Last updated on June 28, 2025
Rather than trying to defend his record, in early 2000 Bergland announced that he would not seek re-election to the National Committee. [Editor: During this period, I ran repeatedly for National Chair. Each time, the Chair chose not to run for re-election. Supporters of the faction running the party played whack-a-mole to keep the National Committee in their hands.]
Chapter Eight
Favors Returned
National Party Support for Browne’s Nomination Drive
In July 1998, the National Chair and high-ranking members of the National Party’s staff owed their jobs to Harry Browne and his Presidential Campaign. This circumstance was the latest consequence of the intimate connections that had existed between Browne, Bergland, Willis, Dasbach, Cloud, Winter, and others since 1994. The record of relationships between these men leads naturally to the question of how the political debts to Harry Browne and his political machine were repaid.
As we shall now see, the Libertarian National Committee gave Harry Browne’s Presidential campaign extensive propaganda and financial support while Browne was still seeking the nomination, long before Browne became the Party’s presidential candidate. A variety of pretexts were used to disguise what was happening. In each case, the National Party maintained deniability. At some point, however, the agreement between acts of the National Committee and needs of the Browne campaign passes faith in coincidence. I begin with direct financial support for Browne’s staffers, in which the documentation is clear. I then examine extensive support for Browne by the Party’s propaganda machine. Alert readers will note similarities to ongoing events in the current Libertarian Party, events that could be said to be a repetition of the old pattern to provide support to a new Browne-style candidate.
Propaganda Support
Until Fall 1999, the National Committee gave the Browne campaign extensive advertising support. Browne’s name and words regularly appeared in LP News. Of course, he was a former Presidential candidate, but you could fairly ask yourself: How often was Browne featured? How often were Andre Marrou or Ron Paul featured?
It is perhaps not irrelevant that after the 1996 Browne Campaign LP News changed editor. Historically, LP News had been edited outside the National Party Headquarters. In Summer 1997 Bill Winter was made Editor of LP News, bringing the party’s newsletter firmly inside the Watergate Headquarters. Winter had been paid by Browne. As shown by the 8/1/95 memo, Winter was not just a graphics consultant; he was part of the Browne Campaign’s inner circle debates on campaign tactics.
