Leo Damore Options

[John Simkin]

Can anyone provide me with anymore information on Leo Damore?

Damore was working for The Cape Cod News in July 1969 when Mary Jo Kopechne died at Chappaquidick. He began investigating the role played by Edward Kennedy in her death. He obtained a contract and a large advance from Random House to write a book about Chappaquidick. However, as a result of pressure from the Kennedy family, the contract was cancelled.

In 1978 Damore published The Crime of Dorothy Sheridan. This was followed by In His Garden : The Anatomy of a Murderer (1983). Damore's book on Mary Jo Kopechne, Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquiddick Cover-Up, was finally published by Regnery Gateway in 1983.

Damore than began investigating the murder of Mary Pinchot Meyer. In an article that appeared in the New York Post Damore claimed that he believed that the Central Intelligence Agency had something to do with the death of Meyer. He pointed out that on the night of the murder James Angleton and Ben Bradlee were in Mary's home looking for her diary. He added: "She (Meyer) had access to the highest levels. She was involved in illegal drug activity. What do you think it would do to the beatification of Kennedy if this woman said, 'It wasn't Camelot, it was Caligula's court'?"

Damore's book on Meyer was never published. Leo Damore committed suicide in October 1995.

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

[Mel Ayton]

Can anyone provide me with anymore information on Leo Damore?

Damore was working for The Cape Cod News in July 1969 when Mary Jo Kopechne died at Chappaquidick. He began investigating the role played by Edward Kennedy in her death. He obtained a contract and a large advance from Random House to write a book about Chappaquidick. However, as a result of pressure from the Kennedy family, the contract was cancelled.

In 1978 Damore published The Crime of Dorothy Sheridan. This was followed by In His Garden : The Anatomy of a Murderer (1983). Damore's book on Mary Jo Kopechne, Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquiddick Cover-Up, was finally published by Regnery Gateway in 1983.

Damore than began investigating the murder of Mary Pinchot Meyer. In an article that appeared in the New York Post Damore claimed that he believed that the Central Intelligence Agency had something to do with the death of Meyer. He pointed out that on the night of the murder James Angleton and Ben Bradlee were in Mary's home looking for her diary. He added: "She (Meyer) had access to the highest levels. She was involved in illegal drug activity. What do you think it would do to the beatification of Kennedy if this woman said, 'It wasn't Camelot, it was Caligula's court'?"

Damore's book on Meyer was never published. Leo Damore committed suicide in October 1995.

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

John,
Here's a couple of links which I suppose you've already accessed:

http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/truecrime/damore.html

http://www.sevenstories.com/book/index.cfm...1430&fa=reviews

As to the Mary Meyer murder :here's an excerpt from my book "Questions Of Controversy" (2001)

Mary Meyer

The preponderance of evidence strongly suggests that Kennedy had an affair with Mary Meyer, sister-in-law of ‘Washington Post’ editor, Ben Bradlee. Meyer was an artist who lived in Georgetown in Washington D.C.. Her affair with the President lasted two years. In 1964, a year after the President’s assassination, she was murdered as she walked along a tow-path next to the Potomac river. Meyer’s killer, according to police reports, grabbed her from behind and in broad daylight shot the 42 year old just once under the cheekbone. Her killer escaped and Meyer died instantly.

A number of authors have tried to tie the murder in with attempts by government agencies to keep the affair with President Kennedy secret. They have also attempted to explain her death as an effort to silence her because she purportedly knew about a conspiracy to murder the President.

The story gained some credence through the investigation of the case by best-selling author, Leo Damore, and JFK conspiracy author, John H. Davis. They suggest that Mary Meyer had been told by JFK shortly before his death that there was a conspiracy to assassinate him. Kennedy also purportedly told Meyer that the conspirators were people who were close to him. The conspirators allegedly decided Meyer had to be silenced before she could reveal what she knew about JFK’s assassination.

The ‘Meyer Conspiracy’ proponents, Damore and Davis, researched the story in the early 1990s. Damore said he persuaded many government officials to talk for the first time about the case and they agreed that Mary Meyer was murdered because she knew too much. They said that some very powerful people feared that Meyer knew the ‘real secret’ of the JFK assassination.

One of Damore’s sources was a retired police detective who had worked on the case in 1964. (10) He said that the murder was the work of a professional assassin and that the federal government was involved. The federal government, apparently, had put pressure on the police department to close the case quickly.

The simple facts of the case are quite different. (11) An African-American male, Raymond Crump, was spotted near the murder scene, and was arrested and charged with Meyer’s murder. The evidence against Crump was strong. Witnesses near the scene of the attempted rape or mugging heard shots; one of them, Henry Wiggins, identified Crump as the man who stood over Meyer’s body shortly after the shots had been fired. Crump had been arrested approximately ¾ of an hour after Mary Meyer had been killed. He had been hiding in some bushes near the scene of the crime. He lied to police officers and had fresh cuts and bruises on his body. However, a jury acquitted Crump in the face of overwhelming circumstantial evidence due mainly to an inept prosecutor. The case came down to a choice between believing Crump who appeared to be a quiet and reverent soul, and witness Wiggins who had been a war veteran and former military policeman. It would appear that the trial had been a precursor to O. J. Simpson’s; race had played an important part in the proceedings.

Mary Meyer, who was single at the time of her affair with the President, had been married to CIA officer, Cord Meyer. They divorced in 1956. Ben Bradlee, who was married to Mary’s sister Toni, did not know at the time that his sister-in-law was having an affair with his friend John Kennedy.

In his autobiography, Ben Bradlee (1995) relates the story from his viewpoint. On the night of the murder he got a call at his home from Anne Truitt, Mary’s artist friend and then wife of James Truitt, ‘Newsweek’s’ Tokyo correspondent. Mary had told Anne to retrieve her diary in which she documented her affair with the President, in case anything happened to her. The next morning Ben and Toni went to Mary’s house and once inside they discovered CIA counter-espionage chief, James Angleton, was there. No diary was found. But later in the day the Bradlees found it at Mary’s art studio which was directly across a dead-end driveway from the Bradlee’s house. They again discovered Angleton who was picking the lock of the studio. Embarrassed, Angleton walked off. Toni found the diary an hour later. The diary confirmed that Mary had been having an affair with JFK even though his name was never mentioned. The diary was given to James Angleton under the assumption it would be destroyed. However the diary was not destroyed until some years later. (12)

There have been contradictory accounts of how the diary was found but there is no credible evidence to support the theory that Mary Meyer had been murdered to silence her. If ‘government agents’ had indeed killed her then why would they leave a witness at the scene to identify the real culprits? Would the killers not have been afraid that the man arrested for the murder might reveal their true identities?

The Meyer diary has been used by other authors, notably Nelly Bly (1996) in her book ‘The Kennedy men’, to support one story or another which seeks to label Kennedy as a drug user. In a ‘National Enquirer’ article in 1976, James Truitt stated that Mary Meyer had revealed her affair with Kennedy to him. He went further and stated that Meyer and Kennedy had smoked marijuana.

Timothy Leary (1983) enhanced this story in his book ‘Flashbacks’. Leary embellished it by contending that Mary Meyer was consulting him in 1962 about how to conduct LSD sessions. Meyer had, purportedly, told Leary that she had a friend who was a ‘very important man’ who also wanted to try the drug. Leary maintained that after the assassination, Meyer talked of people who were upset about a ‘peace-loving’ president, who were turned on by drugs, and who had been done away with because they could not control him any longer. However, Leary admitted to author, Nina Burleigh, that he had no proof that Meyer had introduced the President to LSD and said he was not sure whether it was true or not. He did claim to have introduced Marilyn Monroe to the drug. (13)

There is a central problem with Leary’s story. Leary did not mention Meyer in any of his books until ‘Flashbacks’ more than 20 years after he had supposedly met her. Leary was a lifelong radical who took every opportunity to challenge the establishment. It stretches the imagination to assume he would not have revealed scandalous events about the American government. Furthermore, many of his books are autobiographical. Given the astounding nature of his revelations, it is simply incredulous that he did not write about these events long before 1983. In short Leary’s retroactive storytelling is simply not credible.

There are other reasons why Leary’s claims should be rejected. Kennedy’s lifestyle throughout his 46 years has been well chronicled by numerous sources, including family friends and others who knew him well. Kennedy did not smoke and was only a social drinker. If Kennedy had taken LSD and smoked marijuana in the White House it would have been totally out of character.

On the other hand there is strong evidence that President Kennedy took amphetamines but it is unlikely he did so knowingly. (14) It was the medical malpractice of the day and not at all unusual. These drugs were perfectly legal in 1963 and steroids were not known to be carcinogenic. According to J. Edgar Hoover biographer, Richard Gid Powers (1987), the FBI Director may have received ‘vitamin shots’ laced with amphetamines. (15) Dr Max Jacobson, along with others like Dr Janet Travell, was hired by Kennedy to treat his ailing back. Jacobson had invented an elixir and injected his patients with ‘vitamin shots’. The shots boosted the patient’s energy and confidence and in general filled them with a sense of well-being. The concoction, which was sent by Robert Kennedy for laboratory testing turned out to be a mixture of vitamins, steroids and amphetamines.

Max Jacobson travelled with President Kennedy to the first summit meeting with Kruschev in Vienna in June 1961. At this time Kennedy was having severe pain in his back. He had strained it whilst planting a tree in Ottawa the previous May. When told by his brother that the mixture was dangerous, Kennedy said that he did not care if it was ‘horse’s piss’ as long as it relieved his back pain with no obvious side effects. (16) After years of ineffectual treatment for his back it is no wonder that he insisted on the treatment continuing up to the time of his death in November 1963. And there is compelling evidence from Jacobson’s family that the doctor supplied the ‘elixir’ to Jacqueline Kennedy long after she left the White House. (17)

[John Simkin]

As to the Mary Meyer murder :here's an excerpt from my book "Questions Of Controversy" (2001)

Did you actually get this book published? How did they let this thing through? Was it a vanity publisher?

In 1964, a year after the President’s assassination, she was murdered as she walked along a tow-path next to the Potomac river. Meyer’s killer, according to police reports, grabbed her from behind and in broad daylight shot the 42 year old just once under the cheekbone. Her killer escaped and Meyer died instantly.

Mary was actually shot twice. The evidence suggested she had been killed by a professional hitman. The first bullet was fired at the back of the head. She did not die straight away. A second shot was fired into the heart (from behind). The evidence suggests that in both cases, the gun was virtually touching Mary’s body when it was fired. As the FBI expert testified, the “dark haloes on the skin around both entry wounds suggested they had been fired at close-range, possibly point-blank”.

The ‘Meyer Conspiracy’ proponents, Damore and Davis, researched the story in the early 1990s. Damore said he persuaded many government officials to talk for the first time about the case and they agreed that Mary Meyer was murdered because she knew too much. They said that some very powerful people feared that Meyer knew the ‘real secret’ of the JFK assassination.

One of Damore’s sources was a retired police detective who had worked on the case in 1964. (10) He said that the murder was the work of a professional assassin and that the federal government was involved. The federal government, apparently, had put pressure on the police department to close the case quickly.

The simple facts of the case are quite different. (11) An African-American male, Raymond Crump, was spotted near the murder scene, and was arrested and charged with Meyer’s murder. The evidence against Crump was strong. Witnesses near the scene of the attempted rape or mugging heard shots; one of them, Henry Wiggins, identified Crump as the man who stood over Meyer’s body shortly after the shots had been fired. Crump had been arrested approximately ¾ of an hour after Mary Meyer had been killed. He had been hiding in some bushes near the scene of the crime. He lied to police officers and had fresh cuts and bruises on his body. However, a jury acquitted Crump in the face of overwhelming circumstantial evidence due mainly to an inept prosecutor. The case came down to a choice between believing Crump who appeared to be a quiet and reverent soul, and witness Wiggins who had been a war veteran and former military policeman. It would appear that the trial had been a precursor to O. J. Simpson’s; race had played an important part in the proceedings.

This is outrageous. Your suggestion that he only got off because he was black is deeply racist (“a precursor to O. J. Simpson’s; race had played an important part in the proceedings”). The reason Crump got off was because he was innocent, not because he was black.

The evidence against Crump was weak not strong. The jury had no option but to find him not guilty.

The prosecution case was that they cordoned off the land where the murder took place and therefore the killer was unable to escape from the scene of the crime. As they arrested Crump by the canal it was argued that he must be the killer. There were several problems with this defence. First of all, Crump’s lawyer, Dovey Roundtree, was able to show that the police had not in fact cordoned off the canal towpath within minutes of the murder.

The second problem was the gun. If Crump had been trapped within the confines of this small area, what had he done with the gun? Despite an extensive search of the area no gun could be found. This included a two day search of the tow path by 40 police officers. The police also drained the canal near to the murder scene. Police scuba divers searched the waters away from where Mary was killed. However, no gun could be found. Nor could the prosecution find any link between Crump and any Smith and Wesson gun.

Police tests were unable to show that Crump had recently fired a gun. There were no trace of nitrates on his hands or clothes.

During the trial Wiggins was unable to positively identify Raymond Crump as the man standing over Meyer's body. (I noticed the way how you attempted to persuade your readers to your view of the killing by describing Wiggins as a "war veteran and former military policeman").

The prosecution was also handicapped by the fact that the police had been unable to provide a crediable motive for the crime. For example, what evidence have you that Crump tried to rape her? Not that pathetic prosecution claim that his flies were undone. We also know that no money was taken from the body so robbery did not appear to be a motive.

There have been contradictory accounts of how the diary was found but there is no credible evidence to support the theory that Mary Meyer had been murdered to silence her. If ‘government agents’ had indeed killed her then why would they leave a witness at the scene to identify the real culprits? Would the killers not have been afraid that the man arrested for the murder might reveal their true identities?

We now know the full details of how the diary was found. We now know that James Angleton and Ben Bradlee were desperate to get hold of this diary. Why was Angleton allowed to keep the diary? Did it not belong to Mary’s children? Why was it destroyed?

You seem to be very naive about how contract killers work. Wiggins posed no threat to this killer. He was unable to get a good view of the killer (as he admitted in court). Nor can contract killers ever be linked backed to government agencies. Even the person involved in arranging the “hit” would be a freelance without any obvious links to the CIA.

Have you read C. David Heymann’s The Georgetown Ladies' Social Club (2003). In February, 2001, the writer, Heymann, asked Cord Meyer about the death of Mary Pinchot Meyer: "My father died of a heart attack the same year Mary was killed, " he whispered. "It was a bad time." And what could he say about Mary Meyer? Who had committed such a heinous crime? "The same sons of bitches," he hissed, "that killed John F. Kennedy."

[Mel Ayton]

My book was published by a University Press, not a Vanity Press.(I thought you were the mature member who advised his forum members to avoid insults, sneers etc?)

Practically every book I have read has at least one small factual error in it.My book was 'passed' after reviews from another two Universities.If you are implying that every book containing a factual error is not worthy of publication you are mistaken.The list is endless.It is when a book makes numerous factual errors that cause for concern is justified - ergo Matthew Smith's 'Conspiracy' (2005).I have listed 10 factual errors and numerous 'errors of omission'.

And, Yes, I do admit an error for the number of shots, an oversight on my behalf when covering a related subject in my book which did not take priority within the chapter.I researched the story using secondary sources, including a newspaper report which was obviously in error.I did use Nina Burleigh's book which gives the correct description of the murder.Unfortunately, I stuck to the original report.

As far as the modus operandi for the murderer is concerned - to imply it was a 'contract hit' without proof is pure conjecture.Guesswork simply doesn't cut it, you may as well allege Oswald's shooting Tippit in the head was a 'contract hit'.Are you implying that every victim shot in the head can be judged to be a contract hit ?

Two experienced investigative journalists, Philip Nobile and Ron Rosenbaum, who interviewed Angleton and Detective Crooke, came to the conclusion that 'no one has ever pointed to a better suspect than Ray Crump.'Roberta Hornig of the Washington Evening Star knew more about the case than the jury was allowed to hear and was also convinced of Crump's guilt.She knew that Crump made many contradictory comments.She was convinced the prosecutor had 'blown the trial'.(And lack of gun residue can be readily explained by Crump's jumping into the canal.)

This is not a racist statement but it reflects Nina Burleigh's view that race played a part in the trial.I take it you haven't read her book (A Very Private Woman)? Perhaps you can write to her publisher and accuse her of being 'racist'.

If you limit your reading to books which continually take the conspiracy angle you will miss out.Please read Nina Burleigh, inform your readers about her conclusions in order to to give a balanced view, then carry on speculating.

[John Simkin]

If you limit your reading to books which continually take the conspiracy angle you will miss out.Please read Nina Burleigh, inform your readers about her conclusions in order to to give a balanced view, then carry on speculating.

I have of course read Nina Burleigh's book. She has carried out some interesting research although I do not always agree with her conclusions. To be fair, she has an open-mind about Mary's killer. However, I am much more impressed with one of her major sources, Peter Janney. He is a member of the Forum. This is what he had to say on the Mary Pinchot Meyer thread:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=3520

My perspective about the JFK Assassination, the assassination of Mary Pinchot Meyer (who was JFK's last true love), and The Warren Commission, as well as a number events has been informed largely by my growing up in Washington, D.C. My father was career CIA and as a family we were in close proximity with many of the controversial power broker people in Washington at the time (i.e. Ben Bradlee, Kay Graham, James Jesus Angleton, Tracy Barnes, Richard Helms,etc). I knew these people; I was friends with many of their children. I witnessed many, many things in regard to what was going on at the time.

Like many of you, I have spent a number of years being overwhelmed with what Hollywood director called "the crime of the century," which was the assassination of JFK. I have met privately with Stone and talked with him about a number of things.

I also knew Mary Pinchot Meyer and her family. Mary's husband, Cord Meyer, worked together at the CIA. Our families were quite close; her middle child Michael was my "best friend" at age 9 when he was killed by a car crossing the street at dusk. My mother and Mary Meyer were college roomates at Vassar, along with Scottie Fitzgerald (F. Scott Fitzgerald's only daughter) and several others.

Since 1976, I have made it my business to get to the bottom of Mary Meyer's murder. There have been three attempts by authors to write books about Mary Meyer. The first attempt, and by far the most thorough, was made by author Leo Damore. Damore created a legendary reputation as a dogged, thorough researcher with the publication of his book Senatorial Privilege. This was the definitive book about Ted Kennedy and the death of Mary Jo Kopeckne. Damore brought that same tenacity to his research on Mary Meyer, all of which I currently own. It was Damore who solved the crime about who actually murdered Mary Meyer, and I will go into that later. Damore committed suicide in 1995 and his book, Burden of Guilt, was never published ( I have several of his manuscripts). John Davis, a well-respected author and JFK researcher, then tried to pick up some of Damore's research and tried to write his book about Mary. He never finished it (though I have his manuscript). When asked by a close friend why he did not finish it, he replied, "I wanted to live..." meaning that his life had been threatened. Davis has since had a bad stroke and is barely coherent. Nina Burleigh, as many of you know, has so far written the only book about Mary Meyer. There is another book, however, in the works by authors Myrna Firestone and Don Shannon who will claim that the CIA was responsible for Mary Meyer's death. I have talked to them, but they did not want to reveal anything to me.

The question, with regard to Mary Meyer's assassination, is why was it necessary to take her out? What did she know that could have proven to be so important and potentially embarassing to any number of people in the government and particularly the CIA?

[John Gillespie]

Peter,

Greetings. I hope the Firestone/Shannon book sees a shelf life. Thank you for the information. A good friend, former M.I., told me that a program or documentary had been attempted for TV called "The Death Of Mary Meyer." Do you know anything about that?

Also, if any of the manuscript(s) by the great Lou Damore can somehow be placed here it would be wonderful.

Many Thanks,

John Gillespie

[John Simkin]

Namebase entry for Leo Damore:

http://www.namebase.org/xdal/Leo-J-Damore.html

Burleigh,N. A Very Private Woman. 1999 (292-3)
Executive Intelligence Review 1998-11-06 (67)
Stich,R. Defrauding America. 1994 (542)
Stich,R. Drugging America: A Trojan Horse. 1999 (469)
Thomas,K. Popular Alienation: A Steamshovel Press Reader. 1995 (84)
Vanity Fair 1993-09 (197, 200, 225)
Washington City Paper 1990-12-14 (26-7)
Washington Times 1993-04-07 (A1, 6)
Washington Times 1995-10-06 (A7)

[Peter Janney]

I want to comment on Mel's input and the discussion between Mel and John here. There are a number of things to elaborate on. Since I now own all of Damore's manuscripts for his book on Mary Meyer (which was to be entitled "Burden of Guilt" ) as well as all of his research for this book, I believe that Damore actually solved the murder (assassination) of Mary Pinchot Meyer.

I will return shortly to elaborate about this.

This post has been edited by Peter Janney: Aug 16 2005, 05:57 AM

[Stephen Turner]

OJ Simpson was found not giulty because of his wealth and celebrity, not his race. a poor black man would by now be on death row awaiting execution. I am not aware that Crump had either money or fame. For Mel to suggest otherwise flies in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, simply check out American prison statistics if you need proof of this...Steve.

[Pat Speer]

I am a used book store addict. Over the last few years, in book store after book store, I have seen dozens of copies of of a special pressing of Leo Damore's Senatorial Privilege. In this pressing, the book is only about 80 pages long. I have seen similar special pressings of books by former Treasury Secretary William Simon, and of the speeches of Ronald Reagan. It seems clear the Republican Party was behind the circulation of these special pressings. Does anyone know if Damore was witting to this act, and if he'd received funds from any right wing "think tank" to write his book in the first place?