Jump to content
The Education Forum

JFK Blog


Recommended Posts

Four journalists who brought news of the assassination of President John F Kennedy into US living rooms in 1963 have found a new level of fame by using the internet to market their book about the experience.

They are among a growing group of people exploring the potential of blogs, or web logs, as a marketing tool and advertising venue.

"We've been around, but this is the first time we've been around in cyberspace," said Bob Huffaker, a former reporter at CBS radio and television station KRLD in Dallas and one of the four authors of "When the News Went Live: Dallas 1963." Like other blogs, the one set up by Huffaker and co-author George Phenix features online musings to which visitors can respond. Besides entries on the book they wrote with former KRLD co-workers Bill Mercer and Wes Wise, the blog features brief opinion pieces on public broadcasting, the Bush Administration's effort to privatise Social Security and the future of newspapers.

http://dallas1963.typepad.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John,

Huffaker was in the Army Reserve at Fort Hood. Have wondered in te past if he with MI. Due to a critical shortage in the '50s and '60s, reservists were often called upon for intel work as shown in this quote: "By 1962, Army intelligence was confronted by a critical personnel situation. The Army was still relying on reserve officers left over from World War II and the Korean War to fill its intelligence positions." http://asa.npoint.net/mihis01x­.htm

DPD had him on a list of people who may have info connecting Oswald and Ruby... but when they finally caught up with him (at Fort Hood), there appears to have been no questions asked along those lines. Others on the list included Helen K Smith AKA Pixie Lynn (Ruby dancer), Gaston Powerll, Willburn Lichfield, Cloe

Stansell, Linda Jackson and Lt George Butler.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We think George Faraldo, manager of the Key West airport, may have seen Ruby and Oswald together at the Key West Airport.  See "Searching for Ghosts in Key West", Chapter Seven of Gaeton Fonzi's "The Last Investigation".

Thanks, Tim. Haven't read Fonzi's book, but just read an article you co-wrote about this alleged sighting.

It doesn't explain how Huffaker knew about it. Nor does it explain how DPD knew Huffaker knew about, let alone why they apparently failed to question him on it.

I note in your article that Faraldo had done some work for USIA and/or CIA, and that he told Fonzi that the group Oswald and Ruby were in were FPCC members.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These journalists have been invited to be on a panel at the November JFK Lancer conference in Dallas and based on my initial contact with them I have high hopes that they will present on their experiences and be available for individual questions as well.

It also looks as if we will have the archivist for the Penn Jones papers there and hopefully the archivist for the Weisberg papers as well - as part of a panel on research resources.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greg, in my opinion Fonzi's book is a "must read" and his chapter on the Faraldo incident is most interesting. Well, the whole book is interesting, and well-written.

He was not sure what to make of Faraldo in part because he suspected he had CIA connections.

His widow confirmed to us (not in words) that had indeed done work inside Cuba for the CIA.

She also said he confirmed to her right up to his day of death that he had seen Oswald and Ruby at the Key West airport. Based on her representations, Mark and I decided he was probably telling the truth.

Of course the question that arises is why he did not come forward with the information immediately after the assassination (or I should say after Ruby shot Oswald). He told a Miami tv reporter about it during the Garrison investigation.

Faraldo was not sure if Ruby went along on the trip. The stated purpose of the trip was to help harvest sugar cane fields. I suspect there was more to it than that.

Edited by Tim Gratz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tim,

I'm a bit confused. You provided the allegations made by Faraldo as being the information of which Robert Huffaker had knowledge.

In a subsequent post, you stated: Of course the question that arises is why he did not come forward with the information immediately after the assassination (or I should say after Ruby shot Oswald). He told a Miami tv reporter about it during the Garrison investigation.

Whatever information Huffaker had, he had it some time prior to 12/04/63, as that was the date he was interviewed at Fort Hood as part of the DPD investigation into Ruby/Oswald connections (putting aside for a second that the DPD mysteriously failed to put anything in the record of interview relating to the subject).

How then could Huffaker have known about Faraldo's claims in late Nov or early Dec, 1963 if Faraldo never came forward until Garrison's investigation?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greg wrote:

I'm a bit confused. You provided the allegations made by Faraldo as being the information of which Robert Huffaker had knowledge.

Greg, now I am confused. I did not intend to say that Huffaker knew anything about Faraldo's claim to have seen Ruby and Oswald together in Key West. If I said or implied that, I was in error and beg your apology!

Edited by Tim Gratz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greg wrote:

I'm a bit confused. You provided the allegations made by Faraldo as being the information of which Robert Huffaker had knowledge.

Greg, now I am confused.  I did not intend to say that Huffaker knew anything about Faraldo's claim to have seen Ruby and Oswald together in Key West.  If I said or implied that, I was in error and beg your apology!

Okay... I guess I'm to blame, Tim. I posted about Huffaker being on a DPD list of people who may have knowledge of Oswald/Ruby connections, and the fact that they apparently failed to obtain this information when they interviewed him. Following that, you posted about Faraldo's alleged sighting, and I assumed you were providing me with the answer to what Huffaker knew.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These journalists have been invited to be on a panel at the November JFK Lancer conference in Dallas and based on my initial contact with them I have high hopes that they will present on their experiences and be  available for individual questions as well.

It also looks as if we will have the archivist for the Penn Jones papers there and hopefully the archivist for the Weisberg papers as well - as part of a panel on research resources.

Larry,

If Mr Huffaker accepts the invitation, and does make himself available for questions, I wonder if you might ask him firstly what information he had regarding a Ruby/Oswald Connection, and secondly, if he had ever done any intelligence work for the Army?

I thought that Tim had provided the answer to the first question, but I was mistaken.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greg, I'll be happy to do that and have made a note - but if you could jog

my memory about it with a message in Nov. a reminder would be a good thing.

-- Larry

These journalists have been invited to be on a panel at the November JFK Lancer conference in Dallas and based on my initial contact with them I have high hopes that they will present on their experiences and be  available for individual questions as well.

It also looks as if we will have the archivist for the Penn Jones papers there and hopefully the archivist for the Weisberg papers as well - as part of a panel on research resources.

Larry,

If Mr Huffaker accepts the invitation, and does make himself available for questions, I wonder if you might ask him firstly what information he had regarding a Ruby/Oswald Connection, and secondly, if he had ever done any intelligence work for the Army?

I thought that Tim had provided the answer to the first question, but I was mistaken.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greg, I'll be happy to do that and have made a note - but if you could jog

my memory about it with a message in Nov. a reminder would be a good thing.

Thanks Larry,

I've been unable to relocate the list in the DPD folders. I came across it a few years ago, but instead of saving a copy, I only wrote down the names. Hopefully I can find the actual doc again prior to Nov. I also now note that the record of interview I did find was apparently only one of a series of interviews DPD had with him. This one was specifically only in relation to his presence in the basement at the time Ruby shot Oswald. Apparently he was interviewed separately about any knowledge he had of a Ruby/Oswald connection, though there is no sign of any other interviews with him in the files.

I have no particular knowledge of his ever being in MI. My only reason for asking is that reservists were used in MI during the period.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...