NYT bungles description of Kerry's 1970 Paris meeting, and publishes a Brinkley gaffe

Jodi Wilgoren's article entitled "Truth Be Told, the Vietnam Cross-Fire Hurts Kerry More" on September 24, 2004, in the NYT's Washington/Campaign section, contains this statement:

Mr. Kerry's nemesis, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, is spending $1.3 million in five swing states with a spot accusing him of meeting with the enemy in Paris — a reference to his trip to the Paris peace talks, where he met with both sides.

As I wrote at considerable length on Tuesday, Kerry didn't meet with "both sides," but rather with representatives of both enemy participants at the Paris peace talks, the North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong.  Ms. Wilgoren's article is also misleading in referring to this as merely an accusation by the SwiftVets.  It's not a disputed accusation, it's something that Kerry admitted — and arguably, bragged about — in his 1971 testimony before the Fulbright Committee.  And unsurprisingly, the Times continues to ignore the possibility that Kerry made at least one further Paris trip in late 1971, as pro-Kerry antiwar-movement historian Gerald Nicosia continues to insist despite the Kerry campaign's denials.

The same article contains this surprising statement by authorized Kerry biographer Douglas Brinkley:

"Every American now knows that there's something really screwy about George Bush and the National Guard, and they know that John Kerry was not the war hero we thought he was," said Douglas Brinkley, the historian and author of a friendly biography of Mr. Kerry's war years, acknowledging that Mr. Kerry's opponents had succeeded in raising questions about his service.

"It's kind of neutralized itself, just by tiring everybody out," Mr. Brinkley said.

Within hours, the Kerry campaign published a press release from Mr. Brinkley to respin this quote:

Author and historian, Douglas Brinkley, issued the following statement to correct a report by the New York Times today:

"A story in the September 24 New York Times leaves the false impression that I think John Kerry was not 'the war hero we thought he was.' Nothing could be further from the truth. He was a great American fighting man in Vietnam and deserved all of his medals. Over the past year I have vigorously defended Kerry's military record and will continue to do so.

"My comment was meant to be about the political consequences of the anti-Kerry Swift boat attacks vs. the anti-Bush National Guard ones. I was speaking about public perceptions not my personal beliefs."

Paid for by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.

I appreciate the frank attribution on this press release; but it ought to also appear on Brinkley's book, Tour of Duty, and perhaps also be tattooed on Mr. Brinkley's forehead to help keep him in sync with the party line.

Update (Sat Sep 25 @ 2:12am):  Not content to get it wrong once, the NYT repeats its error:

Mr. Kerry has said he visited the Vietnam peace talks and discussed the status of prisoners of war with both sides.

That's not what he said in 1971, and not what he did in 1970.  Apparently the Times recognizes that a junior officer in the Naval Reserves meeting with the nation's enemies (plural) in wartime is hard to spin in a favorable way.  So they're just going to misrepresent the actual facts, repeatedly.  If you disapprove, feel free to email the Times "public editor," Mr. Daniel Okrent (politely, please).