Joan Mellen: A Farewell to Justice

[Greg Parker]

Robert, I too, would be interested in anything new on this. Reason being, I believe I have identified a strong suspect. This person is the right age, has a similar name, graduated from a Quaker college in Philadelphia in '59, had a job in 1962/63 that had good potential to place him in Mexico City (the main witness for "Steve Kennan" placed him there in both of those years), and he has worked for a number of CIA sponsored institutions. On finding this person, I contacted Bill Kelly who wrote a terrific article on the subject. Bill contacted him, and though he said some odd things to Bill, denied he was the person being searched for. The denial of course, is meaningless insofar as there is no way to test it without employment and other records and/or witness ID. That's where the matter stands, and obviously I will not name him publicly - not without ironclad proof, anyway.

Bill Kelly has just joined this Forum and hopefully he will join in this debate.

By the way, Joan is going to wait until her book is published before she answers these questions.

Great news on both counts. Thanks John.

Greg, Are you familiar with the LI/COZY Program. I read that one of the people used in that program may be "the person in question." Philip Agee's "Inside the Company" states that this program was eventually discontinued. Wish I knew more, maybe Bill Kelly will "enlighten" us.

Robert, I have only very basic knowledge of it. As you say, Bill, or perhaps oone of the authors here, may be able to enlighten us. I'd be very interested to know if it involved the State Department.

[Francesca Akhtar]

Evan, if you want to get deeper into the Garrison case, I'd recommend a book by William Davy called 'Let Justice be Done' which drew on a lot of recently declassified doucments, proving that Garrison was right. It gives you a true picture of the case unlike the usual 'Garrison was out for himself' view that the lone nut authors frequently spout. Davy, like Joan, interviewed many of the first hand witnessess in the case.

Also, Destiny Betrayed by Jiames DiEugenio is a good one on Garrison. I'd like to get hold of Paris Flammonde's book on Garrison but is out of print now and very expensive to buy used!

I'm looking forward to seeing Joan at the conferences in Dallas and look forward to reading the new nformation she has in the book. Im intriuged by the idea that RFK knew about Oswald before the assassination!

[William Kelly]

Hi John, Greg, Robert et al,

I think we are discussing this topic in a Mexico City thread, and I hope Joan Mellen comes back to discuss her book with us.

She livies near me, north of Trenton, New Jersey, while I am east of the capitol, and teaches at Temple in Philly, which is nearby. I would like to read her book and meet up with her sometime soon.

As for Keenan, after writing the article on the Philadelphia Quakers and the Mexico City connection a few years ago, I got an email from Greg in Australia and Stu Wexler in North Jersey. Greg had noticed that there was an Ed Keenan mentioned in the Warren Report, as being at the American embassy when Oswald was there.

A contemporary search came up with TWO Edward L. Keenans ( - who I dubbed ELKI and ELKII), one of whom was the one at the Moscow embassy when Oswald was there. That is Dr. Edward L. Keenan, Harvard Professor at Dumbarton Oaks Research Center (1703 Thirty-second St., Washington D.C.) and specialist on Muscovite social, cultural and political history to 1700.

The other Dr. Edward L. Keenan is a professor of linguistics at UCLA, who was a student in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, and worked for the State Department as an interpreter in 1963.

We (Greg, Stu and myself) contacted Tony Summers, who was busy on his Sinatra book at the time, and he was kind of "stunned" that he missed the Keenan in USSR when he was running down the Keenan in Mexico City (kiddoos to Greg).

So I exchanged emails with both ELKs and the one at Dumbarton Oaks acknowledged being in the American Embassy in Moscow when Oswald was there, but said he had never been to Mexico City.

The Prof. of linguistics responded to my email inquiry if he had ever been to Mexico City with the quisical, "Why, did something horrible happen?" or something like that. (I have it filed away).

I then talked with him on the phone and exchanged more emails with him but he at first denied being Mexico City, other than the airport.

When asked about a motorcycle or motorbike, he said, "I don't drive a motorcycle," which is a little strange, as most people would have said, 'ride' a motorcycle, and being a linguist he should have been pretty precise.

In addition, someone later came up with a list of participants at a confernce of linguists in Mexico City that included Keenan, so he either forgot about that or lied about it.

I personally think one of these Ed Keenans could be the "Steve Keenan" who rode Oswald around Mexico City on his motorcycle and worked as a double-agent for the KGB and CIA.

And if not, the Quaker Keenan from Philadelphia who was in Mexico City with Oswald should be positively identified with a little more research.

Bill Kelly

[William Kelly]

Well, Has anybody read Joan Mellon's book yet?

How about a report?

Bill Kelly

[Tim Gratz]

I have a review copy but am not allowed to post re it until the official publication date.

But readers should see the thread "What Angel Murgado really said" which mentions Professor Mellen's interview with Murgado.

[William Kelly]

I have a review copy but am not allowed to post re it until the official publication date.

But readers should see the thread "What Angel Murgado really said" which mentions Professor Mellen's interview with Murgado.

Tim, An advanced review copy is for the purpose of reviewing it.

I've got my own copy now, and since it is available on the open market, I'm sure Joan will relieve you of your confidentiality oath of omerta and need to know secrets and actually write a review of your take on the book.

When I'm finished I'll give you mine.

BK

Bkjfk3@yahoo.com

[Larry Hancock]

Tim, I'm not sure what commercial publication date you are working against but Joan's book is widely available now and I know several people who have purchased copies and read it. Joan will be in various places next week talking about the book and it will be available for sale at the various conferences.

I would not think there would be any problem with commenting on it at this point.

-- Larry

[Pamela Brown]

I am in the middle of AF2J now and consider it a must-read for anyone interested in the assassination, and from whatever perspective. Whether or not you agree with all that Joan Mellen has to say, I can guarantee you will be moved by the masterful handling of material and degree of research that she has done. It is a very valuable book.

I have my own criticisms of it, but they come mainly from my orientation, which tends to be objective. AF2J makes the assumption that the assassination was a conspiracy, and that LHO was involved in and surrounded by people involved in both CIA and FBI, and she goes on to show how they are all connected.

If you are wondering whether or not to purchase the book, request that your library order it (if they haven't already done so) and borrow it.

[Nathaniel Heidenheimer]

Joan: just finished your book. Am heavily promoting it here in NYC. Bought ten copies for my 11th grade U.S. History Honors class. Forgot we were doing Andrew Jackson and the spoils system oops.

My question: do you see any parallels between the Kennedys end-run around the CIA with the Special Group and Bush's similar? end-run in 2003, when the neo-cons ran the Iraq intelligence out of the Pentegon?

[Robin Finn]

This is from a CIA history of Mexico City operations near where the LICOZY operation is discussed.The actual section dealing with LICOZY appears not to have been declassified.

[Tim Gratz]

John Simkin wrote:

Bill Turner is also the most generous of writers. He never fails to respond to my questions concerning his investigations. I have not been able to get a copy of Joan Mellen’s book yet, but if she does attack important researchers like Bill Turner, her own credibility will be seriously undermined.

In the "review" copy of the book that I have Professor Mellen certainly attacks Mr. Turner rather vociferously. John, I assume you will be reading the book in the near future and would then be interested in your comments.

Edited November 16, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[John Simkin]

In the "review" copy of the book that I have Professor Mellen certainly attacks Mr. Turner rather vociferously. John, I assume you will be reading the book in the near future and would then be interested in your comments.

I will be buying my copy in Dallas on Friday. I will reserve comment until then but like Bill Kelly, I will not take kindly to any unfair attacks on Bill Turner. Anyone with any understanding of the JFK assassination literature, knows the important role that Bill has played in the fight for the truth.

[William Turner]

John Simkin wrote:

Bill Turner is also the most generous of writers. He never fails to respond to my questions concerning his investigations. I have not been able to get a copy of Joan Mellen’s book yet, but if she does attack important researchers like Bill Turner, her own credibility will be seriously undermined.

In the "review" copy of the book that I have Professor Mellen certainly attacks Mr. Turner rather vociferously. John, I assume you will be reading the book in the near future and would then be interested in your comments.

Over the years that Joan Mellen researched "Farewell to Justice," she was in repeated contact with me in person, by phone and e-mail. In addition to interviewing me on a myriad of subjects, she sought my opinion and analysis and introductions to my contacts. Through all this interface she never asked me about my role in the Edgar Eugene Bradley case. Since I have a high regard for Joan, I would prefer to think that this was an inadvertant ommision. When she describes Bill Boxley and myself as incompetent volunteers who did a disservice to Garrison's work, she doesn't know what she is talking about.

The facts are these: On a Sunday morning JG called me at my Mill Valley home. He was staying at an airport hotel in Los Angeles and wanted me to catch a plane so we could "brainstorm" some things. One of them, it turned out, was the variance in height between the "Oswald" in the Soviet Union and the American one. As I was prepasring to fly back to San Francisco, JG asked if I would accompany Boxley, who was with him, on some interviews the ffollowing day. I agreed to go along because it is desirable to have two on interviews and there was no one else available in Los Angeles.

The interviews were of Carole Adylotte and Tom Thornhill, two local right-wingers who had contacted JG's office to level charges against Bradley that he was complicit in the JFK assassination. Boxley had with him the memos memorializing phone contacts with Adylotte and Thornhill, and we proceeded to interview them separately. They added some details to what the memos said, and strongly recommended we talk to Dennis Mower of the paramilitary California Rangers to verify their stories. We went through a screening process and were led to Mower in a motel room in Lancaster, in the desert. Mower tossed his handgun on the bed and demanded that we do the same. Boxley complied, but I was unarmed.

When we returned to JG's hotel suite, Boxley read from his notes of the three interviews (I hadn't taken any notes). Neither Boxley nore I made any recommendation, although I assumed that at a later date additional investigation would be conducted, including an interview of the suspect. Having been gone three days without a change of clothes or razor or toothbrush, with my family probably wondering where the hell I was, I left immediately for the airport. As I was gong out the door JG was on the phone with, I believe, Jim Alcock. It wasn't until I got back home that I heard on TV that JG had filed charges against Bradley in Orleans Parish and would sekk his extradition.

I can assure you, Bill, that JG did not mistake Edgar Eugene Bradley for Jim Braden or anyone else.

[Tim Gratz]

I find it curious that Professor Mellen did not chose to interview Mr. Turner about this incident which, if I am reading Mr. Turner correctly, appears to indicate that Mr. Garrison "rushed to judgment" (where have we heard that phrase before?) in charging Mr. Bradley. And then, without interviewing him, in the book she blames Mr. Turner and Mr. Boxley for the Bradley incident which Mr. Garrison apparently realized was a mistake and for which, to his credit, he apologized to Mr. Bradley.

If Professor Mellen is still participating, it would be interesting to read her comments on the information provided by Mr. Turner since it is only fair to obtain her perspective before making a determination on whether this incident indicates she was willing to blame Mr. Turner to deflect any criticism from Mr. Garrison (which is the way it appears).

Edited November 16, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[Tim Gratz]

In her book Professor Mellen writes:

Gerry Patrick Hemming concurs: "Helms is [was?] behind the entire operation to kill JFK." (Ch. 10.)

I can find no cite to this statement, and Mr. Hemming vigorously denies making it to Professor Mellen (or anyone else, for that matter).

So my question for Professor Mellen is what is your support for Hemming ever blaming the assassination on Richard Helms?

Edited November 17, 2005 by Tim Gratz