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| Picture credit: nymag.com |
The simple facts are that a squad under Bob Kerrey's command killed unarmed, civilian women, children, and elders in a village in Vietnam. Senator Kerrey himself has claimed he was ordered to "take no prisoners." But efforts to initiate an investigation that might lead to the prosecution of Bob Kerrey, who is now a US senator, for war crimes are attacked by politicians and the media for "misunderstanding" the harsh realities of war surrounding the killings that took place that day.
Articles
Vietnam Accuses Former Senator Bob Kerrey of Crimes During War (May 31, 2002)
The Vietnamese Foreign Minister spokesman has publicly accused former Senator Bob Kerrey of committing war crimes in a raid in the village of Thanh Phong during the Vietnam War. The recognition by Kerrey of those events has given rise to a discussion about US conduct during war. (Associated Press)
Fragging Bob (May 17, 2002)
An analysis of the CIA's Vietnam War strategy and the war crimes that resulted from it, including the Bob Kerrey case. The author sees the need for a war crimes trial. (CounterPunch)
The Case of Robert Kerrey: War Crimes and Their Supporters in Vietnam and Afghanistan (January 4, 2002)
The approach of US media regarding civilian casualties in Afghanistan can be compared to their reluctance to investigate war crimes in Vietnam. (World Socialist Web Site)
War and Accountability (May 21, 2001)
Jonathan Schell from The Nation discusses the duty of the US to investigate, condemn and assign responsibility for the Vietnam war's massacres, starting with the role of former Senator Bob Kerrey.
US Must Investigate Alleged War Crimes (May 8, 2001)
"The Kerrey disclosures have reopened bitter debates about the Vietnam War," said Human Rights Watch, urging US Defense to launch an independent investigation into allegations of possible war crimes by US troops during the Vietnam War.
Senator 'Admits Vietnam Massacre' (April 26, 2001)
Former United States Senator Bob Kerry has admitted that his commando unit killed at least 13 Vietnamese women and children in 1969. Kerry, who denied his participation in the event, claimed that the killings took place during indiscriminate night-time firing. However, a former soldier of his unit stated that Kerry actively took part in the killings and the unit shot the victims to hasten their escape. (BBC)
