Jim Root

Larry I really appreciate the information and have been reading alot about Hemming in the last couple of days. I found no reference to your comment: "Gerry may post something more about it if he sees this thread but there's not much more detail about the actual discussion at the gate....Hemming does say he had other things to do at El Toro including catching a military flight out." My problem is that this does not go along with the Delgado story: "Mr. DELGADO. Well, like I stated to these FBI men, he had one visitor; after he started receiving letters be had one visitor. It was a man, because I got the call from the MP guard shack, and they gave me a call that Oswald had a visitor at the front gate. This man had to be a civilian, otherwise they would have let him in. So I had to find somebody to relieve Oswald, who was on guard, to go down there to visit with this fellow, and they spent about an hour and a half, 2 hours talking, I guess, and he came back. I don't know who the man was or what they talked about, but he looked nonchalant about the whole thing when he came back. He never mentioned who he was, nothing." Thoughts? Jim Root

"But it also sounds as if, by the arm-twisting techniques Johnson used on Russell, he was actually scared that, if he [Johnson] didn't prevail, a nuclear war was inevitable...and, as the man behind the Warren Commission, history would eventually judge him as a great humanitarian when the story finally came out that he had averted nuclear war. In other words, he actually was "a legend in his own mind." What if Oswald had been used by American intelligence with the result being a sabatoged Paris Peace Summit in May of 1960? What if this became known after the assassatioon of John F. Kennedy? Would the US be viewed as a peace loving nation or a nation that engaged in questionable espionage activities that put the world on the brink of nuclear ruin? Would US International Relations be set back in unthinkable ways? Would Oswald the "patsy" be viewed in the Soviet Union as the point man in a military coup directed by the war mongers of the pentagon? What if LBJ was not sure of all the pieces but knew enough to fear the truth? Jim Root

I received the following information in a personal email. Perhaps someone can provide further information: "I am not positive so I did not want to post this on the forum but I believe that somewhere in Jonn Newmans Oswald and the CIA it says that Gerry Patrick Hemming is claiming that he is the one who met with Oswald. I checked the book out from my library so I cannot tell where it is at in the book or what is said exactly. Maybe someone on the forum with more experience than I have can answer more decisively. Hopes this helps." I will toss my own personal choice into the ring: Jame Patrick Cannon (1890-1974). In 1959 he was living in Los Angeles, CA and was involved in the pro-Castro movement. An interesting sidelight, by late 1963 or early 1964 (just after the assassination of Kennedy) his active particpation in the Socialist Workers Party became very limited. Jame Patrick Cannon: (1890-1974) Chief American Trotskyist leader and theoretician. Cannon was born in Rosedale, Kansas, to working-class Irish-Catholic radicals. He became a Wobbly organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and was personally trained by IWW leader Bill Haywood. He joined the Socialist Party when he was 18. He was one of the leaders of the pro-Bolshevik split of the Socialist Party in 1919, becoming the first national chairman of the "Workers' Party" (Communist Party USA). He was politically allied with William Z. Foster in the Communist Party; both hoped to translate Bolshevism to the American labor movement. He organized the CP's International Labor Defense (ILD) to defend such workers as anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti. In 1928, while attending the Sixth Congress of the Communist International (Comintern), Cannon received a critique of the Stalinist corruption of the Soviet Union, written by Leon Trotsky. He became an open sympathizer of Trotsky's Left Opposition, and was consequently expelled from the Communist Party. Canon then formed the Communist League of America and began publishing The Militant with Max Shachtman. After a brief entry into the Socialist Party, Cannon's CLA emerged as the Socialist Workers Party in 1938. The SWP then became the largest section of the new Fourth International. He served as national secretary of the SWP during its early life. In 1941, along with 17 other party leaders, he was arrested under the anti-communist Smith Act. (The Communist Party's Stalinist leadership applauded this act.) After being convicted in 1943, he served a sixteen-month prison term at Sandstone Prison. He was released when World War II ended in 1945 and continued as SWP national secretary until 1953. He was replaced in that position by National Labor Secretary Farrell Dobbs. He remained active in the SWP as national chairman emirtus until his death in 1974. Cannon wrote a number of books, including Struggle for a Proletarian Party (1943), History of American Trotskyism (1944), America's Road to Socialism (1953), and Speeches for Socialism (1971). Socialist Workers Party, Trotskyite, Smith Act, The Militant, Fair Play for Cuba, Los Angeles, California. Coincidence, perhaps. Jim Root

Tim, Pat, Mark, Shanet Could Max Taylor have been the person supplying the information that everybody was so sure JFK was getting from others? Pat, you sight the "Taylor Report" and Bobby did name a son after Maxwell Taylor. Taylor wanted the military to handle operations and the CIA to deal with just intelligence gathering. There was an internal control conflict and Taylor was involved (perhaps even before the election.......U-2 incident was very embarrasing to the CIA). Jim Root

Stan Perhaps the better question would be, "Who would know that "they" would send anybody to clover it up?" I did not begin reading the Warren Report as a skeptic but became one the more I read. As I said in an earlier post there were, in my opinion, two seperate crimes: the assassination and the cover up. Because the second happened as a result of the first does not mean that the same people participated in both as most people tend to believe. If Oswald had been used as an intelligence asset by any department of the US government there would, arguably, be a reason to cover up that relationship in the same way that a group involved in a coup would want the assassination covered up. It is, in my belief, that in the first case you would have a McCloy and a Dulles willing to participate out of a duty to the nation while in the second case I believe they would be the last people that would want to be involved. This is what is so intriguing about their participation. Dulles and McCloy were Cold Warriors, as such there participation is perdictable. Perhaps a slanted historical perspective can be given that could help to explain my position. After the bombing of Coventry during World War II Winston Churchill had his picture taken in the ruins of the famous cathederal. Years later, after the death of Churchill, we learn that there is a good possibility that the British had information (because they were reading the German Codes) that could have been used to evacuate the city and save thousands of civilian lives. Problem was, if they did evacuate the city the Germans might have realized their codes were compromised. I believe that by having his picture taken at that moment in time, Churchill was allowing history to know that it was his decision to keep the information from the public for the greater good of the war effort and history would pass a positive judgement upon him. Knowledge of the codes or no knowledge of the codes the bombing was going to occur and the war was going to continue. Loss of the "Ultra Secrete" could have ment loss of the war. The Warren Commission could not change the fact that Kennedy had been assassinated. Perhaps they, or at least two, believed they could still use the event to protect a front in the Cold War. Was this action predictable? Perhaps by the "big fish." Jim Root

Larry A couple of weeks ago I made a post called "Oswalds letter to SWP." Within that I outlined the CIA ran letter opening program that was conducted by Dulles, Helms and Angleton with later help from Thomas Karamessines. Within that sudy it showed that the FBI did not become involved in the program till later. Just a few months before Oswalds letter to the Socialist Workers Party the CIA mail operation went into full swing. For some reason I can imagine the excitment of this illustious group when (if) they found that a 17 year old that was writting to the SWP had just joined the Marines. This speculation provides, to me, an interesting explanation for the training, placement and subsiquent meovements that would occur while Oswald was a Marine (especially in light of U-2 radar experience and speculation about the downing of Francis Gary Powers). Just thoughts that seem to fit a consistant hypothisis that I have been following for years. After all the CIA program was in place and it was opperated by the usual cast of characters. Jim Root

Pat Re: George Polk case It has never come up as a topic of research for me to investigate. A couple of names/thoughts that come up are of interest. William Donovan, former leader of the OSS who was brushed aside in the development of the new National Security Council structure of 1948 got involved, why? "Polk had been critical not only of the Greek government but also of the newly released Truman Doctrine which made defeating the Communists in Greece a priority. In an article published in Harper's in December 1947, Polk called the $300 million in aid to Greece "a poor investment." Most importantly, Polk claimed, the money was being terribly misused. Indeed, immediately before his murder, Polk, in an interview with Constantine Tsaldaris, the head of the Royalist Party, threatened to expose Tsaldaris' illegal bank accounts in the United States. Polk's widow, Rea Polk, later claimed: "I am surprised he lived for three days after that interview." Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives The highlighted portion could attach to Walker's position in the Pentagon where he was "running the Greek desk." The Tuman doctrine was not without its critics in 1948 (Amoung whom were Donovan supports and "left leaning" groups). Any revelations about how "intelligence funds" were being laundered during this early period of operations by the NSC could have been objectionable and perhaps even considered a threat to national security. Interesting groups of people we deal with. Jim Root

Steve "I do belive however, that any love Oswald had for the "workers paradise" would have evaporated pretty quickly upon encountering the nightmare of Stalanist Russia. Steve." This seems to be comfirmed by Oswalds speech at Spring Hill College. (Disillusioned by both sides?) Jim Root

Steve Is it to far fetched to believe that Oswald may have been, in fact, a "true believer" of Marxist-Leninist-Trotskite views? Is it beyond our ability to speculate that Oswald followed what he believed to be the true leaders of this philosophy and went to Russia under their direction (ending up in Minsk the cradle of Marxist-Lenisit thought, home of the Menshivics)? Would Oswald start to believe he needed to develop false identities and have a need for postal drops to hide his actions (ordering a rifle, pistol etc.) as he began to doubt the sincerity of his former handlers? Would this doubt begin when he sees Edwin Walker as the leader of a "right wing" movement (especially if Walker had helped him into the Soviet Union in October of 1959)? Would he cling to the hope that the good "Baron" was his hope for reconnection to the "true believers?" Would the final confirmation that he had been in fact a "patsy" come after traveling to Mexico and being rejected by the Communists that he felt he had been serving all along? I do not pretend to know the answers to these questions but they do spark my imagination when we look at the totality of the big picture. Jim Root

Steve "YET........" Ahhhhhh......Just who made him a "patsy?" Jim Root

John Try the testimony of Nelson Delgado, Oswalds Marine buddy and that of Agent Hosty. Most telling is the recorded interview of Oswald in New Orleans where, I believe, he discribes how he first started reading socialist material as a young boy. Also his letter to the Socialist Workers Party (a recent post of mine) gives his own account of the fact that he had been studying Marxist thought for months and was desirous of learning more. Larry What thoughts do you have on when Oswald's mail was first being opened. I have suggested that it may have began with his letter to the Socialist Workers Party (within weeks of his seventeeth birthday and his enlistment in the Marines). Was this the begining of his life as a "patsy?" Jim Root

Steve Thanks for the Trotsky quote. Interesting to note that it is McCloy who (as any good lawyer worth his salt would do) asked a question that he already knew the answer to. It follows that McCloy was well versed in his knowledge of this "particular deviation" of communism. Jim Root

Pat I was very happy to read your post and your remarks were, I believe, on the money! "Having recently read McCloy's HSCA testimony, along with much of the Executive Session testimony, I must admit I now believe that McCloy and Dulles were both committed patriots trying to do a good job. They may have been wrong, and Dulles may have tried to save the CIA some embarrassment, but I don't think they set out to frame Oswald from the get-go. The same can not be said for the supposedly liberal and just Earl Warren, who believed Oswald was guilty until proven innocent and was undeserving of the best evidence one would expect to be used at trial." If you follow the breakdown of attendance at the hearings you find these three men attended (and directed) a majority of the meetings. It can be assumed, therefore, that they had the most influence. Reading further you can find that on substance issues (for example the selection of a lead council) Warren was easily swayed to go along with the McCloy - Dulles cabal. These dynamics led me to research the historical relationship of these three men. What I found surprised me and leads me to speculate along the same lines that you seem to be traveling with a little different twist. First: Mccloy plays a pivotal role in both of these person’s careers. In the case of Warren - McCloy we find them coming together in early 1942 and the relocation of the Japanese to internment camps. Support for Warren to become Governor of California, support for Warren to be the vice-presidential nominee with Dewy in 48, support for a Warren appointment to the Supreme Court and (in an interesting twist) support for the Warren Court decisions on racial integration (something McCloy had authored and pushed through for the military). Second: McCloy was in charge of military intelligence during WWII. While Donovan led the OSS, Donovan was subordinate to General McCloy (yes General). McCloy kept key OSS men in place through the development of the National Security Act and engineered the rise of Dulles to the top leadership position within the CIA. Third: Dulles was a Kennedy family associate and before the 1960 election is said to have assured Joe Kennedy that his son would be the next president. In hindsight a rather provocative thing for the head of the CIA to say to the wealthy father of a presidential hopeful while working within an administration where the Vice President was also a candidate. But perhaps not so surprising when people like General Maxwell Taylor are bailing on the Eisenhower administration because of a perceived softness on communism. Fourth: Dulles brother (John Foster) was a primary supporter and speechwriter for the Dewy - Warren ticket in 48 and was also a Warren supporter for the Supreme Court. My speculation is that Warren was a "go to guy" that would, in reality, loyally do whatever he was told to do by the powers that surrounded him. His life is not a life that is philosophically consistent. All of which leads me to a conclusion that McCloy is the real leader of this trio. McCloy, tennis buddy, of Maxwell Taylor. McCloy, who worked with Maxwell Taylor as the Army developed Civil Military control techniques in Italy during WWII. McCloy who with General Taylor administered occupied Germany. And McCloy who along with General Taylor was brought into the Kennedy administration and put into a key position dealing with global survival. Interesting thread! Jim Root

Who was this strange visitor to Oswald just before he left the Marine Corp? Mr. LIEBELER. He couldn't speak Spanish well enough to do something like that? Mr. DELGADO. No. But as far as meeting the people out in public and asking for things and telling them something. And, let's see, what else? Oh, yes, then he kept on asking me about how about--how he could go about helping the Castro government. I didn't know what to tell him, so I told him the best thing that I know was to get in touch with a Cuban Embassy, you know. But at that time that I told him this we were on friendly terms with Cuba, you know, so this wasn't no subversive or malintent, you know. I didn't know what to answer him. I told him go see them. After a while he told me he was in contact with them. Mr. LIEBELER. With the Cuban Embassy? Mr. DELGADO. Right. And I took it to be just a---one of his, you know, lies, you know, saying he was in contact with them, until one time I had the opportunity to go into his room, I was looking for--I was going out for the weekend, I needed a tie, he lent me the tie, and I seen this envelope in his footlocker, wall-locker, and it was addressed to him, and they had an official seal on it, and as far as I could recollect that was mail from Los Angeles, and he was telling me there was a Cuban Consul. And just after he started receiving these letters--you see, he would never go out, he'd stay near the post all the time. He always had money. That's why. Mr. LIEBELER. What did you just say? Mr. DELGADO. He always had money, you know, he never spent it. He was pretty tight. So then one particular instance, I was in the train station in Santa Aria, Calif., and Oswald comes in, on a Friday night. I usually make it every Friday night to Los Angeles and spend the weekend. And he is on the same platform, so we talked, and he told me he had to see some people in Los Angeles. I didn't bother questioning him. We rode into Los Angeles, nothing eventful happened, just small chatter, and once we got to Los Angeles I went my way and he went his. I came to find out later on he had come back Saturday. He didn't stay like we did, you know, come back Sunday night, the last train. Very seldom did he go out. At one time he went with us down to Tijuana, Mexico. Mr. LIEBELER. Before we get into that, tell me all that you can remember about Oswald's contact with the Cuban Consulate. Mr. DELGADO. Well, like I stated to these FBI men, he had one visitor; after he started receiving letters be had one visitor. It was a man, because I got the call from the MP guard shack, and they gave me a call that Oswald had a visitor at the front gate. This man had to be a civilian, otherwise they would have let him in. So I had to find somebody to relieve Oswald, who was on guard, to go down there to visit with this fellow, and they spent about an hour and a half, 2 hours talking, I guess, and he came back. I don't know who the man was or what they talked about, but he looked nonchalant about the whole thing when he came back. He never mentioned who he was, nothing. Mr. LIEBELER. How long did he talk to him, do you remember? Mr. DELGADO. About an hour and a half, 2 hours. Mr. LIEBELER. Was he supposed to be on duty that time?…….. Mr. LIEBELER. You never asked Oswald who this fellow was that he talked to? Mr. DELGADO. No, no. Mr. LIEBELER. What time did the shifts of duty run? This was a guard duty that he was on; is that right? Mr. DELGADO. Right. Mr. LIEBELER. How did those shifts run? Mr. DELGADO. They ran, let's see, from 12 to 4, 4 to 8, 8 to 12, 12 to 4, 4 to 8, like that; and he was roughly on 8-to-10 shift, you know. Must have been about 9 o'clock when the guy called. Mr. LIEBELER. The 8-to-12 shift? Mr. DELGADO. Yes; and I had to relieve another guard and put him on. Mr. LIEBELER. Did you connect this visit that Oswald had at that time with the Cuban Consulate? Mr. DELGADO. Personally; I did; because I thought it funny for him to be receiving a caller at such a late date time. Also, up to this time he hardly ever received mail; in fact he very seldom received mail from home, because I made it a policy, I used to pick up the mail for our hut and distribute it to the guys in there, and very seldom did I see one for him. But every so often, after he started to get in contact with these Cuban people, he started getting little pamphlets and newspapers, and he always got a Russian paper, and I asked him if it was, you know, a Commie paper--they let you get away with this in the Marine Corps in a site like this--and he said, "No, it's not Communist; it's a White Russian. To me that was Greek, you know, White Russian, so I guess he is not a Communist; but he was steady getting that periodical. It was a newspaper. Mr. LIEBELER. In the Russian language? Mr. DELGADO. Right. Mr. LIEBELER. And he received that prior to the time he contacted the Cuban consulate; did he not? Mr. DELGADO. Right. And he also started receiving letters, you know, and no books, maybe pamphlets, you know, little like church, things we get from church, you know, but it wasn't a church. Mr. LIEBELER. Were they written in Spanish, any of them, do you know? Mr. DELGADO. Not that I can recall; no. Mr. LIEBELER. Did you have any reason to believe that these things came to Oswald from the Cuban consulate? Mr. DELGADO. Well, I took it for granted that they did after I seen the envelope, you know. Mr. LIEBELER. What was on this envelope that made you think that? Mr. DELGADO. Something like a Mexican eagle, with a big, impressive seal, you know. They had different colors on it, red and white; almost looked like our colors, you know. But I can't recall the seal. I just knew it was in Latin, United, something like that. I couldn't understand. It was Latin. Mr. LIEBELER. You don't know for sure whether it was from the Cuban consulate? Mr. DELGADO. No. But he had told me prior, just before I found that envelope in his wall locker, that he was receiving mail from them, and one time he offered to show it to me, but I wasn't much interested because at the time we had work to do, and I never did ask to see that paper again, you know. Mr. LIEBELER. Did he tell you what his correspondence with the Cuban consulate was about? Mr. DELGADO. No; he didn't. Mr. LIEBELER. Did he ever indicate to you that it had to do with the conversation that you had about going over to Cuba? Mr. DELGADO. No. The only thing he told me was that right after he had this conversation with the Cuban people was that he was going to---once he got out of the service he was going to Switzerland, he was going to a school, and this school in Switzerland was supposed to teach him in 2 years--in 6 months what it had taken him to learn in psychology over here in 2 years, something like that…… Mr. LIEBELER. So that Oswald only went into Los Angeles with you on one occasion? Mr. DELGADO. That I know; yes. Right after he corresponded with these people. Mr. LIEBELER. With the Cuban Consulate? Mr. DELGADO. I assumed he was going there to see somebody. I never asked him. It wasn't my business, you know. Mr. LIEBELER. Did he later tell you that he had been to the Cuban Consulate? Mr. DELGADO. Yes; but I thought it was just his, you know, bragging of some sort……. Mr. LIEBELER. You don't know of your own knowledge of any other times that he went into Los Angeles? Mr. DELGADO. No. The only outstanding thing I can remember was that Oswald was a casual dresser. By that I mean he would go with a sport shirt, something like that, and this particular instance he was suited up; white shirt, dark suit, dark tie. Jim Root

Mark, Steve, John A couple of years ago I was in Center Point, Texas (hometown of Edwin Walker, population about 1000) and was told that one of the four officers that escourted Oswald when he was shot by Ruby was also from Center Point. It was implied that they this officer and Walker may have been long time friends (although Walker would be older than three of the four). Does anyone know which of these men may have been from Center Point? Is this just a coincidence? Jim Root

Charles If I am reading you correctly, you suggest that the plan would be better accomplished if it were simple. "My experience is that intricate planning need not be and in fact should not be paticularly complicated. That is why tho I have seriously studied Armstrong's "Harvey and Lee", I can see no need for a plan this complicated to have been meticulously arranged and carried out over so many years, and fraught with so many very potential, even probable, pitfalls necessary for the placement of one very low level defector within the Soviet Union." I tend to agree with you. If there was in fact a plan it was in fact accomplished on that November day. "It appears to me that the planning may well have occured at a very high level. Too high a level and with too many contingency plans and plausible denials built in. This has often happened during military engagements when planning is attempted at a level far up the command chain and too far removed from the engagement. Plan specifics should be handled at ground zero." My contention would be that the plan was executed by very few people, perhaps only one, but with a person (Oswald) in place that would have all the personal at "ground zero" forced to scurry around attempting to explain how what happened happened, all attempting to cover there own rears in the process. The perfect murder perhaps? Jim Root

Stephen From the Warren Commision Testimony of Agent Hosty: Representative FORD. Was this comment by Mrs. Paine that Oswald had said he was a Trotskyite---- Mr. HOSTY. Trotskyite Communist was the word she used; yes, sir. Representative FORD. Was that new as far as your knowledge of your file was concerned? Mr. HOSTY. Well, he was a self-admitted Marxist. He had stated that earlier. The New Orleans office had reported that. He had been on television and made that statement in New Orleans, so this appeared to be in keeping with his character. Representative FORD. The use of the word Trotskyite didn't add anything to the previous Marxist identification? Mr. HOSTY. Well, of course, that is a particular type of Marxism, Trotskyite, the followers of Leon Trotsky's particular deviation, but this did show that he was not a member of the Communist Party USA, follower of the Leninist-Stalinist-Khrushchev movement, but would be an independent Marxist would be what it would show me, not tied in with the regular Communist Party USA. Representative FORD. Is there anything particularly identifiable with the Trotskyite element that might alert you to anything? Mr. HOSTY. Well, yes. The Socialist Workers Party is the Trotskyite Party in the United States, and they are supposedly the key element in the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, or were the key element in the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. So this would tie in with the fact that he was a member of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, and, therefore, he claimed to be a Trotskyite this would follow. Mr. McCLOY. Do you associate with Trotskyite Communists any greater disposition to acts of violence than the normal Communist? Mr. HOSTY. No, sir; no more than the others. Mr. McCLOY. No doctrine of policy by assassination? Mr. HOSTY. No, sir. Mr. STERN. Have you reviewed, Mr. Hosty, the document that has been marked No. 830 for identification preliminary to your testimony today? Mr. HOSTY. Oh, yes; this one you gave me earlier; yes, sir. Two points: First: While the DPD may not have had an understanding of the differing doctrines of the "communists" the FBI did and had an undersanding of Oswald's particular persuasions before the assassination. Second: This testimony seems to have come about by chance and was then explored by Representative Ford. I find it interesting that Mr. Stern then redirects the questioning away from this subject and in the final analysis Oswald is a "nut" without a real political foundation. Jim Root

Shanet and John I am also intrigued by John J. McCloys association with Maxwell Taylor during the Italian operations during WWII. It is at this time that the State Department is forced to admit that they were unprepared for instituting civil control over the vast amout of occupied Italy. The Army, with McCloy at the helm, was in negotiations (in many cases led by Maxwell Taylor) with members of the former facist regime to assure the domestic tranquility necessary to support the movement of needed war materials through occupied territory. This "need" to influence local politics would continue throughout the remainder of the 20th Century. Taylor is again found in a working relationship with McCloy in the post war administration of occupied Germany. These two tennis players were in a position to become very tight associates during this period of time and to make some very influential contacts. Within the Kennedy administration we find this 20 year working relationship developing further. It is this note, written by McCloy to Edwin Walker shortly after the attack on Walker had occurred, that first stirred my interest in McCloy: McCloy sent a two page reply to Walker dated June 12, 1963 My dear General: I received through the mail the other day a copy of your resignation from the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy, prompted by my selection for the Colonel Thayer Award for this year. You are a graduate of the Academy and for you to resign because a group of graduates duly selected to make an award and did so according to their best judgment, in a manner which resulted in an award to me, seems a rather fantastic expression of your disapproval of what you term "new frontier policy" as contrasted to the traditions of West Point. Whether my selection was deserved or not, I was very much warmed by it. I was in the regular service in World War I, here and in France. I served as The Assistant Secretary of War during World War II. All during this period and since, I have been closely associated with graduates of the Academy and among them are my warmest friends. I am also very familiar with your very fine record in World War II and in Korea and I had been distressed that a leader of your qualifications should have been lost to the service, whatever the reason. I have served the country according to my lights and opportunities, just as you have according to yours. I very much doubt that I have ever been less concerned with the security of the country than you. I was called in form abroad in the Cuban emergency to express my views as to what should be done in regard to the presence of missiles in Cuba. I did so and I think no one misunderstood my position. Thereafter, I was asked to arrange with the Russians for the removal of the missiles. This I did and I also arranged for the removal of the bombers, though they were not part of the original agreement -- both under condidtions far better for the security of the country, in my judgment, than the form of United Nations inspection which was originally contemplated. Apart from this, I have had nothing whatever to do with Cuban policy, either under President Kennedy or General Eisenhhower. I have not been what you term a "New Frontiersman" in the sense that I have been a Republican all my life and I was born in the last century, not this one. All this is written to you not to justify my selection, in any sense, but to urge you to reconsider your resignation from your own Graduate Association on any account with which I am Concerned. I suggest that you tell whomever you want, as vigourously as you care to, that, in your opinion, I do not deserve the Award, but to sever your relations with the Graduates of West Point on this account, though I recognize in the last analysis it is entirely your own business, does seem to me to be a hasty and perhaps ill-advised action. Sincerely, John J. McCloy Major General Edwin A. Walker 4011 Turtle Creek Boulevard Dallas 19, Texas P.S. In the possibility that it might be of some interest to you, I am sending to you herewith a copy of the remarks I made tot he Cadets at the time of Award. As simple as the contents of this letter seems, it is curious that within five months these two correspondents would be playing a role in explaining away the assassination of JFK. Jim Root

Shanet and Charles Without the Walker attempt the Warren Commission conclusions do not work. It is the attempted assassination of Walker that leads to the "lone nut" concept. Oswald is portrayed as a man who would shoot at a person from the right (Walker), shoot at a liberal (Kennedy, although I don't believe Kennedy would be called a liberal by todays standards) and was labeled a traditional communist while he continually referred to himself as a Marxist-Leninist Trotskite Socialist (not a Stalinist Communist). The biggist problem facing the the Warren Commission conclusions could very well be, "if there were a motive for both of Oswald's assassination attemps, then the "lone nut" was not a nut at all." In the backyard photographs Oswald is displayed holding two magazines from two "communist" organizations that were in fact in conflict with one another. Was he a confused nut? Were the photos faked? If the photos are real was he in fact confused or was he (shown with his weapons) displaying a knowledge of the seriousness of the internal type of conflict that the two "communist" organizations were engaged in? Had he been used by the Socialist Workers Party (to whom he wrote a letter 3 weeks before joining the Marines) against the Communist Party? Had the US intellegence community minipulated Oswald's SWP affilliation for its own purposes? Had Walker in fact "helped" Oswald enter the Soviet Union through the Helsinki Embassy (the only embassy in the world that he could receive a visa from in 24 hours) on Oct. 9th 1959? Why was the Warren Commission unable to determine which flight Oswald traveled on from London to Helsinki (at the same time that Walker was traveling to Augsberg, Germany)? What if Oswald had been a "patsy" because he went to the Soviet Union? What if he realized it? What if Oswald wanted a trial with Jonathan Abt (the Smith Act Attorney) as his attorney? Would Oswald have sought "fame by taking blame?" If we are going to ask questions.....lets be open to the possible answers! If we are unwilling to accept the premiss of a question why ask it? Jim Root

Charles I believe your statement set the parameters of this thread: "If this is true, then LHO had a motive to, as a lone assassin, kill JfK. What then was his motive? He did not seem to seek fame by taking blame." Many people do not accept that Oswald did in fact kill Kennedy therefore a search for an Oswald motive would be moot. But if we wish to speculate upon such subjects do we limit the search for motives to a defined list or do we allow the search to be exempted from limitations? "Reenforcing my beliefs have been her more recent affirmations of his innocence." Does this mean that you believe she is no longer under duress therefore her statements are more believable? Over the last 40 years Marina has never wavered from her testimony dealing with the Walker case. While she may have been under "duress" 40 years ago and she may have changed opinions on many other things over the years she has remained steadfast in this one particular area. I have been informed that reporters suggested (by their questions) that there were attempts to associate Oswald to the Walker shooting within hours of Lee's arrest. The first published article that associated the Walker incident to Oswald was reported in a German newspaper (done after a transatlantic telephone interview with Edwin Walker less than 24 hours after the assassination of JFK) on the Wednesday following the assassination. Marina Oswald was not questioned about the Walker assassination attempt until several days later. After a decade of researching the life of Edwin Walker there are two things that stand out: First: Between the years 1927 and October 1959 the events surrounding Walker's life seem to be linked closely to Maxwell Taylor. Second: From early October 1959 till after the assassination of Kennedy the events of Walker's life are tied to the movements an actions of Lee Harvey Oswald. While the Walker event may be the one area that could lead to a better understanding of this whole assassination mess it seems that many people find it more convenient to ignore this event than to speculate upon its significance. Jim Root

Charles According to the Warren Commission Report Lee Harvey Oswald attempted to take the life of Major General Edwin Anderson Walker seven months before the assassiantion of John F. Kennedy. Within the report is a good deal of information about the detailed planning done by Oswald for this April attempt on the General which was provided by his wife Marina. Motive is also discussed. If Oswald attempted this first assassination could the motive for the actual assassination of Kennedy be tied to his previous attempt. Perhaps the discussion should be focused on attempting to associate a motive for both events if one exists. But, if there was a motive for both that is tied together, then Oswald would not automatically be a nut and the conclusions of the Warren Commision could be questioned on a different level. Jim Root

Prior to the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor very few people knew of the existance of Friedman's group of Codebreakers working within the Old Munitions Building in Washington DC. Under the direction of the Army Signal Corp the "Magic" intercepts were arguably (along with the development of the Atomic Bomb) the most guarded secretes of World War II. Of the handful of persons (some suggest less than one dozen) who were allowed access to this infromation in pre December 1941, John J. McCloy's (future Warren Commissioner) name stands out. Brought into the War Department by Secretary Stimson, McCloy was tasked with the development of a modern intelligence organization for the Army. His career in government would become of historic interest for many reasons. McCloy was a primary player in the relocation of Japanese Americans during the months following the attack on Pearl Harbor (as was Earl Warren). In 1981 and again in 1984 McCloy testified before Congress about his role in the decission making process associated with this relocation. His testimony in 1984 suggested that, based upon "Magic" intercepts, Japanese-Americans might belong to organized cells designed to spy on the United States. If nothing else this admission underlines the fact that McCloy was aware of and reading the "Magic" intercepts which were translated from Japanese by none other than John B. Hurt. John B. Hurt was a member of the Magic team whose name I came accross inpendently while researching the military career of Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker then again (years later) while researching the career of General Maxwell Taylor. It seems that John J. McCloy is also, in perhaps a very significant way, associated with this same John B. Hurt. Coincidence? Jim Root

Ron I appreciate your knowledge in the area of the Raleigh Call and would like your continued imput with the addition of the latest information involving Japanese linguist (and National Security Agency career employee) John Beltram Hurt. It now appears that upon retirement from the NSA in August 1963 Hurt may have been out of the country at the time of the assassination for a vacation in France. Either upon his return from France or following his August retirement he relocated to New York. The thought is that either situation has this John Hurt being disconnected or unavailable if someone (Oswald) was attempting to contact him at his pre August 1963 telephone number. Would this leave Oswald scrambling to "find" John Hurt's phone number....hence the two numbers for two different John Hurts that otherwise we have trouble putting into the assassination drama. Jim Root

Mark and Stan Thank you for the questions and imput. Fletcher Knebel, one of the two authors of Seven Days in May was a friend of Kennedy's. The book is a futuristic stroy about a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs who attempts to take over the government (edwin Walker's name is mentioned in the novel). Was this book a look into kennedy's worst fears? Interesting question. The movie was scheduled to be released shortly after Kennedy was assassinated........ When I look at Taylor there are at least six things that bug me about his possible involvement. 1. His relationship with Walker that extended back to 1927. 2. His possible ability to control the selection of the motorcade route through General Chester Clifton (whose first CO after graduation from West Point was Edwin Walker). 3. His potential pre-knowledge of an intelligence mission surrounding the downing of Francis Gary Powers U-2 that would have involved Oswald. 4. His dramatic rise to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Kennedy (reward?) after a very close election battle where he supported Kennedy and may have sabatoged Nixon. 5. His repeated use of Walker for the most sensitive jobs (Taiwan, Little Rock, and perhaps Oswald's defection to Russia). 6. The only man on the planet that could have known that Oswald may have been the person with a reason to shoot at Walker in April, 1963. Food for thought. Jim Root

Mark At the time the assassination of JFK was being broadcast nationwitde it is my understanding the General Walker was traveling on an airplane toward Shreveport, LA. When the pilot announced the news Walker is said to have made his presence on the plane apparent to other passengers on board. At least two possibilities exist to explain this behavior: A. The obvious. It provided him with the perfect alibi. B. The less obvious, fear. As a constant critic of Kennedy's Walker could see himself as a suspect in the assassination and realized that he would in fact be a subject of interest when assassination conspiracies were investigated. I tend to believe "B" because I see General Walker as being in a position to believe that there was a conspiracy to kill Kennedy (based upon his particular military backround) and that he might be being "set up" within this conspiracy. It is my belief that the events surrounding the next 24 hours of his life seem to support this position (but eveything is open to interpretation). At exactly 7:00 AM the morning following the assassination Walker received a telephone call from a German newspaper. (Please see my prvious string on this event) That newspaper published a story about Wednesday of the next week that said Oswald had shot at Walker 7 months before the assassinatation of Kennedy. It is my belief that by tying himself to Oswald, Walker was buying himself a life insurance policy. The oddity about the phone call at 7:00 AM is that Walker had been on a speaking tour and was not at his home in Dallas but instead was staying at the Captain Shreve Hotel in Shreveport, LA. How did the newpaper know to contact him there at exactly 7:00 AM? Did Walker recognize the now captured Oswald whose picture was on every television station? I like to point out that Walker was traveling in Europe at exactly the same time that Oswald was "defecting" to Russia (see my paper "Serindipity" in JFK On line Seminars within this Forum). In answer to your next question dealing with the relationship between Taylor and Kennedy: General Taylor had resigned as Army Chief of Staff during the Eisenhower Administration. He wrote a book (The Uncertain Trumpet) that was critical of what he perceived as Eisenhower's dismantling of the military strength of the US at the same time that the Soviets were increasing their strength. His critical speaches, papers, interviews, etc. of the Eisenhower/Nixon Administration folded right in with the Kennedy campaign strategy of 1960 (coupled with the U-2 incident an election strategy that worked in a close campaign). After the Bay of Pigs, Kennedy brought Taylor in, first as an advisor, then as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Just before the assassination it seems that Kennedy was distancing himself from the counsel of General Taylor (Suggest you read and research the book "Seven Days in May," a best selling novel at the time of the attempt on the life of Edwin Walker). On the Arlington National Cemetery Website we find that Maxwell Taylor was faced with four great crisis as Army Chief of Staff. The first was known as the First Straits of Taiwan Crisis. Taylor sent General Walker to be the advisor to Chiang Kai-Shek during the successful handling of this crisis. The fourth challenge to the Army and Taylor as Chief of Staff was the integration of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. Once again Taylor seems to have choosen his former student and point man Edwin Walker to handle and successfully calm the situation. Perhaps more important than the relationship of Kennedy to Taylor is the relationship of Maj. Gen. Edwin Walker to General Maxwell Taylor! Jim Root