The real story of Jane Fonda and the Vietnam vets who hate her CHRIS WALLACE: Who the people in the Nixon administration? Colonel, Michelle Malkin (search) actually discovered other quotes that she had said. According to the email she visited Hanoi in 1968. And I was I was like a limp noodle what I had experienced and what I had seen, I just I wasnt able to resist, they said were gonna take you out here today. 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. Its folklore, but folklore of a curiously evolved sort. Greta Van Susteren -- who had been one of Ailes' most stalwart defenders -- left in early September 2016 after saying that Fox had "not felt like a home" for years. I mean, the reality is, there were 24,000 American troops on the ground in South Vietnam. And it was a terrible mistake because of the image that it showed, which was not at all what the reality was. This "police action" quickly developed into a full-blown but undeclared war. Jane Fonda tested the limits of patriotic dissent. So setting aside the issue of whether plastic surgery has anything to do with Vietnam, is Kelly right about Fondas record? And therein lies the difference. After we published Peter Braunsteins article on Jane Fonda in our July/August issue, perhaps 60 people sent me this story. These men were bombing and strafing and napalming the country, she said, according to an Associated Press report in April 1973, which quoted an interview she gave to KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. Jane Fonda Jane Fonda came clean in an interview with Chris Wallace about her Hanoi Jane days and her failure as a mother. It was treason, nothing more and nothing less. 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. Fonda told the audience that their protests saddened her. And the more they tried, the more I. JANE FONDA: I know what Im doing. wars the intention of which is not to win but to bleed) is quite plausible. The "New World Order" of the capitalists and the communists is not "Jewish", sir. She called our POWs hypocrites and liars and referred to their torture as understandable. And, as she does, each POW palms her a scrap of paper with his Social Security number written on it. Jane Fonda (Later, after 58,152 American dead were just names on a wall, declassified US Navy logs revealed there had been no torpedo attack!). The 85-year-old Fonda has had a lengthy career as a Hollywood icon that includes her current turn in the film 80 For Brady, an equally long stint as an outspoken liberal, a fitness craze that began in the infancy of home video, and much more. 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. We're trained. Heres what she said in 2011: In my anger at the torture story that was being allowed to spread, at how the entire situation was being manipulated, I made a mistake I deeply regret. But look, you have more to talk to us about something you're going to show us. Outspoken host Elisabeth Hasselbeck left "The View" to join "Fox & Friends" in 2013, which she exited at the end of 2015. Considering the admonition about Caesar's wife, perhaps HNN should remove you as an intern. 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. I was not the kind of mother that I wished I had been to my children. Meanwhile the mass media suddenly reversed its pro-war policy: denying our beleaguered troops moral support from home. Jane, now 84, is I will never know. Legal Statement. Even Trotsky, whose philosophy I do not advocate, could see this relationship between the capitalists and the communists clearly (hypocritically denouncing it, since he went along with it). This article was published more than4 years ago. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation. But Jane Fonda: Cancel my subscription!, In replying, I discovered that the Good Book notwithstanding, a soft answer turneth away wrath no more than zo percent of the time. Kelly responded with a cannon by bringing up the time Fonda posed on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. Donald JANE FONDA: Well, I didnt like it. I think you'll find that those are things on a more personal level than stupdities and worse committed by LBJ, Congress, and Nixon. Johnson then ordered 165,000 U.S. forces under General Westmoreland to support a handful of American "advisors" previously ordered there by former President John F. Kennedy, Democrat. Even so, I'm going to keep an eye open to purchase one of the urinal mats with her photograph depicted upon it. 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. Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time. : Yes, that one story was true. Fonda addresses the media in December 1972 to protest U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. I said that the POWs claiming torture were liars, hypocrites, and pawns. ET!. I have had my say. By July 1972, when Fonda accepted an invitation to visit North Vietnam, America had been at war overseas and with itself for years. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Please try again later. In July 1972, during the waning days of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, actress Jane Fonda incurred the enmity of untold thousands of Vietnam veterans and their families (as well as service members for generations to come) when she arrived in Hanoi, North Vietnam, and began a two-week tour of the country. Jane Fonda In another she was looking into the The Army builds a tolerance for violence, she shouted at the crowd. That's an apology. One of the times it did, Im happy to say, was with Keith Nolan, the author of several books on the war, most recently Ripcord , a superb account of the 101st Airborne in the conflicts last great battle. It is nothing more and nothing less than the full culmination of Greco-Roman Humanism as it has defined itself throughout the thousands of years. Politicians make mistakes that affect the body politic and statesmen sometimes direct a foreign policy that disregards individuals in the national interest. She was photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun on a 1972 visit to Hanoi, during which she gained the nickname "Hanoi Jane". Nixon has responsibility for everything he did or didn't do on his watch. Aristide was an ENEMY of Communism, hence his downfall. Fonda hasapologized for the liars and hypocrites statement, which she said she made out of anger that the Nixon Administration was lying about the extent of the POW torture for propaganda purposes. A new HBO documentary on Fondas life, Jane Fonda in Five Acts, explores the fallout for the actress, who is now 80. So did Joan Baez and William Sloane Coffin, Noam Chomsky and Pete Seeger, Rennie Davis and Judy Collins. The chance to remake oneself is a universally acknowledged strength of this Republic, and the Republic itself has done it often enough. She said in a 1973 interview elaborating on the hypocrites and liars statement that it would be understandable for the North Vietnamese to torture POWs who tried to escape. Jane Fonda Fast Facts I mean, the fact is, there's no statute on treason, by the way. SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Jane Fonda says she is sorry for some of her actions during the Vietnam War. 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? It is possible that the Vietnamese had it all planned. Megyn Kelly ended her 12-year run with Fox News in early 2017 in exchange for a weekday show at NBC. MacArthur publicly insisted upon victory, infuriating the international banks. And it was a terrible mistake because of the image that it showed, which was not at all what the reality was. NORTH: Well, all I did was present the facts. How Jane Fondas 1972 trip to North Vietnam earned her the Lee said she still loves being a journalist and thatshehas"some really big ideas on how to better serve you in that particular arena" without Fox News. JANE FONDA: it was a mistake to go, I never wanted to go to any military installations. We now see a pattern of sedition/treason. 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. CHRIS WALLACE: Who the people in the Nixon administration? 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.. However, the fact that she advocated Communism does not give anyone license to make up stories or slander. Some lawmakers calledher actions treason. And its about a woman who had a capacity for reinvention that, like Jay Gatsbys, was the more effective for her whole-souled belief in what she devised. Free subscription>>, Please consider a donation to help us keep this American treasure alive. She also spoke about her infamous protests. 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. They held signs that read Forgive? But now, very quickly, treason is the only crime defined in our Constitution. In 1972, the Academy Award-winning actress and activist traveled to North Vietnam and was photographed laughing and clapping along with Vietnamese soldiers. Jane Fonda in North Vietnam - Wellesley College She claimed she was sexually harassed by correspondent Brian Wilson and later spoke out against Fox News' culture after the Ailes scandal broke. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. If they did, can I really blame them? Thats all the ground troops were going home. He hadnt liked the story but at least was willing to discuss it. Lets break down her remarks. Many Americans disapproved of Fondas comments Finally the brainwashed, confused, exhausted American public forced our government to surrender. Nobody remembers, nobody cares. And you were photographed sitting on an anti aircraft gun. And the more they tried, the more. And I didnt even think and they sang me a song and Im made me laugh. Legal Statement. She has to be a murderess too. Youre gonna come through it, okay. However, the allegation that she abused American POWs is not true. In 1972, Fonda toured North Vietnam, where she spoke against U.S. military policy in the country. And, you know, I think they thought, Oh, shes this white privilege rich, famous daughter of all of that stuff. Jane Fonda Comes Clean, Admits She Was Bad Mother: I was not Fonda shakes the last hand, then turns to the officer and gives him the fistful of messages. Thousands more were on the way, including Ernie Wallace (ph) and Ed Grummett. But also admits to consulting with psychics. 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? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Her book just may not make the bestseller And you know, maybe I was set up but I was an adult, its Im gonna take responsibility for it. Jane Fonda Richard Morgan, HANNITY: All right. For 70 years, American Heritage has been the leading magazine of U.S. history, politics, and culture. North Vietnam, 1972,: Jane Fonda is in the midst of her visit when an N.V.A. Article 3, section three of the Constitution defines treason as "levying war against the United States or adhering to their enemies or giving them aid and comfort.". I plead with him, You have to be sure those photographs are not published. Jane Fonda There's no denying that she defamed POWs by whitewashing the Viet Cong's treatment of them and later calling them liars when they spoke out." Four die; one, Col. Larry Carrigan, survivesjust barely, but it is he who tells about the incident. JANE FONDA: It was a terrible mistake. Hundreds of Americans had gone to North Vietnam, journalists diplomats, our Secretary of State Ramsey Clark, Vietnam veterans, but I said but a movie star hasnt gone and maybe if I go it will draw more attention, and thats what it did. Jane Fonda was more than just an actress born to a wealthy and prominent Hollywood family. Jane Fonda is a star of stage and screen whose career began in 1960. Jane Fonda sparked outrage among war veterans when she was pictured sitting on an anti-aircraft gun in 1972 during the Vietnam War, earning her the nickname Hanoi Jane. Watch "Hannity & Colmes" weeknights at 9 p.m. WebIn July of 1972 Jane Fonda went to Hanoi, North Vietnam, for a two-week tour of the country. At the time, Hanoi Jane was serenaded with a Communist folk song and was led to a weapon that had shot down many American aircraft, and photos were immediately taken. Did Jane Fonda Betray US POWs by Handing Over Why has no one been hanged for high treason? target_type: 'mix' This weekend's special I mean, this is very moving. However, since the majority of the stories cited in the e-mail have no proof behind them, I had to either give the e-mail "thumbs down" or "thumbs up" on the basis of the overall validity. Joe? 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Sheturned down a four-year, $100 million offer to stay with Fox News saying that one of the reasonsfor her departure was to spend more time with her kids. Over the years, as Fonda reinvented herself as a fitness maven and again a movie star, she apologized many times for the antiaircraft gunphoto. I wanted to tell them what I was seeing as an American on the ground there. 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. Thats what made me laugh. You know, we can we can scare her, and boy did they try? CHRIS WALLACE: So when you say it was a terrible mistake. One presumably claimed to have been struck by her, while another claimed to have had his confidence betrayed to his Communist captors. Read on. Fonda traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, to protest the Vietnam War, but she did not do most of the things the post claims. And four months later, the bombing stopped of the dikes. Jane Fonda came clean in an interview with Chris Wallace about her Hanoi Jane days and her failure as a mother. One showed her applauding North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gunners. Fact check: Barbara Walters did not write post on Jane Fonda, I believe Jane Fonda has talked to at least two historians. Thats all the ground troops were Even so, the main focus of my essay was whether Jane Fonda participated in war crimes, not whether she was morally culpable for her part as an apologist for the mistreatment of POW's (she was). Congress held hearings. Alisyn Camerota hosted a number of Fox News programs during a 16-year run that ended in 2014. When I contacted him, Benge confirmed that the story was indeed his own, and true." I am assured it will be taken care of. Ramsey Clark went to Hanoi during the war. Then Dr. Spock attacked the Vietnam draft. Hows this for a story? During her two-week stay, Fonda concluded that America It all has nothing to do with where I am sitting. Email us. These horrendous claims went around the nation on the Internet, resulting in a great deal of anger and consternation among veterans. CHRIS WALLACE: When you got that nickname Hanoi Jane, how did you feel at the time? 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. I mean, you know, of all manner of slings and arrows were thrown my way. Jane Fondas first impression of Americas involvement in Vietnam was that it was a just cause. Deprived of American assistance, his army bereft of supplies, Chiang Kai-Shek retreated to the island sanctuary of Formosa and dug in. JANE FONDA: It was a terrible mistake. Fondas transformation from actress to activist began several years earlier. I did not know then. There was a real Colonel Carrigan, and he was a POW in Vietnam. She called our POWs hypocrites and liars and referred to their torture as understandable. 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. LBJ and Congress share responsibility for the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, with its dubious basis, and everything that followed. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. but not for the rest of it. False. I don't want people putting words into my mouth, saying "you're going to tell us all these bankers and financiers are Jewish", for instance. Here it is. officer gets an idea. Fifty years later, he bears witness again. Joining us now is the host of "War Stories," who fought in Vietnam, Colonel Oliver North is with us. 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. Jane Fonda was more than just an actress born to a wealthy and prominent Hollywood family. They knew we were coming. That is not my place. The buck stops here. I'm sorry I hurt you, Alan, and I hope you can forgive me." You know, we can we can scare her, and boy did they try? We're going to take them out. During an interview with Barbara Walters 35 years ago, Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda apologized for being used as propaganda for North Vietnam when we were still fighting North Vietnam. The Bushes have a long-standing relationship with Red China, one that has hardmed our national security, yet few attack them as vociferously as Fonda was attacked. Shewas arrested before she got the chance, just as she had been at Fort Lewis, Wash., Fort Hood, Tex., and Fort Bragg, N.C. Fonda told The Post shed made talking to GIs herfull-time job. Jane Fonda Urban Legends story then identifies the POW and gives some quotes about his treatment by the NVA. 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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. Also Read: Megyn Kelly Trashed by Rosie O'Donnell as 'Spineless Wanna Be Barbie' for Jane Fonda Spat. Her name was Jane Fonda. [1] Cited on November 24, 2004. He was Americas most famous pediatrician. Jane Fonda remains unforgiven. "VIET NAM: A repeat scenario was played 10 years later under another banker-picked Democratic administration. She went to Hanoi that year to tour villages, cities and infrastructure. A series of photos of her sitting at an NVA anti-aircraft battery earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane and the undying spite of Vietnam veterans everywhere. There were also rumors she turned over secret messages from POWs to their captors. As the war raged, the one-time blonde bombshell cut her naturally brown hair short, trading sex appeal for liberal activism and rebranding herself as a political crusader against the war. NORTH: As a matter of fact, no. "Because of this," the narrative continues, "I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees with outstretched arms with a piece of steel placed on my hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane every time my arms dipped." The Roger Ailes and Bill OReilly scandals have cast even some old departures in a new light. War materiel, shipped via the Listen closely. I mean, the reality is, there were 24,000 American troops on the ground in South Vietnam. It was my mistake, and I have paid and continue to pay a heavy price for it. Jane Fonda Im not you know, they all went to jail. After countless apologies spanning four decades, Breitbarts John Nolte believes Hanoi Jane Fonda should finally be forgiven for her antics in Vietnam.. Fonda has said categorically that she was an adult at the time and called her She did not merely criticize the authoritarian government of South Vietnam, or the dubious motives of powerful corporations that make up the American military-industrial complex. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Her lawsuit started it all: Former Fox host Gretchen Carlson claims Ailes repeatedly sexually harassed her. Megyn Kelly lit into Jane Fonda on Monday, highlighting the behavior that earned the actress the nickname Hanoi Jane while defending the time last fall when she questioned Fonda about plastic surgery. More than 58,000 Americans died in the war.. So I feel that well If I did was good, except that I shouldnt have set gone out to a military place. Jane didnt make her infamous and idiotic trip to Hanoi until 1972. By denying their mistreatment or not investigating their treatment,in an effort to sway public opinion to her own perceived vision of the national interest, she did harm to her countrymen in captivity. I'm not going to tell you anything of the sort. Did our government lie to us during Vietnam? It evidently didnt. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. 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. It is giving them the advantage of the propaganda visibility that this woman lent to them. They hadnt been able to vote on the virtues of the conflict, and they found themselves in mortal peril in the midst of an ugly, painful ordeal that a lot of vocal people back home thought was a criminal enterprise. 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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. America. The Ms. , we thought, would signal a bit of ironic distance from the broad, ingenu- ous affection contained in Miss America., It evidently didnt. Del. Screw you. I appealed to them to please consider what you are doing. I mean, you know, of all manner of slings and arrows were thrown my way. Jane Fonda was always an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. Her rebellion against the foreign policies of the United States suggested to many outraged Americans that treason might have an All-American face, a familiar accent, and be closer to home than the Other that had previously been assumed to embody the enemy. Fonda said that whileshe may have been tricked into taking the picture, The buck stops here. Fonda may have regrets about those photos in particular, but shes never regretted her political activism. In July of 1972, she made two trips to Hanoi which earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane. Please, you cant let them be published. And heres Cat Ballou, the beautiful daughter of Young Abe Lincoln, of Mister Roberts, beaming down from a machine designed to kill them. Libertarian commentator Jedediah Bila appeared on Fox's "Outnumbered" and later turned up on ABC's "The View.". Trusted Writing on History, Travel, and American Culture Since 1949. The chance to remake oneself is a universally acknowledged strength of this Republic, and the Republic itself has done it often enough. But it wasnt untilshe traveled to Hanoi in July 1972 that she really enraged criticsand fundamentally altered how the world viewed her for decades to come. It has simply been repeated over and over again, without proof, and duplicated on a number of websites. [2] Peter Collier, The Fondas; A Hollywood Dynasty. One of the times it did, Im happy to say, was with Keith Nolan, the author of several books on the war, most recently Ripcord , a superb account of the 101st Airborne in the conflicts last great battle. Fonda shakes the last hand, then turns to the officer and gives him the fistful of messages. AND 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 heres Cat Ballou, the beautiful daughter of Young Abe Lincoln, of Mister Roberts, beaming down from a machine designed to kill them. and how good she feels in her 70s. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; And I didnt even think and they sang me a song and Im made me laugh. So I feel that well If I did was good, except that I shouldnt have set gone out to a military place. re: Jane Fonda visiting BR this weekend Posted on 3/3/23 at 9:43 am to Chipand2Putts. But she was advised by other activists to focus her political energies, deciding to go all-in as an impassioned voice for the antiwar movement. Good question here Richard: "My question is, when will people like Fonda and Kerry (unlike Joan Baez) take responsibility for what they have wrought -- the totalitarian system that gave us re-education camps and the boat people?" Us veterans will never forget or forgive her posing on a North Viet anti-aircraft gun, regardless whatever else she may or may not have done. 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. All of the facts, in retrospect, lead to the conclusion that the U.S. government's purpose in dragging America into Korea was not to defeat communism but to kill as many Americans as possible in an ignoble defeat, get rid of the hero MacArthur as a possible presidential nominee, and lure a disillusioned America into acceptance of one world government.