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Abraham Bolden


John Simkin

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Abraham Bolden was born into a poor family in East St. Louis, Illinois. After graduating from Lincoln University he spent four years as an Illinois State Trooper. His record was so outstanding that in 1959 President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him to the US Secret Service. Based in Chicago, he won "two commendations for cracking counterfeiting rings".

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed Bolden as part of the Secret Service White House detail. According to Jim Marrs (Crossfire), Bolden was personally selected by Kennedy "in an attempt to integrate the previously all-white Secret Service detail".

Bolden spent only three months working for Kennedy. He complained about the "separate housing facilities for black agents on southern trips". At a meeting with James Rowley, the head of the Secret Service, Bolden criticized the "general laxity and the heavy drinking among the agents who were assigned to protect the President". As a result of these complaints, Bolden was sent back to the Chicago office and assigned to routine anti-counterfeiting duties.

Bolden claimed that in October, 1963, the Chicago Secret Service office received a teletype from the Federal Bureau of Investigation warning that an attempt would be made to kill President Kennedy by a four-man Cuban hit squad when he visited the city on 2nd November. Armed with high-powered rifles, the men were from "a dissident Cuban group". According to investigative journalist Edwin Black, the Secret Service arrested two suspects, however, they were eventually released.

Abraham Bolden later discovered that this information was being kept from the Warren Commission. When he complained about this he was warned "to keep his mouth shut". Bolden decided to travel to Washington where he telephoned Warren Commission Counsel Lee Rankin. Bolden was arrested and taken back to Chicago where he was charged with discussing a bribe with two known counterfeiters. He was eventually found guilty of accepting a bribe and spent six years in prison. When he tried to draw attention to his case, he was placed in solitary confinement.

Sam DeStefano, one of the men who accused Bolden of this crime, was murdered in 1973. DeStefano was close to Sam Giancana, Charles Nicoletti and Richard Cain. It is believed that Cain murdered DeStefano. Soon afterwards, Cain himself was murdered.

In his book, Ultimate Sacrifice, Lamar Waldron claims that according to a CIA memo, mobsters in Chicago were involved in framing Bolden on the bribery charges.

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Abraham Bolden was born into a poor family in East St. Louis, Illinois. After graduating from Lincoln University he spent four years as an Illinois State Trooper. His record was so outstanding that in 1959 President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him to the US Secret Service. Based in Chicago, he won "two commendations for cracking counterfeiting rings".

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed Bolden as part of the Secret Service White House detail. According to Jim Marrs (Crossfire), Bolden was personally selected by Kennedy "in an attempt to integrate the previously all-white Secret Service detail".

Bolden spent only three months working for Kennedy. He complained about the "separate housing facilities for black agents on southern trips". At a meeting with James Rowley, the head of the Secret Service, Bolden criticized the "general laxity and the heavy drinking among the agents who were assigned to protect the President". As a result of these complaints, Bolden was sent back to the Chicago office and assigned to routine anti-counterfeiting duties.

Bolden claimed that in October, 1963, the Chicago Secret Service office received a teletype from the Federal Bureau of Investigation warning that an attempt would be made to kill President Kennedy by a four-man Cuban hit squad when he visited the city on 2nd November. Armed with high-powered rifles, the men were from "a dissident Cuban group". According to investigative journalist Edwin Black, the Secret Service arrested two suspects, however, they were eventually released.

Abraham Bolden later discovered that this information was being kept from the Warren Commission. When he complained about this he was warned "to keep his mouth shut". Bolden decided to travel to Washington where he telephoned Warren Commission Counsel Lee Rankin. Bolden was arrested and taken back to Chicago where he was charged with discussing a bribe with two known counterfeiters. He was eventually found guilty of accepting a bribe and spent six years in prison. When he tried to draw attention to his case, he was placed in solitary confinement.

Sam DeStefano, one of the men who accused Bolden of this crime, was murdered in 1973. DeStefano was close to Sam Giancana, Charles Nicoletti and Richard Cain. It is believed that Cain murdered DeStefano. Soon afterwards, Cain himself was murdered.

In his book, Ultimate Sacrifice, Lamar Waldron claims that according to a CIA memo, mobsters in Chicago were involved in framing Bolden on the bribery charges.

John,

I read somewhere, possibly from Vince Palamara, that Bolden was intending to write a book about his experiences. Do you know anything about this?

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Anyone have any contact info for Mr. Bolden?

I tried to contact Bolden several years ago. His son was very protective and wouldn't let me anywhere near his father. Probably a good call. :tomatoes

The Boldens are a very tight family unit. The son refused to talk about his father's time with the Secret Service, in fact, I was asked not to contact them again.

James

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Mad Sam DeStefano was a class 1 sadistic sociopath lunatic. Anyone attributing logical action to him clearly does not understand the person they are describing. If Mad Sam was involved, its cuz somebody told him to. My understanding is that for the last several years of his life, most of the other high ranking members of the Outfit wanted nothing to do with him, such was the level of his strangeness. Check out the work he did on William 'Action' Jackson. The man had a private torture shop in the basement of his home.

15 years after his death, an Outfit wannabe type tried to intimidate me during a business deal. He turned real pale and polite when I pointed out that my girl friend's mother's maiden name was DeStefano. Such was the man's reputation.

I suspect people confuse the two Sams, substituting DeStefano for Giancana. Even William Roemer, the former FBI head in Chicago, claims Mooney Giancana had notice of the asassination well in advance. I suspect his info came from Johnny Roselli, but that's a guess.

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Namebase entry for Abraham Bolden:

http://www.namebase.org/main1/Abraham-Bolden.html

Duffy,J. Ricci,V. The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. 1992 (79-80)

Fensterwald,B. Coincidence or Conspiracy? 1977 (560-2)

Groden,R. Livingstone,H. High Treason. 1990 (14, 157-8)

Hepburn,J. Farewell America. 1968 (300-1)

Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1994-#27 (26)

Marrs,J. Crossfire. 1990 (242-3)

Scott,P.D. Deep Politics. 1993 (308)

Summers,A. Conspiracy. 1981 (428)

Thomas,K. Popular Alienation: A Steamshovel Press Reader. 1995 (276-7)

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKbolden.htm

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Secret Service....White House Office and Chicago Office.

Abraham W.Bolden Sr.

Vince Palamara:

On temporary assigment in June 1961 to the White House Detail..The first

African-American, also the first African-American agent for the Pinkerton Agency. He entered the Secret Service in October 1960 (59?) and was separated in May 1964.

"Washington News" & "San Francisco Chronicle" 5/21/64.

" New York Times" 12/6/67.

"Washington News & San Francisco Chronicle" 5/21/64.

"New York Times" 12/6/67.

"Ramparts" magazine 1/19/68, pp/67-68:

"National Tattler" 7/5/70

Source for the 1975 "Chicago Independent " article ,interviewed by

Mark Lane "Rush To Judgement": p.275: as well as Lane's

"A Citizen's Dissent"" p/193.

Bud Fensterwald and Ian Calder interview for the

"Nashville Enquirer" 5/25/68.

and Interviewed by the HSCA 1/19/78.

Bolden is currently working on his own book with his wife..

*************************************

""Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives

In addition, the committee obtained the testimony of a former Secret Service agent, Abraham Bolden, who had been assigned to the Chicago office in 1963. He alleged that shortly before November 2, the FBI sent a teletype message to the Chicago Secret Service office stating that an attempt to assassinate the President would be made on November 2 by a four-man team using high-powered rifles, and that at least one member of the team had a Spanish-sounding name.(61) Bolden claimed that while he did not personally participate in surveillance of the subjects, he learned about a surveillance of the four by monitoring Secret Service radio channels in his automobile and by observing one of the subjects being detained in his Chicago office.(62)

According to Bolden's account, the Secret Service succeeded in locating and surveillance two of the threat subjects who,(63) when they discovered they were being watched, were arrested and detained on the evening of November 1 in the Chicago Secret Service office.(64)

The committee was unable to document the existence of the alleged assassination team. Specifically, no agent who had been assigned to Chicago confirmed any aspect of Bolden's version.(65) One agent did state there had been a threat in Chicago during that period, but he was unable to recall details.(66) Bolden did not link Vallee to the supposed

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four-man assassination team, although he claimed to remember Vallee's name in connection with a 1963 Chicago case. (67) He did not recognize Vallee's photograph when shown it by the committee. (68)

The questionable authenticity of the Bolden account notwithstanding, the committee believed the Secret Service failed to make appropriate use of the information supplied it by the Chicago threat in early November 1963. ""

http://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/selec...rt/part-1d.html

****************************************************************************

Abraham W.Bolden Sr.....White House Office and Chicago Office of the Secret Service..

From Vince Palamara's "Survivors Guilt" updated...2005

The first black member of the SS..member of the WH detail whose appointement came at the instigation of President Kennedy when he appeared in Chicago in 1961..

Mr.Bolden was also the first SS agent ever "dishonourably discharged" which took place not long after the assassination..Sam Kinney stated to the author..

"We never had any bad publicity until Abe Bolden came along."

Chief Rowley told the WC.."This is the first time I remember anything like this happening since I have been in the Secret Service."

Former agent and Chief of White House Signal Corps Col George J.McNally wrote in his book, "The Secret Service for the first time in it's long history had an agent indicted for attempting to sell a government investigation report to a defendant in a counterfeiting case."..(**1**)

In writing several letters to Vince, Mr.Bolden ,pontificated about JFK "a sincere dedicated President who because of his long sufferings was able to feel the agony of others."

Bolden: " I was personally told by SAIC ,Harvey Henderson ,"Your a n.You were born a n.You're going to die a n.So act like a n,"..

( According to former Agent Art Godfrey ,"Harvey Henderson was a shift agent, never a boss or shift leader"..( Letter to author dated, 11/24/97..

Perhaps Bolden meant that Henderson was HIS boss on the shift.)

Other important details that Bolden elaborated on...

"You may ask, why was I not in Dallas in that fateful day of darkness. It is because the Secret Service White House Detail of the 60's was composed basically of new service recruits and entrenched senior agents, five of whom you named in your letter to me, who ran the Secret Service Detail ,under James Rowley ,as if their job was not to protect the President ,but to 'look good' by putting up a front that protection was being afforded . The senior agents were " party people " ( not so with Clint Hill, Ed Z.Tucker or Bob Foster). Who reported for assignment after consuming large quantities of alcohol, and attended lavish sex parties during off duty hours..... agents in Hyannis Port drank heavily the night before, the morning of , and during their Presidential guard assignments with some agents carrying liquor in their tote bags and drinking on duty....

Prior to May 21,1964, no evidence or inquisitions had been made into the conduct of the Secret Service in Dallas on November 22,1963. As I spoke with the newspaper writers and T.V. newsmen on May 20,1964, I knew from experience that the lax attitude concerning protective assignments , the deep disrespect fot Kennedy prevalent within the Service, and the propensity to consume hard liquor prior to assignment were the actual murderers of our President.. Oswald did not kill Kennedy....the attitudinal violence of the Secret Service did.!. No one could kill our President without the shots of omission fired by the Secret Service. Observe the feet of ( four )Secret Service agents glued to the running boards of the follow-up car as bullets (sic?) pierce the brain of our President.!!!".(**2**)

"If any person had the ability ,love,and compassion to better the condition of all peoples of America, it was John F.Kennedy.Oft times during my assigment of the White House , he would approach me and ask, "How are

they treating you or "How do you like the detail ?" He introduced me to every member of his cabinet saying, "This is Mr.Bolden. I brought him here to make history and to open the door for his people."

"Before I left the White House Detail (June 1961). I sought an audience with the then Chief of the Secret Service ( U.E.Baughman). I told him in no uncertain terms that (1) the Secret Service Detail was not protecting President Kennedy properly by agents reporting for work in a drunken condition and (2) when the President was assassinated it would be a direct result of laxity by agents around the President..The reply to my assertions.......was that the Secret Service had not "lost" a President in over 20 years and that to a new agent (me) it might appear that security was lax, but everything was covered."..In a follow up letter ,Bolden wrote : "In November 1963,I was in Washington ,D.C. on a super secret mission involving and Internal Revenue Investigation of the members of the House

of Representatives. My contact when I arrived was Mr.Joiner, Chief of Intelligence then for the I.R.S. I arrived in Washington on Nov.8,1963, and left Nov.11,1963, eleven days before Kennedy was assassinated .It was during this time that I discussed the breakdown in security with Chief Rowley in person and it was also at this time that I found out that Chief Rowley had written an article for Reader's Digest (s) Nov.(63) issue stating and outlining how easy it would be to assassinate a President using a high powered rifle.

Some of the copies of the Reader's Digest had already been distributed when Kennedy was assassinated. After the assassination, all copies of that issue were withdrawn and new November issues were printed deleting the "essay" by Chief Rowley .. In the assay, Chief Rowley contended that the weakness within the security of the President was " an assassin perched in the window firing a high powered rifle." You can see how such an article was extremely detrimental to the safety of President Kennedy." Letter to author dated 10/30/93.

Abe Bolden was imprisoned on trumpted up charges by the Secret Service on trying to sell a government report on a counterfeiting case, is adamant that he was innocent and framed by the Secret Service..An agent from the Chicago office, Conrad Cross, told the HSCA, "he believes Bolden was set up." But did not know by whom..(HSCA interview RIF #180 -10104-10324).

Bolden wrote: "...I surmised that the actual reason for my arrest was due to the fact that Kennedy was assassinated and that I could not be depended upon to keep quiet about my complaints ( of laxity,etc)..regarding the Secret Service."...

The assasination was the darkest days of the Secret Service history and the agency was fearful of loosing their position of being the protector of future Presidents.

Bolden : "You know what I could not understand? I talked to Jim Rowley several times, after I left Washington.D.C..it always puzzled me as to why he let this thing happen to me in Chicago . That bothered me because he impressed me as a fairly decent guy, a fair man it seemed, ...I just can't ...I don't know if this thing that happened ( to me )was over his head or he couldn't stop it because he was the Chief of the Secret Service..I just can't believe that Chief Rowley would let this happen...."

Mr.Bolden also had wished that his fellow agents had been at the trial or at least had read the transcript..

As it did turn out one agent WAS at Bolden's trial ( both of them in fact)..

Louis B.Sims..who was later discovered as being one of the agents who were in charge of maintaining the elaborate eavesdropping operation for the Nixon, White House..and changing the tapes...( RIF #180-10093-10022:HSCA interview with Sims..5/22/78.

Abe Bolden was unaware that Rowley testified to the WC about his case, and in some length...but the WC never called Bolden..J.Lee Ranklin had asked Rowley ,"Chief Rowley, have you had any other complaints similar to this in regard to the conduct of the Secret Service agents on the Presidential or White House detail ?".

"We had one in the last month .We had charges leveled at us by an agent of the Secret Service..........Who is currently under indictment, and who will be brought to trial on criminal charges on the 29th of June. And ,for that reason while I have no reluctance to discuss it, I think we should go off the record, because I don't want in any way to prejudice the case..( Bolden) said he was framed . Now, he said he was framed because he was prepared to go before your Commission, Sir, to testify about this thing that happened 3 years ago ,and in the charges he said he advised me ,as well as others ,and nothing was done. He said he was framed for this reason....He had never made any complaint to me. It came as a complete surprise." ( WC 5 H 454-455, 457-458).

Considering that the charges that Bolden had made in 1962...to Chief Baughman it is easy to see why Rowley could make this statement..But Rowley made no mention of Bolden's claim to having spoken with him in early Nov. 1963, when he was in Washington....

Rowley continued.."Now, in order to determine their ability and fitness for assignment ,since some people are better criminal investigators than they are at protection work, we have an orientation program, which includes duty on the White House detail..Mr. Bolden was one of the men selected to come in the summer of 1961.He was also a replacement for some regular agent on the detail who was on leave..It was a 30 day assignment. This afforded us an opportunity to observe him, determine whether he was equipped and so forth. And he was on the White House detail for this short period of time. The time that he describes was a five day weekend up at Hyannis Port ....

Before he left his detail assignment, you see, he alleges that he told me about the condition that was going on up in Hyannis...When he left to return to his office in Chicago......The fact is he never informed me..He never informed any of his supervisors or anyone on the detail......I found out there was no truth to charges of misconduct. There was 11 charges lodged against us, one, charge, the ninth charge, a part of it is true.The boys did contribute for food. In otherwards up there in Hyannis, when they are up there for a week, or a weekend , they would be assigned to a house, which economically was beneficial to them .One shift, and some of the drivers would be in this house. This house was in a remote area from the shopping area and so forth..So they agreed when they arrived there ,to contribute to buy food for breakfast, it being an 8 to 4 shift. Eight to four meant they would have breakfast there and dinner...One of the agents who enjoyed it as a hobby cooked the meals for them, while the others took care of the dishes ...when they went shopping they bought two or three cases of beer which they had available in the icebox when the men came off duty in the evening.".(.WC 5H 455-457.)

In both his letters and interviews with Palamara, Abe Bolden expressed much interest and suspicion in Harvey Henderson, his "boss" during this time on the White House Detail".. "While in New York on a protective assignment, Harvey Henderson countermanded a direct order from the President ..This occurred in September or October 1963 ( Mr.Bolden may be mistaken the time period may have been mid November 1963...a mere week or so before Dallas )..(**3**)

"The President subsequently had Henderson removed from the detail, this act was very unpopular with Jerry Behn, Emory Roberts,and others on the detail."...

Abe Bolden elaborated on the telephone...with the author..

"Do you know what happened to Harvey Henderson? I heard that he had been relieved of his Detail by President Kennedy himself...Harvey had made some threats like, 'We'll get you'...I understand that he told the President "I'll get you,or something to that effect. ...(it was) no secret that Kennedy wanted him removed from the detail...Harvey was a quick tempered guy who couldn't take the heat..Where is Harvey Henderson at ?I think that you would do well if you could find out where Harvey Henderson was on November 22- can you track him down ? In mentioning the Secret Service credentials present in Dealey Plaza on 11/22/63, Bolden said, in reference to Harvey Henderson ...

" that's the first thing that crossed my mind ..he would have the nerve, the guts ,the anger, the craziness, the instability..I'm not saying he was in Dallas ,but I'm saying that it would be something to look at"..

Harvey Henderson died in 1994 before Vince Palamara could locate and contact him for any comment .....Interestingly regarding a plot to kill Martin Luther King was furnished by Henderson, the ASAIC of the Birmingham Secret Service office ,on 3/11/65, over three years before MLK's murder.

(**4**).

In speaking to two other agents Maurice Martineau, (Mr.Bolden's superior in Chicago) and Robert Lilley, the name Harvey Henderson,struck a nerve..Martineau spoke nervously :" I knew him...not very well...I didn't have too much contact with him."..

Asked when Mr.Henderson "left" the W.H detail.Lilley said he "would have left .....pause....probably 1962."(**5**)

Former agent Walt Coughlin wrote: "Harvey (The Birmingham Baron) Henderson had left the Detail when I arrived (6/62.).but I recall he was there for most of the 1950s.. ( Undated letter to author received 2/21/04)...Walt later added ,"Harvey Henderson he ( Bolden) is probably rite (sic) about ".

In contrast ,former agent Gerald Blaine who claims to have been on Bolden's temporary shift at the White House,wrote on 6/12/05: "I don't remember anybody on the detail that was racist .Merit was perceived by a person's actions ,their demeanor ,reliability,,dependability and professional credibility ...not race!...Harvey was not even on the shift that Bolden was during his thirty days stay. Even though Harvey Henderson was from Mississippi, I never heard of him discriminating nor demeaning anyone because of race."

Darwin Horne wrote :"Harvey Henderson was on the detail from about 1952 to about 1960 and then went ro Birmingham."'( E-mail to author dated 2/22/04)..Former V.P. L.B.J agent Jerry Kivett wrote "I knew Harvey Henderson but do not know when he served on the White House detail .Probably late 50's to early 60's."( letter to author dated 2/18/04).

Oliver Stone consultant Gus Russo told the author in 92..that Mr.Bolden told him that Agent Robert Lilley" was either privy to the assassination or had foreknowledge. " When asked Bolden if this was true, he nervously said :

"(pause)....I don't recall right at this moment.......I don't recall right at this moment."..........

Lawyers John Hosmer, Sherman Skolnick, Bernard Fensterwald & Mark Lane were convinced that Abe Bolden was framed on wrongful charges. Also, Sen.Sam Irving ( later of Watergate fame),Sen.Edward Long, Asst. Att.Gen.Fred Vinson, and U.S. Att. Edward Hanrahan were involved in the Bolden case....Abe Bolden told Palamara that "The Secret Service office here in Chicago knows there was no crime committed ...they absolutely know that there was no crime committed." his attorney from Springfield, Ill. John Hosner ,believes that "his client was imprisoned as a result of information

he has about the assassination."..( AARC files provided to the author by

researcher Bill Adams)...

Bolden retained Attorney Hosner because he "knew how the government worked."

In a letter to Josiah Thompson dated 12/26/67,Att.Hosner outlined his case:

"Some peculiar and remarkable things happened before and during the trial...three SS informers were the witnesses against Bolden..

One of whom

Joseph Spagnoli ,later in his own trial ,admitted perjury at the behest of the Government, and Bolden's, alleged co-conspirator, a man he had arrested twice ( Frank W.Jones) was never brought to trial..the "shaft " was put to Bolden by the Secret Service and the Government ."...

In prison 3/14/68, in a letter ,Abe Bolden summed it up to Senator Long:

" I was kidnapped, denied an attorney ,convicted on perjury evidence and suborned by the government ,convicted by methods used by the trial judge

that surpressed evidence favorable to the defense, and perjury admitted during the trial by government witnesses was surpressed from the jury."

He added, " U.S. District Judge J.Sam Perry instructed the jury , while that jury was in deliberation ,that 'In my opinion, the evidence shows the defendant to be guilty of counts 1,2 and 3 in the indictment .'

To give any personal opinion to a deliberating jury, by anyone, is clearly a violation of law called jury tampering.

Yet, after a mistrial was declared in the 1st trial, this same Judge J.Sam Perry( with opinion) intact heard the 2nd trial.. Moreover he was upheld by the 7th Circuit Court U.S.Court of Appeals who ruled that such opinions do not show prejudice on the part of the Judge..Then what would he have to do to show prejudice? Lynch me? This charge by a Judge has never been used by a Causasian Judge against a Causasian defendant !..".....

" Then how did the government case against me initiate?..On or about May 11,1964. Frank W.Jones ,a counterfeiter of U.S.currency who had been twice arrested by me and who at that time had a case pending in the Federal District Court due to my investigations, called J.Lloyd Stocks (Acting Assistant Special Agent in Chicago of the Chicago office.) Jones wanted to talk to an agent about information he had concerning another counterfeiting ring. According to Stocks, Jones was afraid of going to jail and wanted to co-operate with the SS...Stocks called me into the office on May 11,1964 and assigned me to interview Jones. I vigorously protested to Stocks because

(1) I had arrested Jones and was to be chief witness against him as the counterfeiting plant was discovered by me in his home during a set raid.

(2) Jones could be setting me up to be killed or otherwise harmed and

(3) I was leaving the SS School on May 16,1964 and there was no time to develop Jones as an informant. Both Acting Assistant SA in Charge Maurice G.Martineau and Acting Asst. SA in Charge J.Lloyd Stocks overruled my objections and I was told to meet with Jones or resign...I met Jones at his home at approximately 11 AM on May 11/64..Jones purported to have information concerning the "Dagos" ( Joseph Spagnoli et.al.counterfeiting band case) who was arrested on our about May 6/64. I was one of the arresting officers in that case also..After speaking with Jones for about a 1/2 hour while parked in a SS vehicle in front of Jones' home, Jones and I went to a McDonald's restaurant where I exited the car leaving Jones seated inside.

Later I dropped off Jones at home and drove back to the SS office, 219 South Dearborn in Chicago. I reported the conversation with Jones to ASAIC Martineau. Mr Martineau stated over my objections for the same reasons listed above, that Jones should be developed as an informant and Mr.

Martineau issued Jones an informant number by which he was to be reffered in any subsequent reports....Jones called me at my home on the night of the 11th and told me he had met with some Dagos and that these Dagos dealt in " a lot of suits" .He stated that one of them, Joe, was to call him and that he would get a lot of good information from Joe.."

"The next day, May 12/64, I met Jones at his home about 10AM Jones reiterated his confusing story stating that the counterfeiting plates for the $100.00 bonds were in the hands of "Slim" and we could buy them for

$50,000. I immediately drove to the SS office and told ASAIC Martineau what Jones said. I also took that opportunity to dictate my reports on this matter to June Marie Terpinas ,secretary for the SS..Mr. Martineau agreed that it appeared that Jones was leading us on a wild goose chase and interested only in helping himself. I was instructed to stay away from Jones and discontinue the operation. ..Jones called me at the SS office around 2.30pm on May 12/64, I told Jones that "Spagnoli called the boss and stopped all contacts with him." Spagnoli was determined to be the "Joe" referred to by Jones as the Dago..

When the SS arrested me and brought me to Chicago, they charged me with

(1) Solicitation of a bribe..(2) Conspiracy: and (3) Obstruction of Justice based upon the allegations that I had sent Jones to Spagnoli to solicit a $50,000 bribe. For this bribe, Spagnoli was to receive an onionskin copy of a SS report detailing the government's case against Spagnoli and 6 other defendants."

"During the trial, it was brought out that I in fact was given an onionskin report to review and pass on to Agent Conrad Cross .Cross also worked on the Jones case with me. It was further affirmed that I in fact gave the Spagnoli onionskin report to Agent Cross while inside the SS office on the morning of May 8/64 Cross further stated that he read and "lost" the onionskin report..

During the trial no onionskin report was introduced into evidence. The only document that pertained to the onionskin was a passage from the report re-typed on bond paper. The name Vito Zaccagnini was mispelled (Zaggacnini) throughout the passage ,this could have been the result of someone making a quick reading or writing of the paragraph and reproducing what he thought he saw. According to Mr. Nason, who testified on behalf of the government concerning fingerprints lifted from the excerpt typed on bond paper ,my fingerprints appeared nowhere on the paper. The fingerprints of both Jones and Spagnoli were clearly identified, but there was not one shred of evidence linking me to the excerpt introduced into evidence .... except the testimony of Jones who testified, "he removed the paper from his briefcase and handed it to me (on May 11,1964). There is no documented testimony as to how the onion skin paper changed to bond paper or how I could insert a paper in a typewriter, type the excerpt, remove the excerpt from my briefcase and give it to Jones (while not wearing gloves) and not one hint of my fingerprints were anywhere on the paper.".

After he was charged by the SS and the Gov. on May18/64..he was released on bail on the 19th.....He felt betrayed and angry...a warrant had been issued and the decision had been made that he had in fact committed a criminal act.

He realized that the agency had abandoned him and he had been set up, by Jones, Spagnoli or the SS itself..

He recalled how he had openly derided the agency for blowing the Chicago investigation of an assassination plot against the President in Nov./63..two weeks before he was shot in Dallas.

He felt he had been coerced to meet Jones by the SS and now they were acting as if this was a special deal between Jones and him outside the agency. On May 20th /64 he decided to hit back..where he felt it would hurt the most..

Shortly after Nov.22/63 there were rumours circulating within the agency(which turned out to be true) that the night before ,agents of the detail in Dallas were intoxicated..in a teahouse (sic) .Rumour had it that a few agents had become so intoxicated that one had lost his U.S.Treasury Commission book..The stories inside the agency persisted they they knew whose Identification had been lost or stolen but to admit to such, would place the agency in a bad predicament..

In Jan.65 ,Joseph Spagnoli, the counterfeiter contacted by his attorney Frank Oliver, Spagnoli admitted in open court that he had committed perjury in the

"Bolden trial" , he produced a yellow sheet of paper that he admitted stealing from the office of the U.S.Attorney during a pre-trial conference.. Judge Perry asked Spagnoli if he understood that he was admitting to perjury to which he replied ,"Yes,sir."..He openly confessed that the government attorney Richard Sykes solicited the perjured testimony...The change of the dates appearing on the stolen paper and the change of times of Jones' contact with Spagnoli wrere all in the handwriting of Assistant U.S.Attorney Richard T.Sykes..

An effort to get a hearing on a perjury matter before the Judge Perry, by his attorney Raymond Smith proved to be unsuccessful and the case went to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in 65...During the argument before them the issue of Spagnoli's perjury was brought up..Judge Luther Swygert summoned Attorney Richard Sykes into the courtroom and point blank asked him if he had solicited perjury in the Bolden trial..Sykes reply was..

" Your honor, I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may tend to incriminate me."

""In June 1965, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction noting in a footnote that Spagnoli was " less than forthright in his testimony."

In June 1966, the U.S.Supreme Court refused to grant Certiarori and on

June 25,1966..I commenced to serve a 6 year sentence in custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons ( in Springfield ,Missouri)..

Interestingly ,in the case of Richard Case Nagell, an intelligence agent who knew both LHO (WCD 197,regarding Nagell, says in it's inquiry ;"For the record he would like to say that his association with Oswald was purely social and that he met him in Mexico City and in Texas.)and had allegedly uncovered a plot to kill JFK in advance ,was placed in a cell directly across from Bolton..

Former WHD and Chicago office agent Joseph E.Noonan .Jr. told the HSCA on 4/13/78 that.."he briefly discussed the elements of the Spagnoli case and told us that there was no way that Bolden was going to be able to give Spagnoli files which would really help him with his case. He could only feed him office files and Spagnoli already knew that information. The Secret Service had "turned" Spagnoli's girlfriend and she was the one who set him up. Bolden's case was a sad chapter in the Chicago office of the Secret Service", according to Noonan..

That Bolden had gotten a stiff rap from the judge 6 years,and part of the problem was Bolden's personality..He talked, and angered many people within the SS..with allegations about their laxity in the President's protection functions. Noonan also said " Bolden was too gentle for this job. Abe never wanted to arrest anybody"..However, former agent Bob Lilley said he Bolden was" a good street agent."..(Author's inteview with Lilley 9/27/92.).

In the Washington Post on 5/21/64 was the report that ...

" Mr.Bolden who has graduated cum laude from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri ,and won two commendations for cracking counterfeit rings after he joined the Secret Service, said the charge was a 'direct result' of his superiors' learning his intentions to testify before the Commission." Mr Bolden had attempted to contact the Warren Commission's General Council ,J.Lee Rankin in May of 1964 from a White House phone during his stay in Washington to attend a special Secret Service school, the next day..Mr Bolden was charged with attempting to sell a government report .He should have known better his earlier talks with both Chief Baughman in 1961 and Chief Rowley in 1963 went unheeded ,and he was transferred out of the White House Detail and out to the ordinary anti-counterfeiting duty in the Chicago office. This second request for an audience for his testimony was a bad mistake, but Mr.Bolden had information to tell the Commisssion far more important than laxity of duty and drinking by agents..

When JFK was scheduled to be in Chicago on 11/2/63 for the Army/Air

Force game at Soldier Field, Mr.Bolden was a member of the Chicago office of the Secret Service handling security. As Warren Swindall noted,"The visit had political implications as JFK 'stood up' Mayor Daley on a similar scheduled visit the previous year, and the President was most anxious to mend his fences before the next years election ."

(AARC files provided to the author in 1993 by Jim Lesar ..

The eleven mile parade from O'Hare Airport to Soldier Field caused considerable misgivings to the Secret Service.

1: JFK's Limousine "would pass through a warehouse district which the Secret Service advance men consider ten times more deadly than any building corridor".

( Chicago Independent ,article by Edwin Black, November 1975. During Bolden's 1/9/78 HSCA interview he stated that he was the unamed informant who supplied information for Black's article. He was not the only source however he used,( i.e HSCA interview of former Chicago Agent Robert J.Motto,etc) Inspector Thomas Kelley also noted the Secret Service's concern regarding warehouses, even those that were partially occupied (3 HSCA 335). Of course, the Texas School Book Depository was a partially occupied warehouse.)..

2: Involve a "slow, difficult left-hand turn".

3: " A difficult 90 degree turn that would slow (JFK) to practically a standstill.

However, prior to the scheduled visit,Chief James J.Rowley himself phoned SAIC Maurice G.Martineau with word that ,via J.Edgar Hoover and the FBI. they had word of an assassination plot involving a four-man team of gunmen. According to Bernard Fensterwald's memo from his interview with Mr.Bolden, "Martineau called in all men in his charge in Chicago and told them of Rowley's call. He also informed them of the following as to this matter,

(1) There were to be no written reports: any information was to be given to Martineau orally..

(2) Nothing was to be sent by TWX (inter-office teletype):

He (Martineau )was to report only by phone to Rowley , personally.

(3) No file number was to be given to this case .All Secret Service agents in Chicago ( including Bolden) were shown four photos of the men allegedly involved in the plot (of the four, Bolden remembers two names Bradley and Gonzalez." ( Memo dated 3/29/68 via AARC: Bolden letter to Congressman Louis Stokes, 1/26/92 ( obtained by the author from Bolden).

Mr. Bolden named six other agents involved in the meeting with Martineau:

James S Griffiths ,Joseph E.Noonan ,Steven B Maynard , Robert J.Motto,

Thomas D.Strong, and J.Lloyd Stocks( The last three were named and contacted by the Chicago Independent.)

Former agents :

Sam Kinney (2/26/78 HSCA (RIF#180-10078-10493)

Bill Greer ( 2/28/78 HSCA (RIF #180-10099-104911)

Robert Kollar ( 3/1/78 HSCA (RIF # 180-10071-10163) (at the time of the HSCA hearing ,Kollar was the ASAIC of the Ford Protective Division (12/14/77letter from SS legal Counsel Robert O.Goff to the HSCA's G.Robert Blakey ,RIF #180-101-10218

J.Lloyd Stocks (4/12/78 HSCA (RIF #180-10104-10326)

Gary M.McLeod (3/6/78 HSCA (RIF#180-10071-10164)

Robert J.Motto (12/30/77 HSCA (RIF#180-10087-10190)

Edward Tucker (1/19/78 HSCA (RIF#180-10070-10276)

David Grant (2/3/78 HSCA (RIF #180-10082-10451)

James Griffith (2/1/78 HSCA(RIF #180-10082-10453)

Abraham W.Bolden (1/19/78 HSCA(RIF #180-10070-10273)

Maurice G.Martineau (2/1/78 HSCA (RIF #180-10087-10191)

Told the HSCA that this 11/2/63 Chicago trip was cancelled at the last minute..(Strangely, SAICJerry Behn told the HSCA on 1/30/78 that he was

"unable to recall anything about the President's cancellation of his planned appearance on (11/2/63).He did not remember hearing about either the trip or it's political purpose.Yet,"He did remember SA Dave Grant was advance agent from the WHD to Chicago for the 11/1 (63.sic) trip. he (also) did remember that Maurice Martineau was the acting SAIC of the Chicago office at the time of the trip." to which one of the HSCA investigators appropriately handwrote in a "?"to end the sentence.

David Grant was the advance agent for the proposed 11/2/63 Chicago trip. Robert L.Kollar assisted Grant in the preparations ,arriving in Chicago a week before the start of the trip. One of the SS Shift Reports for 11/2/63 reads, "(Note:Above SA's (ATSAIC/ Shift Leader Emory P.Roberts ,Lubert F. "Burt" deFreeze ,J.Frank Yeagger (In a letter to the Author dated 1/24/04 ,Yeager wrote,"I do not remember a cancellation of a trip to Chicago ,I only remember a cancellation of a trip to Seattle from Chicago during the Cuban missile crisis when we returned to Washington (Oct.62).I don't remember who was in charge that day..Donald J.Lawton, Charles T.Zboril, and William

T.McIntyre) departed Wash. D.C 8.40am. via AAL enroute to Chicago while in air approx. 20 minutes from Chicago ,advised that Pres. cancelled trip returned to Wash. D.C,12.15pm.( USSS Record #1541000110174: ATSSAIC Emory Roberts' report.) The report also notes in addition to Roberts, deFreeze,Yeager,Lawton, Zboril, and McIntyre, ASIAC Floyd M.Boring,and William R.Greer, departed the WH with President Kennedy via two helicopters at 6.05pm for Atoka, Middleburg,VA. the Kennedy residence,

arriving at 6.40pm. Another SS Shift Report notes that Samuel A.Kinney

"arrived Wash. D.C ,Andrews AF base 4.50pm via USAF Plane C-130-2368

from Chicago Ill.( USSS Record # 1541000110173) Mrs.Kellerman told the author on 3/2/92 that Roy's only television appearance was during the Army/

Air Force game, presumably the same one as held on 11/2/63 in Chicago

(based on the contect of the conversation). This is the only documentation

for Kellerman's presence on that day : the shift reports do not mention him at all).

"""Bolden wrote to the author :"I do not believe Oswald acted alone because evidence in that there were at least 3 riflemen following the President just 3 weeks before he was assassinated in Dallas."""

Direct and indirect corroboration for Abraham Bolden's accounts of mortal

threats to President Kennedy's life in Chicago, and in general, and the 11/2/63 plot in Chicago , as follows.......

1: HSCA Report "One ( unamed) agent ( Robert Motto) did state there had been a threat in Chicago during that period, but was unable to recall details".(HSCA p: 231 & 636 12/30/77: Doc: 008482.)

2: J.Lloyd Stocks : recalled" something about a guy called Vallee" --that was

Thomas Arthur Vallee , a man arrested apart from this four man team.

(Chicago Police Officer Peter Schurla was interviewed 1/18/78 by HSCA regarding surveillance and early morning arrest of Vallee on 11/2/63 (HSCA RIF #180 -10070-10277) .Stocks also told the HSCA on 4/12/78 that he remembered the Vallee incident but did not take part in the investigation.(agents' Thomas Strong and Ed Tucker handled the case.).(HSCA RIF

# 180-10104-103261)

3: "Martineau said that he was in Chicago when President Kennedy made a visit prior to November 63...He could not recall the precise date.."We got a telephone threat .The caller was not identified, that Kennedy was going to be killed when he got to Jackson Street. We adjusted the routine to rely on the Chicago Police to cover the area. The threat did not materialize ." he said ...We asked Martineau about threats against JFK in (the )Chicago area (for)

November 1963...Martineau visibly stiffened ."I can recall no threat that was

significant enough to cause me to recollect at this time." he said..In contrast to the wealth of detail which flooded his earlier recollections ,his answers became vague and less responsive." ( 2/1/78 HSCA interview with Martineau HSCA RIF #180-10087-101971).

4: Col.George J.McNally,WH Signal Corps (and former SS agent) ..""But

during the Chicago visit (either 10/62 or, most likely,3/23/63) the motorcade

was slowed to the pace of a mounted Black Horse Troop, and the police got a warning of Puerto Rican snipers.Helicopters searched the roofs along the way and no incidents occurred."" (**6**.

5: "A postcard was received in the Saturday morning mail of the Chicago office threatening the life of the President during the (3/23/63) motorcade from O'Hare Field to the Conrad Hilton Hotel." (RIF # 154-100063-10012:

Chicago,IL. trip 3/23/63 SS survey report ..6 motorcycles surrounding the limo, Lawton RIDING on (JFK's side of) REAR of LIMO, Mayor's follow up car with four detectives in ADDITION to SS follow up car ,police FACING crowd

(not JFK) on the route, NO-ONE permitted on Overpass except four policemen guarding them, Press/Photographers Close to JFK..Hatcher with Kilduff, PRS" One threat ( the postcard ). WHD on trip : Grant advance man.. Burke, Pontius, Lilley ,Johnson, Chandler, Giannoules, Lawton, Blaine, Lawson, Olsson, Burns,

Paolella, Godffrey, Boring, Greer, Shipman, O'Leary: Chicago office agents: Hanly, Tucker, Martineau, Plichta, Bolden, Cross, Maynard, Stocks, Gorman,

Noonan, Griffiths, Motto, McLeod, Russell, Strong.

6: FBI agent Thomas B.Coll :"I remember that case. Some people were picked up. And I'm telling you it wasn't ours. That was strictly a Secret Service Affair.The whole Soldier Field matter was a Secret Service affair:...You'll get no more out of me. I've said as much as I'm going to on that subject. Get the rest from the Secret Service."

7: Captain Robert Linsky ( the security liaison between the Chicago Police and the Secret Service), remembered the Vallee arrest.

( Backed up by governments reports on file at the AARC.)

8: Sergeant Lawrence Coffey:"Naturally, I remember every detail...How often is anyone involved in a threat against the President's life."

9: Thomas Arthur Vallee himself :"Soldiers Field, The plot against John F.Kennedy." Mr.Vallee claimed he was framed by someone with special knowledge about him, such as his "CIA assigment to train exiles to assassinate Castro." (Vallee HSCA report P: 231-232..(**7**)

10: PRS Agent Glen A Bennett: ".....remembers the name Vallee but does not recall why."(HSCA 1/30/78: RIF #180-10082-104521.)

11: Agent Joseph E. Noonan, Jr.: "participated directly in surveillance involving TOM MOSELY and HOMER ECHEVARRIA ..he and (the) other agents were uneasy that the Cubans might have some ties to the CIA...

a little later they received a call from Headquarters to DROP EVERYTHING ON MOSELY AND ECHEVARRIA AND SEND ALL MEMOS FILES, AND THEIR NOTEBOOKS TO WASHINGTON AND NOT TO DISCUSS THE CASE WITH ANYONE ." Noonan also knew about the Vallee case.

(HSCA 4/13/78 interview of Noonan Re: Mosely and Echevaria ...12/19/63 USSS report ( Martineau to Paterni ) ( HSCA RIF # 180-10087-10137) 12/13/63 USSS report ( HSCA RIF # 180--10087-10138) See HSCA p:236.)

12: Agent James S.Griffiths: "Griffith(s)stated that the name of Thomas Vallee was familiar and remembers a case concerning VALLEE, but does not remember any of the details."..( HSCA 2/1/78 interview of Griffiths : At the time of the HSCA hearings, Griffiths was the SAIC of the Special Investigation & Security Division (12/14/77 letter from SS Legal Council Robert O.Goff to the HSCA's G.Robert Blakey ,RIF# 180-10112-10218).

13: "Chicago's American",11/26/63:"Daly Diary " by Maggie Daly: "The word is that the assassination of President Kennedy was planned at a meeting on Chicago's West side in the early part of February...That a dissident Cuban group financed Lee Harvey Oswald and that he lived on occasional money from the members and occasional money from his Mother."

( As reproduced in HSCA RIF # 180-10087-10137:) In this same HSCA collection ,there is a reproduction of a "Chicago Daily News" article dated 11/26/63.In the article ,Mrs Ruth Paine the woman instrumental in getting Oswald the TSBD job and who was also maintaining lodging for Marina Oswald & the girls, is quoted as saying, "I understand there are people in the Chicago area who are talking of helping (Marina) too."

14: Agent Edward Z.Tucker: told the HSCA the details of his involvement in the Thomas Arthur Vallee investigation. (HSCA 1/1/9/78 interview RIF #180-10070-10276). Fellow Chicago office agent Conrad Cross told the HSCA " the name Thomas Arthur Vallee was familiar and it was Ed Tucker's case." (HSCA RIF # 180-10104-10324).

15: Agent Gary M.McLeod: told the HSCA that he did recall the name Thomas Arthur Vallee and that Agent Ed Tucker was assigned to the Vallee case that involved guns but does not remember any involvement with the Chicago Police (here McLeod is dead wrong)..Chicago Police Officer Peter Schurla was interviewed 1/18/78 by the HSCA pertaining to surveillance and early morning arrest of Thomas Vallee on 11/2/63 (HSCA RIF # 180-10070-10277) Also, fellow agent Ed Tucker mentions the Chicago police surveillance of Vallee during his 1/19/78.(HSCA interview (HSCA RIF # 180-10070-10276).

16: Again, Agent Robert J. Motto told the HSCA ....( The trip was cancelled. I think they told us at the ( Air Force/Army game at Soldier's Field ) but we decided to watch it anyway. ...When I got back to the office, somone said there had been threats. (HSCA 12/30/77 interview with Motto RIF # 180-10113-10038).

17: Agent Louis B.Sims: told the HSCA..."...he could not remember dates but that he recalls it could have been any time up to a year prior to the assassination ,he was assigned to conduct a surveillance on a subject that was either Puerto Rican or Cuban .He does not remember any specific details other than it involved gun running and it appeared to be a very sensitive investigation. He stated the names Echevarria and Manual Rodriquez were familiar but he couldn't place them..(HSCA 5/22/78 RIF # 180-10093-100221.)

(Emphasis added)..

Myron I."Mike" Weinstein in the "Chicago Independant " article,11/75..it was noted that he was from Minneapolis to aid with the Chicago plot investigation.11/63..During President Fords' administration, Weinstein was the Assistant Director for Inspections..during President Carters', he was also the same..Asst.Dir. for Inspections..( noted by William McIntyre 1/31/78 HSCA interview RIF # 180-10082-10454.)..before he became the Asst.Dir.for Protective Intelligence . Weinstein was then promoted to Deputy Director when Lilburn E."Pat" Boggs retired..during President Reagan's era..

In the 90s ,Weinstein served as Director of Corporate Security for Texas Instruments and was a member of the Overseas Security Advisory Council. ..OSAC...for the Dept of State, with former agents' Radford W.Jones ,Manager Security for the Ford Motor Company..Robert R.Burke, Director of Corporate Service and Security for the Monsanto Co., and Gerald S.Blaine, OSAC Private Sector Representatives for the IBM Corp. and later as Director of International Security..for the ARCO International Oil and Gas Co., Jones, Burke,and Blaine were former JFK, WHD agents in Nov. 1963...( In fact ,Burke and Blaine were on the Austin leg of JFK's doomed Texas trip..)..

And last but not least former agent Charles W."Chuck" Rochner..member of the WHD from the Nixon to Carter, served with the OSAC during his capacity as Vice President of Corporate Security for Cox Enterprises Inc..

Abraham had told the HSCA that the Vallee threat was independent of the four man team, and he told the Author Vince Palamara the same thing.

He added that the confusion was "done intentionally by the government agencies..".

Incredibly David Grant, the man who did the advance for the 11/2/63 Chicago trip, told the HSCA that ..."no information about a threat ever came to his attention from any source including PRS, the local Chicago SS office, and the Chicago P.D...Specifically ,Mr.Grant was "not familiar " with the name Thomas Arthur Vallee, a person who was suspected by the Chicago SS to be involved in a threat and who was detained by the SS..Nor could he Grant ,"recall " in the context of this trip other instances of the investigation of a threat or the detention of a person."..(HSCA interview RIF# 180-10082-10451).

Also, Robert Kollar who assisted in the advance, also let it be known to the HSCA that "he has no recollection of any subject named Thomas Arthur Vallee nor does he recall ever being told that he was a "threat" to the President or that Vallee had been taken into custody by the Chicago P.D.

He also stated that he had never heard of any other possible threat to the President in the Chicago area during his advance trip to Chicago ..(HSCA 3/1/78 RIF 180-10071-10163.)

Agent Louis B.Sims, while he told the HSCA some tantalizing information regarding the surveillance (see above)..also said "he had no recall of any threat relative to the Presidental visit to Chicago in April (sic..March )1963.

(HSCA 5/22/78 interview RIF # 180-10093-10022.)

Agent John Ready ."He stated that to his knowledge no trip had ever been cancelled because of a threat ." Recalling a trip in 1972 with Dr.Henry Kissinger involving a threat ,Ready stated :"the only thing changed was the route." (HSCA 3/1/78 interview RIF # 180-10071-10165).

Likewise ,Agent Gary McLeod, stated that he has heard of trips being altered but has never heard of one being cancelled because of a threat..(HSCA RIF # 180-10071-10164)..

However, as Philip Melanson,author, has written.."(President) Nixon was scheduled to visit New Orleans in late Aug.1973, where he was planning to ride in an open car motorcade through the city's French Quarter. The Secret uncovered a purported assassination plot and asked Nixon to cancel the motorcade: reluctantly, Nixon did so, issuing the order personally."(**8**).

The JFK motorcade was cancelled at the last minute, seemingly for two different reasons:

(1)A cold (The same made up alibi JFK gave to Salinger in reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis the year before in Chicago.).(**9**)

(Agent Gary McLeod said JFK having a cold was the reason for the cancellation of the 11/2/63 trip. (HSCA 3/6/78 int. )

While agent David Grant called it an "illness" (2/3/78 HSCA int.)

For his part Agent William Greer could not recall why.(2/28/78 HSCA int.)

SAIC Jerry Behn could not even recall the trip itself.!. (1/30/78 HSCA int.)

Agent Sam Kinney said the reason for the cancellation was " The Cuban Missile Crisis"..obviously confusing the 11/2/63 trip with the 10/62 Chicago trip (2/26/78 HSCA interview.).Finally, when the author talked to Walt Coughlin, former agent..just why the trip was cancelled ,he stated "I have not a clue."..

(2)And the Diem assassination though Salinger himself announced at 9.30am..

a special communications facility was to be constructed under the bleachers at Soldiers Field to keep the President up to date on minute details in coup torn Sth. Vietnam..He stated Kennedy would not cancel the trip..( Chicago Independent.. Nov.75.)

Mr.Vallee had been arrested and was off the streets.,so it would appear obvious that the real reason for the cancellation would be ..the threat of the 4 man team, two of them alluding surveillance and had escaped..!!.

Albraham Bolden managed to get information out into the public domain.

The New York Times documented it for the record on 12/6/67...

Before concluding, the information on Mr.Bolden..it is important to take a look at agents Maurice G.Martineau, and Robert E.Lilley...

Martineau G.Maurice who was the SAIC of the Chicago field office....he was a member of the SS from 1941-1972 and had served some 32 years..(author's interview 9/21/93 & 6/7/96.)..A member of the WHD during President FDR's administration and temporary assignments for President Eisenhower..

Mr.Martineau stated that "Any time they (the White House Detail came thru Chicago (he) worked very close with the advance team from Washington."

Most Important Martineau confirmed that the motorcade was cancelled "at the last minute...I was already out at the airport "..to meet JFK's plane when this occurred ,he said..Mr.Bolden was a touchy subject: "As far as Bolden is concerned, I'd rather not discuss it..He was a blight on the agency."

Martineau also stated that he " was subpoenaed to testify before"..the HSCA ,which he declared, " a lot more valid than the Warren Commission.".HSCA Executive Session 3/15/78 (RIF # 180-10116-10084)..

He believed "there was more than one assassin "..on 11/22/63..stemming from the HSCA report ,also his own role in the investigation, and his extensive experience in firearms (agency and recreational),as well as his own gut feelings on 11/22/63: "As soon as I learned some of the details..".

When the author informed him of Agent Kinney's own beliefs (see above),including Kinney's qualification that his own" outfit was clean,"

Martineau stated: "Well...ah...(long pause)...I've got some theories, too, but,ah...without any actual data to back them up, I think I'll keep them to myself."

Abraham Bolden was adamant that Mr.Martineau knew about both the plot to kill JHK on 11/22/63 and the internal "top secret" investigations of the SS Commission books..one of which was " lost or stolen" in Dallas on the Texas trip in November 1963.

"I recalled in January,1964, the Secret Service recalled all commission books all over the United States..We were told they were to be redesigned ...to me, the redesign of the commission books was for one purpose and that purpose was to render the lost or stolen commission book a counterfeit if and when the persons bearing the lost or stolen commission book were found."

Mr.Bolden has written the author : "when Inspector Kelley of the Secret Service came to Chicago in 1961, I discussed with him the fact that during a conversation between SAIC Maurice Martineau and two other agents, who

were discussing Kennedy's push for racial balance and equal justice in America, Mr.Martineau blurted out angrily ' The bastard should be killed.'

This coming from an agent was dangerous.The prevailing attitude of the Causasian agents, the majority of whom were southen born, was that Kennedy was moving too fast on Civil Rights and in the Chicago office of the Secret Service. I heard the term "n lover" applied to President Kennedy by more than one or two agents." Bolden added that "all of (this )information ...was discussed with Inspector Kelley, John Hanley (SAIC), Harry Geghlein, and John (sic?) Burke (Assistant SAIC) in the Chicago office to no avail."

(Regarding Inspector Kelley: ASAIC Martineau told the HSCA on 2/1/78: "He did remember SA Tom Kelley calling from Dallas..11/23/63..regarding Oswald's rifle ordered from Klein's in Chicago. He said in those days the Secret Service in Chicago was not open on weekends so Kelly (sic) called him at home. He then called SA Tom Strong and asked him to check Klein's Sporting Goods for information on the rifle. Strong told him that the FBI had beaten him to Klein's and got the records."..(2/1/78 HSCA interview with Martineau, also 3-HSCA 339.)..

Abraham Bolden also told him about Mr.Martineau.."My mind flashed back to the day Kennedy was assassinated whereupon returning to the Sercret Service office, June Marie Terpinas ( secretary) approached me with tears in her eyes..She had gone into the office of SAIC Maurice G. Martineau upon hearing a radio flash concerning the shooting of the President. She told me that upon hearing that the President had been shot and relaying that report to Mr.Martineau, his reply was 'So what else is new?' I remembered rushing into Mr.Martineau's office and confronting him about his attitude and having been thrown out of his office with a warning to mind my own business."

Mr.Bolden told Bud Fensterwald that, after the assassination ,both Mr.Martineau and Inspector Kelley ( who came from Dallas) personally visited the north side landlady in Chicago with whom the fours suspects stayed prior to 11/2/63. Also," shortly after the assassination Martineau called all the agents into his office and showed them a memo from Washington to the effect that the Secret Service was to discuss no aspect of the assassination and investigation with anyone from any other federal agency now or any time in the future. Every agent, including Bolden, was made to initial this memo. Bolden, believes this took place on Wednesday ,

November 27th,(1963). When asked why: "FBI wanted to get (the) role of Presidential protector away from the Secret Service and thought this was (the) ideal opportunity...."AARC file.

Robert E."Bob" Lilley (White House Detail and Boston Office) --Exclusive Interview conducted on 9/27/92 , the author contacted Lilley, found that this Agent was gone from the White House after October 1963..Revealing that Agent Kellerman was his shift leader ( "He was a peach"),and that he "was quite close to Roy and June Kellerman", Lilley was unable to go further into any discussion about the events of 11/22/63 at the time...( For his part ,Lilley had garnered much respect from his former colleagues in correspondence with the author, notably Don Lawton and Walt Coughlin.

During the later interviews that were conducted on 9/21/93 as well as 6/7/96, the author mentioned the cancelled motorcade of 11/2/63...Lilley responded:

"I don't know if he (JFK) would cancel a motorcade, " adding further to the notion that the motorcade was cancelled by the Secret Service for JFK, due to mortal threats on his life. Mr.Lilley had seen JFK Oct.19/63..at the Univ. of Maine and during the Harvard-Columbia football game, a little more than a month before Dallas. Lilley had also been on JFK's 3/23/63 trip to Chicago, which was a model of security with sharp contrast to Dalls on 11/22/63.

( RIF # 154 -10003-10012 : Chicago ,IL trip 3/23/63 Secret Service survey report .Regarding the above-mentioned late Oct./63 JFK trip to Boston.

(**10**)..shows a photo..JFK strolling with Dave Powers and his Secret Service Detail..

Abraham Bolden also stated the following in his letter to Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, former Chairman of the HSCA..." who is John Heard ? If the name John Heard (Hurt) has not been documented in the files of the Warren Commission then the files of the United States Congress are far from complete regarding the assassination of the President. Less than 24 hrs after the assassination of the President and while Lee Harvey Oswald was still in custody prior to his own assassination by Jack Ruby, all Secret Service offices across the nation were instructed to determine the whereabouts of a John Heard and any name phonetically sounding like Heard whose name was in the Secret Service files. At a time when the nation's attention was focused upon the name Lee Oswald ,the Secret Service was investigating John Heard all across the nation."...

( 1/26/92 Letter to Congressman Stokes provided to the author .This information was provided by Bolden ,regarding John Heard to the HSCA during the agents interview 1/9/78.)

Author Michael Benson wrote: "According to phone records, Lee Harvey Oswald attempted to make phone calls from the Dallas Police Station following his arrest that are not mentioned in the Warren Commission. The records indicate that LHO attempted to call (919) 834-7430 and (919) 833-1253..The numbers, both are listed to a John Hurt in Rawleigh ,North Carolina..at two separate addresses ( 415 New Bern Ave. and Old Wake Forrest Road)..The first to a John D.Hurt the second to a John W.Hurt...

A John D.Hurt from Rawleigh, according to Ira David Wood 111, served with U.S.Military Intelligence during WW 11..Wood contacted John David Hurt in Raleigh and discovered that he had been a U.S.Counterintelligence officer durign WW 11..Hurt said that he had worked as an insurance investigator ever since, employed by the state of North Carolina. He claimed to have no idea why Lee Harvey Oswald would have wanted to contact him from his jail cell.."..See......(**11**).

On 4/10/94 in a telephone coversation Abraham Bolden told Vince Palamara the the statement attributed to him by author Paris Flammonde in "The Kennedy Conspiracy"..that Oswald said "Ruby hired me"..and variations of the same...Is Not True...he never made such a statement..author's article in Feb-May 1994, "Investigator" research journal..

However Mr. Bolden did confirm statements made to Ian Calder in 1968..That his wife was harassed, a brick was thrown in his home, and that " a shot (was) fired in (to)the house." as well as his captivity in the "snake pit", a room for "incurable psychotics...(they) have killed four or five people ...multiple murderers, : Bolden also confirmed to the author that Richard Case Nagell was in a cell close to him while in prison. Mr.Bolden has since." filed for a pardon in Washington three times," to no avail. Finally, Mr.Bolden had this to say: "I think you're right on target...I heard of these things when I was an agent of the Secret Service....I really hope you can straighten it out...because there's a whole lot more than meets the public's eye." Indeed....

A Postcript by Vince Palamara:

In September 2004, Abraham Bolden wrote to the author regarding the information of his arrest , the trumped up charges against him and more:..

"(Agent Gary ) McLeod lied about the circumstances of my arrest .He was well aware of what was going on on May 18th while we were in Washington, DC..When I started to go to the White House to get some info. on the Commission, McLeod was right on my heels, so much so that I had to change my plans.He even walked with me to an all black cafe on "P" Street. It was very unusual for a white man to be seen in that part of town in a restaurant .When I went to a pay telephone to call my wife in Chicago. McLeod entered the booth next to mine and pretended to make a call.The only problem was that I listened for his coin deposit to drop and it never did.

Later during the night at about 2.00AM , I was awaken by a loud thump against the walls of my room..I put a drinking glass up to the wall and placed my ear against it. There was a lot of commotion inside of McLeod's room adjacent to mine.We shared a common wall.I heard the sound of low voices and movement of furniture but I could not make out what was being said. Cross had been a friend as well as a fellow agent. The secret service put a lot of pressure on him after I was arrested .He was under so much strain. He told a devastating lie against me at the trial when he testified that we talked about $50,000 in a conversation .That was the exact amount the government charged that I was soliciting as a bribe .That one lie from a Negro agent was one of the most damaging statements made during the trial. And, Vince, I tell you before God,and I am a very religious man ,that ,that conversation never took place.Agent Cross was the last person with the file that I had been charged with trying to sell. A part of that file ended up in the hands of Spagnoli .I think that who ever set me up arranged so that the file was stolen from Cross and used to implicate me .That way, if Cross did not go along with the program, he could be included as a defendant in the case.

The secret service is standing firm behind their claim of a lack of knowledge about an investigation of a Cuban assassination attempt around Nov.2,1963.

Not only was there and investigation of a Cuban faction here in Chicago but after that, in Miami and Palm Beach around November 18 the secret service used a decoy aircraft because of a major threat against the President there.

Edited by Bernice Moore
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Bolden part 2..

They were afraid that a missile could be fired from Cuba into the United States so they used two planes for Kennedy to throw the assassina off .The use of the two planes is a matter of record..

How any agent could not recall the change of identifcation is far beyond me.The old Commission books had printed across the top "United States Treasury Department". the new books said "The United States Treasury Department"..Also,all agents had to submit new photographs for the books to Washington, D.C..The new Commission Books were engraved by the Bureau of Printing and Engraving on special order. I had my new photograph made at a passport processing studio across from the federal building on Jackson Blvd. Any agent that says that he doesn't remember that should resign especially since it was done during a time when it was alleged that a possible assassin on the grassy knoll showed a deputy sheriff a secret service commission book.

As well as I,like some of the agents and am glad that many of them are happily retired and are living the "good life", they are still stonewalling and being deceptive about what the truth is. After seeing what happened to me, there is little doubt that some of the details they knew during that time have been unconciously repressed. What happened to me was a message to those who entertained the same idea and believe me,they got the message.

Abraham...

*****************

David Lifton wrote in 1980,

His book..."Best Evidence" Disguise and Deception in the Assassination of John F.Kennedy.."That was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in History ..

He expresses his view that members of the Secret Service were involved and that they were responsible for the manipulation, for whomever to create the alterations to the wounds on the President's body...somewhere between the Parkland and Bathesda Hospitals.

In 1998 Dr.Jim Fetzer wrote "Assassination Science, "and also expresses his view that the Secret Service, was involved..

" I have discovered at least fifteen indications of Secret Service complicity in the assassination of John F.Kennedy, from the absence of protective military presence to a lack of coverage of open windows, to motorcycles out of position ,to Secret Service agents failing to ride on the Presidential limousine, to the vehicles arranged in an improper sequence, to the utilization of an improper motorcade route, to the driver bringing the vehicle to a halt after bullets began to be fired, to the almost lack of response by Secret Service agents to the driver washing out the back seat with a bucket and sponge at Parkland Hospital, to the car being dismantled and rebuilt ( on LBJ's orders), to the driver giving false testimony to the Warren Commission ,to the windshields being switched ,to the autopsy photographs being taken into custody before they were developed..."

***********

As well as others such as Dr.David Mantik and Harrison Livingstone have also pointed to the fact that the Autopsy and X-Ray alone speak of their involvement.

*********

In Vince Palamara's 2005 Book, "Survivor's Guilt"...

He details..how the Secret Service were responsible for the following:

The Protection of President John F.Kennedy.

The Planning of the Texas Trip.

Had Inside knowledge of JFK's personal life, National Security issues.

The Presidentail Limousine including the windshield.

The President's body after his death... they were present at Parkland Hospital and Bathesda Hospital for the autopsy..

Air Force 1 and Air Force 2.

The C-130 Transport plane..

The Autopsy X-Rays and Photographs and

The Autopsy Reports.

The President's clothing.

Three pieces of his skull.

CE 399 " The Magic Bullet"..

The Recordings of the Dallas Police Radio.

Prime Assassination Witnesses.

The Interviews of the TSND Witnesses.

The Interviews of the Parkland Doctors.

The Television and Radio Recordings of the Parkland Doctors.

The captivity of and the Interviews with Marina Oswald including the

translation of such..

The first re-enactments and surveys: 11/25/63...11/27/62 and 12/5/63..

The Assassination Photographs and the Films.

HSCA

http://history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/contents.htm

**1**: "A Million Miles of Presidents"by George J.McNally..p: 225

**2**: "The Washington News" & "San Francisco Chronicle" both dated 5/21/64 document Mr.Bolden's claims to the media.

**3**: " One Scandalous Story" by Former CBS newsman Marvin Kalb, page four, relates a Sept./63 JFK trip to N.Y.

**4**: "Martin Luther King Jr.:the FBI File" by Michael Friendly & David Gallen pp:366-367

**5**: "Henderson along with Blaine and Boring,made the security arrangements for a JFK vacation at Bing Crosby's home in Palm Desert, CA in early 1962: "Looking Back and Seeing the Future : The United States Secret Service 1865-1990 byt the AFAUSSS( Dallas: Taylor Publishing Co.1991:p.77.

**6**: "A Million Miles of Presidents" by Geroge McNally...p: 204.

**7**: " November Patriots" by Constance Kritzberg & Larry Hancock: p: 406.

**8**: "The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency"; pp: 104-105-109.

**9**: "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye"; pp:371-372.

**10**: "The Kennedy Curse:Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years"

Edward Klein (2003): p:107.

**11**: The JFK Chronology..

By Ira David Wood 111...

10.45pm..(Nov.1963) ..Oswald installed in a cell on the fifth floor of the Dallas City Hall, places a long distance call to Raleigh, North Carolina... see Dr.Fetzer's site...

Part 2: Begins November 22,1963...

see page 88..for Raleigh call information..

http://www.assassinationresearch.com/v2n1/preface.pdf

Part 1: Begins Jan.1961..

http://www.assassinationresearch.com/v2n1/chrono1.pdf

********************

Report of the HSCA: "Thomas Arthur Vallee: Chicago.."

"The committee was unable to determine specifically why the President's trip to Chicago, scheduled for November 2, was canceled. The possibilities range from the condition of his health(46) to concern for the situation in South Vietnam following the assassination of President Diem (47) to the threat received on October 30.(48) On that date, the Secret Service learned that an individual named Thomas Arthur Vallee, a Chicago resident who was outspokenly opposed to President Kennedy's foreign policy, was in possession of several weapons.(49) Further, Vallee's landlady reported that he had requested time off from his job on November 2.(50) Vallee was subsequently interviewed, surveilled and eventually arrested by the Chicago police, who found an M-1 rifle, a handgun and 3,000 rounds of ammunition in his automobile. (51) Vallee was released from custody on the evening of November 2. (52)

The committee found that the Secret Service learned more about Vallee prior to the President's trip to Dallas on November 22: he was a Marine Corps veteran with a history of mental illness while on active duty;(53) he was a member of the John Birch Society(54) and an extremist in his criticism of the Kennedy administration;(55) and he claimed to be an expert marksman.(56) Further, he remained a threat after November 2, because he had been released from jail.(57)

The committee also learned that the information the Secret Service obtained on Vallee was not forwarded to the agents responsible for the President's trip to Texas on November 21-22, although it was transmitted to Protective Research Section upon receipt on October 30.(58) The potential significance of Vallee as a threat was illustrated by the Secret Service's reports, which included a notation on November 27, 1963 of the similarity between his background and that of Lee Harvey Oswald,(59) and a record of extensive, continued investigation of Vallee's activities until 1968.(60)

In addition, the committee obtained the testimony of a former Secret Service agent, Abraham Bolden, who had been assigned to the Chicago office in 1963. He alleged that shortly before November 2, the FBI sent a teletype message to the Chicago Secret Service office stating that an attempt to assassinate the President would be made on November 2 by a four-man team using high-powered rifles, and that at least one member of the team had a Spanish-sounding name.(61) Bolden claimed that while he did not personally participate in surveillance of the subjects, he learned about a surveillance of the four by monitoring Secret Service radio channels in his automobile and by observing one of the subjects being detained in his Chicago office.(62)

According to Bolden's account, the Secret Service succeeded in locating and surveillance two of the threat subjects who,(63) when they discovered they were being watched, were arrested and detained on the evening of November 1 in the Chicago Secret Service office.(64)

The committee was unable to document the existence of the alleged assassination team. Specifically, no agent who had been assigned to Chicago confirmed any aspect of Bolden's version.(65) One agent did state there had been a threat in Chicago during that period, but he was unable to recall details.(66) Bolden did not link Vallee to the supposed

Page 232

four-man assassination team, although he claimed to remember Vallee's name in connection with a 1963 Chicago case. (67) He did not recognize Vallee's photograph when shown it by the committee. (68)

The questionable authenticity of the Bolden account notwithstanding, the committee believed the Secret Service failed to make appropriate use of the information supplied it by the Chicago threat in early November 1963.

Similarly, the Secret Service failed to follow up fully on a threat in Miami, also in November 1963.

http://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/selec...rt/part-1d.html

*****************************

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

My profile

My name is James M. (Mike) Mastrovito and I retired in 2004 after a career of some fifty years in law enforcement and intelligence, as an employee of the FBI and the Secret Service and as an independent contractor with the CIA. I have created this site to address reports appearing on the internet in which I have been mentioned. I will make comments and corrections to these reports as I believe are needed. These reports pertain to NSA watchlists, the CIA Crowley files, the JFK assassination and the Watergate affair.

I will make no additional comments on any of these subjects. I do not intend to join the long list of those who have profitted from books, articles and media appearances as a result of the information that they were privy to during their government careers.

posted by James M. Mastrovito..http://barnley.blogspot.com/2005/03/my-profile.html

MY LETTER TO CLINT HILL

By Vince Palamara 2005

On 6/2/05, the author mailed this lengthy, 22-page letter to former WHD agent Clinton J. Hill (Certified, Return Receipt Requested with a S.A.S.E. to boot) summarizing the entire first chapter of my massively updated and expanded first book “Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President” in great detail.

Mr. Clinton J. Hill 6/1/05

SUBJECT: Lynn Meredith (and colleagues) and PROOF that you are 100% NOT to blame for the actions and inactions of 11/22/63...a couple others must share the burden instead.

Dear Mr. Hill,

How are you, sir? It is a very great honor to get in touch with you (of all the former agents of the USSS, you and Robert L. “Bobby D“ DeProspero are arguably the most respected). Mr. Lynn S. Meredith, an esteemed colleague of yours from bygone days, gave me your address (and your number, although I thought it best to write in order to respect your privacy as much as possible). Mr. Meredith kindly volunteered this information without my asking because, quote, “If you really want to receive a very definite and accurate statement about [subject detailed shortly], I strongly recommend that you try to contact former agent Clint Hill. He was a good friend of mine and we were assigned together with the Kennedy family for the better part of four years, but I have had no contact with him since I retired twenty-one years ago.“

As for myself, I am a 38 year old student of history with a tremendous interest in the history of the United States Secret Service, especially during the period from FDR to Reagan, with a special emphasis on the JFK/ LBJ years (as an aside, I was born 6/25/66 while you were protecting LBJ [Floyd Boring was born 6/25/15, but I digress]). In that regard, since 1991, I have spoken to and/ or corresponded with over 60 former agents, something of a world’s record (the Warren Commission spoke to 12 agents and officials, including yourself. The old record breaker, the HSCA in the 1970’s, spoke to 44, albeit with subpoena power and a 6 million dollar budget from Congress). I am NOT a journalist---just an amateur with a sincere interest in (the history of) the USSS. I consider myself to be “the civilian Mike Sampson, Archivist.”  (one other interesting item: I worked for 9 years at the Federal Reserve Bank in Pittsburgh: Mr. Jerry Bechtle was the head of security for the reserve banks---he came to the site a few times---and is also apparently the regional director for your AFAUSSS meetings!) In addition, I have done much document research, as well as collecting quite a trove of books, videos, and dvds relating to the USSS (I have your appearances on “60 Minutes” from 1975 and 1993, as well as your appearances on the 1995 History Channel documentary “The Secret Service”, the 1995 Discovery Channel documentary “Inside The Secret Service”, and the 2004 National Geographic documentary “Inside The U.S. Secret Service”).

My interest in the agency was sparked by, of all things, the ‘60’s television classic “The Wild, Wild West” (about the Secret Service of the 1860’s!), which led me to pursue non-controversial aspects of the agency, so to speak. However, all this was to change, quite by accident, on 9/27/92: the day I spoke---on three different occasions--- to Jerry Behn, the former SAIC of the WHD from Sept. 1961 to Jan. 1965. Before these conversations, I had taken it as gospel that President Kennedy was difficult to protect and had even ordered the agents off his limousine before, especially during the Tampa, Florida trip of 11/18/63. In fact, on 4/22/64, exactly 6 months to the day after those tragic events in Dallas, the Warren Commission had Chief Rowley obtain reports from five of his agents, including Gerald A. Behn, Floyd M. Boring, Emory P. Roberts, John D. Ready, and yourself. Taking them at face value and at first glance, one gets the natural impression that JFK did indeed impose this order. However, this is at first glance…seems no one bothered to take a second look, so to speak. This is where the story gets very, very interesting, indeed (PLEASE bear with this and read the fruits of my labor in full: the following PROVES you are 100% not to blame for anything that did or did not transpire on 11/22/63. I only wish this information would have been provided to you many years ago---before your 1990 trek to Dallas from the nearby AFAUSSS convention----for your peace of mind).

Although Behn, not on the Texas trip (this will become important in a moment), stated unequivocally in his report that JFK "told me that he did not want agents riding on the back of his car," this was in the context of two 1961 trips, one of which was the funeral of Sam Rayburn, a non-motorcade affair. That said, on 9/27/92, Behn told me quite emphatically in a raspy voice I will remember forever: "I don't remember Kennedy ever saying that he didn't want anybody on the back of his car." Before I could catch my breath, he added: “I think if you watch the newsreel pictures you’ll find agents on there from time to time,” an understatement after seeing newsreels of the trips to Germany, Italy, Ireland, Hawaii, Chicago, etc. from 1963 alone. Importantly, Mr. Behn ended his 1964 report by stating: "As late as November 18 [1963]...he [JFK] told ASAIC Boring the same thing [or so Boring claimed]."

Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAIC) Floyd M. Boring, also not on the Texas trip, dealt primarily with the 11/18/63 Tampa, Florida trip in his report, while also mentioning the 7/2/63 Italy trip, alleging that President Kennedy made this request for both stops. Boring made the Florida trip in place of Mr. Behn. That said, in yet another alarming contradiction that caught me totally off guard, Boring exclaimed: “No, no, no-that's not true...[JFK] was a very easy-going guy...he didn't interfere with our actions at all," thus also contradicting his report (more on Mr. Boring in a moment).

Assistant To the Special Agent in Charge (ATSAIC) Emory P. Roberts (on the Florida and Texas trips), the shift leader/ commander of the Secret Service follow-up car – the late Mr. Roberts deals exclusively with the 11/18/63 Tampa, Florida trip in his report: Boring was Roberts sole source, via radio transmission from the limousine ahead of his follow-up vehicle, for JFK's alleged request.

Special Agent (SA) John David “Jack” Ready (on the Texas trip) – Ready’s very brief report deals exclusively with the 11/18/63 Tampa, Florida trip. However, Mr. Ready was not on this specific trip: Mr. Boring was, once again, his sole source for JFK's alleged request. Ready would not respond to written inquiries from myself.

Finally, your report deals with the 11/18/63 Tampa, Florida trip and Boring second-hand, as well: like Ready, you were not on this trip, either (more on your report---as it is a very honest, important piece of history---in a moment).

So of the five Secret Service reports, four have as their primary source for JFK's alleged request Agent Boring, including one by Boring himself, while the remaining report, written by Mr. Behn, mentions the same 11/18/63 trip with Mr. Boring as the others do. Both Behn and Boring totally contradicted the contents of their reports at different times, independent of each other, to myself. In addition, agents did ride on the rear of the limousine on 7/2/63 and 11/18/63 anyway, despite these alleged Presidential requests, as the film and photo record proves. Needless to say, with Boring joining Behn in refuting the substance of their reports, the official Secret Service ‘explanation’ falls like a house of cards. Behn’s report, Boring’s report, and your report are not even on any Secret Service or Treasury Dept. stationary, just blank sheets of paper. In fact, your report is the only one of the five that is undated, a telling error to make in an official government report written by request of the head of the Secret Service…or was it really an error, per se?

(William Manchester reported in his acclaimed massive best-seller “The Death of a President” : "Kennedy grew weary of seeing bodyguards roosting behind him every time he turned around [indicating the frequency of the event], and in Tampa on November 18 [1963], just four days before his death, he dryly asked Agent Floyd Boring to 'keep those Ivy League charlatans off the back of the car.' Boring wasn't offended. There had been no animosity in the remark." Incredibly, Boring told me: "I never told him [Manchester] that." As for the merit of the quote itself, as previously mentioned, Boring said: "No, no, no-that's not true,” thus contradicting his own report in the process. Incredibly, BORING WAS NOT EVEN INTERVIEWED FOR MANCHESTER’S BOOK!)

In fact, the devastating effect these reports had can be best summed up by Treasury Secretary C. Douglas Dillon’s Memorandum for Chief Justice Warren dated 12/18/63: “…the President had [allegedly] frequently stated that he did not wish to have the agents riding on these steps [on rear of limousine] during a motorcade and had repeated this wish only a few days previously to agents assigned to him in Tampa [Florida, 11/18/63]. (In Dallas SA Hill, who had been assigned to Mrs. Kennedy and had not been in Tampa with the President, occasionally rode on the left rear step. Agent Ready, who was aware that the President had specifically stated his objection to agents’ riding on the steps, did not ride the step in Dallas) [emphasis added].”

Now, to your report (the keystone): "I...never personally was requested by President John F. Kennedy not to ride on the rear of the Presidential automobile. I did receive information passed verbally from the administrative offices of the White House Detail of the Secret Service to Agents assigned to that Detail that President Kennedy had made such requests. I do not know from whom I received this information...No written instructions regarding this were ever distributed...(I) received this information after the Presidents return to Washington, D. C. This would have been between November 19,1963 and November 21, 1963 [note the time frame!]. I do not know specifically who advised me of this request by the President (emphasis added)."

Your undated report was presumably written in April 1964, as the other four reports were written at that time. Why you could not "remember" the specific name of the agent who gave you JFK's alleged desires is very troubling, but through NO fault of your own…in fact, you revealed the name on 3/9/64, presumably before your report was written, in (obviously pre-rehearsed) testimony under oath to the future Senator Arlen Specter, then a lawyer with the Warren Commission:

Specter: "Did you have any other occasion en route from Love Field to downtown Dallas to leave the follow-up car and mount that portion of the President's car [rear portion of limousine]?"

Hill: "I did the same thing approximately four times."

Specter: "What are the standard regulations and practices, if any, governing such an action on your part?"

Hill: "It is left to the agent's discretion more or less to move to that particular position when he feels that there is a danger to the President: to place himself as close to the President or the First Lady as my case was, as possible, which I did."

Specter: "Are those practices specified in any written documents of the Secret Service?"

Hill: "No, they are not."

Specter: "Now, had there been any instruction or comment about your

performance of that type of a duty with respect to anything President

Kennedy himself had said in the period immediately preceding the trip to

Texas?"

Hill: "Yes, sir; there was. The preceding Monday, the President was on a trip to Tampa, Florida, and he requested that the agents not ride on either of those two steps."

Specter: "And to whom did the President make that request?"

Hill: "Assistant Special Agent in Charge Boring."

Specter: "Was Assistant Special Agent in Charge Boring the individual in charge of that trip to Florida?"

Hill: "He was riding in the Presidential automobile on that trip in Florida, and I presume that he was. I was not along."

Specter: "Well, on that occasion would he have been in a position comparable to that occupied by Special Agent Kellerman on this trip to Texas?"

Hill: "Yes sir; the same position."

Specter: "And Special Agent Boring informed you of that instruction by President Kennedy?"

Hill: "Yes sir, he did."

Specter: "Did he make it a point to inform other special agents of that same instruction?"

Hill: "I believe that he did, sir."

Specter: "And, as a result of what President Kennedy said to him, did he instruct you to observe that Presidential admonition?"

Hill: "Yes, sir."

Specter: "How, if at all, did that instruction of President Kennedy affect your action and - your action in safeguarding him on this trip to Dallas?"

Hill: "We did not ride on the rear portions of the automobile. I did on those four occasions because the motorcycles had to drop back and there was no protection on the left-hand side of the car." (Emphasis added)

(Yet, during Chief Rowley’s Warren Commission testimony, he was asked the following:

Mr. Rankin: “Chief Rowley, I should like to have you state for the record, for the Commission, whether the action of President Kennedy in making these statements was understood by you or properly could have been understood by the agents as relieving them of any responsibility about the protection of the President.”

Mr. Rowley: “No; I would not so construe that, Mr. Rankin. The agents would respond regardless of what the President said if the situation indicated a potential danger. The facilities were available to them. They had the rear steps, they would be there as a part of the screen. And immediately in the event of any emergency they would have used them [emphasis added].” Rowley even added: “Now, if the thing gets too sticky, you put the agent right in the back seat, which I have done many times with past Presidents.”)

Furthermore, on 9/18/96, by my request , the Assassination Records Review Board’s Doug Horne interviewed Mr. Boring regarding this matter. Horne wrote: "Mr. Boring was asked to read pages 136-137 of Clint Hill's Warren Commission testimony, in which Clint Hill recounted that Floyd Boring had told him just days prior to the assassination that during the President's Tampa trip on Monday, 11/18/63, JFK had requested that agents not ride on the rear steps of the limousine, and that Boring had also so informed other agents of the White House detail, and that as a result, agents in Dallas (except Clint Hill, on brief occasions) did not ride on the rear steps of the limousine. MR BORING AFFIRMED THAT HE DID MAKE THESE STATEMENTS TO CLINT HILL, BUT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT RELAYING A POLICY CHANGE, BUT RATHER SIMPLY TELLING AN ANECDOTE ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S KINDNESS AND CONSIDERATION IN TAMPA IN NOT WANTING AGENTS TO HAVE TO RIDE ON THE REAR OF THE LINCOLN LIMOUSINE WHEN IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO DO SO BECAUSE OF A LACK OF CROWDS ALONG THE STREET (Emphasis added).”

I find this admission startling, especially because the one agent who decided to ride on the rear of the limousine in Dallas anyway---and on at least 4 different occasions--- was none other than yourself!.

This also does not address what the agents were to do when the crowds were heavier, or even what exactly constituted a "crowd", as AGENTS DID RIDE ON THE REAR STEPS OF THE LIMOUSINE IN TAMPA ON NOVEMBER 18, 1963 ANYWAY (agents Donald J. Lawton, Andrew E. Berger, & Charles T. Zboril, to be exact)!

Furthermore, as noted above, both your written report and your testimony sure convey a more strict approach than one stemming from an alleged “kind anecdote“. In fact, as mentioned above, you twice stated in your report that you DID NOT RECALL who the agent was who told you, and the other agents, not to ride on the rear of the limousine, yet you named him under oath to Counsel Specter: Floyd Boring.

The deathblow to the Tampa tale: I wrote to former Florida Congressman Samuel Melville Gibbons on 1/7/04 and asked him if he had heard President Kennedy order the agents off the rear of the limousine. Gibbons rode in the rear seat with JFK and Senator George Smathers on the Tampa trip of 11/18/63. Gibbons response in full, dated 1/15/04: “I rode with Kennedy every time he rode. I heard no such order. As I remember it the agents rode on the rear bumper all the way. Kennedy was very happy during his visit to Tampa. Sam Gibbons.”

Furthermore, an amazing document was released in the 1990’s concerning, among many other related topics, the issue of the agents’ presence (or lack thereof) on the limousine. This is a 28-page “Sensitive” memorandum from Belford Lawson, the attorney in charge of the Secret Service area for the HSCA, addressed to Gary Cornwell & Ken Klein dated 5/31/77 and revised 8/15/77. Apparently, Attorney Lawson was suspicious of Mr. Boring, for he wrote on the final page of this lengthy memorandum: “Subject: Florida Motorcades in November 1963…Was Floyd Boring, the Senior SS Agent on the White House detail, lying to SS Agent Hill when he told Hill that JFK had said in Tampa…that he wanted no agents riding upright on the rear bumper step of the JFK limousine? Did JFK actually say this? Did Boring know when he told this to Hill that Hill would be riding outboard on the JFK follow-up car in Dallas on November 22, 1963? Did Boring say this to Ready or Roberts? [Lawson’s emphasis]”

***Floyd M. Boring, Emory P. Roberts, & William R. Greer bear THE burden for the security lapses in Dallas; no one else (more on Roberts & Greer later)***

“The Washington Post” reported on 5/14/98: “During private meetings, sources said, [Then-Secret Service Director Lewis C.] Merletti told officials from [Kenneth] Starr's office [investigating the President Clinton/ Monica Lewinsky matter] and the Treasury and Justice departments that trust and proximity to a president are crucial to protecting him...the service ran through the history of assassination attempts, showing instances where they succeeded or failed, possibly depending on how close agents were to an intended victim. Sources said they produced rare photographs of John F. Kennedy's fateful 1963 motorcade through Dallas, where agents were not standing on running boards on the back of his exposed automobile when shots rang out because the president several days before had ordered them not to…Merletti indicated to the court that the assassination in a moving limousine of President John F. Kennedy "might have been thwarted had agents been stationed on the car's running boards (emphasis added).” To drive the point home even further, here is an excerpt from Director Merletti’s testimony, as reported in “The Washington Post” from 5/20/98: "I have attached, as Exhibit A to this Declaration, photographs of President John F. Kennedy's visit to Tampa, Florida on November 18, 1963. We use these photographs, and the ones attached as Exhibit B, in our training exercises. Exhibit A demonstrates the lengths to which protective personnel have been forced to go to try to maintain proximity to the President. In the photographs contained in Exhibit A, agents are kneeling on the running board of the Presidential limousine, while the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed [note: a contradiction---according to prior official agency mythology, the agents shouldn’t even be there at all!]. I can attest that this requires extraordinary physical exertion. Nevertheless, they performed this duty in an attempt to maintain close physical proximity to the President. Exhibit B, by contrast, scarcely needs any introduction. It is a series of photographs of the Presidential limousine, taken just four days later, on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. As can be seen, at the instruction of the President, Secret Service agents had been ordered off of the limousine's running boards. An analysis of the ensuing assassination (including the trajectory of the bullets which struck the President) indicates that it might have been thwarted had agents been stationed on the car's running boards. In other words, had they been able to maintain close proximity to the President during the motorcade, the assassination of John F. Kennedy might have been averted. Exhibit C contains a series of photographs taken during the actual assassination that demonstrate how critical and tragic the absence of proximity to the protectee can be (emphasis added).”

Furthermore, actor John Malkovich repeated the myth of JFK’s alleged orders to millions of theater patrons in the Secret Service “sponsored” blockbuster 1993 Clint Eastwood movie “In The Line Of Fire”: “You wanted to station agents on his bumpers and sideboards-he refused. And do you know why I think he refused? I think he refused because he had a death wish.” For his part, Jerry Parr, a major consultant to the “In The Line of Fire” movie, told Larry King on 7/14/98: “The critical factor [in Dallas]…was the fact that he ordered the two agents off the car…which made him very vulnerable to Lee Oswald’s attack.”

Just a random sampling of comments from just some of your colleagues on the matter:

Rufus W. Youngblood, ASAIC of LBJ Detail: On 10/22/92, Youngblood confirmed : "There was not a standing order" from JFK to restrict agents from the back of the limousine - the agents had "assigned posts and positions" on the back of the President's car . On 2/8/94, Youngblood added: "President Kennedy wasn't a hard ass...he never said anything like that [re: removing agents from limo and the like]. As a historian, he [Manchester] flunked the course---don't read Manchester." Youngblood knows of what he speaks: he was interviewed by Manchester on 11/17/64.

Robert I. Bouck, SAIC of PRS: On 9/27/92, Bouck confirmed that having agents on the back of the limousine depended on factors independent of any alleged Presidential "requests": “Many times there were agents on his car.” On 4/30/96, the ARRB’s Doug Horne questioned Bouck: “Did you ever hear the President personally say that he didn’t want agents to stand on the running boards on his car, or did you hear that from other agents?” Bouck: “I never heard the President say that personally. I heard that from other agents (emphasis added).” The former agent also told the ARRB that JFK was the “most congenial” of all the presidents he had observed (Bouck served from FDR to LBJ).

DNC Advance man Martin E. “Marty” Underwood - He could not believe that Mr. Behn wrote in his report that JFK desired to have the agents off the car (later repudiated by Mr. Behn, of course), citing Clint Hill's actions on 11/22/63 as just one of "many times" that agents were posted on the back of the JFK limousine. During this 10/9/92 interview, Underwood confirmed that JFK never ordered the agents off the rear of the car.

Aide David F. Powers (rode in the follow-up car on 11/22/63) & Jacqueline Kennedy (rode with President Kennedy in the limousine)- In a personal letter dated 9/10/93, Mr. Powers wrote: "Unless they were ‘running’ along beside the limo, the Secret Service rode in a car behind the President, so, no, they never had to be told to "get off" the limousine" (emphasis added). This comment rivals Behn’s shocking statements to myself due to the source: President Kennedy’s longtime friend and aide and a man who was on countless trips with the President. For the record, Agent Bob Lilley endorsed Mr. Powers view: "Dave would give you factual answers." In addition, the ARRB’s Tom Samoluk told me that, during the course of an interview he conducted with Powers in 1996, the former JFK aide and friend agreed with my take on the Secret Service!

For her part, Jackie “played the events over and over in her mind…She did not want to accept Jack’s death as a freak accident, for that meant his life could have been spared---if only the driver in the front seat of the presidential limousine [Agent William R. Greer] had reacted more quickly and stepped on the gas…if only the Secret Service had stationed agents on the rear bumper…[emphasis added]”

Winston G. Lawson, WHD (lead) advance agent for the Dallas trip: In a stunning letter dated 1/12/04, Lawson wrote: “I do not know of any standing orders for the agents to stay off the back of the car. After all, foot holds and handholds were built into that particular vehicle. I am sure it would have been on a “case by case” basis depending on event, intelligence, threats, etc. Jerry Behn as Special Agent in Charge of the White House Detail…would have been privy to that type of info more than I [see above]. However, it never came to my attention as such. I am certain agents were on the back on certain occasions [emphasis added].” The agent should be certain of that last understatement---he rode on the back of the limousine on the 7/2/63 Italy trip. Coming from one of the chief architects of security planning in Dallas, this is very important, to say the least.

Robert E. Lilley, WHD agent with JFK from election night until Oct. 1963: transferred to Boston Office - When I told Lilley what Mr. Behn said in September 1992, that Kennedy never said a thing about having the agents removed from the limousine (thus repudiating his own report), Lilley responded: "Oh, I'm sure he [JFK] didn't [order agents off his car, agreeing with Behn]. He was very cooperative with us once he became President. He was extremely cooperative. Basically, 'whatever you guys want is the way it will be'." Lilley later reiterated this on two different occasions (9/21/93 and 6/7/96, respectively). Lilley also refuted the Bishop and Manchester accounts, adding that, as an example, on a trip with JFK in Caracas, Venezuela, he and "Roy Kellerman rode on the back of the limousine all the way to the Presidential palace" at speeds reaching "50 miles per hour." Furthermore, Lilley did the advance work for JFK’s trip to Naples, Italy in the summer of 1963: again, agents rode on the rear of the limousine.

Arthur L. Godfrey, ATSAIC of WHD---The former agent told me on 5/30/96, regarding the notion that JFK ordered the agents not to do certain things which included removing themselves from the rear of the limousine: "That's a bunch of baloney; that's not true. He never ordered us to do anything. He was a very nice man...cooperative.” Godfrey reiterated this on 6/7/96. Asked if whether Aide Ken O'Donnell did any similar ordering, Godfrey said emphatically: "He did not order anyone around". As just one example, Godfrey was on the Italy trip mentioned in Boring’s report above and agents frequently rode on the rear of the limousine- one of the agents was none other than Winston G. Lawson. In a letter dated 11/24/97, Godfrey stated the following: "All I can speak for is myself. When I was working [with] President Kennedy he never ask [ed] me to have my shift leave the limo when we [were] working it," thus confirming what he had also told me telephonically on two prior occasions.

Samuel A. Kinney, WHD---The affable former agent told me on 3/5/94, regarding the “official” notion of history that President Kennedy ordered the agents off the rear of the limousine and the like: "That is absolutely, positively false...no, no, no: he had nothing to do with that [ordering agents off the rear of the limousine]...No, never-the agents say, 'O.K., men, fall back on your posts'...President Kennedy was one of the easiest presidents to ever protect; Harry S. Truman was a jewel just like John F. Kennedy was...99% of the agents would agree...(JFK) was one of the best presidents ever to control-he trusted every one of us [Emphasis added]." In regard to the infamous quote from William Manchester, Kinney said, "That is false. I talked to William Manchester; he called me on the book...for the record of history that is false - Kennedy never ordered us to do anything. I am aware of what is being said but that is false". Finally, just to nail down this issue, I asked Kinney if an exception was made on 11/22/63: "Not this particular time, no. Not in this case". Kinney also told me that Ken O'Donnell did not interfere with the agents: "Nobody ordered anyone around.”

Donald J. Lawton, WHD; rode on rear of limousine 3/23/63 (Chicago) & 11/18/63 (Tampa); relegated to airport duty 11/22/63---When I told Lawton on 11/15/95 what fellow agent Kinney said, namely, that JFK never ordered the agents off the rear of the limousine, he said: "It's the way Sam said, yes" (Meaning, he agrees with Kinney, it happened the way Kinney said). Asked to explain how he dismounted the rear of the limousine in Tampa, Lawton said: " I didn't hear the President say it, no. The word was relayed to us---I forget who told us now---you know, 'come back to the follow-up car. '“ This would have been Boring, by radio, to Roberts, then finally to the agents---Lawton, Zboril, and Berger---on the limousine. According to Lawton, JFK was "very personable...very warm". Asked about the tragedy in Dallas, Lawton said, "Everyone felt bad. It was our job to protect the President. You still have regrets, remorse. Who knows, if they had left guys on the back of the car...you can hindsight yourself to death (emphasis added).” Paradoxically, when I asked Lawton if JFK really made the statement to Boring mentioned above, Lawton said: “The President told him [boring], I think he said 'get the college kids off the back of the car.'” (See Blaine & Newman, below.) That said, in a letter dated, ironically, 11/22/97, Lawton wrote: "Since I am currently employed by the Secret Service [?] I do not believe it appropriate that I comment on former or current protectees of the Service. If you spoke with Bob Lilley as you stated then you can take whatever information he passed on to you as gospel [see Lilley’s comments, above].”

Secret Service Chiefs James J. Rowley and Urbanus E. “U.E.” Baughman---Rowley told the Warren Commission: "No President will tell the Secret Service what they can or cannot do.” Apparently, Rowley thought the agents DID ride on the rear of the limousine throughout the motorcade, for he added: “…the men at some point came back to this [follow-up] car.” In fact, Rowley’s predecessor, former Chief U.E. Baughman, who had served under JFK from Election Night 1960 until Sept. 1961, had written in his 1962 book “Secret Service Chief”: "Now the Chief of the Secret Service is legally empowered to countermand a decision made by anybody in this country if it might endanger the life or limb of the Chief Executive. This means I could veto a decision of the President himself if I decided it would be dangerous not to. The President of course knew this fact." Indeed, an AP story from 11/15/63 stated: “The (Secret) Service can overrule even the President where his personal security is involved.“

To the point, when Baughman was asked by U.S. News & World report on 12/23/63 about the Service’s protective efforts in Dallas, he said: “I can’t understand why Mrs. Kennedy had to climb over the back of the car, as she did, to get help…[this matter] should be resolved.” Apparently, Baughman was puzzled by the lack of agents on or near the rear of the limousine.

Press Secretary Pierre Salinger: JFK had a good relationship with the Secret Service and, more importantly, did NOT argue with their security measures. This was based on my correspondence with noted journalist Roger Peterson from 2/99 (from Peterson's very recent conversations with Salinger).

Cecil Stoughton, WH photographer---Stoughton wrote : "I did see a lot of the activity surrounding the various trips of the President, and in many cases I did see the agents in question riding on the rear of the President's car. In fact, I have ridden there a number of times myself during trips...I would jump on the step on the rear of the [Lincoln] Continental until the next stop. I have made photos while hanging on with one hand...in Tampa [11/18/63], for example. As for the [alleged] edict of not riding there by order of the President- I can't give you any proof of first hand knowledge." Stoughton went on to write: "I am bothered by your interest in these matters". In a later letter, Stoughton merely corroborated his prior written statements: "I would just jump on and off [the limo] quickly- no routine, and Jackie had no further remarks to me". It should be explained that, according to Stoughton's book, Jackie had told him to stay close to the limo in July 1963, and he did up to and including the Houston, TX trip of 11/21/63 (There are photos that Stoughton made from the follow-up car that day, as well). Then, for some unknown reason, Stoughton was relegated to a position further away from JFK on 11/22/63 .

Charles T. Zboril, WHD, Lawton's partner on the rear of the limo in Tampa on 11/18/63 ---Former Agent Zboril curiously did not give me a straight answer on this issue when interviewed on 11/15/95. Zboril said: "Well, Don Lawton and I are just sub-notes [sic] because somebody else testified on behalf of us about what happened in Tampa"- this was Clint Hill, testifying to Arlen Specter about why agents were not on the rear of the car during the assassination. When asked if it was true that JFK had ordered the agents off the limousine four days before Dallas, which I already knew not to be true, Zboril got emotional: "Where did you read that? I...If-if you read it in the Warren Report, that's what happened...Do you want me commenting officially? I’m pretty sure it’s there [in the Warren Report]…I'm talking to someone I don't know. I’m talking to you as frank as I can...If you read it in there [the Warren Report], it happened…I gave you more than I would give someone else". The agent also added: “There is an old adage that we used in the Secret Service: ‘Don’t believe anything you read and only half of what you see,’” the identical sentiment used by Jean and Jerry Behn. Zboril then gave me his home address and requested that the author send him anything on this matter, promising to respond back. He never did. Included in the package the author sent was a video of Agent Rybka being recalled at Love Field by Agent Roberts (more on this in a moment).

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1:40 p.m., 11/29/63: "You see, there was no Secret Service man standing on the back of the car. Usually the presidential car in the past has had steps on the back, next to the bumpers, and there's usually been one [agent] on either side standing on these steps...[ellipsis in text]...Whether the President asked that that not be done, we don't know (emphasis added).” So, as of 11/29/63, a week after the murder, the myth hadn’t been set in motion yet. From Hoover’s Memorandum for Messrs. Tolson, Belmont, & Mohr, November 29, 1963: “…there was no Secret Service Agent on the back of the car; that in the past they have added steps on the back of the car and usually had an agent on either side standing on the bumper; that I did not know why this was not done - that the President may have requested it…[emphasis added]”

Newsmen: ABC’s Ron Gardner, ABC’s Jim Haggerty (former Eisenhower Press Secretary), & UPI’s Robert J. Serling: Shortly after the assassination on 11/22/63 before a television audience of many millions of people, Gardner reported: “Secret Service agents normally walk directly beside the car. We can’t see any in these pictures (emphasis added).” Also on the very same day before an enormous television audience, Haggerty maintained that agents normally walked or jogged near the rear of the president’s car, adding that he had a hand in planning many motorcades (as did his successor, Pierre Salinger). For his part, Serling wrote on 11/23/63: “There are two absolute rules for motorcade protection: The agent running or riding at the President's shoulder must never leave that position unless relieved. The other is to turn out the manpower in all secret service cars the moment trouble arises and get secret service bodies around the President [emphasis added].”

Samuel E. Sulliman, WHD (On Texas trip, in Dallas, at the Trade Mart): Sulliman told me on 2/11/04 that agents were on the back of the limousine a lot; in fact, he remembered riding there on the trips to Ireland and Germany. When told of Art Godfrey’s comments on the matter (see above), the former agent agreed with his colleague and said twice, regarding the notion that JFK ordered the agents off the car, “I don’t think so.” Sulliman also said that JFK was “easy to get along with.” As for who exactly was responsible for the decision to remove the agents from the rear area of the limousine, Sulliman said: “I can’t tell you who made the decision.” I took this to mean that he honestly did not know, rather than the notion that he was hiding the true answer.

Frank G. Stoner, PRS: During an interview conducted on 1/17/04, former agent Stoner, who served in the Secret Service from January 1945 until 1969, said that Manchester was “probably trying to sell books” when he suggested that Kennedy ordered the agents off the back of the limousine. In fact, the 84-year-old former agent laughed at the mere suggestion. Stoner also agreed with several of his colleagues that JFK was “very personable”: “He was an old Navy man. He understood security. He wouldn’t have ordered them off the car.”

Gerald W. “Jerry” O’Rourke, WHD (on Texas trip but not the Dallas stop; on WHD from Eisenhower to LBJ/1964)---In a letter dated 1/15/04, O’Rourke wrote: “Did President Kennedy order us (agents) off the steps of the limo? To my knowledge President Kennedy never ordered us to leave the limo. ” (Emphasis added) The agent added: “President Kennedy was easy to protect as he completely trusted the agents of the Secret Service. We always had to be entirely honest with him and up front so we did not lose his trust.”

Vincent P. Mroz, WHD (Truman, Eisenhower, and part-time with JFK, LBJ [9 months], and Nixon)---During an interview conducted on 2/7/04, the former agent said that President Kennedy was “friendly, congenial---he was really easy to get along with…just like Truman.” When asked, point blank, if JFK had ever ordered the agents off the car, Mroz said forcefully: “No, no---that’s not true.” When asked a second time, the former agent responded with equal conviction: “He did not order anybody off the car.”

J. Walter Coughlin, WHD (on Texas trip but not the Dallas stop)--- I e-mailed the former agent, asking him: “How often did agents ride on the rear of the limousine during JFK's time (and/ or walk, jog, or run nearby)? Coughlin responded: “In almost all parade situations that I was involved w [ith] we rode or walked the limo [Emphasis added].” Also, in the same message, I asked Coughlin: “What was President Kennedy like? Was he easy to protect?” The former agent responded in the same reply: “Very funny and very friendly. Knew all the agents by first name.” (Regarding LBJ, Coughlin wrote: “Didn't like anyone and could be very surly. Hard to protect - did not like to take advice.”) Coughlin later wrote: “The rear steps [of the limousine] were very adaquete [sic] for safety.” Finally, to clarify this matter further, I asked Coughlin: “So far, combing the literature, books, interviews, etc., I've found that Behn, Boring, Blaine, Mroz, Godfrey, Lawson, and Dave Powers said that President Kennedy did not order the agents off his limousine---do you think William Manchester and others took "poetic license" on this matter?” Coughlin responded: “Yes I do.”

Gerald S. Blaine, WHD (on Texas trip but not the Dallas stop)---Blaine told me on 2/7/04 that President Kennedy was “very cooperative. He didn’t interfere with our actions. President Kennedy was very likeable---he never had a harsh word for anyone. He never interfered with our actions [emphasis added].” When I asked Blaine how often the agents rode on the back of JFK’s limousine, the former agent said it was a “fairly common” occurrence that depended on the crowd and the speed of the cars. In fact, just as one example, Blaine rode on the rear of JFK’s limousine in Germany in June 1963, along with fellow Texas trip veterans Paul A. Burns and Samuel E. Sulliman. Blaine added, in specific reference to the agents on the follow-up car in Dallas: “You have to remember, they were fairly young agents,” seeming to imply that their youth was a disadvantage, or perhaps this was seen as an excuse for their performance on 11/22/63. Surprisingly, Blaine, the WHD advance agent for the Tampa trip of 11/18/63, said that JFK did make the comment “I don’t need Ivy League charlatans back there,” but emphasized this was a “low-key remark” said “kiddingly” and demonstrating Kennedy’s “Irish sense of humor.” However, according to the “official” story, President Kennedy allegedly made these remarks only to Boring while traveling in the presidential limousine in Tampa: Blaine was nowhere near the vehicle at the time, so Boring had to be HIS source for this story! In addition to Emory Roberts, one now wonders if Blaine was a source (or perhaps the source) for Manchester’s exaggerated ‘quote’ attributed to Boring, as Agent Blaine was also interviewed by Manchester (see above). [note: since this letter was sent, the author phoned Blaine on 6/10/05 (In fact, Blaine had just spoken to Hill on 6/9/05, shortly after---unbeknownst to Blaine---the author had contacted Hill via Registered Mail. Blaine is close to Hill---he attended Hill’s son’s wedding, along with fellow former agent Bill Livingood). The former agent said the remark “Ivy League charlatans” came “from the guys…I can’t remember who [said it]…I can’t remember (emphasis added).” Thus, Blaine confirms that he did not hear the remark from JFK (When asked if agents rode on the rear of the limousine on the Italy trip in 1963, Blaine said forcefully: “Oh yeah, oh yeah.” It turns out he was one of the agents) Blaine also added that the lack of agents on the rear of the car “had no impact,” adding: “Well, maybe a hesitation.” That is all it took. The former agent also said: “Don’t be too hard on Emory Roberts. He was a double, even a triple checker. He probably took Jack Ready’s life into consideration.” If only he would have taken Jack Kennedy’s life with the same degree of concern..

Larry Newman, WHD (October 1961 to October 1963, then Washington Field Office)---In a friendly if somewhat contentious interview conducted on 2/7/04, Newman told me that there was “no policy” regarding the use of agents on the rear of Kennedy’s car, further adding that the question was “hard to answer: it depends on the crowd, the threat assessment, and so forth. There was not a consistent rule of thumb [emphasis added].” This comment will become important later. In addition, regarding the controversial “Ivy League Charlatan” remark first mentioned in Manchester’s book and noted by Lawton and Blaine (above), Newman said: “When Kennedy went to Florida [11/18/63], supposedly, I didn’t hear this directly, Kennedy said to Boring ‘Get the Ivy League charlatans off the back of the car [emphasis added].’” The former agent added that Manchester’s work, while with some merit, became “part of myth, part of truth.” I couldn’t agree more. With regard to Boring, Newman said: “Boring will only tell you the company line. I’m no friend of Boring’s.” Actually, what Boring told me went against the “company line” he espoused back in 1964. And, from the latter comment, Newman obviously has no love lost for his former boss on the WHD. The former agent said that both Behn and Boring were “extremely loyal to JFK,” adding: “Boring told you Kennedy didn’t want any agents on the car; then again, he’s been a proponent that JFK wasn’t a womanizer.” Both comments are true.

Newman phoned me unexpectedly on 2/12/04 to say that “there was not a directive, per se” from President Kennedy to remove the agents from their positions on the back of his limousine. The former agent seemed troubled by my research into the matter. Newman did ridicule former Director Merletti’s testimony in 1998 (see above). Regarding Roberts’ order not to move and his conduct, in general, Newman said: “They were probably afraid to hit the street at that speed.” When told that the cars were actually traveling quite slowly, including the limousine’s decelerating speed from a meager 11.2 mph, he had nothing to say in response. When asked if Tim McIntyre may shed more light on the matter (knowing full well that he said as much to me on 2/7/04), Newman now said he is “hiding out” and “probably, he wouldn’t talk to you anyway.” Fair enough. Newman seemed concerned yet strangely helpful in conversation. He reiterated that he has no good feelings for Boring (in contrast to his warm feelings for Kellerman) and that---describing himself--- said: “I’m not a good guy.” (!) Finally, Newman said: “You need to get inside the nuts and bolts.” That is what I am attempting to do.

J. Frank Yeager, WHD (on Texas trip but not the Dallas stop)---In a letter dated 12/29/03, Yeager wrote: “I did not think that President Kennedy was particularly “difficult” to protect. In fact, I thought that his personality made it easier than some because he was easy to get along with…” With regard to my question, “Did President Kennedy ever order the agents off the rear of his limousine,” Yeager responded: “I know of no “order” directly from President Kennedy…I don’t know what form or detail that this request was made… I also do not know who actually made the final decision, but we did not have agents on the rear of the President’s car in Dallas [emphasis added].”

ASAIC Floyd M. Boring - Perhaps even more startling than the comments of Behn, Powers, and Lawson, Floyd Boring told me, in reference to JFK's alleged "desires" mentioned by Mr. Bishop, Manchester (“quoting” Boring), and himself in his own report: "He actually - No, I told them...He didn't tell them anything...He just - I looked at the back and I seen these fellahs were hanging on the limousine - I told them to return to the car...[JFK] was a very easy-going guy...he didn't interfere with our actions at all" (emphasis added)! I reiterated the point - Mr. Boring was still adamant that JFK never issued any orders to the agents; he even refuted Manchester's book (see above). Remember, Boring is admitting it came from him, and not JFK! With regard to exactly who makes the decision regarding the agents’ proximity to the President, Agent Jerry Parr told Larry King: “I would say it was the agent in charge who makes that decision.” When asked, point blank, if JFK had ever ordered the agents off the rear of the limousine, including in Tampa on 11/18/63, Boring told me again : "Well that's not true. That's not true. He was a very nice man; he never interfered with us at all." In a letter received on, of all dates, 11/22/97, Boring confirmed what he had previously told me on two previous occasions (9/22/93 and 3/4/94, respectively) when he wrote: "President Kennedy was a very congenial man knowing most agents by their first name. He was very cooperative with the Secret Service, and well liked and admired by all of us (emphasis added)." Not only does Boring NOT mention anything about JFK’s alleged “desires” to restrict security during his two lengthy oral histories, the agent stated: “…of all the administrations I worked with, the president and the people surrounding the president were very gracious and were very cooperative. As a matter of fact, you can’t do this type of security work without cooperation of the people surrounding the president…[emphasis added]”

Author Jim Bishop revealed the seemingly unknown fact that Floyd Boring was the number one agent involved in the Dallas trip back in the 1960's in his book "The Day Kennedy Was Shot": "...[LBJ] called Secret Service Chief James Rowley. ‘Rufe [Youngblood] did a brave thing today,’ he said. ‘He jumped on me and kept me down. I want you to do whatever you can, the best that can be done, for that boy." He hung up [this was 11/22/63]. It had not occurred to him that Rowley, too, was lonely. If there was any blame, any official laxness, it didn't matter that the planning of the Texas trip had been in the capable hands of Floyd Boring (Emphasis added).”

And, to the JFK Library in the 1970's, Boring said: "Part of my job at the White House during the entire President Kennedy administration was to be in charge of the advance work. I used to assign people to do the advance work, and most of the overseas trips I did myself in conjunction with other people on the detail."

To the Truman Library in the 1980's, Boring added: "I was on all the advance work out of there. I was assigned all the advance work, sort of an administrator... I was second in charge [behind Special Agent in Charge Jerry Behn]."

Finally, fellow former agent Sam Kinney told me, in regard to SAIC Gerald A. "Jerry" Behn's absence from the Texas trip, leaving ASAIC (#2) Floyd M. Boring to be the agent in charge of the Texas trip: "Here’s the story on that. We got, as agents, federal employees, thirty days a year annual leave. We lose it, because they can’t let us go…there was only " x " amount of agents back then in the whole wide world… they could not let us off…Jerry Behn had probably worked three years without any annual leave at all and this particular time, he could get some time off and he didn’t go to Dallas. Roy Kellerman was third in charge, so he took the thing (sic), which is, you know-he's qualified. Floyd Boring stayed home- he could get his time off and he could still handle what ever came about from his house; there was very little correspondence between [the agents in Dallas] because Win Lawson had the advance (emphasis added)."

The 1996 ARRB interview of Boring: "Boring independently recalled that he was the person who assigned Winston Lawson as the S.S. advance agent for the Dallas leg of the Texas trip, but could not recall why or how "Win" Lawson was given that assignment." Agent David Grant, who worked hand in glove with Boring on the controversial 11/18/63 Florida trip, assisted Lawson in the advance preparations in Dallas. Boring was also involved in the pre-11/22/63 checks of the Protective Research Section’s (PRS) files of any potential threats to JFK reported in Dallas which, incredibly, yielded nothing, a matter fellow ASAIC Roy Kellerman found unusual, as did fellow agent Abraham Bolden, as common sense would seem to dictate (interestingly, according to his Truman Library oral history, Boring worked for PRS back in the 1940’s!). Yet Boring had begun his ARRB interview exclaiming: "I didn't have anything to do with it, and I don't know anything," a similar sentiment he first gave to me before probing further into the mystery. I later asked Boring: “Were you involved in any of the planning of the Texas trip?” Then, the agent finally admitted: “Well, no, I sent-ah, yeah, I was involved in that, yeah”.

Indeed, Mr. Boring IS interesting, to say the least. He bears the brunt of the burden.

Second would be ATSAIC Emory P. Roberts (albeit following orders via Boring)---When you testified to Mr. Specter “We did not ride on the rear portions of the automobile”, you probably meant agent John Ready, who was recalled by Agent Emory Roberts to the follow-up car when he started to react to the gunfire on 11/22/63. Mr. Roberts had ordered the men not to move even after recognizing the first shot as a shot, while a host of others thought the noise was a mere firecracker or motorcycle backfire.

Edited by Bernice Moore
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Bolden..part 3

Mr. Roberts was the SAIC of the follow-up car who attempted, along with Ready, to defend his strange actions and inactions by noting the speed of the limousine, which was actually decelerating from an already slow speed of 11.2 miles per hour, not the “15-20” or 20-25” mph noted in Ready & Robert’s reports, as well as the distance between his car and the limousine, which was merely a scant five feet at the most when the shooting began, not the "20 - 25 " & “25-30” feet noted in their reports. (Even Inspector Thomas Kelley got into the act, later testifying: “The agents, of course, in the follow-up car were some distance away from the action.”) If that wasn’t enough, Ready’s first report stated the follow-up car slowed. His next report stated it was JFK’s limo that slowed instead (actually, both vehicles slowed down).

Regarding Roberts’ disturbing order not to move, agent Sam Kinney, the driver of the follow-up car, told me that this was “exactly right.” SA Ready was the agent who was assigned to JFK's side of the limousine, as you were assigned to Jackie's side. Roberts came to Ready's rescue in yet another report: "SA Ready would have done the same thing [as Agent Hill did] if motorcycle was not at President's corner of car"(!) Strange, but this posed no problem at all for Agent Donald J. Lawton on November 18, 1963, in Tampa (but unfortunately, like Agent Henry Rybka, Lawton was left at Love Field and was not in the motorcade detail). Even Chief Rowley got in on the act---he told the Warren Commission: “Mr. Hill, who was on the left side, responded immediately--as he looked toward the Presidential car, being on the left side, he scanned from left to right, and when he saw there was something happening to the President following a noise, he immediately jumped from his position to get aboard from his side. Mr. Ready scanned to the right so he was looking away from the President, because he was looking around from the right side. As a consequence, he wasn't aware of what was happening in the front. The car was also going on a turn at that time [emphasis added].” The car was actually heading straight to the overpass at the time.

If that weren’t enough, as I discovered back in 1991 when viewing slow motion black and white video footage of the Love Field departure, one can see agent Henry J. Rybka jogging to the rear of the limousine on JFK’s side only to be recalled by none other than Emory P. Roberts, who rises in his seat in the follow-up car and, using his voice and several hand-gestures, orders Rybka to cease and desist ! As the ARRB's Doug Horne wrote in a memo dated 4/16/96, based on viewing the aforementioned video shown during my presentation at a 1995 research conference (later to be shown during my brief appearance on the History Channel in 2003): "The bafflement of the agent who is twice waved off of the limousine is clearly evident. This unambiguous and clearly observed behavior would seem to be corroboration that the change in security procedure which was passed to SA Clint Hill earlier in the week by ASAIC Floyd Boring of the Secret Service White House Detail was very recent, ran contrary to standing procedure, and that not everyone on the White House Detail involved in Presidential protection had been informed of this change." (With regard to the Love Field video, former agent Larry Newman told me that he “never saw that before” and, when questioned on the matter, said he didn’t know all the particulars and that Tim McIntyre would be a good source on this. To date, I have been unable to obtain commentary from McIntyre---or Ready, or Landis---on this matter.)

All of this begs the question: were Rybka and Lawton the two agents who were supposed to have rode on the rear of the limousine in Dallas?

It appears that Mr. Hill---thankfully, for Mrs. Kennedy‘s sake---disobeyed Mr. Roberts by running after the limousine during the shooting. Just as important, Mr. Hill disobeyed Mr. Boring's orders by mounting the rear of the limousine four times briefly prior to the shooting on 11/22/63. Interestingly, Agent Boring just happened to be in charge of planning the Texas trip for the Secret Service! For his part, #3 man Roy Kellerman indicated to the Warren Commission that on 11/17/63 he was given the assignment to be the nominal agent in charge of the Dallas trip.

Finally, William R. Greer, the driver of the limousine---Ken O'Donnell stated: "Greer had been remorseful all day, feeling that he could have saved President Kennedy's life by swerving the car or speeding suddenly after the first shots." In addition, Greer told Jackie the following on 11/22/63 at Parkland Hospital, shortly after the murder: "Oh, Mrs. Kennedy, oh my God, oh my God. I didn't mean to do it, I didn't hear, I should have swerved the car, I couldn't help it. Oh, Mrs. Kennedy, as soon as I saw it I swerved. If only I'd seen it in time! Oh!” Finally, Dave Powers confirmed Greer’s guilt to CBS newsman Charles Kuralt on 11/22/88, also adding that if Greer would have sped up before the fatal headshot, JFK might still be alive today.

60 witnesses (10 police officers, 7 Secret Service agents, 38 spectators, 2 Presidential aides, 1 Senator, Governor Connally, and Jackie Kennedy) and the Zapruder film document Secret Service agent William R. Greer's deceleration of the presidential limousine, as well as his two separate looks back at JFK during the assassination (Greer denied all of this to the Warren Commission). By decelerating from an already slow 11.2 mph, Greer greatly endangered the President's life, and, as even author Gerald Posner admitted, Greer contributed greatly to the success of the assassination. When we consider that Greer disobeyed a direct order from his superior, Roy Kellerman, to get out of line BEFORE the fatal shot struck the President's head, it is hard to give Agent Greer the benefit of the doubt. As ASAIC Roy H. Kellerman said: "Greer then looked in the back of the car. Maybe he didn't believe me.” Clearly, Greer was responsible, at fault, and felt remorse. In short, Greer had survivor's guilt.

A sampling of the sixty witnesses to Greer’s gross negligence:

Houston Chronicle Reporter Bo Byers (rode in White House Press Bus) - Twice stated that the Presidential Limousine "almost came to a stop, a dead stop"; in fact, he has had nightmares about this.

Dallas Police Department (DPD) officer Earle Brown - "…The first I noticed the [JFK's] car was when it stopped...after it made the turn and when the shots were fired, it stopped."

DPD motorcycle officer Bobby Hargis (one of the four Presidential motorcyclists)---"…At that time [immediately before the head shot] the Presidential car slowed down. I heard somebody say 'Get going.' I felt blood hit me in the face and the Presidential car stopped almost immediately after that."

Secret Service Agent John Ready (follow-up car) - "…I heard what sounded like fire crackers going off from my post on the right front running board. The President's car slowed…"

Texas Governor John Connally (rode in JFK's limo and was himself a victim of the shooting) - "…After the third shot, I heard Roy Kellerman tell the driver, 'Bill, get out of line.' And then I saw him move, and I assumed he was moving a button or something on the panel of the automobile, and he said 'Get us to a hospital quick'…at about this time, we began to pull out of the cavalcade, out of line."

Dallas Morning News reporter Robert Baskin (rode in the National Press Pool Car) – stated: "…the motorcade ground to a halt."

Dallas Morning News reporter Mary Woodward (Pillsworth) - "…Instead of speeding up the car, the car came to a halt." She saw the President's car come to a halt after the first shot. Then, after hearing two more shots, close together, the car sped up. She spoke forcefully about the car almost coming to a stop and the lack of proper reaction by the Secret Service in 1993.

Alan Smith - "…the car was ten feet from me when a bullet hit the President in the forehead…the car went about five feet and stopped."

Ochus V. Campbell - after hearing shots, "he then observed the car bearing President Kennedy to slow down, a near stop, and a motorcycle policeman rushed up. Immediately following this, he observed the car rush away from the scene."

Peggy Joyce Hawkins - she was on the front steps of the TSBD and "…estimated that the President's car was less than 50 feet away from her when he was shot, that the car slowed down almost coming to a full stop."

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (rode in the Presidential limousine) - "We could see a tunnel in front of us. Everything was really slow then…[immediately after shooting] And just being down in the car with his head in my lap. And it just seemed an eternity…And finally I remember a voice behind me, or something, and then I remember the people in the front seat, or somebody, finally knew something was wrong, and a voice yelling, which must have been Mr. Hill, "Get to the hospital," or maybe it was Mr. Kellerman, in the front seat…We were really slowing turning the corner [Houston & Elm]…I remember a sensation of enormous speed, which must have been when we took off…those poor men in the front…" Mary Gallagher reported in her book: "She mentioned one Secret Service man who had not acted during the crucial moment, and said bitterly to me, 'He might just as well have been Miss Shaw!'” Jackie also told Gallagher: "You should get yourself a good driver so that nothing ever happens to you.” Manchester wrote: “[Mrs. Kennedy] had heard Kellerman on the radio and had wondered why it had taken the car so long to leave.” Former agent Marty Venker and C. David Heymann, among others, confirm in their books that Jackie felt Greer was responsible.

The sequence is crucial:

1.First shot (or shots) rings out - the car slows with brake lights on.

2.Greer turns around once.

3.Kellerman orders Greer to "get out of line; we've been hit!

4.Greer disobeys his superior's order and turns around to stare at JFK for the second time, until after the fatal headshot finds its mark!

As stated before, Greer was responsible, at fault, and felt remorse. In short, Greer had survivor's guilt.

But, then, stories and feelings changed.

Agent Greer to the FBI 11/22/63: "Greer stated that he first heard what he thought was possibly a motorcycle backfire and glanced around and noticed that the President had evidently been hit [notice that, early on, Greer admits seeing JFK, which the Zapruder proves he did two times before the fatal head shot occurred]. He thereafter got on the radio and communicated with the other vehicles, stating that they desired to get the President to the hospital immediately [in reality, Greer did not talk on the radio, and Greer went on to deny ever saying this during his Warren Commission testimony]…Greer stated that they (the Secret Service) have always been instructed to keep the motorcade moving at a considerable speed inasmuch as a moving car offers a much more difficult target than a vehicle traveling at a very slow speed. He pointed out that on numerous occasions he has attempted to keep the car moving at a rather fast rate, but in view of the President's popularity and desire to maintain close liaison with the people, he has, on occasion, been instructed by the President to "slow down". Greer stated that he has been asking himself if there was any thing he could have done to avoid this incident, but stated that things happened so fast that he could not account for full developments in this matter (!) [The "JFK-as-scapegoat" theme…and so much for Greer's remorse from earlier the same day]."

Agent Greer to the FBI 11/27/63: "…he heard a noise which sounded like a motorcycle backfire. On hearing this noise he glanced to his right toward Kellerman and out of the corner of his eye noticed that the Governor appeared to be falling toward his wife [notice that Greer now mentions nothing about seeing JFK hit---he does the same thing in his undated report in the Warren Commission volumes] He thereafter recalls hearing some type of outcry after which Kellerman said, "Let's get out of here." He further related that at the time of hearing the sound he was starting down an incline which passes beneath a railroad crossing and after passing under this viaduct, he closed in on the lead car and yelled to the occupants and a nearby police motorcyclist, "Hospital, Hospital! [Nothing about using the radio this time out]" Thereafter follows a complete physical description of Greer, as if the FBI agents considered him a suspect, including age, height, and color of eyes!

--------------------------------------------

So, if ASAIC Boring didn’t convey those “wishes” (no agents on the rear of limo, handicapping you to have to sprint forward from another moving vehicle), if ATSAIC Roberts wouldn’t have recalled Rybka & Ready and behaved so lackadaisically, and if Greer would have obeyed Kellerman and stepped on the gas, history WOULD have been different. THEY bear the burden. You behaved very admirably, especially under the circumstances.

I would appreciate any/ all comments you would like to make regarding this lengthy commentary.

Sincerely,

Vince Palamara

Carnegie, PA 15106

On 6/13/05, after not receiving a reply, the author phoned Mr. Hill, who was quite apparently angry---he first pretended not to know about the lengthy letter he had to sign for (of which the author received his signed receipt): “About what?,” Hill exclaimed in response to the author’s inquiry. Then, forcefully, Hill added: “I’m just not interested in talking to you.”

************************8

Vince Palamara's .

59 WITNESSES: DELAY ON ELM STREET

Updated 1998 edition

(based off the original 1991 article "47 Witnesses" that appeared in "The Third Decade", Jan/ March 1992, and which has since been cited in "The Third Decade"[11/92], "The Fourth Decade[11/93 and 9/97], "Proceedings of the Second Research Conference of the Third Decade, 6/18-6/20/93", pages 128 & 162, "The Proceedings of the Research Conference of the Fourth Decade, 7/19-7/21/96", p. 277, "The Third Alternative-Survivor's Guilt: The Secret Service and the JFK Murder" [1997], pages 20& 53, the website "The Puzzle Palace", "Assassination Science" [1998], p. 274, "Bloody Treason" [1997], Z-frame 313 photo section, "November Patriots" [1998], p. 465, and the 1998 revised version of "High Treason", p. 551)

-UPI's "Four Days" (1964), p. 17---In the right hand picture [a frame from the Muchmore film], the driver slams on the brakes and the police escort pulls up."

-"Newsweek", 12/2/63, p. 2---"For a chaotic moment, the motorcade ground to an uncertain halt."

-"Time", 11/29/63, p. 23---"There was a shocking momentary stillness, a frozen tableau."

-"Case Closed" by Gerald Posner (1993), p. 234---"Incredibly, Greer, sensing that something was wrong in the back of the car, slowed the vehicle to almost a standstill."

AND

-Gerald Posner, with Dan Rather, on CBS' "Who Killed JFK: The Final Chapter?", 11/19/93---By turning around the second time and looking at JFK as the car slows down, Posner says that "What he [Greer] has done is inadvertantly given Oswald the easiest of the three shots."

1) Houston Chronicle Reporter Bo Byers (rode in White House Press Bus)---twice stated that the Presidential Limousine "almost came to a stop, a dead stop"; in fact, he has had nightmares about this. [C-SPAN, 11/20/93, "Journalists Remember The Kennedy Assassination"; see also the 1/94 "Fourth Decade": article by Sheldon Inkol];

2) ABC Reporter Bob Clark (rode in the National Press Pool Car)---Reported on the air that the limousine stopped on Elm Street during the shooting [WFAA/ ABC, 11/22/63];

3) UPI White House Reporter Merriman Smith (rode in the same car as Clark, above)---"The President's car, possibly as much as 150 or 200 yards ahead, seemed to falter briefly" [uPI story, 11/23/63, as reported in "Four Days", UPI, p. 32];

4) DPD motorcycle officer James W. Courson (one of two mid-motorcade motorcycles)--"The limousine came to a stop and Mrs. Kennedy was on the back. I noticed that as I came around the corner at Elm. Then the Secret Service agent [Clint Hill] helped push her back into the car, and the motorcade took off at a high rate of speed." ["No More Silence" by Larry Sneed (1998), p. 129];

5) DPD motorcycle officer Bobby Joe Dale (one of two rear mid-motorcade motorcycles)---"After the shots were fired, the whole motorcade came to a stop. I stood and looked through the plaza, noticed there was commotion, and saw people running around his [JFK's] car. It started to move, then it slowed again; that's when I saw Mrs. Kennedy coming back on the trunk and another guy [Clint Hill] pushing her back into the car." ["No More Silence" by Larry Sneed (1998), p. 134];

6) Clemon Earl Johnson---"You could see it [the limo] speed up and then stop, then speed up, and you could see it stop while they [sic; Clint Hill] threw Mrs. Kennedy back up in the car. Then they just left out of there like a bat of the eye and were just gone." ["No More Silence" by Larry Sneed (1998), p. 80];

7) Malcolm Summers---"Then there was some hesitation in the caravan itself, a momentary halt, to give the Secret Service man [Clint Hill] a chance to catch up with the car and jump on. It seems to me that it started back up by the time he got to the car…"["No More Silence" by Larry Sneed (1998), p. 104];

8) NBC reporter Robert MacNeil (rode in White House Press Bus)---"The President's driver slammed on the brakes---after the third shot…" ["The Way We Were, 1963: The Year Kennedy Was Shot" by Robert MacNeil (1988), p. 193];

9) AP photographer Henry Burroughs (rode in Camera Car #2)---"…we heard the shots and the motorcade stopped." [letter, Burroughs to Palamara, dated 10/14/98];

10) DPD Earle Brown---"…The first I noticed the [JFK's] car was when it stopped..after it made the turn and when the shots were fired, it stopped." [6 H 233];

11) DPD motorcycle officer Bobby Hargis (one of the four Presidential motorcyclists)---"…At that time [immediately before the head shot] the Presidential car slowed down. I heard somebody say 'Get going.' I felt blood hit me in the face and the Presidential car stopped almost immediately after that." [6 H 294; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 71; 6/26/95 videotaped interview with Mark Oakes & Ian Griggs: "That guy (Greer) slowed down, maybe his orders was to slow down…slowed down almost to a stop." Like Posner, Hargis feels Greer gave Oswald the chance to kill Kennedy.];

12) DPD D.V. Harkness---"…I saw the first shot and the President's car slow[ed] down to almost a stop…I heard the first shot and saw the President's car almost come to a stop and some of the agents [were] piling on the car." [6 H 309];

13) DPD James Chaney (one of the four Presidential motorcyclists)---stated that the Presidential limousine stopped momentarily after the first shot (according to the testimony of Mark Lane; corroborated by the testimony of fellow DPD motorycle officer Marion Baker: Chaney told him that "…at the time, after the shooting, from the time the first shot rang out, the car stopped completely, pulled to the left and stopped…Now I have heard several of them say that, Mr. Truly was standing out there, he said it stopped. Several officers said it stopped completely." [2 H 44-45 (Lane)---refering to Chaney's statement as reported in the "Houston Chronicle" dated 11/24/63; 3 H 266 (Baker)];

14) DPD motorcycle officer B.J. Martin (one of the four Presidential motorcyclists)---saw JFK's car stop "…just for a moment." ["Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 71];

15) DPD motorcycle officer Douglas L. Jackson (one of the four Presidential motorcyclists)---stated "…that the car just all but stopped…just a moment." ["Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 71];

16) Texas Highway Patrolman Joe Henry Rich (drove LBJ's car)---stated that "…the motorcade came to a stop momentarily." ["Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 71];

17) DPD J.W. Foster---stated that "…immediately after President Kennedy was struck…the car in which he was riding pulled to the curb." [CD 897, pp. 20, 21; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 97];

18) Secret Service Agent Sam Kinney (driver of the follow-up car behind JFK's limo)---indicates, via his report to Chief Rowley, that Greer hit the gas after the fatal head shot to JFK and after the President's slump to the left toward Jackie. [18 H 731-732]. From the HSCA's 2/26/78 interview of Kinney: "He also remarked that 'when Greer (the driver of the Presidential limousine) looked back, his foot must have come off the accelerator'…Kinney observed that at the time of the first shot, the speed of the motorcade was '3 to 5 miles an hour.'" [RIF#180-10078-10493; author's interviews with Kinney, 1992-1994];

19) Secret Service Agent Clint Hill (follow-up car, rear of limo)---"…I jumped from the follow-up car and ran toward the Presidential automobile. I heard a second firecracker-type noise…SA Greer had, as I jumped onto the Presidential automobile, accelerated the Presidential automobile forward." [18 H 742; Nix film; "The Secret Service" and "Inside The Secret Service" videos from 1995];

20) Secret Service Agent John Ready (follow-up car)---"…I heard what sounded like fire crackers going off from my post on the right front running board. The President's car slowed…" [18 H 750];

21) Secret Service Agent Glen Bennett (follow-up car)---after the fatal head shot "the President's car immediately kicked into high gear." [18 H 760; 24 H 541-542]. During his 1/30/78 HSCA interview, Bennett said the follow-up car was moving at "10-12 m.p.h.", an indication of the pace of the motorcade on Elm Street [RIF#180-10082-10452];

22) Secret Service Agent "Lem" Johns (V.P. follow-up car)---"…I felt that if there was danger [it was] due to the slow speed of the automobile." [18 H 774]. During his 8/8/78 HSCA interview, Johns said that "Our car was moving very slowly", a further indication of the pace of the motorcade on Elm Street [RIF# 180-10074-10079; Altgens photo];

23) Secret Service Agent Winston Lawson (rode in the lead car)---"…I think it [the lead car on Elm Street] was a little further ahead [of JFK's limo] than it had been in the motorcade, because when I looked back we were further ahead." [4 H 352], an indication of the lag in the limo during the assassination.;

24) Secret Service Agent William "Tim" McIntyre (follow-up car)---"He stated that Greer, driver of the Presidential limousine, accelerated after the third shot." [RIF#180-10082-10454: 1/31/78 HSCA interview];

25) Mrs. Earle ("Dearie") Cabell (rode in the Mayor's car)---the motorcade "stopped dead still when the noise of the shot was heard." [7 H 487; "Accessories After the Fact" by Sylvia Meagher (1967), p. 4; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 71];

26) Phil Willis---"…The [Presidential] party had come to a temporary halt before proceeding on to the underpass." [7 H 497; "Crossfire" by Jim Marrs (1989), p. 24];

27) Mrs. Phil (Marilyn) Willis---after the fatal head shot, "she stated the Presidential limousine paused momentarily and then sped away under the Triple Underpass." [FBI report dated 6/19/64; "Photographic Whitewash" by Harold Weisberg (1967), p. 179];

28) Mrs. John (Nellie) Connally (rode in JFK's limo)---JFK's car did not accelerate until after the fatal head shot. [4 H 147; WR 50; "Best Evidence" by David Lifton (1988), p. 122];

29) Texas Governor John Connally (rode in JFK's limo and himself a victim of the assassination)---"…After the third shot, I heard Roy Kellerman tell the driver, 'Bill, get out of line.' And then I saw him move, and I assumed he was moving a button or something on the panel of the automobile, and he said 'Get us to a hospital quick'…at about this time, we began to pull out of the cavalcade, out of line." [4 H 133; WR50; "Crossfire" by Jim Marrs (1989), p. 13];

30) Dallas Morning News reporter Robert Baskin (rode in the National Press Pool Car)---stated that "…the motorcade ground to a halt." ["Dallas Morning News", 11/23/63, p. 2; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 71];

31) Dallas Morning News reporter Mary Woodward (Pillsworth)---"…Instead of speeding up the car, the car came to a halt."; she saw the President's car come to a halt after the first shot. Then, after hearing two more shots, close together, the car sped up. [2 H 43 (Lane); DMN, 11/23/63; 24 H 520; "The Men Who Killed Kennedy" 1988]. She spoke forcefully about the car almost coming to a stop and the lack of proper reaction by the Secret Service in 1993. [C-SPAN, 11/20/93, "Journalists Remember The Kennedy Assassination"; see also the 1/94 "Fourth Decade": article by Sheldon Inkol];

32) AP photographer James Altgens---"He said the President's car was proceeding at about ten miles per hour at the time [of the shooting]…Altgens stated the driver of the Presidential limousine apparently realized what had happened and speeded up toward the Stemmons Expressway." [FBI report dated 6/5/64; "Photographic Whitewash" by Harold Weisberg (1967), p. 203] "The car's driver realized what had happened and almost if by reflex speeded up toward the Stemmons Expressway." [AP dispatch, 11/22/63; "Cover-Up" by Stewart Galanor (1998), Document 28];

33) Alan Smith---"…the car was ten feet from me when a bullet hit the President in the forehead…the car went about five feet and stopped." ["Chicago Tribune", 11/23/63, p. 9; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 71];

34) Mrs. Ruth M. Smith---confirmed that the Presidential limousine had come to a stop. [CD 206, p. 9; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 97];

35) TSBD Supervisor Roy Truly---after the first shot "…I saw the President's car swerve to the left and stop somewheres down in the area…[it stopped] for a second or two or something like that…I just saw it stop." [3 H 221, 266];

36) L.P. Terry---"…The parade stopped right in front of the building [TSBD]." ["Crossfire" by Jim Marrs (1989), p. 26];

37) Ochus V. Campbell---after hearing shots, "he then observed the car bearing President Kennedy to slow down, a near stop, and a motorcycle policeman rushed up. Immediately following this, he observed the car rush away from the scene." [22 H 845];

38) Peggy Joyce Hawkins---she was on the front steps of the TSBD and "…estimated that the President's car was less than 50 feet away from her when he was shot, that the car slowed down almost coming to a full stop." ["Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 97];

39) Billy Lovelady---"I recall that following the shooting, I ran toward the spot where President Kennedy's car had stopped." [22 H 662];

40) An unnamed witness---from his vantage point in the courthouse building, stated that "The cavalcade stopped there and there was bedlam." ["Dallas Times Herald", 11/24/63; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 97];

41) Postal Inspector Harry Holmes (from the Post Office Annex, while viewing through binoculars)---"…The car almost came to a stop, and Mrs. Kennedy pulled loose of him and crawled out over the turtleback of this Presidential car." [7 H 291]. He noticed the car pull to a halt, and Holmes thought: "They are dodging something being thrown." ["The Day Kennedy Was Shot" by Jim Bishop (1967), p. 176];

42) Peggy Burney---she stated that JFK's car had come to a stop. ["Dallas Times Herald", 11/24/63; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 97; interestingly, during the 11/20/93 C-SPAN "Journalists Remember" conference, Vivian Castleberry of the Dallas Times Herald made the claim that her first cousin, Peggy Burney, was Abraham Zapruder's assistant "and was next to him when he shot his famous film. She called and said, 'Vivian, today I saw the President die.'"!---See Sheldon Inkol's article on this conference in the January 1994 "Fourth Decade"];

43) David Broeder--"…The President's car paused momentarily, then on orders from a Secret Service agent, spurted ahead." ["Washington Evening Star", 11/23/63, p. 8];

44) Sam Holland---stated that the Presidential limousine slowed down on Elm Street. [taped interview with Holland conducted in April, 1965];

45) Maurice Orr---noted that the motorcade stopped. [Arch Kimbrough, Mary Ferrell, and Sue Fitch, "Chronology", unpublished manuscript; see also "Conspiracy" by Anthony Summers, pages 20 & 23];

46) Mrs. Herman (Billy P.) Clay---"…When I heard the second and third shots I knew someone was shooting at the President. I did not know if the President had been hit, but I knew something was wrong. At this point the car President Kenedy was in slowed and I, along with others, moved toward the President's car. As we neared the car it sped off." [22 H 641];

47) Mrs. Rose Clark---"…She noted that the President's automobile came almost to a halt following the three shots, before it picked up speed and drove away." [24 H 533];

48) Hugh Betzner---"…I looked down the street and I could see the President's car and another one and they looked like the cars were stopped…then the President's car sped on under the underpass." [19 H 467];

49) John Chism---after the shots he saw "the motorcade beginning to speed up." ["Crossfire" by Jim Marrs (1989), p. 29];

50) Bill Newman---after the fatal head shot "the car momentarily stopped and the driver seemed to have a radio or phone up to his ear and he seemed to be waiting on some word. Some Secret Service men reached into their car and came out with some sort of machine gun. Then the cars roared off…"; "I've maintained that they stopped. I still say they did. It was only a momentary stop, but…" ["Crossfire" by Jim Marrs (1989), p. 70; "Murder From Within" by Fred Newcomb & Perry Adams (1974), p. 96] "I believe Kennedy's car came to a full stop after the final shot." ["JFK: Breaking The Silence" by Bill Sloan (1993), p. 169] "…I believe it was the passenger in the front seat [Roy Kellerman]---there were two men in the front seat---had a telephone or something to his ear and the car momentarily stopped. Now everywhere that you read about it, you don't read anything about the car stopping. And when I say "stopped" I mean very momentarily, like they hit the brakes and just a few seconds passed and then they floorboarded [sic] and accelerated on." [11/20/97 videotaped interview with Bill Law, Mark Row, & Ian Griggs, as transcribed in "November Patriots" by Connie Kritzberg & Larry Hancock (1998), p. 362] "One of the two men in the front seat of the car had a telephone in his hand, and as I was looking back at the car covering my son, I can remember seeing the tail lights of the car, and just for a moment they hesitated and stopped, and then they floorboarded [sic] the car and shot off." ["No More Silence" by Larry Sneed (1998), p. 96];

51) Charles Brehm---"Brehm expressed his opinion that between the first and third shots, the President's car only seemed to move some 10 or 12 feet. It seemed to him that the automobile almost came to a halt after the first shot…After the third shot, the car in which the President was riding increased its speed and went under the freeway overpass and out of sight." [22 H 837-838];

52) Mary Moorman---"She recalls that the President's automobile was moving at the time she took the second picture, and when she heard the shots, and has the impression that the car either stopped momentarily or hesistated and then drove off in a hurry." [22 H 838-839];

53) Jean Hill---"…The motorcade came to almost a halt at the time the shots rang out and I would say it [JFK's limo] was just approximately, if not---it couldn't have been in the same position, I'm sure it wasn't, but just a very, very short distance from where it had been. It [JFK's limo] was just almost stunned." [6 H 208-209; Hill's testimony on this matter was dramatized in the Oliver Stone movie "JFK" (1991): "The driver had stopped-I don't know what was wrong with that driver." See also "JFK: The Book of the Film" (1992), p. 122. Therein is referenced a March 1991 conversation with Jean Hill.];

54) James Leon Simmons---"…The car stopped or almost stopped." [2/15/69 Clay Shaw trial testimony; "Forgive My Grief Vol. III" by Penn Jones, p. 53; "High Treason" by Groden & Livingstone (1990 Berkley Edition), p. 22];

55) Norman Similas---"…The Presidential limousine had passed me and slowed down slightly." ["Liberty" Magazine, 7/15/64, p. 13; "Photographic Whitewash" by Harold Weisberg (1967), p. 233];

56) Presidential Aide Ken O'Donnell (rode in the follow-up car)---"…If the Secret Service men in the front had reacted quicker to the first two shots at the President's car, if the driver had stepped on the gas before instead of after the fatal third shot was fired, would Presdient Kennedy be alive today? [as quoted in Marrs' "Crossfire", p. 248, based off a passage from O'Donnell & Powers' book "Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye"] On page 40 of O'Donnell's book "Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye", the aide reports that "Greer had been remorseful all day, feeling that he could have saved President Kenendy's life by swerving the car or speeding suddenly after the first shots." Indeed, William E. Sale, an airman first class aircraft mechanic assigned to Carswell AFB and who was stationed at Love Field before, during, and after the assassination, stated that "when the agent who was driving JFK's car came back to Air Force One he was as white as a ghost and had to be helped back to the plane *[undated Sale letter, provided to the author by Martin Shackelford];

57) Presidential aide Dave Powers (rode in the follow-up car)---"…At that time we were traveling very slowly…At about the time of the third shot, the President's car accelerated sharply." [7 H 473-475]. On 11/22/88, Powers was interviewed by CBS' Charles Kuralt. Powers remarked about the remorse Greer felt about not speeding up in time to save JFK"s life and agreed with Kuralt that, if Greer had sped up BEFORE the fatal head shot instead of afterwards, JFK might still be alive today [CBS, 11/22/88---this is a very dramatic and compelling short interview]. If that weren't enough, the ARRB's Tom Samoluk told me that, during the course of an interview he conducted in 1996 in which the Board was in the process of obtaining Powers' film, Powers said that he agreed with my take on the Secret Service!;

58) Texas Senator Ralph Yarborough (rode in LBJ's car)---"…When the noise of the shot was heard, the motorcade slowed to what seemed to me a complete stop (though it could have been a near stop)…After the third shot was fired, but only after the third shot was fired, the cavalcade speeded up, gained speed rapidly, and roared away to the Parkland Hospital."; "…The cars all stopped. I put in there [his affidavit], 'I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings but for the protection of future Presidents, they [the Secret Service] should be trained to take off when a shot is fired." [7 H 439-440; "Crossfire" by Jim Marrs (1989), p. 482; see also "The Men Who Killed Kennedy" 1988: "The Secret Service in the car in front of us kind of casually looked around and were rather slow to react."];

59) First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (rode in the Presidential limousine)---"We could see a tunnel in front of us. Everything was really slow then…[immediately after shooting] And just being down in the car with his head in my lap. And it just seemed an eternity…And finally I remember a voice behind me, or something, and then I remember the people in the front seat, or somebody, finally knew something was wrong, and a voice yelling, which must have been Mr. Hill, "Get to the hospital," or maybe it was Mr. Kellerman, in the front seat…We were really slowing turning the corner [Houston&Elm]…I remember a sensation of enormous speed, which must have been when we took off…those poor men in the front…" [5 H 179-181] Mary Gallagher reported in her book: "She mentioned one Secret Service man who had not acted during the crucial moment, and said bitterly to me, 'He might just as well have been Miss Shaw!'" ["My Life With Jacqueline Kennedy" by Mary Barelli Gallagher (1969), p. 342---Secret Service Agent Marty Venker and Jackie biographer C. David Heymann confirm that this unnamed agent was indeed Greer ("Confessions of an Ex-Secret Service Agent", p. 25; "A Woman Called Jackie", p. 401)] Jackie also told Gallagher that "You should get yourself a good driver so that nothing ever happens to you" [ibid., p. 351]

* William Manchester, who interviewed Greer, tells us what the driver told Jackie on 11/22/63 at Parkland Hospital: "Oh, Mrs. Kennedy, oh my God, oh my God. I didn't mean to do it[?!?!], I didn't hear[who, Kellerman?], I should have swerved the car[how about hitting the gas!], I couldn't help it[!]. Oh, Mrs. Kennedy, as soon as I saw it[?] I swerved. If only I'd seen it in time! Oh!" (Manchester, p.290). 59 witnesses (10 police officers, 7 Secret Service agents, 37 spectators, 2 Presidential aides, 1 Senator, Governor Connally, and Jackie Kennedy) and the Zapruder film document Secret Service agent William R. Greer's deceleration of the presidential limousine, as well as his two seperate looks back at JFK during the assassination (Greer denied all of this to the Warren Commission-2HGREER[see his entire testimony]). By decelerating from an already slow 11.2 mph, Greer greatly endangered the President's life, and, as even Gerald Posner admitted, Greer contributed greatly to the success of the assassination. When we consider that Greer disobeyed a direct order from his superior, Roy Kellerman, to get out of line BEFORE the fatal shot struck the President's head, it is hard to give Agent Greer the benefit of the doubt. As ASAIC Roy H. Kellerman said: "Greer then looked in the back of the car. Maybe he didn't believe me"("The Death of a President" by William Manchester, p.160). Clearly, Greer was responsible, at fault, and felt remorse. In short, Greer had survivor's guilt.

But, then, stories and feelings changed.

Agent Greer to the FBI 11/22/63: "Greer stated that he first heard what he thought was possibly a motorcycle backfire and glanced around and noticed that the President had evidently been hit [notice that, early on, Greer admits seeing JFK, which the Zapruder proves he did two times before the fatsal head shot occurred]. He thereafter got on the radio and communicated with the other vehicles, stating that they desired to get the President to the hospital immediately [in reality, Greer did not talk on the radio, and Greer went on to deny ever saying this during his WC testimony]…Greer stated that they (the Secret Service) have always been instructed to keep the motorcade moving at a considerable speed inasmuch as a moving car offers a much more difficult target than a vehicle traveling at a very slow speed. He pointed out that on numerous occasions he has attempted to keep the car moving at a rather fast rate, but in view of the President's popularity and desire to maintain close liaison with the people, he has, on occasion, been instructed by the President to "slow down". Greer stated that he has been asking himself if there was any thing he could have done to have avoided this incident, but stated that things happened so fast that he could not account for full developments in this matter(!) [the "JFK-as-scapegoat" theme…and so much for Greer's remorse from earlier the same day!]."(Sibert & O'Neil Report, 11/22/63)

Agent Greer to the FBI 11/27/63: "…he heard a noise which sounded like a motorcycle backfire. On hearing this noise he glanced to his right toward Kellerman and out of the corner of his eye noticed that the Governor appeared to be falling toward his wife [notice that Greer now mentions nothing about seing JFK hit---he does the same thing in his undated report in the WC volumes (18 H 723)] He thereafter recalls hearing some type of outcry after which Kellerman said, "Let's get out of here." He further related that at the time of hearing the sound he was starting down an incline which passes beneath a railroad crossing and after passing under this viaduct, he closed in on the lead car and yelled to the occupants and a nearby police motorcyclist, "Hospital, Hospital! [nothing about using the radio this time out]" Thereafter follows a complete physical description of Greer, as if the FBI agents considered him a suspect, inc. age, height, and color of eyes! (Sibert & O'Neil Report, 11/29/63)

Critical excerpts from Greer's 3/9/64 Warren Commission testimony before Arlen Specter:

Mr. Specter.

Were you able to see anything of President Kennedy as you glanced to the rear?

Mr. Greer.

No, sir; I didn't see anything of the President, I didn't look, I wasn't far enough

around to see the President.

Mr. Specter.

When you started that glance, are you able to recollect whether you started to

glance before, exactly simultaneously with or after that second shot?

Mr. Greer.

It was almost simultaneously that he had--something had hit, you know, when I

had seen him. It seemed like in the same second almost that something had hit,

you know, whenever I turned around. I saw him start to fall.

Mr. Specter.

Did you step on the accelerator before, simultaneously or after Mr. Kellerman

instructed you to accelerate?

Mr. Greer.

It was about simultaneously.

Mr. Specter.

So that it was your reaction to accelerate prior to the time--

Mr. Greer.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Specter.

You had gotten that instruction?

Mr. Greer.

Yes, sir; it was my reaction that caused me to accelerate.

Mr. Specter.

Do you recollect whether you accelerated before or at the same time or after the

third shot?

Mr. Greer.

I couldn't really say. Just as soon as I turned my head back from the second shot,

right away I accelerated right then. It was a matter of my reflexes to the

accelerator.

Mr. Specter.

Was it at about that time that you heard the third shot?

Mr. Greer.

Yes, sir; just as soon as I turned my head

[…]

Mr. Specter.

To the best of your current recollection, did you notice that the President had

been hit?

Mr. Greer.

No, sir; I didn't know how badly he was injured or anything other than that. I

didn't know.

Mr. Specter.

Did you know at all, from the glance which you have described that he had been

hit or injured in any way?

Mr. Greer.

I knew he was injured in some way, but I didn't know how bad or what.

Mr. Specter.

How did you know that?

Mr. Greer.

If I remember now, I just don't remember how I knew, but I knew we were in

trouble. I knew that he was injured, but I can't remember, recollect, just how I

knew there were injuries in there. I didn't know who all was hurt, even.

Mr. Specter.

Are you able to recollect whether you saw the President after the shots as you

were proceeding toward Parkland Hospital?

Mr. Greer.

No; I don't remember ever seeing him any more until I got to the hospital, and he

was lying across the seat, you know, and that is the first I had seen of him.

Mr. Specter.

Your best recollection is, then, that you had the impression he was injured but

you couldn't ascertain the source of that information?

Mr. Greer.

Right. I couldn't ascertain the source.

Warren Commission finding: "The driver, Special Agent William R. Greer, has testified that he accelerated the car after what was probably the second shot...The Presidential car did not stop or almost come to a complete halt after the firing of the first shot or any other shots."(WC Report, page 641)

11/19/64 interview with "Death of a President" author William Manchester [RIF#180-10116-10119]---"After the second shot I glanced back. I saw blood on the Governor's white shirt, and I knew we were in trouble. The blood was coming out of his right breast. When I heard the first shot, I had thought it was a backfire. I was tramping on the accelerator and at the same time Roy was saying, let's get out of here fast."

But remember what Roy Kellerman said: "Greer then looked in the back of the car. Maybe he didn't believe me"("The Death of a President" by William Manchester, p.160).

2/28/78 HSCA interview [RIF#180-10099-10491]---"The first shot sounded to him like a backfire. He did not react to it. After the second shot he turned to his right and saw blood on Governor Connally's shirt. At the same moment he heard Kellerman say "We're hit. Let's get out of here," or words to that effect. He said he immediately accelerated and followed the pilot car to Parkland Hospital [However, DNC Advance man Jack Puterbaugh, who rode in the pilot car, said they "pulled over and let the motorcade pass" (HSCA interview 4/14/78). The Washington Post from 2/28/85 reported Greer as saying that "I just looked straight ahead at the car in which the police chief was leading our way to the hospital"---this is the lead car. Nevertheless, the Daniel film and still photos depict the limousine AHEAD of the lead car, as it appear it was the lead motorcyclists who actually guided Greer to Parkland! (see pp. 21-22 and 59 of "The Third Alternative" by the author)]

Bill Greer passed away from Cancer on 2/23/85.

The End?---

From a 9/17/91 interview with Bill's son Richard:

When asked, "What did your father think of JFK," Richard did not respond the first time. When this author asked him a second time, he responded: "Well, we're Methodists..and JFK was Catholic..." (Bill Greer was born and raised in County Tyrone, Ireland; 2 H 112 - 113)

"My father certainly didn't blame himself; it's not one of those things - if only I was driving one mile per hour faster

"My father had absolutely no survivor's guilt...he figured that events were kind out of their control...it was pretty common knowledge that a person riding in an open car was subject to a bullet at any time..."

The End.

**********************

Conspiracy Beliefs (and Denials) In High Places

By Vince Palamara

"You're never going to satisfy everybody…on something like that [the Kennedy assassination]. The experts disagree among themselves. Some will be satisfied with an answer; others won't."-

Behn's JFK Library Oral History, 2/24/76, p. 9

For some, their conspiracy beliefs (and denials) are remarkably consistent. For others, they are not. The following is a listing of the more prominent conspiracy believers and non-believers alike, as well as those who straddled the fence, so to speak. Keep an open mind, remember the context of the times, and weigh and consider the ramifications.

Secret Service Chief James J. Rowley:

-"Ten hours after the assassination, Secret Service Chief James Rowley knew that there had been three gunmen, and perhaps four, firing in Dallas that day…Robert Kennedy, who had already interrogated [Roy] Kellerman, learned that evening from Rowley that the Secret Service believed the President had been the victim of a powerful organization."

["Farewell America" by James Hepburn (pseud.), 1968, page 301; see also "High Treason" by Livingstone & Groden, 1998 edition, p. 128]

A change of heart for Rowley?---

"We had no credible information that there was a conspiracy."

[Rowley's LBJ Library Oral History, 1/22/69, p. 17; Rowley offered no opinion, one way or another, during his Truman Library Oral History, dated 9/20/88, nor during his interview with the author on 9/27/92. This probably was his last interview: Rowley passed away 11/1/92 ("Washington Post", 11/2/92)]

Secret Service Special-Agent-In-Charge (SAIC) of White House Detail (WHD) Gerald A. Behn and Dallas Office SAIC Forrest V. Sorrels:

-"Forrest Sorrels was on the telephone with Jerry Behn, discussing how the Ruby-Oswald connection could be quickly uncovered. Behn said, "It's a plot." Sorrels said, "Of course."

["The Death of a President" by William Manchester, 1988 edition, page 528. Manchester interviewed Behn once (12/18/64) and Sorrels twice (8/26/64 & 9/24/64)]

variation on a theme---

-"…later on the telephone Jerry Behn remarked to Forrest Sorrels (head of the Dallas Secret Service) 'It's a plot.' 'Of course,' was Sorrel's reply."

["Farewell America" by James Hepburn (pseud.), 1968, page 301; see also "High Treason" by Livingstone & Groden, 1998 edition, p. 128]

"I looked towards the top of the terrace to my right as the sound of the shots semed to come from that direction."

[sorrels' report dated 11/28/63: 21 H 548]

According to Orville Nix, a Dealey Plaza eyewitness who filmed the assassination and who was a good friend of Sorrels (Nix was an air-conditioning repairman for the General Service Administration in the Dallas Secret Service Building), Sorrels told him that the shots came from the grassy knoll.

["Rush To Judgment" film by Mark Lane; see also "Who's Who in the JFK Assassination" by Michael Benson, 1993, p. 314]

A change of heart for Behn?--

"I'm convinced that the Warren Commission report was accurate. As far as I'm concerned, that was it. Oswald was the one guy that did it, and he had enough skill and enough luck to pull it off successfully."

[behn's JFK Library Oral History, 2/24/76, p. 7; Behn offered no opinion, one way or another, during his 3 phone conversations with the author on 9/27/92. Behn passed away 4/21/93 ("Washington Post", 4/23/93)]

Sorrels, too?--

"He stated that he had no doubt that the shots came from the area of the TSBD, especially after he heard Chief Curry say, "Get those cars out of here and surround the building.""

[HSCA interview with Sorrels, 3/15/78: RIF# 1801007410392]

and

"As far as I am concerned that's a closed incident."

[sorrels to Dallas Morning News reporter Earl Golz, 8/20/78 (Golz notes, AARC); "DMN", 8/27/78. Interestingly, in the same article, Golz states that "All but one of Sorrels' six Dallas agents in 1963 submitted reports of their wherabouts the day of the assassination…Elmer Moore, the agent who did not submit a report, said he was in San Francisco and did not return to Dallas to join the investrigation until a week later." However, TWO other agents from the Dallas office, Mike Howard and the late Charles Kunkel (deceased 6/27/92), ALSO did not submit reports. For his part, Howard claimed in a lecture in Feb. 1999 that he was at the Hotel Texas cleaning up when the shooting occurred and that Kunkel was in Washington, D.C on an unspecified investigation at the time. Howard and Kunkel's whereabouts remain unverified. ("Austin American-Statesman", 6/29/92)]

and

"The Warren Report stands."

[sorrels to Palamara, 1/28/92 & 9/27/92. Sorrels passed away 11/6/93]

SAIC of the Protective Research Section (PRS) Robert I. Bouck:

"Mr. Bouck stated that his personal opinion was that although Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin, he did feel that there was a conspiracy."

[ARRB interview with Bouck, 5/2/96; see also "High Treason", 1998 edition, page 433. Although Bouck does not offer an opinion on the matter during his JFK Library Oral history, dated 6/25/76, Bouck echoed the above sentiments to the author, among other things, on 9/27/92]

ASAIC (#2) of WHD Floyd M. Boring:

"…I concur 100 % with the Warren Report."

[boring's JFK Library Oral History, 2/25/76, RELEASED JAN. 1998 via efforts from the author]

"…I would go with the Warren Commission's report."

["Mortal Error" by Bonar Menninger, 1992, page 233]

"…Mr. Boring made clear during the interview that he felt Lee Harvey Oswald had shot President Kennedy acting alone, and that there was no shot from the grassy knoll."

[ARRB interview with Boring, 9/19/96 (MD259). The ARRB interviewed Boring based off the author's persistent efforts. For what it's worth, Boring stated no position on the matter, one way or the other, during his Truman Library Oral History dated 9/21/88, or during his three contacts with the author, 9/22/93, 3/4/94, and 11/22/97]

ASAIC (#3) of WHD Roy H. Kellerman and SA William R. Greer:

"…there have got to be more than three shots, gentleman."

[among other provocative things said to the Warren Commission on 3/9/64: 2 H 78]

"Well…[laughs]…we didn't do any of the shooting. I think they'll be talking about this assassination 100 years from now…[regarding the Warren Report] That's the way I'd keep it."

[Kellerman interviewed on Canada's CFTR radio in 1976, responding to the allegations---from Newcomb & Adams--- that one of the agents from the front seat fired the fatal shot!]

"Enroute to the hospital, Bobby Kennedy said to Kellerman: "…did you hear they caught the fellow who did it." Kellerman said: "Good." Admiral Burkley was virtually sitting on Kellerman's lap, but Kellerman is not certain that Burkley heard Bobby Kennedy's comment." (Also, Kellerman's drawing of the head wounds depicts a large opening on the back of the head, as well as a smaller opening, also on the back of the head.)

[HSCA interviews with Kellerman, 8/24 & 8/25/77]

"She [Kellerman;'s daughter] hopes the day would come when these men [Kellerman & Greer] could say in public what they told their families."

[3/92 letter to the author from Harold Weisberg, recounting a 1970's contact he had with one of Kellerman's two daughters; see also "JFK: The Medical Evidence Reference" by Vince Palamara, 1998, p. 108. Roy Kellerman passed away 3/84 and Bill Greer passed away 2/85. The author also interviewed Greer's son Richard 9/17/91, 10/7/91, and 9/23/92.]

"Roy accepted that there was a conspiracy"/ "I'll accept that."

[June Kellerman, Roy's widow, interviewed by the author 3/2/92 & 9/27/92; see also the Dec. 1994 issue of "Vanity Fair" magazine, p. 88: article by Anthony & Robbyn Summers. This info. was provided to both of them earlier in 1994]

"He was puzzled about the single bullet (399) theory. He could not see how one bullet could have caused both Kennedy and Connally such extensive wounds."

[HSCA interview with Greer, 2/28/78: RIF # 180-10099-10491]

SA Clinton J. Hill (First Lady Detail), rode in follow-up car:

"As I lay over the top of the back seat I noticed a portion of the President's head on the right rear side was missing and he was bleeding profusely. Part of his brain was gone. I saw a part of his skull with hair on it lying in the seat…I observed a wound about six inches down from the neckline on the back just to the right of the spinal column. I observed another wound on the right rear portion of the skull."

[Hill's 11/30/63 report: 18 H 740-745]

"The right rear portion of his head was missing. It was lying in the rear seat of the car. His brain was exposed. There was blood and bits of brain all over the entire rear portion of the car…one large gaping wound in the right rear portion of the head."

[Hill's testimony before the Warren Commission on 3/9/64: 2 H 138-144]

The 1970's---

"There were only 3 shots---one gun, 3 shots."

Interviewer: "Are you satisfied that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone?"

"Completely."

[Mike Wallace's interview of Clint Hill on "60 Minutes", 12/8/75]

The 1990's---

Clint Hill believes that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman.

[or so the narrator for the 1995 History Channel program entitled "The Secret Service", Ike Pappas, states. Although Hill is interviewed at length, he does not actually say this on the program, although he did agree to it during Mike Wallace's questioning back in 1975.]

Edited by Bernice Moore
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Abraham Bolden SS..part 4

SA Samuel A. Kinney, driver of the follow-up car:

"SA Kinney immediately recognized the first sound as that of gunfire, realizing that it was a "shot from over our right shoulder" which hit the President in the THROAT…"While Jackie was setting him back up, Connally turns right, then left then pow, pow. The SECOND shot" (hit Connally and)"left Connally's back open." "The THIRD shot hit the President…SA Kinney finds the idea of conspiracy plausible…"(emphasis added; no mention of any missed shots, as well)

[HSCA interview with Kinney, 2/26/78: RIF#180-10078-10493]

"Sam told me twice that he saw the back of JFK's head come off immediately when the fatal shot struck the President's head (Kinney was watching Kennedy's head-and the rear bumper of the limousine-as a normal part of his duty to maintain a five-foot distance between the follow-up car and JFK's limo, something he did hundreds of times before). Sam told me "it was the right rear-I saw that part blow out." Kinney added that his windshield and left arm were hit with blood and brain matter immediately after the head shot.

Once at Parkland Hospital, Kinney helped remove the President from the back seat of the limousine along with Clint Hill, Roy Kellerman, and Dave Powers, thereby receiving an extremely vivid, close-up look at the wound on JFK's head. "His brain was blown out," Sam said, " there was nothing left !" I pressed further, to which Sam added: "There was brain matter all over the place...he had no brains left in his head…Kinney believes there was a conspiracy, but that Oswald was the lone shooter…"

[10/19/92, 3/5/94, and 4/15/94 interviews with Vince Palamara (“The Third Alternative-Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service and the JFK Murder”, pp. 8-9, 28, 55-56, 78-80,81-82, 110-111). Sam passed away 7/21/97 (letter from Hazel Kinney to author, 11/20/97).]

SA Paul E. Landis, Jr. (First Lady Detail), rode in follow-up car:

"My reaction at this time was that the shot came from somewhere towards the front…"

[Landis' report dated 11/27/63: 18 H 758-759]

""I still was not certain from which direction the second shot came, but my reaction at this time was that the shot came from somewhere towards the front, right-hand side of the road."

[Landis' detailed report dated 11/30/63: 18 H 751-757]

ASAIC of V.P./ LBJ Detail Rufus W. Youngblood, rode in LBJ's car:

Interviewer: "Do you have anything you want to add to that, or any qualifications you want to add to the previous record of events in Dallas?"

"No, I think that it has been very well covered in the Warren Commission and other reports. I have nothing additional."

[Youngblood's LBJ Library Oral History, 12/17/68, p. 24]

"…Do I believe Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, killed the President, and do I believe Jack Ruby, acting alone, killed Oswald. My answer is yes. The Warren Commission, in my opinion, accomplished its mission, and dug deep until it reached the truth."

[Youngblood's book "20 Years in the Secret Service", 1973, p. 177]

The 1990's---

"Him [Jim Garrison] and Marguerite Oswald: two nuts!"

[author's interview with Youngblood, 10/22/92. The author also interviewed Youngblood on 2/8/94. Youngblood passed away 10/2/96 ("Pittsburgh Post-Gazette", 10/4/96)]

ATSAIC of V.P./ LBJ Detail Thomas "Lem" Johns, rode in V.P. follow-up car:

"The first two sounded [shots] sounded like they were on the side of me towards the grassy knoll…"

[HSCA interview with Johns, 8/8/78: RIF# 180-10074-10079]

"Newsday" article by Michael Dorman, 2/99:

Lem Johns, a former assistant Secret Service director in charge of all the agency's protective operations, was an agent riding in the Dallas motorcade. "If you get the tie nicked by a different bullet, you've got a second gunman - simple as that," Johns said. "I've never thought that was out of the question."

DNC advance man Jacob L. "Jack" Puterbaugh, rode in pilot car:

"Puterbaugh said he has some doubts about the validity of the Warren Commission's findings, since "the ballistics stuff doesn't add up.""

[Larry Haapanen's interview with Puterbaugh, 9/5/70 (transcript provided to the author)]

The 1990's---

Puterbaugh had no comment to make, one way or another.

[1/3/98 letter to Vince Palamara]

SAIC of Miami Office John A. Marshall:

"Twice during the interview, Mr. Marshall mentioned that, for all he knew, someone in the Secret Service could possibly have been involved in the assassination. This is not the first time an agent has mentioned the possibility that a conspiracy existed, but it is the first time that an agent has acknowledged the possibility that the Secret Service could have been involved."

[HSCA interview with Marshall, 2/22/78: RIF#1801007410393]

SA Abraham Bolden, Chicago Office:

Abe is a firm believer in a conspiracy AND in Secret Service negligence. Also, Abe is adamant that there was a plot to kill JFK in Chicago in early November, 1963. I spoke to Bolden twice and corresponded at length with him between 1993 and the present.

Bolden is currently working on his own book with his wife.

SAIC Maurice G. Martineau:

Abe's boss in the Chicago office (and certainly no friend of Bolden's, as Martineau made clear to the author), Martineau was equally adamant to me that a conspiracy took the life of President Kennedy. He also told me he finds the work of the HSCA much more valid than that of the WC. However, when it comes to info. on the Chicago

plot, Martineau is afraid to give me details to this day.

John Norris:

A member of the uniformed division of the Secret Service, Norris is a fervent believer in a conspiracy, although one gets the impression this is more based on his beliefs than actual knowledge, but I could be mistaken. Still, his views and beliefs are important for obvious reasons [see also "JFK: Breaking The Silence" by Bill Sloan (1993)].

Admiral George G. Burkley:

HSCA [RIF#180-10086-10295]

FROM: RICHARD SPRAGUE

TO: FILE

MEMORANDUM

March 18, 1977

TO : FILE

FROM : RICHARD A. SPRAGUE

William F. Illig, an attorney from Erie, Pa., contacted me in Philadelphia this

date, advising me that he represents Dr. George G. Burkley, Vice Admiral, U.S.

Navy retired, who had been the personal physician for presidents Kennedy and

Johnson.

Mr. Ilig stated that he had a luncheon meeting with his client, Dr. Burkley,

this date to take up some tax matters. Dr. Burkley advised him that although he,

Burkley, had signed the death certificate of President Kennedy in Dallas, he had

never been interviewed and that he has information in the Kennedy assassination

indicating that others besides Oswald must have participated.

Illig advised me that his client is a very quiet, unassuming person, not wanting

any publicity whatsoever, but he, Illig, was calling me with his client's

consent and that his client would talk to me in Washington.

“Reasonable Doubt”, p. 49 (1982 interview by Henry Hurt+letters of 10/6/82 and 10/14/82)---believed that President Kennedy’s assassination was the result of a conspiracy.

According to the 5/31/87 issue of Paul Hoch's newsletter "Echoes of Conspiracy" (vol. 9, No. 1), "Dr. Burkley recently told a relative of his that he did think that Oswald must have been part of a conspiracy, because the way he and his family lived and traveled was indicative of financial support.". Burkley passed away 1/91.

Presidential Aides David F. Powers and Kenneth P. O'Donnell, rode in follow-up car:

7 H 472-474: Affidavit dated 5/18/64---“…the first shot went off…I noticed then that the President moved quite far to his left after the shot from the extreme right hand side where he had been sitting. There was a second shot and Governor Connally disappeared from sight and then there was a third shot which took off the top of the President’s head and had the sickening sound of a grapefruit splattering against the side of a wall. The total time bewteen the first and third shots was about 5 or 6 seconds. My first impression was that the shots came from the right and overhead, but I also had a fleeting impression that the noise appeared to come from the front in the area of the triple overpass. This may have resulted from my feeling, when I looked forward toward the overpass, that we might have ridden into an ambush…"

7/20/87 "Boston Herald"---"we'll never know for sure what happened."

“JFK: The Day The Nation Cried”, 1988---the most detailed (albeit brief) account of the shooting by him on video---does not leave room for a missed shot.

“High Treason”, p. 423 and Groden’s “TKOAP”, p. 205 (refering to O’Neill’s 1987 book “Man of the House”, p.211); “Larry King Live”, 1/20/92 (interview with O’Neill); “Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy” video (1992-O’Neill)---Powers and Kenneth P. O’Donnell told Tip O’Neill that the shots came from the grassy knoll [for his part, O'Donnell said "my reaction in part is reconstruction---is that they came from the right rear."[7 H 468; Powers passed away 3/27/98. O'Donnell passed away 9/9/77.]

Milton T. Wright, Jr., driver of Mayor Cabell's car:

"I don't believe in the conspiracy or more that [sic] one gun theory."

[8/28/98 letter to Vince Palamara]

Evelyn Lincoln:

4/21/91 interview with Harry Livingstone for “High Treason 2”, pp. 435-437---“…I remember coming into Parkland Hospital, and Dr. Burkley telling me that he [JFK] had gone, and Jackie was sitting outside of the place where he was being kept---they were doing the autopsy or whatever they were doing, and I went up to her and tried to console her.”; “I never looked at any of that [the autopsy materials]. Nothing. I kept it, and then Bobby [Kennedy] moved it into another room. It was all sealed up. I never saw any of it…I had no access to it.”; “It was a conspiracy. There was no doubt about that...J. Edgar Hoover was involved in it.”;

“Bloody Treason” by Noel Twyman, p. 831 and

“Assassination Science” by James Fetzer,p. 372: 10/7/94 letter to Richard Duncan---“As for the assassination is concerned [sic] it is my belief that there was a conspiracy because there were those that disliked him and felt the only way to get rid of him was to assassinate him. These five conspirators , in my opinion, were Lyndon B. Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, the Mafia, the CIA, and the Cubans in Florida. The House Intelligence Committee investigation, also, came to the conclusion that there was a conspiracy.”[Lincoln conveyed the same thoughts to Anthony Summers: see “The Fourth Decade” journal, May 1998 issue, p. 14. Evelyn passsed away 5/11/95]

Advance man Marty Underwood (worked on the planning of JFK's Texas tour - specifically, his proposed stops at Houston and Austin):

In an exclusive interview conducted on 10/9/92, the author obtained the following new information [similar in content to what Underwood told "Evening Magazine" on 11/22/88, his only tv appearance]:

- Underwood became "an honorary Secret Service agent" and served under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. While with LBJ, he became the "aide in charge of the Secret Service." The advance man confirmed to this author that JFK did not restrict agents from riding on the Presidential limousine. Underwood told Harrison Livingstone: "There were so many things that fell through in Dallas. Any advance man who had any sense at all would never have taken him down that route." When Livingstone commented that the route was changed, Underwood added: "Yeah, I know. You don't take a guy down a route like that."("High Treason 2", by Harry Livingstone, page 442)

- FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a file on Underwood and, according to the advance man, Hoover hid the Lee Harvey Oswald file from the Secret Service;

- Underwood stated that the CIA, the FBI, and the mafia "knew (JFK) was going to be hit" on 11/22/63 - this information came from his direct contacts with CIA officer Win Scott, the Mexico City Station Chief during Oswald's visit to that region! In addition, Underwood stated that, eighteen hours before Kennedy's murder, "we were getting all sorts of rumors that the President was going to be assassinated in Dallas; there were no if's, and's, or but's about it." When Underwood told JFK about these disturbing reports, the President merely said, "Marty, you worry about me too much" (indeed, JFK told San Antonio Congressman Henry Gonzalez on 11/21/63: "The Secret Service told me that they have taken care of everything. There's nothing to worry about").

The reason why Underwood opened up to me is best expressed by him: "Everyone who had anything to do with Dallas in any way - Kenny O'Donnell, the Secret Service -they're practically all dead now. I just think people should know the truth."

From ARRB's Final Report, pages 135-136 (see also p.112; as with Floyd Boring, I alerted the ARRB's Tom Samoluk in early 1996 to Underwood, even sending him Underwood's only tv appearance on video, "Evening Magazine" dated 11/22/88 mentioned above]:

"Martin Underwood, a former advance man for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, was a member of President

Kennedy's advance team in Texas

in November 1963. A researcher [GUS RUSSO]who worked with Seymour Hersh on his book, The Dark Side of Camelot, told

the Review Board that Underwood claimed that President Johnson sent Underwood to Mexico City in 1966 or

1967 to see what he could learn about the Kennedy assassination. Underwood allegedly met with Win Scott,

former CIA Chief of Station in Mexico City.

The researcher [GUS RUSSO]provided the Review Board with copies of handwritten notes, on White House stationery,

ostensibly prepared by Underwood and documenting his meeting with Scott. The notes state that Scott told

Underwood that the CIA "blew it" in Dallas in November 1963. On the morning of November 22, the agency

knew that a plane had arrived in Mexico City from Havana, and that one passenger got off the plane and boarded

another one headed for Dallas. Underwood's notes state that Scott said that CIA identified the passenger as

Fabian Escalante.

The researcher [GUS RUSSO]also stated that someone instructed Underwood to follow Judith Campbell Exner on her 1960 train

trip from Washington, D.C., to Chicago, during which she was alleged to have carried money between Senator

Kennedy (the Democratic Party nominee) and organized crime boss Sam Giancana.

The Review Board staff informally interviewed Underwood. Underwood confirmed that he traveled to Mexico

City in 1966, but said that he went to advance President Johnson's trip and not to look into circumstances

surrounding President Kennedy's assassination. While in Mexico City, Underwood met with Scott concerning the

details of President Johnson's trip. During Underwood's meeting with Scott, he said they did discuss President

Kennedy's assassination and that Scott told him the story that the researcher relayed to the Review Board.

When Review Board staff asked Underwood about any notes he may have taken, he initially claimed to have no

memory of any notes. Upon viewing copies of the notes that the researcher [GUS RUSSO] provided to the Review Board,

Underwood said that he had written the notes in 1992 or 1993 for a researcher [GUS RUSSO]to use for Hersh's book.

Underwood explained that the notes are on White House stationery because he has a lot of extra White House

stationery left over from his work with President Johnson.

Underwood could not remember whether he had contemporaneous notes from his meeting with Scott. He also

denied that he followed Judith Campbell Exner on a train and that he had no knowledge about her alleged role as a

courier.

After the informal interview, Underwood forwarded to the Review Board a set of typed notes from his 1966 trip

to Mexico City and his meeting with Scott. The typed notes documented Underwood's activities in Mexico City

and briefly mentioned his meeting with Scott. The notes do not mention Underwood's conversation with Scott

about the Kennedy assassination. Instead, the notes state that Underwood sought Scott's assistance in staging a

big welcome for President Johnson. The Review Board subsequently requested Underwood to testify under oath,

but due to health problems, he was not available. Underwood's notes now are part of the JFK Collection."

Vince Palamara

2/15/99

***************************

New material available for the first time in “Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President” by Vincent Michael Palamara---

1) The primary, first-hand accounts of over 70 former Secret Service agents, White House aides, and family members, many of whom have never spoken publicly before. No other author or government investigative body has successfully interviewed and contacted as many of these men as has author Palamara. No other book has ever examined the conduct of the Secret Service in such voluminous and authoritative detail.

2) The long-standing and wide-reaching myth that President Kennedy was difficult to protect and somehow, directly or indirectly, made his own tragic death easier for an assassin or assassins is exploded for the first time in devastating and authoritative detail.

3) The fraudulent notion that JFK had ordered the agents off the rear of his limousine in Dallas is conclusively debunked. Agents on or near the rear of JFK’s car would have thwarted his death.

4) The popular and widespread myth that President Kennedy personally ordered the bubbletop off his limousine in Dallas is likewise shown to be a convenient exaggeration. An impossible multiplicity of responsibility is painstakingly demonstrated, as are multiple options involving the bubbletop that were not used in Dallas.

5) The premature approval of Kennedy’s speech site in Dallas by members of the Secret Service, over other options, which determined the type of security used for the site, the choice of the route used to get to the destination, and even the speed of JFK’s limousine, is detailed in full.

6) Despite the rabid, right-wing environment in Dallas, it is shown that there were allegedly no threats found by the agency in this troubled city, a seeming impossibility. Like the choice of speech site, this situation likewise determined the level of security---or lack thereof---used for JFK’s mortal trip to the Big D.

7) For the first time ever, an exhaustive account of all the recent prior threats to Kennedy’s life just before the President’s journey to Texas is revealed.

8) Another major discovery by the author is the covert monitor of mortal threats to JFK’s life for the New York, Florida, and Texas trips---the last three major Presidential forays---by two members of the Secret Service’s Protective Research Section. Also, a little-known military intelligence presence is shown to have existed in Dallas on November 22, 1963, yet another probable covert monitor of mortal threats to the President that was covered up after the assassination. Finally, the presence of a CIA agent at the hospital the dying President was taken to is revealed.

9) The presence of unauthorized Secret Service agents in Dealey Plaza, the site of the assassination, is exhaustively documented in devastating detail. Likewise, the media’s reporting of the death of a Secret Service agent the day of the assassination is painstakingly examined. Finally, the untimely death of a Secret Service agent shortly before the Texas trip is revealed in context.

10) The alarming and shocking behavior of perhaps the most important agent connected to the Dallas trip, JFK’s driver, is explored in unprecedented detail.

11) The lack of proper local police and military involvement will be shown to be Secret Service responsibilities and, ultimately, failures. In addition, the strange omission of key members of the Secret Service is duly noted.

12) It is shown that overpasses, buildings, windows, and rooftops were not properly monitored, due to Secret Service negligence (or worse). In addition, the strange conduct of local police and the agents themselves is also noted, along with the ramifications of this behavior. An unprecedented agent-by-agent examination is scrupulously documented with disturbing results.

13) Evidence that the fateful motorcade route Kennedy rode in Dallas was changed at the eleventh hour by the Secret Service is detailed in full. Also, like the speech site, it is conclusively documented that other options---and alternate routes---were available and not used that fatal day in Dallas.

14) The Dallas police plan to use many flanking motorcycles, used to shield the President during the motorcade, was changed shortly before the assassination by the Secret Service. Also, the press and photographers, Kennedy’s personal physician, military aides, and several important vehicles were moved from their normal positions close to JFK at the last minute, again by the Secret Service.

15) It is amply demonstrated by the author that President Kennedy was actually very personable and friendly with the Secret Service and did not interfere with their actions at all. In addition, JFK’s oft-noted obsession with death will be shown to be a byproduct of his knowledge of threats to his life just before Dallas.

16) Evidence of covert security tests and studies, as well as the destruction and altering of crucial documents, evidence, and testimony, is revealed. Also, disturbing FBI-Secret Service fueding is noted in context.

17) A mountain of lies and bureaucratic cover-up is duly noted, along with the ramifications of these falsehoods for the subsequent investigations into the assassination, the conduct of the Secret Service itself, and, ultimately, the writing of accurate history.

18) Disturbing sentiments regarding President Kennedy on the part of several key Secret Service agents is revealed, as well as the justifiable feelings of guilt and responsibility for the President’s death by others. In addition, the suprising conspiratorial beliefs of several former agents are chronicled.

19) Gross negligence and, in some instances, seeming culpability on the part of members of the Secret Service, sworn to protect the life of John F. Kennedy, is detailed with many disturbing ramifications revealed.

20) Whether one views the assassination as the work of a lone unaided assassin---Lee Harvey Oswald---OR the work of a deadly secret cabal, the powerful information in “Survivor’s Guilt” holds up in any case. In fact, it is conclusively demonstrated that, regardless of who or what was ultimately behind the assassination, it was the agents of the Secret Service who bear the heavy burden for President Kennedy’s tragic and untimely murder.

http://barnley.blogspot.com/2005/03/my-profile.html

Apparently Clint Hill after reading Vince's book, is very upset with him to put it mildly ,he says that he is a "bas...." for "inflicting harm on the agency". "and absolutely no good will come from writing about any of this all these years later."

Quote: "Also Clint Hill has recently had a stroke as well as Winston G.Lawson and Frank G.Stoner..Mrs Hill said that he was "greatly distressed", and that Hill was "angry at being lied to that day, as he was only doing his job that day." which has to be in reference to Floyd Boring's orders...and that I was not to call again."

Needless to say Mr. Palamara appears upset now as well....This information was posted by him on the alts..

Thoughts expressed ..."They ,were extremely angry that the Agents of the Secret Service' inflicted harm on the agency' on 11/22/63.. as well as a great loss of belief and respect for 3 great Institutions of our country which they once earned,

1. Political Leadership, 2.Law Enforcement 3: Media...

MY LETTER TO CLINT HILL

By Vince Palamara 2005

On 6/2/05, the author mailed this lengthy, 22-page letter to former WHD agent Clinton J. Hill (Certified, Return Receipt Requested with a S.A.S.E. to boot) summarizing the entire first chapter of my massively updated and expanded first book “Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President” in great detail.

Mr. Clinton J. Hill 6/1/05

SUBJECT: Lynn Meredith (and colleagues) and PROOF that you are 100% NOT to blame for the actions and inactions of 11/22/63...a couple others must share the burden instead.

Specter: "Now, had there been any instruction or comment about your

performance of that type of a duty with respect to anything President

Kennedy himself had said in the period immediately preceding the trip to

Texas?"

Hill: "Yes, sir; there was. The preceding Monday, the President was on a trip to Tampa, Florida, and he requested that the agents not ride on either of those two steps."

Specter: "And to whom did the President make that request?"

Hill: "Assistant Special Agent in Charge Boring."

Specter: "Was Assistant Special Agent in Charge Boring the individual in charge of that trip to Florida?"

Hill: "He was riding in the Presidential automobile on that trip in Florida, and I presume that he was. I was not along."

Specter: "Well, on that occasion would he have been in a position comparable to that occupied by Special Agent Kellerman on this trip to Texas?"

Hill: "Yes sir; the same position."

Specter: "And Special Agent Boring informed you of that instruction by President Kennedy?"

Hill: "Yes sir, he did."

Specter: "Did he make it a point to inform other special agents of that same instruction?"

Hill: "I believe that he did, sir."

Specter: "And, as a result of what President Kennedy said to him, did he instruct you to observe that Presidential admonition?"

Hill: "Yes, sir."

Specter: "How, if at all, did that instruction of President Kennedy affect your action and - your action in safeguarding him on this trip to Dallas?"

Hill: "We did not ride on the rear portions of the automobile. I did on those four occasions because the motorcycles had to drop back and there was no protection on the left-hand side of the car." (Emphasis added)

(Yet, during Chief Rowley’s Warren Commission testimony, he was asked the following:

Mr. Rankin: “Chief Rowley, I should like to have you state for the record, for the Commission, whether the action of President Kennedy in making these statements was understood by you or properly could have been understood by the agents as relieving them of any responsibility about the protection of the President.”

Mr. Rowley: “No; I would not so construe that, Mr. Rankin. The agents would respond regardless of what the President said if the situation indicated a potential danger. The facilities were available to them. They had the rear steps, they would be there as a part of the screen. And immediately in the event of any emergency they would have used them [emphasis added].” Rowley even added: “Now, if the thing gets too sticky, you put the agent right in the back seat, which I have done many times with past Presidents.”)

Furthermore, on 9/18/96, by my request , the Assassination Records Review Board’s Doug Horne interviewed Mr. Boring regarding this matter. Horne wrote: "Mr. Boring was asked to read pages 136-137 of Clint Hill's Warren Commission testimony, in which Clint Hill recounted that Floyd Boring had told him just days prior to the assassination that during the President's Tampa trip on Monday, 11/18/63, JFK had requested that agents not ride on the rear steps of the limousine, and that Boring had also so informed other agents of the White House detail, and that as a result, agents in Dallas (except Clint Hill, on brief occasions) did not ride on the rear steps of the limousine. MR BORING AFFIRMED THAT HE DID MAKE THESE STATEMENTS TO CLINT HILL, BUT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT RELAYING A POLICY CHANGE, BUT RATHER SIMPLY TELLING AN ANECDOTE ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S KINDNESS AND CONSIDERATION IN TAMPA IN NOT WANTING AGENTS TO HAVE TO RIDE ON THE REAR OF THE LINCOLN LIMOUSINE WHEN IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO DO SO BECAUSE OF A LACK OF CROWDS ALONG THE STREET (Emphasis added).”

I find this admission startling, especially because the one agent who decided to ride on the rear of the limousine in Dallas anyway---and on at least 4 different occasions--- was none other than yourself!.

This also does not address what the agents were to do when the crowds were heavier, or even what exactly constituted a "crowd", as AGENTS DID RIDE ON THE REAR STEPS OF THE LIMOUSINE IN TAMPA ON NOVEMBER 18, 1963 ANYWAY (agents Donald J. Lawton, Andrew E. Berger, & Charles T. Zboril, to be exact)!

Furthermore, as noted above, both your written report and your testimony sure convey a more strict approach than one stemming from an alleged “kind anecdote“. In fact, as mentioned above, you twice stated in your report that you DID NOT RECALL who the agent was who told you, and the other agents, not to ride on the rear of the limousine, yet you named him under oath to Counsel Specter: Floyd Boring.

The deathblow to the Tampa tale: I wrote to former Florida Congressman Samuel Melville Gibbons on 1/7/04 and asked him if he had heard President Kennedy order the agents off the rear of the limousine. Gibbons rode in the rear seat with JFK and Senator George Smathers on the Tampa trip of 11/18/63. Gibbons response in full, dated 1/15/04: “I rode with Kennedy every time he rode. I heard no such order. As I remember it the agents rode on the rear bumper all the way. Kennedy was very happy during his visit to Tampa. Sam Gibbons.”

Furthermore, an amazing document was released in the 1990’s concerning, among many other related topics, the issue of the agents’ presence (or lack thereof) on the limousine. This is a 28-page “Sensitive” memorandum from Belford Lawson, the attorney in charge of the Secret Service area for the HSCA, addressed to Gary Cornwell & Ken Klein dated 5/31/77 and revised 8/15/77. Apparently, Attorney Lawson was suspicious of Mr. Boring, for he wrote on the final page of this lengthy memorandum: “Subject: Florida Motorcades in November 1963…Was Floyd Boring, the Senior SS Agent on the White House detail, lying to SS Agent Hill when he told Hill that JFK had said in Tampa…that he wanted no agents riding upright on the rear bumper step of the JFK limousine? Did JFK actually say this? Did Boring know when he told this to Hill that Hill would be riding outboard on the JFK follow-up car in Dallas on November 22, 1963? Did Boring say this to Ready or Roberts? [Lawson’s emphasis]”

***Floyd M. Boring, Emory P. Roberts, & William R. Greer bear THE burden for the security lapses in Dallas; no one else ...

http://barnley.blogspot.com/2005/03/my-profile.html

****************

Vince Palamara's new book "Survivor's Guilt" if interested is only available from Andy Winiarczk..our book hero, at .

The Last Hurrah Bookshop..

937 Williamsport ,Pa.

17701 U.S.A....Phone and Fax 570/321-1150

www.lasthurrahbookshop.com

or e-mail..

info@lasthurrahbookshop.com

***********************************************************

Secret Service..Chicago : Florida 1963

November 2005.

Abraham W.Bolden Sr.....White House Office and Chicago Office of the Secret Service..

Vince Palamara:

On temporary assignment in June 1961 to the White House Detail..The first

African-American, also the first African-American agent for the Pinkerton Agency. He

entered the Secret Service in October 1960 (59?) and was separated

in May 1964.

"Washington News" & "San Francisco Chronicle" 5/21/64.

" New York Times" 12/6/67.

"Washington News & San Francisco Chronicle" 5/21/64.

"New York Times" 12/6/67.

"Ramparts" magazine 1/19/68, pp/67-68:

"National Tattler" 7/5/70

Source for the 1975 "Chicago Independent " article ,interviewed by

Mark Lane "Rush To Judgment": p.275: as well as Lane's

"A Citizen's Dissent"" p/193.

Bud Fensterwald and Ian Calder interview for the

"Nashville Enquirer" 5/25/68.

and Interviewed by the HSCA 1/19/78.

Bolden is currently working on his own book with his wife..

*************************************

""Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives

In addition, the committee obtained the testimony of a former Secret Service agent, Abraham Bolden, who had been assigned to the Chicago office in 1963. He alleged that shortly before November 2, the FBI sent a teletype message to the Chicago Secret Service office stating that an attempt to assassinate the President would be made on November 2 by a four-man team using high-powered rifles, and that at least one member of the team had a Spanish-sounding name.(61) Bolden claimed that while he did not personally participate in surveillance of the subjects, he learned about a surveillance of the four by monitoring Secret Service radio channels in his automobile and by observing one of the subjects being detained in his Chicago office.(62)

According to Bolden's account, the Secret Service succeeded in locating and surveillance two of the threat subjects who,(63) when they discovered they were being watched, were arrested and detained on the evening of November 1 in the Chicago Secret Service office.(64)

The committee was unable to document the existence of the alleged assassination team. Specifically, no agent who had been assigned to Chicago confirmed any aspect of Bolden's version.(65) One agent did state there had been a threat in Chicago during that period, but he was unable to recall details.(66) Bolden did not link Vallee to the supposed

Page 232

four-man assassination team, although he claimed to remember Vallee's name in connection with a 1963 Chicago case. (67) He did not recognize Vallee's photograph when shown it by the committee. (68)

The questionable authenticity of the Bolden account notwithstanding, the committee believed the Secret Service failed to make appropriate use of the information supplied it by the Chicago threat in early November 1963. ""

http://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/selec...rt/part-1d.html

************************************************************

******************************

Abraham W.Bolden Sr.....White House Office and Chicago Office of the Secret Service..

From Vince Palamara's "Survivors Guilt" updated...2005

The first black member of the SS..member of the WH detail whose appointment came at the instigation of President Kennedy when he appeared in Chicago in 1961..

Mr .Bolden was also the first SS agent ever "dishonorably discharged" which took place not long after the assassination. Sam Kinney stated to the author..

"We never had any bad publicity until Abe Bolden came along."

Chief Rowley told the WC.."This is the first time I remember anything like this happening since I have been in the Secret Service."

Former agent and Chief of White House Signal Corps Col George J. McNally wrote in his book, "The Secret Service for the first time in it's long history had an agent indicted for attempting to sell a government investigation report to a defendant in a counterfeiting case."..(**1**)

In writing several letters to Vince, Mr.Bolden ,pontificated about JFK "a sincere dedicated President who because of his long sufferings was able to feel the agony of others."

Bolden: " I was personally told by SAIC ,Harvey Henderson ,"Your a n.You were born a n.You're going to die a n. So act like a n,"..

(According to former Agent Art Godfrey ,"Harvey Henderson was a shift agent, never a boss or shift leader"..(Letter to author dated, 11/24/97..

Perhaps Bolden meant that Henderson was HIS boss on the shift.)

Other important details that Bolden elaborated on...

"You may ask, why was I not in Dallas in that fateful day of darkness. It is because the Secret Service White House Detail of the 60's was composed basically of new service recruits and entrenched senior agents, five of whom you named in your letter to me, who ran the Secret Service Detail ,under James Rowley ,as if their job was not to protect the President ,but to 'look good' by putting up a front that protection was being afforded . The senior agents were " party people " ( not so with Clint Hill, Ed Z.Tucker or Bob Foster). Who reported for assignment after consuming large quantities of alcohol, and attended lavish sex parties during off duty hours..... agents in Hyannis Port drank heavily the night before, the morning of , and during their Presidential guard assignments with some agents carrying liquor in their tote bags and drinking on duty....

Prior to May 21,1964, no evidence or inquisitions had been made into the conduct of the Secret Service in Dallas on November 22,1963. As I spoke with the newspaper writers and T.V. newsmen on May 20,1964, I knew from experience that the lax attitude concerning protective assignments , the deep disrespect for Kennedy prevalent within the Service, and the propensity to consume hard liquor prior to assignment were the actual murderers of our President.. Oswald did not kill Kennedy....the attitudinal violence of the Secret Service did.!. No one could kill our President without the shots of omission fired by the Secret Service. Observe the feet of ( four )Secret Service agents glued to the running boards of the follow-up car as bullets (sic?) pierce the brain of our President.!!!".(**2**)

"If any person had the ability ,love, and compassion to better the condition of all peoples of America, it was John F.Kennedy. Oft times during my assignment of the White House , he would approach me and ask, "How are

they treating you or "How do you like the detail ?" He introduced me to every member of his cabinet saying, "This is Mr. Bolden. I brought him here to make history and to open the door for his people."

"Before I left the White House Detail (June 1961). I sought an audience with the then Chief of the Secret Service ( U.E. Baughman). I told him in no uncertain terms that (1) the Secret Service Detail was not protecting President Kennedy properly by agents reporting for work in a drunken condition and (2) when the President was assassinated it would be a direct result of laxity by agents around the President..The reply to my assertions.......was that the Secret Service had not "lost" a President in over 20 years and that to a new agent (me) it might appear that security was lax, but everything was covered."..In a follow up letter ,Bolden wrote : "In November 1963,I was in Washington ,D.C. on a super secret mission involving and Internal Revenue Investigation of the members of the House

of Representatives. My contact when I arrived was Mr.Joiner, Chief of Intelligence then for the I.R.S. I arrived in Washington on Nov.8,1963, and left Nov.11,1963, eleven days before Kennedy was assassinated .It was during this time that I discussed the breakdown in security with Chief Rowley in person and it was also at this time that I found out that Chief Rowley had written an article for Reader's Digest (s) Nov.(63) issue stating and outlining how easy it would be to assassinate a President using a high powered rifle.

Some of the copies of the Reader's Digest had already been distributed when Kennedy was assassinated. After the assassination, all copies of that issue were withdrawn and new November issues were printed deleting the "essay" by Chief Rowley .. In the assay, Chief Rowley contended that the weakness within the security of the President was " an assassin perched in the window firing a high powered rifle." You can see how such an article was extremely detrimental to the safety of President Kennedy." Letter to author dated 10/30/93.

Abe Bolden was imprisoned on trumpeted up charges by the Secret Service on trying to sell a government report on a counterfeiting case, is adamant that he was innocent and framed by the Secret Service..An agent from the Chicago office, Conrad Cross, told the HSCA, "he believes Bolden was set up." But did not know by whom..( HSCA interview RIF #180 -10104-10324).

Bolden wrote: "...I surmised that the actual reason for my arrest was due to the fact that Kennedy was assassinated and that I could not be depended upon to keep quiet about my complaints ( of laxity, etc)..regarding the Secret Service."...

The assassination was the darkest days of the Secret Service history and the agency was fearful of loosing their position of being the protector of future Presidents.

Bolden: "You know what I could not understand? I talked to Jim Rowley several times, after I left Washington. D.C..it always puzzled me as to why he let this thing happen to me in Chicago . That bothered me because he impressed me as a fairly decent guy, a fair man it seemed, ...I just can't ...I don't know if this thing that happened ( to me )was over his head or he couldn't stop it because he was the Chief of the Secret Service..I just can't believe that Chief Rowley would let this happen...."

Mr. Bolden also had wished that his fellow agents had been at the trial or at least had read the transcript..

As it did turn out one agent WAS at Bolden's trial (both of them in fact)..

Louis B.Sims..who was later discovered as being one of the agents who were in charge of maintaining the elaborate eavesdropping operation for the Nixon, White House..and changing the tapes...( RIF #180-10093-10022:HSCA interview with Sims..5/22/78.

Abe Bolden was unaware that Rowley testified to the WC about his case, and in some length...but the WC never called Bolden..J. Lee Ranklin had asked Rowley,"Chief Rowley, have you had any other complaints similar to this in regard to the conduct of the Secret Service agents on the Presidential or White House detail ?".

"We had one in the last month .We had charges leveled at us by an agent of the Secret Service..........Who is currently under indictment, and who will be brought to trial on criminal charges on the 29th of June. And ,for that reason while I have no reluctance to discuss it, I think we should go off the record, because I don't want in any way to prejudice the case..( Bolden) said he was framed . Now, he said he was framed because he was prepared to go before your Commission, Sir, to testify about this thing that happened 3 years ago ,and in the charges he said he advised me ,as well as others ,and nothing was done. He said he was framed for this reason....He had never made any complaint to me. It came as a complete surprise." ( WC 5 H 454-455, 457-458).

Considering that the charges that Bolden had made in 1962...to Chief Baughman it is easy to see why Rowley could make this statement..But Rowley made no mention of Bolden's claim to having spoken with him in early Nov. 1963, when he was in Washington....

Rowley continued.."Now, in order to determine their ability and fitness for assignment ,since some people are better criminal investigators than they are at protection work, we have an orientation program, which includes duty on the White House detail..Mr. Bolden was one of the men selected to come in the summer of 1961.He was also a replacement for some regular agent on the detail who was on leave..It was a 30 day assignment. This afforded us an opportunity to observe him, determine whether he was equipped and so forth. And he was on the White House detail for this short period of time. The time that he describes was a five day weekend up at Hyannis Port....

Before he left his detail assignment, you see, he alleges that he told me about the condition that was going on up in Hyannis...When he left to return to his office in Chicago......The fact is he never informed me..He never informed any of his supervisors or anyone on the detail......I found out there was no truth to charges of misconduct. There was 11 charges lodged against us, one, charge, the ninth charge, a part of it is true.The boys did contribute for food. In otherwards up there in Hyannis, when they are up there for a week, or a weekend , they would be assigned to a house, which economically was beneficial to them .One shift, and some of the drivers would be in this house. This house was in a remote area from the shopping area and so forth..So they agreed when they arrived there ,to contribute to buy food for breakfast, it being an 8 to 4 shift. Eight to four meant they would have breakfast there and dinner...One of the agents who enjoyed it as a hobby cooked the meals for them, while the others took care of the dishes ...when they went shopping they bought two or three cases of beer which they had available in the icebox when the men came off duty in the evening.".(.WC 5H 455-457.)

In both his letters and interviews with Palamara, Abe Bolden expressed much interest and suspicion in Harvey Henderson, his "boss" during this time on the White House Detail".. "While in New York on a protective assignment, Harvey Henderson countermanded a direct order from the President ..This occurred in September or October 1963 ( Mr.Bolden may be mistaken the time period may have been mid November 1963...a mere week or so before Dallas )..(**3**)

"The President subsequently had Henderson removed from the detail, this act was very unpopular with Jerry Behn, Emory Roberts, and others on the detail."...

Abe Bolden elaborated on the telephone...with the author..

"Do you know what happened to Harvey Henderson? I heard that he had been relieved of his Detail by President Kennedy himself...Harvey had made some threats like, 'We'll get you'...I understand that he told the President "I'll get you,or something to that effect. ...(it was) no secret that Kennedy wanted him removed from the detail...Harvey was a quick tempered guy who couldn't take the heat..Where is Harvey Henderson at ?I think that you would do well if you could find out where Harvey Henderson was on November 22- can you track him down ? In mentioning the Secret Service credentials present in Dealey Plaza on 11/22/63, Bolden said, in reference to Harvey Henderson ...

" that's the first thing that crossed my mind ..he would have the nerve, the guts ,the anger, the craziness, the instability..I'm not saying he was in Dallas, but I'm saying that it would be something to look at"..

Harvey Henderson died in 1994 before Vince Palamara could locate and contact him for any comment.....Interestingly regarding a plot to kill Martin Luther King was furnished by Henderson, the ASAIC of the Birmingham Secret Service office ,on 3/11/65, over three years before MLK's murder.

(**4**).

In speaking to two other agents Maurice Martineau, (Mr. Bolden’s superior in Chicago) and Robert Lilley, the name Harvey Henderson, struck a nerve..Martineau spoke nervously :" I knew him...not very well...I didn't have too much contact with him."..

Asked when Mr .Henderson "left" the W.H detail. Lilley said he "would have left .....pause....probably 1962."(**5**)

Former agent Walt Coughlin wrote: "Harvey (The Birmingham Baron) Henderson had left the Detail when I arrived (6/62.).but I recall he was there for most of the 1950s.. ( Undated letter to author received 2/21/04)...Walt later added ,"Harvey Henderson he ( Bolden) is probably rite (sic) about ".

In contrast ,former agent Gerald Blaine who claims to have been on Bolden's temporary shift at the White House,wrote on 6/12/05: "I don't remember anybody on the detail that was racist .Merit was perceived by a person's actions ,their demeanor ,reliability, dependability and professional credibility ...not race!...Harvey was not even on the shift that Bolden was during his thirty days stay. Even though Harvey Henderson was from Mississippi, I never heard of him discriminating nor demeaning anyone because of race."

Darwin Horne wrote:"Harvey Henderson was on the detail from about 1952 to about 1960 and then went ro Birmingham."'( E-mail to author dated 2/22/04)..Former V.P. L.B.J agent Jerry Kivett wrote "I knew Harvey Henderson but do not know when he served on the White House detail .Probably late 50's to early 60's."( letter to author dated 2/18/04).

Oliver Stone consultant Gus Russo told the author in 92..that Mr.Bolden told him that Agent Robert Lilley" was either privy to the assassination or had foreknowledge. " When asked Bolden if this was true, he nervously said :

"(pause)....I don't recall right at this moment.......I don't recall right at this moment."..........

Lawyers John Hosmer, Sherman Skolnick, Bernard Fensterwald & Mark Lane were convinced that Abe Bolden was framed on wrongful charges. Also, Sen.Sam Irving (later of Watergate fame), Sen.Edward Long, Asst. Att.Gen.Fred Vinson, and U.S. Att. Edward Hanrahan were involved in the Bolden case....Abe Bolden told Palamara that "The Secret Service office here in Chicago knows there was no crime committed ...they absolutely know that there was no crime committed." his attorney from Springfield, Ill. John Hosner ,believes that "his client was imprisoned as a result of information

he has about the assassination."..( AARC files provided to the author by

researcher Bill Adams)...

Bolden retained Attorney Hosner because he "knew how the government worked."

In a letter to Josiah Thompson dated 12/26/67, Att.Hosner outlined his case:

"Some peculiar and remarkable things happened before and during the trial...three SS informers were the witnesses against Bolden..

One of whom

Joseph Spagnoli ,later in his own trial ,admitted perjury at the behest of the Government, and Bolden's, alleged co-conspirator, a man he had arrested twice ( Frank W.Jones) was never brought to trial..the "shaft " was put to Bolden by the Secret Service and the Government ."...

In prison 3/14/68, in a letter ,Abe Bolden summed it up to Senator Long:

" I was kidnapped, denied an attorney ,convicted on perjury evidence and suborned by the government ,convicted by methods used by the trial judge

that suppressed (sic) evidence favorable to the defense, and perjury admitted during the trial by government witnesses was suppressed (sic) from the jury."

He added, " U.S. District Judge J.Sam Perry instructed the jury , while that jury was in deliberation ,that 'In my opinion, the evidence shows the defendant to be guilty of counts 1,2 and 3 in the indictment .'

To give any personal opinion to a deliberating jury, by anyone, is clearly a violation of law called jury tampering.

Yet, after a mistrial was declared in the 1st trial, this same Judge J. Sam Perry( with opinion) intact heard the 2nd trial.. Moreover he was upheld by the 7th Circuit Court U.S.Court of Appeals who ruled that such opinions do not show prejudice on the part of the Judge..Then what would he have to do to show prejudice? Lynch me? This charge by a Judge has never been used by a Caucasian Judge against a Caucasian defendant !..".....

" Then how did the government case against me initiate?..On or about May 11,1964. Frank W.Jones ,a counterfeiter of U.S.currency who had been twice arrested by me and who at that time had a case pending in the Federal District Court due to my investigations, called J.Lloyd Stocks (Acting Assistant Special Agent in Chicago of the Chicago office.) Jones wanted to talk to an agent about information he had concerning another counterfeiting ring. According to Stocks, Jones was afraid of going to jail and wanted to co-operate with the SS...Stocks called me into the office on May 11, 1964 and assigned me to interview Jones. I vigorously protested to Stocks because

(1) I had arrested Jones and was to be chief witness against him as the counterfeiting plant was discovered by me in his home during a set raid.

(2) Jones could be setting me up to be killed or otherwise harmed and

(3) I was leaving the SS School on May 16,1964 and there was no time to develop Jones as an informant. Both Acting Assistant SA in Charge Maurice G. Martineau and Acting Asst. SA in Charge J.Lloyd Stocks overruled my objections and I was told to meet with Jones or resign...I met Jones at his home at approximately 11 AM on May 11/64..Jones purported to have information concerning the "Dagos" ( Joseph Spagnoli et. Al .counterfeiting band case) who was arrested on our about May 6/64. I was one of the arresting officers in that case also..After speaking with Jones for about a 1/2 hour while parked in a SS vehicle in front of Jones' home, Jones and I went to a McDonald's restaurant where I exited the car leaving Jones seated inside.

Later I dropped off Jones at home and drove back to the SS office, 219 South Dearborn in Chicago. I reported the conversation with Jones to ASAIC Martineau………. Mr.Martineau stated over my objections for the same reasons listed above, that Jones should be developed as an informant and Mr.

Martineau issued Jones an informant number by which he was to be reffered in any subsequent reports....Jones called me at my home on the night of the 11th and told me he had met with some Dagos and that these Dagos dealt in " a lot of suits" .He stated that one of them, Joe, was to call him and that he would get a lot of good information from Joe.."

"The next day, May 12/64, I met Jones at his home about 10AM Jones reiterated his confusing story stating that the counterfeiting plates for the $100.00 bonds were in the hands of "Slim" and we could buy them for

$50,000. I immediately drove to the SS office and told ASAIC Martineau what Jones said. I also took that opportunity to dictate my reports on this matter to June Marie Terpinas ,secretary for the SS..Mr. Martineau agreed that it appeared that Jones was leading us on a wild goose chase and interested only in helping himself. I was instructed to stay away from Jones and discontinue the operation. ..Jones called me at the SS office around 2.30pm on May 12/64, I told Jones that "Spagnoli called the boss and stopped all contacts with him." Spagnoli was determined to be the "Joe" referred to by Jones as the Dago..

When the SS arrested me and brought me to Chicago, they charged me with

(1) Solicitation of a bribe..(2) Conspiracy: and (3) Obstruction of Justice based upon the allegations that I had sent Jones to Spagnoli to solicit a $50,000 bribe. For this bribe, Spagnoli was to receive an onionskin copy of a SS report detailing the government's case against Spagnoli and 6 other defendants."

"During the trial, it was brought out that I in fact was given an onionskin report to review and pass on to Agent Conrad Cross .Cross also worked on the Jones case with me. It was further affirmed that I in fact gave the Spagnoli onionskin report to Agent Cross while inside the SS office on the morning of May 8/64 Cross further stated that he read and "lost" the onionskin report..

During the trial no onionskin report was introduced into evidence. The only document that pertained to the onionskin was a passage from the report re-typed on bond paper. The name Vito Zaccagnini was misspelled (Zaggacnini) throughout the passage, this could have been the result of someone making a quick reading or writing of the paragraph and reproducing what he thought he saw. According to Mr. Nason, who testified on behalf of the government concerning fingerprints lifted from the excerpt typed on bond paper ,my fingerprints appeared nowhere on the paper. The fingerprints of both Jones and Spagnoli were clearly identified, but there was not one shred of evidence linking me to the excerpt introduced into evidence .... except the testimony of Jones who testified, "he removed the paper from his briefcase and handed it to me (on May 11,1964). There is no documented testimony as to how the onion skin paper changed to bond paper or how I could insert a paper in a typewriter, type the excerpt, remove the excerpt from my briefcase and give it to Jones (while not wearing gloves) and not one hint of my fingerprints were anywhere on the paper.".

After he was charged by the SS and the Gov. on May18/64..he was released on bail on the 19th.....He felt betrayed and angry...a warrant had been issued and the decision had been made that he had in fact committed a criminal act.

He realized that the agency had abandoned him and he had been set up, by Jones, Spagnoli or the SS itself..

He recalled how he had openly derided the agency for blowing the Chicago investigation of an assassination plot against the President in Nov./63..two weeks before he was shot in Dallas.

He felt he had been coerced to meet Jones by the SS and now they were acting as if this was a special deal between Jones and him outside the agency. On May 20th /64 he decided to hit back..where he felt it would hurt the most..

Shortly after Nov.22/63 there were rumours circulating within the agency (which turned out to be true) that the night before ,agents of the detail in Dallas were intoxicated. in a teahouse (sic) .Rumour had it that a few agents had become so intoxicated that one had lost his U.S.Treasury Commission book..The stories inside the agency persisted they they knew whose Identification had been lost or stolen but to admit to such, would place the agency in a bad predicament..

In Jan.65, Joseph Spagnoli, the counterfeiter contacted by his attorney Frank Oliver, Spagnoli admitted in open court that he had committed perjury in the

"Bolden trial" , he produced a yellow sheet of paper that he admitted stealing from the office of the U.S .Attorney during a pre-trial conference.. Judge Perry asked Spagnoli if he understood that he was admitting to perjury to which he replied,"Yes, sir."..He openly confessed that the government attorney Richard Sykes solicited the perjured testimony...The change of the dates appearing on the stolen paper and the change of times of Jones' contact with Spagnoli wrere all in the handwriting of Assistant U.S .Attorney Richard T.Sykes..

An effort to get a hearing on a perjury matter before the Judge Perry, by his attorney Raymond Smith proved to be unsuccessful and the case went to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in 65...During the argument before them the issue of Spagnoli's perjury was brought up..Judge Luther Swygert summoned Attorney Richard Sykes into the courtroom and point blank asked him if he had solicited perjury in the Bolden trial..Sykes reply was..

" Your honor, I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may tend to incriminate me."

""In June 1965, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction noting in a footnote that Spagnoli was “less than forthright in his testimony."

In June 1966, the U.S.Supreme Court refused to grant Certiarori and on

June 25,1966..I commenced to serve a 6 year sentence in custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons ( in Springfield ,Missouri)..

Interestingly ,in the case of Richard Case Nagell, an intelligence agent who knew both LHO (WCD 197,regarding Nagell, says in it's inquiry ;"For the record he would like to say that his association with Oswald was purely social and that he met him in Mexico City and in Texas.)and had allegedly uncovered a plot to kill JFK in advance ,was placed in a cell directly across from Bolton..

Former WHD and Chicago office agent Joseph E. Noonan .Jr. told the HSCA on 4/13/78 that.."he briefly discussed the elements of the Spagnoli case and told us that there was no way that Bolden was going to be able to give Spagnoli files which would really help him with his case. He could only feed him office files and Spagnoli already knew that information. The Secret Service had "turned" Spagnoli's girlfriend and she was the one who set him up. Bolden's case was a sad chapter in the Chicago office of the Secret Service", according to Noonan..

That Bolden had gotten a stiff rap from the judge 6 years, and part of the problem was Bolden's personality. He talked, and angered many people within the SS..with allegations about their laxity in the President's protection functions. Noonan also said " Bolden was too gentle for this job. Abe never wanted to arrest anybody”. However, former agent Bob Lilley said he Bolden was" a good street agent."..(Author's interview with Lilley 9/27/92.).

In the Washington Post on 5/21/64 was the report that ...

" Mr. Bolden who has graduated cum laude from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri ,and won two commendations for cracking counterfeit rings after he joined the Secret Service, said the charge was a 'direct result' of his superiors' learning his intentions to testify before the Commission." Mr Bolden had attempted to contact the Warren Commission's General Council ,J .Lee Rankin in May of 1964 from a White House phone during his stay in Washington to attend a special Secret Service school, the next day..Mr Bolden was charged with attempting to sell a government report .He should have known better his earlier talks with both Chief Baughman in 1961 and Chief Rowley in 1963 went unheeded ,and he was transferred out of the White House Detail and out to the ordinary anti-counterfeiting duty in the Chicago office. This second request for an audience for his testimony was a bad mistake, but Mr. Bolden had information to tell the Commission far more important than laxity of duty and drinking by agents..

When JFK was scheduled to be in Chicago on 11/2/63 for the Army/Air

Force game at Soldier Field, Mr. Bolden was a member of the Chicago office of the Secret Service handling security. As Warren

Edited by Bernice Moore
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Abraham Bolden..part 5

As Warren Swindall noted, "The visit had political implications as JFK 'stood up' Mayor Daley on a similar scheduled visit the previous year, and the President was most anxious to mend his fences before the next years election."

(AARC files provided to the author in 1993 by Jim Lesar ..

The eleven mile parade from O'Hare Airport to Soldier Field caused considerable misgivings to the Secret Service.

1: JFK's Limousine "would pass through a warehouse district which the Secret Service advance men consider ten times more deadly than any building corridor".

( Chicago Independent ,article by Edwin Black, November 1975. During Bolden's 1/9/78 HSCA interview he stated that he was the unnamed informant who supplied information for Black's article. He was not the only source however he used,( i.e HSCA interview of former Chicago Agent Robert J. Motto, etc) Inspector Thomas Kelley also noted the Secret Service's concern regarding warehouses, even those that were partially occupied (3 HSCA 335). Of course, the Texas School Book Depository was a partially occupied warehouse.)..

2: Involve a "slow, difficult left-hand turn".

3: " A difficult 90 degree turn that would slow (JFK) to practically a standstill.

However, prior to the scheduled visit, Chief James J. Rowley himself phoned SAIC Maurice G. Martineau with word that ,via J.Edgar Hoover and the FBI. they had word of an assassination plot involving a four-man team of gunmen. According to Bernard Fensterwald's memo from his interview with Mr.Bolden, "Martineau called in all men in his charge in Chicago and told them of Rowley's call. He also informed them of the following as to this matter,

(1) There were to be no written reports: any information was to be given to Martineau orally..

(2) Nothing was to be sent by TWX (inter-office teletype):

He ( Martineau )was to report only by phone to Rowley , personally.

(3) No file number was to be given to this case .All Secret Service agents in Chicago ( including Bolden) were shown four photos of the men allegedly involved in the plot (of the four, Bolden remembers two names Bradley and Gonzalez." (Memo dated 3/29/68 via AARC: Bolden letter to Congressman Louis Stokes, 1/26/92 (obtained by the author from Bolden).

Mr. Bolden named six other agents involved in the meeting with Martineau:

James S Griffiths, Joseph E. Noonan ,Steven B Maynard , Robert J. Motto,

Thomas D. Strong, and J. Lloyd Stocks( The last three were named and contacted by the Chicago Independent.)

Former agents :

Sam Kinney.(2/26/78 HSCA (RIF#180-10078-10493)

Bill Greer .( 2/28/78 HSCA (RIF #180-10099-104911)

Robert Kollar .( 3/1/78 HSCA (RIF # 180-10071-10163) (at the time of the HSCA hearing ,Kollar was the ASAIC of the Ford Protective Division (12/14/77letter from SS legal Counsel Robert O. Goff to the HSCA's G. Robert Blakey ,RIF #180-101-10218

J. Lloyd Stocks:(4/12/78 HSCA (RIF #180-10104-10326)

Gary M. McLeod:(3/6/78 HSCA (RIF#180-10071-10164)

Robert J .Motto:(12/30/77 HSCA (RIF#180-10087-10190)

Edward Tucker:(1/19/78 HSCA (RIF#180-10070-10276)

David Grant:(2/3/78 HSCA (RIF #180-10082-10451)

James Griffith:(2/1/78 HSCA(RIF #180-10082-10453)

Abraham W .Bolden:(1/19/78 HSCA(RIF #180-10070-10273)

Maurice G. Martineau:(2/1/78 HSCA (RIF #180-10087-10191)

Told the HSCA that this 11/2/63 Chicago trip was cancelled at the last minute..(Strangely, SAIC Jerry Behn told the HSCA on 1/30/78 that he was

"unable to recall anything about the President's cancellation of his planned appearance on (11/2/63).He did not remember hearing about either the trip or it's political purpose.Yet,"He did remember SA Dave Grant was advance agent from the WHD to Chicago for the 11/1 (63.sic) trip. he (also) did remember that Maurice Martineau was the acting SAIC of the Chicago office at the time of the trip." to which one of the HSCA investigators appropriately handwrote in a "?" to end the sentence…

David Grant was the advance agent for the proposed 11/2/63 Chicago trip. Robert L. Kollar assisted Grant in the preparations, arriving in Chicago a week before the start of the trip. One of the SS Shift Reports for 11/2/63 reads, "(Note:Above SA's (ATSAIC/ Shift Leader Emory P.Roberts ,Lubert F. "Burt" deFreeze ,J.Frank Yeagger (In a letter to the Author dated 1/24/04 ,Yeager wrote,"I do not remember a cancellation of a trip to Chicago ,I only remember a cancellation of a trip to Seattle from Chicago during the Cuban missile crisis when we returned to Washington (Oct.62).I don't remember who was in charge that day..Donald J.Lawton, Charles T.Zboril, and William

T.McIntyre) departed Wash. D.C 8.40am. via AAL enroute to Chicago while in air approx. 20 minutes from Chicago ,advised that Pres. cancelled trip returned to Wash. D.C,12.15pm.( USSS Record #1541000110174: ATSSAIC Emory Roberts' report.) The report also notes in addition to Roberts, de Freeze, Yeager, Lawton, Zboril, and McIntyre, ASIAC Floyd M.Boring, and William R. Greer, departed the WH with President Kennedy via two helicopters at 6.05pm for Atoka, Middleburg, VA. the Kennedy residence,

arriving at 6.40pm. Another SS Shift Report notes that Samuel A. Kinney

"arrived Wash. D.C ,Andrews AF base 4.50pm via USAF Plane C-130-2368

from Chicago Ill.( USSS Record # 1541000110173) Mrs. Kellerman told the author on 3/2/92 that Roy's only television appearance was during the Army/

Air Force game, presumably the same one as held on 11/2/63 in Chicago

(based on the context of the conversation). This is the only documentation

for Kellerman's presence on that day : the shift reports do not mention him at all).

"""Bolden wrote to the author :"I do not believe Oswald acted alone because evidence in that there were at least 3 riflemen following the President just 3 weeks before he was assassinated in Dallas."""

Direct and indirect corroboration for Abraham Bolden's accounts of mortal

threats to President Kennedy's life in Chicago, and in general, and the 11/2/63 plot in Chicago , as follows.......

1: HSCA Report "One ( unamed) agent ( Robert Motto) did state there had been a threat in Chicago during that period, but was unable to recall details".(HSCA p: 231 & 636 12/30/77: Doc: 008482.)

2: J.Lloyd Stocks : recalled" something about a guy called Vallee" --that was

Thomas Arthur Vallee , a man arrested apart from this four man team.

(Chicago Police Officer Peter Schurla was interviewed 1/18/78 by HSCA regarding surveillance and early morning arrest of Vallee on 11/2/63 (HSCA RIF #180 -10070-10277) .Stocks also told the HSCA on 4/12/78 that he remembered the Vallee incident but did not take part in the investigation.(agents' Thomas Strong and Ed Tucker handled the case.).(HSCA RIF

# 180-10104-103261)

3: "Martineau said that he was in Chicago when President Kennedy made a visit prior to November 63...He could not recall the precise date.."We got a telephone threat .The caller was not identified, that Kennedy was going to be killed when he got to Jackson Street. We adjusted the routine to rely on the Chicago Police to cover the area. The threat did not materialize ." he said ...We asked Martineau about threats against JFK in (the )Chicago area (for)

November 1963...Martineau visibly stiffened ."I can recall no threat that was

significant enough to cause me to recollect at this time." he said..In contrast to the wealth of detail which flooded his earlier recollections ,his answers became vague and less responsive." ( 2/1/78 HSCA interview with Martineau HSCA RIF #180-10087-101971).

4: Col.George J.McNally,WH Signal Corps (and former SS agent) ..""But

during the Chicago visit (either 10/62 or, most likely,3/23/63) the motorcade

was slowed to the pace of a mounted Black Horse Troop, and the police got a warning of Puerto Rican snipers.Helicopters searched the roofs along the way and no incidents occurred."" (**6**.

5: "A postcard was received in the Saturday morning mail of the Chicago office threatening the life of the President during the (3/23/63) motorcade from O'Hare Field to the Conrad Hilton Hotel." (RIF # 154-100063-10012:

Chicago,IL. trip 3/23/63 SS survey report ..6 motorcycles surrounding the limo, Lawton RIDING on (JFK's side of) REAR of LIMO, Mayor's follow up car with four detectives in ADDITION to SS follow up car ,police FACING crowd

(not JFK) on the route, NO-ONE permitted on Overpass except four policemen guarding them, Press/Photographers Close to JFK..Hatcher with Kilduff, PRS" One threat ( the postcard ). WHD on trip : Grant advance man.. Burke, Pontius, Lilley ,Johnson, Chandler, Giannoules, Lawton, Blaine, Lawson, Olsson, Burns,

Paolella, Godffrey, Boring, Greer, Shipman, O'Leary: Chicago office agents: Hanly, Tucker, Martineau, Plichta, Bolden, Cross, Maynard, Stocks, Gorman,

Noonan, Griffiths, Motto, McLeod, Russell, Strong.

6: FBI agent Thomas B.Coll :"I remember that case. Some people were picked up. And I'm telling you it wasn't ours. That was strictly a Secret Service Affair.The whole Soldier Field matter was a Secret Service affair:...You'll get no more out of me. I've said as much as I'm going to on that subject. Get the rest from the Secret Service."

7: Captain Robert Linsky ( the security liaison between the Chicago Police and the Secret Service), remembered the Vallee arrest.

( Backed up by governments reports on file at the AARC.)

8: Sergeant Lawrence Coffey:"Naturally, I remember every detail...How often is anyone involved in a threat against the President's life."

9: Thomas Arthur Vallee himself:"Soldiers Field, The plot against John F.Kennedy." Mr.Vallee claimed he was framed by someone with special knowledge about him, such as his "CIA assignment to train exiles to assassinate Castro." (Vallee HSCA report P: 231-232..(**7**)

10: PRS Agent Glen A Bennett: ".....remembers the name Vallee but does not recall why."(HSCA 1/30/78: RIF #180-10082-104521.)

11: Agent Joseph E. Noonan, Jr.: "participated directly in surveillance involving TOM MOSELY and HOMER ECHEVARRIA ..he and (the) other agents were uneasy that the Cubans might have some ties to the CIA...

a little later they received a call from Headquarters to DROP EVERYTHING ON MOSELY AND ECHEVARRIA AND SEND ALL MEMOS FILES, AND THEIR NOTEBOOKS TO WASHINGTON AND NOT TO DISCUSS THE CASE WITH ANYONE ." Noonan also knew about the Vallee case.

(HSCA 4/13/78 interview of Noonan Re: Mosely and Echevaria ...12/19/63 USSS report ( Martineau to Paterni ) ( HSCA RIF # 180-10087-10137) 12/13/63 USSS report ( HSCA RIF # 180--10087-10138) See HSCA p:236.)

12: Agent James S.Griffiths: "Griffith(s)stated that the name of Thomas Vallee was familiar and remembers a case concerning VALLEE, but does not remember any of the details."..( HSCA 2/1/78 interview of Griffiths : At the time of the HSCA hearings, Griffiths was the SAIC of the Special Investigation & Security Division (12/14/77 letter from SS Legal Council Robert O.Goff to the HSCA's G.Robert Blakey ,RIF# 180-10112-10218).

13: "Chicago's American",11/26/63:"Daly Diary " by Maggie Daly: "The word is that the assassination of President Kennedy was planned at a meeting on Chicago's West side in the early part of February...That a dissident Cuban group financed Lee Harvey Oswald and that he lived on occasional money from the members and occasional money from his Mother."

( As reproduced in HSCA RIF # 180-10087-10137:) In this same HSCA collection ,there is a reproduction of a "Chicago Daily News" article dated 11/26/63.In the article ,Mrs Ruth Paine the woman instrumental in getting Oswald the TSBD job and who was also maintaining lodging for Marina Oswald & the girls, is quoted as saying, "I understand there are people in the Chicago area who are talking of helping (Marina) too."

14: Agent Edward Z.Tucker: told the HSCA the details of his involvement in the Thomas Arthur Vallee investigation. (HSCA 1/1/9/78 interview RIF #180-10070-10276). Fellow Chicago office agent Conrad Cross told the HSCA " the name Thomas Arthur Vallee was familiar and it was Ed Tucker's case." (HSCA RIF # 180-10104-10324).

15: Agent Gary M. McLeod: told the HSCA that he did recall the name Thomas Arthur Vallee and that Agent Ed Tucker was assigned to the Vallee case that involved guns but does not remember any involvement with the Chicago Police (here McLeod is dead wrong)..Chicago Police Officer Peter Schurla was interviewed 1/18/78 by the HSCA pertaining to surveillance and early morning arrest of Thomas Vallee on 11/2/63 (HSCA RIF # 180-10070-10277) Also, fellow agent Ed Tucker mentions the Chicago police surveillance of Vallee during his 1/19/78.(HSCA interview (HSCA RIF # 180-10070-10276).

16: Again, Agent Robert J. Motto told the HSCA ....( The trip was cancelled. I think they told us at the ( Air Force/Army game at Soldier's Field ) but we decided to watch it anyway. ...When I got back to the office, someone said there had been threats. ( HSCA 12/30/77 interview with Motto RIF # 180-10113-10038).

17: Agent Louis B.Sims: told the HSCA..."...he could not remember dates but that he recalls it could have been any time up to a year prior to the assassination, he was assigned to conduct a surveillance on a subject that was either Puerto Rican or Cuban .He does not remember any specific details other than it involved gun running and it appeared to be a very sensitive investigation. He stated the names Echevarria and Manual Rodriquez were familiar but he couldn't place them..(HSCA 5/22/78 RIF # 180-10093-100221.)

(Emphasis added)..

Myron I."Mike" Weinstein in the "Chicago Independant " article,11/75..it was noted that he was from Minneapolis to aid with the Chicago plot investigation.11/63..During President Fords' administration, Weinstein was the Assistant Director for Inspections..during President Carters', he was also the same..Asst.Dir. for Inspections..( noted by William McIntyre 1/31/78 HSCA interview RIF # 180-10082-10454.)..before he became the Asst.Dir.for Protective Intelligence . Weinstein was then promoted to Deputy Director when Lilburn E."Pat" Boggs retired..during President Reagan's era..

In the 90s ,Weinstein served as Director of Corporate Security for Texas Instruments and was a member of the Overseas Security Advisory Council. ..OSAC...for the Dept of State, with former agents' Radford W.Jones ,Manager Security for the Ford Motor Company..Robert R.Burke, Director of Corporate Service and Security for the Monsanto Co., and Gerald S.Blaine, OSAC Private Sector Representatives for the IBM Corp. and later as Director of International Security..for the ARCO International Oil and Gas Co., Jones, Burke,and Blaine were former JFK, WHD agents in Nov. 1963...( In fact ,Burke and Blaine were on the Austin leg of JFK's doomed Texas trip..)..

And last but not least former agent Charles W."Chuck" Rochner..member of the WHD from the Nixon to Carter, served with the OSAC during his capacity as Vice President of Corporate Security for Cox Enterprises Inc..

Abraham had told the HSCA that the Vallee threat was independent of the four man team, and he told the Author Vince Palamara the same thing.

He added that the confusion was "done intentionally by the government agencies..".

Incredibly David Grant, the man who did the advance for the 11/2/63 Chicago trip, told the HSCA that ..."no information about a threat ever came to his attention from any source including PRS, the local Chicago SS office, and the Chicago P.D...Specifically, Mr.Grant was "not familiar” with the name Thomas Arthur Vallee, a person who was suspected by the Chicago SS to be involved in a threat and who was detained by the SS..Nor could he Grant ,"recall " in the context of this trip other instances of the investigation of a threat or the detention of a person."..(HSCA interview RIF# 180-10082-10451).

Also, Robert Kollar who assisted in the advance, also let it be known to the HSCA that "he has no recollection of any subject named Thomas Arthur Vallee nor does he recall ever being told that he was a "threat" to the President or that Vallee had been taken into custody by the Chicago P.D.

He also stated that he had never heard of any other possible threat to the President in the Chicago area during his advance trip to Chicago ..(HSCA 3/1/78 RIF 180-10071-10163.)

Agent Louis B.Sims, while he told the HSCA some tantalizing information regarding the surveillance (see above)..also said "he had no recall of any threat relative to the Presidential visit to Chicago in April (sic..March )1963.

(HSCA 5/22/78 interview RIF # 180-10093-10022.)

Agent John Ready ."He stated that to his knowledge no trip had ever been cancelled because of a threat ." Recalling a trip in 1972 with Dr.Henry Kissinger involving a threat ,Ready stated :"the only thing changed was the route." (HSCA 3/1/78 interview RIF # 180-10071-10165).

Likewise ,Agent Gary McLeod, stated that he has heard of trips being altered but has never heard of one being cancelled because of a threat..(HSCA RIF # 180-10071-10164)..

However, as Philip Melanson,author, has written.."(President) Nixon was scheduled to visit New Orleans in late Aug.1973, where he was planning to ride in an open car motorcade through the city's French Quarter. The Secret uncovered a purported assassination plot and asked Nixon to cancel the motorcade: reluctantly, Nixon did so, issuing the order personally."(**8**).

The JFK motorcade was cancelled at the last minute, seemingly for two different reasons:

(1)A cold (The same made up alibi JFK gave to Salinger in reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis the year before in Chicago.).(**9**)

(Agent Gary McLeod said JFK having a cold was the reason for the cancellation of the 11/2/63 trip. (HSCA 3/6/78 int. )

While agent David Grant called it an "illness" (2/3/78 HSCA int.)

For his part Agent William Greer could not recall why.(2/28/78 HSCA int.)

SAIC Jerry Behn could not even recall the trip itself.!. (1/30/78 HSCA int.)

Agent Sam Kinney said the reason for the cancellation was " The Cuban Missile Crisis"..obviously confusing the 11/2/63 trip with the 10/62 Chicago trip (2/26/78 HSCA interview.).Finally, when the author talked to Walt Coughlin, former agent..just why the trip was cancelled ,he stated "I have not a clue."..

(2)And the Diem assassination though Salinger himself announced at 9.30am..

a special communications facility was to be constructed under the bleachers at Soldiers Field to keep the President up to date on minute details in coup torn Sth. Vietnam..He stated Kennedy would not cancel the trip..( Chicago Independent.. Nov.75.)

Mr.Vallee had been arrested and was off the streets.,so it would appear obvious that the real reason for the cancellation would be ..the threat of the 4 man team, two of them alluding surveillance and had escaped..!!.

Albraham Bolden managed to get information out into the public domain.

The New York Times documented it for the record on 12/6/67...

Before concluding, the information on Mr.Bolden..it is important to take a look at agents Maurice G.Martineau, and Robert E.Lilley...

Martineau G.Maurice who was the SAIC of the Chicago field office....he was a member of the SS from 1941-1972 and had served some 32 years..(author's interview 9/21/93 & 6/7/96.)..A member of the WHD during President FDR's administration and temporary assignments for President Eisenhower..

Mr.Martineau stated that "Any time they (the White House Detail came thru Chicago (he) worked very close with the advance team from Washington."

Most Important Martineau confirmed that the motorcade was cancelled "at the last minute...I was already out at the airport "..to meet JFK's plane when this occurred ,he said..Mr.Bolden was a touchy subject: "As far as Bolden is concerned, I'd rather not discuss it..He was a blight on the agency."

Martineau also stated that he " was subpoenaed to testify before"..the HSCA ,which he declared, " a lot more valid than the Warren Commission.".HSCA Executive Session 3/15/78 (RIF # 180-10116-10084)..

He believed "there was more than one assassin "..on 11/22/63..stemming from the HSCA report ,also his own role in the investigation, and his extensive experience in firearms (agency and recreational),as well as his own gut feelings on 11/22/63: "As soon as I learned some of the details..".

When the author informed him of Agent Kinney's own beliefs (see above),including Kinney's qualification that his own" outfit was clean,"

Martineau stated: "Well...ah...(long pause)...I've got some theories, too, but,ah...without any actual data to back them up, I think I'll keep them to myself."

Abraham Bolden was adamant that Mr.Martineau knew about both the plot to kill JHK on 11/22/63 and the internal "top secret" investigations of the SS Commission books..one of which was " lost or stolen" in Dallas on the Texas trip in November 1963.

"I recalled in January, 1964, the Secret Service recalled all commission books all over the United States..We were told they were to be redesigned ...to me, the redesign of the commission books was for one purpose and that purpose was to render the lost or stolen commission book a counterfeit if and when the persons bearing the lost or stolen commission book were found."

Mr.Bolden has written the author : "when Inspector Kelley of the Secret Service came to Chicago in 1961, I discussed with him the fact that during a conversation between SAIC Maurice Martineau and two other agents, who

were discussing Kennedy's push for racial balance and equal justice in America, Mr.Martineau blurted out angrily ' The bastard should be killed.'

This coming from an agent was dangerous.The prevailing attitude of the Causasian agents, the majority of whom were southen born, was that Kennedy was moving too fast on Civil Rights and in the Chicago office of the Secret Service. I heard the term "n lover" applied to President Kennedy by more than one or two agents." Bolden added that "all of (this )information ...was discussed with Inspector Kelley, John Hanley (SAIC), Harry Geghlein, and John (sic?) Burke (Assistant SAIC) in the Chicago office to no avail."

(Regarding Inspector Kelley: ASAIC Martineau told the HSCA on 2/1/78: "He did remember SA Tom Kelley calling from Dallas..11/23/63..regarding Oswald's rifle ordered from Klein's in Chicago. He said in those days the Secret Service in Chicago was not open on weekends so Kelly (sic) called him at home. He then called SA Tom Strong and asked him to check Klein's Sporting Goods for information on the rifle. Strong told him that the FBI had beaten him to Klein's and got the records."..(2/1/78 HSCA interview with Martineau, also 3-HSCA 339.)..

Abraham Bolden also told him about Mr.Martineau.."My mind flashed back to the day Kennedy was assassinated whereupon returning to the Sercret Service office, June Marie Terpinas (secretary) approached me with tears in her eyes..She had gone into the office of SAIC Maurice G. Martineau upon hearing a radio flash concerning the shooting of the President. She told me that upon hearing that the President had been shot and relaying that report to Mr.Martineau, his reply was 'So what else is new?' I remembered rushing into Mr.Martineau's office and confronting him about his attitude and having been thrown out of his office with a warning to mind my own business."

Mr.Bolden told Bud Fensterwald that, after the assassination, both Mr.Martineau and Inspector Kelley ( who came from Dallas) personally visited the north side landlady in Chicago with whom the fours suspects stayed prior to 11/2/63. Also," shortly after the assassination Martineau called all the agents into his office and showed them a memo from Washington to the effect that the Secret Service was to discuss no aspect of the assassination and investigation with anyone from any other federal agency now or any time in the future. Every agent, including Bolden, was made to initial this memo. Bolden, believes this took place on Wednesday,

November 27th,(1963). When asked why: "FBI wanted to get (the) role of Presidential protector away from the Secret Service and thought this was (the) ideal opportunity...."AARC file.

Robert E."Bob" Lilley (White House Detail and Boston Office) --Exclusive Interview conducted on 9/27/92 , the author contacted Lilley, found that this Agent was gone from the White House after October 1963..Revealing that Agent Kellerman was his shift leader ( "He was a peach"),and that he "was quite close to Roy and June Kellerman", Lilley was unable to go further into any discussion about the events of 11/22/63 at the time...( For his part ,Lilley had garnered much respect from his former colleagues in correspondence with the author, notably Don Lawton and Walt Coughlin.

During the later interviews that were conducted on 9/21/93 as well as 6/7/96, the author mentioned the cancelled motorcade of 11/2/63...Lilley responded:

"I don't know if he (JFK) would cancel a motorcade, " adding further to the notion that the motorcade was cancelled by the Secret Service for JFK, due to mortal threats on his life. Mr.Lilley had seen JFK Oct.19/63..at the Univ. of Maine and during the Harvard-Columbia football game, a little more than a month before Dallas. Lilley had also been on JFK's 3/23/63 trip to Chicago, which was a model of security with sharp contrast to Dalls on 11/22/63.

( RIF # 154 -10003-10012 : Chicago ,IL trip 3/23/63 Secret Service survey report .Regarding the above-mentioned late Oct./63 JFK trip to Boston.

(**10**)..shows a photo..JFK strolling with Dave Powers and his Secret Service Detail..

Abraham Bolden also stated the following in his letter to Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, former Chairman of the HSCA..." who is John Heard ? If the name John Heard (Hurt) has not been documented in the files of the Warren Commission then the files of the United States Congress are far from complete regarding the assassination of the President. Less than 24 hrs after the assassination of the President and while Lee Harvey Oswald was still in custody prior to his own assassination by Jack Ruby, all Secret Service offices across the nation were instructed to determine the whereabouts of a John Heard and any name phonetically sounding like Heard whose name was in the Secret Service files. At a time when the nation's attention was focused upon the name Lee Oswald, the Secret Service was investigating John Heard all across the nation."...

( 1/26/92 Letter to Congressman Stokes provided to the author .This information was provided by Bolden ,regarding John Heard to the HSCA during the agents interview 1/9/78.)

Author Michael Benson wrote: "According to phone records, Lee Harvey Oswald attempted to make phone calls from the Dallas Police Station following his arrest that are not mentioned in the Warren Commission. The records indicate that LHO attempted to call (919) 834-7430 and (919) 833-1253..The numbers, both are listed to a John Hurt in Rawleigh ,North Carolina..at two separate addresses ( 415 New Bern Ave. and Old Wake Forrest Road)..The first to a John D. Hurt the second to a John W. Hurt...

A John D.Hurt from Rawleigh, according to Ira David Wood 111, served with U.S. Military Intelligence during WW 11..Wood contacted John David Hurt in Raleigh and discovered that he had been a U.S. Counterintelligence officer during WW 11..Hurt said that he had worked as an insurance investigator ever since, employed by the state of North Carolina. He claimed to have no idea why Lee Harvey Oswald would have wanted to contact him from his jail cell.."..See......(**11**).

On 4/10/94 in a telephone coversation Abraham Bolden told Vince Palamara the the statement attributed to him by author Paris Flammonde in "The Kennedy Conspiracy"..that Oswald said "Ruby hired me"..and variations of the same...Is Not True...he never made such a statement..author's article in Feb-May 1994, "Investigator" research journal..

However Mr. Bolden did confirm statements made to Ian Calder in 1968..That his wife was harassed, a brick was thrown in his home, and that " a shot (was) fired in (to)the house." as well as his captivity in the "snake pit", a room for "incurable psychotics...(they) have killed four or five people ...multiple murderers, : Bolden also confirmed to the author that Richard Case Nagell was in a cell close to him while in prison. Mr.Bolden has since." filed for a pardon in Washington three times," to no avail. Finally, Mr.Bolden had this to say: "I think you're right on target...I heard of these things when I was an agent of the Secret Service....I really hope you can straighten it out...because there's a whole lot more than meets the public's eye." Indeed....

A Postscript by Vince Palamara:…

In September 2004, Abraham Bolden wrote to the author regarding the information of his arrest , the trumped up charges against him and more:..

"(Agent Gary ) McLeod lied about the circumstances of my arrest .He was well aware of what was going on on May 18th while we were in Washington, DC.. When I started to go to the White House to get some info. on the Commission, McLeod was right on my heels, so much so that I had to change my plans. He even walked with me to an all black cafe on "P" Street. It was very unusual for a white man to be seen in that part of town in a restaurant .When I went to a pay telephone to call my wife in Chicago. McLeod entered the booth next to mine and pretended to make a call. The only problem was that I listened for his coin deposit to drop and it never did.

Later during the night at about 2.00 AM , I was awaken by a loud thump against the walls of my room.I put a drinking glass up to the wall and placed my ear against it. There was a lot of commotion inside of McLeod's room adjacent to mine. We shared a common wall. I heard the sound of low voices and movement of furniture but I could not make out what was being said. Cross had been a friend as well as a fellow agent. The secret service put a lot of pressure on him after I was arrested .He was under so much strain. He told a devastating lie against me at the trial when he testified that we talked about $50,000 in a conversation .That was the exact amount the government charged that I was soliciting as a bribe .That one lie from a Negro agent was one of the most damaging statements made during the trial. And, Vince, I tell you before God, and I am a very religious man ,that ,that conversation never took place. Agent Cross was the last person with the file that I had been charged with trying to sell. A part of that file ended up in the hands of Spagnoli .I think that who ever set me up arranged so that the file was stolen from Cross and used to implicate me .That way, if Cross did not go along with the program, he could be included as a defendant in the case.

The secret service is standing firm behind their claim of a lack of knowledge about an investigation of a Cuban assassination attempt around Nov.2,1963.

Not only was there and investigation of a Cuban faction here in Chicago but after that, in Miami and Palm Beach around November 18 the secret service used a decoy aircraft because of a major threat against the President there”.

“They were afraid that a missile could be fired from Cuba into the United States so they used two planes for Kennedy to throw the assassination off .The use of the two planes is a matter of record..

How any agent could not recall the change of identifcation is far beyond me. .The old Commission books had printed across the top "United States Treasury Department". the new books said "The United States Treasury Department"..Also, all agents had to submit new photographs for the books to Washington, D.C..The new Commission Books were engraved by the Bureau of Printing and Engraving on special order. I had my new photograph made at a passport processing studio across from the federal building on Jackson Blvd. Any agent that says that he doesn't remember that should resign especially since it was done during a time when it was alleged that a possible assassin on the grassy knoll showed a deputy sheriff a secret service commission book.

As well as I,like some of the agents and am glad that many of them are happily retired and are living the "good life", they are still stonewalling and being deceptive about what the truth is. After seeing what happened to me, there is little doubt that some of the details they knew during that time have been unconciously repressed. What happened to me was a message to those who entertained the same idea and believe me, they got the message”..

Abraham Boldron...

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David Lifton wrote in 1980,

His book..."Best Evidence" Disguise and Deception in the Assassination of John F.Kennedy.."That was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in History ..

He expresses his view that members of the Secret Service were involved and that they were responsible for the manipulation, for whomever to create the alterations to the wounds on the President's body...somewhere between the Parkland and Bathesda Hospitals.

In 1998 Dr.Jim Fetzer wrote "Assassination Science, "and also expresses his view that the Secret Service, was involved..

" I have discovered at least fifteen indications of Secret Service complicity in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, from the absence of protective military presence to a lack of coverage of open windows, to motorcycles out of position ,to Secret Service agents failing to ride on the Presidential limousine, to the vehicles arranged in an improper sequence, to the utilization of an improper motorcade route, to the driver bringing the vehicle to a halt after bullets began to be fired, to the almost lack of response by Secret Service agents to the driver washing out the back seat with a bucket and sponge at Parkland Hospital, to the car being dismantled and rebuilt ( on LBJ's orders), to the driver giving false testimony to the Warren Commission ,to the windshields being switched ,to the autopsy photographs being taken into custody before they were developed..."

***********

As well as others such as Dr.David Mantik and Harrison Livingstone have also pointed to the fact that the Autopsy and X-Ray alone speak of their involvement.

*********

In Vince Palamara's 2005 Book, "Survivor's Guilt"...

He details..how the Secret Service were responsible for the following:

The Protection of President John F.Kennedy.

The Planning of the Texas Trip.

Had Inside knowledge of JFK's personal life, National Security issues.

The Presidentail Limousine including the windshield.

The President's body after his death... they were present at Parkland Hospital and Bathesda Hospital for the autopsy..

Air Force 1 and Air Force 2.

The C-130 Transport plane..

The Autopsy X-Rays and Photographs and

The Autopsy Reports.

The President's clothing.

Three pieces of his skull.

CE 399 " The Magic Bullet"..

The Recordings of the Dallas Police Radio.

Prime Assassination Witnesses.

The Interviews of the TSND Witnesses.

The Interviews of the Parkland Doctors.

The Television and Radio Recordings of the Parkland Doctors.

The captivity of and the Interviews with Marina Oswald including the

translation of such..

The first re-enactments and surveys: 11/25/63...11/27/62 and 12/5/63..

The Assassination Photographs and the Films.

HSCA

http://history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/contents.htm

**1**: "A Million Miles of Presidents" by George J. McNally..p: 225

**2**: "The Washington News" & "San Francisco Chronicle" both dated 5/21/64 document Mr.Bolden's claims to the media.

**3**: " One Scandalous Story" by Former CBS newsman Marvin Kalb, page four, relates a Sept./63 JFK trip to N.Y.

**4**: "Martin Luther King Jr.:the FBI File" by Michael Friendly & David Gallen pp:366-367

**5**: "Henderson along with Blaine and Boring,made the security arrangements for a JFK vacation at Bing Crosby's home in Palm Desert, CA in early 1962: "Looking Back and Seeing the Future : The United States Secret Service 1865-1990 byt the AFAUSSS( Dallas: Taylor Publishing Co.1991:p.77.

**6**: "A Million Miles of Presidents" by Geroge McNally...p: 204.

**7**: " November Patriots" by Constance Kritzberg & Larry Hancock: p: 406.

**8**: "The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency"; pp: 104-105-109.

**9**: "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye"; pp:371-372.

**10**: "The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years"

Edward Klein (2003): p:107.

**11**: The JFK Chronology..

By Ira David Wood 111...

10.45pm..(Nov.1963) ..Oswald installed in a cell on the fifth floor of the Dallas City Hall, places a long distance call to Raleigh, North Carolina... see Dr.Fetzer's site...

Part 2: Begins November 22,1963...

see page 88..for Raleigh call information..

http://www.assassinationresearch.com/v2n1/preface.pdf

Part 1: Begins Jan.1961..

http://www.assassinationresearch.com/v2n1/chrono1.pdf

********************

Report of the HSCA: "Thomas Arthur Vallee: Chicago.."

"The committee was unable to determine specifically why the President's trip to Chicago, scheduled for November 2, was canceled. The possibilities range from the condition of his health(46) to concern for the situation in South Vietnam following the assassination of President Diem (47) to the threat received on October 30.(48) On that date, the Secret Service learned that an individual named Thomas Arthur Vallee, a Chicago resident who was outspokenly opposed to President Kennedy's foreign policy, was in possession of several weapons.(49) Further, Vallee's landlady reported that he had requested time off from his job on November 2.(50) Vallee was subsequently interviewed, surveilled and eventually arrested by the Chicago police, who found an M-1 rifle, a handgun and 3,000 rounds of ammunition in his automobile. (51) Vallee was released from custody on the evening of November 2. (52)

The committee found that the Secret Service learned more about Vallee prior to the President's trip to Dallas on November 22: he was a Marine Corps veteran with a history of mental illness while on active duty;(53) he was a member of the John Birch Society(54) and an extremist in his criticism of the Kennedy administration;(55) and he claimed to be an expert marksman.(56) Further, he remained a threat after November 2, because he had been released from jail.(57)

The committee also learned that the information the Secret Service obtained on Vallee was not forwarded to the agents responsible for the President's trip to Texas on November 21-22, although it was transmitted to Protective Research Section upon receipt on October 30.(58) The potential significance of Vallee as a threat was illustrated by the Secret Service's reports, which included a notation on November 27, 1963 of the similarity between his background and that of Lee Harvey Oswald,(59) and a record of extensive, continued investigation of Vallee's activities until 1968.(60)

In addition, the committee obtained the testimony of a former Secret Service agent, Abraham Bolden, who had been assigned to the Chicago office in 1963. He alleged that shortly before November 2, the FBI sent a teletype message to the Chicago Secret Service office stating that an attempt to assassinate the President would be made on November 2 by a four-man team using high-powered rifles, and that at least one member of the team had a Spanish-sounding name.(61) Bolden claimed that while he did not personally participate in surveillance of the subjects, he learned about a surveillance of the four by monitoring Secret Service radio channels in his automobile and by observing one of the subjects being detained in his Chicago office.(62)

According to Bolden's account, the Secret Service succeeded in locating and surveillance two of the threat subjects who,(63) when they discovered they were being watched, were arrested and detained on the evening of November 1 in the Chicago Secret Service office.(64)

The committee was unable to document the existence of the alleged assassination team. Specifically, no agent who had been assigned to Chicago confirmed any aspect of Bolden's version.(65) One agent did state there had been a threat in Chicago during that period, but he was unable to recall details.(66) Bolden did not link Vallee to the supposed

Page 232

four-man assassination team, although he claimed to remember Vallee's name in connection with a 1963 Chicago case. (67) He did not recognize Vallee's photograph when shown it by the committee. (68)

The questionable authenticity of the Bolden account notwithstanding, the committee believed the Secret Service failed to make appropriate use of the information supplied it by the Chicago threat in early November 1963.

Similarly, the Secret Service failed to follow up fully on a threat in Miami, also in November 1963.

Scroll down......

http://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/selec...rt/part-1d.html

***********************

Apparently Clint Hill after reading Vince's book, is very upset with him to put it mildly ,he says that he is a "bas...." for "inflicting harm on the agency". "and absolutely no good will come from writing about any of this all these years later."

Quote: "Also Clint Hill has recently had a stroke as well as Winston G.Lawson and Frank G.Stoner..Mrs Hill said that he was "greatly distressed", and that Hill was "angry at being lied to that day, as he was only doing his job that day." which has to be in reference to Floyd Boring's orders...and that I was not to call again."

Vincent Palamara.

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New material available from “Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President” by Vincent Michael Palamara---

1) The primary, first-hand accounts of over 70 former Secret Service agents, White House aides, and family members, many of whom have never spoken publicly before. No other author or government investigative body has successfully interviewed and contacted as many of these men as has author Palamara. No other book has ever examined the conduct of the Secret Service in such voluminous and authoritative detail.

2) The long-standing and wide-reaching myth that President Kennedy was difficult to protect and somehow, directly or indirectly, made his own tragic death easier for an assassin or assassins is exploded for the first time in devastating and authoritative detail.

3) The fraudulent notion that JFK had ordered the agents off the rear of his limousine in Dallas is conclusively debunked. Agents on or near the rear of JFK’s car would have thwarted his death.

4) The popular and widespread myth that President Kennedy personally ordered the bubbletop off his limousine in Dallas is likewise shown to be a convenient exaggeration. An impossible multiplicity of responsibility is painstakingly demonstrated, as are multiple options involving the bubbletop that were not used in Dallas.

5) The premature approval of Kennedy’s speech site in Dallas by members of the Secret Service, over other options, which determined the type of security used for the site, the choice of the route used to get to the destination, and even the speed of JFK’s limousine, is detailed in full.

6) Despite the rabid, right-wing environment in Dallas, it is shown that there were allegedly no threats found by the agency in this troubled city, a seeming impossibility. Like the choice of speech site, this situation likewise determined the level of security---or lack thereof---used for JFK’s mortal trip to the Big D.

7) For the first time ever, an exhaustive account of all the recent prior threats to Kennedy’s life just before the President’s journey to Texas is revealed.

8) Another major discovery by the author is the covert monitor of mortal threats to JFK’s life for the New York, Florida, and Texas trips---the last three major Presidential forays---by two members of the Secret Service’s Protective Research Section. Also, a little-known military intelligence presence is shown to have existed in Dallas on November 22, 1963, yet another probable covert monitor of mortal threats to the President that was covered up after the assassination. Finally, the presence of a CIA agent at the hospital the dying President was taken to is revealed.

9) The presence of unauthorized Secret Service agents in Dealey Plaza, the site of the assassination, is exhaustively documented in devastating detail. Likewise, the media’s reporting of the death of a Secret Service agent the day of the assassination is painstakingly examined. Finally, the untimely death of a Secret Service agent shortly before the Texas trip is revealed in context.

10) The alarming and shocking behavior of perhaps the most important agent connected to the Dallas trip, JFK’s driver, is explored in unprecedented detail.

11) The lack of proper local police and military involvement will be shown to be Secret Service responsibilities and, ultimately, failures. In addition, the strange omission of key members of the Secret Service is duly noted.

12) It is shown that overpasses, buildings, windows, and rooftops were not properly monitored, due to Secret Service negligence (or worse). In addition, the strange conduct of local police and the agents themselves is also noted, along with the ramifications of this behavior. An unprecedented agent-by-agent examination is scrupulously documented with disturbing results.

13) Evidence that the fateful motorcade route Kennedy rode in Dallas was changed at the eleventh hour by the Secret Service is detailed in full. Also, like the speech site, it is conclusively documented that other options---and alternate routes---were available and not used that fatal day in Dallas.

14) The Dallas police plan to use many flanking motorcycles, used to shield the President during the motorcade, was changed shortly before the assassination by the Secret Service. Also, the press and photographers, Kennedy’s personal physician, military aides, and several important vehicles were moved from their normal positions close to JFK at the last minute, again by the Secret Service.

15) It is amply demonstrated by the author that President Kennedy was actually very personable and friendly with the Secret Service and did not interfere with their actions at all. In addition, JFK’s oft-noted obsession with death will be shown to be a byproduct of his knowledge of threats to his life just before Dallas.

16) Evidence of covert security tests and studies, as well as the destruction and altering of crucial documents, evidence, and testimony, is revealed. Also, disturbing FBI-Secret Service fueding is noted in context.

17) A mountain of lies and bureaucratic cover-up is duly noted, along with the ramifications of these falsehoods for the subsequent investigations into the assassination, the conduct of the Secret Service itself, and, ultimately, the writing of accurate history.

18) Disturbing sentiments regarding President Kennedy on the part of several key Secret Service agents is revealed, as well as the justifiable feelings of guilt and responsibility for the President’s death by others. In addition, the suprising conspiratorial beliefs of several former agents are chronicled.

19) Gross negligence and, in some instances, seeming culpability on the part of members of the Secret Service, sworn to protect the life of John F. Kennedy, is detailed with many disturbing ramifications revealed.

20) Whether one views the assassination as the work of a lone unaided assassin---Lee Harvey Oswald---OR the work of a deadly secret cabal, the powerful information in “Survivor’s Guilt” holds up in any case. In fact, it is conclusively demonstrated that, regardless of who or what was ultimately behind the assassination, it was the agents of the Secret Service who bear the heavy burden for President Kennedy’s tragic and untimely murder.

***************************************************************

FBI: SS: CIA: Interviewed by the ARRB and has a blog site:

My Profile

My name is James M. (Mike) Mastrovito and I retired in 2004 after a career of some fifty years in law enforcement and intelligence, as an employee of the FBI, the Secret Service and as an independent contractor with the CIA. I have created this site to address reports appearing on the internet in which I am mentioned. I will make comments and corrections to these reports as I believe are needed. These reports pertain to NSA watchlists, the "CIA" Crowley files, the JFK Assassination and the Watergate affair.

I will make no additional comments regarding any of these subjects. I do not intend to join the long list of those who have shamelessly profited from books, articles and media appearances as a result of the information that they were privy to during their government careers.

Also at this site, Mr.Palamara's long 22 page letter to Clint Hill....

http://www.barnley.blogspot.com/

****************************************************************

Tampa Florida:

I also remember how concerned everyone was when (Kennedy) stood up in the car as he rode through the streets of Tampa after his talk," Lyle remembers.

http://www.sptimes.com/News/111199/JFK/Ken...isma_over.shtml

Tommy Eure

"The big surprise came when they released details of his visit and I learned not only that he would be spending a good part of November 18, 1963 in Tampa but that his motorcade would pass directly in front of my photo studio at 3225 W. Grand Central Avenue (later named Kennedy Boulevard)."

http://www.big13.net/Tommy%20Eure/tommy_eu...0%20seconds.htm

Tony Zaponne:

"Welcome banners were made and Secret Service agents scouted his motorcade routes and the areas in and around his scheduled stops. Special phone lines were installed for direct communication with the White House and other critical government offices."

"For security reasons, his Tampa visit wasn’t publicly announced too much in advance but once I found out about it I raced to the coordinators at the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce."

"Members of the local press were taken by bus to the tarmac and assumed their positions atop a flatbed truck loaned for the day by the Florida Steel Corporation. Things were fine until the national press corps stormed out of Air Force One to join us on the truck and more or less took over. I learned the game really fast and edged them off to the side like I owned the place."

"I didn’t know whether to run up and shake his hand or just take his picture. I did both. As I approached him, he seemed a bit stunned. This sort of thing was not something he was used to, at least not while he was sitting trapped in his open limo. Secret Service agents were not paying much attention to me at that time. After all, their boss was inside a military base and they must have felt more comfortable with security arrangements."

"His car was escorted by police officers on motorcycles and I nearly got run over by one of them who recognized me at the last minute and quickly swerved around me. It was Officer J. D. Stanton who later told me he was ordered to drive straight and run down anybody who got too close to the President…and from everything I remembered I totally believed him."

"Two secret service agents rode on foot supports on each side of the limo's trunk. Two secret service spotters and a driver were in the front seat and two of them gave me dirty looks as they passed directly in front of me. Following the Presidential limousine was a specially rigged 1956 Cadillac bearing more Secret Service agents including Clint Hill, who in Dallas leaped onto the rear of the Kennedy's Lincoln after the shots were fired."

"No violence occurred that day in Tampa. The mood among the thousands of Tampans who lined parade routes and attended Kennedy's appearances was jubilant and excited. Presidents don't often visit Tampa, especially one so young and charismatic."

"I remember there were police and military armed with rifles walking back and forth on the catwalks of the armory, their piercing glances aimed at the crowd below. Security was tight but people’s movement was not impaired in any way. No searches, no metal detectors."

"In that speech, Kennedy talked of the sacrifices he had asked of the business community in not dealing with the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. Oddly, he also broached the subject of inflation which would be an annoyance America would deal with for many years after his death."

http://www.big13.net/JFK%20In%20Tampa/JFK%20Tampa1.htm

Tony Hamilton: WFLA-TV

"We learned of the President’s visit only a week or so ahead of time. Secret Service people didn’t like to announce presidential plans too early…and even then we didn’t know just where he would speak or his route through the city until days before. An advance team from the White House came to each station and gathered information about reporters who would require credentials to cover the visit. It was the very first time I had to give my Social Security number to cover a story. "

"I was on the press truck, a flatbed, placed right alongside where the President’s plane would land and stop and with incredible precision it landed on time and came to a halt exactly where they said it would."

http://www.big13.net/Tony%20Hamilton/jfk_a...by_tony_ham.htm

I had a very nice email exchange with Mr.Zappone..he is not into the research but was kind enough to pass on some thoughts..

That in Tampa it was known at that time, that the Secret Service...and the Criminal Intelligence Unit of the Tampa PD, had information that had been supplied by confidential informants that some subversive Cuban groups were going to kill President Kennedy..within that city...and there was talk that Santo(s) Trafficante ,who lived in Tampa, was conspiring with other Mafia to have him killed..

He says." His feelings are" ..."to just let it alone.".."It was the saddest day of my life, and I take great pleasure knowing that whoever the people were, who were responsible are now dead or nearly dead and being eaten ,or have been eaten by worms."

That he has...."let those days go..they were extremely painful for him. And only five days ago, Robert Kennedy would have been 80......His killer is still in jail and one day, too, will be eaten by worms."..

The pain goes on......for many...

I will not be in touch with him any further..

********

If the mafia and or cubans were used in the killing of the President, and there is

and has been much discussion and fingers pointing in that direction for years now, and seemingly some evidence of such..

To me, it was the ability of the CIA, to manipulate them, and then have their

"deniabilty" securely intact afterwards.....this is the way they have worked for many years.

The people do not have the ability, to think, nor reason...to have seen through their charade, just as the people according to Mr.Dulles , would never read the WR..

They live in "Shangrila" in their minds..and still do...whatever they say, reverse

it in other wards...IMO..

Thanks for your time... that's all for now folks....

Bernice Moore..

:tomatoes

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Members might be interested in this exchange that shows that Rowley lied when he testified before the Warren Commission. What is more, he lied about the Chicago assassination attempt, the incident that got Abraham Bolden sent to prison for six years.

James J. Rowley, interviewed by Leodis Matthews for the House Select Committee of Assassinations (19th September, 1978)

Leodis Matthews: At the time you made that assignment to Inspector Kelley, did you give him any specific instructions of what he should do when he reached Dallas?

James J. Rowley: I did not speak to him, but I am quite sure that Deputy Chief Paterni did. Paterni told him to take charge of the investigation, which was also my thought at the time we decided to send him there.

Leodis Matthews: Soon after Inspector Kelly arrived in Dallas and began his investigation, you received a communique through the mail, an office report, indicating that there had been a Chicago investigation of some Cubans?

James J. Rowley: I did not get that.

Leodis Matthews: Mr. Rowley, let me just call your attention to JFK F-419, a document I believe that I have supplied you earlier.

James J. Rowley: Yes.

Leodis Matthews: Have you had occasion to read through that report?

James J. Rowley: Yes, sir.

Leodis Matthews: That report indicates that you received it shortly after the assassination. It was entitled, "Possible Involvement by Quentin Pino Machado in a Conspiracy to Assassinate JFK." Did you review that report?

James J. Rowley: I do not think I reviewed that report. I did not see my initials on it, so therefore I have to assume I did not review it.

Leodis Matthews: I also call your attention to JFK F-422, a document which you also have in your possession, entitled, "Chicago Investigation of Cuban Groups Alleged To Be Involved in the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy." Do you have any recollection of having received and reviewed that report?

James J. Rowley: I think my initials are on that report which would indicate that I did read it, but I have no immediate recollection.

Leodis Matthews: Did you receive any report about the agents' performance in Dallas?

James J. Rowley: We did receive reports from time to time on Dallas, but which specific report are you referring to?

Leodis Matthews: Well, did you receive a report indicating how the agents had performed at the time that the shooting episode occurred in Dealey Plaza?

James J. Rowley: The report indicated that they performed adequately under the circumstances. The action of Agent Clint Hill, that he was attempting to take some action, is indicative of the agent's response.

Leodis Matthews: Did you play any role in supervising the investigation itself?

James J. Rowley: No, sir.

Leodis Matthews: I want to call your attention to what has been marked as JFK F-423, "Secret Service Organizational Chart," off to your right. In your opinion, would the Service have been organized in substantially the same manner in November of 1963?

James J. Rowley: Yes.

Leodis Matthews: Would Mr. Kelley's position on the chart have indicated that he had authority in the field office to direct that the agents conduct whatever investigation he felt was necessary?

James J. Rowley: Yes, sir, he had that authority...

Leodis Matthews: When the Warren Commission was established, you selected Mr. Kelley to be the liaison person?

James J. Rowley: Yes, sir.

Leodis Matthews: Why did you make that selection?

James J. Rowley: Why? Because it was a natural selection, inasmuch as he was in Dallas to conduct the investigation, and would be familiar with what might be required by the Warren Commission, and therefore would be of great assistance to them.

Leodis Matthews: As Chief of the Secret Service, did you ever make any attempts to meet with the person in charge of the FBI and formulate a strategy for investigation?

James J. Rowley: I did meet with Mr. Hoover and, we reaffirmed the longstanding cooperative relationship between our two agencies.

Leodis Matthews: Did you have any input on a strategy of investigation for the Warren Commission?

James J. Rowley: I think we did prepare something for the Warren Commission. Specifically I do not recall, but I have in the back of my mind such a report.

Leodis Matthews: Mr. Kelley has already testified to some exhibits I would like to identify for the record which you have a copy of: of JFK F-414, of JFK F-415, of JFK F-416, JFK F-417, and JFK F-418, a series of reports which his testimony has indicated involved the Secret Service investigation of the Cuban plot to assassinate the President. Were you aware of those reports during the course of the Warren Commission investigation?

James J. Rowley: No, I have no recollection of them.

Leodis Matthews: Do you have any recollection of having reviewed those documents?

James J. Rowley: No, sir. You mean at that time, or recently?

Leodis Matthews: At the time that the documents were generated.

James J. Rowley: No.

Leodis Matthews: Did you work out any agreement as to which files would be supplied to the Warren Commission?

James J. Rowley: That was left up to Inspector Kelley, since he was the one most familiar with what documents. In fact, he was directed to comply with all the requests that were made by the Commission to the Secret Service for reports...

Harold E. Ford: You mentioned a minute ago to the counsel that you met with the Director, Mr. Hoover, and in talking with him, did you ever discuss the line of investigation and the exchange of intelligence?

James J. Rowley: That was worked out right after the assassination, Mr. Congressman, but we already had their cooperation to the extent that they were able to provide us with intelligence information prior to that time.

Harold E. Ford: You mentioned earlier that you assigned Inspector Thomas Kelley.

James J. Rowley:Yes, sir.

Harold E. Ford: To Dallas for the investigation. Again for the record, why did you assign Mr. Kelley, dispatch him to the Dallas-Fort Worth area?

James J. Rowley: I assigned Mr. Kelley because he was the nearest inspector to Dallas at that time. As I explained previously since time was of the essence, I wanted to send an inspector as quickly as possible, and Mr. Kelly was the closest one. One of the responsibilities of an inspector is to do precisely what Mr. Kelly did in Dallas, direct the investigation and the activities.

Harold E. Ford: Was he there to investigate who may have been involved in the assassination or to review the performance of the Secret Service in connection with the assassination?

James J. Rowley: He was there to become involved in the investigation to determine the facts surrounding the assassination.

Harold E. Ford: Mr. Rowley, you testified before the Warren Commission June 18 of 1964. At that time in your testimony you were asked by Senator Cooper the following questions, and I quote: "Do you have any information based upon any facts that you know based upon any information given to you by persons who claim to have personal knowledge that there were persons engaged in a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy." And your response was, "I have no such facts, sir." He then asked you the following additional question, and I quote:

"I address the same question as to whether you have any information that the killing of President Kennedy had any connection with any foreign power." Your response was, and I quote: "I have no such information."

We have heard testimony from Mr. Kelley indicating that there were assassination plots investigated by the Secret Service in early 1963. Were you aware of those investigations at the time of your testimony before the Warren Commission?

James J. Rowley: I would have to look at the reports themselves, Mr. Congressman, to see whether my initials were on them. In the reports that you speak of, it was established that there was not any activity directed against--or of interest to us as it affected the President of the United States.

Harold E. Ford: Going back to the first question, you said, "I have no such facts, sir." " The second question you also said, I have no such information." I am asking now, were you aware of those investigations at the time you appeared before the Warren Commission?

James J. Rowley: Well, if I made that statement, then I was not aware of those facts.

Harold E. Ford: I would like counsel to give the witness JFK F-416, F417, F-418, and ask the witness whether his initials appear upon the face of these reports.

James J. Rowley: Yes, sir.

Harold E. Ford: Chief Rowley, why did you not call it to the Warren Commission's attention back in 1964 when you appeared before the Commission?

Chief Rowley. This information at the time was handled either by the PRS or through Mr. Kelley, and I can only assume, Mr. Congressman, that these reports were furnished to the Warren Commission.

Harold E. Ford: The reports in your hand were reported?

James J. Rowley: That is right. It was an ongoing investigation, as I see it, in which case there would be a relationship with the FBI and the CIA, and in the ultimate I would think that the report itself would establish whether or not it affected the safety of the President of the United States.

Harold E. Ford: But you had initialed these reports or documents prior to the June 18, 1964 appearance before the Warren Commission; is that correct?

James J. Rowley: That is correct, sir.

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Interesting passage from Lamar Waldron's Ultimate Sacrifice:

Richard Cain's role in the Chicago attempt can be judged based on his actions in relation to Dallas, where CIA files confirm that "in 1963" Cain "became deeply involved in the President Kennedy assassination case." Only a handful of those documents have been released, but they show Richard Cain spreading disinformation about Oswald. This includes Cain planting reports to the CIA and Chicago media that "the Cook County Sheriff's Office... had strong suspicions that Oswald was in Chicago in April" and that "the assassination of President Kennedy" had been discussed "at a secret meeting of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee held in Chicago in February 1963." The memo said that "Cain" even "inferred he might be able to get the information to the FBI 'off the record"' about those matters. If the FBI had been slow to get the mail-order records of Oswald's rifle from the Chicago firm that sold it, Cain was in a position to make sure that that carefully laid paper trail wasn't overlooked. Cain was in position to do everything he did after Dallas for the earlier Chicago assassination attempt, and more. As the story of the Chicago attempt unfolds, it's important to keep in mind Cain's role and his true loyalty to the Mafia.

Much information about Cain is missing or still classified by the CIA and FBI. But one CIA document that has been released also talks about Chicago Secret Service agent Abraham Bolden. Much of what is known about the Chicago assassination attempt is due to the efforts of Bolden, who "was prevented from testifying for the Warren Commission that the Secret Service knew of a plot to assassinate Kennedy in Chicago by members of a dissident Cuban group." This 1967 CIA memo then says that "an unsavory character known as Richard S. Cain... who was in touch with the CIAs contact office in Chicago in 1963 passed information of a similar import to the CIAs Chicago office." The CIA memo briefly mentions that Bolden is in prison, but doesn't mention that Bolden was framed by a Chicago mobster on the eve of his attempt to tell the Warren Commission about the Chicago and Tampa assassination attempts. As detailed in later chapters, the mobster who framed Bolden was a close associate of Richard Cain.

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