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Robinson, writing for Forbes.com, says Kennedy sent his close
friend, former California state Sen. John Tunney, to Moscow with a
secret message to Andropov: Help the Democrats battle Reagan in the
1984 presidential election, and in return Kennedy would help Andropov
in dealing with Reagan.
Robinson recounts that Victor Chebrikov, a top KGB official,
recorded the details of Kennedy's offer in a memo that was uncovered in
Soviet archives in 1991.
Kennedy promised to:
- Visit Moscow and prep the Soviets on effective
propaganda. "The main purpose of the meeting, according to the senator,
would be to arm Soviet officials with explanations regarding problems
of nuclear disarmament so they may be better prepared and more
convincing during appearances in the USA," states the Sovietmemo.
- Help Andropov get on U.S. television. "A direct
appeal ... to the American people will, without a doubt, attract a
great deal of attention and interest in the country," states the memo.
"If the proposal is recognized as worthy, then Kennedy and his friends
will bring about suitable steps to have representatives of the largest
television companies in the USA contact Y.V. Andropov for an invitation
to Moscow for the interviews. ... The senator underlined the importance
that this initiative should be seen as coming from the American side.
According to the memo, Kennedy also had told Tunney that he
planned to run for president in 1988. [Kennedy's Secret Soviet Overture
Against Reagan] |
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