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Det. Paul Bentley

Dallas Police Dept.

Dallas, Texas

7960 June Lake Dr.

San Diego, 19, Calf.

24 Nov. 1963

Dear Paul,

Perhaps you are aware that ONI has quite a file on Oswald, which no

doubt has been made avbailable on the Washington level. If not I am

certain that this information can be obtained for you through our resident

special agent in charge of our Dallas office, A.C. Sullivan, who is a

wonderful agent, and whom I hope you know.

As a personal friend I congratulate you - wish you continued success -

and pray that your guardian angel will remain close at hand and

vigilant, always.

Respectifully,

Robert D. Steel

Commander USNR-R

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ON DET. PAUL BENTLEY, ROBERT D. STEEL OR A.C. SULLIVAN?

BK

[...]

Steele: Did clandestine, covert action and technical collection work for counterintelligence programs. Once named on the list of the top 100 "unsung heroes who helped create the future." Multilingual. Perhaps it was with tongue firmly in cheek that in 1992, he formed a company called OSS? (emphasis added by T. Graves)

Greg, et al.--

The "Robert D. Steele (Vivas)" who founded a company called "OSS" was born July 16, 1952, making him only 11 years old in November of 1963.

http://en.wikipedia....rt_David_Steele

--Tommy :sun

Edited by Thomas Graves
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Bill,

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ON DET. PAUL BENTLEY, ROBERT D. STEEL OR A.C. SULLIVAN?

BK

Robert Steel was the brother of Margaret Hoover. In the third week of October, Mrs. Hoover found an envelope in her front yard. Inside the envelope was an advertisement. On the back of the advertisement were the words Lee Oswald, Rubenstein, Jack Ruby, and Dallas, Texas. (emphasis added by T. Graves)

See the FBI Harris Report of December 2, 1963 pages 6-7.

http://www.maryferre...amp;relPageId=7

Steve Thomas

Incorrect Information, Steve.

I have it from an authoritative source that Robert D. Steel (no third "e") of San Diego, California (for whom we were looking) was not the brother of Margaret Hoover, and that a certain "Robert M. Steele" of Altoona, Pennsylvania was.

http://www.pa-roots....6573#msg-436573

--Tommy :sun

Edited by Thomas Graves
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Paul Bentley, 87, Dies; Detective Arrested Oswald FWIW

By DENNIS HEVESI

Corrections Appended

Paul Bentley, the Dallas police detective who helped arrest Lee Harvey Oswald 80 minutes after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, died Monday at his home in Dallas. He was 87.

His death was confirmed by Gary Mack, curator of the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the exhibit that occupies the floor in the former Texas School Book Depository from which Oswald fired his 6.5-millimeter Mannlicher-Carcano rifle at the 35th president.

When Detective Bentley hurtled over several rows in the Texas Theater that day, Nov. 22, 1963, to get to the slim man pointing a pistol at another police officer, he had no idea that the man was Kennedy’s killer.

“At the time of the arrest, I had no knowledge whatsoever that this might possibly be our suspect in regards to the assassination of the president,” Detective Bentley told WFAA-TV in Dallas in a 1963 interview.

But he did know that the man might be a suspect in the shooting of Officer J. D. Tippit, who had been killed half an hour earlier when he confronted Oswald on a nearby street some 45 minutes after Kennedy was shot.

The assistant manager of a shoe store near the theater, in the Oak Cliff section southwest of downtown, had told the ticket taker that a man acting suspiciously had sneaked into the theater.

“The person who saw him suggested that she call the police, because he might be connected to either the shooting of the president or of Officer Tippit,” Mr. Mack said in an interview on Thursday.

Detective Bentley was at a police station when reports arrived that someone had fired on the president’s motorcade and, soon afterward, that an officer had been shot. He went to the site of the Tippit shooting, then to the theater.

“Bentley and several other officers went up to the balcony,” Mr. Mack said. “Officer Nick McDonald went through the back door, behind the screen, and stood on the stage. The shoe store manager was with him and pointed out the guy who had been acting suspiciously. As McDonald approached, Oswald stood up and said, ‘Well, it’s all over now.’ ”

When Officer McDonald came close, Oswald punched him and drew a pistol. Detective Bentley raced down from the balcony.

“That’s when I tried to get as close to him as possible, trying to grab the weapon,” he said in an oral history given to the museum in 1994. “I came over the backs of seats,” twisting his right ankle between two of them, and, along with other officers, subdued Oswald.

Photographs of Oswald in custody show a cut over his eye. It was caused by the Masonic ring Detective Bentley was wearing during the scuffle, about 20 rows back from the movie screen.

Seated in the patrol car to the left of Oswald during the ride downtown, Detective Bentley heard a dispatcher say Oswald was the prime suspect in the Kennedy shooting. “I turned to him, and I said, ‘Did you shoot President Kennedy?’ ” Detective Bentley recalled. “He said, ‘You find out for yourself.’ ” (Detective Bentley's recollection is unsupported by other existing historical records.)

Paul Lester Bentley was born in Dallas on June 29, 1921. He served in the Army Air Forces in World War II and joined the Dallas police in 1947. He retired from the department in 1968, then became security director for First National Bank in Dallas.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, the former Mozelle Robertson; a sister, Mildred Waldroop; a son, James; and one grandson.

Two days after the Kennedy assassination, while being escorted through the basement of the Dallas city jail, Oswald was shot to death by Jack Ruby. At Ruby’s left at that moment, memorably captured by cameras, was Detective Jim Leavelle, wearing a light-colored Resistol. Clutching Ruby’s right arm, trying to wrench away his pistol, was Detective L. C. Graves — Detective Bentley’s brother-in-law.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: July 26, 2008

An obituary on Friday about Paul Bentley, a Dallas detective who helped capture the presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, included an incorrect identification from a museum curator, in some editions, for the brand of hat worn two days later by Jim Leavelle, a Dallas police detective photographed escorting Oswald when he was killed. It was a Resistol, not a Stetson.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: August 6, 2008

An obituary on July 25 about Paul Bentley, the Dallas police detective who helped arrest Lee Harvey Oswald after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, included incorrectly, without qualifying its source, a remark Mr. Bentley remembered hearing after the arrest. Many years later, Mr. Bentley told oral history interviewers that on the road to police headquarters with Oswald, after hearing police dispatchers say the man in custody was a prime suspect in the assassination of Kennedy, he asked Oswald, “Did you shoot President Kennedy?” and that Oswald replied, “You find out for yourself.” Mr. Bentley’s recollection is unsupported by other existing historical records.

The obituary also described Mr. Bentley’s role in the arrest imprecisely. Mr. Bentley adjusted the handcuffs after Oswald complained they were too tight; he did not snap the handcuffs on. (Another officer had placed his handcuffs on Oswald moments earlier.)

The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:

Shortcut to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/us/25bentley.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=prin

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After further review.....

1029. Commission Document 1033 - FBI Letterhead Memorandum of 25 May 1964 HOUSTON 2 pages re: Oswald - Russia/Cuba.........

On May 19, 1964 a confidential source advised that one Marty (Martin) Abelow was formerly employed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Houston, Texas. He stated Abelow was originally employed by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation but was on special assignment at NASA. He has since returned to regular employment at Lockheed, and is stationed with that company in Sunnyville, California. Source stated that while Abelow was employed in Houston he made a trip to New Orleans and to the best of source’s recollection this was about the same time that Oswald was in New Orleans distributing Fair Play for Cuba literature. Source stated that Abelow brought back several items of this type from New Orleans and exhibited them to individuals at NASA. He stated on one occasion he heard Abelow state that he should probably furnish these items to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Source also advised that Abelow made a trip to Mexico at a time he felt was approximately the same time that Oswald was in Mexico City. He stated he did not recall the exact times. Source stated he also recalls that Abelow also made frequent weekend trips to Dallas, Texas where he claimed he had an uncle residing. Source stated that although he has no indication that Abelow was acquainted with Oswald, he thought that the possibility did exist and for that reason he was furnishing this information to the

Federal Bureau of Investigation for its investigation.

Robert: The Dallas 1964 Residential White Pages; Page 21, does include one listing under the surname Abelow; see below

Col Samuel Z Abelow 5848 DelRoy Dr. EM 8-5903

https://www.maryferr...429&relPageId=2

3 docs at NARA re Abelow none unreleased; LHO, ASSOC, INTV, ABELOW, MARTIN SAMUEL, BKG

see 124-10062-10432

related NASA 61 hits

typical example of NASA doc

RE: EMPLOYMENT OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD AT MICHOUD

http://www.nara.gov/...415/jfksnew.txt

It will be recalled that a Samuel Martin Abelow advised that in or about June 1963 while on a vacation trip to New Orleans, Louisiana observed a young man distributing Fair Play for Cuba leaflets to a crowd waiting to board a U.S. aircraft carrier.........

https://www.maryferr...3&relPageId=128

The guy really gets around kind of like Jack Martin did......

But it definitely should be pointed out, all of the information above comes from the confidential

source who may or may not be spouting things that are not true, I say that because, as I recall

the whole NASA Oswald episode seemed to go nowhere, but even that aspect was so, because

all of the persons that went to work at NASA stated they didn't know anything of significance

about Oswald. God knows if they were lying, it wouldn't have been the first time a lie was disseminated in Warren Commission documents. Still, the Colonel Samuel Z. Abelow struck me

as making the document's allegations even more compelling. The list of colonels, which I have posted on some thread could fill an entire page, the most notable being GDM's buddy Colonel

Orlov.......

And one final thought, the whole David Ferrie to Houston story and Ruby's phone calls to Houston have always seemed to be a episode of sheer frustration in connecting that to JFK's death in Dallas,

if you think outside the box, if the informant's allegations are true, someone like Abelow could have been coordinating a very big road to nowhere. But overall, I am just perplexed, to be honest.

Note to Bernice: Yes, the big cigar chomper, is indeed Bentley, and he does look happy....

does he not? He should, he is in one of the best assassination-related photographs ever taken

courtesy of the daughter and father team, ie Kodachrome slides.....the latter of whom was a military man

stationed in Panama.....that Oswald, he had people watching him like a hawk.

Edited by Robert Howard
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Two days after the assassination Dallas Police Detective Paul Bentley received a letter

Robert D. Steel,

Commander, USNR-R

7960 June Lake Drive,

San Diego,

California.

Perhaps you are aware that ONI has quite a file on Oswald, which no doubt has been made available on the Washington level. If not, I am certain that this information can be obtained for you through our resident special agent in charge of the Dallas office, A. C. Sullivan, who is a wonderful agent, and whom I hope you know. As a personal friend, I congratulate you, wish you continued success, and pray that your guardian angel will remain close at hand and vigilant, always.

Robert D. Steel

A. C. Sullivan, full name - Arthur Carroll Sullivan, Jr., who was in ONI 27 years, and also worked for the FBI and as an investigator for the Dallas DA.

Does anyone have any more background info on Arthur Carroll Sullivan, Jr.?

BK

Edited by William Kelly
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  • 4 years later...

Fwiw, I interviewed 93 year-old retired ONI special agent Robert D. Steel (R.I.P.) at his house in my hometown of La Jolla, California, in 2013, and I have posted about it on other threads on this forum.

--  Tommy :sun

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On 1/23/2013 at 8:16 PM, Thomas Graves said:

Incorrect Information, Steve.

I have it from an authoritative source that Robert D. Steel (no third "e") of San Diego, California (for whom we were looking) was not the brother of Margaret Hoover, and that a certain "Robert M. Steele" of Altoona, Pennsylvania was.

http://www.pa-roots....6573#msg-436573

--Tommy :sun

Thomas,

 

I apologize for my sloppy research.

I have no excuses.

 

Steve Thomas

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2 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Thomas,

 

I apologize for my sloppy research.

I have no excuses.

 

Steve Thomas

Hey Steve,

Not a problem.

Heck, even I made a mistake once,

LOL

--  Tommy :sun  AKA  "I used to be conceited, but now I'm perfect."

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