"Biggest fraud ever perpetuated."

[Pat Speer]

Nixon is reported to have told Haldeman on the day of the Wallace shooting that the Warren Commission was the "biggest fraud ever perpetuated." I have commented on this, and have noted as well that Nixon's memoirs are unusually restrained on the topic of the assassination. I thought that was the extent of Nixon's comments on the assassination and cover-up but have recently become aware that Nixon told Larry King in 92 that he didn't understand what the point would be in re-investigating the assassination. I also just discovered the book Nixon: Off The Record, in which an assistant of his recalled a number of their personal conversations, including those about Oliver Stone's JFK. It seems Nixon ran a behind the scenes effort to discredit the book and really hated everything it stood for; he refused to believe that Kennedy would ever have pulled out of Nam and thought the movie actually defamed Kennedy in that it depicted him as weak against communism. At another point Nixon went on a rant about how "mean" the Kennedys were and particularly about how awful Bobby was to the Cuban hired help whenever he'd come to Florida. (I wonder if this was after Bobby came to suspect Cuban's killed his brother!)

Anyhow, I'm wondering if anyone can post the entire conversation where Nixon says the Warren Commission was a fraud, so I can accurately compare his statements over the years. Has the entire transcript been released? Is there a way to get it?

[Tim Gratz]

Recently read a Ronald Reagan radio show before he became president. He suspected a Communist conspiracy. Now this should not surprise you not because RR was a far-right Republican like yours truly but because (hold on to your hats, folks!) reportedly Cuban intelligence agents tried to organize an assassination of Reagan when he was governor of California. (I'll post the details tomorrow on a separate thread.) But RR was also very critical of the Warren Commission.

It would be interesting to categorize American Presidents who support or criticize the conclusions of the WC. Interestingly, I think LBJ belongs in the latter category. We all know Ford belongs in the former. Does anyone know the public (and private if they differ) positions on the assassination of the other presidents?

Edited June 27, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[Pat Speer]

Does anyone know the public (and private if they differ) positions on the assassination of the other presidents?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bush I and II I think have both pretty much avoided it, although Bush I took more than a casual interest in the CIA's assassination files while DCI and lied about his interest later. Maybe he was looking to see if his name was in there.

I believe Clinton has indicated he suspected a conspiracy. I know Al Gore has publicly said he suspected one.