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LeMay on 11/22/63


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One of the more interesting parts of the new Clifton Tape of Air Force One radio transmissions are the references to Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay.

THE LEMAY REFERENCES - Not on LBJ Library Tape can be found on the new Clifon Tape Side 2 - at about eleven minutes into the tape.

[00:00] - [11:00] -

The audio portion is excerpted at the Raab Collection web site:

http://www.raabcolle...force-one-tape/

http://jfkcountercou...ansmission.html

It is a conversation between the Andrews Air Force base radio operator and LeMay's aide Col. Dorman.

[1100]

- Andrews Sideband. Sir?

- This is Colonel Dorman, General LeMay's aide.

- Right.

- General LeMay is in a C-140

- The last three numbers are 497 SAM 497

- 497 last three numbers.

- Right. He is in bound. His code name is Grandson, and I want to talk tohim.

- Grandson. Okay sir, we'll see what we can do. We're really busy with AirForce One right now.

- Okay. You don't have the capability to work more than one?

- We're running Air Force One with two different frequencies.

- We're running two patches at once and that's all we can do.

- I see.

- What is your drop sir? Are you on the drop off the Washingtonswitch?

- Well I am. Yes. Either drop three oh three or seven, nine, two, two five.

- But if you can't do it now it will be too late because he will be on theground in a half hour.

- Okay, and what is your name again sir?

- Colonel Dorman. D-O-R-M-A-N

- Okay, I'll get back to you...if we can get him right away sir.

...................

[12:30]

Can someone, a military radio man please translate what they mean when they say:

"What is your drop sir? Ar you on the drop off the Washington switch?

And what are 303 and 90225?

And who is LeMay's aide Col. Dorman, and is he still alive, and if not is there an obit for him?

JFKcountercoup: General Curtis LeMay on 11/22/63

In the photo posted below, is that Bundy standing in the back to the left?

And who is that officer on the far right leaning over and listening in?

JFKcountercoup: JFK at the SAC Command Post - Offut AFB

BK

JFKcountercoup

Of course one of the main issues revolving around LeMay on 11/22/63 is whether he was at the Bethesda autopsy or not.

JFKcountercoup: Andrews AFB Log 11/22/63

Edited by William Kelly
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Will Evan Burton or someone else with a military, pilot or radio background please explain what they are talking about?

Thanks,

One of the more interesting parts of the new Clifton Tape of Air Force One radio transmissions are the references to Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay.

THE LEMAY REFERENCES - Not on LBJ Library Tape can be found on the new Clifon Tape Side 2 - at about eleven minutes into the tape.

[00:00] - [11:00] -

The audio portion is excerpted at the Raab Collection web site:

http://www.raabcolle...force-one-tape/

http://jfkcountercou...ansmission.html

It is a conversation between the Andrews Air Force base radio operator and LeMay's aide Col. Dorman.

[1100]

- Andrews Sideband. Sir?

- This is Colonel Dorman, General LeMay's aide.

- Right.

- General LeMay is in a C-140

- The last three numbers are 497 SAM 497

- 497 last three numbers.

- Right. He is in bound. His code name is Grandson, and I want to talk tohim.

- Grandson. Okay sir, we'll see what we can do. We're really busy with AirForce One right now.

- Okay. You don't have the capability to work more than one?

- We're running Air Force One with two different frequencies.

- We're running two patches at once and that's all we can do.

- I see.

- What is your drop sir? Are you on the drop off the Washingtonswitch?

- Well I am. Yes. Either drop three oh three or seven, nine, two, two five.

- But if you can't do it now it will be too late because he will be on theground in a half hour.

- Okay, and what is your name again sir?

- Colonel Dorman. D-O-R-M-A-N

- Okay, I'll get back to you...if we can get him right away sir.

...................

[12:30]

Can someone, a military radio man please translate what they mean when they say:

"What is your drop sir? Ar you on the drop off the Washington switch?

And what are 303 and 90225?

And who is LeMay's aide Col. Dorman, and is he still alive, and if not is there an obit for him?

JFKcountercoup: General Curtis LeMay on 11/22/63

In the photo posted below, is that Bundy standing in the back to the left?

And who is that officer on the far right leaning over and listening in?

JFKcountercoup: JFK at the SAC Command Post - Offut AFB

BK

JFKcountercoup

Of course one of the main issues revolving around LeMay on 11/22/63 is whether he was at the Bethesda autopsy or not.

JFKcountercoup: Andrews AFB Log 11/22/63

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And who is LeMay's aide Col. Dorman, and is he still alive, and if not is there an obit for him?

Probably Reynold C. Dorman.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?n=reynold-c-dorman&pid=108250516&fhid=4301

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And who is LeMay's aide Col. Dorman, and is he still alive, and if not is there an obit for him?

Probably Reynold C. Dorman.

http://www.legacy.co...50516&fhid=4301

Thanks Ron, a Lurker had sent me that too.

I guess we can't ask him what it was that was so important that he had to tell LeMay before he landed in DC.

BK

The person at the far left [behind Lemay] with the glasses is definitely McGeorge "Mac" Bundy.

See google images searching McGeorge Bundy....If you have ever heard Bundy speak,

he comes off as extremely intense, with a razor sharp mind. Maybe a little too sharp, for my tastes.

Edited by Robert Howard
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And who is LeMay's aide Col. Dorman, and is he still alive, and if not is there an obit for him?

Probably Reynold C. Dorman.

http://www.legacy.co...50516&fhid=4301

That looked good to me too Ron, until Tom Scully found this:

Clips From Last Night: Douglas Brinkley and Nathan Raabdiscuss the revealing new JFK tape.

http://piersmorgan.b...g-new-jfk-tape/

Last night Piers Morgan sat down with Nathan Raab, Vice-President of the Raab Collection and acclaimed author and professor Douglas Brinkley to talk about the newly revealed original and unedited white house version of the Kennedy Ass assassination Air Force One tape. Raab told Piers that the tape is historically significant because "this is how we know what the Federal government did immediately after the assassination."

Douglas Brinkley remarked that one of the most fascinating aspects of the tape relates to General Curtis LeMay, one of Kennedy's major adversaries.

All references to LeMay were removed in the Johnson Library version, an edited version of the original tape.

Brinkley on the omitted references to General LeMay: "People have always wanted to know where was Curtis LeMay on the day Kennedy was shot and there have been mixed messages about it. This tape provides exactly where he was."

G.S. Dorman, Jr.

George Stanton Dorman, Jr,.

Col Dorman was the aide -de-camp to General LeMay, and my father. Your boy Brinkley totally misinterpreted the message that was sent to AF 1 - and you obviously misinterpreted it also and fed his ignorance. I would like to know how I can obtain a copy of that portion of the tape. By the way, my mother was working at the White House at that time also - and Col Dorman was KIA in Vietnam 6 years later.

http://www.findagrav...6424388&df=all

Burial:

United States Military Academy Post Cemetery

West Point

Orange County

New York, USA

Plot: Section FII Site 396

http://defender.west....mhtml?&u=15725

http://www.west-poin...usma1946/15725/

15725 Dorman, George Stanton

May 23, 1924 - August 04, 1969

MEMORIAL ARTICLE

Published Assembly Jul '91

George Stanton Dorman NO. 15725 CLASS OF 1946 Died 4 August 1969 near Chu Lai, South Vietnam, aged 45 years. Interment: West Point Cemetery, West Point, New York.

GEORGE STANTON DORMAN was born 23 May 1924 in Portland, Oregon.The youngest of three boys, George was always competing, usually unsuccessfully, with his two older brothers. George enjoyed being a Boy Scout and attained the rank of Life Scout. In high school, he played baseball. His brother Bob remembers the young George as energetic with an excellent sense of humor, having a love of animals, a quick wit and being very loyal to hisfamily. He graduated from Ulysses S. Grant High School in Portland.

George's father was a Reserve officer who served in both World Wars. His counsel, together with his oldest brothers joining the Army Air Corps, shaped George's decision to enter West Point He spent a year at Oregon State College, Corvallis, Oregon, before he received an appointment to enter West Point on I July 1943.

George's cadet life almost ended right after it started. In August 1943, his brother Ted's plane disappeared. This tragic event almost precipitated George'sleaving the Corps. However, he was prevailed upon to continue and had a relatively uneventful cadet life. Save for a brush with chemistry, he had no great problems with academics. However, his tremendous leadership potential was sublimated until he entered active duty. When the Air Cadet option was presented to the class, George took it and received his wings together with his second lieutenant's bars at graduation.

George took multi engine transition training at Enid, Oklahoma. Upon completion of his trainingat Enid, George was married to Mary B. (Petie) Procurat in Orange, New Jersey on 2 November 1946.

His first operational assignment was to the 63rd Bombardment Squadron, 43rd Bombardment Wing at Davis Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona where he flew B29's. George's superb flying skills and leadership qualities were soon recognized, and in 1948 he was selected to be the aircraft commander of the KB29 tanker flying out of the Azores that refueled the B50 Lucky Lady in her historic nonstop flight around the world. In February 1955 George was assigned to Goose Bay, Labrador.In August of that year, he moved to the RCAF Station, Frobisher Bay, Canada,where he remained until April 1956. His next assignment was to Eighth Air Force Headquarters at Westover Field, Massachusetts where he served as executive officer to the chief of staff. July 1959 saw George and Petie move to Pease AFB, New Hampshireas a B47 squadron commander with the 100th Bombardment Wing. Later he becameorganizational maintenance squadron commander with the wing.

In August 1961, he was transferred to Headquarters USAF with duty in theStrategic Division of Operations. George had received "below the zone" promotions ever since his duty in Arizona,and the evidence of his growing reputation in the Air Force was very clear when he was made aide de camp to the Air Force Chief of Staff General Curtis E. LeMay in 1962. He served in this position until 1965 when he was selected to attend the National War College. From there he assumed command of the 7272and Support Group at Wheelus Air Base, Tripoli, Libya. Prior to leaving for Tripoli, George and a classmate attended an annual instrument school refresher course. The classmate recalls that George told him then that he was looking for the toughest jobs he could find.

That George was marked for bigger and better things became more evident in July1967, when he assumed duties as vice wing commander, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Bentwaters, Woolridge, England. This, after nothing but bomber experience! Shortly after George joined the 81st, a classmate, Phil Safford, joined as Assistant Deputy Chief of Operations. Phil recalls that George had an exceptionally keen mind and couldget to the heart of a problem before anyone else. His communication skills were superb and he never lost his poise or objectivity, despite many opportunitiesto do so. George's goal was to command a wing in combat. To that end, he volunteered for an assignment in Seventh Air Force in Vietnam, not so much for a staff job, but as he told Phil, "I am going to be inline on the spot when the next wing commander job is available."

George received his assignment to the Seventh AF Headquarters in Vietnam. His immediate superior was then Major General David C. Jones. George's orders from England to Vietnam were toreport immediately, so Petie and their three boys were left to return to the States alone. In a tape to his mother on 8 June, 1969, George told her how worried he was about Petie and theboys having to make the move back from England on their own. He mentioned that in his latest communication from Petie, she had told him of a visit she had from the mayor of Ipswich, England and his wife. He told his mother that this man had been anti US, but thanks to George and Petiehe had become a great admirer and friend of Americans. George was very articulate and in that tape expounded on his concern with the media comments onthe conduct of war. He mentioned that he was happy in his job and how proud he was to be serving his country.

On another tape (30 June), George told his mother how pleased he was to have heard from Petie that made the move successfully and was safely ensconced in ahouse in Charleston, South Carolina.His big news, in this tape was that General George Brown, commanding general ofthe Seventh Air Force, had selected George to be the next commander of the366th Tac Fighter Wing in Da Nang. Colonel John Roberts (now a retired general) was the commander and had been selected to be promoted to brigadier general. George was slated to go to Da Nang by 10 July 1969 to be vice to Colonel Roberts for about 30 days before hedeparted. George felt that he had reached the culmination of his career-- a fighter wing command in combat and was extremely happy with this opportunity.

George became vice of the 366th in July 1969. General John Roberts recalls thaton 4 August George was flying a low altitude mission near Chu Lai. Upon returnto Da Nang, George's wingmanreported that when George came off the target, there was an explosion and firein his F4. This had been an early morning mission; and about 1300 hours GeneralRobert's exec, Bob Kelly (retired as lieutenant general), told him that therewas a CIA agent to see him. It seems the CIAman had been in a helicopter near Chu Lai and had witnessed the action in whichGeorge had been shot down. He had seen the plane pull off the target, level offfor about a mile --one chute out then the plane crashed. He gave GeneralRoberts the coordinates of the crash. General Roberts called the Army for sitesecurity and was told he could have it for only one hour. A call was put outfor volunteers from the 366th and six were selected, from the many whovolunteered, to investigate the crash. This team located the aircraft and wasable to recover George's body. They discovered that George had been killed inthe plane and that one engine had been knocked out. The man in the back seathad tried to get the plane under control but waited too long to eject. Georgewas survived by his wife Petie, three sons, George, Jr., Robert and William,his mother and brother.

There is no doubt that George Dorman was destined to rise to the highest levelsin the Air Force. One of the brightest stars in the Air Force firmament wasdimmed on that fateful day in August 1969 near Chu Lai, South Vietnam. General Roberts said, "Georgewas very sharp-- he would have been a hell of a wing commander." His AirForce classmates appreciated his outstanding qualities as an officer and valuedhim as a friend. He was a professional to the nth degree.

George, in addition to being an outstanding professional airman, was a lovingand caring husband and father. All three of his sons are serving their countryin one of the Armed Forces. Petie recalls that after 20 years George is still aviable presence in their sons' lives.

George Stanton Dorman always lived by "Duty, Honor, Country." Hebelieved that a man's word was his bond. He was dedicated to the service of hiscountry. At George's funeral at West Point, one of the pallbearers was thenLieutenant General David C. Jones, later to become chief of staff of the AirForce and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In recognition of George's service with the 81st TFW, Phil Safford was asked torepresent the wing at George's funeral. Phil recalls that he was honored toserve as a pallbearer at Petie's request. Phil's words, recalling that time,echo the feelings of all George's classmates and are a fitting tribute to oneof West Point's own: "As I stood in the bright sunshine in that beautiful setting, I thought ofhow well George Dorman exemplified the kind of leader West Point produces forthe service of our country; and for the first time, I truly understood themeaning of [Well Done!]."

'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife Petie

http://airforce.toge...Person&ID=80059

Last Known Activity

"Shot down at Ba Gia," (F-4E 67-0325) Source: Hopka, Rich (TWSHistorian)

"General John Roberts recalls that on 4 August George was flying a lowaltitude mission near Chu Lai. Upon return to Da Nang George's wingman reportedthat when George came off the target, there was an explosion and fire in hisF4. This had been an early morning mission; and about 1300 hours GeneralRobert's exec, Bob Kellly (retired as lieutenant general), told him that therewas a CIA agent to see him. It seems the CIAman had been in a helicopter near Chu Lai and had witnessed the action in whichGeorge had been shot down. He had seen the plane pull off the target, level offfor about a mile - one chute out then the plane crashed. He gave GeneralRoberts the coordinates of the crash....A call was put out for volunteers fromthe 366th and six were selected, from the many who volunteered to investigatethe crash. The team located the aircraft and was able to recover George's body.They discovered that George had been killed in the plane and that one enginehad been knocked out. The man in the back seat had tried to get the plane undercontrol but waited too long to eject."

Many thanks to Tom Scully, and a feather in his cap.

http://educationforu...d=245788&st=0&- entry245788

Edited by William Kelly
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From book "LeMay- The Life and Wars of General Curtis LeMay" by Warren Kozak, Regnery History, 2009, first paperback edition- 2011:

"On November 22, 1963, while on a hunting trip in Michigan, Curtis LeMay heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas. He immediately flew back to Washington." - page 356.

The paragraph continues:

"LeMay remembered a lot of people in Washington worrying that the entire series of events might be some type of attempted coup, a theory he never took seriously. LeMay was just too practical and, knowing the military as he did, he believed the United States was the least susceptible country in the world to a military take over "because the military profession is itself steeped in the tradition of civilian supremacy over the military...[and] the armed forces of the United States have repeatedly fostered and protected this principle."

Footnote citing America is in Danger, Gen. Curtis E.LeMay and Major General Dale O. Smith (New York, Funk & Wagnalls 1968), 2.

{Thanks to DA for passing this on}

Edited by William Kelly
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Bill,

I can only be of limited help here. This is what I can tell you.

- Andrews Sideband. Sir?

(Sideband refers to Single Side Band, a way of utilising a radio frequency)

- This is Colonel Dorman, General LeMay's aide.

- Right.

- General LeMay is in a C-140

(The C-140 was the military version of the Lockheed Jetstar, basically a small, twin engined executive jet)

- The last three numbers are 497 SAM 497

(SAM refers to Special Air Mission, basically a high-ranking VIP flight)

- 497 last three numbers.

- Right. He is in bound. His code name is Grandson, and I want to talk to him.

- Grandson. Okay sir, we'll see what we can do. We're really busy with Air Force One right now.

- Okay. You don't have the capability to work more than one?

- We're running Air Force One with two different frequencies.

- We're running two patches at once and that's all we can do.

- I see.

- What is your drop sir? Are you on the drop off the Washington switch?

(Unsure but switch to me would suggest switchboard, or communications operator)

- Well I am. Yes. Either drop three oh three or seven, nine, two, two five.

(I'm unsure what this refers to. In today's military, you 'drop track' which means you stop tracking a particular target. In this case though, I think they refer to frequencies: 303 MHz VHF or 79.225 MHz HF)

- But if you can't do it now it will be too late because he will be on the ground in a half hour.

- Okay, and what is your name again sir?

- Colonel Dorman. D-O-R-M-A-N

- Okay, I'll get back to you...if we can get him right away sir.

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Bill,

I can only be of limited help here. This is what I can tell you.

- Andrews Sideband. Sir?

(Sideband refers to Single Side Band, a way of utilising a radio frequency)

- This is Colonel Dorman, General LeMay's aide.

- Right.

- General LeMay is in a C-140

(The C-140 was the military version of the Lockheed Jetstar, basically a small, twin engined executive jet)

- The last three numbers are 497 SAM 497

(SAM refers to Special Air Mission, basically a high-ranking VIP flight)

- 497 last three numbers.

- Right. He is in bound. His code name is Grandson, and I want to talk to him.

- Grandson. Okay sir, we'll see what we can do. We're really busy with Air Force One right now.

- Okay. You don't have the capability to work more than one?

- We're running Air Force One with two different frequencies.

- We're running two patches at once and that's all we can do.

- I see.

- What is your drop sir? Are you on the drop off the Washington switch?

(Unsure but switch to me would suggest switchboard, or communications operator)

- Well I am. Yes. Either drop three oh three or seven, nine, two, two five.

(I'm unsure what this refers to. In today's military, you 'drop track' which means you stop tracking a particular target. In this case though, I think they refer to frequencies: 303 MHz VHF or 79.225 MHz HF)

- But if you can't do it now it will be too late because he will be on the ground in a half hour.

- Okay, and what is your name again sir?

- Colonel Dorman. D-O-R-M-A-N

- Okay, I'll get back to you...if we can get him right away sir.

Thanks Evan,

There are some others on the main tape, but I'll have to get back to you on it.

As for Colonel Dorman, Thanks to TS, I was able to talk to Mrs. Dorman, Col. Dorman's widow, and later to his son, who wrote the email to complain to the TV show host and Raab.

Mrs. Dorman said she was working at the White House with the White House Historical Association that day and got a call from her husband, Col. Dorman, LeMay's aide, who told her to go home immediately.

She said the WHHA was run by a Mr. Castro, who came into the office, closed all the window shades and they (Castro and three women) prayed. She then drove home to Fort Meyers but stopped to pray some more at the chapel at Arlington cemetery.

Her husband, she said, was in the funeral procession with LeMay.

She didn't know anything about her husband's activities, other than he was afraid and confused.

Her son Robert said he was about 13 at the time and does remember his dad was busy at work and wasn't around very much.

Although he said his dad didn't talk about his military work, he thought that the urgent attempt to get a message to Gen. LeMay before he landed in DC was to make sure he knew that JFK had been assassinated.

He thought the guys on the TV show had misrepresented what is on the tape by putting some sinster motive behind it.

I will post their exact quotes on my blog when I get the chance.

BK

JFKcountercoup

Edited by William Kelly
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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Robert Morrow

Sorry that this is a little off topic:

Curtis LeMay in summer, 1961 thought that Nuclear War with the Russians was Imminent.

"At a Georgetown dinner party recently, the wife of a leading senator sat next to Gen. Curtis LeMay, chief of staff of the Air Force. He told her a nuclear war was inevitable. It would begin in December and be all over by the first of the year. In that interval, every major American city -- Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles -- would be reduced to rubble. Similarly, the principal cities of the Soviet Union would be destroyed. The lady, as she tells it, asked if there were any place where she could take her children and grandchildren to safety; the general would, of course, at the first alert be inside the top-secret underground hideout near Washington from which the retaliatory strike would be directed. He told her that certain unpopulated areas in the far west would be safest." --Marquis Childs, nationally syndicated columnist, Washington Post, 19 July 1961

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Sorry that this is a little off topic:

Curtis LeMay in summer, 1961 thought that Nuclear War with the Russians was Imminent.

"At a Georgetown dinner party recently, the wife of a leading senator sat next to Gen. Curtis LeMay, chief of staff of the Air Force. He told her a nuclear war was inevitable. It would begin in December and be all over by the first of the year. In that interval, every major American city -- Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles -- would be reduced to rubble. Similarly, the principal cities of the Soviet Union would be destroyed. The lady, as she tells it, asked if there were any place where she could take her children and grandchildren to safety; the general would, of course, at the first alert be inside the top-secret underground hideout near Washington from which the retaliatory strike would be directed. He told her that certain unpopulated areas in the far west would be safest." --Marquis Childs, nationally syndicated columnist, Washington Post, 19 July 1961

excerpts pages 5-9 from The Kennedy Assassination Tapes Max Holland

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kennedy-assassination-tapes-max-holland/1100320968

Initially, Dallas seemed intent on playing into the White House’s hands. The Morning News of November 22 carried a full-page advertisement on page 14, rimmed in black, underwritten by a group calling itself the “American Fact-Finding Committee.” Under a sarcastic headline, “welcome mr. kennedy to dallas,” the committee listed twelve deliberately provocative questions, all couched to insinuate that the president (and his brother, the attorney general) were unbearably soft on Communism. The advertisement complemented a handbill that had appeared mysteriously overnight under doors and on the windshields of countless Dallas cars. Featuring the president’s image from the front and the left side, as if taken from a police mug shot, the broadside accused him of turning the United States over to the “communist controlled United Nations.” In case the imagery or text was lost on anyone, the headline read, “wanted for treason.”

After reading the paid advertisement, the president sought to prepare Jacqueline Kennedy for any unpleasantness that might occur in the afternoon. “Oh, you know,” John Kennedy remarked to his wife, “we’re heading into nut country today.” Intensely private, often diffident in public, the First Lady disliked retail politicking and the press. Campaigning combined the two and as such represented the ultimate invasion of her privacy and the control she cherished. Her disdain for the gestures expected of a politician’s wife meant her presence was sometimes a mixed blessing when the president was electioneering. The state of being “on,” the lot of political wives, exhausted her. The president would have to remind her not to wear large sunglasses, like some Hollywood movie star, and she almost never partook in the behind-the-scenes bantering with staff. The most frequent adjectives applied to the First Lady were “aloof” and “regal,” and the latter description was not necessarily intended as complimentary. Jacqueline Kennedy had a “formidable” temper in private, and to hardened pols she was “Jackie the Socialite.” She had nonetheless agreed to accompany her husband on his swing through Texas, her presence viewed as a drawing card because of her fluency in Spanish and because Dallas—home of the famed Neiman-Marcus department store—was such a fashion-conscious city that it would turn out just to see what “Jackie” would be wearing. And true to form, the November 7 news that Mrs. Kennedy would accompany the president had substantially increased demand for tickets to the Trade Mart luncheon as well as the other venues on the tour.

The Morning News advertisement was a perfect expression of Dallas’s venom for the president. Passions, apparently, had not cooled in the wake of the Stevenson incident, and the prospect of a scuffle or some other unsightly incident along the motorcade route or at the Trade Mart appeared likely. But probably there would be nothing more than that, because Dallas law enforcement authorities had taken every precaution recommended by the Secret Service, and then some. That morning the paid ad seemed destined only to make the laughs that much louder when Lyndon Johnson delivered his closing line at the gala fund-raising dinner scheduled for Friday evening in Austin. “And thank God, Mr. President,” Johnson reportedly intended to say, before pausing for effect, “that you came out of Dallas alive.”

At 11:23 a.m. the president and Mrs. Kennedy board the specially designed Boeing 707 popularly known as Air Force One for the short hop from Fort Worth to Dallas.

12:29 p.m.

Among the hundreds of people in Dealey Plaza, one of the eye- and ear-witnesses who will be closest to the assassination is Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, wife of the vice president. She is riding, along with her husband and a tight-lipped Senator Yarborough, in a Lincoln Continental convertible just behind the “Queen Mary,” an armored 1955 Cadillac convertible brimming with eight Secret Service agents and hidden automatic weapons. Just ahead of the Queen Mary, as the motorcade wends its way through downtown Dallas, is the president’s limousine. Though Mrs. Johnson does not capture every detail, her account stands out because she tape-recorded it while her memory was still fresh and relatively untainted.

It all began so beautifully. After a drizzle in the morning, the sun came out bright and beautiful. We were going into Dallas. In the lead car [were] President and Mrs. Kennedy, John and Nellie [Connally], and then a Secret Service car full of men, and then our car, with Lyndon and me, and Senator Yarborough. The streets were lined with people—lots and lots of children, all smiling—placards, confetti, people waving from windows. One last, happy moment I had was looking up and seeing Mary Griffith leaning out of a window, waving at me.

Then almost at the edge of town, on our way to the Trade Mart, where we were going to have the luncheon, we were rounding a curve, going down a hill [when] suddenly, there was a sharp, loud report . . . a shot. It seemed to me to come from the right, above my shoulder, from a building. Then one moment [passed], and then two more shots in rapid succession.

There’d been such a gala air that I thought it must be firecrackers, or some sort of celebration. But then, in the lead car, the Secret Servicemen were suddenly down. I heard over the radio system, “Let’s get out of here!” And our Secret Service man who was with us—Rufe Youngblood, I believe it was—vaulted over the front seat on top of Lyndon, threw him to the floor, and said, “Get down!”

Senator Yarborough and I ducked our heads. The cars accelerated terrifically fast—faster and faster. Then suddenly, they put on the brakes so hard that I wondered if they were gonna make it as they wheeled left around a corner. We pulled up to a building. I looked up and saw it said, “Hospital.” Only then did I believe that this might be what it was. Yarborough kept on saying in an excited voice, “Have they

shot the president? Have they shot the president?” I said something like, “No . . . [it] can’t be.”

As we ground to a halt—we were still the third car—the Secret Servicemen began to pull, lead, guide . . . hustle us out. I cast one last look back over my shoulder and saw a bundle of pink, just like a drift of blossoms, lying in the back seat. I think it was Mrs. Kennedy . . . lying over the president’s body.

They led us to the right, to the left, onward into a quiet room in the hospital, a very small room. It was lined with white sheets, I believe. People came and went: Kenny O’Donnell, Congressman [Homer] Thornberry, Congressman Jack Brooks. Always there was Rufe right there, [along with Secret Servicemen] Emory Roberts, Jerry Kivett, Lem Johns, [and] Woody Taylor.

It is standard practice for the Air Force One crew to monitor the signals that keep the traveling White House in contact with the real one in Washington at all times, courtesy of the White House Communications Agency (WHCA, or “Whakka”) and the unrivaled virtuosity of Army Signal Corps operators. Secret Service headquarters, the State Department, and the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center are also kept in this communications loop. As Air Force One’s pilot, Colonel James Swindal, eavesdrops on the Secret Service agents’ chatter, he is pleased to hear that Dallas seems to be redeeming itself after the ugliness of the Stevenson visit. The crowds greeting the motorcade are unexpectedly large and friendly, with nary a hostile placard in sight.

Seconds after 12:30 p.m. Swindal hears a shout explode on Charlie frequency—and then another. His body tenses up, and he recognizes the voice of Roy Kellerman, head of the Secret Service detail, who is riding in the front passenger seat of the president’s limousine. Swindal can only make out one injunction from Kellerman—dagger cover volunteer!—before the radio becomes a cacophony of screeching voices. Then it falls silent.

Something has clearly gone wrong, but Swindal has no idea what. dagger is the code name for Rufus Youngblood, and volunteer is Lyndon Johnson. Has someone thrown an egg at the vice president? Perhaps a riot has broken out along the motorcade route. While Swindal is mulling over the possibilities, WHCA patches a telephone call from Parkland Memorial Hospital into Special Air Missions (SAM) 26000 (the radio designation for Air Force One when it is not airborne). It is Brigadier General Godfrey McHugh, the president’s air force aide, with new, cryptic orders. Refuel the airplane instantly and file a flight plan to return to Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) near Washington immediately. General McHugh does not bother to explain, but since Air Force One is involved, Swindal now knows that whatever happened concerns the president. Minutes later the news is heard over the television set aboard SAM 26000. The president has been shot!

The radio traffic is now anything but routine. While trained operators generally maintain a brisk demeanor betraying nothing, other voices quaver and speak haltingly, still reeling from the news. Tongues are tied, and there is an undertone of apprehension in nearly every conversation. The precaution of using code names instead of real names, and the protocol of distinguishing between Air Force One and SAM 26000, are cast aside more often than invoked.

A White House Diary Lady Bird Johnson

http://www.pbs.org/ladybird/epicenter/epicenter_report_assassination.html

The Flying White House: The Story of Air Force One J.F. terHorst and Ralph Albertazzie (New York Coward McCann & Geoghegan 1979)

http://www.amazon.com/Flying-White-House-Story-Force/dp/0553134612/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/us/politics/17albertazzie.html

Ralph Dayton Albertazzie was fascinated by airplanes since his childhood in Morgantown, W.Va., where he often went to the airport to watch planes and “bum” rides. He was born on July 16, 1923, in Cassville, a small town near Morgantown, where his father was a coal mine superintendent. He won a football scholarship to West Virginia University, where he studied engineering before joining the Army Air Corps in 1943. As a second lieutenant, he served as a B-17 and B-29 bomber instructor until his discharge in 1945.

The future colonel then bought a flying school in Morgantown, which he operated until 1951, when he was recalled to serve in the Air Force during the Korean War. He flew 17 combat missions and 75 combat support missions in the Vietnam War, receiving the Bronze Star and two Air Medals.

Colonel Albertazzie married his high school sweetheart, Carol Wilson, in 1942. She died in 1999. He is survived by two daughters, Sally Albertazzie and Lynette Crosby, and two grandchildren.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1974, he served as West Virginia’s commerce secretary in the administration of Gov. Arch A. Moore Jr. He later owned a truck stop along Interstate 81 and a local radio station. In 1989, with David Fisher, he wrote “Hostage One,” a novel about a plot to kidnap the president and transport him to Libya.

In “The Flying White House,” writing in the third person, Colonel Albertazzie recounted a dramatic moment on Aug. 9, 1974, the day Nixon resigned. After Mr. Ford was sworn in as president, the plane had to be redesignated as SAM 27000, indicating no president was on board.

“Air Force One was 39,000 feet over a point 13 miles southwest of Jefferson City, Missouri,” he wrote. “The time was 3 minutes and 25 seconds past noon. Albertazzie picked up his microphone and spoke to ground control: ‘Kansas City, this was Air Force One. Will you change our call sign to SAM 27000?’

Back came the reply: ‘Roger, SAM 27000. Good luck to the President.’

“ ‘Roger, 27000.’ ”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: August 19, 2011

An obituary on Wednesday about Ralph D. Albertazzie, the pilot of Air Force One during the Nixon administration, referred imprecisely to one mission he flew. In July 1971 he flew Henry A. Kissinger to Pakistan and another pilot secretly flew Mr. Kissinger on another plane from there to China, where he discussed plans for President Richard M. Nixon’s trip there. Mr. Albertazzie did not “take Mr. Kissinger to China” on that mission, nor did he fly President Nixon there four months later. (He did fly Mr. Kissinger to China in October of that year, then flew Nixon there four months after that.) The obituary also referred incorrectly to “The Flying White House,” the book Mr. Albertazzie wrote with J. F. terHorst. In that book Mr. Albertazzie wrote about himself in the third person, not the second.

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While the Honolulu Conference taking place before and at the time of the JFK Assassination

[see JFK and Vietnam John Newman] is the focal point of intrigues surrounding the JCOS, as

well as Bill Kelly's information regarding Operation Valkyrie as being of interest to the same

regarding a potential Castro assassination attempt, the former was by no means the only meeting

or development that factors into the equation. One of General LeMay's lessser-known activities

was in connection to Operation Forecast which, involved Theodore Von Karman.

My interest in Theodore Von Karman was spurred by my interest in the hierarchy of the hawks in the Pentagon, CIA and the Cold War and Project Paperclip, not to mention General LeMay and his interaction with developing the Single Sideband Communications system in use aboard AF-1 at the time of President Kennedy’s asssassination; others areas interest include military and technological developments of that same era...Von Karman became known to me after reading a book called

Harnessing the Genie: Science and Technology Forecasting for the Air Force 1944-1986 - Michael H. Zorn

also See

The Thresher Incident

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=3219&st=60

Acknowledging the interest in General Curtis LeMay, one might care to brush up on the transcript of the Friday

October 19, 1962 meeting of President Kennedy with at least two some of the aforementioned hawks, General Shoup and General LeMay, where JFK asks how soon could the airstrikes against the ICBM sites in Cuba take place.....

See The Kennedy Tapes

The Kennedy Tapes: Ernest May & Philip D Zelkow

Friday October 19 1962 9:45 A.M. Cabinet Room

pages 173-188

Towards end of that very interesting segment regarding the meeting, we read the following

regarding the target day for the airstrikes....

President Kennedy: Why is it Tuesday instead of Sunday, General? What's the argument for that?

LeMay: Well, we were told to get ready as fast as possible. We aren't recommending Sunday.

We'd prefer Tuesday.

President Kennedy: Well, the only problem I see is that it starts to break out in the papers.

LeMay: Well, we would prefer Tuesday. That was the only reason. We've had this planned for some time.

President Kennedy: How effective is an airstrike at this point General, against the missile bases?

LeMay: Well, I think it would be guaranteed hitting.

At the end of this meeting, we read

Unidentified: The National Reconaissance Office is involved in this. They're in a sense,

a third agency, responsible for the U-2's, responsible for the drones, anything relating to

special reconaissance for CIA, DIA. Carroll knows how to do this, I think the JRG has all they need.

They're a real fine outfit. They deal with DIA on a daily basis, so I'm sure we can pull it together

really quickly.

(After more inaudible discussion the door closes and apparently only 2 or 3 people remain in the room.]

Shoup: You pulled the rug right out from under him. Goddamn.

LeMay: Jesus Christ. What the hell do you mean? [unclear]

Shoup: I agree with that answer, agree a hundred percent, a hundred percent.

He [President Kennedy] finally got around to the word "escalation." That's the only goddamn thing

that's in the whole trick. Go in [unclear] and get every goddamn one.

Somebody's got to stop them form doing the goddamn thing piecemeal. That's our problem

Go in there and friggin around with the missiles. You're screwed. You're screwed. You're

screwed, screwed, screwed. Some goddamn thing, some way, that they either do the son of a bitch

and do it right and quit friggin around. That was my [unclear]. [unclear] shot down, and then once you

do it you can't f_ _ _ around and go take a missile out. If you want to do it, you can't fiddle around

with taking out missiles.

You can't fiddle around with the SAM sites. You got to go in and take out the godamnn thing thats going to

stop you from doing your job.

Wheeler: It was very apparent to me, though, from his earlier remarks, the political action of a blind strike

is really what he's . . .

Shoup: His speech about Berlin was the real . . . .

Wheeler: He gave a speech about Berlin, and he equates the two. If we smear Castro, if Khrushchev smears,

will he run in?

[The remaining seconds of conversation are inaudible. The last participants leave, and the tape

ends shortly afterward.]

Robert: Where all of this gets very compelling in my estimation, are some of the lesser known details of this period in time. Especially regarding the issue of timing.

For example, the following passage

page 105; Harnessing the Genie: Science and Technology Forecasting for the Air Force 1944-1986 - Michael H. Zorn

General Schriever carried these and other conclusions of the Forecast panels with him to an AFSC Commanders’ Conference held at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama,on November 13, and 14, 1963. Attended by General LeMay and all AFSC commanders, it featured two days of briefings by the project’s committee chairs. Schriever told his listeners at the end of the sessions that the Pentagon had so far supported the Forecast interpretation of national policy goals, based upon the principle of “limited and balanced deterrence through flexible and controlled response.” provided “plenty of license to build the kind of Air Force which will implement [the policy goals].” He stressed that neither Zuckert nor LeMay wanted the panel reports to serve as “action” or implementation documents, but only as “blueprints” for the future.

Hence, Schriever, said firmly, “there will be no [organizational] end runs; everything is going to go through the system, through established channels; no surprises; the actions will be ground into the [existing] machinery [of AFSC].”

The general [schreiver] could afford to speak firmly. He had already presented Forecast briefings to Zuckert and LeMay on September 3; to Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell L. Gilpatrick and the Defense Director for Research [DDR&E], Harold Brown, on Sept 23; and to Secretary McNamara on October 24.

Every listener liked what he heard. In fact, based upon the preliminary Forecast results, McNamara invited Schriever to submit appropriate adjustments in the fiscal year [FY] 1965 RDT&E budget. To allow the opportunity, the Secretary printing the proposed DOD budget until late November by which time the President would have to see it. Schriever’s amendments reached McNamara’s desk on November 22, 1963, the day of President Kennedy’s assassination. Government activity ground to a standstill, and the Project Forecast recommendations failed to enter the 1965 budget, an unfortunate setback for its implementation.

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Air Force One Chronology - Andrews Logs - News Bulletins

JFKcountercoup

This chart explains some of the time differences mentioned on the AF1 Radio tapes.

Dallas is Central Standard Time (CST), Andrews/Washington DC is Eastern Standard Time (EST) while the pilots and radio operators used Zulu/G.Mean Time/England and military time in hundred hours, which is five hours earlier than EST.

Love Field, Dallas –86972 – 26000 – AF1 – Andrews – Chronology 12:34 PMCST First UPI "A" wire transmission: Dallas, Nov. 22 (UPI) –Three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade today in downtown Dallas. JT1234PCS- 1234PCS means 12:34 Central Standard time.

David Lifton: "The first transmission (above) was the result of Merriman Smith excitedly talking to someone at the UPI Dallas office, who then typed it onto the actual teletype machine, and then pressed "send".

12:39 PM CST UPI A8N DA URGENT 1st Add Shots, Dallas (A7N) XXX Downtown Dallas.No casualties were reported. The incident occurred near the country sheriff's office on main street, just east of an underpass leading toward the Trade Mart where the President was to MA FLASH FLASH KENNEDY SERIOUSLY WOUNDED PERHAPS SERIOUSLY PERHAPS FATALLY BY ASSASSINS BULLET JT 1239PCS

DL: "The AP wire starts with its very first transmission at 12:40 CST (from AP photographer James W. Altgens who said he saw blood on the President's head. Altgens said he heard two shots but thought someone was shooting fireworks until he saw the blood on the President. Altgents said he saw no one with a gun."

12:40 PM CST BULLETIN Dallas.Nov. 22 (AP) President Kennedy was shot today just his motorcade left downtown Dallas.Mrs. Kennedy jumped up and grabbed Mr. Kennedy. She cried, "Oh, No!" The motorcade sped [on?] D 1240 PCS NM ƒ K

12:41 PM CST BULLETIN MATTER Dallas-FIRST ADD KENNEDY SHOT X X X SPED ON. MM 12:41 PCS ANM

David Lifton: "Then Smith commandeered a phone at Parkland, called New York UPI, and some of his next transmissions were sent from New York City."

Dallas CST Andrews EST – Military Time – AndrewsLog

1:00 PM CST (2:00 PM EST)–1400 - Col. Hornbuckle Puts Andrews Wing on Alert

1:20 PM CST (2:20 PM EST) - 1420 Andrews ordered to P/U LeMayat Toronto

1:46 PM CST (2:46 PM EST) - 1446 LeMay's C-140 Departs Andrews for Toronto

1:46 PM CST (2:46 PM EST) – 1446 Cabinet Plane 86972 Turns Around

1:50 PM CST (2:50 PM EST) P/U for LeMay changed from Torontoto Wairton, CA.

2:00 PM CST (3:00 PM EST)- 1500 Flight Plan filed for AF1.

2:35 PM CST FIRST AP STORY NAMING OSWALD

(but not yet making definitive connection with JFK assn)

2:35 CST AP Dallas, Tex.,Nov. 22 (AP) -- The Dallas Police Department today arrested a 24 year-old man, Lee H. Oswald, in connection with the slaying of a Dallas policeman shortly after President Kennedy was assassinated. He was also being interrogated to see if he had any connection with the slaying of the President. Oswald was pulled screaming and yelling from the Texas Theater in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas.

2:43 CST - WFAA and WBAP radio named Oswald. WBAP's David Daniel interrupts for word from Dallas Police of the arrest of "a 24-year-old man, Lee H. Oswald" in connection with the shooting of Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit. He's being questioned to see if he has any connection with JFK assassination. "Oswald was pulled screaming and yelling" from the Texas Theater in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. After a pistol is taken from him during a scuffle, he's quoted as saying,"It's all over now."

2:47 PM CST (3:47 PM EST) 1545 – 26000 departs Dallas as AF1 ETA Andrews 6:05

3:09 PM CST (4:09 PM EST)1609 – 86972 Departs Hickam ETA Andrews12:24

3:22 PM CST SECOND AP STORY NAMING OSWALD w/ more definite link between LHO & JFK slaying.

3:22 AP CST - 1st AP mention of LHO

3:08 PM (CST) UPI's completely false version of the theater arrest—but with no mention of Oswald (just a "suspect") and with Tippit being located inside theater, shot there, and suspect being arrested there.

3:22 PM CST Second AP Story Naming Oswald with more definite link between LHO & JFK slaying. Dallas,Nov. 22 (AP) - A 24-year-old man who said two years ago he wanted Russian citizenship was questioned today to see whether he had any connection with the assassination of President Kennedy. He was identified as Lee Harvey Oswald of Forth Worth. He was pulled screaming and yelling from the Texas Theater in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas shortly after a Dallas policeman was shot to death. On Nov. 1, 1959, Oswald told the U.S. Embassy in Moscow he had applied for Soviet citizenship. He said he had been a tourist in Russia since October 13, that year. Oswald was reported to have a Russian wife. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirmed that the man held in Dallas was the same Oswald and said his mother was being taken to Dallas Police headquarters to see him.

3:23 CST - NBC television network coverage mentioned Oswald's name

First AP Story Naming Oswald (2:35 PM CST)

3:25 PM CST (4:25PM EST) 1625 – LeMay dep Wairton ETA Andrews 5:15 EST

3:46 PM CST First UPI mention of LHO now portrayed as JFK's assassin, and linked to FPCC. Lifton Notes: "This is designated UPI A 104/Bulletin. Although this dispatch is the first UPI mention of Oswald, it is not the first UPI mention of an arrest in the JFK case. This UPI dispatch is critical because it identifies LHO as "the prime suspect" in the JFK assassination and links him to the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Dallas, Nov. 22 (UPI)--Police today seized Lee H. Oswald, identified as chairman of a"Fair Play for Cuba Committee," as the prime suspect in the assassination of President Kennedy. (more) Police said Oswald, 24, was accused in the slaying of a Dallas policeman shortly after the shooting of the President. Police Capt. Pat Gannaway said the suspect was an employee in the building where a rifle was found. Gannaway said the suspect had visited Russia and was married to a Russian. This was not immediately confirmed. First UPI mention of LHO (3:46 PM CST) now portrayed as JFK's assassin, and linked to FPCC.

3:50 PM CST (4:50 PM EST) 1650 26000 AF1 requests Steps, Lift Truck.

4:00 PM CST (5:00 PM EST)1700 – LeMay destination DCA not ADW/Andrews

4:00 PM CST (5:00 PM EST)1700 – AF1 Requests Ramps & Press Fence

4:12 PM CST (5:12 PM EST) 1712 LeMay lands at DCA

4::41 PM CST (5: 41 PM EST) 1740 – AF1 4 A.P. Cars, Ramp Confirmed.

5:04 PM CST (6:04 P.M. EST) 1800 – AF1 Lands at Andrews 2300 – 2304 Zulu (GMT)

5:30 PM CST (6:30 PM EST)1830 – AF2 Lands at Andrews

11:37 PM CST (12:37 AM EST) 0937 – Andrews Log: 86972 Cabinet ArrivesAndrews

[bK Notes: Thanks to Gary Mack & David Lifton for helping to establish timing of AP & UPI news bulletins]

Edited by William Kelly
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