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Jim Root

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  1. This is some information I posted several years ago about Oswald's travel to Helsinki and entrance into the Soviet Union..... Posted November 27, 2004 (edited) “…those with even the smallest speck of cynicism in their hearts will be wondering why the cruel fates lured them into this quagmire of syrup.” Tor Thorsen, REEL.COM, review of the movie Serendipity 2001 Questions need answers. The questions that surrounded the assassination of John F. Kennedy needed, in order to calm a shocked nation, to be answered quickly by the Warren Commission. In the years following the release of the Warren Commission Report some information surrounding the accused assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, has been clarified by researchers, the House Select Committee on Assassinations, independent researchers and through information obtained from previously classified documents. One such question dwelt with Lee Harvey Oswald’s defection to the Soviet Union in 1959 shortly after he had been released, approximately three months early, from the Marine Corp. The implications are as obvious today as they were in the hours immediately following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Was Oswald a Soviet agent? Was Oswald and American intelligence asset? Shortly after the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald reporters began to pry open the history of this mans short life. A stunned nation, thirsting for any information, was shocked to learn that Oswald, a former Marine, had been a defector to the Soviet Union. With the death of President Kennedy a reality, both the United States and the Soviet Union had an inherent interest in establishing just what impact the unfolding information about Oswald’s Russian journey and life would have on the investigation that would follow. A tense international situation had been created by this horrid event. Heightened tensions were a regular part of the brinkmanship that accompanied the cold war period of the early 1960’s. Francis Gary Powers and the U2, The Bay of Pigs, the “Cuban Missile Crisis,” Berlin and the Congo had all been recent front-page news headlines. Delicate disarmament discussions were in progress during the month of November 1963 in Geneva. The Soviets and the Americans were once again attempting to negotiate a nuclear test ban treaty and trying to prevent the unthinkable, the nuclear destruction of the world. If it were to be proven that Lee Harvey Oswald had been an agent of the Soviet Union or the United States, a cold chill might replace the warming climate for negotiations that were currently in progress. As Lyndon Johnson would say to Chief Justice Earl Warren, there was the possibility of thirty-nine million deaths. Both countries were quick to deny any connection to Lee Harvey Oswald. Any admission by the Soviet Union that Oswald was a spy for them could have, at that time, led to war. And how could the United States ever say, on the one hand, that Oswald was an agent of the United States but was not involved in a conspiracy to assassinate the President. How would the American public react if they were to discover that both countries had a connection to Oswald? In later life, Major General Edwin Anderson Walker, the other man Oswald has been accused of attempting to assassinate in April of 1963, would claim that Lee Harvey Oswald had worked for both the Soviets and the Americans. (interviews) Why would he come to these conclusions? The suspicious nature of the press and the earliest conspiracy theorist were intrigued by the travels of this young Marine who had defected to Russia. Almost immediately two questions were developed from the disclosures of the Warren Commission that provide fodder for researchers. Centering on two bits of information researchers found numerous reasons to ascribe to the belief that Oswald must have received help traveling to the Soviet Union. These “reasons” were laid to rest in the years that followed the assassination and no longer seen to attract the attention of modern researchers. But we might ask, “Have we been misled?” Let’s re-examine the record once again. First: There were no direct flights from London to Helsinki, Finland that would have allowed Oswald to arrive in Helsinki, Finland in time to register at the Torni Hotel by midnight on October 10, 1959 when he did in fact register. There was speculation from Warren Commission critics that Oswald may have been transported by the military or by some means other than commercial carrier. This speculation would suggest that Oswald would have needed the support of either the CIA or some other covert agency to travel to Finland within the known time constraints. Second: Lee Harvey Oswald received a travel visa to enter Russia through the Soviet Consulate in Helsinki, Finland in an unusually short period of time. Originally it was believed that Oswald received his visa in about 48 hours. We now know that it took only 24 hours. The CIA stated to the Warren Commissioners, as represented in their report, the normal processing time for a travel visa to be issued by Soviet authorities during this time period (1959) was usually between 5 and 7 days. Upon investigating these questions I found that both had been answered sufficiently enough to satisfy most researchers. In responding to the requests of the Warren Commission, the CIA stated that they could not identify any direct flight from London to Helsinki that would have allowed Oswald to arrive in Helsinki with sufficient time to check into the Torni Hotel. It took until 1994, thirty-one years after the Kennedy assassination, for researcher Chris Mills to discover that there were two airline flights that Oswald could have selected. The first, via Copenhagen, left London at 8:05 AM and arrived in Helsinki at 5:05 PM, the second left London at 8:50 AM and stopped in Stockholm before arriving in Helsinki at 5:35 PM. Either of these flights would have placed Oswald in Helsinki in time to register at the Torni Hotel. The CIA seems to have been unable to locate this information for publication by the Warren Commission or omitted the information to perhaps protect the name of a person who would have been on one of those other flights. Did the CIA in fact know which flight Oswald was on when he traveled to Helsinki? A close examination of the Warren Report suggests that the CIA did in fact know which flight Oswald used to travel to Finland. Is this odd? Page 257 of the Warren Commission report states: “…his (Oswald) plane fare from London to Helsinki, where he received his visa, cost him $111.90”. There is no footnote for this item given in the Warren Report. If the CIA could not or would not identify the flight, how did they know the exact price of the ticket? If they did know which flight, and the cost, why did the CIA only say, they could not identify any direct flight from London to Helsinki that would allow Oswald to check into his Hotel at the time we know that he in fact did check in? Other expenditures in the same section have commission exhibits as backup documentation or are accompanied by comments such as, “…cost him about…” or “…probably purchased…” and “…was about…” when dealing with his travel costs. Once again, if the CIA and the Commission would not say which flight Lee Harvey Oswald took to Helsinki, how were they so exact about the price of the flight? A new, even greater question has been created by the lack of candor on the part of the intelligence community because they failed to be more precise in their investigation. The new question is: “Why did the CIA neglect to identify these possible flights?” Once again I am mystified by the omission of these details by the CIA and the potential cover up of a sensitive name that may have been on a passenger lists for either of these flights. Is it possible that Oswald meet someone along the way to Helsinki on one of these flights? Is it possible that the person he met would have been Major General Edwin Walker? In early October, 1959 Walker was traveling from Little Rock, Arkansas to Augsburg, Germany. The answer to the second question is even more surprising, when compared to the original information provided by the Warren Commission. The following is taken directly from the Warren Report and should be reviewed before we examine the “new” evidence that deals with Oswald’s ability to receive a visa to enter Russia in less than 48 hours. “On September 4, (1959) the day on which he was transferred out of MACS-9 in preparation for his discharge, Oswald had applied for a passport at the Superior Court of Santa Ana, Calif. His application stated that he planned to leave the United States on September 21 to attend the Albert Schweitzer College and the University of Turku in Finland, and to travel in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, and Russia. The passport was routinely issued 6 days later. (Appendix XIII of the Warren Report: Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald, Soviet Union). “Oswald went directly home after his discharge, and arrived in Fort Worth by September 14…(Appendix XIII of the Warren Report: Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald, Soviet Union). “On September 17, Oswald spoke with a representative of Travel Consultants, Inc., a New Orleans travel bureau; he filled out a “Passenger Immigration Questionnaire,” on which he gave his occupation as “shipping export agent” and said that he would be abroad for 2 months on a pleasure trip. He booked passage from New Orleans to Le Harve, France, on a freighter, the SS Marion Lykes, scheduled to sail on September 18, for which he paid $220.75. On the evening of September 17, he registered at the Liberty Hotel. The Marion Lykes did not sail until the early morning of September 20…(Appendix XIII of the Warren Report: Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald, Soviet Union). “The Marion Lykes carried only four passengers. Oswald shared his cabin with Billy Joe Lord, a young man who had just graduated from high school and was going to France to continue his education. Lord testified that he and Oswald did not discuss politics but did have a few amicable religious arguments, in which Oswald defended atheism… No one on board suspected that he intended to defect to Russia. (Appendix XIII of the Warren Report: Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald, Soviet Union). “Oswald disembarked at Le Havre on October 8. He left for England that same day, and arrived on October 9. He told English customs officials in Southampton that he had $700 and planned to remain in the United Kingdom for 1 week before proceeding to a school in Switzerland. But on the same day, he flew to Helsinki, Finland, where he registered at the Torni Hotel; the following day, he moved to the Klaus Kurki Hotel. (Appendix XIII of the Warren Report: Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald, Soviet Union). “Oswald probably applied for a visa at the Russian consulate on October 12, his first business day in Helsinki. The visa was issued on October 14. It was valid until October 20 and permitted him to take one trip of not more than 6 days to the Soviet Union. He also purchased 10 Soviet “intourist vouchers” which cost $30 a piece. He left Helsinki by train on the following day, crossed the Finnish-Russian border at Vainikkala, and arrived in Moscow on October 16.” (Appendix XIII of the Warren Report: Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald, Soviet Union). Oswald needed to be a “frugal” man to have saved enough money to travel to the Soviet Union immediately upon being discharged from the Marines. Are the actual travel arrangements reported in the Warren Commission consistent with the character of Lee Harvey Oswald? Appendix XIV of the Warren Commission Report contains an, “Analysis of Lee Harvey Oswald’s Finances From June 13, 1962, Through November 22, 1963.” Within this analysis we find this quote: “The estimate reflects Oswald’s FRUGAL living habits during this period, as described in chapter VI of this report.” (Emphasis on the word frugal is my own) “In November 1959, Oswald told an American reporter in Moscow, Aline Mosby, he had saved $1,500 (not $1,600) while in the Marines. It is entirely consistent with Oswald’s known FRUGALITY that he could have saved the money from the $3,452.20 in pay he received while he was in the Marines. Moreover, despite his statement to Aline Mosby, he may not actually have saved $1500, for it was possible for him to have made the trip to Russia in 1959 for considerably less than that amount.’ (Warren Report Appendix XII, Oswald In The Soviet Union, emphasis mine) This question has surfaced in my mind: “Why didn’t Lee Harvey Oswald travel from La Harve, France to Paris and then take a plane to Helsinki?” Oswald would have arrived in Helsinki one day earlier by following this route and he would have accomplished his mission of arriving in Helsinki while spending a lesser amount of money. The question of, “How did Oswald receive his visa to travel in the Soviet Union so easily?” also quickly surfaced. The Warren Report answered these queries in this manner: “Rumors and speculations that Oswald was in some way associated with or used by agencies of the U.S. Government grew out of his Russian period… Insinuations were made that Oswald had been a CIA agent or had some relationship with the CIA and that this explained the supposed ease with which he received passports and visas… The Commission has concluded on the basis of its own investigations of the files of Federal agencies that Oswald was not and had never been an agent of any agency of the U.S. Government (aside from his service in the Marines) and was not and had never been used by any U.S. Government agency for any purpose.” (Warren Report, Oswald And U.S. Government Agencies Pg. 659, emphasis mine) It should be noted that after being discharged from the Marines in September of 1959, Lee Harvey Oswald still had an obligation to the Marine Reserve. On September 13, 1960 Lee Harvey Oswald actually received his “undesirable discharge” from the Marine Corps because of his failure to report for his reserve obligation. Technically speaking, until September 13, 1960 Oswald’s actions are exempted from the statement above. Upon closer scrutiny of the words used in the Warren Commission Report Oswald’s duty in the Marines was exempted. “…was not and had never been an agent of any agency of the U.S. Government (aside form his service in the Marines) and was not and had never been used by any U.S. Government agency for any purpose.” I question here the phrase as written. Does this statement allow for the possibility that Oswald was used by an agency of the U.S. Government while he was in the Marines? He was a radar operator in Astugi, Japan (where the U-2 spy plane was operating from) when he first started talking of going to Russia. And he was also considered to be in the Marine reserve until September of 1960 when he received his dishonorable discharge while in the Soviet Union. On August 17, 1963 Mr. William Stuckey hosted a radio debate on Oswald’s activities on behalf of the Fair Play for Cub Committee. Mr. Stuckey recalled that Lee Harvey Oswald said, “…it was in Japan that he made up his mind to go to Russia and see for himself how a revolutionary society operates…” (Warren Report Chapter VII, Lee Harvey Oswald: Backround and Possible Motives, pg. 390) While in Japan, Daniel Powers observed that: “…when Oswald arrived in Japan he acquired a girlfriend, ‘finally attaining a male status or image in his own eyes.’ That apparently caused Oswald to become more self-confident, aggressive and even somewhat pugnacious, although, Powers ‘wouldn’t say that this guy is a troublemaker.’ Powers said ‘now he was Oswald the man rather than Oswald the rabbit.’ Oswald once told Powers that he didn’t care if he returned to the United States at all.” (Warren Report Chapter VII pg. 386) Gerald Posner writes in his book, Case Closed: “His contact with Japanese Communists may have come through a hostess at Tokyo’s Queen Bee, one of the three most expensive nightclubs in the capital. The club was frequented by officers and foreign businessmen who ogled the one hundred beautiful hostesses, some of whom were informants for Japanese and foreign intelligence agencies.” Posner based this information on what he referred to as an “interview with confidential intelligence source.” Posner went on to point out that, “An evening at the Queen Bee cost anywhere form $60 to $100. Oswald made $85 a month and he was extremely tightfisted…That makes it unlikely Oswald bought any dates at the Queen Bee. But some of his fellow Marines saw him with a striking and well-dressed Japanese woman on several occasions, and later during his stay in Japan, he was seen with a Eurasian woman who reportedly spoke Russian.” (Case Closed, pg. 25) Was Oswald “used” by an agency of the U.S. Government while he was in Japan? Did he decide to travel to Russia at this time? Was he helped along the way to Russia? Let’s examine the known facts more closely. If we were to take out a map or by just using a sheet of paper we can chart the course Oswald followed on his trip to Russia. Oswald began his journey by being processed out of the Marines on September 4, 1959. On the same day he applies for his Passport in Santa Ana, California. By September 14 Oswald has arrived in Fort Worth, Texas where his mother lives. Connect the dots and note the dates. Lee Harvey Oswald is known to have been in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 17. He booked passage on the SS Marion Lykes to Le Harve, France on that date. The ship sailed on September 20, 1959 and arrives in La Harve on October 8. Connect the dots and note the dates. Oswald then takes an overnight ferry to Southhampton, England and disembarks on the morning of October 9. He meets with custom officials and declares that he has $700 and will be staying one week and then will continue his travels to school in Switzerland. Oswald then, apparently, travels to London and departs on the same day for Helsinki, Finland. He arrives in Helsinki and the Warren Commission believed he applied for his Russian visa on October 12, 1959, the first business day of the week. The visa was issued on October 14. Connect the dots and then imagine the travel time he would have saved if he would have gone to Paris and then Helsinki instead of the route he followed. We can only speculate on his motivation for taking the circuitous route he did. In 1993 former KGB Colonel Oleg Nechiporenko published his book, Passport to Assassination. Within this publication, Nechiporenko has reproduced a photocopy of Oswald’s 1959 visa application form. To the surprise of most assassination researchers the application was signed and dated by Oswald on October 13, 1959, one day later than had been assumed by the Warren Commission. Lee Harvey Oswald received an entry visa from the Soviet consulate within twenty-four hours. Was he just a lucky fellow that happened to stumble into the one Soviet Embassy in the world were he would receive and immediate visa or was there a “guiding hand” that played into these events? In 1978 the House Select Committee on Assassinations spent time dealing with the issue of Oswald’s Soviet entry visa. They were able to review the information available to the Warren Commission in 1964 and to supplement it with information that had since been made available. The comments of the Select Committee deserve review: “The relative ease with which Oswald obtained his Soviet Union entry visa was more readily amenable to investigation. This issue is one that also had been of concern to the Warren Commission. In a letter to the CIA dated May 25, 1964, J. Lee Rankin inquired about the apparent speed with which Oswald’s Soviet visa had been issued. Rankin noted that he had recently spoken with Abraham Chayes, legal adviser to the State Department, who maintained that at the time Oswald received his visa to enter Russia from the Soviet Embassy in Helsinki, normally at least 1 week would elapse between the time of a tourist’s application and the issuance of a visa. Rankin contended that if Chayes’ assessment was accurate, then Oswald’s ability to obtain his tourist visa in 2 days might have been significant. “The CIA responded to Rankin’s request for information on July 31, 1964 (more that two months later, my note). Helms wrote to Rankin that the Soviet Consulate in Helsinki was able to issue a transit visa (valid for 24 hours) to U.S. businessmen within 5 minutes, but if a longer stay were intended, at least 1 week was needed to process a visa application and arrange lodging through Soviet Intourist. A second communication from Helms to Rankin, dated September 14, 1964, added that during the 1964 tourist season, Soviet consulates in at least some Western European cities issued Soviet tourist visas in from 5 to 7 days. “In an effort to resolve this issue, the committee reviewed classified information (note that this says classified information) pertaining to Gregory Golub, who was the Soviet Consul in Helsinki when Oswald was issued his tourist visa. This review revealed that, in addition to his consular activities, Golub was suspected of having been an officer of the Soviet KGB. (my note here again) Two American Embassy dispatches concerning Golub were of particular significance with regard to the time necessary for issuance of visas to Americans for travel into the Soviet Union. The first dispatch recorded that Golub disclosed during a luncheon conversation that: Moscow had given him the authority to give Americans visas without prior approval from Moscow. He (Golub) stated that this would make his job much easier, and as long as he was convinced the American was “all right” he could give him a visa in a matter of minutes… “The second dispatch, dated October 9, 1959, 1 day prior to Oswald’s arrival in Helsinki, illustrated that Golub did have the authority to issue visas without delay. The dispatch discussed a telephone contact between Golub and his consular counterpart at the American Embassy in Helsinki, it is reproduced here as recorded in the HSCA record: …Since that evening (September 4, 1959) Golub has only phoned (the U.S. consul) once and this was on a business matter. Two Americans were in the Soviet Consulate at the time and were applying for Soviet visas through Golub. They had previously been in the American consulate inquiring about the possibility of obtaining a Soviet visa in 1 or 2 days. (The U.S. Consul) advised them to go directly to Golub and make their request, which they did. Golub phoned (the U.S. Consul) to state that he would give them their visas as soon as they made advance intourist reservations. When they did this, Golub immediately gave them their visas… “Thus, based upon these two factors, (1) Golub’s authority to issue visas to Americans without prior approval from Moscow, and (2) a demonstration of this authority, as reported in an embassy dispatch approximately 1 month prior to Oswald'’s appearance at the Soviet Embassy, the committee found that the available evidence tends to support the conclusion that the issuance of Oswald’s tourist visa within 2 days after his appearance at the Soviet Consulate was not idicative of an American intelligence agency connection. Note: if anything, Oswald’s ability to receive a Soviet entry visa so quickly was more indicative of a Soviet interest in him.” J. Lee Rankin made an inquiry about Oswald’s travel visa, to Richard Helms, head of the CIA, on May 25, 1964. Helms did not respond until July 31, sixty-seven days later. Helms would not or could not supply the information that was later made available to the Select Committee on Assassination. Abraham Chayes, State Department Attorney, felt that, “Oswald’s ability to obtain his tourist visa in 2 days might have been significant.” The information about Golub and his ability to provide a visa through the Soviet Embassy in Helsinki in fewer than 48 hours was either two highly classified or unavailable to the head of the CIA in 1964. A magician will use slight of hand to deceive audiences into believing what they see is reality. In most cases the appearance of what is called “magic” is, in reality, the mechanics of illusion. Lee Harvey Oswald somehow managed to enter Russia through the one embassy in Europe where an American could receive a visa within 24 hours. This is a reality not an illusion. The information about how this was accomplished easily reappeared in 1978 but had apparently vanished in 1964. In the case of Oswald’s air transportation from London to Helsinki, the information did not appear until 1994. Examined more closely these “new” revelations become even more interesting. First: Lee Harvey Oswald traveled to La Harve, France then, for some reason, traveled West back to Southampton, England rather than directly North and East to Helsinki. The reportedly frugal Oswald then went directly to London and caught a plane, with one stop along the way, to Helsinki, Finland. If Oswald had gone to Paris, instead of taking an overnight ferry ride to England, then traveled from Paris to Helsinki, he would have arrived in Helsinki one day earlier and perhaps more significantly, he would have spent less money getting to Helsinki. Did the frugal Oswald know he was going to Helsinki before he went to England? One could speculate that he, at least at that time, October 8th, was not yet sure how he was going to get to exactly where he was going. The State Department would not have the information needed for entry into the Soviet Union until September 9th. Information which, according to the House Select Committee on Assassinations was classified until 1978. Second: The American Ambassador to Finland sent information to the State Department that outlined the ease with which a visitor could get a visa through the Soviet Consulate in Helsinki. Obviously this information was not common. The information, in fact, remained classified until 1978. Could Oswald have discovered this information on his own? Only the State Department was aware of Mr. Golub’s ability to issue a travel visa immediately from Helsinki. And this information, as we have seen, was classified. Remember that the State Department only became aware of the information on the very same day that Oswald purchased a ticket for a $111.90 that would put him at the only location where he could immediately receive a visa. And it was a ticket that paid for transportation to Helsinki on a plane that the CIA, for some reason, did not identify for the Warren Commission. Third: The two messages sent by the American Embassy in Helsinki were sent on September 4th, 1959 and October 9th, 1959. Both days are significant days in Oswald’s travel from the United States to Finland. September 4th, 1959 was the day that Oswald “was transferred out of MACS-9 in preparation for his discharge.” It was also the day that “Oswald applied for his passport at the Superior Court of Santa Ana, Calif.” The time difference between Helsinki, Finland and Santa Ana, California is 10 hours. If some sort of covert operation was in play that required Lee Harvey Oswald would gain easy entry into the Soviet Union was planned, the information contained in the U.S. State Department message of September 4 could have been forwarded to Santa Ana, California and could have arrived that same day. Was that information actually the guiding hand that began his journey? October 9th, 1959 was the day that Lee Harvey Oswald arrived in England, having diverted from a direct route to Helsinki. London is two time zones from Helsinki. The second message from the American Ambassador to Helsinki not only confirmed the information contained in the September 4th message but added the necessary detail of the need for “advanced intourist reservations” before applying for a visa. Oswald followed these instructions to the letter and received his visa from the Soviet Embassy in Helsinki in less than 24 hours after he applied. Coincidence? Not only did Oswald travel too the Soviet Union, he also returned. Coincidences surrounding the filing of his application and his ultimate departure from Russia may also be significant when we compare his life to the lives of two other players in the Kennedy assassination mystery. Edited January 2, 2005 by Jim Root
  2. William Friedman's original team. John Hurt is third from left on the top row.
  3. Tom Between July 2, 1935 and Aug. 21, 1935 (Walker became a First Lt. on Aug. 1, 1935) Walker was on Detached Service at Ft. Monnouth, New Jersey.
  4. Hello Michael What I find most interesting about Oswald's attempts to contact Jonathon Abt is the verity of ways he tried to connect with Abt. Apparently there was a number of attempts to contact Abt by phone (at various numbers) as well as making request to individuals who visited Oswald while he was in custody. I do find the fact that Abt had argued the Smith Act before the Supreme Court of interest, mostly because Oswald seems to have been familiar with the man based on the arguments he made and perhaps the relationship to Oswald's own pending case. More importantly to me is the correlation or lack thereof between the number of times Oswald attempted to contact Abt and the single time he attempted to contact John Hurt. This is what leads me to believe that the name "John Hurt" was itself used to send a message to someone in Raleigh, North Carolina versus an actual attempt to contact someone named John Hurt. As I have discussed in earlier posts "A" John Hurt was a part of William Friedman's Team that formed the nucleus of what became the National Security Agency. Both Frank Rowlett and Meridith Gardner, who would do investigation of Oswald for intelligence connection for the Warren Commission were both closely associated with both Hurt and in addition the Venona Project. During WWII the some of the work that John Hurt was doing would make it directly to the desk of Asst. Sec. of War John J. McCloy. perhaps of the greatest interest to me is that the post World War II work that John Hurt did for the NSA is still classified till this day. My suggestion is that Oswald knowing the name John Hurt and using it while contacting someone in Raleigh, North Carolina created a mess for the Secrete Service who were listening in when Oswald attempted that call. Was a "cutout" the recipient of that call? Perhaps......That question has led me to an interesting avenue of research! Jim Root
  5. Tom I have the information that you want at a different location but it centers around the first training of military personnel to intercept encrypted radio intelligence. This early training was conducted by William Friedman's group of Crytologist (a John Hurt was an original member of Friedman's team) at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. I believe I was the first researcher to identify a John Hurt who played an important part in the organization that became the National Security Agency. Hope to provide you with additional information in the next week. Jim Root
  6. Jason My research suggests that Walker "goes off the rails" at exactly the same time Oswald begins his attempts to return to the USA from the Soviet Union. Until that time, Maj. General Walker was a highly respected military officer that ran the Greek desk during the Greek Civil War, was put in command during the First Straits of Taiwan Crisis, was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas during the integration of schools there, he led the transfer of POW's at the end of the Korean conflict, played a role in the Army Missile Program, etc. During WWII he led a combat mission that captured the most sophisticated Japanese Radar System (at the time), led arguably the most unique joint Canadian/American combat organization of the War, took the surrender of German troops in Norway (and repatriated Soviet troops to Russia), was in charge of the transfer of the confiscated Holocaust loot found at Merkers Mine near the end of the war and would command a combined specially trained unit that many future CIA agents would come from. Walker was no ordinary soldier..... Jim Root
  7. For a little over two months in 1934, three years after he graduated from West Point, the future Maj. General Walker would be sent to the small Army garrison on Governors Island. The Cullum Record of Edwin Walker shows that he was xxxigned to Governors Island on DS (Detached Service) which is a reference to work outside of your normal duty (In Walkers case as an Artillery Officer). During this time "...soldiers on Governors Island were showing signs of lethargy produced by the smoking of mariajuana (sp),"."An investigation started by the Army Intelligence Division disclosed that marijuana cigarettes wee being smuggled to the island and widely used there. The police were notified." After the police were notified they did their own investigation which led to two raids and several arrests being made. The bust which resulted led to the discovery of a field of marijuana estimated at a half ton which would result in "the finished product ... worth about $50,000 at the reported price of $60 a pound. It is believe to be the largest quantity ever found in this latitude".(References and quotes from the Shaffer Library of Drug Policy). Is it possible Walker was doing undercover work for Military Intelligence during this early period in his career? Shortly after this DS xxxignment Walker would be given another DS xxxignment....it was at this second xxxignment that I first ran across the name John Hurt in association with Edwin Walker. Jim Root
  8. Jason asked: "Yes, Ruby is stalking Oswald, from what you posted, and he's nervous about admitting it. Is there something else here?" What I find so interesting is that Ruby spends time at the Temple then heads over to the PD. Somewhere along the way he picks up two men who accompany him that are identified as "Israeli Press." Ruby is identified with these two men by a reporter (Rutledge) and a detective (Eberhart) who know Ruby so I tend to believe the sworn statements of Rutledge and Eberhart to be true. Many years ago I had the opportunity to discuss this with Gary Mack over lunch after which we went back to the 6th Floor Museum and tried to locate any record of Israeli Press being in the room on Friday night.....no records were found and we looked for any pictures/records of "Red" Press badges.....none were found. Based upon Ruby's post assassination statements and a great deal of his early life, Ruby's Jewish roots were very important to him. Most CT's want to look at Ruby's underworld connections but none that I know of have explored his religious affiliations.. Jim Root
  9. I am suggesting that the election of Kennedy allowed McCloy to continue in his quest for a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. I also suggest that McCloy did not want the Paris Summit to happen. I will also say that McCloy quit as Kennedy's Chief Arms negotiator, refusing to negotiate a Limited test Ban Treaty in 1963 only to be reappointed by Johnson to a position as an arms negotiator after the assassination and McCloy was also appointed to the Warren Commission. I will also say McCloy is a very interesting fellow! As Asst. Sec. of War under Stimson, McCloy had a strange portfolio of of projects that came under his management. McCloy was tasked with the development of a modern Intelligence Agency based upon the British System. The OSS was established as a result of that task (as was Secrete Intelligence) and after the War McCloy played a major roll in establishing the CIA and NSA. McCloy was also a leader in integrating the US Military. McCloy was also over the development of the Atomic Bomb and argued against its use, spending a good part of the rest of his life attempting to put that genie back in its bottle. Jim Root
  10. Jason You have hit upon another of the troubling questions for my research......why would Ruby kill Oswald? This is from a post I wrote back in 2004.....perhaps you will find it of interest. A few weeks ago I began a Topic about the two "reporters" with Jack Ruby at the DPD the night of the assassination. As of this time I have had no response but thought I would provide this additional information. What are your thoughts about these portions of the Warren Report. I heard a great deal of the newsreel tape was distroyed but I have never seen the two men with "badges," such as are discribed by John Rutledge. "At 9:00 p.m. he (Ruby) telphoned Ralph Paul but was unable to persuade Paul to join him at synagogue services." (WC Report, Pg 338) "From his apartment, Ruby drove to Temple Shearith Israel, arriving near the end of a 2-hour service which had begun at 8 p.m." (WC Report, Pg 339) "Ruby is known to have made his way, by about 11:30 p.m., to the third floor of the Dallas Police Department..." (WC Report, Pg 339) 'I saw Jack and two out-of-state reporters, whom I did not know, leave the elevator door and proceed toward those television cameras, to go around the corner where Captain Fritz's office was. Jack walked between them. these two out-of-state reporters had big press cards pinned on their coats, great big red ones, I think they said "President Kennedy's Visit to Dallas-Press", or something like that. And Jack didn't have one, but the man on either side of him did. and they walked pretty rapidly from the elevator area past the policeman, and Jack was bent over like this-writting on a piece of paper, and talking to one of the reporters, and pointing to something on the peice of paper, he was kind of hynched over." Newsman John Rutledge (WC Report Pg 340) "Detective Augustus M. Eberhardt, who also recalled that he first saw Ruby earlier in the evening, said Ruby carried a note pad and professed to be a translator for the Israeli press." (WC Report Pg. 342) He accompanied the newsmen to the basement to observe Oswald. His presence at the midnight news conference is established by television tapes and by at least 12 witnesses." (WC Report Pg. 342) When questioned about his (Ruby) lie detector test this information is gleaned from the administrator of the test: (Testimony of Bell P. Herndon) Mr. Specter. Will movement or speaking cause a variation in the tracings ordinarily, Mr. Herndon? Mr. Herndon. Yes. Body movements or speaking any phrase or sentence would certainly cause changes in the physiological patterns as displayed on the polygraph. <span style='color:red'>I made notation of that, however, and that explains the changes On question No. 2, Mr. Ruby did show a significant drop in the relative blood pressure. This question pertained to: "Did you go to the Dallas police station at any time on Friday November 22, 1963, before you went to the synagogue? I asked him about this question later when he responded "No," and I noticed a physiological change. He advised that there was some man by the name of John Rutledge, and he made an association with proceedings at the trial which I have reason to believe this gentleman, John Rutledge, differed with what Ruby stated as to when he went to the synagogue.</span><span style='color:blue'>Due to the nature of this change, however, it is possible that it was caused by a body motion that I failed to detect during the actual response.</span> I notice that the cardio pen dropped all the way down and hit what we call the limit screws. This frequently is caused by a sudden rapid shift in his body position, and this change could have been caused by a body movement. With regard to the other relevant questions in this series, question 4, question 6, and question 8, there was no significant deviation from his normal physiological patterns. (Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. XIV - Page 594) It seems Jack Ruby may have been nervous about answering questions that delt with Rutledge's, who identified him with the "two out of state" newsmen, testimony and his trip to the synagogue. This particular question created a "a physiological change" or was it just body motion that Herndon, " failed to detect during the actual response"? Jim Root
  11. Typo Paul, 1956. Oswald's letter to the Socialist party was written 21 days before he enlisted in the Marines on the 24 of October 1956. Jim Root
  12. I see Oswald as a young Socialist that had a troubled life and was attempting to find his way in his world. I see Walker as a soldier that would follow orders without question. There is a story that when, in the first minutes after Walker arrived to his assignment with the First Special Services Force (just before they were to deploy for their mission in the Aleutian Islands) Walker was told that he would have to be "jump qualified" before he could actually be a member of "The Force." As the story is told Walker went from the vehicle he arrived in to a plane and ordered the jump instructor to put a parachute on him. He then went up in the plane and made his first jump untrained, dressed in the uniform that he had arrived in and said when he landed, jump qualified, Check. Ted Walker was fearless but not a warmonger. At the Battle of Monte la Defensa Walker morned the deaths of his fallen soldiers. His men knew that he did not wish to see them die! No, I do not believe that Oswald went to the USSR at Walker's request. I believe the plan was to sabotage the Paris Summit. There is a report of the "Principals" (our nuclear arms negotiators in 1959) where they feared that the US would be forced, via international pressure and the State Department, into agreeing to a limited test ban treaty that that would be advantageous to the Russians. On May 1, 1960 the U2 is shot down and over the following seven days in May the US President attempts to deny that the U-2 was a spy plane. History knows that that deception failed but it also led to the failure of the Paris Summit and the US did not sign a limited test ban treaty. Perhaps more importantly it probably led to the election of JFK. Imagine a signed agreement between the US and Russia, Krushev standing with Eisenhower, Nixon standing next to him, declaring a thawing of the Cold War. My bet that under those circumstances Nixon would have won the election in 1960. But alas it didn't happen that way. Read Kennedy's first press conference after being sworn in. Within his first 100 words Kennedy introduces his Chief Nuclear Negotiator......the same man that feared what the results of the Paris Summit would lead to.
  13. Hey Paul just a few thoughts: On Oct. 3, 1959 LHO writes to the Socialist Party of America . For several years before this the CIA and the Postal Dept. were in discussion about beginning a full scale mail opening project in several cities including New York. They started slowly in about January of 1959 but it was a "fullscale operation" by November. The major person pushing this for the CIA was Richard Helms would would be following Oswald prior to the assassination of JFK. I suggest that Oswald would have been put on a "watch list" at that time as is suggested in John Newman's book Oswald and the CIA. IF Oswald was on a "watch list" his entry into the Marines about a month after his letter to the socialist party, you would think, would have kept Oswald far away from the U-2 Program. Instead he is put right into the middle of it. We then learn that while in Japan Oswald finds himself enjoying time at the Queen Bee, a nightclub that was both expensive, while providing the possibility of contact with agents of foreign countries. I suggest a guiding the guiding hand of US Intelligence, Richard Helms in particular. I also suggest that while this is occurring Oswald is of the belief that he is dealing with members of the Socialist Party. On another note......if you look at the early parts of Walker's military career you can find links to many intelligence activities. That is how I was able to connect Walker to John Hurt in the early 1930's. It is my belief that Walker meeting Oswald somewhere between London and Helsinki was just another assignment for Walker, nothing special, just another day at the office so to speak. But the fact that it may have been Walker who would have passed on the intelligence gathered from Helsinki just one day before, suggests the high level of importance that was placed on the movements of Lee Harvey Oswald as he defected to the Soviet Union. Just for fun take a look at what else was happening at London (Heathrow) Airport the same day that Oswald traveled to Helsinki.....lots of international excitement and news. Jim Root
  14. Jason your second suggestion is, I believe, spot on. More importantly I believe that Kennedy's failure to push for a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty in the months preceding his death is what put in motion the events that allowed Oswald to put Kennedy within his sights in Dallas. McCloy quit as Kennedy's chief arms negotiator in the months prior to the assassination. After the assassination McCloy would once again become America's chief arms negotiator. If Oswald were to live or not the one person that could put the pieces of who Oswald was would have been Walker. During WWII Walker did a couple of missions that were very closely tied to McCloy. Little remembered today is that near the end of WWII a vast treasure of Nazi loot was discovered in Bavaria at Merkers Mine. Sec. of the Treasury Morganthau felt that he should be the one to control the future of this liberated wealth. In his early fight with Asst. Sec. of War McCloy it was McCloy that would use the First Special Services Force commanded by Edwin Walker to guard and move this tremendous sum to a place that McCloy would control. McCloy would also be the one to make the plans that would decide the future of Germany vs the Morganthau plan. McCloy at the time of that letter had, along with Maxwell Taylor, been in a dispute with Kennedy over Nuclear Arms. I believe I have written several posts on this in the past. Jim Root
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