Vince Palamara
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Posts posted by Vince Palamara
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(CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE!)
EVEN THE PRESS WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THE LACK OF PROTECTION AND AGENTS NOT BEING BESIDE THE LIMO AS THEY NORMALLY WERE ON 11/22/63:
Things that happened on 11/18/63 in Tampa that did not happen on 11/22/63 in Dallas:
- agents on the rear of the limo (other than Clint Hill, briefly, 4 times before they got to Dealey Plaza; JFK is falsely blamed for the agents not being there);
- military aide in front seat between driver and agent in charge (McHugh was asked, for the first time in Dallas, not to ride there!);
- press photographers flatbed truck in front of limo (canceled at last minute at Love Field);
- fast speed of cars (slow in Dallas; Greer attempted to blame JFK for the slow speed on the night of the murder after being remorseful all day);
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ASAIC Boring on trip (SAIC Behn and Boring always accompanied JFK in motorcades. A third-stringer, Kellerman, goes in their place- one of if not the first major trip Kellerman took on his own);
- multi story rooftops guarded (officially, no buildings were guarded in Dallas. Eyewitnesses Arnold and Barbara Rowland did see a man with a rifle in the Texas School Book Depository building before the motorcade reached the eventual site of the assassination and, tellingly, thought the man was a Secret Service agent.15 Rowland later testified to the Warren Commission on his thought process at the time: “I must honestly say my opinion was based on movies I have seen, on the attempted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt where they had Secret Service men up in the building such as that with rifles watching the crowds, and another one concerned with attempted assassination of the other one, Franklin Roosevelt, and both of these had Secret Service men up in windows or on top of buildings with rifles, and this is how my opinion was based and why it didn’t alarm me.”16);
- multiple motorcycles running next to JFK in a wedge formation (they repeated this coverage 11/18-11/22/63 [morning in Fort Worth]until Dallas, when the Secret Service reduced the coverage and had the few motorcycles that were remaining drop back from the rear wheels of JFK’s limo, rendering them ineffective or, as the HSCA stated, “uniquely insecure”);
- White House Press Photographer Cecil Stoughton riding in follow-up car taking photos (he did 11/18-11/21/63...until they got to Dallas. No satisfactory answer has ever been given as to why Stoughton was not there on 11/22/63);
- Pierre Salinger on trip (Assistant Malcolm Kilduff makes his first trip on his own to Texas; Salinger said he missed only “one or two trips” with JFK...Texas was one of them! Agent Bob Lilley told me that Salinger was extremely knowledgeable about motorcade security and planning);
- Dr Burkley close to JFK (Burkley protested being placed far away from JFK in Dallas, for this was the only time, save in Rome, this ever happened to him...and Rome was a model of great security in every other respect);-------------------------------------------------------------
Tampa was the longest motorcade President Kennedy undertook domestically (only the one in Berlin was longer). In contrast, the motorcade in Dallas was far shorter and, thus, more manageable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_Boulevard_(Tampa,_Florida)
"During the research for my first book Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service & the Failure to Protect President Kennedy, I made a major discovery, based on both personal interviews with former agents and through newspaper archives and other somewhat obscure source material: not merely as a response to the JFK assassination were building rooftops guarded during motorcades…they were regularly guarded at least from the 1940’s onward! I knew there had to be a reason (or reasons) that presidents survived before the Kennedy murder beyond just good old-fashioned luck. In short, this method of protection – along with the intermingling of police in the crowds themselves, often in plainclothes – was how the Secret Service “got around” the so-called lack of manpower they sometimes faced, as well as the need to not always look so obtrusive with security, not to mention being able to protect our presidents with confidence. This was a major factor that eluded me for years, as well-meaning people would sometimes play devil’s advocate with me, observing a still photo from some motorcade online or in a book that, on the surface, appeared to leave President Kennedy a sitting duck. Compared to today’s very overt security, with notable exceptions, it is rather easy to find a photo from the Kennedy years that can appear to make JFK’s security seem paltry, to put it mildly. What cannot be gauged in a still photo is the speed of the limousine, the presence of protective officers in the crowd, and, again, building rooftops (at least multi-story structures) guarded along the route of travel. I cannot emphasize how important this discovery is – not only would a well-designed conspiracy have been foiled if these measures were employed in Dallas (which they were not), even the designs of a lone-nut killer would perhaps have stood an even greater chance of failure. Imagine if Dealey Plaza would have had some well-armed men, whose job it was to protect the president and vice president, standing tall and maintaining vigilance from above."
Here is a good example- Nashville motorcade photo, 5/18/63:
Looks bad, doesn't it? However:
SAIC of the Nashville office (and former JFK WHD agent) Paul Doster told the Nashville Banner on 5/18/63 that “a complete check of the entire motorcade route” was done for JFK’s trip to Nashville. In addition, Doster stated, “Other [police] officers were assigned atop the municipal terminal and other buildings along the route. These men took their posts at 8 a.m. and remained at their rooftop stations until the president and his party passed.” A helicopter was used on the route, as well. This information only became known to myself in 1999 when researcher Bill Adams sent me the actual yellowing newspaper article itself! Unfortunately, this was before I had a scanner or was very internet or computer savvy, so I literally recorded what was said there word for word, then I threw out the paper (!)
However, there is much to back up the guarding of buildings rooftops:
Milwaukee, WI 5/12/62:
Pueblo, CO 8/17/62:
The next image is from a 1962 book written with the help of Chief Inspector Michael Torina, as well as Chief James Rowley and the Secret Service, in general. Torina, whom I corresponded with twice, confirmed the veracity of what is written. These important standard security procedures were not used in Dallas. Chief Inspector Michael W. Torina, WHO WROTE THE SECRET SERVICE MANUAL [The United States Secret Service by Walter S. Bowen & Harry E. Neal (New York: Chilton, 1960), page 209], told author William Manchester back in 1961 that wherever a Presidential motorcade must slow down for a turn, the entire intersection must be checked in advance. [The Death of a President, 1988 anniversary edition by William Manchester, page 32]
11/21/63 San Antonio, TX- the view from a police helicopter:
The live video of the 6/6/63 San Diego trip is sometimes used to attempt to say that the motorcade here was the same as in Dallas...WRONG! What they CONVENIENTLY fail to mention are the countless Marines lined on each side of the street 5-6 feet apart FACING THE CROWD (as even the live television newscaster makes note of), SAIC Behn on the trip (riding in the front seat) and TWO FLATBED TRUCKS TAKING STILL PHOTOS, MOTION PICTURES, AND A LIVE TELEVISION FEED! Building rooftops were also guarded:
Miscellaneous motorcades
Boston, MA April 1963:
San Juan, Puerto Rico December 1961
Bogota, Columbia Dec 1961:
Mexico July 1 1962: JFK, Jackie, Clint Hill...and the bubbletop in nice weather
Washington, D.C.
Hawaii 6/9/63; Washington, D.C. 6/5/62
Chicago, IL 3/23/63:
Col. George J. McNally, White House Signal Corps and former Secret Service agent, wrote in his book: “But during the Chicago visit [3/23/63], the motorcade was slowed to the pace of a mounted Black Horse Troop, and the police got a warning of Puerto Rican snipers. Helicopters searched the roofs along the way, and no incidents occurred.”[A Million Miles of Presidents, p. 204]. Agent Don Lawton rode on the rear of the limousine and six motorcycles bracketed the vehicle.
Death threats preceded JFK’s 1963 Ireland visit: “Police, newspaper received warnings months before president’s killing. “The documents indicated that 6,404 police officers were on duty throughout Ireland the night Kennedy arrived, of whom 2,690 lined the U.S. president’s route from Dublin airport to the Phoenix Park mansion of Irish President Eamon de Valera. “Costigan wrote that, although the death threats were considered likely to be hoaxes, his officers would use binoculars to monitor rooftops along the route of the presidential motorcade. He said some police would carry firearms, an exceptional measure in a country with a largely unarmed police force, to engage any would-be sniper. “A rifle as well as Thompson guns and revolvers were carried for use against a possible sniper,” Costigan wrote in a post-Kennedy visit memorandum released Friday.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/16390691/
Police were on rooftops in Billings, MT–September 1963: This was confirmed by researcher Deb Galentine’s assistant police chief father who worked on the security for this trip, as conveyed to the author on 2/17/14. Deb further wrote: “Weeks before JFK’s arrival, my father, who would be in charge of the local police protection, met with Billings’ leaders and some of President Kennedy’s advance people. JFK’s planners wanted the fastest, safest routes possible. They desired routes with no tall buildings and hoped to avoid Billings’ Rimrocks as well. The Rimrocks, a natural sandstone formation riddled with caves, paths, and ledges and dotted with pine trees and shrubs, unevenly jut about 500 feet above the city of Billings. Avoiding them would be impossible since Billings’ airport lies perched atop them. Three separate routes were available from the airport to the President’s venue, and the planners decided to use the one that provided the safest and fastest passage away from the Rimrocks.”
JFK’s trip to Duluth, MN 9/24/63: The following appeared on p. 6 in the October 31, 1963 issue of The Wanderer, which catered predominantly to right-wingers. The Taylor Caldwell that wrote the following letter is the well-known author and John Bircher. Caldwell is replying to Sheldon Emry’s letter dated Oct. 17 commenting on the extensive protection that JFK had around him on his trip to Duluth in early October 1963. “President Kennedy in Danger?” By Taylor Caldwell: “I was deeply interested in Sheldon Emrey’s [sic] account [Wanderer Forum, October 17th] of Air Force men, soldiers with rifles at the ready, Highway Patrol officers, helicopters, guards, etc., being out in full force day and night when President Kennedy visited Duluth. This account is most extraordinary – but even more alarming, and not for the reasons Mr. Emery [sic] gives: “Mr. Kennedy is now showing a visible power in the soldiers that he had not openly displayed before”…It is possible that Mr. Kennedy is in personal jeopardy from them, a matter which is not being mentioned in the newspapers. Indeed, it is very probable. Presidents have been murdered before in our history, and in less dreadful times…The very fact that Mr. Kennedy is apparently now being so closely guarded should alarm all of us very deeply, whether or not we agree with the President on political matters. The mere thought of Mr. Kennedy being assassinated should make all of us shudder for the repercussions in America would be most terrible and disorder would result at the very least [emphasis added].” The bubbletop was used on this trip, as well. Researcher Chad Carlson wrote to me regarding this very same trip: “I am friends with a man here who was in charge of JFK’s trip to Duluth, MN here in September of 1963. I ask him a lot about JFK. He got to talk one on-one with the President for 30 minutes before he made his rounds and speeches. His name is Larry Yetka, former Minnesota Supreme Court justice. Larry said that he wondered what [Mafia boss] Sam Giancana of Chicago was up to on 11-22-63. I told him that I had been watching the motorcade in Dallas on 11-22-63 and told him it looked very “lax.” He said, “Yes it was.” So I asked him how was security in Duluth in Sept.1963? He said, “Tight as hell-men were on the rooftops even.” So that’s the answers I got out of him on that. Vince, that Larry Yetka guy is quite the man. He had met President’s Truman, Kennedy, and LBJ. He was close friends with former Vice-President Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota. He also met former Vice-President Walter Mondale of Minnesota. Larry went to the 1956 and 1964 Democratic National Conventions…at one of them he exchanged unpleasant words with Texas Gov. John Connolly. I’d have to ask him again what happened with that. He was invited to the White House rose garden ceremony under LBJ. The man was a lawyer, and a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice. I think he’s around 86 so the time to ask questions is now.
JFK’s trip to Miami 11/18/63: Bob Hoelscher worked for the Miami-Dade Police Department for 50 years and was a counter-sniper and observer on the terrace deck of the airport hotel on November 18, 1963, the day Kennedy arrived in Miami. He guarded almost every VIP that came through Dade County from Kennedy to Clinton and started the tactical special weapons team, later known as SWAT, in 1970. Documents reveal a bomb threat against JFK in Miami just days before his death. Hoelscher told CBSMiami.com that he knew of potential threats to the president ahead of his November visit. “I was told that information had been developed that the Cubans might start a protest at an unknown location and they might make an attempt on the life of the President if there was sufficient distraction,” Hoelscher said. “I was told to keep this information to myself, watch the periphery and look for anything unusual.” While Hoelscher and some others in the police department knew, it was strictly on a “need to know” basis. “The information about the death threat was not shared with the rank and file out of fear that the media would find out,” Hoelscher said.
(11/11/63 Miami CBS news story)
Agents Blaine, Giannoules, Hill, Landis and Pontius surround JFK and Jackie in the limo, Orange Bowl, FL December 1962:
The aforementioned 11/18/63 Tampa trip:
7/2/63 Rome:
The aforementioned June 1963 Berlin trip:
New York 9/20/63:
North Carolina 1961:
France April 1961:
Different motorcades- press photographers (still, motion picture) in FRONT of the limousine:
JFK CHICAGO, IL 1961--FLATBED TRUCK IN FRONT OF LIMO, STILL AND MOTION PHOTOGRAPHERS
Dallas? Cancelled at the last minute:
Motorcycles? The HSCA termed the Dallas trip "uniquely insecure":
11/21/63 Houston:
Chief Curry wanted a police car inserted into the motorcade, which was fairly common in prior motorcades:
So did Captain Fritz of Homicide (again, like the police car, a detective car was used to augment the Secret Service follow-up car in many prior motorcades):
President Kennedy didn't have "hundreds" of motorcades. He had a very finite number of motorcades and trips:
The bubbletop was used in roughly ONE THIRD of all of JFK's motorcades, often in nice weather conditions, in either partial or full form. Secret Service agent Sam Kinney was adamant to me, on three occasions, that he was solely responsible foe the top's removal on 11/22/63 and President Kennedy had nothing to do with it. Please see:
http://jfkbubbletop.blogspot.com/
It has been an uphill battle recovering any documents relating to security. Alone in the wilderness, so to speak, it has taken me many years to find these items (out of print books, old newspaper articles only available for a fee, documents obtained for fees at the National Archives, photographs obtained from the JFL Library, etc.). Here is a large reason why:
JFK ordering the agents off his limousine? Total bunk- President Kennedy did not convey this and the Secret Service was and is the boss of the President's security, not the other way around:
NOT EVERYONE ON THE KENNEDY DETAIL ADMIRED JFK- some were angered by his personal sex life, including Tim McIntyre, who rode on the Secret Service follow-up car in Tampa and in Dallas, as well as Emory Roberts (who died in 1973- McIntyre is speaking of him in the second video, as confirmed in Hersh's book), etc.:
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19 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:
Why were they lying Vince?
I believe they both lied because they did not wish to admit that Bennett was a covert intelligence monitor of threats the agency knew of before Dallas (the official story was to be that he was merely just another agent). If the American public would have realized that the agents were so aware of impending mortal threats to JFK that they took "preventive" measure with Bennett (and Norton) and, yet, JFK was STILL murdered anyway, some serious questions would have been asked, to put it mildly. It had to look like a fluke crazy man all by himself that caught the agents unaware.
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9 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:
Ron,
David Grant wrote an after-action report of his activities vis a vis JFK's visit to Dallas.
Report of David B. Grant, White House Detail
Volume XVIII of the Hearings and Exhibits pp. 789-790.
https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh18/html/WH_Vol18_0402a.htm
In it, he makes no mention of giving Stevenson any instructions. However, if you read his report in conjunction with the combined after-action report of Batchelor, Stevenson and Lumpkin in the DPD Archives, Box 14, Folder# 4, Item# 10 as cited in the City of Dallas Archives – JFK Collection, http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box14.htm
you'll notice that Grant is heavily involved in the security arrangements for JFK's visit.
On page 2 of this thread, Vince quotes Fritz's WC testimony of getting a call at home from Stevenson at 10:00 PM on the 21st, telling him (Fritz) that his assignment in the motorcade had been changed, and to go to the "speaker's tent". (I'm not sure what "speaker's tent" Fritz is referring to here. According to the Batchelor, Stevenson, Lumpkin report, Stevenson was in charge of the security at the Trade Mart. I'm not sure why he would be making changes to the motorcade itself.
(Is Fritz lying here?).
On page 12 of that BSL report, it says that Lawson reduced the number of motorcycles at a 3:00 PM meeting on the 21st.
David Grant is an interesting person. I once tried to solve the mystery of the Saturday, November 21st 12:35 interrogation of Oswald.
In Grant's after-action report, he makes no mention of attending an interrogation of Oswald at 10:35 on Saturday the 23rd.
Fritz's handwritten notes (supposedly contemporaneous) lists the attendees at the 10:35 interrogation on the 23rd. The name Grant is listed with a question mark behind it,
http://www.jfklancer.com/docs.maps/fritz2-5.jpg
Fritz's report of Oswald's interrogations. DPD Archives Box 15, Folder# 1, Item# 111, page 6
http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box15.htm
Fritz wrote that U.S. Marshal, Robert Nash was present, but does not mention Grant.
Papers of Will Fritz
Interviews With Lee Harvey Oswald on November 23, 1963
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=29106
The document starts out, “At about 10:35 AM, November 23, 1963, Lee Oswald was interviewed ...”
10:35 is crossed out and 12:35 was written above it. The conclusion of the Interview was changed from 11:30 to 1:10 PM, and the conclusion of the evening Interrogation was changed from 7:10 PM to 7:15 PM (to more closely mirror Kelley's Report). I believe that this is another example of someone going in and trying to alter a document after it was written.
The names Grant, U.S. Marshall Robert Nash, Senkel and Tiernon? (probably Turner) have been crossed out.
Appendix XI of the Warren Report p. 626. This is Thomas Kelley's Report of Oswald's interviews
He does show that Bookhout of the FBI, SA David Grant, U.S. Marshal Robert Nash, SAIC Sorrels, and Officers Boyd and Hall, were at the 10:35 interview, which he calls the first interview. (the first for him).
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=946#relPageId=650&tab=page
So, was Grant there for an interrogation of Oswald at 10:35 on the 23rd, or not?
Steve Thomas
David Grant was ALSO Clint Hill's brother in law. He passed away in late 2013 and the men evidently had a falling out, as Hill is not even mentioned in Grant's obituary, yet Gwen, his sister-in-law and still married to Clint, is. Grant refused to participate in Gerald Blaine's now-scrapped movie...that could be a large part of it. Another reason could be that the Hill is "with" his much younger co-author Lisa Mccubbin!
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17 hours ago, Michael Walton said:
Seriously, Vince? You're taking this statement and making it sound as if Somersett had some kind of "inside knowledge." He could have simply meant that when the SS receives credible threat that they beef up security. When they don't, then they take the standard precautions.
That statement could be interpreted any number of ways, Vince. And like I said on another thread, the security that day was no better or worst than any other day. The proof is in these photos and you can go to any number of other motorcades prior to Dallas and those photos look more or less the exact same way as the ones below:
I am not taking that statement as inside knowledge, per se. Even if he was just guessing, it is profound because it appears that he was accurate on that specific item: without suspicion (threats uncovered in advance), security had the potential to be affected in an adverse fashion. The Milteer story is common knowledge (and this is merely a small excerpt from my first book), so I used that a touchstone for corroboration only on that point.
You're very wrong about prior motorcades, but this is understandable to make this false assumption- as I stated in my third book (chapter 6):
"During the research for my first book Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service & the Failure to Protect President Kennedy, I made a major discovery, based on both personal interviews with former agents and through newspaper archives and other somewhat obscure source material: not merely as a response to the JFK assassination were building rooftops guarded during motorcades…they were regularly guarded at least from the 1940’s onward! I knew there had to be a reason (or reasons) that presidents survived before the Kennedy murder beyond just good old-fashioned luck. In short, this method of protection – along with the intermingling of police in the crowds themselves, often in plainclothes – was how the Secret Service “got around” the so-called lack of manpower they sometimes faced, as well as the need to not always look so obtrusive with security, not to mention being able to protect our presidents with confidence. This was a major factor that eluded me for years, as well-meaning people would sometimes play devil’s advocate with me, observing a still photo from some motorcade online or in a book that, on the surface, appeared to leave President Kennedy a sitting duck. Compared to today’s very overt security, with notable exceptions, it is rather easy to find a photo from the Kennedy years that can appear to make JFK’s security seem paltry, to put it mildly. What cannot be gauged in a still photo is the speed of the limousine, the presence of protective officers in the crowd, and, again, building rooftops (at least multi-story structures) guarded along the route of travel. I cannot emphasize how important this discovery is – not only would a well-designed conspiracy have been foiled if these measures were employed in Dallas (which they were not), even the designs of a lone-nut killer would perhaps have stood an even greater chance of failure. Imagine if Dealey Plaza would have had some well-armed men, whose job it was to protect the president and vice president, standing tall and maintaining vigilance from above."
I have been working on a lengthy and detailed post related to this matter that I am going to post very soon. UPDATE: posted now-
Secret Service security and press coverage for JFK pre-11/22/63
Vince
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1 hour ago, Greg Wagner said:
Good work, Vince. Thank you!
thanks! I used to post similar items in the past but, without the images showing, I think the effect is largely neutered. Having the images makes a world of difference.
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Thanks a lot, Jim! Your excellent new book (and the newfound ability to post images LOL) have inspired me! Very interesting, indeed.
PLEASE see my new post PRS Agents Glen Bennett & Howard Norton: covert monitors of threats to JFK
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PRS Agents Glen Bennett & Howard Norton: covert monitors of threats to JFK
[many images below; text excerpts from my first book Survivor's Guilt (see chapter two for text in entirety and footnotes/sources) and, near the bottom, from my third book The Not-So-Secret Service]
Right-wing fanatic Joseph Milteer said something very profound to Willie Somersett on 11/9/63 in Miami: “Well, if they [the Secret Service] have any suspicion they do that [i.e. cover all office buildings], of course. But without suspicion, chances are that they won’t [emphasis added].”16 And so, the alleged lack of threats in Texas, especially Dallas, produced the desired results: security was stripped down.
Interestingly, PRS agent Glen A. Bennett, “temporarily assigned to the White House Detail,” rode in the follow-up car.17
In regard to Agent Bennett, the following is a detailed chronology, using many recently released documents, demonstrating the Secret Service’s pre-November 22 knowledge of threats to President Kennedy’s life, as well as the author’s discovery of a covert monitor of those threats put in place during the days and weeks before the assassination. This chronology further strains the credulity of the notion that one man, Lee Harvey Oswald, “got lucky” during the very same time that the agency assigned to protect his alleged victim were on the look-out for other threats on JFK’s life.
11/1/63: South Vietnam’s President Diem is assassinated in a CIA-backed coup.18
11/2/63: JFK’s trip to Chicago, Illinois is canceled at the last minute due to threats against his life:19 apart from subjects Thomas Arthur Vallee, Thomas Mosely, and Homer Echevarria, there was a team of four Cuban gunmen, two of whom eluded surveillance and escaped. Former agents Sam Kinney, Bill Greer, Robert Kollar, J. Lloyd Stocks, Gary McLeod, Robert J. Motto, Edward Tucker, David Grant, James Griffiths, Abraham Bolden, and Chicago SAIC Maurice Martineau told the HSCA that this trip was cancelled at the last minute – the excuses were varied: JFK had a cold (a repeat of the Cuban Missile Crisis alibi), Diem’s death (refuted by Salinger), the Thomas Arthur Vallee arrest, and others […]
11/8/63: Kennedy’s first, low profile trip to New York City.24 It is important to keep in mind that there were no PRS special agents, those administrative agents that monitor threats to the president, on this or any previous trip in 1963.
11/9/63: In Miami, Florida, FBI informant Willie Somersett tapes his conversation with Joseph Milteer about plans to kill JFK during a visit to Miami on 11/18/63. This is known by the Secret Service before Dallas, as SAIC Bouck told the author and as Secret Service records reveal.25
11/10/63: PRS agent Glen Bennett is “temporarily assigned to the White House Detail.”26 – Although Bennett told the HSCA that he “was not on the Florida trip [11/18/63],”27 the recently released Secret Service shift reports for that trip and the Survey Reports28 not only state that Bennett was indeed present at all four stops on this trip, but that he rode in the follow-up car on three different occasions: in Palm Beach and in Cape Canaveral, as well as in Tampa. It was not until many years later – 2013, to be exact – that the author discovered, via photographic confirmation, that PRS Agent Bennett briefly rode on the rear of the limousine, walked beside the limousine, and also rode on the running board of the Secret Service follow-up car in Tampa!29
[…]Miami WHD advance agent Bert DeFreese told the HSCA, “In 1963 it was rare for a PRS agent from Washington to accompany an advance agent into the field, and that no PRS agent accompanied [him] on this trip,”31 yet Bennett was with De Freese in Miami and in Houston32 on 11/21/63. Bennett further told the HSCA on 1/30/78 that he “was detailed from PRS to the White House Detail for the Dallas trip [11/22/63]. This was because there was a manpower pull for the Dallas trip,” a statement not backed up by the aforementioned shift reports. Furthermore, Sam Kinney told the author that Bennett was making his first trip on 11/22/63.33 While Kinney’s statement is at least orally corroborated by Bennett’s story to the HSCA, it is also contradicted by the shift reports and Survey reports for the Florida trip of 11/18/63, and Bennett was also on the second NYC trip JFK made (11/1411/15/63.)34 Agent Tim McIntyre also told the HSCA that he did not believe he was assigned to either the Miami or the Chicago trips for November 1963.35 However, like Agent Bennett’s seeming amnesia, as proven by the Secret Service Shift Reports released by the ARRB in the 1990’s, McIntyre was actually on both trips. It should be noted that McIntyre, who rode in the follow-up car with Bennett, was also Bennett’s roommate in Fort Worth 11/21-11/22/63.36 Perhaps this was why Bennett felt the need to be accompanied by Secret Service Counsel John Meenan during his HSCA interview.
11/11/63: SAIC of PRS Robert Bouck is notified about JFK’s upcoming second trip to NYC for 11/14-11/15/63: Bennett was then promptly dispatched to JFK’s suite at the Carlyle Hotel, prior to Kennedy’s arrival, “to conduct a technical survey.”38 This was not done on any prior trips in November, including the first New York trip, nor on any other trips known to this author. With Bennett’s temporary assignment, his denials to the HSCA, and everything above in context, there is something going on here: the timing is everything. Also, by performing these specific duties, Bennett was still wearing his PRS hat, so to speak. In addition, Bennett is listed on the Secret Service shift report of 11/14/63 as “SA-New York City,” under the same grouping of agents, six in all, who were advance agents for JFK’s upcoming trips to Elkton, Md., Miami, Fl., Austin, Tx., Ft. Worth, Tx., and Tampa, Fl.39 Was Bennett also part of the advance team in his newfound WHD assignment?
11/13/63: Army code-breaker Eugene Dinkin, who had foreknowledge of a threat and attempted to warn officials, is taken into custody by Army officials and hospitalized (a Secret Service agent even interviews him).40
11/14-11/15/63: The second New York trip. Shift leader Art Godfrey, the advance agent on both NY trips, (he actually stayed in New York between trips) did not know the purpose of JFK’s first trip, but he was aware of the second: “I have no idea why Pres. Kennedy went to New York City twice in Nov. 1963 … I did the advance for both [of] these trips. I do not remember the 8th and 9th trip but the 14th and 15th trip was to address a convention at the Americana Hotel after which we went to Palm Beach for the weekend.”41 In addition, former agent J. Frank Yeager wrote, “I went to New York with the President, but I do not remember the trip that you are referring to [11/8-11/9/63].”[…]
It was not until many years later, 2013, to be exact, that the author discovered, via photographic confirmation, that PRS Agent Bennett briefly rode on the rear of the limousine, walked beside the limousine, and also rode on the running board of the Secret Service follow-up car in Tampa!54
11/18/63: JFK’s Florida trip: Miami office agent Talmadge W. Bailey told the author, in an incredible understatement, that the level of threats toward JFK in Miami was “a little bit above normal.”55 Former WHD agent Walt Coughlin, who assisted in the advance for the Miami trip,56 wrote, “Miami had a lot of Cuban threats but that is about all I recall. We did remove some waiters (Cuban I believe) from the hotel. I went from Miami to San Antonio. Recall Miami being ‘hairy’ but that is about all. As far as questions, you have more info than I!!!!”57 Gerald Blaine, the advance agent for the Tampa trip, told the author on 6/10/05 that there were “more characters in Tampa [than in Dallas]. We were really concerned about that. We did a lot of work on that.” Blaine added that he was riding in the lead car with the chief of Police for the Tampa leg of the Florida trip. WHD advance agent Lubert “Bert” DeFreese admitted to the HSCA that “a threat did surface in connection with the Miami trip … there was an active threat against the President which the Secret Service was aware in November 1963 in the period immediately prior to JFK’s trip to Miami made by a group of people [emphasis added].”58 In addition to this threat information, and separate from the 11/9 Milteer threat, a CO2 PRS file, released to the HSCA on 5/3/78 and available only recently, reveals yet another threat subject: John Warrington.59 Kinney told the author, “we had a scare” down there, an unspecified “organized crime” threat related to this same trip.60 In fact, there were six pages of threat subjects and information, including the subjects Orlando Bosch, Pedro Diaz Lanz, Enrique Llaca, Jr., and others.61 The CIA’s Ted Shackley and William Finch assisted the Secret Service on this trip.62 This is also the trip where, despite numerous films, photos, and interviews to the contrary, JFK allegedly ordered the agents off the rear of his limo, cited as causing peril in Dallas on 11/22/63 from such diverse people as William Manchester and Clinton Secret Service Director Lewis Merletti (see chapter one). It is easy to see, then, why JFK said to Dave Powers, upon his return from the Florida trip, “Thank God nobody wanted to kill me today!”63 Kennedy further told Powers that an assassination “would be tried by someone with a high-power rifle and a telescopic sight during a downtown parade when there would be so much noise and confetti that nobody would even be able to point and say, ‘It came from that window.’”64 JFK also told Jackie on 11/22/63 in Fort Worth: “You know, last night would have been a hell of a night to assassinate a President. I mean it. There was the rain, and the night, and we were all getting jostled. Suppose a man had a pistol in a briefcase. Then he could have dropped the gun and the briefcase, and melted away in the crowd…Jackie, if someone wanted to shoot me from a window with a rifle, nobody can stop it. So why worry about it?”65 The odd, preternatural obsession JFK had with death that developed right before Dallas was likely due to his knowledge, directly or indirectly, of the threats on his life. As Secret Service Officer John Norris said, “We knew there were people who wanted him dead…and those of us regularly assigned to the White House detail had a pretty good idea that somebody had been stalking [JFK] for a long time. I think Kennedy also knew some kind of attempt might be coming. I was assigned to Johnson at the time, but I went so far as to tell one of the guys who worked with Kennedy to warn him he could be in danger. The guy said JFK just kind of shrugged it off and said, ‘If they get me, they get me.’”66 As Presidential aide’s O’Donnell and Powers wrote, “President Kennedy was well aware of the hostility toward him and his administration in Dallas.”67
11/21/63: U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson and Senator William Fulbright warn JFK not to go to Dallas.68 DNC advance man Marty Underwood gets “all sorts of rumors,” 18 hours before the assassination, that Kennedy was to be killed in Dallas. Marty even conveys this to JFK, who tells him, “Marty, you worry about me too much.”69 Indeed, JFK told San Antonio Congressman Henry Gonzalez, “Henry, the Secret Service told me they took care of everything. There’s nothing to worry about”70 In an article that appeared on the morning of the assassination, the headline read: “Secret Service Sure All Secure.”71 Advance agent Winston Lawson wrote in his report: “Agent Bennett was reminded that he would work [the] Presidential follow-up car on the movement.”72 11/22/63: While SA Bennett rides in the Secret Service followup car, scanning the people lining the streets, President Kennedy is murdered right in front of him. After the assassination, Bennett’s observations, via his allegedly contemporaneous handwritten notes from 11/22/63,73 were used by Chief Rowley to buttress the notion that Kennedy was struck from the rear, in spite of the films and photos that appear to depict Bennett looking away from JFK. Perhaps HSCA attorney Belford Lawson summed up the situation best: “How could SS Agent Glen Bennett have been able to see JFK, who was 38 feet away and partially concealed by several persons, yet be able to state clearly that the first shot hit JFK four inches down from [the] right shoulder? Why didn’t the distance and commotion prevent such an observation? Why [wasn’t] Bennett called to testify?”74 However, this is almost ancillary to the major point: Was PRS agent Glen Bennett monitoring threats to JFK’s life, made in the month of November, and was this covered up afterwards? Is this the reason for the conflicting accounts, and the timing, of Bennett’s participation in the second New York trip, the Florida trip, and the Texas trip? Did Bennett ride in the follow-up car and participate on these trips for this purpose?
Unfortunately, former agent Winston Lawson informed the author that Bennett is now deceased, so no more answers will be forthcoming from the principal person in this mystery.75 Bennett to the HSCA: “He stated that he does not recall any talk or information on alleged threats in Miami or Chicago. He doesn’t recall any names of persons to be checked out relative to the Dallas trip, filtering back to PRS.” Incredible.
Former PRS agent Frank G. Stoner told the author on 1/17/04 that he didn’t know why Bennett, a PRS man, would have been on these trips. Stoner, genuinely puzzled about the matter, thought perhaps Bennett was an “intelligence liaison” in his capacity of riding in the follow-up car. Officially speaking, Bennett was not. Stoner did not elaborate further when pressed on this issue in writing; in fact, he avoided it all together on three different occasions (see below).76 Former WHD agent J. Walter Coughlin, who assisted fellow agent Dennis R. Halterman on the advance for the San Antonio part of the Texas trip (11/21/63), wrote the author, “I can only add the following – I was not in Dallas so my knowledge is hearsay from good friends who were there. Glen Bennett was on all these trips, not as a member of PRS but as a temporary shift agent in that so many of us were out on advance. This I do know to be a fact and read nothing more into it.” Interestingly, Coughlin founded ‘J. Walter Coughlin & Associates’, a security firm based in Dallas.77 If this was the case, why did Bennett perform PRS functions on the New York trip (what SAIC Bouck referred to as a “technical survey”)? These comments by Coughlin sound like Bennett’s “manpower pull” comment to the HSCA that was in reference specifically to the Dallas leg of the Texas trip. However, was there also a “manpower pull” for the other trips Bennett was on?78 Also, the vast majority of the agents who went on these trips did return to Washington, D.C. afterward, ready for further action on future trips. If there was a genuine shortage of men, why not just follow common procedure and add an agent, from the Washington Field Office (WFO), for example?79 This was the case when WFO agent Roger C. Warner came along to Dallas for his very first Presidential protective mission. Why were Bennett’s services needed in the ultra-important follow-up car, of all things? And, to top it off, Bennett just happened to be one of the agents involved in the infamous drinking incident the night of November 21, at both the Fort Worth Press Club and the “Cellar” (more on this event later). It would seem that Bennett did not take his special duty very seriously. All this must have touched a nerve in Coughlin. Winston Lawson wrote the author: “I understand from my friend Walt Coughlin that you wondered why Glen Bennett from PRS was on the trip.” [Note: The author did not tell Coughlin about any contact with Lawson]. “Nothing sinister about it and had nothing to do with threats or intelligence. There were so many trips, MD and FL, just prior to TX and so many stops in TX that the small WH Detail was decimated supplying advance people. A number of temporarily assigned agents were on all 3 shifts in TX…I believe Walt had been on an advance before he went to his stop in TX.”80 Still, why was Bennett performing PRS functions in New York if he was just another agent? The author decided to make further inquiries to former agent Coughlin in this matter, and asked, “In light of the fact that Bennett, temporarily assigned to the White House Detail on 11/10/63, was on all the stops on JFK’s trips [11/11/63-11/22/63] to NY, FL [four], and TX up to Dallas [four; not including Austin], and the fact that he was performing ‘technical surveys’ on the trip to NY, doesn’t his presence concede the seeming fact that he was performing some sort of intelligence function?” [Note: this info on Bennett only came to light because the author ordered the documents from the National Archives. It is far from common knowledge]. In response, Coughlin wrote, “Nothing sinister- in l963 we had about 300 agents and we were not that clever to be sinister. He was there as a temp.”81 Former agent Larry Newman dismissed the author’s notion of Bennett’s true role, yet said, “What they were starting to do was assign a PI [Protective Intelligence/ PRS] guy to help the advance guy.”82 However, this practice was officially adopted only after 11/22/63 in response to the assassination, unless Newman was also aware of the true roles of Bennett, Norton, and Wunderlich on the trips in November 1963. That said, Newman added that Bennett, who he knew “worked somewhat in on Protective Intelligence,” was part of a team and his presence on the trips was in relation to “no specific thing.” (It is also important to note that Newman left the WHD in October 1963.)83 Likewise, former agent Jerry D. Kivett said that members of PRS, later renamed Protective Intelligence, “traveled with us sometimes” and that this was a manpower issue having “nothing to do with – that I know of – special threat levels.” However, Kivett added the caveat that the PRS travels were made only “until after” the assassination, as mentioned above. More importantly, when the author asked Kivett if Bennett may have been on the NY, Fl, and Tx trips to monitor threats, the former agent said, “That’s very much a possibility [emphasis added].”84 Fellow Texas trip agent Gerald S. Blaine, who had also been on the Florida trip with Bennett, told the author, “I don’t know what he had.” When asked if Bennett could have been (as PRS agent Stoner claimed) an “intelligence liaison,” Blaine said, “I guess. I don’t really remember. It’s hard to say. I don’t know what he was doing. They [PRS agents] operate independently.”85 During a later interview conducted on 6/10/05, Blaine admitted it was “kind of strange” for Bennett to be riding in the followup car on the Dallas trip. Former agent Vincent P. Mroz, when asked if Bennett was on these trips to monitor threats, told the author, “Right, uh-huh. It’s their job to sort out that information. They go there to work [it] out.” Mroz also said that this was “not abnormal.”86 Another agent on all three trips, Samuel E. Sulliman, told the author, “I remember him [Bennett]. He was sort of a quiet guy. I don’t know what he was there for [emphasis added].” Likewise, Darwin Horn wrote, “I recall Glen Bennett. I don’t know what he was doing in Dallas.”87 Perhaps the biggest surprise of all came from former agent Gerald W. O’Rourke, another Texas trip veteran who also was on the second NY trip and a part of the FL trip. The former agent, who came out on the 40th anniversary of the JFK assassination to reveal his conviction that a conspiracy took the life of President Kennedy,88 was friendly, cordial, and quite informative in response to the author’s first letter of inquiry, answering every question in detail. In fact, O’Rourke ended his letter by stating, “If you have other questions please feel free to contact me. Jerry.”89 Taking the hint, the author promptly wrote another letter to O’Rourke but did not receive a reply. The author’s second letter asked for information about Bennett’s role on the NY, FL, and TX trips. When the author phoned O’Rourke on 2/11/04, obviously all was not well on the other end. When asked about Bennett, the former agent said forcefully, “I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to do it. I’m afraid for my agency.” O’Rourke then abruptly ended the conversation. As the Rocky Mountain News reported on 11/20/03: “O’Rourke spent a year in the Secret Service intelligence division [where Bennett worked], which offered him glimpses into the investigation of Kennedy’s death. Those glimpses, and the accounts of other [unnamed] agents, have convinced O’Rourke that Oswald didn’t act alone.” Bennett was still a member of the USSS, in the Intelligence Division, during the HSCA era. In fact, he initiated a letter to G. Robert Blakey, the General Counsel of the HSCA, regarding the then-current whereabouts of several former agents. Not to be outdone, Clint Hill writes in his memoirs about the formation of the follow-up car agents in Dallas on 11/22/63 and confirms my suspicions: “Glen Bennett from the Protective Research Section, handling intelligence.”90
[…]
So, of the seven agents (some of whom were merely replacements, not new agents, per se), only Bennett came from PRS.99 President Kennedy’s next trip would not be until 11/14/63 when he would visit Elkton, MD for the dedication of the Maryland-Delaware Turnpike (a non-motorcade, ribbon-cutting affair),100 then to New York once again (11/14-11/15/63). Bennett next appears on the 11/12/63 and 11/13/63 shift reports as part of the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift that “reported for duty at [the] White House.”101 According to these same reports, President Kennedy stayed in the mansion that day, so Bennett evidently stood post in a doorway.102 Then, as we know, Bennett was a Special Agent on JFK’s trips to New York, Florida, and Texas. Of the seven recent WHD additions, only the lone PRS agent, Bennett, is dispatched on all three major trips, and all the major stops on these tours, from 11/14-11/22/63.103 Again, the question is: why? The covert monitoring of a threat (or threats) to President Kennedy’s life remains the most compelling reason. And, as discovered by the author via a recently released Secret Service shift report, yet another PRS agent, Howard K. Norton, was covertly on the Texas trip, this time in Austin.104 According to former PRS Agent Dale Wunderlich, “Howard K. Norton was the first “Security Technician” that was hired by the USSS. He was retired from the Air Force where I believe that he was a Sergeant Major in OSI. He was never a Special Agent but was extremely knowledgeable in the field of electronics and electronic countermeasures. In fact, I was told by a friend of his that he was one of the technicians that discovered the resonance cavity that the Russians planted in the U.S. seal that was given to the U. S. Ambassador to Moscow, Russia. Regarding the makeup of the advance team in Palm Beach for the opening of the Ambassador’s residence…Howard and I were the only two on the advance from PRS. Howard was primarily responsible for oversight of the technical sweeps, which I assisted him with, and I was also involved in doing backgrounds on employees, CO-2 cases and contractors that were doing some repairs to the kitchen floor at the Ambassador’s residence. CO-2 cases were individuals who were of record with the Protective Research Division of the USSS.”105 Only from ATSAIC Godfrey’s Secret Service Shift Report, not released until the late 1990’s via the ARRB, do we even know that Norton was on the Texas trip (in Austin) – his name is unknown until we get to the afternoon of 11/23/63 when, along with fellow PRS employee James Fox, he photographs the bloody limousine. Even the Austin Survey Report, released around the same time in the 1990’s, does not mention Norton’s name. Finally, it should be kept in mind that the Florida Survey Report that does mention Norton was also not released until the late 1990’s. J. Frank Yeager, a member of the WHD who assisted in the advance of the Austin leg of the Texas tour, wrote, “I do not remember Norton…I do not remember Bennett.”106 Former agent Joe Paolella, a WHD agent on the New York and Florida trips, wrote, “I am sorry but I do not know why Agent Bennett was on the New York, Florida, or Texas trips in November 1963, nor do I remember Agent Howard Norton.”107 When asked if he remembered Norton or Bennett, former agent Robert Snow wrote the author, “Why don’t you contact the Secret Service, Office of Public Affairs at [number deleted for privacy]--they have all that information.”108 Another former agent on JFK’s Austin trip, Gerald Blaine, also twice claimed not to remember Norton.109 If that weren’t enough, another Texas trip veteran, Walt Coughlin, wrote, “I do not recall Norton.”110 When pressed on this matter further, Coughlin responded, “I believe I have answered all your emails!”111 (Coughlin later relented and resumed responding to the author’s inquiries.112) Yet, four of these men, Yeager, Paolella, Blaine, & Coughlin, were also on the Florida trip with both Bennett and Norton! When asked if he could provide a thumbnail sketch of what he knew about Norton, former agent Darwin Horn wrote the author, “I do not recall.”113 Former agent Jerry Kivett, yet another Texas trip veteran assigned to then-V.P. Lyndon Johnson, wrote, “I do not recall a PRS Agent named Howard K. Norton. However, that does not mean he did not exist. Nor do I recall him being in Dallas, but again that doesn’t mean that he was not there.”114 The author tried yet again with former PRS agent Frank Stoner, asking him, “Do you remember a PRS agent named Howard K. Norton? He was on President Kennedy’s trips to Florida and Texas (Austin)?” I also asked Stoner, “Do you remember working with PRS agent Glen Bennett (he was on the NY, FL, and TX trips)?” Stoner answered, “No I did not know any of the agents you named.”115 (Stoner did remember Bennett from the author’s previous three inquiries on the matter.) Jerry O’Rourke later responded to the question of his familiarity (or lack thereof) with Norton in this fashion: “No, I do not recall anyone by the name. He could have been in PRS (Protective Res[ea] rch Division), now called Intelligence Division and I wouldn’t have known him at the time as I was on the White House Division, now called Presidental Protective Division. Much later, I served, for a short time, at PRS and I don’t recall him. Today, the retired agents association are very active and had he retired or served for at least one year, the requirements to belong to the retired agents, I would have heard of him and/or he would be listed on our web site. Is it possible he could have been a political advance man? I do not have a copy of the Warren Commission Report which would have listed him and his activities. Sorry that I could not have been more help!” […]The author wrote to Secret Service Public Affairs Assistant Director George M. Rogers on 7/5/05 asking for tenure dates for Howard K. Norton (Mr. Rogers previously helped the author on other inquiries). In the same message, the author matter-of-factly mentioned Norton’s presence on the Austin leg of the Texas trip. Rogers’ reply, dated 7/15/05, was surprising: “Dear Mr. Palamara: A search was conducted in response to your electronic message received on July 5, 2005, requesting tenure dates for former Secret Service employee Howard K. Norton…We were unable to locate any reference that provided information regarding the length of time [Norton] spent with the Secret Service [emphasis added].” It should also be noted that Rogers did not comment on or dispute the issue of Norton’s participation on the ill-fated Texas tour.
PRS AGENT GLEN BENNETT WITH PRESIDENT KENNEDY AND JACKIE AT LOVE FIELD:
IN 2013, I FINALLY HAD PHOTO CONFIRMATION OF WHAT GLEN BENNETT LOOKED LIKE, THANKS TO THE OUT-OF-PRINT FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT'S 1990 BOOK "LOOKING BACK AND SEEING THE FUTURE" (PHOTOCOPY/BOOTLEG OF THE BOOK I OBTAINED FROM A FORMER AGENT WHO WORKED IN PRS WITH BENNETT!)
THE SAME PHOTO AS ABOVE, FROM RICHARD TRASK'S BOOK THAT DAY IN DALLAS:
MORE BENNETT AT LOVE FIELD:
BENNETT SEATED IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE SECRET SERVICE FOLLOW-UP CAR IN DALLAS, LOOKING UP AND SIDEWAYS:
PRS Agent Glen Bennett is riding in the front passenger seat of the follow-up car, the spot traditionally reserved for the Shift Leader! I knew he rode the follow-up car in NY, FL and TX and this was mostly hushed up afterwards (and, with regard to Dallas, the INTENTIONS behind his placement there), but this is a new one on me. Other arrows- police lining street, good motorcycle formation, agent Don Lawton looks upward to scan buildings, Shift Leader Roberts BETWEEN Bennett and the driver, Kinney.
FORTY members of the military police from Ft. Sam Houston, Texas:
traffic control, motorcade route security, and intersection control;
police helicopter utilized along route [other agents depicted: Ready, Hill; Powers taking home movies] 11/21/63 SAN ANTONIO, TX
BENNETT LIES TO THE HSCA AND, WITH ATTORNEY NEARBY, SAYS HE WASN'T ON THE FLORIDA TRIP!!
The evidence, the Secret Service shift reports (only released in the late 1990's), that demonstrates that Bennett was on all the stops in Florida!
Agents Tim McIntyre (far left) and Glen Bennett (far right) walk in front of JFK's limo in Tampa:
McIntyre (FAR RIGHT) and Bennett (next to JFK) in Miami:
Yet, despite the photos above and the record, MCINTYRE ALSO LIES TO THE HSCA about both Florida AND Chicago!! it was only 15 years later and McIntyre was a young man and ACTIVE AGENT, as was Bennett, so forget the time and senility excuses.
Interestingly, Bennett and McIntyre were roommates in Fort Worth 11/21-11/22/63!
Discovered in early 2014, after publication of my first book, PRS (Intelligence Division) agent Glen Bennett admits being on the NY, FL, and TX trips. As revealed in chapter two from my first book, he lied under oath to the HSCA and stated that he was not on the Florida trip – he was on every single stop (Cape Canaveral, Palm Beach, Miami, and Tampa, often riding in the follow-up car)-and did not volunteer that he was also on the NY trip. Bennett’s presence on all these trips was only confirmed via document releases in the late 1990’s by myself.21 Bennett was a PRS agent – an administrative agent who monitored threats to the president and stayed back in D.C. His presence on these trips (and later denials) confirms my suspicions that he was a covert monitor of mortal threats to JFK’s life in-progress and that this was covered up afterwards for fear of reprisals from Congress and the public, as many people would cry out “wait – you knew there were mortal threats and plots to kill JFK and even had a special agent on these trips just for that purpose, yet Kennedy died?” Bennett rode in the follow-up car in Tampa and Dallas, as well.
Bennett on the rear of the limo at Lopez Field, Tampa, 11/18/63:
Bennett on the front right fender of the follow-up car (dark hair, sunglasses) scanning the crowds in Tampa:
HERETOFORE UNKNOWN PRS AGENT HOWARD K. NORTON ON THE AUSTIN TRIP:
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Roy Kellerman makes one of the stupidest comments known to mankind to the FBI the night of the assassination:
NOT REPEAT IMAGES- different dates...press photographers in front of the limo. As Clint Hill admitted in his 2012 book, this was normal for a presidential trip...uh oh...except Dallas:
YOU THINK?!?!?
Hey, it's Clint Hill, JFK, Jackie...and the bubbletop in nice weather!
THE DEATH BLOW TO THE PHONY JFK-ORDERED-THE-AGENTS-OFF-THE-LIMO-IN-TAMPA TALE: Not only did many agents tell me this wasn't true (including Floyd Boring--!), Tampa motorcycle officer Russell Groover also debunked this, as did Congressman Sam Gibbons WHO RODE IN THE LIMO A FOOT A WAY FROM JFK!!! "I rode with Kennedy every time he rode. I heard no such order. As I remember it the agents rode on the rear bumper all the way. Kennedy was very happy during his visit to Tampa. Sam Gibbons."
11/18/63 Tampa, FL:
YET NO CONCERN FOR JFK'S LIFE JUST A FEW SHORT MONTHS LATER??
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6/6/63 SAN DIEGO, CA (Sorry, DVP)- THIS is how the Secret Service "got around" a) manpower issues, b) not looking like a police state, c) not always having agents on the rear of the limo...they had multi-story buildings guarded and police/military lining the streets and facing the crowd AND QUITE A FEW PLAINSCLOTHES DETECTIVES IN THE CROWDS THEMSELVES (NOTE THE TWO FLATBED TRUCKS- THEY WERE FILMING LIVE FOR TV):
Many Secret Service agents and White House aides told me/ wrote to me that President Kennedy did not interfere with the actions of the Secret Service and, especially, did not ask or order the agents off the limo. This is amazing- the lead advance agent for Dallas, Win Lawson (Clint Hill's brother-in-law, David Grant, fresh from the Florida trip, was his assistant) admits that there were no standing order for the agents to stay off the limo and "it never came to my attention as such"---!!
SAM KINNEY (DRIVER OF THE FOLLOW-UP CAR IN TEXAS, FLORIDA, ETC. ETC. ETC.), SAIC BEHN, ASAIC BORING, AND OTHERS TEAR BLAINE A NEW ONE AND DEBUNK THE "JFK ORDERED US OFF THE LIMO" GARBAGE:
OOPS-----with Blaine by his side (!), Hill comes clean in 2010:
This sums it all up:
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11/21/63: view from motion picture taken from police helicopter!
DALLAS TIMES HERALD 11/22/63 BEFORE the assassination happened.
11/21/63- note all the motorcycles! 
Along with multi-story buildings being guarded along the LONGEST DOMESTIC MOTORCADE JFK EVER UNDERTOOK (Tampa, 11/18/63), many motorcycles surrounding the limo, the press in front of the procession, Stoughton near the limo, ASAIC Boring on the trip, the military aide riding in front of the limo, agents on the rear of the limo, etc., the military police lined the streets and faced the crowds during ONE STORY STRUCTURE PARTS OF THE MOTORCADE (as also confirmed by Tampa motorcycle officer Russell Groover...he was there, DVP, and he "would know better"):
ABOVE: Agents Kellerman and Bob Lilley on the rear of the fast-moving car in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The top was on and a military aide rode in the front; great motorcycle formation. LILLEY TOLD ME THAT THEY REACHED SPEEDS OF OVER 50 MPH AS THEY RODE ON THE REAR OF THE LIMO...and no rain while using the top.
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10 hours ago, Greg Wagner said:
Hi Jim. You mean James Powell? I doubt he knew what was about to happen. Somebody did, though. The interesting question is who put him in Dealey Plaza with a camera that day. Does anyone have a photo of James Powell? https://goo.gl/6e23Fd
Along those lines and even more interesting is Stuart Reed. The guy worked as an executive for the Canal Zone Civilian Personnel Policy Coordinating Board in Panama. He ends up in Dallas on 11/22/63, takes photos in and around Dealey Plaza, including McWatters' bus around the time Oswald would have been on it, AND THEN happens to be at the Texas Theatre to photograph Oswald being arrested. He drops off his film to be developed in Dallas and on 11/26 he signs an authorization allowing the FBI to pick up his developed photos as he leaves for New Orleans to catch a boat back to Panama. Seems legit. <sarcasm.jpg> I think it's reasonable to consider that Reed may have been handled by the same person who put James Powell in Dealey Plaza. Any connections Reed may have had to Army Intelligence would be of great interest. https://goo.gl/NLk641
By the way, Winston Lawson was Army CIC from 1953-55. At least, those are the years his Army Intel service is documented. Lawson was at Fort Holabird at the same time Richard Case Nagell was there. Probably a coincidence, that whole thing. But Army Intelligence seems to pop up everywhere.
Back to the topic at hand. The security in Tampa vs the shooting gallery that was Dealey Plaza only 3 days later is, in my opinion, the strongest evidence for an inside man or men around the Dallas trip/motorcade. Consider the Tampa trip security that Vince has documented. Now look at the windows, overpasses and rooftops throughout the Craven film in Dallas https://goo.gl/XnmgXL, along with the many other films and photos documenting such. There are people crawling all over the place and it was a much shorter drive in what was expected to be a potentially hostile environment. Had local law enforcement and MI units been fully utilized as on other trips, manpower would not have been an issue. Not to mention the route selection, Lawson managing the motorcycles at Love field and the Rybka incident. It really starts to add up, doesn't it?
In my opinion, the professionals involved in the Dallas op were going to kill Kennedy with or without compromised protection. Contingencies were in place to get him in Dallas regardless of how the security ultimately unfolded. My guess is - and this is total speculation - there was a link somewhere high up the food chain between someone like Morales or Phillips and someone with enough juice to pull the right levers around the Texas trip planning. It could have been sold to them as Kennedy wanting to be more visible in Dallas to afford favorable photo opportunities or whatever. I'm not so sure about witting participation by members of the Secret Service, though. Opening the kimono and stating, "Hey, we are planning to kill JFK in Dallas and we want your help" would have been a significant risk.
Jim and Vince, thanks for your many valuable, thought-provoking posts. Always a treat
My pleasure! It is bad enough that JFK was assassinated, then subjected to character assassination...what I truly despise are those who further assassinate him by attempting to blame him for his own death.
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Gee, I wonder why the Warren Commission didn't call former Chief U.E. Baughman...
This came out in early December 1963. In response to this came the infamous Rowley/ Dillon CD3 memo falsely saying buildings were only inspected and guarded during Inaugurals (just the above images alone show that this is total bunk):
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(but awful "protection" for Dallas:)
BUILDING ROOFTOPS WERE REGULARLY GUARDED SINCE THE FDR DAYS!! This was also a Summer 1963 syndicated news story:
Chief Inspector Michael Torina, WHO WROTE THE SECRET SERVICE MANUAL, and Chief James Rowley (pictured) contributed to this 1962 book (I SPOKE TO TORINA AND HE CONFIRMED THE VERACITY OF WHAT IS WRITTEN):
TAMPA, FL 11/18/63. Motorcycle officer Russell Groover confirmed to me that all multi-story buildings on the 28-MILE LONG MOTORCADE, the LONGEST DOMESTIC MOTORCADE JFK EVER UNDERTOOK (second only to the foreign trip to Berlin), were guarded by heavily armed officers. This Secret Service survey report was written by Frank Yeager and GERALD BLAINE OF KENNEDY DETAIL infamy! Author Larry Sabato, based on my tip (he acknowledges me in his book), contacted Blaine and called him out on this. Baine lamely stated that they didn’t have the manpower in Dallas—-a far shorter motorcade—to do what they did four days earlier in Tampa:
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This one reminds me of Liebeler's "your films were very helpful to the commission" LOL-
I THINK THAT 'S ALL, OFFICER:
JFK himself said " We are headed to nut country now". Rabid, right wing territory; Wanted For Treason posters; "Welcome Mr. Kennedy to Dallas" ad; warnings not to go to Dallas from several people...he should have received this protection: 
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11/16/63-next image:
next image-Hawaii June 1963:
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11 hours ago, Ron Ecker said:
Jim and Vince,
How much of that "alcohol binge the night before" was real and how much was it an exaggerated excuse for the lack of reaction? I recall reading somewhere that there wasn't really that much drinking (though that may have been CYA by the agents).
Hi, Ron!
See chapter 7 of my first book. It was not exaggerated in the least. If anything, the 9 agents who confessed to drinking decided to pull a "limited hangout". Not only do we have Jimmy Hill's famous remarks ("they were bombed"), we also (from my book) have a couple news reporters WHO WERE THERE that back this up. The agents went to both the Fort Worth Press Club and the Cellar. The press club is where the admitted drinking took place, while the Cellar is where non-alcoholic "set ups" were served for those who chose to BYOB (or hard liquor).
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My pleasure! Hey, you helped me with my new post with your advice
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Chief Inspector Michael Torina, WHO WROTE THE SECRET SERVICE MANUAL, and Chief James Rowley (pictured) contributed to this 1962 book:
TAMPA, FL 11/18/63. Motorcycle officer Russell Groover confirmed to me that all multi-story buildings on the 28-MILE LONG MOTORCADE, the LONGEST DOMESTIC MOTORCADE JFK EVER UNDERTOOK (second only to the foreign trip to Berlin), were guarded by heavily armed officers. This Secret Service survey report was written by Frank Yeager and GERALD BLAINE OF KENNEDY DETAIL infamy! Author Larry Sabato, based on my tip (he acknowledges me in his book), contacted Blaine and called him out on this. Baine lamely stated that they didn’t have the manpower in Dallas—-a far shorter motorcade—to do what they did four days earlier in Tampa:
Former Secret Service Chief U.E. Baughman, author of the 1962 book SECRET SERVICE CHIEF, came clean in early December 1963…I guess this is why he wasn’t called before the Warren Commission:
Nashville Agent Paul Doster, a former JFK White House Detail agent, told the “Nashville Banner” back on 5/18/63:
“a complete check of the entire motorcade route” was done. Also, Doster noted that “Other [police] officers were assigned atop the municipal terminal and other buildings along the route. These men took their posts at 8 a.m. and
remained at their rooftop stations until the president and his party
passed.” -
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(repost- I scrapped my prior post: it wasn't all that new after all)
No matter what I attempt to do, the images will never post.
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On 5/28/2018 at 7:36 PM, James DiEugenio said:
Welcome Vince.
Keep it coming. Your work on the route change was really good I think. Its got DVP in a panic.
Hi, Jim!
Thanks (I am loving the new edition of your book!)
PLEASE SEE:
^Just posted/ created--many rare images and videos.
Vince
Building rooftops: imagine Dealey Plaza...
in JFK Assassination Debate
Posted
Please see my latest post
Secret Service security and press coverage for JFK pre-11/22/63