Pritchett's Family Redirects You To Kilgallen

[Jonathan Wendland]

I would like to share some personal knowledge of Florence Pritchett. I have met her son, who is an underwriter for John Hancock Life Insurance. I'm starting a new topic because he says his mother's story is a dead end for Oswald researchers. I'd like to redirect people's attention to Dorothy Kilgallen. Nobody in her family has said that she is a dead end, and in fact one relative worked with Lee Israel on her research.

Earl Smith III, who works in the well - known John Hancock skyscraper in downtown Boston, was 12 when his mother died. He has no siblings, and he spent those 12 years in a Manhattan apartment with his parents. So while he is the only surviving relative, in his childhood he was in a position to know what was going on.

Florence did not end up in a coma as Ms. Israel related in her post (to be fair she said she had read it online), but Florence was bedridden with leukemia for the last two months. She died at home. Nobody had invented the hospice in 1965.

Here are Earl's very words: "My poor mother died of cancer." His verbiage didn't become more emotional than that, but can you imagine what it's like to lose a mother when you're a 12 - year - old only child ?

Moreover, Earl insists that Dorothy Kilgallen never entrusted the dying Florence Pritchett with any documents. In addition, Florence was not a hard news reporter. Her only contribution to Kilgallen's newspaper (the Journal American) was a kitchen recipe in the Sunday edition. Titled "The Mood And The Food," her column provided the recipe and some local color about the fancy party or restaurant where she had obtained it. In her final column the theme was picnic lunches. She participated in a picnic at Richard Avedon's photography studio.

Mr. Simkin has assumed that Pritchett was Kilgallen's source on column items about Fidel Castro and Cuba, but we'll never know that. Earl says it's possible Florence fed her things in 1959, but he has no way of knowing. Florence absolutely did not know any secrets about Castro, Cuba or anything else during the last two months of her life.

Earl Smith II (father of the insurance underwriter) and his wife Florence did know the Kennedys, but all we know is that they socialized formally. The Smiths visited the White House, and both couples hobnobbed in Palm Beach.

A photograph posted by Mr. Simkin proves that the young senator Jack Kennedy knew Florence either before or during her first marriage (Earl was number # 2), but Fidel Castro was a kid then.

One final note to Lee Israel. In your recent post you state correctly that Penn Jones originated the entire saga of "Mrs. Earl T. Smith" and her connection to the assassination. Older Dallas - area residents know that Penn made many errors in his 1960s Midlothian Mirror articles and that he suffered from Alzheimers during the last 15 years of his life. The 1991 Life magazine pictorial about Oliver Stone's revival of JFK ran a huge color photograph of Penn standing in front his a shack where he lived without a telephone. He lived there with Elaine Kavanaugh Jones, a researcher he married in the 1970s. She stood by him until he died. Neither admitted that the old Midlothian Mirror articles were sloppy and erroneous.

More than three years after Mr. Jones introduced "Mrs. Earl T. Smith" to researchers, he said in the Mirror that Bobby Baker's secretary Carole Tyler once shared an apartment with Mary Jo Kopechne, therefore both of them were murdered.

If Penn Jones was so cut off from New York City news in 1965, how did he even know who Florence Pritchett Smith was or that she worked for Kilgallen's newspaper ? He could have gotten it from Time and Newsweek. Each gave her one paragraph in columns titled respectively "Milestones" and "Transitions." They said she worked for the New York Journal American.

Penn Jones probably knew who Dorothy Kilgallen was when she was alive, but he could not have been familiar with "Mrs. Earl T. Smith" concurrently. Earl Smith III really would like it if people stopped fantasizing that his mother held dangerous secrets at the time of her "homicide." As for Kilgallen's family, they never reply to letters about Dorothy. Son Kerry made an exception shortly after he opened his "Martial Hearts" business in 1991. He told a phone inquirer that after the Israel book was published he decided to move on with his life and to stop speculating about his mother's career. He wants to remember her as a mother.

[John Simkin]

Thank you for providing this information. Maybe you would be good enough to post this information on this thread:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showforum=197

I am sorry if any of my posts have upset Florence’s son (Earl Smith III). As you say he was only 12 when his mother died and is unlikely to have known if she was passing information on to Dorothy Kilgallen. Do you know if he spoke to his father about these issues?

It has been reported that Florence began her affair with JFK in 1944 and lasted until his death in 1963. Is Earl Smith III aware of this story?

[John Simkin]

There are several issues raised by the posting about Earl Smith III views of his mother.

(1) “Her only contribution to Kilgallen's newspaper (the Journal American) was a kitchen recipe in the Sunday edition.”

In fact, on 9th November, 1965, the New York Journal American reported: “Mrs. Earl E.T. Smith, wife of the former U.S. Ambassador to Cuba and columnist of The Journal-American, died today in her apartment at 1120 5th Ave. She was 45.” In fact, Florence had been fashion editor of the newspaper during the Second World War.

(2) “Earl insists that Dorothy Kilgallen never entrusted the dying Florence Pritchett with any documents.”

As Earl was only 12 years old at the time it is difficult to know how he can be so sure about this.

(3) “Mr. Simkin has assumed that Pritchett was Kilgallen's source on column items about Fidel Castro and Cuba, but we'll never know that. Earl says it's possible Florence fed her things in 1959, but he has no way of knowing. Florence absolutely did not know any secrets about Castro, Cuba or anything else during the last two months of her life.”

Earl admits that it was possible that Florence might have given information on Castro to Dorothy. He then adds “Florence absolutely did not know any secrets about Castro, Cuba or anything else during the last two months of her life.” How can he be so unsure about 1959 but so positive about 1965.

(4) "Earl Smith II and his wife Florence did know the Kennedys, but all we know is that they socialized formally. The Smiths visited the White House, and both couples hobnobbed in Palm Beach."

Of course they were much more than friends. JFK met Florence in 1944. The couple spent a lot of time together. Betty Spalding said that for Kennedy, "Over a long period of time, it was probably the closest relationship with a woman I know of." However, because Kennedy was a Roman Catholic, marriage was out of the question."

According to several books, JFK had a sexual relationship with Florence for 19 years that was only brought to an end in 1963. See for example:

Ralph G. Martin, A Hero for Our Time: An Intimate Story of the Kennedy Years (1993)

David C. Heymann, A Woman Named Jackie (1989)

Blair, Joan, and Blair, Clay Jr, The Search for J.F.K. (1977)

Nellie Bly, The Kennedy Men: Three Generations of Sex, Scandal and Secrets (1996)

Nigel, Hamilton, JFK: Reckless Youth (1992)

Stephen Birmingham, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1969)

(5) “In your recent post you state correctly that Penn Jones originated the entire saga of "Mrs. Earl T. Smith" and her connection to the assassination. Older Dallas - area residents know that Penn made many errors in his 1960s Midlothian Mirror articles and that he suffered from Alzheimers during the last 15 years of his life.”

It is the first I have heard the news that Penn Jones was suffering from Alzheimers during the time he was writing about the JFK assassination. This sounds like a typical CIA disinformation campaign. I would be interested in how you know this.

It is indeed true that Penn Jones was the first person to link the deaths of Dorothy Killgallen. He wrote in Volume II: Forgive My Grief (1967:

“Shortly before her death, Miss Kilgallen told a friend in New York that she was going to New Orleans in 5 days and break the case wide open. Miss Kilgallen 52, died November 8, 1965, under questionable circumstances in her New York home. Eight days after her death, a ruling was made that she died of barbiturates and drink with no quantities of either ingredient being given.

Also strangely, Miss Kilgallen’s close friend, Mrs. Earl E.T. Smith, died two days after Miss Kilgallen. Mrs. Smith’s autopsy read that the cause of death was unknown.

Many skeptical newsmen have asked: “If Miss Kilgallen knew anything, surely as a journalist wouldn’t she have left some notes?” This is a legitimate question. Possibly Mrs. Smith was the trusted friend with the notes. No one will ever know now.”

What is interesting about this is that Penn Jones did not appear to know who Mrs Earl Smith was. If he did, he did not write about it. I am sure he would have been fascinated to know that she was Florence Pritchett, the woman who had been having an affair with JFK for 19 years. Nor did he know that she was married to the ambassador of Cuba (1957-59) who had been involved in the plots to overthrow Fidel Castro.

As far as I am aware, the true identity of Dorothy Kilgallen’s friend "Mrs Earl Smith" was not discovered until an exchange of postings by James Richards, John Johnson and myself on the JFK Research Forum in July 2004.

[Lee Israel]

Thank you for providing this information. Maybe you would be good enough to post this information on this thread:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showforum=197

I am sorry if any of my posts have upset Florence’s son (Earl Smith III). As you say he was only 12 when his mother died and is unlikely to have known if she was passing information on to Dorothy Kilgallen.

That's a very arrogant remark.  Has anyone cast doubt on statements you've made about your mother's activities when you were 10, 11 or 12 ?

A few minutes ago I replied to the inane assertions about Penn Jones.  Nobody said he had Alzheimers in the 1960s.  He was just misguided then.  When he got old his wife -- also a researcher -- told their friends that she had to care for him.

People are defending everything Penn did in a long life, and they don't contact a single resident of the Dallas area.  That's where the man lived for several decades.  The Dallas Morning News kept in touch with him and his wife until the end.  You are remiss for not contacting them.

It gets worse.  Now people without connections to the New York newspaper business are saying the ladies' fashion editor / food writer decided to investigate a murder.  This is all grasping at straws.  I shall refrain from posting for a while.  You people almost had me fooled.

Do you know if he spoke to his father about these issues?

It has been reported that Florence began her affair with JFK in 1944 and lasted until his death in 1963. Is Earl Smith III aware of this story?

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[Jonathan Wendland]

Replies look like this.

There are several issues raised by the posting about Earl Smith III views of his mother.

(1) “Her only contribution to Kilgallen's newspaper (the Journal American) was a kitchen recipe in the Sunday edition.”

In fact, on 9th November, 1965, the New York Journal American reported: “Mrs. Earl E.T. Smith, wife of the former U.S. Ambassador to Cuba and columnist of The Journal-American, died today in her apartment at 1120 5th Ave. She was 45.” In fact, Florence had been fashion editor of the newspaper during the Second World War.

How does that qualify her to investigate a murder ?

(2) “Earl insists that Dorothy Kilgallen never entrusted the dying Florence Pritchett with any documents.”

As Earl was only 12 years old at the time it is difficult to know how he can be so sure about this.

That's difficult if you don't know the man.  He's very sharp.  Were you totally clueless about everything your mother did when you were that age ?

(3) “Mr. Simkin has assumed that Pritchett was Kilgallen's source on column items about Fidel Castro and Cuba, but we'll never know that. Earl says it's possible Florence fed her things in 1959, but he has no way of knowing. Florence absolutely did not know any secrets about Castro, Cuba or anything else during the last two months of her life.”

Earl admits that it was possible that Florence might have given information on Castro to Dorothy. He then adds “Florence absolutely did not know any secrets about Castro, Cuba or anything else during the last two months of her life.” How can he be so unsure about 1959 but so positive about 1965.

Look up "leukemia" in a dictionary.  Read up on Marie Curie.  To this day it devastates people's lives.  They don't die suddenly.

(4) "Earl Smith II and his wife Florence did know the Kennedys, but all we know is that they socialized formally. The Smiths visited the White House, and both couples hobnobbed in Palm Beach."

Of course they were much more than friends. JFK met Florence in 1944. The couple spent a lot of time together. Betty Spalding said that for Kennedy, "Over a long period of time, it was probably the closest relationship with a woman I know of." However, because Kennedy was a Roman Catholic, marriage was out of the question."

According to several books, JFK had a sexual relationship with Florence for 19 years that was only brought to an end in 1963. See for example:

How does that prove she had the slightest inclination to investigate his murder ?  Dr. Margaret Louise Coit would have been far more qualified to pound the pavement in Dallas (she was a southerner), but she was busy with other things.  She had some acquaintance with JFK that resulted in him making a pass at her.  Their amusing dialogue was published in the 1970s.  She asked, "Do you do this to all the women you meet ?"  The president replied, "My God, no, I don't have the strength."

Ralph G. Martin, A Hero for Our Time: An Intimate Story of the Kennedy Years (1993)

David C. Heymann, A Woman Named Jackie (1989)

Blair, Joan, and Blair, Clay Jr, The Search for J.F.K. (1977)

Nellie Bly, The Kennedy Men: Three Generations of Sex, Scandal and Secrets (1996)

Nigel, Hamilton, JFK: Reckless Youth (1992)

Stephen Birmingham, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1969)

(5) “In your recent post you state correctly that Penn Jones originated the entire saga of "Mrs. Earl T. Smith" and her connection to the assassination. Older Dallas - area residents know that Penn made many errors in his 1960s Midlothian Mirror articles and that he suffered from Alzheimers during the last 15 years of his life.”

It is the first I have heard the news that Penn Jones was suffering from Alzheimers during the time he was writing about the JFK assassination. This sounds like a typical CIA disinformation campaign. I would be interested in how you know this.

The Dallas Morning News reported it when it covered observances of the 25th and the 30th anniversaries of the assassination.  Penn's wife Elaine Kavanaugh -- also a JFK researcher -- talked openly about it.  She's still alive.  She's more than two decades younger than Penn.  It's silly of you to suggest a CIA disinformation campaign.  Have you ever been to Dallas ?  Have you ever met anyone who knew Penn Jones ?

It is indeed true that Penn Jones was the first person to link the deaths of Dorothy Killgallen. He wrote in Volume II: Forgive My Grief (1967: 

Maybe not.  On November 19, 1965 the New York Times ran a short article on Dorothy Kilgallen's last will and testament.  It reminded readers about the cause of death that medical examiner James Luke had announced to reporters four days earlier. 

The Times added that a city councilman named Paul O'Dwyer was introducing a bill that would restrict medical examiners from giving out too much data.  O'Dwyer was quoted as saying he disliked "the public speculation over the recent death of Dorothy Kilgallen."  Lee Israel mentioned this in the epilogue of her book, but nobody queried Mr. O'Dwyer before he died.

“Shortly before her death, Miss Kilgallen told a friend in New York that she was going to New Orleans in 5 days and break the case wide open. Miss Kilgallen 52, died November 8, 1965, under questionable circumstances in her New York home. Eight days after her death, a ruling was made that she died of barbiturates and drink with no quantities of either ingredient being given.

Also strangely, Miss Kilgallen’s close friend, Mrs. Earl E.T. Smith, died two days after Miss Kilgallen. Mrs. Smith’s autopsy read that the cause of death was unknown.

Many skeptical newsmen have asked: “If Miss Kilgallen knew anything, surely as a journalist wouldn’t she have left some notes?” This is a legitimate question. Possibly Mrs. Smith was the trusted friend with the notes. No one will ever know now.”

What is interesting about this is that Penn Jones did not appear to know who Mrs Earl Smith was.

So what ?  Most likely nobody in Dallas knew who she was in 1965 / 1966.

If he did, he did not write about it. I am sure he would have been fascinated to know that she was Florence Pritchett, the woman who had been having an affair with JFK for 19 years. Nor did he know that she was married to the ambassador of Cuba (1957-59) who had been involved in the plots to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Nor did he know that the woman's son wants everyone to stop this nonsense at once.

As far as I am aware, the true identity of Dorothy Kilgallen’s friend "Mrs Earl Smith" was not discovered until an exchange of postings by James Richards, John Johnson and myself on the JFK Research Forum in July 2004.

Wrong.  Go to the search field for Google groups (not for web sites) and type in "florence pritchett smith."  It will take you back to the mid 1990s.

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[John Simkin]

What is interesting about this is that Penn Jones did not appear to know who Mrs Earl Smith was.

So what ?  Most likely nobody in Dallas knew who she was in 1965 / 1966.

If he did, he did not write about it. I am sure he would have been fascinated to know that she was Florence Pritchett, the woman who had been having an affair with JFK for 19 years. Nor did he know that she was married to the ambassador of Cuba (1957-59) who had been involved in the plots to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Nor did he know that the woman's son wants everyone to stop this nonsense at once.

As far as I am aware, the true identity of Dorothy Kilgallen’s friend "Mrs Earl Smith" was not discovered until an exchange of postings by James Richards, John Johnson and myself on the JFK Research Forum in July 2004.

Wrong.  Go to the search field for Google groups (not for web sites) and type in "florence pritchett smith."  It will take you back to the mid 1990s.

You seem to be confusing several issues here. It is true that some researchers identified Mrs Earl Smith as being Florence Pritchett. This has indeed been discussed on alt.assassination.jfk in some detail in the 1990s. Most of this has included the postings of John McAdams. In fact, all the information you included in your postings appeared in these postings in 2001. I suspect in reality you are one of John McAdams’ students.

However, McAdams was attempting to distance Florence from being connected to the assassination of JFK. They were therefore not posting about the facts that link her to these events. You will have to go to other sources for this information. This includes the following:

(1) Florence Pritchett was married to Earl E. T. Smith, the ambassador of Cuba who was involved in CIA plots against Castro.

(2) Florence Pritchett was having an affair with JFK for 19 years. JFK relationship with Florence was not like the other relationships with other women. In the early 1960s Jackie came close to having a nervous breakdown because of this relationship. The FBI were fully aware of this relationship.

(3) Florence Pritchett worked with Dorothy Kilgallen at the New York Journal American in the 1940s.

(4) Dorothy Kilgallen died while researching the assassination of JFK. This research depended on receiving information from people who appeared to know a great deal about the links between the JFK assassination and Cuba.

(5) Florence Pritchett died two days after Dorothy Kilgallen.

I think it is now clear that Penn Jones first linked these two women together after reading about their deaths in the New York Journal American. He knew that Kilgallen had died while researching the assassination of JFK. He was also aware that Kilgallen’s manuscript had gone missing. When he read that a fellow Journal American worker had died two days after Kilgallen he came to the conclusion that both women had been murdered. The motive being that Dorothy had given a copy of her manuscript to Florence.

I think Penn Jones was wrong about this. I don’t believe Florence was murdered. Nor do I believe she was given Dorothy’s manuscript. However, I suspect Penn Jones had stumbled upon something very important. But because he did not investigate Florence’s life at the time, he did not realise what the true story really was. Florence did not have Dorothy’s manuscript but she had helped her write it. Florence was her source. As the wife of the former ambassador of Cuba, she knew a great deal about CIA plots against Castro. As the long term mistress of JFK she knew about his involvement in the assassination attempts on Castro. She would also have known about her husband’s links with right-wingers based in Florida.

It is long been my belief that the best sources of information on the assassination of JFK would come from the wives, mistresses and secretaries of those involved. It is why I have spent so much time researching the deaths of people like Florence Pritchett Smith, Mary Jo Kopechne, Nancy Carole Tyler and Dorothy Hunt. It is the same reason why I have been very interested in what Evelyn Lincoln has had to say about the assassination.

[Jonathan Wendland]

What is interesting about this is that Penn Jones did not appear to know who Mrs Earl Smith was.

So what ?   Most likely nobody in Dallas knew who she was in 1965 / 1966.

If he did, he did not write about it. I am sure he would have been fascinated to know that she was Florence Pritchett, the woman who had been having an affair with JFK for 19 years. Nor did he know that she was married to the ambassador of Cuba (1957-59) who had been involved in the plots to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Nor did he know that the woman's son wants everyone to stop this nonsense at once.

As far as I am aware, the true identity of Dorothy Kilgallen’s friend "Mrs Earl Smith" was not discovered until an exchange of postings by James Richards, John Johnson and myself on the JFK Research Forum in July 2004.

Wrong.  Go to the search field for Google groups (not for web sites) and type in "florence pritchett smith."  It will take you back to the mid 1990s.

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You seem to be confusing several issues here. It is true that some researchers identified Mrs Earl Smith as being Florence Pritchett. This has indeed been discussed on alt.assassination.jfk in some detail in the 1990s. Most of this has included the postings of John McAdams. In fact, all the information you included in your postings appeared in these postings in 2001. I suspect in reality you are one of John McAdams’ students.

I suspect you've never visited the campus of Marquette University where he teaches. It's not the only American college campus that offers an entire course on the assassination.

However, McAdams was attempting to distance Florence from being connected to the assassination of JFK. They were therefore not posting about the facts that link her to these events. You will have to go to other sources for this information. This includes the following:

(1) Florence Pritchett was married to Earl E. T. Smith, the ambassador of Cuba who was involved in CIA plots against Castro.

How does that prove that she helped Dorothy Kilgallen write a disappearing manuscript that nobody ever admitted to reading ?

(2) Florence Pritchett was having an affair with JFK for 19 years. JFK relationship with Florence was not like the other relationships with other women. In the early 1960s Jackie came close to having a nervous breakdown because of this relationship. The FBI were fully aware of this relationship.

The FBI was aware of JFK's relationships with lots of women. J. Edgar Hoover's confronting him about Judith Campbell Exner has been described in full in many books and cited briefly all over the place. Then there was the Ellen Rometsch episode in late summer 1963. Even Bobby Kennedy became concerned about that.

As for Jackie resenting Pritchett more than the other mistresses and approaching emotional collaprse because of that resentment, that's something we'll never know. Jackie would have to reveal it. She's deceased. That she broke down after her husband's funeral ended was predictable, but even that remained a secret until a Catholic priest divulged it in 2003. That priest did not ask her about Florence Pritchett. It was none of his business, and people slammed him in 2003 for announcing what he announced.

(3) Florence Pritchett worked with Dorothy Kilgallen at the New York Journal American in the 1940s.

Dr. Joyce Brothers worked for the same newspaper much closer to Kilgallen's death. Dr. Brothers wrote a front - page article with her theory on why the Beatles became so popular in the United States. Why is she still alive ?

(4) Dorothy Kilgallen died while researching the assassination of JFK. This research depended on receiving information from people who appeared to know a great deal about the links between the JFK assassination and Cuba.

How do you know Kilgallen got nothing out of Carlos Bringuier or Clay Shaw ? She visited New Orleans approximately three weeks before she died. Lee Israel's book says, "It is possible she was in New Orleans around this time." If you contact Marc Sinclaire in Tampa, Florida, he'll confirm that she absolutely was there. But he doesn't know who she met there. She can't tell us. She's deceased.

(5) Florence Pritchett died two days after Dorothy Kilgallen.

Wrong. She died one day later. She died at home a few hours before the power blackout started.

I think it is now clear that Penn Jones first linked these two women together after reading about their deaths in the New York Journal American. He knew that Kilgallen had died while researching the assassination of JFK. He was also aware that Kilgallen’s manuscript had gone missing. When he read that a fellow Journal American worker had died two days after Kilgallen he came to the conclusion that both women had been murdered. The motive being that Dorothy had given a copy of her manuscript to Florence.

Penn Jones couldn't prove that. Can you ?

I think Penn Jones was wrong about this. I don’t believe Florence was murdered. Nor do I believe she was given Dorothy’s manuscript. However, I suspect Penn Jones had stumbled upon something very important. But because he did not investigate Florence’s life at the time, he did not realise what the true story really was. Florence did not have Dorothy’s manuscript but she had helped her write it. Florence was her source. As the wife of the former ambassador of Cuba, she knew a great deal about CIA plots against Castro. As the long term mistress of JFK she knew about his involvement in the assassination attempts on Castro. She would also have known about her husband’s links with right-wingers based in Florida.

It is long been my belief that the best sources of information on the assassination of JFK would come from the wives, mistresses and secretaries of those involved. It is why I have spent so much time researching the deaths of people like Florence Pritchett Smith, Mary Jo Kopechne, Nancy Carole Tyler and Dorothy Hunt. It is the same reason why I have been very interested in what Evelyn Lincoln has had to say about the assassination.

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[John Simkin]

What does Earl Smith III make of the interview given by Florence's sister, Dancy Pritchett Foster, for Joan and Clay Blair book, The Search for JFK (1976)?

[Jonathan Wendland]

What does Earl Smith III make of the interview given by Florence's sister, Dancy Pritchett Foster, for Joan and Clay Blair book, The Search for JFK (1976)?

Today I had time to discover two facts.  First, Earl Smith III no longer works for John Hancock Life Insurance, which is where I used to contact him.  It may be impossible to find him while respecting his privacy.

Second, the interview to which you refer dwells entirely on Florence's life and ambition before she married her second husband, Earl Smith.  Florence's sister Dancy and her interviewers, Clay and Joan Blair, were exploring what made Florence attractive to JFK the naval lieutenant and congressman.  How did she compare with Inga Arvad and JFK's other non - Hollywood girlfriends ?

At no point in this "Search For JFK" book does Clay Blair, Joan Blair or Dancy Pritchett Foster speculate on JFK the 35th president's relationship with Florence, then married and the mother of a young son.  All we know is that the Smiths and Kennedys owned vacation homes in Palm Beach that were near each other.  That tells us nothing about what went on in the bedrooms.

At no point in the book does anyone speculate on Florence Pritchett being murdered.

Earl Smith's statement to me about his mother dying slowly of leukemia still stands.  Ditto for his claim that she was a devoted mother in their Manhattan apartment as opposed to a mobile tramp running to the presidential entourage to fornicate with the commander - in - chief.  I won't begrudge Earl his privacy now.

Oh, here's a third fact.  Dancy Pritchett Foster died in 1984.  Source:  social security death index available through Google.

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