|
From: "Julie Swingle" <Julie_Swingle@mccain.senate.gov>
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2001 10:39 AM
Subject: Re: The Jane Fonda E-mail
I have been asked to respond to your recent e-mail to
Senator McCain.
The e-mail you refer to about Jane Fonda is an Internet rumor that has
been circulating the net for a long time and , while the initial story is
true, is still filled with just enough facts to get people understandably
very upset. I've taken the liberty of sending you a copy of an e-mail I
received that explains the matter further.
Sincerely,
Julie Swingle
Systems Administrator for
Senator McCain
__________________________________forwarded message______________________
Sen. McCain has had this sent to him many times, and believe me, he's
ready to see it go away, as are all the other former POW's. My name is
attached to this e-mail due to a very careless mistake on my part, and
unintentionally propagated by a very good friend of mine. The information
below should explain; we must all learn to be a bit suspicious of things
of an inflammatory nature, especially those received via internet
where changes are so easily made in text, and the truth is whatever we
want it to be. Don't feel guilty about your having been taken in by this;
I've responded to around 2500 persons since May of this year, and I'm sure
many others simply forwarded the document without having ever checked its
authenticity.
Thanks for your concern.
Skip Klingman
**************************************************************
First, my apologies for the misinformation. The e-mail which you received
did not originate with me, and in no way involves my university. After
receiving it myself in early Spring of this year, I sent it to one of my
friends, and wasn't aware that my e-mail "signature" was appended to it.
My friend then forwarded the letter to an extensive address book without
removing my name. I'm sure the fact of the name and contact information
make the letter look completely valid to most people, and now the letter
(with my name) is in wide circulation. Although I was in the military
during the Vietnam years, I did not serve in combat, nor was I in
Southeast Asia during the conflict. Many friends and acquaintances of
mine did serve, and a couple didn't return. I would in no way want to
diminish their contribution by making false claims.
Much of the information in the e-mail has been difficult for me to
authenticate, but writer David Emery has apparently researched this letter
more thoroughly. Dates are incorrect in a couple of instances. One
thing is true; Jane Fonda did visit Hanoi and the POW camp in 1972, and
she made flagrant statements against the war and the U.S. government that
caused servicemen and their families a great deal of anguish. The stories
about the subsequent torture and beatings are not all true, and since I
have communicated personally with Col. (Ret.) Larry Carrigan, I have
discovered that he never even saw Jane Fonda during her visit. Most of
the letter is debunked in a website below. This was sent to me by a
respondent who read the Fonda e-mail with my signature. I only wish I'd
seen this before I sent the letter to my friend.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/science/urbanlegends/library/weekly/aa110399.htm
-- then search "Fonda" as a keyword for the link to the e-mail. This
account is by David Emery.
Again, I'm sorry for the inadvertent "spamming" I've caused. I'd
appreciate your sending back this information to the person from whom you
received it, and I thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Charles Klingman
|
