Swift Vets and POWs for Truth

[2] SBVT stated that "Kerry's phony war crimes charges, his exaggerated claims about his own service in Vietnam, and his deliberate misrepresentation of the nature and effectiveness of Swift boat operations compel us to step forward.

[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][excessive citations] Registered under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, SBVT publicized its criticisms of Kerry during the election campaign in a book, in television advertisements that the group ran in swing states and in the media coverage some members received.

[11] The group's tactics are considered an example of a successful political smear campaign[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][excessive citations] for its widely publicized[19] and later discredited claims.

[22][23][24] Founding members of SBVT include Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann (retired), a former commander of Swift boat forces; Colonel Bud Day, who earned the Medal of Honor; Houston attorney John O'Neill, an officer who became commander of Swift Boat PCF 94 several months after Kerry's departure in 1969 and who appeared opposite Kerry in a televised 1971 debate between them on The Dick Cavett Show; and 13 other named veterans.

The group's initial letter against Kerry stated "It is our collective judgment that, upon your return from Vietnam, you grossly and knowingly distorted the conduct of the American soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen of that war (including a betrayal of many of us, without regard for the danger your actions caused us).

All other living members of Kerry's crew supported his presidential bid, and some frequently campaigned with him as his self-described "band of brothers".

Kerry crew members have disputed some of SBVT's various allegations, calling them "totally false" (Drew Whitlow), "garbage" (Gene Thorson), and "a pack of lies" (Del Sandusky).

[40] SBVT produced several television advertisements created by Stevens Reed Curcio & Potholm attacking Kerry's actions both in and after Vietnam.

On August 5, 2004, SBVT began airing a one-minute television spot[41][42] in three hotly contested states in the ongoing presidential election.

A best-seller upon its release in August 2004,[45] it criticized Kerry's judgment in battle, his truthfulness, his entitlement to certain medals, and his later anti-war activities.

[53] On August 20, 2004, SBVT released a second television advertisement[54][55] featuring a portion of Kerry's 1971 testimony, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

For example, a New York Times news article stated, "on close examination, the accounts of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth prove to be riddled with inconsistencies.

"[72] Regarding the medal dispute, a Los Angeles Times editorial[73] stated, "Not limited by the conventions of our colleagues in the newsroom, we can say it outright: These charges against John Kerry are false."

"[74] The ABC television show Nightline traveled to Vietnam and interviewed Vietnamese who were involved in the battle for which Kerry was awarded the Silver Star.

[78][79][80][81] ABC News's The Note opined, "the Swift Boat ad and their primary charges about Kerry's medals are personal, negative, extremely suspect, or false.

"[82] Jerome Corsi has said that a picture of Kerry's 1993 visit to Vietnam hangs in the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City as a gesture of "honor" by the Communists "for his contribution to their victory over [the] United States",[citation needed] and John O'Neill has stated that Kerry "is in the North Vietnamese war museum as a hero... .

Other photos nearby show visits during that period by former American officials who played key roles in the Vietnam War, including a Navy admiral who has since died, Elmo Zumwalt, and a defense secretary, Robert McNamara.

A secretary of state during Clinton's term, Warren Christopher, is also shown meeting Vietnamese officialsIn this connection, the web page Corsi and another anti-Kerry veteran originally published on the Kerry museum photo contained the picture of Robert McNamara's 1995 meeting with General Giáp, who was misidentified as "Mao Tse-tung".

If the prisoners of war aren't back prior to the arrival of that date, then I think we would have – for the first time in all of our history in Vietnam we would have a legitimate reason for taking some kind of reaction to it.SBVT characterized itself as a non-partisan group both in the legal sense and in spirit, yet several prominent individuals who assisted SBVT also have had close ties to the Republican Party.

[88][89][90] The initial communications consultant for SBVT was Merrie Spaeth, a Reagan administration press officer and a volunteer consultant to Ken Starr in the Clinton impeachment; she was also a spokesperson for "Republicans for Clean Air", a 527 group opposing John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign and funded by Bush supporters who also helped fund SBVT.

[91] John E. O'Neill — the primary author of Unfit for Command and a key player in the formation of SBVT — donated over $14,000 to Republican candidates.

[92][93] Retired Admiral William Schachte, a principal source for the SBVT allegations about Kerry's first Purple Heart, has donated to both of Bush's presidential campaigns.

[94] Chris LaCivita, Political Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002,[95] worked as a private contractor providing media advice for SBVT.

[97] Republican activist Sam Fox's donation of $50,000 to SBVT during the 2004 campaign[98] caused a controversy when Bush nominated him to the position of ambassador to Belgium.

"[116] In contrast, the New York Times opined that the SBVT attacks were "orchestrated by negative-campaign specialists deep in the heart of the Texas Republican machine.

The conciliation agreement between the FEC and the SBVT also stated, in part: Indeed, the Commission has never alleged that the SwiftVets acted in knowing defiance of the law, or with the conscious recognition that their actions were prohibited by law, made no findings or conclusions that there were any knowing and willful violations of the law in connection with this matter, and, thus, does not challenge SwiftVets' assertion of its good faith reliance on its understanding of the law.Solely for the purpose of settling this matter expeditiously and avoiding litigation, without admission with respect to any other proceeding, and with no finding of probable cause by the Commission, SwiftVets agrees not to contest the Commission's conclusions .

"[118] During the campaign, SBVT criticized Kerry for not signing a Standard Form 180 authorizing general public access to his Navy personnel records.

For example, a journal by another of the Swift boat commanders and the relevant Navy records of some of the SBVT members involved in specific allegations have not been released.

[6] The White House refused to release records detailing any Bush administration contacts with prominent individuals associated with SBVT.

[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Since the 2004 election, the term "swiftboating" (or "swift boating") has become a common expression for a campaign attacking opponents by questioning their credibility and patriotism in a dishonest manner.