terrorist
			Posted by johnqueuepublic On 03/20/2004 9:29:25 AM PST with 82 comments PipeLineNews.org ^ | March 19, 2004 | William A. Mayer John Forbes Kerry – Domestic Terrorist March 19, 2004 - by William A. Mayer We are not sure exactly what one has to do, in these days of moral ablation, to disqualify oneself from running for elective office. The Clinton years notwithstanding, there have always been parameters within which national candidates must comport themselves - certain minimum standards that even prospective politicians might reasonably meet. This year, however is very different. It’s quite clear that the Democrat Party is busted - a sprung watch - beyond repair. The nominative process that we find ourselves within, clearly demonstrates this. That...
Kerry's Group The VVAW Discussed Assassinating Seven Pro-War Senators In December 1971
			Posted by Hon On 02/18/2004 3:54:31 PM PST with 47 comments Winter Soldiers - An Oral History Of The Vietnam Veterans Against The War | 1997 | Richard Stacewicz Please note that the following is an excerpt from a book called Winter Soldiers--but it is NOT the book authored by John Kerry, which is called "The Winter Soldiers." This excerpt is taken from Chapter 4 "Left Face" pages 293-295. Also note that the "JK" quoted is not John Kerry, but John Kniffin. [Begin excerpt] Winter Soldiers - Richard Staciewicz JOHN KNIFFEN, TERRY DuBOSE, SHELDON RAMSDELL, LINDA ALBAND, BARRY ROMO In the fall of 1971, tensions over the direction in which the organization was heading, as it spread out into various community activities and took on a more consciously anti-imperialist...
Kerry hedges on 1971 KC meeting [for assassination plot]
			Posted by nwrep On 03/19/2004 8:38:34 PM PST with 70 comments Knight Ridder ^ | March 19, 2004 | SCOTT CANON KANSAS CITY - (KRT) - Confronted with 32-year-old FBI records, Sen. John Kerry's campaign all but conceded he attended a 1971 Kansas City meeting where a fellow anti-war veteran called for political assassinations. Those active in Vietnam Veterans Against the War at the time stress that the suggestion for such a violent approach was angrily rejected. They say their memories do not include Kerry taking part in the radical discussion. A statement Thursday by Kerry's camp said the Massachusetts Democrat did not recall the meeting, although FBI surveillance material and the group's archives clearly show that Kerry resigned from his...
Scott Camil: Clinton Ruled Members of VVAW Unpatriotic And Untrustworthy
			Posted by Hon On 03/19/2004 4:50:57 PM PST with 22 comments Book Review ^ | April 1997 | Scott Camil Scott Camil, who is at the center of the controversy about the Vietnam Veterans Against The War's consideration of assassinating pro-war Senators in 1971, wrote the following book review: Our War--What We Did in Vietnam and What it Did to Us, by David Harris Scott Camil April 1997 [Excerpt] I found David Harris's book, Our War -- What We Did in Vietnam and What It Did to Us, (Times Books, 1996) to be relevant, easy to read and right on the money. David's descriptive style has a unique ability to capture the moment and bring the times to life... There...
Reported Kerry aide 1 of 'Gainesville 8'
			Posted by JohnHuang2 On 03/19/2004 12:50:26 AM PST with 6 comments WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Friday, March 19, 2004 ELECTION 2004Reported Kerry aide 1 of 'Gainesville 8'Anti-war activist acquitted of plotting violence at GOP convention Posted: March 19, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com The man who Sen. John Kerry's campaign reportedly has offered a position – whose background includes plotting to kill members of Congress in 1971 – was one of the "Gainesville Eight," a group of Vietnam War protesters indicted and then acquitted of a plan to violently disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami. As WorldNetDaily reported, Scott Camil, a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, presented to the group, including Kerry, a plot to assassinate...
New Witness: Kerry Was Present at Dark Plot Meeting
			Posted by doug from upland On 03/16/2004 12:19:11 PM PST with 72 comments NY SUN | 3-15-04 | Tom Lipscomb Publication:The New York Sun; Date:Mar 15, 2004; Section:National; Page:4 New Witness: Kerry Was Present at Dark Plot Meeting Group Debated and Voted Down Plan To Assassinate Senators By THOMAS H. LIPSCOMB Special to the Sun Another witness has come forward to attest that John Kerry was at a November 1971 meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War at which the group debated and voted down a plan to assassinate senators who supported the Vietnam War. A Kerry campaign spokesman, David Wade, has said Mr. Kerry did not attend the Kansas City meeting, and Kerry biographer Douglas Brinkley has said...
Brinkley: Kerry Faces Questions about Senate Hit Plot
			Posted by Gypssy On 03/15/2004 6:07:37 AM PST with 130 comments NewsMax ^ | March 14, 2004 | Steve Malzberg Sunday, Mar. 14, 2004 10:49 PM EST Brinkley: Kerry Faces Questions about Senate Hit Plot What did Sen. John Kerry know and when did he know it about a plot to assassinate pro-Vietnam war U.S. Senators hatched at a November 1971 Kansas City meeting of the group Vietnam Veterans Against America? According to presidential biographer Douglas Brinkley, that's the question Sen. Kerry needs to answer. If it turns out that the likely Democratic presidential nominee knew of the treasonous plan, Brinkley says he had an obligation to go to the authorities. "The question is: did Kerry quit [VVAW] before Kansas...
John Kerry's Political Friends
			Posted by kattracks On 03/15/2004 1:42:17 AM PST with 18 comments NY Sun via FrontPagemagazine.com ^ | 3/15/04 | Thomas H. Lipscomb The anti-war group that John Kerry was the principal spokesman for debated and voted on a plot to assassinate politicians who supported the Vietnam War. Mr. Kerry denies being present at the November 12-15, 1971, meeting in Kansas City of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and says he quit the group before the meeting. But according to the current head of Missouri Veterans for Kerry, Randy Barnes, Mr. Kerry,who was then 27,was at the meeting, voted against the plot, and then orally resigned from the organization. Mr. Barnes was present as part of the Kansas City host chapter for the...
Brinkley: Kerry Faces Questions about Senate Hit Plot
			Posted by Tumbleweed_Connection On 03/14/2004 8:12:17 PM PST with 51 comments Newsmax ^ | 3/14/04 | Limbacher What did Sen. John Kerry know and when did he know it about a plot to assassinate pro-Vietnam war U.S. Senators hatched at a November 1971 Kansas City meeting of the group Vietnam Veterans Against America? According to presidential biographer Douglas Brinkley, that's the question Sen. Kerry needs to answer. If it turns out that the likely Democratic presidential nominee knew of the treasonous plan, Brinkley says he had an obligation to go to the authorities. "The question is: did Kerry quit [VVAW] before Kansas City or did he quit after Kansas City," Brinkley told WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg. "If...
Wow! Was anyone watching FOX news at about 3:30 Eastern? Big accusation against Kerry
			Posted by Phisher On 03/14/2004 12:39:30 PM PST with 115 comments I was just watching FOX news and an author from the New York Sun, wrote an article about 3 veterans who remember John Kerry attending a V V A W meeting in which they would vote on 'assassinating top US 'war-hawk' politicians who want to continue the war. Kerry's entire campaign has denied him being there but these three individuals are saying otherwise. I am not subscribed to the paper (or online edition) But if this is true, Kerry would be facing some serious problems. I am looking for the FOX news transcipts, but those normally don't come out for...
SUNDAY 2:48 pm Eastern on FOX NEWS: John Kerry, beware...Thomas Lipscomb has the story
			Posted by doug from upland On 03/13/2004 5:09:28 PM PST with 49 comments dfu | 3-13-04 | dfu ORIGINAL THREAD REGARDING APPEARANCE OF REPORTER TOM LIPSCOMB ON FOX NEWS Reporter Tom Lipscomb wrote a bombshell piece of investigative journalism a few days ago that appeared in the NY SUN --- LIPSCOMB STORY - How Kerry Quit Veterans Group Amid Dark Plot Lipscomb was supposed to be on FOX NEWS today but got bumbed because of the horrific terrorist bombing in Spain. He is rescheduled for Sunday at 2:48 pm Eastern. For those who haven't paid attention, Lipscomb wrote a story about a meeting in Kansas City on Nov. 12-15, 1971. At that meeting of Vietnam Vets Against...
TOM LIPSCOMB COMING UP ON FOX NEWS TO DISCUSS KANSAS CITY MEETING, KERRY, PLOT TO KILL SENATORS!
			Posted by doug from upland On 03/13/2004 10:55:16 AM PST with 177 comments Tom Lipscomb | 3-13-04 | DFU Amazing. I just spoke with Tom Lipscomb who wrote the recent article in the NY SUN that discussed a Kansas City Meeting in Nov. 1971. At that meeting, Vietnam Veterans Against the War were discussing assassinating U.S. Senators. John Kerry has denied he was there. In a Kansas City Star piece yesterday, Randy Barnes, who has placed Kerry at that meeting must have gotten a phone call. He now is backtracking and isn't quite so sure Kerry was there. Barnes suggests that Kerry might have been at the St. Louis meeting earlier and he is confused. How about this? JOHN...
'71 anti-war session: Was Kerry in KC?
			Posted by Oldeconomybuyer On 03/13/2004 6:01:31 AM PST with 6 comments The Kansas City Star ^ | 3-13-04 | By SCOTT CANON On at least one point the recollections align: A 1971 Kansas City meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War was marred by talk — shouted down by a disgusted majority — of assassinating pro-war politicians. Members of the group that John Kerry propelled to the center of the anti-war movement and that helped launch his political career do not agree, however, whether the man now on course to the Democratic presidential nomination was around for the debate. At least one enthusiastic Kerry supporter said he remembered him attending at least the start of the group's national steering committee meeting...
TWO WITNESSES COULD END KERRY PRESIDENTIAL RUN -- "The Phoenix Project"
			Posted by doug from upland On 03/12/2004 10:32:07 AM PST with 382 comments various sources | 3-12-04 | dfu THOMAS LIPSCOMB STORY Reporter Thomas Lipscomb wrote the story which is linked above in the NY SUN. It has the potential to end the Kerry presdential run. I had a great conversation with Lipscomb a short while ago. This story was too hot for some of the majors. But Lipscomb assured me it is well-sourced and is dead on. Two witnesses have placed John Kerry at a Kansas City meeting of the hierarchy of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War in November of 1971. At that meeting, they actually took a vote about assassinating United States senators. It was...
How Kerry Quit Veterans Group Amid Dark Plot
			Posted by veronica On 03/12/2004 5:29:50 AM PST with 187 comments NY Sun ^ | 3/12/04 | THOMAS H. LIPSCOMB When Talk Turned To Assassination He Exited, Vet Says The anti-war group that John Kerry was the principal spokesman for debated and voted on a plot to assassinate politicians who supported the Vietnam War. Mr. Kerry denies being present at the November 12-15, 1971, meeting in Kansas City of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and says he quit the group before the meeting. But according to the current head of Missouri Veterans for Kerry, Randy Barnes, Mr. Kerry,who was then 27,was at the meeting, voted against the plot, and then orally resigned from the organization. Mr. Barnes was present as...
Was Kerry Involved In Plans To Murder 7 US Senators In 1971?
			Posted by Hon On 03/10/2004 7:29:58 PM PST with 47 comments "Winter Soldiers"/ "Home To War" | March 11, 2004 | Various As I posted on a thread a couple of weeks ago, Kerry's group the VVAW had discussing the assassination of pro-war US Senators. Kerry's Group The VVAW Discussed Assassinating Seven Pro-War Senators In December 1971 The following is an excerpt from a book, "Winter Soldiers," by Richard Staciewicz, pp 294-295:In the fall of 1971, tensions over the direction in which the organization was heading, as it spread out into various community activities and took on a more consciously anti-imperialist position, were becoming more evident. In November, an emergency meeting of the steering committee was held in Kansas City. This meeting...

[wingman1]

You might be interested to know that Ron Kovic (of Born On The Fourth of July fame), like Camil, served two tours in Vietnam.

One tour was enough for me.

There were reasons to be against the war, and those who fought in it certainly had the right to protest. But, one would think that a soldier would have learned about the nature of the war after his first tour and would not have extended to a second tour.

[Sabertooth]

Thanks, Victoria.

[potlatch]

Ping

[potlatch]

Thanks for the ping on this one, Meek. It's a 'saver'!!

[PhilDragoo]

Before, I was so open that anybody could come into my house. And they just filled the place up with cops. When we were before the grand jury, our lawyers even worried some of us might be government agents. Then the judge put U.S. Attorney Guy Goodwin on the stand and asked, "Are any people subpoenaed before the grand jury government informants?" Goodwin said, "No." So we picked those people to work on our defense for the Gainesville trial. But Goodwin had lied under oath. Emerson Poe was one of my best friends. My girlfriend and I used to babysit for his wife and him. When she had a miscarriage, we took care of his kid while they were at the hospital. Poe had been right with me as assistant regional director of VVAW. He worked with us when we met with lawyers, talked strategy, and he even helped us select a jury. And then we're sitting there near the end of the trial, and Jack Carrouth, the prosecutor, calls him. Emerson Poe gets up--and he's one of them. It blew me away. I couldn't believe he could be an informer, but the whole time he was reporting back to the FBI.

SCOTT CAMIL

[devolve]

Interesting how Kerry kept himself off all this lists of radicals.

[MeekOneGOP]

[chatham]

Great Post , Thanks a Lot!

[MeekOneGOP]

[potlatch]

Hey, I like that hat on Hillary, hides a bit of her!! Theresa looks a bit 'pinched'!!

[potlatch]

As always, a good post Phil!

A couple of days ago, I heard a reference to a quote from someone saying that Kerry came back from Vietnam a 'hawk', but changed to a 'dove' when he realized it would help him politicaly. When this is all over, I wonder if he will feel the same!??

[nopardons]

BTT

[potlatch]

[js1138]

Haven't read every word of your archive, but does it include the fact that one of the assassination targets was shot a year after the meeting? Case never solved.

Not to mention another was killed in a plane crash.

[MeekOneGOP]

Hey, I like that hat on Hillary, hides a bit of her!!

ha ! Yeah ! ;^)

Theresa looks a bit 'pinched'!!

Well, she hates campaigning with 'her man'. She'll be GLAD when he loses
and it's all over with ...

[Sabertooth]

Scott Camil taken at a V.V.A.W. (Vietnam Veterans Against the War) rally.

Michael Kirschbaum's film Seasoned Veteran: Journey of a Winter Soldier is about Scott Camil, an anti-war activist who served two tours of duty in Vietnam and is a purple heart and congressional medal of honor recipient. "I would like this film to educate people on how war affects society at many different levels and also that those who fought in wars should be listened to and their ideas respected," said Michael who held onto these convictions when approaching his interview subjects. "If there was any hesitation, I would just assure them that everything is alright because I believe the story needs to be told, and that's the attitude I brought to the piece."

With the help of his two partners Benito Aragon and Melinda Kahl, the film took about 10 months from concept to finished product. "We did extensive research at all local media institutions and also spent a week conducting research and gathering footage at the National Archives in Washington, DC," he said. "We shot the interviews on DV, however all the archival footage was originally shot on film which I think added a nicer feel to the doc than digital alone. I think film added authenticity to the piece." Seasoned Veteran has been nominated by the International Documentary Association for a David L. Wolper Award for Student Documentary of the Year.
University of Florida (UF) - Gainesville, FL

[Qwinn2]

This thread was a good idea, and needs a bump. We need to keep track of what's going on with this guy.

Here's the latest mention I've been able to find of him.

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=73181521510205&Avis=GS&Dato=20040617&Kategori=LOCAL&Lopenr=206170342&Ref=AR

Relevant text from this article, dated 06/17/2004:

Scott Camil of Gainesville is a consultant to several area candidates. Camil said he learned about the change from Glen Gilson, owner of Fantastic Graphics, when discussing a sign order.

"I wonder why it was changed in a campaign season and why it wouldn't be grandfathered in," Camil said. "What sense does it make to try to find signs that are up all over the place and run around putting little stickers on them?" Qwinn

[stockpirate]

Gotta see this

BTTT

[stockpirate]

Glad I found this it is interesting. I am presently reading the FBI files from June 1971 - April 1972.

The FBI files reveal:

1. VVAW Plan to assassinate seven US senators.

2. VVAW was training to execute a Phoenix plan to decapitate the leaders of the US Government.

3. Member of VVAW arrested enroute to VP Agnew speech with an explosive device (BOMB).

4. VVAW running guns to a black militant group in Cairo IL.

5. VVAW funded by Communist party of America.

6. VVAW receiving funds from the Communist Party of a country in Europe.

7. VVAW taking directions from the North Vietnamese Communist Government.

8. VVAW sent tapes to NV to be played to our POW's being held by the communists.

9. VVAW sent its leaders (Kerry was a leader) to NV to be indoctrinated by the NV Communists.

10. FBI files indicate that Kerry only resigned the exeutive committee of the VVAW.

ANd I found this article which proves he was still with the VVAW as a leader as late as Feb. 1972.

Kerry's in deep DoDo

[BykrBayb]

Keep digging, kerry. You're doing fine.