Teddy K the Fellow Traveller - Part 2



On Friday a news story surfaced about an offer in the 1980s by Ted Kennedy to the Soviets "...to assist Soviet leaders in formulating a public relations strategy to counter President Reagan's foreign policy and to complicate his re-election efforts...."


The story is about a new book by Grove City College professor Paul Kengor who says "This was a shocking revelation..."

This story was blogged by Sticky Notes and National Review's Jim Geraghty at his TKS blog.

This is a very important story....but I would like to point out that it is not anything new, as I blogged about back in March.

Eminent historian of Soviet espionage Herb Romerstein wrote an article in 2003 for Human Events which describes this letter, and other earlier instances of Kennedy's treachery, including offers to denounce President Carter, and also to meet with Andropov to learn the Communist Party line first hand...
Another KGB report to their bosses revealed that on March 5, 1980, John Tunney met with the KGB in Moscow on behalf of Sen. Kennedy. Tunney expressed Kennedy's opinion that "nonsense about 'the Soviet military threat' and Soviet ambitions for military expansion in the Persian Gulf . . . was being fueled by [President Jimmy] Carter, [National Security Advisor Zbigniew] Brzezinski, the Pentagon and the military industrial complex."

Kennedy offered to speak out against President Carter on Afghanistan. Shortly thereafter he made public speeches opposing President Carter on this issue.

...

In May 1983, the KGB again reported to their bosses on a discussion in Moscow with former Sen. John Tunney. Kennedy had instructed Tunney, according to the KGB, to carry a message to Yuri Andropov, the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, expressing Kennedy's concern about the anti-Soviet activities of President Ronald Reagan. The KGB reported "in Kennedy's opinion the opposition to Reagan remains weak. Speeches of the President's opponents are not well-coordinated and not effective enough, and Reagan has the chance to use successful counterpropaganda." Kennedy offered to "undertake some additional steps to counter the militaristic, policy of Reagan and his campaign of psychological pressure on the American population." Kennedy asked for a meeting with Andropov for the purpose of "arming himself with the Soviet leader's explanations of arms control policy so he can use them later for more convincing speeches in the U.S."


Additionally, Romerstein notes that this document was first published in the press back in 1992.

So, while "The Crusader" looks very interesting and I intend on reading it, this revelation is not really anything new. It is just not very well known......

Posted: Sat - October 21, 2006 at 09:45 PM          


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