If you’ve never heard former US Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) recount how he exposed torture in Vietnam, this week’s Fallon Forum is a must-listen.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon assured the press and the public that the Vietnam War was going well. Troops were being withdrawn. There was real progress toward peace.

It’s probably no surprise that Nixon was lying. In April of 1970, he actually expanded the war into neighboring Cambodia. 

(Imagine that. A US president lying about a war. Who ever heard of such a thing?)

Also in 1970, Tom Harkin worked as an aide to Congressman Neal Smith (D-Iowa). That summer, Tom joined a bi-partisan House delegation on a fact-finding mission to Vietnam.

At one point, Tom managed to break away from the official, sanitized tour to chase a rumor about “tiger cages,” where he’d heard that prisoners were being tortured.

What Tom discovered was truly horrific. Continue Reading →