Editing Swift Vets and POWs for Truth

{{Overly detailed|date=January 2025}}
{{Short description|American political group (2004-08) opposing John Kerry}}
{{Use American English|date = October 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = October 2019}}
[[Image:Swiftpowlogo.png|thumb|right|290px|Logo]]
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Swift Vets and POWs for Truth}}
'''Swift Vets and POWs for Truth''', formerly known as the '''Swift Boat Veterans for Truth''' ('''SBVT'''), was a political group ([[527 group]]) of United States [[Fast Patrol Craft|Swift boat]] veterans; former [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] of the [[Vietnam War]], formed during the [[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004 presidential election campaign]]. It was done for the purpose of opposing [[John Kerry]]'s candidacy for the [[President of the United States|presidency]]; the campaign inspired the widely used political pejorative "[[swiftboating]]", to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. The group disbanded and ceased operations on May 31, 2008.<ref name="swiftvets">{{cite web|title=Swiftboat Vets and POWs for Truth|publisher=Swift Vets and POWs for Truth|date=2008-05-31|url=http://swiftvets.com/|access-date=2009-08-24}}</ref>

SBVT asserted that Kerry was "unfit to serve" as president, based upon his alleged "willful distortion of the conduct" of American servicemen during that war, and his alleged "withholding and/or distortion of material facts" as to his own conduct during that war.<ref name="lettertokerry">{{cite web|title=Swift Veterans Letter to John Kerry|publisher=Swift Vets and POWs for Truth|date=2004-05-04|url=http://horse.he.net/~swiftpow/article.php?story=20040629220813790|access-date=2007-10-25}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swiftvets.com/index.php|title=Swift Vets and POWs for Truth home page|publisher=SwiftVets.com|year=2004|access-date=2013-02-08|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040826235448/http://www2.swiftvets.com/index.php |archive-date=August 26, 2004 }}</ref> The group [[John Kerry military service controversy|challenged]] the legitimacy of each of the combat medals awarded to Kerry by the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and the disposition of his discharge. Further, SBVT said that Kerry's later criticism of the war was a "betrayal of trust" with other soldiers, and that by his [[activism]] he had caused direct "harm" to soldiers still at war.

These claims caused tremendous controversy during the election, particularly because the organization's members had not been in a place to assess Kerry, while the Vietnam veterans who had served under him supported Kerry's version of events.<ref name=FactCheck2004>{{cite web|title=Republican-funded Group Attacks Kerry's War Record |publisher=FactCheck.org. |url=http://www.factcheck.org/article231.html |access-date=2015-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703204151/http://www.factcheck.org/article231.html |archive-date=July 3, 2008 |url-status=unfit }}</ref><ref name="Lehigh">{{cite news|first=Scot|last=Lehigh|title=Kerry comrades have credibility on their side|url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/08/20/kerry_comrades_have_credibility_on_their_side/|work=Boston Globe|date=2004-08-20}}</ref><ref name="acctsincomplete">{{cite news|last=Dobbs|first=Michael|title=Swift Boat Accounts Incomplete|pages=A01|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2004-08-22|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21239-2004Aug21.html|access-date=2007-03-28}}</ref><ref name="returnshome">{{cite news|last=VandeHei|first=Jim|title=Kerry returns home with 'band of brothers'|work=Lawrence Journal-World|date=2004-07-29|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/jul/29/kerry_returns_home/|access-date=2007-03-28}}</ref><ref name="Coile">{{cite news |first=Zachary |last=Coile |title=Vets group attacks Kerry; McCain defends Democrat |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/08/06/MNGUT83SS41.DTL |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=August 6, 2004 }}</ref><ref name=Zernke>{{cite news |first=Kate |last=Zernke |title=Kerry Pressing Swift Boat Case Long After Loss |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/washington/28kerry.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 28, 2006 |access-date=May 4, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=Akers>{{cite news |first=Mary Ann |last=Akers |title=John Kerry's Vietnam Crew Mates Still Fighting Swift Boating |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/06/john_kerrys_vietnam_crew_mates.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224074845/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/06/john_kerrys_vietnam_crew_mates.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 20, 2008 }}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=April 2023}}

Registered under [[527 group|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 state]]s and in the media coverage some members received. The group was the subject of several complaints to the [[Federal Election Commission]] (FEC). After the election, the group was credited by media and praised by [[American conservatism|conservatives]] as contributing to Kerry's defeat.<ref name="conservativeslaud">{{cite news|last=Vlahos|first=Kelley Beaucar|title=Conservatives Laud Swift Boat Veterans|publisher=Fox News|date=2005-02-16|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,147728,00.html|access-date=2007-02-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222055104/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,147728,00.html|archive-date=2007-02-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> The group's tactics are considered an example of a successful political [[smear campaign]]<ref name=Allen1>{{cite book|title=Until the last man comes home: POWs, MIAs, and the unending Vietnam War|url=https://archive.org/details/untillastmancome00alle_614|url-access=limited|first1=Michael Joe|last1=Allen|publisher=Univ of North Carolina Press|year=2009|pages=[https://archive.org/details/untillastmancome00alle_614/page/n346 294]–299|isbn=978-0-8078-3261-5}}</ref><ref name=Reclaim>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/us/politics/30swift.html|work=The New York Times|title=Veterans Long to Reclaim the Name 'Swift Boat'|first=Kate|last=Zernike|date=2008-06-30|access-date=2010-03-27}}</ref><ref name=Donaldson1>{{cite book|title=The Making of Modern America: The Nation from 1945 to the Present|url=https://archive.org/details/makingmodernamer00dona|url-access=limited|first1=Gary|last1=Donaldson|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2009|page=[https://archive.org/details/makingmodernamer00dona/page/n345 333]|isbn=978-0-7425-4820-6}}</ref><ref name="smearboat">{{cite news|last=Conason|first=Joe|title=Smear Boat Veterans for Bush|work=Salon.com|date=May 4, 2004|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/05/04/swift/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103082930/http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/05/04/swift/index.html|archive-date=January 3, 2007}}</ref><ref name=Boehlert1>{{cite book|title=Lapdogs: How the Press Lay Down for the Bush White House|first1=Eric|last1=Boehlert|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2006|page=198|isbn=0-7432-9916-7}}</ref><ref name=Cogan1>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Politics, the Media, and Popular Culture|first1=Brian|last1=Cogan|first2=Tony|last2=Kelso|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2009|page=187|isbn=978-0-313-34379-7}}</ref><ref name="Casey">{{cite journal|url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/dissent/v056/56.2.casey.html|title=No redemption song: The Case of Bill Ayers|last=Casey|first=Leo|date=Spring 2009|journal=Dissent|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|volume=56|number=2|pages=107–111|issn=0012-3846|doi=10.1353/dss.0.0041|s2cid=143605641|quote=In recent elections, the patriotism and good names of Democratic war hero candidates, from John Kerry to Max Cleland, had been impugned so successfully that a neologism for such smears—to 'swift boat'—was coined out of the assault on Kerry.|url-access=subscription}}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=April 2023}} for its widely publicized<ref name="annenberg">{{cite web|title=University of Pennsylvania National Annenberg Election Survey|publisher=PollingReport.com|date=August 9–16, 2004|url=http://www.pollingreport.com/wh04misc2.htm|access-date=2007-03-30}}</ref> and later discredited claims.<ref name=Cogan2>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Politics, the Media, and Popular Culture|first1=Brian|last1=Cogan|first2=Tony|last2=Kelso|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2009|pages=155, 187, 335|isbn=978-0-313-34379-7}}</ref><ref name="vetsattack">{{cite news|title=THE VETS ATTACK|first=Evan|last=Thomas|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/55728/output/print|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610022244/http://www.newsweek.com/id/55728/output/print|archive-date=2008-06-10|work=Newsweek|date=14 November 2004|access-date=6 February 2013 }}</ref>

==Membership==
SBVT was formed in 2004. Membership was initially limited to veterans of the Vietnam War who at some point served in a Swift boat unit, as did Kerry.

Of the 3,500 Swift boat sailors who served in Vietnam, the names of some 250 appeared on the group's statement against Kerry; most did not serve at the same time or in the same place as Kerry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swiftboats.org/|title=Swift Boat Sailors' Association}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://horse.he.net/~swiftpow/index.php?topic=Letter|title=Swift Vets and POWs for Truth}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swiftboats.net/|title=Coastal Squadron One Directory}}</ref> 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 (Vietnam veteran)|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. Several of those who joined SBVT during the 2004 campaign were officers who had previously praised Kerry's conduct during the Vietnam War. These included Division Commander Grant Hibbard, who wrote positive evaluations of Kerry, and Commander George Elliott, who submitted Kerry for a [[Silver Star]]. SBVT asserted that it included, in total, 16 officers who served with Kerry in Coastal Division 11 as members.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://horse.he.net/~swiftpow/article.php?story=20040808144320243|title='Any Questions?' cover letter for TV station managers|date=2004-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050915131958/http://horse.he.net/~swiftpow/article.php?story=20040808144320243 |archive-date=September 15, 2005 }}</ref>
Despite SBVT's statements that Kerry's "entire chain of command" belonged to the group,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swiftvets.com/index.php?topic=SwiftVetQuotes|title=Swift Veteran Quotes|publisher=SBVT website|date=2004-10-09|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20041003062259/http%3A//www2%2Eswiftvets%2Ecom/index%2Ephp?topic%3Dswiftvetquotes |archive-date= October 3, 2004 }}</ref> Joseph Streuli, former commander of Coastal Division 13, Charles Horne, former commander of Coastal Squadron 1, and Art Price, former commander CTF 116, who are described in "Unfit for Command" as part of Kerry's chain of command, were not affiliated with the group.

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 [[United States Army|soldiers]], [[U.S. Marine Corps|marines]], [[U.S. Navy|sailors]] and [[U.S. Air Force|airmen]] of that war (including a betrayal of many of us, without regard for the danger your actions caused us). Further, we believe that you have withheld and/or distorted material facts as to your own conduct in this war."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://horse.he.net/~swiftpow/article.php?story=20040629220813790|title=Swift Veterans Letter to John Kerry|publisher=SBVT website|date=2004-06-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050915133442/http://horse.he.net/~swiftpow/article.php?story=20040629220813790 |archive-date=September 15, 2005 }}</ref> However, Kerry had posted over 100 pages of his military records at his website nearly two weeks before the issuance of the SBVT letter, and had also made his military medical records available for inspection by reporters (and provided a summary from his doctor).<ref name="kerrypostsrecords">{{cite news|last=Glionna|first=John M.|title=Kerry Camp Posts His Military Records|pages=A17|newspaper=LA Times|date=2004-04-21|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/621740291.html?dids=621740291:621740291&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+21%2C+2004&author=John+M.+Glionna&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.17&desc=THE+RACE+TO+THE+WHITE+HOUSE|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131215042/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/621740291.html?dids=621740291:621740291&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+21,+2004&author=John+M.+Glionna&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.17&desc=THE+RACE+TO+THE+WHITE+HOUSE|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|access-date=2007-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=29302|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051107080149/http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=29302|archive-date=2005-11-07|title=Kerry Doctor Issues Summary of Military Medical Records|publisher=U.S. Newswire|date=2004-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Military Records|work=Official Kerry website|date=2004-12-09|url=http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/military_records.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209135553/http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/military_records.html|archive-date=2004-12-09}}</ref>

Not all SBVT members said that they were signing the letter for the same reason. For example, from an interview published the day before the letter was made public: "'[Kerry] earned his medals, he did what he was supposed to do in Vietnam,' said retired [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] Captain Adrian Lonsdale, who was in the chain of command above Kerry and oversaw various operations dealing with Navy swift boats of the type Kerry commanded. 'But I was very disappointed in his statements after he got out of the Navy.{{' "}}<ref>{{cite news|date=2004-05-04|work=Boston Globe|title=$25m ad campaign showcases Kerry's career|url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/05/04/25m_ad_campaign_showcaes_kerrys_career/|first1=Glen|last1=Johnson|first2=Michael|last2=Kranish}}</ref>

Of those who served in Kerry's boat crew, only Stephen Gardner joined SBVT.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,599034,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040312040259/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,599034,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 12, 2004|access-date=2008-06-30|title=The Tenth Brother|first=Douglas |last=Brinkley|work=Time Magazine|date=2004-03-09}}</ref> He was not present on any of the occasions when Kerry earned his medals, including his [[Purple Heart]]s. Gardner appeared in two of the group's television advertisements.

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).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040806/news_1n6swift.html|title=McCain assails attacks on Kerry wartime record|work=San Diego Union-Tribune|date=2004-08-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/08/06/MNGUT83SS41.DTL|title=Vets group attacks Kerry; McCain defends Democrat|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=2004-08-06|first=Zachary|last=Coile}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kinston.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=22061&Section=Local |title=Kerry crewmates defend his record |publisher=Kinston Free Press |date=2004-08-29 }}{{dead link|date=April 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>"But other veterans of the "brown water navy" who witnessed the fighting, along with Navy documents from that time, have backed Kerry's version of events." [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-05-adfn-vietcong5-story.html Viet Cong Vets Puzzled Over Attacks on Kerry - latimes] September 05, 2004. Margie Mason. Associated Press Writer</ref><ref>Dobbs, Michael. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13267-2004Aug18_2.html ''Records Counter a Critic of Kerry: Fellow Skipper's Citation Refers To Enemy Fire''] Washington Post. August 19, 2004; Page A01</ref>

No members of SBVT were aboard Kerry's boat during any of the incidents for which he was decorated. The only member of SBVT who was present at the [[Silver Star]] incident, Rood's crew member Larry Clayton Lee, praised Kerry's tactics and stated that he earned his Silver Star. However, he stated that based on discussions with other SBVT members, he came to question whether Kerry deserved other medals for incidents at which he was not present.<ref name="coruierjournalleeinterview">{{cite news|last=Gerth|first=Joseph|title=Kentucky veteran involved in ambush backs Kerry account|work=Courier-Journal|location=Louisville, Kentucky|date=2004-08-26|url=http://orig.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/08/26ky/A1-swift0826-9879.html|access-date=2007-04-22}}</ref><ref name="foxlarryclaytonlee">{{cite news|last=Hume|first=Brit|title=Political Grapevine|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=2004-08-26|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-13156512.html|access-date=2007-04-07}}</ref>

On September 29, 2004, SBVT announced that it was joining forces with a group of American [[POW|prisoners of war]] who were held captive by the [[North Vietnam]]ese during the war to form the new group, "Swift Vets and POWs For Truth".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://swift4.he.net/~swift4/article.php?story=2004092911015589|date=2004-09-29|title=Swift Boat Veterans Join Forces With POWs, SBVT website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041024083924/http://swift4.he.net/~swift4/article.php?story=2004092911015589|archive-date=2004-10-24 }}</ref>

==Media activities==
SBVT produced several television advertisements created by [[Stevens Reed Curcio & Potholm]] attacking Kerry's actions both in and after Vietnam. For a detailed discussion of SBVT's allegations about Kerry's service in Vietnam, see [[John Kerry military service controversy]].

===First television advertisement===
SBVT first went public with a May 4, 2004, press conference declaring opposition to Kerry. When the press conference garnered little attention, the organization produced television advertisements. On August 5, 2004, SBVT began airing a one-minute television spot<ref>{{cite web|date=2004-10-12|title=Any Questions (script)|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://www.swiftvets.com/script.html|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20041002115932/http%3A//www%2Eswiftvets%2Ecom/script%2Ehtml |archive-date= October 2, 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2004-11-08|title=Any Questions (video)|format=WMV|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/anyquestions.wmv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041130023658/http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/anyquestions.wmv|archive-date=2004-11-30|url-status=dead}}</ref> in three hotly contested states in the ongoing presidential election. The advertisement, entitled "Any Questions?", was a collage of short clips of 13 SBVT members, many of whom stated they served with John Kerry or had direct contact with Kerry during his service in Vietnam. The veterans appearing in the ad said Kerry was dishonest, unreliable, unfit to lead, and had dishonored his country and fellow veterans. Only one of the men in the advertisement (Steve Gardner) served under Kerry, but some sailed on other boats grouped with Kerry's.

Among the first to denounce the first ad was Republican Senator [[John McCain]], a Bush supporter, Vietnam veteran, and former POW. He said, "I condemn the [SBVT] ad. It is dishonest and dishonorable. I think it is very, very wrong".<ref name="morningshowwrap">{{cite web|title=Broken Heroes on a Last Chance Power Drive|website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_Aug0604.html|date=August 6, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050417134522/http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_Aug0604.html|archive-date=April 17, 2005}}</ref> Senator McCain would be criticized four years later during his own presidential campaign for accepting money and support from many of the same Swiftboaters.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/john-mccain-and-swift-boa_b_110428.html John McCain and "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth"]; ''Huffington Post''; Joseph A. Palermo; July 10, 2008</ref>

===Book===
<!--{{Infobox Book
|name=Unfit for Command
|image=
|author=[[John O'Neill (Vietnam veteran)|John E. O'Neill]] and [[Jerome Corsi]]
|cover_artist=
|publisher=Regnery Publishing
|release_date=August 2004
|media_type=Hardcover/Paperback
|pages=
|size_weight=
|isbn=0-89526-017-4
|dewey=973.931/092 B 22
|congress=E840.8.K427 O54 2004
|oclc=56057932
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SBVT founder and spokesman [[John O'Neill (Vietnam veteran)|John O'Neill]] and [[Jerome Corsi]] are listed as coauthors of the book ''[[Unfit for Command|Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry]]'', published by [[Regnery Publishing]]. A best-seller upon its release in August 2004,<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Unfit-Command-Swift-Veterans-Against/dp/0895260174 Amazon.com: Unfit For Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry (9780895260178): John E. O'Neill, Jerome R. Corsi: Books<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> it criticized Kerry's judgment in battle, his truthfulness, his entitlement to certain medals, and his later anti-war activities. The book was based in part on interviews with veterans who served in or with Kerry's division, and also on biographies of Kerry.<ref>{{cite web|date=2008-08-17|title=Book Details – Unfit for Command|url=http://www.regnery.com/regnery/040809_unfit.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804002901/http://www.regnery.com/regnery/040809_unfit.html|archive-date=2008-08-04}}</ref> Several members of Kerry's crew stated that O'Neill did not interview them; some veterans who were interviewed asserted that their statements were edited to strip out material favorable to Kerry.<ref>{{cite news|work=New York Times|date=August 20, 2004|title=Friendly Fire: The Birth of an Anti-Kerry Ad|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/20/politics/campaign/20swift.html |first1=Kate|last1=Zernike|first2=Jim|last2=Rutenberg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524135357/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/20/politics/campaign/20swift.html?ei=5090&en=8afa4fded4046b86&ex=1250654400&partner=rssuserland&pagewanted=all&position=|archive-date=May 24, 2006}}</ref> Neither O'Neill nor Corsi had any firsthand knowledge of Kerry's service. O'Neill served on the Swift boats after Kerry left Vietnam, and Corsi never served in Vietnam.

After controversial statements made by Corsi became public, O'Neill denied Corsi's coauthorship of the book, saying that Corsi was "simply an editor and not really any sort of co-author."<ref>"Scarborough Country", ''[[MSNBC]]'', 2004-08-10</ref><ref>"John O'Neill Interview with Wolf Blitzer", ''[[CNN]]'', 2004-08-11.</ref> However, portions of the book<ref name="excerpts">{{cite web|title=Excerpts from Unfit for Command |url=http://www.learnedhand.com/kerryunfit7.htm |access-date=2007-03-29 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20041011192920/http://www.learnedhand.com/kerryunfit7.htm |archive-date=2004-10-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> contain material also found in articles posted under Corsi's name at a website critical of John Kerry,<ref name="communistshonorkerry">{{cite web|last=Corsi|first=Jerome|title=Communist Vietnamese honor John Kerry, the war protestor, as a hero in their victory over the United States in the Vietnam War –Part II|publisher=WinterSoldier.com|date=2004-07-27|url=http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=20040604194804799|access-date=2007-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050324092901/http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=20040604194804799|archive-date=2005-03-24}}</ref><ref name="coordinatingwithenemy">{{cite web|last=Corsi|first=Jerome|title=Coordinating with the enemy: Vietnam Veterans Against the War in Paris and Hanoi|publisher=WinterSoldier.com|date=2004-05-03|url=http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=2004060123330738|access-date=2007-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305152602/http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=2004060123330738|archive-date=2005-03-05}}</ref> and O'Neill is cited in a later book as describing Corsi as helping to write "Unfit for Command", and urging him to back out of media appearances after the controversial comments became public.<ref>"To Set the Record Straight: How Swift Boat Veterans, POWS and the New Media Defeated John Kerry", by Scott Swett and Tim Ziegler, pp. 120–124</ref>

===Second television advertisement===
On August 20, 2004, SBVT released a second television advertisement<ref>{{cite web|date=2004-10-12|title=Sellout (script)|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swiftvets.com/selloutscript.html|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20051205115900/http://swiftvets.com/selloutscript.html |archive-date=December 5, 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2004-11-08|title=Sellout (video)|format=WMV|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/sellout.wmv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041204090856/http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/sellout.wmv|archive-date=2004-12-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> featuring a portion of Kerry's [[s:John Kerry's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee|1971 testimony]], before the [[Senate Foreign Relations Committee]].<ref>{{cite web|title=John Kerry 1971 Senate Testimony (audio)|format=MP3|date=2004-08-25|publisher=Democracy Now!|url=http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2004/aug/audio/dn20040825.ra&proto=rtsp&start=11:02.227}}{{dead link|date=July 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} [https://archive.org/download/dn2004-0825/dn2004-0825-1_64kb.mp3 Alt URL]</ref> Kerry, testifying as a member of [[Vietnam Veterans Against the War]] (VVAW), had criticized U.S. policy in Vietnam. He had also described VVAW's 1971 [[Winter Soldier Investigation]], in which more than 100 soldiers and civilians said they had seen or committed [[war crimes|atrocities]] carried out by U.S. forces in Vietnam. Kerry's Senate testimony presented a summary of these men's statements; he did not, however, say that he had any personal knowledge of these atrocities. The SBVT advertisement alternated clips of Kerry's summary of these statements with charges from Vietnam veterans, particularly former POWs, that Kerry's "accusations" had demoralized and "betrayed" soldiers in Vietnam.

{{See also|Fulbright Hearing}}

===Third television advertisement===
A third television advertisement<ref>{{cite web|date=2004-10-12|title=Gunner (script)|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swiftvets.com/gunnerscript.html|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040826235339/http://swiftvets.com/gunnerscript.html |archive-date=August 26, 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2004-11-08|title=Gunner (video)|format=WMV|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/gunner.wmv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041130023625/http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/gunner.wmv|archive-date=2004-11-30|url-status=dead}}</ref> began airing on August 26, 2004, attacking Kerry's past statements that he was in [[Cambodia]] on [[Christmas Eve]], 1968. This advertisement featured Stephen Gardner stating, "I spent more time on John Kerry's boat than any other crew member. ... John Kerry claims that he spent [[Christmas]] in 1968 in Cambodia and that is categorically a lie. Not in December, not in January. We were never in Cambodia on a secret mission, ever."

However, Gardner was only a member of Kerry's crew for a month and a half, from December 6, 1968, to approximately January 22, 1969; crew directories and first hand accounts indicate that other crewmembers served as long or longer under Kerry's four-month-long command.<ref name="coastalsquadronone">{{cite web|last=Wasikowski|first=Lawrence J.|title=Coastal Squadron One Swift Boat Crew Directory|publisher=self-published|url=http://www.swiftboats.net/|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref><ref name="kranishheroism">{{cite news|last=Kranish|first=Michael|title=Heroism, and growing concern about war|work=Boston Globe|date=2003-06-16|url=https://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref>

In addition, Kerry had never said that the Christmas Eve incident was a "secret mission", but happened during a routine patrol;<ref name="kranishheroism"/> furthermore, he stated at least two weeks prior to the ad's appearance that he had been patrolling at or near the border at the time and subsequently ambushed.<ref name="accountchallenged">{{cite news|last=Canon|first=Scott|title=Kerry's Cambodia account challenged by ex-commander|work=Seattle Times|date=2004-08-05|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002005720_cambodia15.html|access-date=2007-03-28}}</ref><ref name="holidayincambodia">{{cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Fred|title=Holiday in Cambodia|work=Slate|date=2004-08-23|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2105529/|access-date=2007-03-28}}</ref> The account of the patrol appears in Douglas Brinkley's ''Tour of Duty'', [pp.&nbsp;209–219] and Cmdr. Elliott noted in Kerry's fitness report that his boat was ambushed during the Christmas truce of 1968.<ref name="fitnessreports">{{cite web|last=Kerry|first=John|title=John Kerry Fitness Reports|publisher=JohnKerry.com|url=http://www.johnkerry.com/about/Fitness_Reports.pdf|access-date=2007-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040716025647/http://www.johnkerry.com/about/Fitness_Reports.pdf|archive-date=2004-07-16}}</ref> Moreover, Kerry's biographer, Douglas Brinkley, has stated that Kerry "went into Cambodian waters three or four times in January and February 1969 on clandestine missions".<ref name="kerrysconfusion">{{cite news|last=Rennie|first=David|title=Kerry's confusion over Cambodia|work=Telegraph|date=2004-08-13|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/13/wus13.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040910200846/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/13/wus13.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-09-10|access-date=2007-04-01|location=London}}</ref><ref name="winterincambodia">{{cite news|last=Barone|first=Michael|title=Winter in Cambodia?|date=2004-08-30|work=U.S. News|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/040830/30barone.htm|access-date=2007-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817234753/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/040830/30barone.htm|archive-date=2007-08-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{See also|John Kerry military service controversy#Cambodia mission}}

===Fourth television advertisement===
On August 31, 2004, a fourth advertisement<ref>{{cite web|date=2004-10-12|title=Medals (script)|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swiftvets.com/medalsscript.html|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040916233433/http://swiftvets.com/medalsscript.html |archive-date=September 16, 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2004-11-08|title=Medals (video)|format=WMV|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/medals.wmv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041130023615/http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/medals.wmv|archive-date=2004-11-30|url-status=dead}}</ref> was released by SBVT. The advertisement described Kerry as a man who "renounced his country's symbols", a reference to a Vietnam War protest where Kerry threw war decorations over the fence of the U.S. Capitol building on April 23, 1971. The advertisement also contained edited video clips of Kerry from a [[WRC-TV]] program called ''Viewpoints'', in which he stated that he gave back "six, seven, eight, nine" (in response to a question: "How many did you give back, John?"); it then included a clip from another part of that interview where Kerry stated "and that was the medals themselves", although in the interview it was not in reference to the decorations he returned.<ref>{{cite news|title=Did Kerry Discard Vietnam Medals? Videotape Contradicts John Kerry's Own Statements Over Vietnam Medals|first1=Brian|last1=Ross|first2=Chris|last2=Vlasto|first3=Madeleine|last3=Sauer|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=123495|work=ABC News|date=April 26, 2004|quote=I threw my ribbons. I didn't have my medals. It is very simple. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040610142156/https://abcnews.go.com/sections/Politics/Investigation/kerry_vietnam_medals_040425.html|archive-date=June 10, 2004}}</ref>

==Controversy==

===Truth of allegations===
Early in the advertising campaign, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine surveyed public credence in the SBVT advertisements among those who viewed them. The poll, conducted August 24 through 26, showed that about one-third of viewers believed there was at least "some truth" to the allegations. Among swing voters, about one-fourth felt there was any truth to the ads.<ref name="kerryslips">{{cite magazine|last=Schulman |first=Mark |title=Kerry Slips Slightly as GOP Heads for NYC |magazine=Time |date=2004-08-28 |url=http://www.time.com/time/election2004/article/0,18471,689369,00.html |access-date=2007-04-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040831031320/http://www.time.com/time/election2004/article/0,18471,689369,00.html |archive-date=2004-08-31}}</ref>

A major part of the SBVT controversy centered on the group's testimony. The SBVT statements were accompanied by [[affidavit]]s. One affiant, Alfred French, acknowledged he had no firsthand knowledge of the events to which he had sworn.<ref name="callforresignation">{{cite news|title=Vets call for resignation of Clackamas prosecutor in Swift Boat ad |publisher=KGW |date=2004-08-23 |url=http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_082304_news_french_protest.a701071e.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155702/http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_082304_news_french_protest.a701071e.html |archive-date=2007-09-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In May 2006, ''The New York Times'' reported that an early member of the group, Steve Hayes, stated that he came to believe that the group was twisting Kerry's record, and broke with the group and voted for Kerry. Hayes told the Times:

{{blockquote|The mantra was just 'We want to set the record straight' ... It became clear to me that it was morphing from an organization to set the record straight into a highly political vendetta. They knew it was not the truth.}}

Hayes also told ''The New York Times'' that he provided a long interview to Kerry's supporters, backing their version of the incident for which Kerry received the [[Bronze Star]].<ref name="nytpressingcase">{{cite news|last=Zernike|first=Kate|title=Kerry Pressing Swift Boat Case Long After Loss|work=NY Times|date=2006-05-28|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/washington/28kerry.html?ex=1306468800&en=7158a80120f0ee5a&ei=5089
|access-date=2007-04-28}}</ref>

====First television advertisement====
The first SBVT ad was contradicted by the statements of several other veterans who observed the incidents, by the Navy's official records, and, in some instances, by the contemporaneous statements of SBVT members themselves.

Several major newspapers were also skeptical of the SBVT allegations. 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."<ref name="birthantikerryad">{{cite news|last1=Zernike |first1=Kate |first2=Jim |last2=Rutenberg |title=Friendly Fire: The Birth of an Anti-Kerry Ad |work=NY Times |date=2004-08-20 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/20/politics/campaign/20swift.html?ex=1250913600&en=9b6f27de16c97265&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland |access-date=2007-03-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807224330/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/20/politics/campaign/20swift.html?ex=1250913600&en=9b6f27de16c97265&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland |archive-date=August 7, 2009 }}</ref> Regarding the medal dispute, a ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' editorial<ref>{{cite news|title=Battle Over Kerry's Record Continues|newspaper=LA Times|date=2004-08-24|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/682222421.html?dids=682222421:682222421&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+24%2C+2004&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=B.10&desc=Battle+Over+Kerry%27s+Record+Continues|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930225731/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/682222421.html?dids=682222421:682222421&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+24,+2004&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=B.10&desc=Battle+Over+Kerry%27s+Record+Continues|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 30, 2007|pages=B10|access-date=2007-03-29}}</ref> stated, "Not limited by the conventions of our colleagues in the newsroom, we can say it outright: These charges against John Kerry are false." The editorial argued this position on the basis that "Kerry is backed by almost all those who witnessed the events in question, as well as by documentation." On August 22, 2004 ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported: "An investigation by ''The Washington Post'' into what happened that day suggests that both sides have withheld information from the public record and provided an incomplete, and sometimes inaccurate, picture of what took place. But although Kerry's accusers have succeeded in raising doubts about his war record, they have failed to come up with sufficient evidence to prove him a liar."<ref name="accountsimcomplete">{{cite news|last=Dobbs|first=Michael|title=Swift Boat Accounts Incomplete|newspaper=Washington Post|pages=A01|date=2004-08-22|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21239-2004Aug21.html|access-date=2009-11-15}}</ref>

The [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television show ''[[Nightline (US news program)|Nightline]]'' traveled to Vietnam and interviewed [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]] who were involved in the battle for which Kerry was awarded the Silver Star. These witnesses disputed O'Neill's charge that there "was little or no fire" that day; they said that the fighting was fierce.<ref name="abcwhathappened">{{cite news|last=Morse|first=Andrew|title=What Happened in Kerry's Vietnam Battles?|work=ABC News|date=October 14, 2004|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Vote2004/story?id=166434|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041112093735/https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Vote2004/story?id=166434|archive-date=November 12, 2004}}</ref> SBVT supporters question whether these witnesses are reliable because they spoke "in the presence of a Communist official",<ref name="abcnewsorspin">{{cite news|last=Sowell|first=Thomas|author-link=Thomas Sowell|title=ABC News or ABC spin|publisher=Townhall.com|date=October 20, 2004|url=http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2004/10/20/abc_news_or_abc_spin/page/full/|access-date=March 26, 2011}}</ref> but their account of enemy fire is substantially the same as that previously given by another former [[Viet Cong]] to an AP reporter<ref>{{cite news|last=Mason|first=Margie|title=Former Viet Cong recalls fierce fighting along Mekong Delta waterways where Kerry served.|date=2004-09-01|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> and by the American witnesses, including the only SBVT member who was actually present that day, Larry Clayton Lee.<ref name="chicagotribrood">{{cite news|title=FEB. 28, 1969: ON THE DONG CUNG RIVER; 'This is what I saw that day'
|first=William B.|last=Rood|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0408220342aug22,0,7550103.story?page=2|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=August 22, 2004|at=p. 2, para. 18|access-date=October 19, 2010|quote=There were three swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than 35 years ago{{nbsp}}...}}</ref><ref name="courantbattletested">{{cite news|last=Upton|first=Peter N.|title=Kerry's Leadership Is Battle Tested|pages=C01,06|work=Hartford Courant|date=2004-07-25|url=http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_072504.pdf|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref><ref>''Tour of Duty'', pp. 290–292</ref><ref>''John F. Kerry, The Complete Biography'', (Boston Globe), pp. 100–103</ref> 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."<ref name="abcskeptical">{{cite news|title=Wise Counsel|work=The Note|publisher=ABC News|date=August 25, 2004|url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_Aug2504.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050417124306/http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_Aug2504.html|archive-date=April 17, 2005}}</ref>

====Book, other media statements====
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 [[Communist]]s "for his contribution to their victory over [the] United States",{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} and John O'Neill has stated that Kerry "is in the North Vietnamese war museum as a hero... . one of the heroes who caused them to win the war in Vietnam".<ref name="nightline">{{cite news|title=Nightline with Ted Koppel|work=ABC News|date=2004-10-14|url=http://www.swiftvets.com/staticpages/index.php?page=Nightline|access-date=2007-04-01}} Self-published transcript URL.</ref> The statement is also repeated in "Unfit for Command" (pp 167–174). However, Josh Gerstein of the ''[[New York Sun]]'' stated in this regard:

{{blockquote|While the museum clearly honors opponents of the war from America and other countries, it is not clear that the photo of Mr. Kerry is part of that tribute. The picture of the senator hangs among a set of photos devoted to the restoration of diplomatic relations between America and Vietnam in the 1990s.

The picture apparently was taken as Kerry took part in a delegation President Bill Clinton sent to Hanoi in 1993. 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 officials|Josh Gerstein<ref name="nysun">{{cite news|last=Gerstein|first=Josh|title=Kerry's Photo Raises Eyebrows In Museum In Ho Chi Minh City|work=NY Sun|date=2004-08-16|url=http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=TllTLzIwMDQvMDgvMTYjQXIwMDEwMA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122210833/http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=TllTLzIwMDQvMDgvMTYjQXIwMDEwMA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom|archive-date=2007-11-22}}</ref>}}

In 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 [[Võ Nguyên Giáp|Giáp]], who was misidentified as "[[Mao Tse-tung]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tinyvital.com/Misc/KerryHonoredByCommunists2.htm|title=Museum Photo Documented|publisher=Tinyvital.com|access-date=2010-05-28}}</ref> (Photo #10).

In addition, John O'Neill said that in 1971 John Kerry "wanted to abandon ship and leave the POWs [in Vietnam]" and that "[o]n the [[Dick Cavett]] show and elsewhere, John Kerry's position was that we should accept the [[Madame Binh]] seven-point proposal, which called for unilateral withdrawal, setting a date after which at some future time, we'd negotiate the return of the POWs. So we would set a date. We would withdraw and then we would begin to discuss how to bring them home".<ref name="scarborough">{{cite news|title=Scarborough Country|work=transcript|publisher=NBC News TV|date=2004-10-22|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6327790|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref> However, in the Cavett debate, Kerry actually said:

{{blockquote|Now, if we were to set a date for withdrawal from Southeast Asia, we can – the Vietnamese, first of all, have said it will be settled prior to the arrival of that date, but we can set a time limit on that. 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.|John Kerry<ref name="dickcavett">{{cite news|title=Dick Cavett Show|work=transcript|publisher=ABC TV|date=1971-06-20|url=http://www.swiftvets.com/staticpages/index.php?page=Debate2|access-date=2007-04-01}} Transcript URL is self-published</ref>}}

===Connections with Republicans===
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 (United States)|Republican Party]]. According to information released by the [[IRS]] on February 22, 2005, more than half of the group's reported contributions came from just three sources, all prominent [[Texas]] Republican donors: [[Houston]] builder [[Bob J. Perry]], a longtime supporter of [[George W. Bush]], donated $4.45 million, [[Harold Simmons]]' Contrans donated $3 million, and [[T. Boone Pickens, Jr.]] donated $2 million. Other major contributors included Bush fundraiser [[Carl Lindner, Jr.|Carl Lindner]] ($300,000), Robert Lindner ($260,000), GOP contributor [[Aubrey McClendon]] ($250,000), George Matthews Jr. ($250,000), and Crow Holdings ($100,000).<ref name="opensecrets">{{cite web|title=Swift Vets Top Contributors, 2004 Cycle|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/527s/527cmtedetail_contribs.php?ein=201041228&cycle=2004|access-date=|publisher=opensecrets}}</ref><ref name="chronoctcontrib">{{cite news|last=Frank|first=John|title=ELECTION 2004 / 2 Texans dig deep for boat vet ads / Pair from Dallas kick in $3 million for group's coffers|pages=A8|work=Houston Chronicle|date=2004-10-05|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3806652|access-date=2007-04-01}} Registration required.</ref><ref name="tpjfactsheet">{{cite web |title=Bob Perry – The Man Behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth |work=fact sheet |publisher=Texans for Public Justice (self-published) |url=http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=667&pubid=422 |access-date=2007-04-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528034106/http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=667&pubid=422 |archive-date=2007-05-28 }}</ref>

The initial communications consultant for SBVT was [[Merrie Spaeth]], a [[Ronald Reagan|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 [[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]] presidential campaign and funded by Bush supporters who also helped fund SBVT.<ref name="bushcallshalt">{{cite news|last=Yost|first=Pete|title=Bush urges end to TV attack ads by outside groups, whatever their target|agency=Associated Press|date=2004-08-23|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002013026_webbush23.html|access-date=2007-04-02|work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> 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. He co-operated with the [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] White House in opposing Kerry in 1971, and seconded Nixon's nomination at the 1972 Republican national convention.<ref name="nbcnixon">{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Brian|title=Nixon targeted Kerry for anti-war views|publisher=NBC Nightly News|date=2004-03-16|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4534274|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002012641/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4534274/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 2, 2013|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref><ref name="wapooldconflict">{{cite news|last=Dobbs|first=Michael|title=After Decades, Renewed War On Old Conflict|pages=A01|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2004-08-28|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39956-2004Aug27.html|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref>

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. Schachte was also a [[lobbying|lobbyist]] for FastShip, a firm that recently announced it was receiving $40 million in federal funding for one of its projects. In addition, Schachte's lobbying firm associate, David Norcross, was chairman of the 2004 Republican convention.<ref name="waposwiftshift">{{cite news|last=Milbank|first=Dana|title=A Swift Shift in Stories|pages=A19|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2004-08-31|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47542-2004Aug30.html|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref> [[Chris LaCivita]], Political Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002,<ref name="orgsandfinances">{{cite web|last=Appleman|first=Eric M.|title=Republican Committees-Organization and Finances, 2002 Election Cycle|publisher=Democracy in Action|year=2003|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/parties/rnc02.html|access-date=2007-04-01}} Self-published?</ref> worked as a private contractor providing media advice for SBVT.<ref name="nytlawyerresigns">{{cite news |last1=Rutenberg |first1=Jim |first2=Kate |last2=Zernike |title=Bush Campaign's Top Outside Lawyer Resigns |work=NY Times |date=2007-08-25 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/25/politics/campaign/25CND-SWIF.html |access-date=2007-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807224335/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/25/politics/campaign/25CND-SWIF.html |archive-date=2009-08-07 |url-status=dead }} Registration required.</ref>

The SBVT postal address was registered to Susan Arceneaux, treasurer of the Majority Leader's Fund, a [[Political action committee|PAC]] closely tied to the former Congressional leader, Republican [[Dick Armey]].<ref name="sailingbuddies">{{cite web|last=Conason|first=Joe|title=Sailing buddies|work=Salon|date=2004-08-28|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/08/28/swift_bush/index.html|access-date=2007-04-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614064431/http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/08/28/swift_bush/index.html|archive-date=2007-06-14}}</ref>

Republican activist [[Sam Fox]]'s donation of $50,000 to SBVT during the 2004 campaign<ref name="campaignmoneydotcom">{{cite web|title=Swift Boat Vets and POWs for Truth "527" Political Organization Filing Information|work=pub info retrieval|publisher=CampaignMoney.com|url=http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/527/swift_boat_vets_and_pows_for_truth.asp|access-date=2007-04-07}}</ref> caused a controversy when Bush nominated him to the position of ambassador to Belgium. Because the Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee indicated that they would not support his nomination, Bush withdrew the nomination; he appointed Fox to the position on April 4, 2007, while Congress was in recess.<ref name="AP/CNN03283007">{{cite news|title=Bush withdraws nomination after Swift Boat criticism|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/28/kerry.swift.ap/index.html|date=2007-03-28|access-date=2011-05-26|quote=President Bush on Wednesday withdrew the ambassadorial nomination of businessman Sam Fox after Democrats denounced Fox...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404013454/http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/28/kerry.swift.ap/index.html|archive-date=2007-04-04|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="appointment">{{cite news|title=White House Withdraws Ambassador Nominee|first=Sam|last=Hananel|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070328/kerry-swift-boat/|work=Huffington Post|date=March 28, 2007|access-date=May 26, 2011|quote=More than two years after losing his bid for the White House, Democratic Sen. John Kerry exacted a measure of revenge}}</ref><ref name="SPI04052007">{{cite news|last=Flaherty |first=Anne |title=Dems call for review of Bush appointment |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=2007-04-05 |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1151AP_Bush_Outflanking_Congress.html }}{{dead link|date=December 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

These ties, along with others (see below), led to suggestions in the popular press that SBVT was a front group for Republicans.<ref name="birthantikerryad"/><ref name="dishonorablecharge">{{cite web|last=Conason|first=Joe|title=Republicans' Dishonorable Charge|work=Salon|date=2004-08-06|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/08/06/mccain_on_swift_boat_veterans/index.html|access-date=2007-04-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220055059/http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/08/06/mccain_on_swift_boat_veterans/index.html|archive-date=2007-02-20}}</ref><ref name="phonywar">{{cite news|last=Clift |first=Eleanor |title=Fighting a Phony War |work=Newsweek |date=2004-08-27 |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5772260/site/newsweek/ |access-date=2007-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205200516/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5772260/site/newsweek/ |archive-date=2007-02-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Connections with the Bush campaign===
The Bush campaign became part of the general SBVT controversy when McCain condemned the first SBVT ad, and said, "I hope that the president will also condemn it." The Bush campaign did not condemn SBVT or the SBVT ads. The campaign did not endorse the group either, stating "We have not and we will not question Senator Kerry's service in Vietnam."<ref name="wontquestionservice">{{cite news|title=Bush Advisors Say Campaign Won't Question Kerry's Service|publisher=U.S. News & World Report|date=2004-08-16|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/archive/bull040816e.htm|access-date=2007-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929102922/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/archive/bull040816e.htm|archive-date=2007-09-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kerry was dismissive of this statement, saying, "Of course, the President keeps telling people he would never question my service to our country. Instead, he watches as a Republican-funded attack group does just that."<ref name="apkerrystrikesback">{{cite news|title=Kerry Strikes Back Against Vietnam Criticism|agency=Associated Press|date=2004-08-20|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,129387,00.html|access-date=2007-04-02|work=Fox News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523072110/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,129387,00.html|archive-date=2007-05-23|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kerry also alleged that SBVT was "a front for the Bush campaign. And the fact that the President won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything you need to know—he wants them to do his dirty work".<ref name="dohisdirtywork">{{cite news|last=Fournier|first=Ron|title=Kerry accuses Bush of relying on front groups to 'do his dirty work' on Vietnam|agency=Associated Press|date=2004-08-19|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/federal/20040819-1432-kerry-war.html|access-date=2007-04-02}}</ref> When pressed on the issue, President Bush called for an end to all 527 group political advertisements, and challenged Kerry to do the same.<ref name="bushurgeskerry">{{cite news|title=Bush urges Kerry to condemn attack ads|publisher=CNN|date=2004-08-24|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/23/bush.kerry/|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref>

Critics and the Kerry campaign pointed to several specific connections between SBVT and the Bush campaign. The Kerry campaign asserted that Bush campaign headquarters in [[Florida]] distributed fliers promoting SBVT events, a charge the Bush campaign denied.<ref name="fliertobush">{{cite news|title=Volunteer links 'Swift Boat Veterans for Truth' flier to Bush|work=USA Today|date=2004-08-24|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-08-20-swift-boat-flier_x.htm|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref> Kenneth Cordier, former vice-chair of Veterans for Bush/Cheney (in 2000) and volunteer member of the Bush campaign veterans steering committee, appeared in the second SBVT advertisement. The Bush campaign asked him to resign and stated that it had been unaware of his SBVT involvement.<ref name="wapocortierresigns">{{cite news|last=Milbank|first=Dana|title=Bush Campaign Drops Swift Boat Ad Figure|pages=A13|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2004-08-02|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22957-2004Aug22.html|access-date=2007-04-02}}</ref>

On August 25, 2004, [[Benjamin Ginsberg (lawyer)|Benjamin Ginsberg]], the top election lawyer to the Bush campaign on [[campaign finance|campaign finance law]], also resigned after it was learned that SBVT was one of his clients. Ginsberg stated that he was withdrawing to avoid being a distraction to the campaign. He declared that he had acted "in a manner that is fully appropriate and legal,"<ref name="nytlawyerresigns"/> arguing that it was not uncommon or illegal for lawyers to represent campaigns or political parties while also representing 527 groups. He also maintained that he did not disclose to the Bush campaign that he was simultaneously representing the SBVT group. After leaving the Bush campaign, Ginsberg retained his status as counsel to SBVT.

In January 2005, Governor [[Jeb Bush]], the President's brother and Florida chairman for his 2004 campaign,<ref name="floridacampaignorg">{{cite web|title=President George W. Bush-Campaign Organization, Florida|publisher=Democracy in Action|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/bush/bushorgfl.html|access-date=2007-04-30}}</ref> sent a letter to SBVT member and former [[POW]] [[Bud Day]], thanking him for his "personal support of my brother in his re-election." In addition, Governor Bush said of the SBVT:

{{blockquote|As someone who truly understands the risk of standing up for something, I simply cannot express in words how much I value their willingness to stand up against John Kerry.<ref name="nytpressingcase"/><ref name="jebbushletter">{{cite web|last=Bush |first=Jeb |title=Dear Colonel Day |work=letter |publisher=thedemocraticdaily.com |date=2005-01-19 |url=http://www.thedemocraticdaily.com/JebBushSwiftBoatLetter.jpg |format=jpg |access-date=2007-04-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060812113723/http://www.thedemocraticdaily.com/JebBushSwiftBoatLetter.jpg |archive-date=August 12, 2006 }}</ref>}}

===Federal Election Commission filings===
'''FEC Cases #5511 and #5525'''

On August 10, 2004, three campaign finance watchdog groups — [[Democracy 21]], the [[Campaign Legal Center]], and [[OpenSecrets]] — jointly filed an independent complaint with the [[Federal Election Commission]] (Case #5511).<ref name="fecwatchdog">{{cite web|last=Democracy 21|title=Complaint against Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT)|publisher=FEC|work=complaint|date=2004-08-10|url=http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqsdocs/000058CD.pdf|access-date=2007-04-03|display-authors=etal|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201157/http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqsdocs/000058CD.pdf|archive-date=2007-09-27}}</ref><ref name="watchdogcomplaint">{{cite news|title=Campaign watchdog groups file complaint over anti-Kerry ad|work=USA Today|date=2004-08-10|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-08-10-anti-kerry-ad-complaint_x.htm|access-date=2007-04-02}}</ref> The complaint alleged that SBVT's sources of funding were in violation of federal election law in that "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT) is registered with the IRS as a section 527 group but is not registered with the Commission as a political committee. However, SBVT is, in fact, a federal political committee."

On August 20, 2004, the Kerry campaign filed a complaint with the FEC (Case #5525)<ref name="feckerry">{{cite web|last=Kerry-Edwards 2004|title=Complaint against SBVT, President George W. Bush, etc.|publisher=FEC|work=complaint|date=2004-08-23|url=http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqsdocs/000058A8.pdf|access-date=2007-04-03|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201546/http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqsdocs/000058A8.pdf|archive-date=2007-09-27}}</ref><ref name="kerryfeccomplaint">{{cite news|title=Kerry files FEC complaint against swift boat group|publisher=CNN|date=2004-08-21|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/20/kerry.swiftboat/|access-date=2007-04-02}}</ref> alleging that SBVT and 20 additional named respondents had conducted campaign activity that "has been coordinated with the Bush campaign and the Republican Party from the outset." Under federal election law, SBVT, as a nonpartisan 527 group, was barred from coordinating with any political campaign. The complaint, citing the "ties" noted above, claimed a "web of connections to the [[Bush family]], high-profile Texas political figures, and President Bush's chief political aide, [[Karl Rove]]".

The Bush campaign dismissed charges of ties and asserted there was no co-ordination between SBVT and the campaign. Editorial opinion on the evidence for co-ordination varied. [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]' ''The Note'' stated, "There is no evidence that the Bush campaign is orchestrating the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth."<ref name="notenoevidence">{{cite news|title=Speaking of the Truth|work=The Note|publisher=ABC News|date=August 23, 2004|url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_Aug2304.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050417133340/http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_Aug2304.html|archive-date=April 17, 2005}}</ref> 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."<ref name="texasnexus">{{cite news|title=Swift Boats and the Texas Nexus|work=NY Times|date=2004-08-25|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02EFD6153EF936A1575BC0A9629C8B63|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130160449/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02EFD6153EF936A1575BC0A9629C8B63|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-01-30|access-date=2008-03-28}}</ref>

'''FEC Findings – Cases #5511 and #5525'''

On December 13, 2006, in a consolidated finding, the FEC ruled against the Kerry campaign allegations (Case #5525)<ref name="fecruling">{{cite web|last=Federal Election Commission|title=Conciliation Agreement – MURs 5511 and 5525|work=ruling|publisher=FEC|date=2006-12-13|url=http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqsdocs/000058ED.pdf|access-date=2007-04-03|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205132232/http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqsdocs/000058ED.pdf|archive-date=2007-02-05}}</ref> finding that...

{{blockquote|Following an investigation, the Commission concluded that Swiftvets did not unlawfully coordinate its activities with, or make excessive in-kind contributions to, any federal candidate or political party committee.}}

In addition, Kerry campaign complaints against 18 other respondents were relegated to [https://web.archive.org/web/20061127231702/http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqs/terms.html "dismissed-other"] and 2 relegated to [https://web.archive.org/web/20061127231702/http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqs/terms.html "Reason To Believe/No Further Action" (RTB/NFA)] status.

The FEC did, however, find ''for'' the joint complainants (Case #5511)<ref name="fecpressrelease">{{cite press release|title=FEC collects $630,000 in civil penalties from three 527 organizations|publisher=Federal Election Commission|date=2006-12-13|url=http://www.fec.gov/press/press2006/20061213murs.html|access-date=2007-04-03|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208142407/http://www.fec.gov/press/press2006/20061213murs.html|archive-date=2012-02-08}}</ref> in that the SBVT failed to register and file disclosure reports as a federal political committee, and accepted contributions in violation of federal limits and source prohibitions. SBVT was assessed a fine of $299,500.

The conciliation agreement between the FEC and the SBVT also stated, in part:

{{blockquote|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.}}

{{blockquote|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 .{{nbsp}}...}}

In addition, as part of the conciliation agreement, SBVT stated that upon completing its obligations under the agreement, it "intends to cease operations as an IRC Section 527 organization and to donate the remainder of its funds to a charity supporting the families of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen killed or wounded in the [[War in Iraq]]."<ref name="fecruling"/>

===Disclosure of documents===
During the campaign, SBVT criticized Kerry for not signing a [[SF-180|Standard Form 180]] authorizing general public access to his Navy personnel records.<ref name="sbvtfaq">{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|work=self-published|publisher=Swift Vets and POWs for Truth|date=2004-06-30|url=http://horse.he.net/~swiftpow/index.php?topic=FAQ|access-date=2007-04-03}}</ref> Kerry responded that the documents were posted on his website.<ref name="recordsindicate">{{cite news|last=Scarborough|first=Rowan|title=Records indicate Kerry did his duty|work=Washington Times|date=2004-10-18|url=http://washingtontimes.com/national/20041018-124856-1545r.htm|access-date=2007-04-03}}</ref> In May 2005, Kerry confirmed his signing of the SF-180 form permitting release of his service records and medical records to reporters from the ''[[Boston Globe]]'', the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', and the [[Associated Press]];<ref name="sawitherefirst">{{cite web|title=The caveat emperor |work=The Boston Globe |date=2005-06-24 |url=https://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/05/24/the_caveat_emperor/ |access-date=2007-04-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050526005326/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/05/24/the_caveat_emperor/ |archive-date=2005-05-26 }}</ref> he refused a request by the ''[[New York Sun]]'' for access to the records.<ref name="kerrygrants">{{cite news|last=Gerstein|first=Josh|title=Kerry Grants Three Reporters Broad Access to Navy Records|work=NY Sun|date=2005-06-21|url=http://www.nysun.com/article/15790|access-date=2007-04-03}}</ref> The ''Boston Globe'' and ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that the records largely duplicated what Kerry had released during the campaign.<ref name="globekerryallows">{{cite news|last=Kranish|first=Michael|title=Kerry allows Navy release of military, medical records|work=Boston Globe|date=2005-06-07|url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/07/kerry_allows_navy_release_of_military_medical_records/|access-date=2007-04-03}}</ref><ref name="timeskerryreleases">{{cite news|last=Braun|first=Stephen|title=Kerry Makes His Military, Medical File Available|newspaper=LA Times|pages=A17|date=2005-06-08|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/850613301.html?dids=850613301:850613301&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+8%2C+2005&author=Stephen+Braun&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.17&desc=THE+NATION|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001004545/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/850613301.html?dids=850613301:850613301&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+8,+2005&author=Stephen+Braun&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.17&desc=THE+NATION|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 1, 2007|access-date=2007-04-04}}</ref>

SBVT members also criticized Kerry for not releasing his own private journals and letters. However, SBVT members themselves refused to release documents. 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.<ref name="acctsincomplete"/>

The [[White House]] refused to release records detailing any [[George W. Bush administration|Bush administration]] contacts with prominent individuals associated with SBVT. The denied [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] request was filed on August 24, 2007 by [[Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/19140 |title=CREW FOIAs White House Contacts With Swift Boat Veterans Group |publisher=Citizensforethics.org |access-date=2010-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429180814/http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/19140 |archive-date=April 29, 2007 }}</ref>

==Discredited==
The claims of the group were discredited;<ref name="Cogan2"/> Vietnam veterans who served alongside Kerry or under his command disputed the criticisms and supported Kerry's version of events and his presidential aspirations.<ref name="FactCheck2004"/><ref name="Lehigh"/><ref name="acctsincomplete"/><ref name="returnshome"/><ref name="Coile"/><ref name="Zernke"/><ref name="Akers"/>

=="Swiftboating"==
{{Main|Swiftboating}}
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. The term is most often used with the [[pejorative]] meaning of a [[smear campaign]].<ref name=Sheehan>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/opinion/21rich.html?pagewanted=1 "The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan"] Editorial by Frank Rich, August 21, 2005 ''New York Times''</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Politics}}
* [[John Kerry military service controversy]]
* [[Swift Boat challenge]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
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==Further reading==
* O'Neill, John and Jerome Corsi, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=KJdvc1lBZzgC Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry]'', [[Regnery Publishing]], 2004. {{ISBN|0-89526-017-4}}
* Swett, Scott and Tim Ziegler, ''[http://www.tosettherecordstraight.com/ To Set The Record Straight: How Swift Boat Veterans, POWs and the New Media Defeated John Kerry]'', New American Media Publishing, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-9799841-5-0}}
* George N. Dionisopoulos (2009) Incident on the Bay Hap River and the Guns of August: The "Swift Boat Drama" and Counter-Narrative in the 2004 Election, Communication Quarterly, 57:4, 487–511.
* G. Mitchell Reyes. 2006. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the Politics of Realism, and the Manipulation of Vietnam Remembrance in the 2004 Presidential Election. Rhetoric & Public Affairs 9:4, 571–600.

==External links==
* {{official}}
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Swift_Boat_Veterans_for_Truth Swift Boat Veterans for Truth] at [[SourceWatch]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040606071703/http://www.johnkerry.com/about/military_records.html "John Kerry Military Records"]

{{John Kerry}}
[[Category:Mass media-related controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:Political organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:John Kerry controversies]]
[[Category:2004 United States presidential election]]
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[[Category:George W. Bush administration controversies]]
[[Category:2004 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:2008 disestablishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 2008]]