James Richards

Everything went smoothly except for one time on Lemmon Avenue when a group of little girls from a Catholic school, dressed in those little uniforms, standing out there with the sisters, got too far out into the street. When Kennedy approached, they naturally ran out into the street, the car stopped, and Kennedy was shaking hands and touching them. While this happened, the rest of the crowd moved out in the street against the car so that it couldn’t move anymore. I made a U-turn and came back down the left side of the car to clear everybody back to the side so we could move on. Some grown people got back when they saw the motorcycle coming. Meanwhile, Curry, in the car in front of the President’s, was waiting for me to get it clear. As I approached the disruption, I looked up and saw Secret Service agents grabbing those little girls and slinging them out of the street like they were sacks of potatoes. By the time I got there, they had the street cleared and said, “OK, let’s go!” (Don Roberdeau)

Thanks, Don.

This is the first time I have heard of such an incident. Surely having the motorcade come to a stop like what was mentioned above goes against all security procedures?

It's curious that a group of Catholic school girls got the SS up and moving while snipers firing from buildings didn't illicit much response at all.

James

Jim,

Yes, I agree that Maxwell Taylor was in the loop. I also agree that this is all going into some interesting places.

I have to admit though that I'm just not good enough to make all the connections.

Have you ever looked into the accounts of Martti Koski and Robert Naeslund who claim that Finnish Intelligence while in cahoots with the CIA had amongst other things, a long time program of mind control experiments?

Codebreaking, mind control, mole hunting - the OSS and ultimately the Agency certainly had their hands full.

James

Hi Jim,

I don't believe E. Howard Hunt fits into this at all. I came across a possible connection between him and Harrod Miller that ultimately went nowhere. This connection allegedly began in the late 1950's and continued until Miller's death in 1966.

As to your other questions, I delved into this when I began looking into the Venova material and Meredich Gardner. I don't have anything more than what can be readily researched.

I naively tried to research the whole codebreakers scenario but just ended up in more of a tangle. I will try to find a reference but I seem to remember X-2 head James Murphy had some history with Harrod Miller. Given that James Angelton was X-2 Station Chief in Rome at the end of WW2, I became very interested in this aspect.

My interest in Harrod Miller came about when he seemed to be a common denominator in all of this.

Have you ever looked into Oleg Penkovski?

James

Hi David,

There is no doubt that Leonard Reissman is an interesting character. So was a contemporary named John Rohrer who along with Reissman wrote and edited pieces concerning social psychology which covered influences like class structure, race and societal make-up.

There was also Muzafer Sherif whose work on inter group conflict revealed human traits which I'm sure interested groups like the Agency.

Add Leon Festinger and James Carlsmith with their work on cognitive consequences of forced compliance and I submit that the MK/ULTRA program had a solid research base to work from. This groundwork could have been used to find direction in mind control and how to administer command over human behavior.

FWIW.

James

James

Thanks for the heads up, I know that Library well and the many used book stores that are in close proximity.

It seems that Wilho Tikander was a resident of St. Louis County were my brother made his home.  Do you know if Tikander is still living and how/why did you know about him?

By the way, I'm following a tie that may lead to Harrod Miller here...

Jim Root

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Hi Jim,

I don't know if Tikander is still alive or not but I originally came across his name when I was doing some research on Bill Donovan, Howard Hunt and the OSS.

I discovered that there was lots of stuff available on him at the Duluth Library but being here is Australia I didn't pursue it any further.

The tie to Miller sounds very interesting. I will be fascinated to see what you come up with.

James

Hi Jim,

In case you haven't been down this road, there is a lot of information to be sourced on 'Operation Stella Polaris' via a character by the name of Wilho Tikander who was the OSS Chief in Stockholm.

The Duluth Public Library carries historical information including clippings and the like on Tikander.

The Library's email page is here -

http://www.duluth.lib.mn.us/EmailRefForm.html

Hopefully this will be of help.

James

Hi David,

Edward Hunter's daughter is Tatiana Seelinger. I believe she is still alive and probably not too difficult to track down. She may offer a unique perspective on Hunter.

FWIW.

James

Tim,

If my memory is serving me correctly, the Bill Johnson in question was a pilot who flew missions for MIRR operations. He didn't come cheap and the money supposedly came from Paulino Sierra out of Chicago. This is interesting given the Chicago connection which of course included Homer Echevarria.

Johnson also was closely associated with Orlando Bosch. Again going on memory here but Johnson may have ended up owning or running a used car yard in North Miami.

FWIW.

James

I'm wondering if Cubela wasn't initially recruited by Noel when he was in Havana, and then handed off to Sanchez, who actually met with him in Spain. I think all references to Sanchez are in the last fifteen years or so, post The Fish is Red. (Pat Speer)

Could be, Pat.

I seem to remember Noel running Cubela during a 1965 plot to kill Castro. Manuel Artime was also involved and he was run by Hunt. I believe Noel and Hunt despised each other which would have made for a pleasant working environment.

James

Mark Felt with daughter Joan. This image was taken in the last few days.

james

This was posted on the Net 12 minutes ago. The Washington Post confirms it was Felt.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/internatio...fm?id=598362005

James

Even though it was officially rulled as a suicide, the death of Frank Nugan I believe must be treated as one of the more mysterious unsolved deaths.

Frank Nugan partnered ex Green Beret Michael Hand in the CIA run Nugan/Hand Bank in Sydney, Australia.

Nugan was found dead in his car near Lithgow on the outskirts of Sydney. He had been shot in the head and a rifle lay by his side, a rifle which did not have his prints on it. There was also a Bible in the vehicle which had slipped into the pages a food wrapper with the names William Colby and Bob Wilson written on it. Wilson being a senior Republican on the U. S. Armed Services Committee.

Interesting to note that some of the Directors and associates of the Nugan/Hand Bank were, William Colby, Gen. Edwin Black, Gen. Erle Cocke Jr, Gen. Leroy Manor, Admiral Earl Yates, Ted Shackley, Tom Clines, Richard Secord and Edwin Wilson.

Shortly after Nugan's death, Michael Hand went missing and has yet to be found.

James

The reference I used for Noel being Cubela's case officer came from Hinkle and Turner's 'The Fish Is Red'.

FWIW.

James

This may very well be a report long ago "put to bed" but I recently read, in a book, of a witness who claimed to have seen Ruby handing LHO a pistol after the assassination.

Does anybody remember this report?  Has it been discredited?

The speculation in the book is that Oswald was given a pistol with a defective firing pin so if he ended up in a gun battle with the police he would be history.

IF the plot was to frame Castro, I doubt whether the plotters would actually take him to Cuba.  Why not kill him and bury his body (even in the US) but leave the implication (perhaps supported by planted evidence) that he had fled to Cuba.

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I do recall such a report but can't find a reference. If I remember correctly, it might have been two teenage girls who supposedly witnessed Ruby handing a gun to Oswald.

I too seriously doubt that Oswald would have made it to Cuba. Miami would have been about as far as he got. Speculation here but several known G2 agents may have been whacked as well giving the impression of a Communist conspiracy.

James

Don,

Those map layouts you have created are amazing. Congratulations on some excellent work.

James

James,

Very interesting. However, I can't have Barnett. He wouldn't have done that to his ex girlfriend. Also, he lived on in Whitechapel for years. With this kind of serial killer, they just don't get bored with it and move on to something else. IMO, he continues until he dies, gets caught or incarcerated for some other reason. (Mark Stapleton)

You may well be right, Mark.

From my limited understanding, I have (possibly incorrectly) put Jack the Ripper in the catagory of being a psychopath, in which subtle differences exist to that of a serial killer. A serial killer operates to fulfill some despicable fantasy in which normal society won't afford him. This person knows the difference between right and wrong and attempts to cover his tracks.

A psychopath is a person afflicted with a personality disorder characterized by the impulse to commit antisocial and violent acts and a failure to feel guilt. It is a diminished capacity where actually remembering details of their ghastly deeds can elude them.

Maybe Barnett was operating out of a personal hatred for Mary Kelly and her profession, which finally escalated into eliminating the original cause of his twisted mind-set, the violent destruction of Mary Kelly.

Once that was done, there was no real need to kill anymore. Maybe in his warped mind, the memories of the murders eventually escaped him.

All speculation of course.

James

James, ironically the only asset the plotters may have had in place with access inside the DPD may have been Jack Ruby. If you take a look at the micro detail of his activities from Nov. 22 it looks very much like his first "new" assignment was to get as close to his DPD contacts as possible to find out to what extent Oswald might be talking. There is even one report of him trying to slide into the interrogation room. And we know he got close enough to know the first transfer was postponed. Then you have him at the brief Oswald "showing". Kantor did a fantastic job on researching his activities and I tried to excerpt and analyse that in the book.

I think the ruse of Ruby was very proactive and although somewhat risky it was only when they decided they had to have him kill Oswald that we see it move to extreme risk for the plotters. Ruby was very likely selected because of his DPD access in the first place...I don't think you have to look all that far for your spie.

And the timing of his inbound mystery calls and his call to L.A. pretty clearly show the direction of the orders.

In regard to Tim's comment, the call in regard to Ruby's defense came after he was in custody and was from Vegas to Belli's law partner. Belli was in court at the time defending one of his many mob associated clients. Hinckle and Turner are the primary source for the call although much work has also been done outlining Belli's fondness for mob figures and long term association with them.

Thanks, Larry, most interesting.

Having Oswald in custody was obviously not what the conspirators desired but I still believe they would not have panicked and I agree with what you say regarding Ruby.

It seems to me that if during his interview, Oswald remained silent regarding the plot, then they would have waited to get him in a more conducive environment. If Oswald did say something then termination became a priority.

*****************

Greg,

It seems to me that there could have only been two possible plans for Oswald. One, is that he was to be killed in Dallas and if that was the case, then one could speculate that unpleasantness was to transpire at the TSBD.

Second, he was to be taken out of Dallas and killed in a way to implicate Castro. With that, we can speculate whether or not Tippit was involved or whether Oswald was supposed to meet someone at the Texas Theatre.

Given that, it seems to me that if Oswald was picked up on Elm by the man driving the Rambler, then the plotters would have him and I don't see them letting him go. This is why I think the LHO impersonator (maybe the one firing from the 6th floor of the TSBD) was involved in that incident.

That leaves Oswald casually leaving the scene and from that point, it is anyone's guess what really happened.

James

To James:

I think it may assume a conspiracy too vast to presume the conspirators had someone present during Oswald's interrogation.  Granted, anything is possible.

Or do you have a specific candidate for the police or FBI spy?

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Tim,

I don't have any specific candidate but submit that once LHO was arrested, the plotters would have been desperately working on knowing what was being said in that interview room.

Like you mentioned, they would have been sweating bullets and men capable of successfully plotting the assassination of the President don't strike me as being reactive but completely proactive.

I would imagine the scramble was on while LHO was being driven back to police headquarters. They may have even bugged the room. Who knows?

James

Query, though, could LHO have saved himself his fate by telling everything he knew while he was in police custody? You'd better believe the conspirators were sweating bullets while LHO was being interrogated. Of course if the scenario I suggested above is close to what happened, LHO may have not known enough to identify any of the actual conspirators. (Tim Gratz)

Hi Tim,

Seeing that no law enforcement officer took any notes or recorded any interview, I guess we don't really know what Oswald told them. Maybe he did tell them something; something that sealed his fate.

The conspirators would have had ears present during LHO's interview and I'm sure they were well aware of what he was saying.

If Oswald had remained tight lipped then the conspirators may have considered waiting and getting him later. The accused assassin of the President found hanging in his cell is a believable story. They could have sold the public that he became depressed and ultimately suicidal.

The fact that the conspirators were forced to have Ruby whack him while in police custody and under guard suggests that Oswald's immediate termination became a priority. Maybe Oswald did drop some names to test the water during his interview. If he did, then that might explain the rush job to kill him rather than wait.

James

I am in the process of gradually reading Armstrong's Harvey and Lee, and so far the cumulative evidence looks compelling to me that there were two Oswalds, raised from childhood to be intelligence assets, with Harvey being the one who spoke Russian, kept spouting leftist political stuff, went to Russia, and was shot by Ruby, and Lee being the taller, more muscular Oswald. It also seems clear that the FBI and Warren Commission realized there were two Oswalds, as it became obvious in researching "his" life, and they had to patch together one story from two conflicting ones. If this is in fact the case, trying to construct any scenario about Oswald, regarding his planned escape or anything else, may be futile without keeping in mind that there were two of them.

So far I'm only to the point in the book where they are both in the Marines (with fellow Marines remembering one quite differently than the other), but as I read on I'm sure the evidence is just going to keep piling up.

Ron

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Ron,

I think I have the Armstrong Lee and Harvey correct below.

James

If he was to be killed in the theater, there was ample opportunity for

the Dallas police to do so. "Oswald" was alleged to have drawn his pistol as he

was rushed by officers, and Officer MacDonald already had his gun drawn. Just the fact that "Oswald" drew his gun should've been enough motivation for any oficer to shoot him. The fact that he wasn't shot begs the question, did he really

reach for and draw his pistol on the officers? In my opinion, I don't believe the

Dallas police would've held the restraint needed if they saw a pistol being drawn on them. (Bill Cheslock)

Hi Bill,

This is a very interesting point. I too have serious doubts that Oswald drew his revolver. To extend that, what real evidence do we have that Oswald had a revolver at all? One, he supposedly shot Tippit which I don't believe for one moment. Two, he supposedly collected his revolver when he went back to his rooming house; and the only evidence that he did collect his revolver is that he supposedly drew it in the Texas Theatre.

Several DPD claim he drew a gun but police have been known to lie, as shocking as that may be.

Given the tension and emotion of the President being shot and one of their own going down, I too find it difficult to believe the DPD showed restraint when the suspect supposedly pulled a gun on them.

Can we really trust any of the so-called evidence collected immediately after LHO's arrest?

James

One reason why I tend to discredit Morales' statement as mere braggadocia is because I have seen CIA documentation that he was a party to the early planning of the AMTRUNK operation. If he wanted Communism eradicated from Cuba, it would have been foolhardy of him to "rock the boat" by getting rid of the Administration that was supporting that operation. And Morales does not seem like a stupid man. And we know that the anti-Castro activities petered out under LBJ. So if Morales did it he shot himself in the foot and lost what was REALLY important to him. If it was more important to him to avenge what he saw as JFK's trachery at the BOP than it was to remove Castro, then his idiocy cannot be exaggerated. (Tim Gratz)

Hi Tim,

David Morales was not a man who needed to brag as his real life exploits was the stuff of legends anyway. He was held in such esteem that CIA people either feared him or respected him, most likely a bit of both.

I think Morales went at the assassination with no motive other than to brutally kill John Kennedy. I think Morales cared not one iota for any invasion of Cuba as I believe that element was a result of political opportunism as the plot started to take shape.

I have come to this conclusion as a result of my discussions with several Arizona folk who knew Morales and a man who served under him in Vietnam.

We all love grand conspiracies but I believe the assassination of JFK started out as one man's vendetta against a leader who he loathed with a passion. If that is an act of idiocy then that can be a topic for debate. Most murders are a crime of passion and in the broader sense, I don't think this one was any different.

The reality is that the plot did develop with political agendas in mind but the spark that got the ball rolling, I submit was nothing more than blind hatred.

This is just my opinion of course.

James

Martino says he was instructed to meet his contact in the Theatre - and its

very possible that Oswald literally ended up with no other choice than to follow that plan as best he could play it. However without the Tippett incident it might still have worked given that DPD seems to have done virtually nothing to impede travel out of Dallas (by light plane or even bus for that matter). Not that Oswald would have lived through the trip in any event... (Larry Hancock)

Good stuff, Larry.

It seems to me that the only reason for Oswald to go to the Theatre would be to meet someone. One could then speculate this individual might have been assigned to help Oswald get out of the country, possibly with the help of J. D. Tippit who was operating on a 'need to know' that day.

If this alleged individual (Oswald's contact) for example was arrested in Dealey Plaza just after the shooting then we have a patsy on the loose and a frantic cop wondering why his pick-up is not where he is supposed to be effectively sealing the fate of this poor unfortunate.

The following comes from the Roy Hargraves interview....

NHT: We didn’t get finished with that John Martino [story]...The good looking guy on the couch. And I said that his wife said that the good looking young kid sitting on the sofa was involved in it. And you said, “that’s not nice.” and then the tape ran out or something. But I asked Gerry, who do you think that good looking kid was? And he hesitated and then said’ “Ponce De Leon.”

I am wondering if this comment has anything to do with Ronald Ponce DeLeon being the one who was supposed to meet Oswald at the Theatre?

Just thinking aloud.

James

Ladies,

Here is a clear image of Donald Wayne House.

James

Wasn't there a rumor that Nelson Bunker Hunt actually met Lee Harvey Oswald? Does anyone know anything about that?

James