During the 2004 presidential election campaign an image was released that showed John Kerry and Jane Fonda speaking together at an anti-Vietnam War protest. The image turned out to be a politically motivated forgery, intended to link Kerry with Fonda, whom some consider a traitor after her controversial visit to Hanoi during the Vietnam War.
The image is a composite of two different images: one of Kerry taken on June 13, 1971, at an anti-war rally in Mineola, New York [1] and one of Fonda taken in August, 1972, speaking at a Miami Beach, Florida rally. [2] [3] The images were combined and then further altered to appear as if the combined image was from an old newspaper clipping. [4] A caption was also added stating, "Actress And Anti-War Activist Jane Fonda Speaks to a crowd of Vietnam Veterans as Activist and Former Vietnam Vet John Kerry (LEFT) listens and prepares to speak next concerning the war in Vietnam (AP Photo)" even though Fonda was not present when Kerry gave his speech. [5]
The most influential media outlet to publish the forgery was The New York Times , which cited the image in a Sheryl Gay Stolberg story on February 13, 2004. [6] The image received further attention on many websites. [7] Right-wing opponents of Kerry, meanwhile, claimed that the original image of him was fabricated and that the combined image is the real image.
Ken Light, the copyright owner of the original Kerry image, [8] has the original negatives and was quoted when asked on what lesson was to be learned from the story:
The lesson is to take lots of photographs, be conscious that if things don't seem at that moment important, they may be important. Store your film and keep it organized. And be vigilant about how your work is used. This is the challenge in the new digital age. I hope at some point, some smart computer scientist will come up with a solution. Some sort of encryption in the digital file that can't be passed on.
— Ken Light [9]
The only known authentic photograph in which Kerry and Fonda appear together was taken by Leif Skoogfors at a rally at Valley Forge, PA in 1970. [10]
In 2005, Light tracked down the creator of the image, Richard Taylor, and sued him in New York Federal District Court for copyright infringement. Light sought damages of $200,000 plus legal fees. [8] The original case was thrown out based on jurisdictional issues [8] and the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the district court. [11]
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The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) from January 31, 1971, to February 2, 1971. It was intended to publicize war crimes and atrocities by the United States Armed Forces and their allies in the Vietnam War. The VVAW challenged the morality and conduct of the war by showing the direct relationship between military policies and war crimes in Vietnam. The three-day gathering of 109 veterans and 16 civilians took place in Detroit, Michigan. Discharged servicemen from each branch of the armed forces, as well as civilian contractors, medical personnel and academics, all gave testimony about war crimes they had committed or witnessed during the years 1963–1970.
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John Forbes Kerry is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the administration of Barack Obama. A member of the Forbes family and of the Democratic Party, he previously represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1985 to 2013 and later served as the first U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate from 2021 to 2024. Kerry was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2004 election, losing to then-incumbent president George W. Bush.
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