Bearing the highest security classification, it summarized a confidential offer by Senator Ted Kennedy to the Soviet leadership to help stop President Ronald Reagan's aggressive, anti-Soviet defense policies.
There the story remained unheeded and unheralded until 2006 when historian Paul Kengor published The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism in which he discussed Kennedy's secret approach to the Soviets.
Marked "Special Importance" and bearing the heading "Regarding Senator Kennedy's request to the General Secretary of the Communist Party Y. V. Andropov," the letter reported that former California Senator John Tunney had secretly contacted the Soviets on behalf of Kennedy.
According to Chebrikov, Kennedy was "Very troubled" by poor U.S.-Soviet relations which he blamed on "Reagan's belligerence." Kennedy was reported to be "Very impressed with the activities of Y. V. Andropov and other Soviet leaders."
According to Chebrikov, "Kennedy believes that in order to influence Americans it would be important to organize in August-September of this year , televised interviews with Y. V. Andropov in the USA" to make a "Direct appeal" to the American people.
The discovery of Chebrikov's letter describing Kennedy's media advice to Andropov and his efforts to make the Soviet Union a partisan political ally was in and of itself worthy of media coverage.
Did Kennedy, in effect, actually tell the Soviets to ratchet up the threat of nuclear war as a means of helping him defeat Reagan? If so, had he taken into account the fact such increased tensions could take an unexpected turn and inadvertently result in such a war? Was he actually willing to risk that in order to win the presidency? Or was Kennedy of such limited intelligence that he didn't comprehend the dangers posed by his secret outreach and suggestions to the Soviets?
https://spectator.org/chappaquiddick-wasnt-the-only-scandal/
There the story remained unheeded and unheralded until 2006 when historian Paul Kengor published The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism in which he discussed Kennedy's secret approach to the Soviets.
Marked "Special Importance" and bearing the heading "Regarding Senator Kennedy's request to the General Secretary of the Communist Party Y. V. Andropov," the letter reported that former California Senator John Tunney had secretly contacted the Soviets on behalf of Kennedy.
According to Chebrikov, Kennedy was "Very troubled" by poor U.S.-Soviet relations which he blamed on "Reagan's belligerence." Kennedy was reported to be "Very impressed with the activities of Y. V. Andropov and other Soviet leaders."
According to Chebrikov, "Kennedy believes that in order to influence Americans it would be important to organize in August-September of this year , televised interviews with Y. V. Andropov in the USA" to make a "Direct appeal" to the American people.
The discovery of Chebrikov's letter describing Kennedy's media advice to Andropov and his efforts to make the Soviet Union a partisan political ally was in and of itself worthy of media coverage.
Did Kennedy, in effect, actually tell the Soviets to ratchet up the threat of nuclear war as a means of helping him defeat Reagan? If so, had he taken into account the fact such increased tensions could take an unexpected turn and inadvertently result in such a war? Was he actually willing to risk that in order to win the presidency? Or was Kennedy of such limited intelligence that he didn't comprehend the dangers posed by his secret outreach and suggestions to the Soviets?
https://spectator.org/chappaquiddick-wasnt-the-only-scandal/
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