Rare Broadcast of John Kerry's 1971 Speech Against the Vietnam War

[reorg]

Democracy Now, Friday, July 30th, 2004


Flashback: A Rare Broadcast of John Kerry's 1971 Speech Against the Vietnam War Before the Senate


(...)

In January 1971, (Vietnam veterans against the war) held a series of hearings in Detroit called the "Winter Soldier Investigation" in which soldiers returning home testified about their experiences in Vietnam. Kerry did not speak at that event, but it did provide the basis for the testimony John Kerry would give some 3 months later before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Television cameras lined the walls, and veterans packed the seats. Kerry was 27 years old and dressed in his green fatigues and Silver Star and Purple Heart ribbons. On April 22, 1971, he sat at a witness table and delivered the most famous speech of his life. It was to become the speech that defined him and make possible his political career.

Overnight, he emerged as one of the most recognized veterans in America.Pacifica Radio played his speech on the air. Today, we will play a rare broadcast of that speech. From the Pacifica Radio Archives, this is John Kerry in 1971.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/07/30/1510259



Great speech.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. Is she going to show it now?

I saw it earlier in the year, it is not to be missed if you haven't seen it.

[reorg]

2. no it's only audio, but with many pictures - and transcript

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. I listened.

I didn't even know about this when I first became inspired by Kerry ten years ago. Moving stuff.

For anyone that was not able to hear it you can read an annotated version here: http://www.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/JohnKerryTestimony.html