"If you thought that, of course, you would be wrong.

"Instead the story last week out of Johnson’s presidential library received only cursory attention in the big newspapers and TV outlets, mostly references to a briefAssociated Press wire story that treated the disclosure more as a curiosity than a clue to a dark historical mystery.

"The U.S. news media’s blasé reaction may be almost as revealing as the tapes themselves in that it reflects an institutionalized disinterest – even hostility – to sharing with the American people some ugly realities about their democracy when national security intersects with politics.

"In effect, the 1968 case in which Nixon’s operatives undermined President Johnson’s desperate bid to end the Vietnam War – and thus helped ensure Nixon’s electoral victory over Vice President Hubert Humphrey – may have been the original “October Surprise.”

"A dozen years later, some of the veterans of Nixon’s 1968 campaign were linked to a similar operation by the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign to interfere with President Jimmy Carter’s negotiations to free 52 Americans held hostage in Iran, another Democratic failure that paved the way to a Republican victory.

"Regarding both cases, the Washington press corps mostly has looked the other way. Weaving through both historical mysteries is a common thread of the Washington Establishment’s professed fear that revealing too much about how the Republicans won those pivotal elections would harm the country.

"Clifford’s remark came in the context of Johnson learning that Christian Science Monitor reporter Saville Davis was working on a story about how Nixon’s entourage had undermined the peace talks by sending its own messages to South Vietnamese officials.

"Instead of helping Davis confirm his information, Clifford and Rusk argued that the Johnson administration should make no comment, advice that Johnson accepted. He maintained his public silence on what he regarded as the Nixon campaign’s “treason,” going into retirement privately embittered about the Republican sabotage."

A mistake of historic proportions..

Parry continues: "The newly released audiotapes offer a dramatic story of an embattled President angered over intelligence intercepts revealing that emissaries from Nixon’s campaign, including right-wing China Lobby figure Anna Chennault, were carrying messages to the South Vietnamese government urging them to boycott planned peace talks in Paris.

"The Republican message was that South Vietnamese leaders could expect a better deal from Nixon than from the Democrats. According to the evidence, President Nguyen van Thieu accepted these private assurances and backed away from a commitment to attend the peace talks.."

This was treason.

Read the entire article which isn't long.  It's a fascinating, factual story about the treacherous and treaonous Nixon and crew during the 1968 campaign.   

It's time that more of the stories about the corruption, crimes, and scandals of Republican administrations that have been suppressed or hidden see the light of day.

Robert Parry's articles are just the sunshine and fresh air needed to expose the hypocrisy, dishonesty, and dishonor of the GOP.