Thomas Graves
-
Posts
8,224 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Store
Posts posted by Thomas Graves
-
-
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
APPROACH – My approach is that of a normal, independent homicide investigator whose responsibility is to identify, locate and preserve evidence of crimes that can be presented in a court of law.
HYPOTHESIS : Fr. Gr. An unproven theory, proposition, etc., tentatively accepted to explain certain facts or (working hypothesis) to provide a basis for further investigation, argument, study, etc.; a tentative theory provisionally adopted to explain certain facts and to guide in the investigation of others – frequently called a working hypothesis; as, the nebular hypothesis. Something assumed or conceded merely for the purpose of argument or action; as start with this hypothesis – Syn. Postulate, assumption, supposition.
– I have developed a series of hypothesis that have focused my research and when followed, will lead to those responsible for the murder of JFK.
(H#1) – The assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the murders of J.D. Tippit and Lee Harvey Oswald were homicides, the prosecution of which is an indictable offense at any time, with no statute of limitations. Since homicide is considered the highest form of crime under our system of justice, the judicial system should respond accordingly if there is evidence of criminal conspiracy in their deaths.
(H2) The accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, whether he was a shooter, patsy or was in any way connected to the assassination of the President, had numerous associations with many different intelligence services, both foreign and domestic, and utilized standard intelligence operational procedures in many of his activities (i.e. military background, use of aliases, forged identity documents, trained in foreign language, electronics, interrogation techniques, use of codes and ciphers, etc.). Therefore, his motive and the Modus Operandi (MO) of the assassination was that of a covert intelligence operation, and it should be investigated as such.
(H3) Even if the assassination of JFK was the work of a covert intelligence operation, which is designed to insulate, protect and hide the actual sponsors, the murder can be solved using standard homicide investigation techniques and/or counter-intelligence procedures, although results of CI investigation cannot be used in court.
(H4) The individuals responsible for the covert operation that resulted in the death of the President were serial killers in the sense they had committed political assassinations before 11/22/63 and have done so since, using standard covert operational procedures as their MO.
(H5) The covert operation that resulted in the murder of President Kennedy included a Black Propaganda Operation (Black Prop Op), which began prior to 11/22/63 which was designed to attribute blame for the assassination on Fidel Castro of Cuba. Those individuals who orchestrate this campaign are part of the same network that sponsored the events that occurred at Dealey Plaza.
(H6) Covert operational procedures can be utilized by anyone trained in such techniques, and only individuals, and not governmental organizations and agencies can be indicted for murder and/conspiracy or crimes related to the assassination.
(H7) Those individuals who sponsored the covert operation that resulted in the death of the President were also involved in similar covert operations aimed at Fidel Castro, as well as other clandestine projects that included MK/ULTRA, U2, Operation Wringer and Project Paperclip.
(H8) The Dealey Plaza operation was directly related to one covert operational mission to kill Fidel Castro – the mission of the Rex (See: NYT, Nov. 1, 1963).
(H9) Those who expressed foreknowledge of the assassination of JFK before it occurred were somehow associated with the sponsoring parties.
(H10) Because of the expressed foreknowledge, the let down in security at the time of the assassination, and the failure to properly investigate and prosecute those responsible, the assassination can be considered a coup d’etat, and those technicians who conducted the assassination operation were directly associated with those who took over the government and protected the responsible parties.
PLAN A – OBTAIN A NEW ROUND OF DEPOSED TESTIMONY UNDER OATH –
1) Congressional Hearing (– List Committees – ie. Government Operations)
2) Libel Trial - Posner, Lampert, et al - pick one -
3) Civil Suit – Ala MLK -
4) Grand Jury – Ala Medgar Evers – A D.C. Fed. Grand Jury, ala Dupont Circle, would immediately require a new, independent forensic autopsy of victims.
5) Homicide – On going related homicide investigations ( See: Related Unsolved Homicide List)
6) Other – List possibilities ?
PLAN B – FULL COURT PRESS - Focusing on FOIA & Civil Suit
(In tantum, run simultaneous with PLAN A -)
______________________________________________________
Hi William,
1) I like your ideas.
2) I like the way you write.
3) I'm trying to help you keep this on the "front page."
FWIW, Thomas
______________________________________________________
-
Several members have posted disparaging remarks about the intelligence of the late President Ronald Reagan. My initial comment is that I seriously doubt that at least since the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, anyone has been able to be elected president who was not of outstanding intelligence.
Certainly the ability to carry on an intelligent debate and indeed the ability to win a debate against a person of extraordinary intelligence ought to be an adequate indicia of intelligence.
If you will then grant me that Robert F. Kennedy was a person of rather extraordinary intelligence (a belief to which I subscribe) then I can demonstrate to you that Ronald Reagan was of equal intelligence.
You see, in May of 1967 1968 Reagan defeated RFK in a debate.
The venue was a CBS news program called "Town Meeting of the World." Participants included reagan, Kennedy and 18 students from London. (One of whom was a Rhodes scholar and future U.S. Senator Bill Bradley.)
Newswek reported that "It was political rookie Reagan who left old campaigner Kennedy blinking when the session ended." Newsweek, May 29, 1967, pages 30-31.
David Halberstam wrote that "The general consensus was that Reagan destroyed [Kennedy]."
Reportedly RFK was furious with Frank Mankiewicz who had arranged for his participation in the program.
Not surprisibly, the Reagan/Kennedy encounter is not mentioned in Arthur Scheslinger's 1,000 plus page biography of RFK.
________________________________________________
Tim,
Shall we request that John Simkin move the "JFK Assassination Debate" to another part of the Education Forum and leave you behind to "dialogue" mostly with yourself here on other issues?
Sincerely, Thomas
________________________________________________
-
In "Disappearing Witnesses," Penn Jones wrote: "(Elardio) Del Valle had been identifying some men in a photo taken in New Orleans for Jim Garrison. One of the men in the photo was Lee Harvey Oswald."
1) Does anyone know whether or not this is true? If it is true, then:
2) Which photo was Jones writing about? Is it from the film footage (taken by a television station) of L.H.O. handing out his infamous "Fair Play for Cuba" flyers?
3) Do you think this is why Del Valle was killed?
Thanks, Thomas
-
Thomas,
My next trip to Dallas will consist of my taking many photos in the area of the Tippit killing [especially of the driveway and area behind the house and driveway there], and requesting access to the old Abundant Life Temple basement. Even if a bribe is required, I want to see the basement, where it seems very likely that Tippit's killer hid out until it was 'discovered' that the 'real' killer was in the theatre [The Abundant Life moved since then, but I believe the building remains].
One wonders about how much radio communication went on back then. There is the Mathers / Tippit / Collins connection. And Vaganov was also in Oak Cliff - with no alibi until 1:00pm. Maybe they were panicking when the DPD were swooping down on the Abundant Life Building, but the fact is, based upon the dictabelt transcripts, it does not appear that there would have been time to perform the search.
Austin was a Bircher. There was that letter to Garrison which alleged that Tippit was a homosexual. Olsen was in Oak Cliff and guarding an estate. Hicks was also off duty, as was Tilson - yet some 200 cops had to be obtained to provide additional support for the President's visit? I believe that I read that Tippit's partner was also requested by Tippit to call in sick [no reference]. Bizarre.
- lee
Hi Lee,
Something I find very interesting is the W.C. testimony of Mrs. Davis who lived at 400 East Patton, just one and two doors, respectively, from 404 East 10th St. and 410 East 10th St. between which the shooting occurred. She implied that she saw Tippit's (police?)car at what she calls "the apartment house" (at 410 East 10th St.?) SO OFTEN that she thought that he actually lived there (later, interestingly, she denied that that was what she had meant). Also, let us not forget the testimony of taxi driver William Scoggins which suggests that he saw Tippit in that very area every day. (I wonder if the "apartment house," or the one behind it, was some sort of safe house. Of course, some other sort of "hanky panky" involving Tippit could have been taking place there on a regular basis...)
Separate issue: Just out of curiosity, do you know the address of the building where the Abundant Life Temple was located? I'd like to look it up and see where it was in relation to LHO's boarding house, Ruby's apartment, the safe houses, the place where Tippit was shot, etc.
Thanks, Thomas
-------------------------------------
Sounds like the building on Jefferson, which is on the second block of the purported LHO "escape" route from 10th and Patton. [about 4 to 5 short blocks from the Tippitt murder ? scene.
While working on the filming of JFK, Roy Hargraves and myself [accompanied by my wife & son, who followed slowly in a van] walked and re-walked all of the possible variations of this purported route.
Time wasn't as important as getting psyched up and trying to feel some adrenaline as one either "calmly" or "semi-frantically" escaped & evaded -- al the while searching for a safe hide-out.
Most obvious to us was this church-like building on the left side of Jefferson [when walking towards the Texas Theater]. We approached this building, and as expected, both the front and a side door were open and unlocked. An obvious "safe-haven" where one might wait out the expected "Dragnet" ??
Well, it depends on many factors. Was the perp under observation by folks along the boulevard, and/or did the perp just want to get some distance between his or herself before, as the Brits say: The quarry is forced to "Go to ground" ?!
Within a short distance was a funeral home, and according to the sign: it had been there for many years. It too was also open and unlocked during this mid-day & mid-week of early 1991.
The question I raised thereafter, with Oliver Stone, was somewhat inculpatory towards Johnny Brewer. Oliver immediately said that he had just finished one of many conversations with Brewer that very day. I asked [and received no definite response] from Oliver, Rusconi, et al.: What was the timeline from the moment of "confirmation" of the Tippit shooting -- and the time that Brewer either "heard the report on the radio" and/or "heard police? [or fire, ambulance] "SIREN(S)?? [multiple??] ??!!
As far as the "Art Department" [Camelot Project] analyses, ALL police cars racing for 10th & Patton [as opposed to those headed for the Texas Theater some time later] across the Viaduct from downtown Dallas, would have turned "left" [and just short of Jefferson] within a block off of the Viaduct -- and then continued on THE most Direct route to the shooting scene !!
Next we had some observers place themselves in the shopping strip [connecting the "Brewer" store with the Theater -- and awaited the sound of vehicles using the old "Q" type "air-siren", not the newer electronic ones. These sirens were used by all emergency vehicles; police, fire, and ambulance during 1963.
Most critical was the estimated number of responding police vehilces [headed for 10th & Patton] and there spacing and sequence. This "test" showed that even with numerous emergency sirens sounding -- as they turned short of Jefferson, would NOT have been readily heard, even by those who might be standing in front of the Texas Theater !! While those inside of, let's say the "Brewer" shoe store [whose current management was definetly NOT pleased to have us hanging out there] couldn't have heard a siren until the vehicle pulled onto Jefferson Blvd.
That I dared to raise the fact that Brewers kinfolk worked as "Marine Surveyors" for the CIA in Miami during 1960 thru 1965 -- raised some hackles. "...You mean that Brewer might have been complicit and yet he remains here speaking of those events in an open and friendly manner..??!!
Mayhaps it was my tone or the words contained in my response to whomever was the "fool" who asked that question.
I responded: "...Listen Asshole"....I just finished serving 8 years in the chain-gang...and let me set your ass straight...the nicest guys I dealt with on a daily basis...and inside the wire...were serial mass murderers...so don't give me that crap..!!" "...What I'm saying is...if he was just following orders...like awaiting a meeting or something...nothing sinister..and he thought he was just doing his duty or job...your goddamn right he could discuss these matters today...in a calm voice...especially after all these years...!!"
Vewwy Vewwy Intelllesting !!
CHAIRS,
GPH
_______________________
Outstanding post Mr. Hemming.
I tried to find out more info on JC Brewer - there seems to be very little, aside from an interview with Ian Griggs which essentially has Brewer as 'not supposed to be there' that day. He must have been a well paid shoe salesman to rate a brand new 1964-model Ford Galaxie XL500. "If not for Brewer..."
Here's a map someone did that illustrates the proximities. I don't know that it will be possible to get any radio broadcasts - as far as one account [where were you when...] I found on a Dallas Forum, a man made it very clear that his Mother was listening to the radio and heard the sounds of 'firecrackers' in the background, which may be why any trace of the broadcasts were 'collected.'
The Collins / Mathers / Tippit connection to the car with the Oswald lookalike is quite a bizarre tale. It makes me wonder just how extensive all the communications coordination was that day.
I reread the piece in Marrs 'Crossfire.' As per Mr Marrs, the search of the Abundant Temple building was called off, as the killer had been found at the Howard Hughes built Texas Theatre.
http://www.famoustexans.com/howardhughes.htm
It was in the '30s that Hughes built the Texas Theater, the movie house in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas in which Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested in 1963. The closeness of both men to the CIA makes it all but certain that the Texas Theater would have become a clandestine meeting place for spies. Such use of movie theaters had long been a staple of espionage tradecraft, and other Hughes properties were put to similar use. Hughes owned the RKO movie studio from 1948 to 1955....
Military-Industrial Complex: Throughout the 1950s, as the power of three entities grew -- the Hughes empire, organized crime, and the new Central Intelligence Agency -- it became all but impossible to distinguish between them. By the end of the decade, Hughes' chief of staff, Robert Maheu, had orchestrated the CIA's dirtiest secret -- plots to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro with the help of two heads of organized crime. Vice President Richard Nixon was the White House action officer in the clandestine attempts to oust Castro. Zapata Off-Shore, the oil company owned by future CIA director and U.S. president George Bush after he split it off from Zapata Oil partner Hugh Liedtke in 1954, had a drilling rig on the Cay Sal Bank in 1958. These islands had been leased to Nixon supporter and CIA contractor Howard Hughes the previous year and were later used as a base for CIA raids on Cuba. Nixon lost the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy largely because of a scandal over a never repaid $205,000 "loan" Nixon's brother received from Hughes. As attorney general, Robert Kennedy secretly investigated the Hughes-Nixon dealings.Just another bizarre coincidence, and the fact that someone on eBay was selling a photo of the Kennedy Motorcade allegedly taken by Hughes bodyguard, who was standing with Howard, on the 'viewing stand.'
- lee
Excellent thread. Thanks for the great map, Lee. Do you happen to know the address of the former Temple of Abundant Life?
Thanks, Thomas
-
Several members have posted disparaging remarks about the intelligence of the late President Ronald Reagan. My initial comment is that I seriously doubt that at least since the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, anyone has been able to be elected president who was not of outstanding intelligence.
Certainly the ability to carry on an intelligent debate and indeed the ability to win a debate against a person of extraordinary intelligence ought to be an adequate indicia of intelligence.
If you will then grant me that Robert F. Kennedy was a person of rather extraordinary intelligence (a belief to which I subscribe) then I can demonstrate to you that Ronald Reagan was of equal intelligence.
You see, in May of 1967 1968 Reagan defeated RFK in a debate.
The venue was a CBS news program called "Town Meeting of the World." Participants included reagan, Kennedy and 18 students from London. (One of whom was a Rhodes scholar and future U.S. Senator Bill Bradley.)
Newswek reported that "It was political rookie Reagan who left old campaigner Kennedy blinking when the session ended." Newsweek, May 29, 1967, pages 30-31.
David Halberstam wrote that "The general consensus was that Reagan destroyed [Kennedy]."
Reportedly RFK was furious with Frank Mankiewicz who had arranged for his participation in the program.
Not surprisibly, the Reagan/Kennedy encounter is not mentioned in Arthur Scheslinger's 1,000 plus page biography of RFK.
______________________________________________
Tim,
With all due respect-- who gives a "rat's ass?"
Sincerely, Thomas
-
Thomas,
My next trip to Dallas will consist of my taking many photos in the area of the Tippit killing [especially of the driveway and area behind the house and driveway there], and requesting access to the old Abundant Life Temple basement. Even if a bribe is required, I want to see the basement, where it seems very likely that Tippit's killer hid out until it was 'discovered' that the 'real' killer was in the theatre [The Abundant Life moved since then, but I believe the building remains].
One wonders about how much radio communication went on back then. There is the Mathers / Tippit / Collins connection. And Vaganov was also in Oak Cliff - with no alibi until 1:00pm. Maybe they were panicking when the DPD were swooping down on the Abundant Life Building, but the fact is, based upon the dictabelt transcripts, it does not appear that there would have been time to perform the search.
Austin was a Bircher. There was that letter to Garrison which alleged that Tippit was a homosexual. Olsen was in Oak Cliff and guarding an estate. Hicks was also off duty, as was Tilson - yet some 200 cops had to be obtained to provide additional support for the President's visit? I believe that I read that Tippit's partner was also requested by Tippit to call in sick [no reference]. Bizarre.
- lee
Hi Lee,
Something I find ver-rww-ry interesting is the W.C. testimony of Mrs. Charlie Virginia Davis, an earwitness who lived at 400 East 10th Street, just one and two doors, respectively, from 404 and 410 East 10th St., between which the shooting occurred. In her testimony she implied that she saw Tippit's (police?)car at that "apartment house" (which must have been at 410 East 10th St.) SO OFTEN that she thought that he actually lived there (later, interestingly, she denied that that was what she had meant). IMO, the meaning of her original statement is pretty darn clear.... Also, let us not forget that the taxi driver William Scoggins suggested in his testimony that he saw Tippit every day in that particular part of town. I wonder if the "apartment house" at 410 East 10th Street (or a house behind it) was some sort of safe house...
Separate issue: Just out of curiosity, do you know the address of the building where the Abundant Life Temple was located? I'd like to look it up and see where it was in relation to LHO's boarding house, Ruby's apartment, the safe houses, the place where Tippit was shot, etc.
Thanks, Thomas
-
__________________________________________
Duke,
O.K. Mea culpa and "Uncle!"
(I warned you I was open minded.)
Thomas
__________________________________________
-
Thomas,
TF Bowley took the gun from under Tippit and put it on the hood of the car. Ted Calloway then took the gun [amazingly] and went after the shooter in a cab.
Here's part of Bowley's account.
- lee
Hi Lee,
Thanks for posting that part of Bowley's account. Not that it particularly matters, but he says that someone (evidently not Bowley himself) "picked up the pistol and put it on the hood of the squad car."
Given what we know about Tippit before 11/22/63, the context of the situation right before Tippit is killed (the president has just been assassinated, Tippit is looking frantically for someone, etc), it seems to me that the fact that Tippit's gun was found out of its holster, tends to suggest that whoever killed Tippit did so in self defense.
Actually, I just remembered something which totally destroys this theory, and just to show just how "openminded" I am, I will play the role of Devil's Advocate here: Didn't one of the witnesses testify that he/she had seen (the/one of the) killer(s) start walking away from the scene and then actually walk back to Tippit's body and administer a "coup de grace" pistol shot to Tippit's head? If so, this would argue against the killer(s) having shot Tippit out of self defense in the first place..... ???!
FWIW, Thomas
-
I think a police officer had to die, to staple in everyone's mind that this guy had this problem with authority, and why else would Tippit have to die unless Oswald was supposedly scared of being arrested? If you didn't want to draw suspicion on yourself, why shoot a police officer in broad daylight?
If Oswald did it alone, he managed to murder the President of the United States in a packed Plaza in broad daylight, with only a VAGUE description of him getting out, and people doubting his guilt forty years later. WHY, would someone THAT intelligent, shoot a police officer in broad daylight with tons of witnesses nearby, and no one that could be mistaken as another suspect.
Hi Nic,
You make some excellent points. I think, however, that whoever shot Tippit just might have done so out of self defense. I say this because a witnesses (the car salesman?) said that when they turned Tippit's body over, they found Tippit's gun out of its holster and under Tippit's body (which leads me to believe that Tippit was going to shoot the man/men who ended up "getting the jump" on Officer Tippit, instead).
FWIW, Thomas
-
Suggest your questions, please.
Question for Marina Oswald: Could Lee whistle?
FWIW, Thomas
-
Thomas,
It's not a dumb question, I've wondered that too, but there's no way to know. I know that I can't whistle that way, so I doubt that it's a rare inability.
Ron
Ron,
Whew!! Thanks for saying that. I can't whistle like that either!!! (Please don't tell anyone.) But I CAN skip a stone pretty darn far across a lake!
FWIW, Thomas
-
I don't believe the stuff about bus and cab rides. Roger Craig saw him run down the embankment and jump into a Nash Rambler and I believe him.
It seems to me that Oswald's escape would have involved better planning than that. How would the conspirators know that after shooting JFK on Elm Street, the street would promptly be reopened to traffic, so Oswald could come out and be picked up on Elm?
I believe Craig also said he heard the man whistle for the Rambler, as if saying, "Hey, don't forget me!"
It just strikes me as a haphazard way of getting away, unless, of course, Oswald wasn't supposed to get away but to be shot in the building.
Hi Mark and Ron,
I know that this is probably a silly question, but I wonder if anyone knows whether or not the real LHO could even whistle like that........
FWIW, Thomas
-
I wish everyone could see that the Russians would'nt have risked starting WW3 simply for our invading Cuba especially if/since they knew that Castro hadn't assassinated Kennedy.
The movie, Seven Days In May, has a great scene in which the President makes the point to the coup general that if the Soviets understood America to have been militarily overthrown, a nuclear conflict would be imminent. Game Theory.
Tim
Hi Tim,
Yeah, kinda like table stakes "Texas Hold 'Em."
I haven't seen that film yet but I've heard about it and I know it's a classic. I'll try to rent the DVD today to find out: 1) whether or not the coup general backs down (my guess is that he does simply because you say that the President "MAKES THE POINT..."), and if he doesn't back down, then 2) whether or not the President's warning turns out to be correct. I suppose a good reason for the coup general to back down is that even the thought of an imminent nuclear war can ruin anyone's day.......
Another thought: maybe the U.S. WAS overthrown militarily (as in the sense of a coup organized by Major General EDWARD Lansdale (ret.)) on 11/22/63...........
Thanks and
FWIW, Thomas
-
Richard Nagell claimed that the GRU had pre-knowledge of the upcoming assassination.
Hi Tim,
If the GRU or the KGB or whatever did have pre-knowledge of the assassination, it might simply indicate that Russian Intellegence had already penetrated the "circles" or "cells" or "communication channels" in/through which the rogue(?) U.S. intelligence agencies/officers/agents were conspiring to assassinate JFK. It doesn't necessarilly indicate that the Ruskies or Castro offed Kennedy themselves........
FWIW, Thomas
-
To repeat an oft made observation, Castro could not have managed the cover-up. It therefore follows, for those who believe that Castro was behind the assassination, that Johnson and the WC covered up for Castro. Why? Because Johnson told crying Earl Warren that if it came to light that Castro did it, it would lead to WWIII. Well, I for one refuse to believe that if Castro assassinated JFK, and we rightfully retaliated by invading Cuba to get rid of Castro, that the Russians would have launched WWIII to protect the assassin. That possibility was nothing but BS from Lyndon Johnson, because Johnson knew damn well who did it and it wasn't Castro. As I recall from Caro's book, even back in his college days Johnson was known by his fellow students as Horsexxxx Johnson.
Hi Ron,
Sorry I totally deleted your post. (I'm trying to make amends by including it in this post.)
I wish everyone could see that the Russians would'nt have risked starting WW3 simply for our invading Cuba especially if/since they knew that Castro hadn't assassinated Kennedy. Maybe it's too obvious.
FWIW, Thomas
-
Hi Ron,
I agree. Your argument has excellent logic to it.
IMHO, Thomas
-
In answe to your specific question, Diaz, of course, is the "badgeman".
Is this what Veciana stated? Or Abella? If so, where can we find confirmation for same? If not, on what basis have you reached this conclusion? No offense, but this seems like a bait-and-switch tactic: unable to locate a photo in which either Veicana or Abella might have seen Diaz, we now have another source for that putative ID, but this one is not identified. And that's the least of your problems.
Moreover, unless there is a clearer shot of "Badgeman" that I haven't seen, I would ask: how it is possible to determine a person's identity when his facial features are completely obscured from view?
Since Jack White, one of the people who first brought "Badgeman" to our attention, is a regular poster here, perhaps we could get some imput from him. Tim, if you have a photo of Raul Diaz's face, could you please provide it so that we can view it for comparison purposes? [Gary Mack shares credit with Jack White for the "Badgeman" discovery, and is also a member here, though he doesn't post. Perhaps he could be persuaded to do so on this issue.]
My Cuban sources have positively identified him. The facial characteristics are identical.
That's nice. Are Veciana or Abella among your "Cuban sources?" If not, who are your "Cuban sources?" If we are to trust their "positive identification," it would be helpful to know on what basis they reached their conclusion, and how much effort was undertaken to achieve it.
And, again of course, how it is possible to determine a person's identity when his facial features are completely obscured from view?
So in response to your question, I have no idea how hard the committees looked for these photos. With respect to Mr. Fonzi, whose book is, of course, a great read, I think he was more interested in tracking down Maurice Bishop than he was in locating Castro agents in Dealey Plaza.
Think what you like, Tim. The fact remains that Fonzi tried to help Abella - not Veciana who didn't seem at all interested or involved, you will note - locate a photo of Diaz. Surely if either Veciana or Abella told Fonzi that Diaz was dressed like a cop and was photographed on the grassy knoll, this would have narrowed the search parameters dramatically. Neither man seems to have mentioned this salient detail to Fonzi.
Nor would/could they have, since the "Badgeman" photo enhancement didn't surface until well after Veciana and Abella were quizzed on the topic. At the time that these two Cubans were providing help to the Church and House Select committees, the only thing seen in the pertinent photograph was a puff of smoke.
And the interesting thing is--if Hemming is telling the truth--it was not Bishop that Veciana saw with LHO in Dallas but Jake Esterline. (Hemming says Esterline himself told him this.) Now the timing might not have cooperated in terms of when Hemming's deposition was taken, but it is interesting to contemplate the different avenues the investigation may have taken had the Committee asked Hemming about the Veciana story.
If this is true, and Veciana is to be believed, then "Maurice Bishop" must have been Jake Esterline, despite your assertion to the contrary. Persumably, in the summer of 1963 Veciana would know "Bishop" by sight, having worked with him for several years previous. One finds it impossible to rationalize how Veciana could have made so basic a mistake.
The problems raised by this assertion are too numerous to itemize, but even superficially, it is unlikely that the Pennsylvanian-born Esterline had "Bishop"'s Texan accent. While he undoubtedly spoke Spanish, is there any evidence that Esterline spoke French? And why, pray tell, would Esterline disclose to Hemming, of all people, that he had been in Oswald's company? If Esterline disclosed that much, did he also tell Hemming why he was meeting with Oswald just months prior to the assassination? For a guy tasked with running the Miami end of anti-Castro operations, doesn't it seem more than passing strange that he should take time out of his schedule to meet with a nebish like Oswald in Dallas, even if he was there to meet with Veciana?
I have appended the sketch of "Bishop"/photo of Phillips/and photo of Esterline for comparative purposes.
Hi Robert and Tim,
Here's my rhetorical question for the day: Did Jake Esterline (or Jack Hawkins, for that matter) have lots of WARTS, MOLES, or "SPOTS" on his face such as David A. Phillips had on his and which, significantly(?), can be seen in the police artist's sketch of Veciana's handler [whose sketched face just happens to (very) strongly resemble Phillips]? And what 'bout dem baggy eyes? To get a better idea of what I'm talkin' 'bout, see the same police artist's sketch of Phillips on the bottom of page 1 on the thread titled "David Atlee Phillips--The mastermind?"
FWIW, Thomas
-
This is the police artit's sketch of Maurice Bishop, the CIA operative who was seen with Lee Harvey Oswald. It was drawn from details provided by Alpha 66's Antonio Veciana, whom Bishop controlled. When Senator Richard Schweiker saw the sketch, he immediately recognized its close resemblance to David Atlee Philips.
Hi John,
When I compare the sketch with the photograph, I too am immediately struck by the many similarities between Phillips' photo and the man depicted in the sketch (similar hairline, shape of face, proportional distances between and different shapes of facial components, the shape of ears, the fact that both have a heavily-wrinkled brow, etc). What REALLY "clinches" it for me, though, are all of the warts(?) on Phillips' photographed face and the fact that Veciana evidently remembered that "Maurice Bishop" had lots of marks on his face and therefore told the police artist to include several blotches(?)/warts(?) in the sketch. IMHO, the sketch IS of D.A.P.
FWIW, Thomas
-
Anyone have an idea as to what group the uniform was associated? Looks to be similar.
Hi Lee,
Maybe it's Tim Gratz wearing his brand new "Young Americans for Freedom" jacket.
FWIW, Thomas
-
Thomas,
Sorry for the delay - I only just saw this. Here are some examples of Lee's work - found, I believe in the DPD archives. They have been adjusted to be viewed as the DPD presentations are pretty inadaquate.
Hi JL,
Thanks for posting some of LHO's photographs. First impression--they are quite good, but where are all of the people??? They remind me of the drawings that Hitler made while he was living in Vienna. Lots of architecture but no people. Maybe this is an indication that LHO could relate with people only on a superficial level. It's my belief that intelligence agents tend to have this sort of superficial, devious (?) 'makeup,' be they the 'real deal' or simply a low-level 'asset' or 'agent' (like Oswald who can be manipulated into believing that he's working as a double or triple agent, and thereby become the perfect 'patsy'.....?)
FWIW, Thomas
-
This is off the subject, but it's interesting to me that our "friends" TUM and DCM are already sitting down next to each other in this frame.........
FWIW, Thomas
...or should I have said "still sitting down..."?
FWIW, Thomas
-
This is how I see it so far based on the film available to NFV grayscale.
Subtracting duplicate frames.
Between the 4 sharpest frames showing the 'smoke' is approximately 1.5 seconds when I assume a frame rate of 16. (does any one know reported rate?
By looking at earlier frames and other photos I locate the end of fence at approximately red dot.
According to lancer post the time since headshot is around 7-10 seconds?
The smoke is almost stationary for 1.5 seconds (assuming as above)
Prior study of wind indicates a wind that is stronger the greater the altitude. Plus a wind that moves roughly east.
Given that the camera is moving towards the 'smoke', then if the smoke was significantly forward(towards camera) of the tree (as I would have assumed it to be if it came from the fence area and was blown along) then this camera movement should have shifted the location of the smoke on the frames in relation to the tree. This does not appear to be the case. This indicates the 'smoke' is close to the tree and fairly stationary which appears to defy wind.
Considerations: the camera is moving so the perspective and location of objects shift continuously.
(This is only my take on this. I'd like to see how Bill did it, I have respect for him, as well as Jack and others. In my experience it is entirely possible to view the same info in different ways, taking into account factors otherwise ignored,)
This is off the subject, but it's interesting to me that our "friends" TUM and DCM are already sitting down next to each other in this frame.........
FWIW, Thomas
-
Ron...try again using some prominent names:
Lee Harvey Oswald
Marina Prussakova Oswald
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy
John Bowden Connally Junior
David Atlee Phillips
Robert Lee Oswald
Lyndon Baines Johnson
Madeleine Duncan Brown
Lady Bird Johnson
Marguerite Oswald
John Edgar Hoover
Allen Welsh Dulles
George Sergei DeMohrenschildt
...you get the idea. Maybe you will find some
important clues.
Jack
Hi Jack,
You gotta be kiddin'!
IMHO, Thomas
-
[...]
As for Lawrence being an expert marksman in the AF, he told researcher Inkol that he almost didn't get to become an Air Policeman (his highest rank in the AF was Airman 2nd Class) because he was a "lousy shot." He also said that he was blinded in one eye by a rock at the age of 11. [...]
________________________________________
Hi Ron,
It's reasonable to assume that Jack Lawrence had "acceptably" good vision in both eyes when he went into the Air Force, otherwise they would have rejected him, wouldn't they? IMHO, therefore, it's possible that he did qualify as a "marksman" in the AF....
--Thomas
P.S. In Crossfire page 339, Jim Marrs writes that Lawrence borrowed "...one of the "firm's cars, after telling his boss he had a 'heavy date'." Small point, but I wonder if he borrowed a car that was owned and used by "the firm" (the dealership), or just one of the cars that was for sale? Does anyone know what year, make and model car he borrowed for his "heavy date?" (UH oh, I can feel a Ron Ecker joke coming: "If she was a really heavy date, he probably borrowed a pickup truck.")
I realize that most dealerships sell used cars as well as new, so maybe he borrowed a used non-Lincoln-Mercury? Maybe the car shows up in some of the photos/film taken in the parking lot/railroad yards after the assassination. Is it possible that the car he borrowed was one of the cars parked close to the fence with lots of "pacing" footprints and cigarette butts between the cars and the fence? Or maybe the mysterious black '57 Ford with Texas plates that Lee Bowers saw driving around the sealed-off railroad yards a few minutes before the assassination? Just thinking out loud....
--T
________________________________________
Who Was Smarter?
in Political Debates
Posted · Edited by Thomas Graves
_________________________________________________
Tim,
Gee whiz, thanks for finally bringing some "closure" to this inane subject!
Seriously, Thomas
PS Now you can get back to what you evidently enjoy doing the most: trying to convince we ignorant, naive and/or downright unpatriotic researchers how it was really Castro that offed JFK...
_________________________________________________