Thomas Graves

Oh My God! The FBI threatened to sodomize the people looking into the issue of Vallee's license plates??? That's horrible! LOL --Tommy

Steven Gaal wrote: [...] "Thomas Vallee in Chicago drove [a] 1962 Ford Falcon that [was] registered in the name of Lee Harvey Oswald." [...] _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gaal, Have you ever seen any documents that prove this allegation, or you just going on what Ed McCarthy has written but not substantiated? --Tommy

If it's true that Oswald wanted to go to from Russia to Cuba right before the Missile Crisis, and that Marina's uncle, Col. Ilya Prusakov of the MKVD, changed the Oswald family's destination from Cuba to the United States, it suggests to me that Col. Prusakov knew that Oswald was a U.S. intelligence agent. --Tommy

Robert, It would be "very interesting indeed," if we could tie Rose Cheramie's death to H. L. Hunt or Lady Bird / LBJ. Two Questions-- 1) Was Jerome Ragsdale Lady Bird's attorney, Madeline Brown's son, or both? 2) Wasn't Oswald's "Note to Mr. Hunt" determined to be a probable forgery by the HSCA's handwriting experts? (Going from memory here.) Thanks, --Tommy PS What you have posted above makes me wonder where Malcolm "Mac" Wallace was when Cheramie died.

Greg, Your interviews of Hemming are fascinating. Thanks for sharing them with us. He seems to have known, or known about, practically everybody. And what an incredible memory he had! Thanks, --Tommy

The Pentagon and CIA and Mafia and Hoover "absolutely" wanted LBJ? I'm sorry but I do not understand that supposition. The senior management at those agencies continued to be JFK appointees and generally they continued the policies of both Eisenhower and JFK. For example, JFK intensified the CIA's "Operation Mongoose" program (begun by Eisenhower), which was the CIA's anti-Castro sabotage campaign and JFK even pursued Castro assassination attempts involving Mafia figures. So what did the Mafia achieve that was so significantly better (after JFK) than what they had in previous years? Did the US Justice Dept and other law enforcement agencies suddenly stop pursuing Mafia figures or interests? In every society there are always people with grievances because public policy choices are selected by government officials at all levels (city, county, state, national) which inevitably adversely affect somebody's personal interests. There always are what our founders called "factions" in politics. Every serious student of American history (particularly during the 1950's and 1960's) knows that there was a poisonous atmosphere within our body politic over choices made by Eisenhower and JFK. Radical rightists were livid because Eisenhower refused to dismantle the New Deal and Fair Deal brick-by-brick -- as they had been led to believe he would. Robert Welch described Ike as a conscious dedicated agent of the Communist Conspiracy whose motivations were primarily ideological. i.e. he was a conscious traitor -- and (according to Welch) Eisenhower's appointments and associations indisputably "proved" Eisenhower's "treason". Other factions were angry with Eisenhower because he used troops to enforce de-segregation in Little Rock schools and he signed new civil rights legislation into law which chipped away at the power and privileges of the white racist establishment in our southern states and he appointed "liberals" to key positions within our government --- including (according to Welch and persons with similar viewpoints -- such as Joseph Kamp) known "Communists" and "Communist sympathizers". [Again, see Welch's chapter in The Politician re: Ike's associates and appointments --- which generally reflects the prevailing viewpoint within radical right circles.] Many foreign policy factions were angry with Eisenhower because of his supposedly weak "containment" policy vis-a-vis the Soviet Union and he kept us out of Vietnam and did precious little to help the French effort against Ho Chi Minh and he did not "unleash" Taiwan's Chiang Kai Shek during the 1954-1955 "Taiwan Straits Crisis". Furthermore, Ike was suspicious of the "military industrial complex" which he thought had too much influence over our foreign policy establishment. They also rejected Ike's "Summit Diplomacy" efforts and his perceived weak response to the Soviet invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia. [And they had the same reaction to LBJ's reaction to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.] And perhaps worst of all, the radical right was livid with Eisenhower because of what they perceived as his Administration's undermining of Sen. Joseph McCarthy. When LBJ came into office, the Birch Society's annual evaluation of "Communist influence and control" within the U.S. reached its zenith (i.e. 60-80% was our "score"). So why didn't the Mafia or CIA or Pentagon "plot" to assassinate Ike or why would they "absolutely" prefer LBJ? LBJ was good for the people who wanted the Vietnam War. Good for the CIA (and the Mafia) vis a vis their drug smuggling operations in SE Asia. Good for the US (and Soviet) military-industrial complex. Good for Texas-based General Dynamics and Bell Helicopter, in particular. Wasn't JFK quietly planning to start removing one thousand US military personnel from Vietnam by the end of 1963? Wasn't JFK planning on removing all US military personnel from Vietnam by the end of 1965? Didn't LBJ change all of that? --Tommy

Excellent post, Paul Brancato. I agree. And LBJ was better than JFK for the Soviet military establishment, as well. --Tommy

It looks like Jose Marie Andrie (sic) Mankel (born Oct 7, 1917) was his real name, and that his aliases were "John J. Berger" (CIA file # 201-0102043, born Oct, 1917, and with a retail shirt shop in NYC as of "01May56" or "18 Nov 64" !), "Jacques Berger," and "Jacquez Burger" (although it appears they were born in 1928 and 1927, respectively). https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=31777&relPageId=3 Regarding the following (from Bill Simpich's post, above), are we to assume that this is direct CIA information, or rather Russ Holmes / HSCA - based information? : " This memo identifies QJ/WIN as 201-236504 https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=249226 " --Tommy edited and bumped

It looks like Mankel was his real name, and that his aliases were "John J. Berger" (with a shirt shop in NYC !) and "Jacques Berger / Jacquez Burger." Regarding the following (from Bill Simpich's post, above) : " This memo identifies QJ/WIN as 201-236504 https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=249226 " Are we to assume that this is direct CIA information, or rather Russ Holmes / HSCA - based information? --Tommy

Fine, Steven. Wonderful. But where's the Miami connection? --Tommy

Yo Tim, FYI, John Caesar Grossi, aka John Leslie Bowen, and a half dozen other aliases, including a Bishop, worked with LHO at JCS in Dallas. And it's Jaggers-Chiles-Stovall - not Stowal. LHO used Grossi/Bowen as a reference on his library card. He reportedly had mob connections, and his FBI file indicates that he knew Joe Bonnano and Pete Licovalli, and lived for awhile at Licovalli's Grace Ranch. Here's his FBI file as Rex Bradford recently posted it: http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/docset/getList.do?docSetId=123903&relPageId=8 It appears Grossi worked at one time as a porter at the Flamingo Hotel in Miami, impersonated a Navy officer to cash bad checks, and was quite the ladies man, having a wife in Canada and a girlfriend on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas - a popular neighborhood. After his wife moved back to Canada in 1963-early 64, Grossi leased a 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix and took off to California and Canada, running up $1500 on his girlfriend's gas credit card, and switching the license plates. Later he was driving a red 1963 Cadillac convertible. I don't know he did that's worth redacting but the first three arrests on his rap sheet are redacted, and the best story on him is probably here: http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=699://http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/a...;] ://http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/a...mffweb/a...;] ://http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/a...mffweb/a...;] BK Sorry the links don't work but JCG is listed under the new releases of FBI subject files. John Caesar Grossi had a long criminal career consisting of impersonating a military man, passing hot checks, stealing vehicles, and robbing a Canadian bank in 1956. He is the subject of many FBI reports spanning from the 1940's to the 1970's. https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/docset/getList.do?docSetId=1239 (In the "subject line," he's always referred to as "JCGR," as in J ohn C aesar GR ossi.) I've only read a couple of these FBI reports, but here's an interesting one from 7/16/64 which says that Grossi rented a car from a Dallas company on 8/9/63 and that the company lost contact with him shortly thereafter. Among other things, the report is interesting for its redactions, for the physical description it gives of Grossi, and for stating that Grossi's alias at the time was "Jack L. Bowen." https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=137397&relPageId=1 This is significant because Oswald's stated on his Dallas library card that he worked at Jaggars-Chiles-Stoval, and listed as a reference "Jack L. Bowen, 1916 Stevens Forrest Drive, WH8-8997." http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth49563/m1/1/ ) Supporting evidence that the "Jack L. Bowen" who lived at 1916 Stevens Forrest Drive in Oak Park was John Caesar Grossi can be found here. (Note that in this report the interviewee says that this "Jack Bowen" married a woman in 1960 or 1961 whose name was "Patricia Gervan Bowen," and that Patricia's mother's name was "Mable Gervan," all of which suggests that Grossi was already using the Bowen alias in 1960 or 1961.) http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=1007540 And here's one dating from 1966. It's also interesting for its redactions and for suggesting that John Caesar Grossi, using the name "Michael John Bolen," had recently worked for a photographic institute and a lithographic company in San Francisco, lending support to the assertion that this is the same Bolen /. Bowen who had worked with Oswald at Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall. https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=137446&relPageId=9 I stumbled upon this one separately. If "Bowen" told the FBI the truth, it would explain how Oswald knew "Bowen's" address and phone number: http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/R%20Disk/Reddell%20Eddie%20A/Item%2003.pdf One can only wonder why there are so many redactions in these John Caesar Grossi FBI documents. Could it be because the FBI wanted to hide the fact that this artistically-inclined forger / car thief / bank robber had worked at Jaggars-Chiles-Stoval with Oswald? Could it be that Grossi had something to do with the creation of "the backyard photos?" Why did Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall hire such a criminal in the first place? --Tommy

If Hill was a bad guy, why did he radio in that the shells found at the Tippit murder scene were from an automatic? --Tommy

John, In my humble opinion, you are to be complimented again and again or your open mindedness. --Tommy PS Double post.

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John, In my humble opinion, you are to be complimented for your open mindedness. --Tommy

Thanks, Larry. The only reason I asked is because you stated on page 27 of SWHT, "One of the shooters was actually waiting in the Texas Theatre to contact Oswald and was released by the police after Oswald's arrest." I guess you weren't stating your own belief there, but instead just relaying what Martino's two friends claimed Martino had told them. --Tommy

Larry, What evidence do we have that: A ) A shooter was waiting for Oswald in the theater. and B ) The police released this shooter after Oswald was arrested. Thanks, --Tommy

Hi Larry, I was looking through SWHT again today and noticed a couple of things I'd like to comment on or ask you about. 1) On page 27 you write " Oswald was part of the plan, but not a shooter ('hit man' was Martino's term) and was supposed to meet an exile contact at the Texas Theater (sic). Oswald's understanding was that he was being taken out of the country. The actual plan was to kill him-- apparently outside the country, and very possibly in a location and fashion that would tie him to Cuba and Castro. The killing of Officer Tippit was definitely not part of this plan and indeed aborted the contact. One of the shooters was actually waiting in the Texas Theatre to contact Oswald and was released by the police after Oswald's arrest. [...] " Questions: A) What part of "the plan" did Oswald think he was performing or pretending to be performing? B ) Do you think Oswald was an actual conspirator, or was he an undercover agent who was "playing along" with and monitoring people whom he had been led to believe were pro-Castro agents intent on killing JFK? C) If Oswald was "part of the plan" but not a shooter, why then did he think he was going to be taken out of the country? D) Do you think it's possible that Oswald didn't shoot at JFK but did kill Tippit because Tippit was going to arrest him and prevent him from making his all-important rendezvous at the Texas Theatre? It doesn't make sense that a conspirator would kill Tippit if he knew that doing so would prevent Oswald from making his all-important contact at the theater to be taken out of the country (and killed). So-- If Oswald didn't kill Tippit, who did and why? E) Did Oswald know that he was supposed to meet an (apparently) unknown-to-him shooter in the Theatre? F) Did the police arrest (or detain, or place in "protective custody") this shooter because someone "fingered" him in the theater, or because he looked like Oswald? Is this the same guy some people saw the police put into a police car in the alley behind the theater? And now for a separate question: What happened to the footnotes to Appendix H -- Odio Revisited? Thanks, --Tommy PS I just realized that I mis-spelled your name in the thread's title! Sorry about that! Would a moderator please correct it? Thank you.

Robert, You wrote " ' ... we that he was dull.' " Typo? --Tommy

Oswald's going home that afternoon to get his gun and then on to the Texas Theater to meet someone unknown to him argues for his being an intelligence agent who had been told to go to the Theater that particular afternoon (on some unknown-to-us "secret mission") but who realized that he had probably been set up as The Patsy and therefore wanted to have his sidearm with him for protection. The fact that Oswald didn't take his revolver to work with him that morning, to use in any post-assassination getaway attempt, suggests his innocence in the assassination of JFK. Any theory which says that some imposter went to Oswald's rooming house to make it look like Oswald himself had gone there to get his gun and jacket overlooks this fact and over complicates things, IMHO. If the bad guys planned to kill Tippit and have Oswald take the blame for it, why not just shoot Tippit and plant the murder weapon on Oswald when he was arrested at the Texas Theater, especially if what the authors claim is true, i.e. that John Armstrong has "proved" that Oswald didn't own the revolver he was allegedly arrested with, anyway? --Tommy PS The authors' grammar and spelling mistakes are chocking (sic), absolutely chocking ! LOL

Interesting juxtaposition of images, taken about a minute apart by Dave Weigman and James Darnell, showing Prayer Man in both. I can't tell if PM raises his left hand to his right hand or if he keeps them together. Perhaps he's holding a camera and has it pointed down Elm Street in the first image and in the general direction of Buell Wesley Frazier in the second. Note that Billy Lovelady is visible in the first image standing in the middle near the top of the steps with his dark shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest and his white tee shirt showing under it. I think the reason he's not visible in the second image is simply because he and Bill Shelley are already walking down the Elm Street Extension sidewalk. --Tommy

[...] Baker running towards the entrance. Credit Gerda Dunckel [...][...] I don't know if it's already been mentioned, but I think the man walking towards the steps in the dark suit is Roy Truly. He steps out of the way and pivots to his left as he waves Baker past him. Looks like he's wearing a dark fedora. The only problem is, this guy looks bigger than Truly, so maybe Truly is the smaller guy standing between Cowboy Hat Man and the woman wearing the black dress / raincoat. FWIW, I think Prayer Man is holding a camera or a pair of binoculars. Side note: It's interesting that Prayer Man isn't looking down Elm Street like most of the other people, but seems to be watching Buell Wesley Frazier, instead, almost like that was his "assignment" for that day. --Tommy

Thanks Pat. I would like to see the questions Dean was asked and particularly those to which he responded in such a deceptive manner as to cause him fail the exam. I would also like to know if the questions he was asked were the same ones that he himself had written up and suggested that he be asked. It would be strange for him to "show deception" on any question that he himself had suggested. Does anyone know if his polygraph exam is viewable online, or in a book, or will I have to drive my old camper van to the National Archives in College Park, Maryland to see it? --Tommy

Gaal, Thank you so much for putting the really important stuff in big red letters. If you hadn't, I'm sure everyone would have missed it. --Tommy

Robert, Great post! Interesting possible provenance of the "magic bullet": Patrick Dean > His wife's father, O.P. Wright, Chief of Security at Parkland Hospital > O.P. Wright's 2nd wife, a nurse who had come to Parkland Hospital shortly before the assassination. Tangentially, I've read that Patrick Dean failed a polygraph test in which he was asked questions about Jack Ruby's access to the police department basement on 11/24/63. Does anyone here know anything about that? Peter Dale Scott says that Patrick Dean freely admitted that Dallas mafioso Joe Civello had given him lots of information over the years which led to many narcotics arrests and convictions of Civello's competitors. Scott's very plausible theory is that in return, the DPD, and Patrick Dean in particular, turned a blind eye towards Civello's own big-time narcotics trafficking operations (which likely included Jack Ruby). Side note: It's interesting to note that Civello's narcotics associates included Dallas mafioso Joseph Ianni, whose sister Frances Ianni married into the Vallone family of Houston (Rose Cheramie mentioned a "Pete Vallone" in connection with the heroin deal that was supposed to go down in Galveston and Houston right before the assassination). See posts #36 and #43 on this thread: http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1600 So what we seem to have here is 1) Carlos Marcello-connected Joe Civello and Jack Ruby giving information to DPD Sgt. Patrick Dean on Dallas area narcotics cases in exchange for preferential treatment, 2) Jack Ruby's being placed in the police department basement on 11/24/63 with the probable help of Sgt. Patrick Dean, and 3) a "magic bullet" at Parkland Hospital which appears to be traceable back to the same Sgt. Patrick Dean who, interestingly enough, allegedly failed a polygraph exam about the manner in which Ruby had gotten into the basement... --Tommy edited and bumped