Jump to content
The Education Forum

James W. Powell in Dealey Plaza


Guest Mark Valenti

Recommended Posts

[...]

Hi Debra,

Here's a sketch of the Man on the Grassy Knoll as he was described by Malcom Summers to Houston PD sketch artist Lois Gibson, who was trained at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Va.

http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/2009/12/man-on-grassy-knoll.html

[...]

Bill,

Every time I click on it, I get the error message "SERVER NOT FOUND."

--Thomas

Edited by Thomas Graves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 52
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

[...]

Hi Debra,

Here's a sketch of the Man on the Grassy Knoll as he was described by Malcom Summers to Houston PD sketch artist Lois Gibson, who was trained at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Va.

http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/2009/12/man-on-grassy-knoll.html

[...]

Bill,

Every time I click on it, I get the error message "SERVER NOT FOUND."

--Thomas

http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/2009/12/man-on-grassy-knoll.html

If that doesn't work, maybe you can cut and past it into the Search window.

Or try this one:

http://jfkcountercoup.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/man-on-the-grassy-knoll/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

As I linked back to this thread I am amazed by what I am reading in Powell's Memo...

As I approached this intersection, at approximately 1228 hours, and was about one block away, Kennedy’s motorcade was just turning West off Houston Street. At this point, I heard at least two loud explosions, which I assumed could either have been shots from a firearm or some sort of fireworks. Several people in the crowd, which was at the intersection to view the motorcade as it passed, pointed up at the Texas School Book Depository (TSBDB), 411 South Elm Street. I took a photograph of the building at that instant. Several policeman, men from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, and newspapers and television reporters, were rushing toward the railroad switching yard behind the TSBDB. I followed them in order to learn what had happened. One of the television reporters, whose name I did not get, said that he heard that someone had fired a gun at Kennedy.

Are the 2 explosions and their reactions cut from the films based on the MATH thread?

He could not have possibly taken this photo BEFORE Dillard... but based on this memo he took it as the limo turned the corner

That's impossible... right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

David,

I think pretty much everyone agrees that Powell testified honestly [...]

[emphasis added by T. Graves]

Bill,

You know how much I hate to disagree with you, but I'm afraid that I must in this instance. So count me in the minority.

Basically, I don't believe anyone who constantly says "To be perfectly honest with you, ..." and "You know, it's funny, but..." ,

... and can't remember the answers to so many questions that are posed to him regarding what he did and why he did it on 11/22/63, especially a military intelligence agent who claimed that he took off work that day because he wanted to see the President (from far away) and take some (long distance) photos of him (without a telephoto lens).

Sincerely,

--Tommy :sun

PS I wish someone had asked Powell what he wore to Dealey Plaza that day because I'm wondering if he was the guy Roger Craig said was on the TSBD steps, wearing a gray business suit, who told Craig he was a Secret Service agent, and to whom Craig gave a verbal report. Here's an excerpt from Roger Craig's book When They Kill a President:

"As we [Craig and Buddy Walthers] were scanning the curb I heard a shrill whistle coming from the north side of Elm Street. I turned and saw a white male in his twenties running down the grassy knoll from the direction of the Texas School Book Depository Building. A light green Rambler station wagon was coming slowly west on Elm Street. The driver of the station wagon was a husky looking Latin, with dark wavy hair, wearing a tan wind breaker type jacket. He was looking up at the man running toward him. He pulled over to the north curb and picked up the man coming down the hill. I tried to cross Elm Street to stop them and find out who they were. The traffic was too heavy and I was unable to reach them. They drove away going west on Elm Street.

In addition to noting that these two men were in an obvious hurry, I realized they were the only ones not running TO the scene. Everyone else was running to see whatever might be seen. The suspect, as I will refer to him, who ran down the grassy knoll was wearing faded blue trousers and a long sleeved work shirt made of some type of grainy material. This will become very important to me later on and very embarrassing to the authorities (F.B.I., Dallas Police and Warren Commission). I thought the incident concerning the two men and the Rambler Station Wagon important enough to bring it to the attention of the authorities at the command post at Elm and Houston.

I ran to the front of the Texas School Book Depository where I asked for anyone involved in the investigation. There was a man standing on the steps of the Book Depository Building and he turned to me and said, “I'm with the Secret Service.” This man was about 40 years old, sandy-haired with a distinct cleft in his chin. He was well-dressed in a gray business suit. I was naive enough at the time to believe that the only people there were actually officers—after all, this was the command post. I gave him the information. He showed little interest in the persons leaving. However, he seemed extremely interested in the description of the Rambler. This was the only part of my statement which he wrote down in his little pad he was holding. Point: Mrs. Ruth Paine, the woman Marina Oswald lived with in Irving, Texas, owned a Rambler [sic] station wagon, at that time, of this same color [sic]."

[emphasis added by T. Graves]

Edited by Thomas Graves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[...]

As a side note,

On page 133 of my digital copy of Deep Politics and the Death of JFK, Peter Dale Scott wrote:

"I myself had suggested that the [HSCA] Committee interview Revill, to learn more about the 'Army Intelligence man' whom 'Lieutanant Revill knew' and drove back to his office right after the President's murder (5 WH 57). I speculated that the Army Intelligence agent might have been James Powell, an Army Intelligence agent present on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository (WCD 329. 57-58) when Revill organized the search there that produced the famous Mannlicher Carcano (4 AH 604). Whoever the man was, Revill omitted his name when testifying under oath to the Warren Commission as to the occupants of his car (5 WH 34)"

I think I have found two problems with what what PDS wrote here.

Firstly, regarding (WCD 329.57-58), here's a link to it. It's page 58 of "Commission Document 329 - FBI Gemberling Report of 22 Jan 1964 re: Oswald/Russia/Cuba." Dr. Scott seems to think that it indicates that Powell was on the sixth floor.

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=10730&relPageId=61 .

A close reading of this document suggests that the photograph under discussion ("Specimen K53") was not taken from up close on the sixth floor, but from farther away, outside the building. I base this on an analysis of the words used in the document, and the overall context of its subject matter, specifically the time element involved.

In a nutshell, it seems to me that neither the "corner sixth floor window" (much less the boxes stacked near it) was the central "subject" of the photograph when it was taken. I think this is evidenced by the fact that the window was only said to be "shown" in the photograph.

Regarding the timing aspect, It doesn't make sense that a photographer could have (or even would have) photographed the "sniper's lair" window from inside the building so soon after the assassination. Of course the boxes stacked on the floor around the window, the spent "hulls" on the floor, and the Dr. Pepper bottle were all photographed eventually. But never mind. The apparent reason this photograph (Specimen K53) was analyzed by the FBI in the first place was to determine whether or not anyone was visible in that window and whether or not the boxes near it had been moved immediately after the assassination, before the hulls and Dr, Pepper bottle had been "discovered."

Since no photographs of "the window" (or its boxes) were taken from inside the building immediately after the assassination, the FBI had to analyze the next best thing-- photographs taken from outside the building which happened to show that particular window. (Obviously, the photos by Dillard and James W. Powell come to mind.)

James W. Powell told the ARRB that he went up to the second floor twice to use the telephone, but never to my knowledge did he or anyone else say that he was on the sixth floor. If this easy-to-misinterpret FBI report is the only "evidence" that we researchers and CTers can point to in trying to prove that Powell was up there messing around on the sixth floor, then I believe we need to re-think the whole Powell-on-the-sixth-floor issue.

Am I missing something here? Is there any so-called "corroborating evidence" or testimony that Powell was up on the sixth floor? Would somebody please set me straight on this if they can?

The second problem I think I've detected is that Dr. Scott seems to imply that DPD Lt. Jack Revill drove Army Intelligence agent James W. Powell back to Revill's office after the assassination. The above-quoted phrases "Army Intelligence man" and "[whom] Lieutenant Revill knew" come from DPD Detective V. J. Brian's Warren Commission testimony, in which Brian states that he himself was a passenger in Revill's car on that particular journey, and that "an Army Intelligence man" whom "Lieutenant Revill knew" was also a passenger, but that the Army Intelligence man got out "up around Field Street."

http://jfkassassination.net/russ/testimony/brian.htm

It just so happens that the Rio Grande Building, where Powell's Army Intelligence office was situated, was at the corner of Elm and N. Field Street.

From V. J. Brian's Warren Commission testimony:

http://jfkassassination.net/russ/testimony/brian.htm

[...]

What did Revill and you do?

Mr. BRIAN. Went back down to our office.

Representative FORD. Gannaway's--is that Gannaway's office?

Mr. BRIAN. Gannaway's; yes, sir.

Representative FORD. As you drove----

Mr. DULLES. What floor is that on?

Mr. BRIAN. Captain Gannaway's is on the second floor.

Representative FORD. As you drove from the Texas School Depository Building after making a check of the facilities who was in the car?

Mr. BRIAN. Our car?

56

Representative FORD. Yes.

Mr. BRIAN. Let me see, Lieutenant Revill, myself, [Detective] Westphal, [Detective] Tarver, and we gave a man a lift, and I don't remember whether he was a CID, I don't know the man, I don't remember whether he was a CIC agent or a CID or OSI, he was some type of, as I recall, Army intelligence man.

Mr. DULLES. Army, Air Force, or something?

Mr. BRIAN. He was connected with the service and we let him out a couple of blocks, if I recall, up about Field Street, somewhere along in there. Lieutenant Revill knew him, who he was, and he rode up there with us.

Representative FORD. Who drove the car?

Mr. BRIAN. Lieutenant Revill. It was his car.

[...]

I admire and respect (and I am truly influenced by) Dr. Peter Dale Scott, but I must be audacious here and point out these two apparent mistakes here about James W. Powell.

--Tommy :sun

PS A narrow reading of Lt. Revill's testimony might explain why he didn't divulge the fact that Powell was one of the "occupants" in his car. Revill wasn't asked who his passengers were. He was asked who went with him to his office. Since Powell didn't go all the way to Revill's office, Revill gave a strictly true answer to that question.

Edited by Thomas Graves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[...]

As a side note,

On page 133 of my digital copy of Deep Politics and the Death of JFK, Peter Dale Scott wrote:

"I myself had suggested that the [HSCA] Committee interview Revill, to learn more about the 'Army Intelligence man' whom 'Lieutanant Revill knew' and drove back to his office right after the President's murder (5 WH 57). I speculated that the Army Intelligence agent might have been James Powell, an Army Intelligence agent present on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository (WCD 329. 57-58) when Revill organized the search there that produced the famous Mannlicher Carcano (4 AH 604). Whoever the man was, Revill omitted his name when testifying under oath to the Warren Commission as to the occupants of his car (5 WH 34)"

I think I have found two problems with what what PDS wrote here.

Firstly, regarding (WCD 329.57-58), here's a link to it. It's page 58 of "Commission Document 329 - FBI Gemberling Report of 22 Jan 1964 re: Oswald/Russia/Cuba." Dr. Scott seems to think that it indicates that Powell was on the sixth floor.

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=10730&relPageId=61 .

A close reading of this document suggests that the photograph under discussion ("Specimen K53") was not taken from up close on the sixth floor, but from farther away, outside the building. I base this on an analysis of the words used in the document and the overall context of its subject matter, specifically the time element involved.

In a nutshell, it seems to me that neither the "corner sixth floor window" nor the boxes stacked near it were the central "subject" of the photograph when it was taken. I think this is evidenced by the fact that the window was only said to be "shown" in the photograph.

Regarding the timing aspect, It doesn't make sense that a photographer could have (or even would have) photographed the "sniper's lair" window from inside the building so soon after the assassination. Of course the boxes stacked on the floor around the window, the spent "hulls" on the floor, and the Dr. Pepper bottle were all photographed eventually. But never mind. The apparent reason this photograph (Specimen K53) was analyzed by the FBI in the first place was to determine whether or not anyone was visible in that window and whether or not the boxes near it had been moved immediately after the assassination, before the hulls and Dr, Pepper bottle had been "discovered."

Since no photographs of "the window" (or its boxes) were taken from inside the building immediately after the assassination, the FBI had to analyze the next best thing-- photographs taken from outside the building which happened to show that particular window. (Obviously, the photos by Dillard and James W. Powell come to mind.)

James W. Powell told the ARRB that he went up to the second floor twice to use the telephone, but never to my knowledge did he or anyone else say that he was on the sixth floor. If the above easy-to-misinterpret FBI report is the only "evidence" that we researchers and CTers can point to in trying to prove that Powell was up there fooling around on the sixth floor, then I believe we need to re-think the whole Powell-on-the-sixth-floor issue.

Am I missing something here? Is there any so-called "corroborating evidence" or testimony that Powell was up on the sixth floor? Would somebody please set me straight on this if they can?

The second problem I think I've detected is that Dr. Scott seems to imply that DPD Lt. Jack Revill drove Army Intelligence agent James W. Powell back to Revill's office after the assassination. The above-quoted phrases "Army Intelligence man" and "[whom] Lieutenant Revill knew" come from DPD Detective V. J. Brian's Warren Commission testimony, the above-mentioned "(5 WH 57)", in which Brian states that he himself was a passenger in Revill's car on that particular journey, and that "an Army Intelligence man" whom "Lieutenant Revill knew" was also a passenger, but that the Army Intelligence man got out "up around Field Street."

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?absPageId=16867

It just so happens that the Rio Grande Building, where Powell's Army Intelligence office was situated, was at the corner of Elm and N. Field Street.

From V. J. Brian's Warren Commission testimony:

[...]

What did Revill and you do?

Mr. BRIAN. Went back down to our office.

Representative FORD. Gannaway's--is that Gannaway's office?

Mr. BRIAN. Gannaway's; yes, sir.

Representative FORD. As you drove----

Mr. DULLES. What floor is that on?

Mr. BRIAN. Captain Gannaway's is on the second floor.

Representative FORD. As you drove from the Texas School Depository Building after making a check of the facilities who was in the car?

Mr. BRIAN. Our car?

56

Representative FORD. Yes.

Mr. BRIAN. Let me see, Lieutenant Revill, myself, [Detective] Westphal, [Detective] Tarver, and we gave a man a lift, and I don't remember whether he was a CID, I don't know the man, I don't remember whether he was a CIC agent or a CID or OSI, he was some type of, as I recall, Army intelligence man.

Mr. DULLES. Army, Air Force, or something?

Mr. BRIAN. He was connected with the service and we let him out a couple of blocks, if I recall, up about Field Street, somewhere along in there. Lieutenant Revill knew him, who he was, and he rode up there with us.

Representative FORD. Who drove the car?

Mr. BRIAN. Lieutenant Revill. It was his car.

[...]

I admire and respect (an am truly influenced by) Dr. Peter Dale Scott, but I must be audacious here and point out these two apparent little uhh... "boo-boo's" (?) about James W. Powell.

--Tommy :sun

PS A narrow reading of Lt. Revill's testimony might explain why he didn't divulge the fact that Powell was one of the "occupants" in his car. Revill wasn't asked who his passengers were. He was asked who went with him to his office. Since Powell didn't go all the way to Revill's office, Revill gave a strictly true answer to that question.

edited and bumped

Edited by Thomas Graves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Tommy

I think PDS will correct his misstatement regarding Powell being on the sixth floor but he's still in the running for the Army Intel officer Revell gave a lift .

Hoary was also meeting an army intel agent for lunch at the time of the assassination; does Hosty ID him?

BK

Hi Bill,

I agree with you that Powell is probably the "Army Intelligence man" whom Detective V. J. Brian said Lt. Revill gave a lift to Field Street (and Elm?) after the assassination.

Hoary? Sorry, never heard of him.

Here's an old post by someone you may have heard of, "William Kelley." In it he says that an FBI agent by the name of James P. Hosty had lunch on 11/22/63 with Army Intelligence agent [Ed] Coyne and ATF agent [Frank] Ellsworth.

Of course I have no idea if this "William Kelley" guy knows what he's talking about. The guy he's communicating with in these posts sure seems bright, though. (LOL)

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

'William Kelly', on 02 Feb 2011 - 01:43 AM, said:snapback.png

'Thomas Graves', on 02 Feb 2011 - 01:18 AM, said:snapback.png

'William Kelly', on 02 Feb 2011 - 12:12 AM, said:snapback.png

Okay,

Off the top of my head, Dick Russell (I think) tracked him down and talked with him at his gun shop and said that Masen has a remarkable resemblance to Oswald.

Masen's gun shop was one of only two or three places in the Dallas area that carried Manlicher-Carcano 6.5 bullets.

In November 1963 Masen was being investigated by the ATF for possible federal firearms violations - I don't know exactly but I recall it possibly having to do with trying to buy or sell machine guns with some Cubans.

An hour before the assassination, three federal agents had a business lunch together not far from Dealey Plaza, during which Masen's case was discussed.

These three agents were FBI agent Hosty, Army Intelligence agent Coyne, and an ATF agent I believe was Ellsworth.

Hosty was responsible for Oswald's security file, knew Oswald worked at the TSBD but didn't think it significant because it wasn't a defense contractor or a security sensitive location - (unless you knew the President would be passing by there), and had also investigated the Walker shooting, but never suspected Oswald.

Coyne, I think I have the spelling right, was an officer in the Army Intelligence Unit under Jones, who testified before the HSCA that they had a dozen or so agents in plain clothes working in Dallas that day, some on the security of the president, and Coyne was one of them. Another was [James W.] Powell, who took the photos of the TSBD immediately after the shooting and was caught inside the building after it was belatedly sealed.

[...]

That's great information, Bill, but can you or anyone else tell me how to go about finding a photo of John Thomas Masen on the Internet? Maybe I just don't know how to go about finding it on the DPUK website...

Thanks,

--Thomas

[...]

[...]

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Ring any bells, Bill?
I've got to cut this short now and go do a couple of hours of "research" on this "Hoary" dude you mentioned.
--Tommy :sun
Edited by Thomas Graves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I recall, Ellsworth was in a meeting with Hosty that morning, where they were all trying to get their act together in regard to the Nonte/Masen gun sales sting. Afterwards, he and one of the people in the meeting had gone somewhere a couple of blocks away from the Plaza and were eating lunch when they began to hear a commotion and then about the shooting.... Several of his statements are available and I certainly don't remember anything about his being on the knoll quickly or encountering an agent there.

-- Larry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I recall, Ellsworth was in a meeting with Hosty that morning, where they were all trying to get their act together in regard to the Nonte/Masen gun sales sting. Afterwards, he and one of the people in the meeting had gone somewhere a couple of blocks away from the Plaza and were eating lunch when they began to hear a commotion and then about the shooting.... Several of his statements are available and I certainly don't remember anything about his being on the knoll quickly or encountering an agent there.

-- Larry

Larry,

Thanks, but I must say I'm sorry I mentioned Ellsworth [since edited out by me] on this James Powell thread..

According to Michael Hogan in post #4 this thread, Richard Trask told the ARRB that James Powell had been interviewed by both the FBI and the Secret Service and had given them some conflicting statements regarding what happened on 11/22/63. Here's a link to Powell's 1995 ARRB interview: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/arrb/index5.htm

Do you know of any FBI or Secret Service interviews of Army Intelligence agent James W. Powell? All I can find is his ARRB testimony.

Thanks,

--Tommy :sun

Edited by Thomas Graves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tommy, doing this from memory. I studied Powell at great length many years ago and collected all his documents then. He made a statement to his 112th commander shortly after the event. As I recall he also gave a statement to the FBI or the Secret Service (FBI I think), whoever he turned his photos over too. I would imagine all this is on Mary Ferrell now; originally I put his documents into my CD Keys to the Conspiracy but that was way back before the online documents databases.

Wish I could be more helpful, all those paper files are either buried in my garage or gone now. The CD is still available from Lancer.

But I can confirm he made other, fairly extensive statements about his activities and they were very contemporary, within days or weeks of the assassination, I don't

recall any major conflicts in his remarks but of course in one instance he was reporting has activities of the day to his military superior and in the other answer

questions and making statements to the FBI.

Larry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tommy, doing this from memory. I studied Powell at great length many years ago and collected all his documents then. He made a statement to his 112th commander shortly after the event. As I recall he also gave a statement to the FBI or the Secret Service (FBI I think), whoever he turned his photos over too. I would imagine all this is on Mary Ferrell now; originally I put his documents into my CD Keys to the Conspiracy but that was way back before the online documents databases.

Wish I could be more helpful, all those paper files are either buried in my garage or gone now. The CD is still available from Lancer.

But I can confirm he made other, fairly extensive statements about his activities and they were very contemporary, within days or weeks of the assassination, I don't

recall any major conflicts in his remarks but of course in one instance he was reporting has activities of the day to his military superior and in the other answer

questions and making statements to the FBI.

Larry

Thanks Larry.

In searching for an answer to BK's earlier question regarding the possibility that Hosty had lunch with James Powell on 11/22/63, I found this 1975 document on the MF website: http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=738150

In it Hosty says he "met in the morning with" Army Intelligence Agent Ed Coyne on 11/22/63 and that he didn't even know James Powell.

--Tommy :sun

Edited by Thomas Graves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tommy, doing this from memory. I studied Powell at great length many years ago and collected all his documents then. He made a statement to his 112th commander shortly after the event. As I recall he also gave a statement to the FBI or the Secret Service (FBI I think), whoever he turned his photos over too. I would imagine all this is on Mary Ferrell now; originally I put his documents into my CD Keys to the Conspiracy but that was way back before the online documents databases.

Wish I could be more helpful, all those paper files are either buried in my garage or gone now. The CD is still available from Lancer.

But I can confirm he made other, fairly extensive statements about his activities and they were very contemporary, within days or weeks of the assassination, I don't

recall any major conflicts in his remarks but of course in one instance he was reporting has activities of the day to his military superior and in the other answer

questions and making statements to the FBI.

Larry

Thanks Larry.

In searching for an answer to BK's earlier question regarding the possibility that Hosty had lunch with James Powell on 11/22/63, I found this 1975 document on the MF website: http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=738150

In it Hosty is asked if, on 11/22/63, he "met in the morning with an Army Intelligence Agent." Hosty says yes, he met with Ed Coyne. He says he didn't know James Powell.

Edit:

In his book Assignment Oswald, Hosty says had a prearranged meeting that morning with Army Intelligence agent Coyle and ATF agent Ellsworth so that they could confer with each other on the ongoing case of an Army ordinance officer (George Nonte?) at a nearby base (Ft. Hood? / Ft. Sill?) who was allegedly fencing stolen Army guns and ammunition to an outside party (John Thomas Masen?). Hosty says they had learned that a right wing extremist group (Minutemen? / DRE?) was trying to buy the weaponry.

  • Hosty also says, "I later learned that Agent Powell was another Army Intelligence man who had been downtown Dallas when the assassination occurred, doing some routine background checks at the Sheriff's Department across the street from the assassination site. When the call came over that shots may have come from the book depository building, Powell and about twenty sheriff's deputies dashed over to the building and volunteered their services in searching. Because Powell wasn't in a police uniform, he at first made people suspicious and was briefly detained by the police while they confirmed his identity."

[emphasis added]

--Tommy :sun

Did Hosty or Coyne or Ellsworth write any reports about this November 22nd meeting for their respective agencies?

Edited by Thomas Graves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ellesworth described the entire Nonte/Masen incident from his perspective and the need for the meeting but talked only briefly about the meeting itself. Once they got on the same page it began to make a lot more sense to all of them, especially to him since he had no clue that there was a separate FBI sting in play already and the FBI knew a lot more about the gun deals from Nonte than Ellesworth had learned in his Masen contacts. If you have SWHT you Chapter 21 where I go though all this including the Terrell theft, Ruby, etc.

-- Larry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

It's well known that James Powell, an Army Intelligence agent with the 112th, was in Dealey Plaza on 11-22-63, and that he took a famous photo of the TSBD within a minute of the shooting.

What may be less well known is his testimony given in the 70's, after he had moved to California and worked for a furniture company. There are many aspects of his testimony that are unusual.

Among the quotes:

"I ran security investigations for security clearances on both military and civilian personnel that worked, for instance, on missile bases or wherever. We were trained in investigative photography, both from the standpoint of taking actual pictures of – well, let's say we were expected to go out and photograph spies, or whatever, or follow suspected people that we were suspicious of doing something involved with the military against us. We were trained to be able to seek these people out, to photograph, to cover, to do surveillance on them, that type of thing."

** Why was he not working that day?

"I asked for time off, a leave of absence from my regular duties so I could see the motorcade, so I could go out to the airport and see the President. And I was hoping to get a few pictures. But I don't remember specifically how long before. I'd say in the neighborhood of a week probably."

** Did anyone else in his office ask for time off that day?

"To be very honest with you, no. That's surprising when I think about it. I know others were there, they were on duty, or they were working the normal things that they do and did not ask for time off to do this."

** What did he do at Love Field?

Took pictures. "Probably three or four as they came off the plane. And I was a pretty good distance away, and unfortunately without a telescopic lens."

** Why did he leave Love Field and go to Dealey Plaza?

"I wanted to get downtown. The motorcade route had been published in the papers so you knew where the President was going to go. So I went downtown and I think I…Well, I'm trying to remember where I parked. If I'm not mistaken, I parked in the regular parking lot where we parked our government cars, which was near the Rio Grande Building, and then walked a few short blocks away to where the motorcade was going to be coming down Elm Street. I stationed myself there waiting for the motorcade to come by.

** Was he driving his own car that day?

"That's a good question. I honestly can't say. Probably was."

** Where was he when he started taking pictures?

"When I took the pictures I was back here – again, I honestly can't remember if these things have published the main streets, but it was one of the east-west streets. The motorcade was coming down, I was approximately a block away, over here which is off this sketch, okay, taking photographs of the motorcade as it went by. Once it went by me, I…You know I WAS on Main because I went one block back to Elm Street and I was coming down this way and I was almost at this intersection when the motorcade came around and started down Elm Street, down the hill. I was probably half way down the block when I heard the shots fired."

** Why did he suspect that the shots came from the TSBD?

"I knew that when I got to this intersection, there were people pointing up at the TSBD indicating that they had heard shots coming from there."

** Did more than one person indicate that shots came from the TSBD?

"People, yes. More than one person. A couple. At least one pointed up at the building, and another standing near that person – I think this gentleman corroborated that. I crossed the street to the TSBD and walked on down."

** Where did he go first?

"There were, there were police officers, a few police officers there that had just been around the area, plus some – at least a couple – from the sheriff's department that were there. Sheriffs. In group, we kind of went to the parking area behind because there were, again, a lot of civilians standing around watching the motorcade coming down who'd said they thought they heard someone running through that area. So we all went together back there but didn't see anything obvious, other than the stampede…So I left the group and went back to the TSBD, it being the closest building that looked like it might have a phone in it, and went in there to call my office.

** Does he recall whether he showed (ID) to anyone in the time he was walking around behind the TSBD in the vicinity of the railroad yard?

"I recall that I, basically recall that I did. Because the officers were curious as to why I was joining them and I just flashed my credentials to show them and that was sufficient at the time and I put them back. I had my camera and so forth. We all sort of walked together back to that area behind the building. But then I left them in place."

** So he might have said "I'm James Powell, I'm a special agent?

"I'm a special agent with military intelligence. And show my credentials. It seemed like the logical thing to do at the time. It worked that time. It didn't work the second time, but anyway, when I was coming out the building, but that's something else altogether."

** What happened next?

"I went back to the TSBD and I went inside to use the phone to call my office and tell them what had happened. I went in there, made one phone call, came back out. There was a gentleman standing there who claims to have seen shots fired from a window above and I talked to him briefly. But then another policeman came up – he looked like a fairly high ranking policeman, he got out of a car, like a chief or whatever – and literally took the guy away from me. I told him I was interviewing him, showed him my credentials, but he had authority which superceded mine because this was his town."

"After that I went back into the TSBD to call my office again and when I came back down there were more police and sheriffs there with firearms, with shotguns, and they were detaining everybody that was in the building at that point. They were pretty well convinced that something had happened directly from that building and they wanted to make sure they had everybody who came out of there."

*** How long after the last shot was the (TSBD) picture taken?

"I'd say less than five minutes. A few minutes. Because I was only a hundred feet or so away from that intersection, and ran down there after I heard the shots. And someone pointed at the building and I wheeled around and took the picture, so it was a matter of moments."

** When he was interviewing the person outside the TSBD who was then taken away by the police, did he take notes?

"Yes. I started taking notes. I did. Don't ask me what happened to them. At this moment I don't know. We didn't get very far along. Didn't even get the gentleman's name.

** Did he recall someone from local law enforcement, named Jack Revill?

"This is interesting. I'll be again very candid with you, I don't recollect the name."

To sum up, James Powell was trained in military investigations, surveillance of spies and performing detail-oriented work.

And yet -

He doesn't remember where he parked his car.

He doesn't remember if he was driving his own car or a government car.

He doesn't remember exactly how long after the final shot he took the famous photo.

He doesn't remember what happened to notes he took from a vital witness.

Also, it's curious that he drove all the way to Love Field to snap photos - and then drove all the way to Dealey Plaza to snap more photos. But at neither place did Powell, who took photographs for a living, position himself at an advantageous location to take the best photos. Rather, his locations at the airport and in DP seem haphazard and particularly ineffective.

AND...

There has only been ONE photo of his released. What happened to the others he took at Love Field and in Dealey Plaza?

MV

Col. Jose Rivera's friend from Texas:

After spending the day with friends, Edisen was picked up by Rivera at her motel, where "a tall, sharp-faced man hailed Rivera, addressing him as 'Colonel.' They spoke for quite a long while about their times together at an Army base. His friend spoke of his current work in the army on telemetry and some work with cameras and telephoto lenses."

Rivera later told Edisen that, "We're photographing demonstrators with telephoto cameras from rooftops. We'll identify individual demonstrators and put their names in computer files. We've started this on the West Coast." Edisen wondered how that could be related to his work as a science administrator at NINDB until Rivera told her of his "other office, on the hill," and ties with "Foggy Bottom," which Edisen thought to be a residential section of the city.

Sorry for the bump but...

I stumbled on some collaborating evidence for Adele regarding Rivera's statement, a Dept. of Army film from 1969:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...