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Gordon Novel


Greg Wagner

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The following is a quote from Jim Garrison taken from the 1967 Playboy interview:

Whatever his motivation, Governor Rhodes of Ohio, to name one, has said that he would allow me to extradite Novel to stand trial on charges arising from the CIA-inspired burglary of the ammunitions bunker in Houma, Louisiana --- but that I would not be allowed under the stipulations of the extradition agreement to question him about the assassination! In other words, it's OK for me to send a man to jail on a burglary rap, but I mustn't upset him by inquiring if he killed the President. I'm all in favor of protecting a defendant's civil rights, but this is straight out of Alice in Wonderland.

I was looking for some information about Gov. Rhodes, his background, members of his administration, etc., when I came across the following article:

Author, J. Gregory Payne Associate Professor of Organizational & Political Communication at Emerson College (1983); B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Illinois; M.P.A., Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Why four died in Ohio: Governor Rhodes and his relationship with the FBI

April 21, 2003

Ten days after Governor James A. Rhodes assumed office on January 14, 1963, a Cincinnati FBI agent wrote Director J. Edgar Hoover a memo stating: “At this moment he [Rhodes] is busier than a one-armed paper hanger . . . . Consequently, I do not plan to establish contact with him for a few months. We will have no problem with him whatsoever. He is completely controlled by an SAC [special Agent in Charge] contact, and we have full assurances that anything we need will be made available promptly. Our experience proves this assertion.”

Why would the FBI assert that the newly-inaugurated governor of Ohio is “completely controlled”? Media sources like Life magazine noted the governor’s alleged ties to organized crime and the Mafia in specific. Gov. Rhodes’ FBI file, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, suggests that it may be because of the FBI’s extensive knowledge of Rhodes’ involvement in the numbers rackets in the late 1930’s that the Bureau could count on his cooperation.

FBI declassified material suggests that the Bureau’s extensive influence over Governor Rhodes, perhaps due to their knowledge of his ties to the numbers rackets, may have played a role in the Governor’s hard line law and order tactics that led to the deaths of four students at Kent State in 1970.

A November 19, 1963 FBI memo, again from a Cincinnati agent to Director Hoover, outlines specific allegations from a Bureau’s confidential informant about Rhodes’ involvement in the numbers racket between 1936-8. The informant, a bagman for local organized crime, gave detailed information about pick ups at a cigar store located between Buttles and Goodale Avenues reportedly owner by Rhodes’ sister. Rhodes purportedly was running the gambling operation. Years ago, a Dispatch reporter told the Free Press that the governor had run a gambling operation in the Short North, called Jimmy’s Place.

As Rhodes assumed public office, first as a Columbus School Board member, and later as the Mayor of the city, he began to make overtures to Director Hoover. In a February 1949 letter, Mayor Rhodes invited Hoover to sit on the advisory board of the All-American Newspaper Boys Sports Scholarships organization. Hoover declined. Rhodes thanked him and then invited him to address a banquet for the National Newspaper Boys Association in August of 1949. Hoover again declined.

Two years later, Rhodes was again attempting to contact Hoover. On July 27, 1951, Rhodes called the FBI director’s office and refused to speak to Hoover’s assistant L.B. Nichols. When told that the director was in “travel status,” Rhodes explained the important nature of his call. He wanted “to invite the director to attend a celebrity golf tournament, . . . since its benefits were to go to youth organizations and he knew of the director’s interest in youth work.” Nichols declined on behalf of Hoover.

Finally, Rhodes persistence paid off. Rhodes and his wife were given a special tour of the FBI building in Washington D.C. on January 19, 1953. “During the tour Mr. Rhodes stated he wanted to say with all possible sincerity that during all these years he has had continued and absolute faith in one government agency ­ the FBI,” reads the 1963 memo.

The “completely controlled” memo showed great sympathy to Rhodes’ youthful gambling escapades: “It is understandable that Rhodes has previously said that it was necessary during the Depression and do many things to keep body and soul together and to provide food for existence.” Although the FBI fails to point out that Rhodes came from an affluent family who paid his way through Ohio State University during the Depression.

The memo goes on the describe Rhodes in the following manner: “He is a friend of law enforcement and believes in honest, hard-hitting law enforcement. He respects and admires FBI.”

Moreover, the agency recommended taking “no further action” against Governor Rhodes and his alleged ties to the gambling racket since, “persons very close to him, such as SAC contact Robert H. Wolfe, Publisher, the Columbus Dispatch, speak very highly of Rhodes and his personal attributes. Wolfe knows Rhodes well and was an active financier of the campaign of Rhodes . . . .”

The SAC of the Cincinnati office took special interest in Rhodes’ first election as governor. Incumbent Governor Michael V. Disalle had hired a former FBI agent to investigate and dig up dirt on Rhodes, “We have arranged with friendly newspaper contacts to endeavor to avoid any headline or other prominent mention of the former FBI status of [deleted].”

Following Rhodes’ 1962 election, the FBI described the governor-elect in the following terms: “Rhodes is a Bureau friend of long standing. Our first contact of record was in November, 1943.” The memo goes on to record that, “On June 18, 1945, the SAC of Cincinnati transmitted a news clipping from the ‘Columbus Dispatch’ of 6-7-45 indicating that Mayor Rhodes urged the establishment of a Bureau field office at Columbus.” Rhodes is portrayed as very “active and very friendly toward the Bureau.” Later files would not include these early contacts between the FBI and Rhodes.

The Bureau does detail one obvious connection between Rhodes and organized crime in Columbus, “One informant stated that the gambling element in Columbus has made a great effort to influence Mayor Rhodes to permit open gambling in the city but without success. In 1949, however, it was noted that the informants alleged that Rhodes did not interfere with the ‘numbers racket’ as apparently he was still interested in the colored vote.”

In July of 1963, a memo from the Cincinnati office on the subject of “Communist Speakers on College Campuses” noted that “Governor James A. Rhodes has signed into law legislation authorizing the trustees of any state-operated college or university to bar from using campus facility any person that they wish to bar.”

The SAC in charge of the Cincinnati Bureau wrote Hoover on October 9, 1967 to relay a conversation he had with Rhodes three days earlier regarding the civil unrest and riots that had rocked the nation during the summer of 1967. “During the conference, we discussed matters of mutual interest, particularly civil disorders and the high crime rate. The Governor told me that he would extend his full facilities, and he is all for stopping racial discord the moment it starts. He revealed that his plan is to immediately deploy troops and/the state patrol as soon as trouble arises,” the memo states.

The Cincinnati SAC concludes, “Our relationship with the Governor is of the highest order and he assured me that we can expect full cooperation from the State of Ohio on any matter of mutual concern.”

By the mid-60s, the CIA and the FBI were working together through the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on radical groups and harass peace organizations. The FBI’s operation was known as COINTELPRO. The CIA’s was Operation CHAOS.

In 1967, declassified government documents reveal that CIA Director Richard Helms, Hoover and President Lyndon Johnson believed that the domestic protest movements against the Vietnam War were being orchestrated by the Communist governments in Moscow, Peking, Havana and Hanoi.

Governor Rhodes used former SAC Ed Mason as an intermediary in an attempt to meet with Hoover on March 25, 1968. The FBI memo on the matter reads, “He formerly served as mayor of Columbus, Ohio and is a good friend of [deleted] of the ‘Columbus Dispatch.’”

The FBI memo said, “SAC, Cincinnati advises that Rhodes has been extremely cooperative.” Surprisingly, “there’s no indication that Governor Rhodes has ever met Mr. Hoover and he has not received an autographed photograph.”

Less than year before the tragic shootings at Kent State, the SAC of the Cincinnati Bureau sent Hoover a memo detailing Rhodes’ attitude towards civil unrest: “He personally feels that the Director is the outstanding American and that he is the only person who has consistently opposed those persons who would subvert our government. He feels that the Director’s stated position of dealing firmly with these groups is the only sensible method.”

“He [Rhodes] commented on the riots and unrest which have occurred repeatedly and said that some of this might well have been avoided if the Director’s warnings and advice had been followed. In Ohio, he has not hesitated to use the National Guard to deal with these situations and has instructed the Guard to act quickly and firmly. He feels that this is the only way to maintain law and order, and that the maintenance of law and order is the only way our government can survive,” the memo records.

On May 4, 1970, Sandra Scheuer, Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause and William Schroeder were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State. Numerous investigative accounts have alleged that the FBI was involved in the burning of the campus ROTC building, which led to the deaths of the students.

The SAC in Cincinnati paid a “courtesy call” on Governor Rhodes 18 days after the shootings. Governor Rhodes informed the FBI agent that he intended to keep the Ohio State University campus open, despite what some historians regard as one of the largest student riots in U.S. history. “. . . He [Rhodes] intends to mobilize sufficient members of the Ohio National Guard (ONG) to accomplish this, ‘even if he has to put a guard in every classroom,’” the memo reads.

The Governor blamed the unrest on outside agitators and “commented that of the upwards of 100 persons arrested on May 21 and May 22, 1970, only a few were OSU students. . .” the memo notes. The FBI memo cites that of the 78 arrests, 35 were OSU students and two OSU employees, even though the majority of the arrests were made off-campus.

“. . . the Governor also referred to the current investigation at Kent State University (KSU) and commented that he felt this would present an excellent opportunity for the Department of Justice, through some detailed statement to the news media after the investigation is completed, to get to the public the true story of campus agitation and to identify the organizers of the violence. The Governor appeared somewhat concerned at the possibility that members of the Ohio National Guard might finally end up being charged with an offense in connection to the shooting of the students at Kent,” the memo stated, “He commented at one point that if the ONG members were indicted in regards to this matter that he felt a million dollars should be spent to defend them, if necessary.”

The memo also records for history that, “The Governor commented several times on the close relationship he has enjoyed with the Bureau locally and as a whole.”

I guess there is no mystery here. Sounds like he was so infatuated with Hoover and the FBI that surely there had to be very little arm twisting done. Seems like Rhodes would have been more than happy to play ball.

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Greg:

Very interesting post; reveals the compatibility of FBI and Mafia connections. It's still painful to remember Kent State. I didn't have any idea where this thread would be going, with the Novel title (he's my leading candidate for Umbrella Man). Mike DiSalle was a very close political associate of JFK's. I've trimmed your enclosed article to some of the juiciest parts:

Why four died in Ohio: Governor Rhodes and his relationship with the FBI

April 21, 2003

Ten days after Governor James A. Rhodes assumed office on January 14, 1963, a Cincinnati FBI agent wrote Director J. Edgar Hoover a memo stating: “At this moment he [Rhodes] is busier than a one-armed paper hanger . . . . Consequently, I do not plan to establish contact with him for a few months. We will have no problem with him whatsoever. He is completely controlled by an SAC [special Agent in Charge] contact, and we have full assurances that anything we need will be made available promptly. Our experience proves this assertion.”

Why would the FBI assert that the newly-inaugurated governor of Ohio is “completely controlled”? Media sources like Life magazine noted the governor’s alleged ties to organized crime and the Mafia in specific. Gov. Rhodes’ FBI file, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, suggests that it may be because of the FBI’s extensive knowledge of Rhodes’ involvement in the numbers rackets in the late 1930’s that the Bureau could count on his cooperation.

FBI declassified material suggests that the Bureau’s extensive influence over Governor Rhodes, perhaps due to their knowledge of his ties to the numbers rackets, may have played a role in the Governor’s hard line law and order tactics that led to the deaths of four students at Kent State in 1970....

The “completely controlled” memo showed great sympathy to Rhodes’ youthful gambling escapades: “It is understandable that Rhodes has previously said that it was necessary during the Depression and do many things to keep body and soul together and to provide food for existence.” Although the FBI fails to point out that Rhodes came from an affluent family who paid his way through Ohio State University during the Depression.

The memo goes on the describe Rhodes in the following manner: “He is a friend of law enforcement and believes in honest, hard-hitting law enforcement. He respects and admires FBI.”

Moreover, the agency recommended taking “no further action” against Governor Rhodes and his alleged ties to the gambling racket since, “persons very close to him, such as SAC contact Robert H. Wolfe, Publisher, the Columbus Dispatch, speak very highly of Rhodes and his personal attributes. Wolfe knows Rhodes well and was an active financier of the campaign of Rhodes . . . .”

The SAC of the Cincinnati office took special interest in Rhodes’ first election as governor. Incumbent Governor Michael V. Disalle had hired a former FBI agent to investigate and dig up dirt on Rhodes, “We have arranged with friendly newspaper contacts to endeavor to avoid any headline or other prominent mention of the former FBI status of [deleted].”

Following Rhodes’ 1962 election, the FBI described the governor-elect in the following terms: “Rhodes is a Bureau friend of long standing. Our first contact of record was in November, 1943.” The memo goes on to record that, “On June 18, 1945, the SAC of Cincinnati transmitted a news clipping from the ‘Columbus Dispatch’ of 6-7-45 indicating that Mayor Rhodes urged the establishment of a Bureau field office at Columbus.” Rhodes is portrayed as very “active and very friendly toward the Bureau.” Later files would not include these early contacts between the FBI and Rhodes.

The Bureau does detail one obvious connection between Rhodes and organized crime in Columbus, “One informant stated that the gambling element in Columbus has made a great effort to influence Mayor Rhodes to permit open gambling in the city but without success. In 1949, however, it was noted that the informants alleged that Rhodes did not interfere with the ‘numbers racket’ as apparently he was still interested in the colored vote.”

In July of 1963, a memo from the Cincinnati office on the subject of “Communist Speakers on College Campuses” noted that “Governor James A. Rhodes has signed into law legislation authorizing the trustees of any state-operated college or university to bar from using campus facility any person that they wish to bar.”

The SAC in charge of the Cincinnati Bureau wrote Hoover on October 9, 1967 to relay a conversation he had with Rhodes three days earlier regarding the civil unrest and riots that had rocked the nation during the summer of 1967. “During the conference, we discussed matters of mutual interest, particularly civil disorders and the high crime rate. The Governor told me that he would extend his full facilities, and he is all for stopping racial discord the moment it starts. He revealed that his plan is to immediately deploy troops and/the state patrol as soon as trouble arises,” the memo states.

The Cincinnati SAC concludes, “Our relationship with the Governor is of the highest order and he assured me that we can expect full cooperation from the State of Ohio on any matter of mutual concern.”

By the mid-60s, the CIA and the FBI were working together through the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on radical groups and harass peace organizations. The FBI’s operation was known as COINTELPRO. The CIA’s was Operation CHAOS.

In 1967, declassified government documents reveal that CIA Director Richard Helms, Hoover and President Lyndon Johnson believed that the domestic protest movements against the Vietnam War were being orchestrated by the Communist governments in Moscow, Peking, Havana and Hanoi....  [i'm not sure that I believe that they really believed it; but it was useful for them to pretend to.]

Less than year before the tragic shootings at Kent State, the SAC of the Cincinnati Bureau sent Hoover a memo detailing Rhodes’ attitude towards civil unrest: “He personally feels that the Director is the outstanding American and that he is the only person who has consistently opposed those persons who would subvert our government. He feels that the Director’s stated position of dealing firmly with these groups is the only sensible method.”

“He [Rhodes] commented on the riots and unrest which have occurred repeatedly and said that some of this might well have been avoided if the Director’s warnings and advice had been followed. In Ohio, he has not hesitated to use the National Guard to deal with these situations and has instructed the Guard to act quickly and firmly. He feels that this is the only way to maintain law and order, and that the maintenance of law and order is the only way our government can survive,” the memo records.

On May 4, 1970, Sandra Scheuer, Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause and William Schroeder were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State. Numerous investigative accounts have alleged that the FBI was involved in the burning of the campus ROTC building, which led to the deaths of the students....

“. . . the Governor also referred to the current investigation at Kent State University (KSU) and commented that he felt this would present an excellent opportunity for the Department of Justice, through some detailed statement to the news media after the investigation is completed, to get to the public the true story of campus agitation and to identify the organizers of the violence. The Governor appeared somewhat concerned at the possibility that members of the Ohio National Guard might finally end up being charged with an offense in connection to the shooting of the students at Kent,” the memo stated, “He commented at one point that if the ONG members were indicted in regards to this matter that he felt a million dollars should be spent to defend them, if necessary.”

The memo also records for history that, “The Governor commented several times on the close relationship he has enjoyed with the Bureau locally and as a whole.”

I guess there is no mystery here. Sounds like he was so infatuated with Hoover and the FBI that surely there had to be very little arm twisting done. Seems like Rhodes would have been more than happy to play ball.

Given Hoover's personal relationship with mobsters like Frank Costello, it's not surprising that Rhodes' background was quite sympatico with FBI requirements and goals.

An amusing DiSalle-JFK story: While trapped together in an Ohio traffic jam and running late, JFK said to DiSalle: "I wonder how Hannibal ever made it across the Alps?" "It was easy," DiSalle said while glaring at a politico in the front seat. "He didn't have an advance man."

Tim Carroll

Edited by Tim Carroll
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It sure would have been interesting to know what questions Jim Garrison had for Novel.

Researching Novel is enough to send anyone around the twist completely. This guy is everywhere and nowhere.

There is a History Channel documentary on J. Edgar Hoover where Gordon Novel is interviewed. He claims that Carlos Marcello showed him a photograph which depicted Hoover and Tolson in a compromising position; and that is why the FBI did not aggressively pursue the Mafia for fear of exposure.

That aside, what is interesting here is the confirmation (admission) of a direct Mafia connection to a supposed CIA asset. If the FBI knew this in the early 1960's, then no wonder they did not want Novel chatting with Garrison.

James

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Tim-

I agree. I doubt LBJ & Hoover believed that the communist gov'ts were organizing the protests, but as you said, it suited their cause well to say so.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Novel as the Umbrella Man. Is that just a hunch?

It was strange reading the part of that piece that mentioned the Wolfe family. They own the media in Central Ohio (The Columbus Dispatch, a talk radio station, and the local NBC TV affiliate). I met a member of the Columbus sports media recently and after kicking around several sports-related items, he started talking about the heirarchy of the Central Ohio media. His take was that basically, if you are not one of the "Wolfe" people, you are a second-class citizen when it comes to access. And as we all know, the cover-up has known no greater ally than the mainstream American Media.

It's so strange (or scary might be a better word) that as someone interested in this case, the more you read, research and discover little things like that, the more it all seems to fit together into one giant, frightening picture.

Were JFK and DiSalle simply associated because they were fellow Democrats? Or was there more to it?

I met then ex-Governor Rhodes once and actually had about 5 minutes alone with him at the Ohio State Fair in the summer of 1986. It was strictly by chance and I probably would not have recognized him if it weren't for his driver tipping me off. He seemed like a nice, gracious, frail old man. Of course, at that time, I was much younger and I had never heard of Gordon Novel. What I wouldn't give for those 5 minutes alone with him now (if he were still alive, that is).

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It sure would have been interesting to know what questions Jim Garrison had for Novel.

Researching Novel is enough to send anyone around the twist completely. This guy is everywhere and nowhere.

There is a History Channel documentary on J. Edgar Hoover where Gordon Novel is interviewed. He claims that Carlos Marcello showed him a photograph which depicted Hoover and Tolson in a compromising position; and that is why the FBI did not aggressively pursue the Mafia for fear of exposure.

That aside, what is interesting here is the confirmation (admission) of a direct Mafia connection to a supposed CIA asset. If the FBI knew this in the early 1960's, then no wonder they did not want Novel chatting with Garrison.

James

Hi James-

It would be very interesting to know what JG was going to ask him. I agree with your assessment of Novel as a frustrating piece of the puzle to try and get your hands around. With a cast of characters more enigmatic than perhaps any story (non-fiction included) in history, he is one of the most enigmatic. There is so very little info available on him.

Any idea how he ultimately ended up in Columbus, Ohio? My understanding is that he was originally headed to Virginia (which would fit with him being Agency). What diverted him?

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Any idea how he ultimately ended up in Columbus, Ohio? My understanding is that he was originally headed to Virginia (which would fit with him being Agency). What diverted him? (Greg Wagner)

That's a very good question, Greg.

I just can't see Novel being an official employee of the CIA but certainly as some kind of asset; in what capacity, I really have no idea. His connection to Ferrie is one that has always been interesting to me though.

When you look at his relationship with such people as Clay Shaw and Mitch WerBell, his undefined and baffling connection to Carlos Marcello, his association with such things as Waco and UFO research; and old Gordy is a real brain teaser.

Even though Novel is an enigma and a definitive player, I can't find a command connection for him to be operational in Dallas (not suggesting that there wasn't one) as the Umbrella Man on Elm Street.

FWIW.

James

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Even though Novel is an enigma and a definitive player, I can't find a command connection for him to be operational in Dallas (not suggesting that there wasn't one) as the Umbrella Man on Elm Street. 

James

I don't understand the phrase "command connection for him to be operational in Dallas...." First, the term "command connection" is new for me. Second, who would have had one, Roy Hargraves, for example?

Tim Carroll

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I don't understand the phrase "command connection for him to be operational in Dallas...." First, the term "command connection" is new for me. Second, who would have had one, Roy Hargraves, for example? (Tim Carroll)

Hi Tim,

I believe the Dealey Plaza assassination teams were operational cells with a command or cutout in place; and may not have necessarily known about any other teams. This pooling of cells was under the direction of David Morales. For example, I believe the team of Herminio Diaz Garcia and Tony Cuesta came via John Roselli.

The team of Felipe Vidal Santiago and Roy Hargraves on Elm Street came via Colonel Bishop who I believe was actually John O'Hare. O'Hare and Roselli go straight back to Morales.

I just can't find a way to get Gordon Novel to Dallas. He may well have been there and operational but he doesn't seem to fit within any solid structure I am aware of. Like I said, that doesn't mean one didn't exist.

Let me stress that this of course is just my opinion.

James

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The team of Felipe Vidal Santiago and Roy Hargraves on Elm Street came via Colonel Bishop who I believe was actually John O'Hare....  Let me stress that this of course is just my opinion.

James

James:

I have great respect for your photographic look-alike work. Do you mean by the above statement that you consider Felipe Vidal Santiago and Roy Hargraves to be the likeliest candidates for DCM and Umbrella Man, respectively?

Tim

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I have great respect for your photographic look-alike work. (Tim Carroll)

Thank you, Tim, for the kind words.

Do you mean by the above statement that you consider Felipe Vidal Santiago and Roy Hargraves to be the likeliest candidates for DCM and Umbrella Man, respectively? (Tim Carroll)

Yes, it is my opinion that Vidal and Hargraves were our friends on Elm. I didn't formulate that view based on the photographic evidence alone but also by comments Hargraves made in an interview with Noel Twyman, the fact that Vidal and Hargraves were close friends and went on many a mission together, and conversations I have had with several anti-Castro guys who were around during the early 1960's.

James

Edited by James Richards
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James

This is one of the most detailed postings concerning your theory.

John Simkin says essentially the same thing, if you look at the SPARTACUS links overall, and I think he based a lot of that on your work,

Very good work, and very important work.

ROy Hargraves and Felipe Vidal Santiago are the suspicious characters who lurk and linger throughout the ambush and aftermath. Herminio Diaz Garcia and Tony Cuesta, there is a good case there for them.

No doubt John Roselli was key organizer. Mr. Brading/Braden was present. Tosh puts Licavoli in the Plaza under the code-name RAVEN. Do you believe Licavoli was there? Do you know of any other Radio code names like 'Raven' used that day.

I am impressed by how both Nix and Muchmore cut in at the same time, and Muchmore really shows the braking. Al Currier recently stated, unprompted by me, that the limousine carrying Kennedy slowed to Five Miles per Hour.

What might be [in the missing frames of Nix and Muchmore/?]

I don't understand the phrase "command connection for him to be operational in Dallas...."  First, the term "command connection" is new for me.  Second, who would have had one, Roy Hargraves, for example? (Tim Carroll)

Hi Tim,

I believe the Dealey Plaza assassination teams were operational cells with a command or cutout in place; and may not have necessarily known about any other teams. This pooling of cells was under the direction of David Morales. For example, I believe the team of Herminio Diaz Garcia and Tony Cuesta came via John Roselli.

The team of Felipe Vidal Santiago and Roy Hargraves on Elm Street came via Colonel Bishop who I believe was actually John O'Hare. O'Hare and Roselli go straight back to Morales.

I just can't find a way to get Gordon Novel to Dallas. He may well have been there and operational but he doesn't seem to fit within any solid structure I am aware of. Like I said, that doesn't mean one didn't exist.

Let me stress that this of course is just my opinion.

James

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James

This is one of the most detailed postings concerning your theory....  [Huh?]  Roy Hargraves and Felipe Vidal Santiago are the suspicious characters who lurk and linger throughout the ambush and aftermath. Herminio Diaz Garcia and Tony Cuesta, there is a good case there for them.  No doubt John Roselli was key organizer. Mr. Brading/Braden was present. Tosh puts Licavoli in the Plaza under the code-name RAVEN.  [that's not my understanding; Raven is Nicoletti, and Tosh only puts him there through supposition]  Do you believe Licavoli was there? Do you know of any other Radio code names like 'Raven' used that day.

What is the source for this "Licavoli" being Raven stuff?

I agree with Jack White about Umbrella Man:

I agree with Marcel about Dark Complected Man:

Tim

Edited by Tim Carroll
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Tosh puts Licavoli in the Plaza under the code-name RAVEN. Do you believe Licavoli was there? Do you know of any other Radio code names like 'Raven' used that day. (Shanet Clark)

Hi Shanet,

I have no idea regarding Licavoli but anything is possible and I am certainly open to suggestion. I am also unaware of the code name 'Raven'.

I am however aware or another code name allegedly used that day but I will have to keep that to myself for now as it is part of some ongoing research I am doing. Steady as she goes is applicable here. B)

Regarding Vidal and Hargraves, their history together is very important I believe. Remembering that it was Vidal who got the word to the exile community and other interested parties regarding the dialogue JFK was allegedly attempting to motivate with Castro.

I believe that when the truth comes out, and it will, we may find Vidal a little further up the food chain than first thought. We may also discover that the conspiracy itself to kill JFK in an open car travelling through Dallas was not all that complicated either. Time will tell.

James

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