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Jim Dolan

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  1. yes, Michael, thank you very much. i found that thread several years ago and it has been super informative.
  2. All- I have posted here in the past regarding my father, James Henry Dolan, and his associations with Eugene Hale Brading aka Jim Braden, Jack Ruby and so on. I am now coming to the close of a memoir project I've been working on for several years now (or, my entire life, depending on how you look at it) about growing up with my dad and my posthumous discovery of his presence in the JFK narrative. Some of you may recognize his name as taking up a fair amount of space in the 'mob did it' narrative, through his associations with organized crime heavies like Marcello, Trafficante, Alderisio, Smaldone, etc. at any rate, as part of this project, i made a FOIPA request to the FBI a couple years ago for my father's records, which finally showed up this week, after 2 1/2 years. what i received was a total anti-climax, as i've seen more information and depth on the Internet just by searching his name, and then by pairing his name in searches with others, like 'James Henry Dolan + Carlos Marcello'. at any rate, the disc i received covers documents generated during a three year period when Doc (my dad's nickname) in the early 70s was running a swindle crew across the south doing 3 card monte and pigeon drop cons. he was apprehended, arraigned, bonded out and then went on the lam for about 7 years before capture in 1978. he was then interviewed by the HSCA, and the lengthy bio and narrative assembled there is easily sourced on the net. but i have query here- i know from previous research that my dad's criminal history extends into the late 40s and doesn't end until his murder in 1984. why would the FOIPA response cover only such a narrow period? of course, i've asked and was only told how to file a protest. i haven't the stomach for another few years of dealing with the gummint, so i will forego that, as i have all the info i could need for my project, but was tantalized by accessing the Bureau's own files, thinking i'd find stuff not available through simple searches. does anyone here have experience with FOIPA and its operations? i'm a newbie, and somewhat mystified. also, there was a disclaimers and disclosures letter with the files which i think might have stated, if i interpret correctly, that the disc was only the first installment, and that there would also be OGAs (other government agencies) responding to my query which FBI had forwarded to them. but how, when, etc is not stated. any commentary is invited here, and thanks in advance
  3. Jason- thanks for ALL of that- many directions to follow there. RE: my mom's Gotti 'recollection'...I almost fell off my chair when she said that, and obviously don't repeat it here as the God's-honest-truth, but only as her recollection. That entire episode has always stood out in my memory, utterly mysterious and never even the slightest explanation from either parent until my mom's statements decades later. Who that gentleman really was will no doubt be forever a mystery. Less doubtful to me is what my mom said was the content of the conversation, which was that the visitor told my dad he should 'get out'.... Doc was all kinds of involved with Bottoms Up! because at the time he was the local American Guild of Variety Artists head man, so he was on the lookout to make sure maximum use of AGVA people in the cast and crew. I would also have to imagine that he turned it into a protection scam as well, 'leaning' on the right people in return for cash. He was in that position at AGVA until 1961, at which point he wasn't any more, for reasons never revealed. I recall the name Charles Meeker being spoken frequently in the AGVA days. To my child's eyes, he was a kind of benefactor and it seemed there was often a favor of some kind delivered. Like I said, he made the calls to get me my first job at Six Flags. I think I met him once, and it seemed like he and my dad were great friends. This also came from a period when we visited Town and Country Restaurant in downtown Dallas, a business often mentioned in these JFK connections. Those days came to an end when my mother finally jettisoned her trouble making husband.
  4. what jumps out at me, in the excerpt of FBI files regarding my father, is the mention of the 'Italian from Boston, Known only as Johnny Williams'-- I recall a mysterious, disquieting episode from somewhere in the 1961/62 range when we had an important visitor to our home for dinner, an 'Italian' from Boston, i learned, somehow, i don't remember how. he was dark skinned, wore a dark suit, seemed very polite, but very professional and didn't say much. we all sat at table with him, and my mother made her best, and served him wine as well, which seemed exotic and way far out of our typical fare. he fascinated and mystified me. and, it was clear that his business there was professional, not personal, and his focus was entirely on my father. it was clearly about business of some kind, but i was never told what, only that he was there to 'speak to your father'...no explanation ever, and he left soon after dinner. perhaps 40 or more years later, i was reminiscing with my mother, and she said she remembered it clearly, and that she came to realize, somehow (how exactly, she didn't say) that the visitor was actually John Gotti, Sr. and that he had advised my father, in light of his lovely wife and three kids that he should get out of the game, give it up and live a normal life. i do not know how she knew these things, and she would not say. i'd love to ask her more now, but she is gone. re: Charles Meeker, there was a period where he was mentioned frequently in our home. he provided tickets to Dallas Summer Musicals so that my brother, sister and i could each be taken individually to see the shows, which for me was an exciting and glamorous event. he also gave my dad a stereo record player, and there were other favors as well. when i was 16, mr. meeker knew who to call to secure me a job working on the rides at six flags over texas, a job i held for two years. i also remember all the blather about Bottoms Up! and i recall we had an LP of the show music. long gone now. this has been very helpful. i've got a lot of reading to do re: Brading.
  5. All- I have just recently signed on the forum, having been aware of it for several years from the post re: my father, James Henry Dolan. I sign on mainly to contribute what I can, but perhaps even more so, to learn what I can from those who might be ahead of me in my understanding of my dad's history. FYI, I will be doing some presentations this fall regarding what I know of him and his connections at a couple JFK forums here in Dallas. I think one of the most striking things in my dad's history is this: from gov't records, I learn that Brading and my dad (Doc) were in contact personally in Phoenix in 1951 when my parents lived there, and apparently the FBI learned that Brading wanted to convince him to join him in the con trade. Whatever came of that is not documented, but I do know that my dad worked cons for many years, and actually right up to his death in December 1984. The intriguing thing about this contact is that 12 years later on November 22, 1963, one of the first people to be picked up and questioned was Brading as he was leaving the School Book Depository. At this point, my family had lived in Dallas for about 9 years, Doc included. Has anyone ever gotten deeper into this? Many thanks
  6. Hello to all. Obviously, my name is Jim Dolan. I come to this site after having found it several years ago while doing some research on my father's life of crime and connection to individuals known to all Assassination researchers, such Ruby, Brading, etc. His name was James Henry Dolan. I came across a lengthy discussion of his various connections on this site, but registration was closed, so I've not been able until now to join up. I am now in the thick of a memoir of my life with my father, and the way his story continued long after his murder in 1984 as I began to unravel the length and breadth of his crime career, 99% of which was conducted outside of my awareness. I am here to provide what I can, but also to learn what others have discovered about him that I may not have known about.
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