Zach Robertson

Zach, these are all GREAT posts, and you apparently have done your homework, knowing what your looking for, however, I'm not hanging my hat just on Jerry or what others are saying or not saying. I also have to beleive my mother when she says that my father met Lee Oswald in Miami in 1962. Most of the information of Lee being in Miami was in 1962 and if that name and number my father has in his phone book can be linked to the Lee Oswald we all know then that's all the proof I need. I'm still looking into it, and I'm not giving up.

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the kind words – I greatly appreciate it! I am glad you are not giving up on your search. Keep digging, you never know what you might find, or where you might find it.

Continuing the inquiry on Jerry Buchanan and looking through my copy of Ed Arthur's Glory No More, I found the following passage that may be of interest to you. Keep in mind there is no index in the book and there are a few spelling errors (Jerry Henning being an example), I found this entry on page 153-154 of a man named Kaiser:

Shortly before Watergate, Jerry Patrick Henning turned up in Miami, announcing to one and all that he was through with the “business” (probably gun-running) and was planning to settle down. At least one federal officer told the author Henning was going “loaded with heat,” meaning he was carrying a gun. Curiously, Frank Fiorini also turned up in Miami with the same story. He was going straight too. No more involvement with the anti-Castro Cubans, he told intimates. No more running around the Caribbean! He would now settle down with his wife and become a model citizen.

Another of [Mitch] WerBell’s agents in the South American field, and a close friend of Frank Fiorini, was Bill Kaiser, a soldier-of-fortune like Fiorini and WerBell, who vanished from his Miami haunts a few days after the Watergate Caper hit the front pages of the Miami Herald. Kaiser later surfaced in Port au Prince as a guest at Mike McLaney’s Casino International. A Miami federal agent told the author the FBI wanted very badly to have a chat with the elusive Kaiser, hinting that he had played a role in the Watergate break-in.

A third man involved with WerBell and Fiorini was Murray Middleman of Philadelphia, whose connections remain a mystery. But Jim and Jerry Buchanan, Ed Arthur’s old compadres, do not remain a mystery, although just what they were doing the night of the Watergate break-in is anybody’s guess and might be of interest to federal officers. Both Jim and Jerry were long-time friends of Fiorini, having worked with him and Arthur in the early days of the anti-Castro movement. Both were in Costa Rica with Fiorini.

Zach

:)Good post Zach, thank you...b

You're welcome Bernice - thank you

Here is one more entry on Jerry Buchanan. This is from Ed Arthur's Glory No More © 1975, a great book if you can find it:

Jerry Buchanan was more directly involved with the Cubans. A tough, quiet man who apparently feared nothing, he made dozens of runs by boat carrying weapons and men which were dropped in lonely spots along the coast. American dollars were used to purchase many of the guns that found their way to the island.

Many businessmen in south Florida at that time supported the exile movement. During a conversation Ed [Arthur] had with [James] Buchanan, the reporter let slip that his newspaper [sun Sentinel] was even doing a little supporting. The powerful Gore family, who also owned the larger Fort Lauderdale News, was a prime source of support. Today, both newspapers are owned by the Chicago Tribune, but still operated by members of the Gore family.

Those Americans who donated money to the Cuban exile cause had a simple explanation. The exiles were fighting Castro; Castro was a Communist; Communism was America’s enemy. Why not help the Cubans?

Mary Ferrell's Database:

BUCHANAN, JAMES "JIM"

BUCHANAN, JERRY

Zach

Jerry Buchanan background from NoduleX10 by AJ Weberman:

JERRY "BUCKY" BUCHANAN

Jerry Buchanan, Jim Buchanan's brother, 22, attended Riverdale School in Norfolk, Virginia, and then served in the Army. He was stationed on the Czechoslovakian border.

In June 1959 he was the Subject of a Miami investigation for impersonation based on use of Army identification in the name of Jesse L. Murphy used to cash bad checks. The complaint, which charged Jerry Buchanan with Impersonation, was dismissed at Miami when he was located at Ft. McPherson, Georgia, in April 1959, serving a sentence for AWOL.

In September 1961 Jerry Buchanan trained with Rolando Masferrer on No Name Key in Florida: "There were 60 of us" Buchanan said, "About half Cubans and half Americans. The island was mostly swamp and we were sleeping out in the open.

In November 1961 a friend of Buchanan had been shot by a Cuban in a training accident. a growing antipathy between the two groups finally led Buchanan to leave the island with the Americans, all of whom subsequently joined FIORINI'S International Anti-Communist Brigade."

On May 16, 1961, Jerry Buchanan told his hometown newspaper, The Norfolk-Ledger, "There are hundreds of Americans in Miami right now who'd like nothing better than a crack at giving Castro the boot. Cubans are nice people but, under pressure, they don't remember orders." [N-L 5.16.61]

The Buchanan brothers flew supply missions from a secret base in the Bahamas to anti-Castro guerrillas in the Escambray Mountains. Victor Paneque helped locate these men. In April 1963 British authorities captured 13 of Cuban exile Orlando Bosch's men on a small West Indies island.

Jerry Buchanan was the only American among the 13 arrested. The funds for this anti-Castro action had been furnished by a Chicago-based Cuban exile, Paulino A. Sierra, who collected money from Las Vegas gambling interests. [CIA 201-739652]

Jerry Buchanan from the video linked here: http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=62878

Zach

Here is a little more information on the Oswald-Buchanan fist fight story. It seems to be just that - a story without any merit whatsoever.

This is from The Fish Is Red by Warren Hinckle & William W. Turner [later updated as Deadly Secrets]:

Now, for once in the whole sorry intelligence swamp mess in which Lee Oswald floated, things began to go click-click. It was possible to see the sudden clockwork, as cogs in the wheel of disinformation about Oswald calculated to direct angry suspicion about the president’s death toward the left, in general, and Cuba, in particular. Oswald’s watch-me activities in New Orleans and Mexico City – and the mysterious visitors of Mrs. Odio – had set the stage. Then in rapid sequence:

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, John Martino, who had been on the Flying Tiger expedition, charged on a talk show over Miami radio station WQAM that Oswald had distributed Fair Play for Cuba Committee literature in Florida and had traveled to Cuba via Mexico in September.

Interviewed by FBI agent James O’Connor, Martino stated the information came from a Cuban source, who also said that Oswald “had made a telephone call to the Cuban Intelligence Service in Cuba from a private residence in Miami” and, in Houston, “tried to sell marijuana and handled the exchange of Cuban pesos for American dollars.”

That same day the Pompano Beach Sun-Sentinel attributed to Frank Sturgis the news that Oswald had been in telephone contact with Cuban intelligence and “had connections with the Cuban government in Mexico and New Orleans, Louisiana.” The article was by-lined by James C. Buchanan, whose brother Jerry belonged to Sturgis’ International Anti-Communist Brigade.

Agent O’Connor talked to Sturgis, who conceded he had made “offhand comments” to Buchanan but styled them “guesses, speculation and rumor.”

Here is a passage from The Last Investigation by Gaeton Fonzi:

In face, immediately after the Kennedy assassination, Frank Sturgis was involved in other “hot tips” which also proved to be without foundation. One involved a reporter named James Buchanan who wrote an article for the Pompano Beach Sentinel quoting Sturgis as saying that Oswald had visited Miami in November, 1962, to contact Miami-based supporters of Fidel Castro. The article also stated that, while in Miami, Oswald was in telephone contact with Cuban intelligence.

About that time, another story began circulating which indicated that Oswald had demonstrated in Miami’s Bayfront Park with a group from the Fair Play for Cuba Committee and had gotten in a fracas with Jerry Buchanan, the brother of the reporter. The FBI traced both stories, found they were untrue, and eventually contacted Frank Sturgis, who denied he had anything to do with them. The FBI reports wound up as Warren Commission documents. One of those documents reveals that both James and Jerry Buchanan were officers in Sturgis’ International Anti-Communist Brigade.

Zach

This is a very impressive set of photo's, I'm not sure who put them together, but they did a super job in trying to get every member who was involved in Interpen to be Oswald look a likes

Just to clarify again, NO ONE ever once attempted to get every member of Interpen to appear as an Oswald impersonator.

Steve Wilson is the main focus here. One can look at the images and decide for themselves.

John Thomas Masen was not a member of Interpen. His photo is there to show he really doesn't resemble Oswald despite earlier allegations.

Billy Lovelady was also not a member of Interpen. He worked at the TSBD with Oswald.

I really don't think it was very difficult to impersonate Lee Harvey Oswald.

Information independent from Gerry Hemming and photographs of Edwin Anderson Collins are available on this Forum and the Spartacus website for your perusal.

Thanks,

Zach

Thanks Zack for this info. But, I think Ruby shot Oswald on the 23 not the 22, I thought there were two days of questioning with Oswald before Ruby shot him, also, I don't know of anyone in Hemmings group that would resemble Oswald, Oswald was a pretty unique looking guy.

Thanks Scott. Obviously Kennedy was shot on 11/22 and Lee Oswald was shot on 11/24. I got a little ahead of myself!

I don't think these guys had to look exactly like Oswald to pass as him. He was not exactly a celebrity and general features, height, weight were close enough.

There is a video interview of Gerry Hemming where he describes Ed Collins as the best Oswald impersonator. It was here but it is not working on my computer right now. Maybe there is another link for this, or my real player is just acting up again.

Also, in my opinion, Steve Wilson was not too shabby as a perspective Oswald impersonator either.

Larry Hancock wrote a book called Someone Would Have Talked, which in my opinion, is the best on the subject of JFK. James Richards did the awesome photo pages and here are a couple worth posting under this topic. For good measure, William Seymour is thrown in the mix as well. All three of these guys were arrested with Hemming in the Dec. 1962 incident.

Part 1

Part 2

Zach

Just to clarify: the Buchanan incident is obviously separate from the 13 Anti-Castro fighters who were arrested. Whether the man Jack Ruby shot in Dallas on 11/22 ever made it to Florida during this time period is up for debate.

Here is another version of the story of the 13 Anti-Castro fighters from the Miami Herald via the great Latin American Studies website:

U.S. Nabs Anti-Castro Fighters-Why?

The list of men arrested is a very curious one. A few of them even resembled Lee Oswald and allegedly used the name "Oswald" during the 1962-1963 time frame in a variety of places, not just Florida.

Zach

Here is another Forum thread that discusses this topic.

Oswald involved in fist fight?

This involved Jerry Buchanan and his brother Jim, who were an interesting pair to say the least.

I really do not believe this incident really happened and the "Oswald" in Florida was likely an impersonator.

Zach

I checked the index of Anthony Summers' great book, Not In Your Lifetime and there is an end note concerning Steve Kennan on page 441.

Note 92:

In 1994, in Mexico City, the author [Anthony Summers] interviewed Homobono Alcaraz Aragon, a lawyer. His name featured in reports indicating that he claimed he had met Oswald in Mexico City before the assassination.

In the 1994 interview, Alcaraz said he had encountered Oswald at Sanborn’s restaurant, in the company of two or three other American students – all Quakers, like Alcaraz himself. The talk centered on efforts to get into Cuba, and Alcaraz said “Oswald” eventually left with one of the Americans – whom Alcaraz recalls as being named either Steve Keenan (or Kennan) from Philadelphia.*

As Alcaraz recalled it, Steve Kennan drove Oswald on his motorcycle to go to the Cuban consulate. Alcaraz seemed sincere, and abhorred publicity. He named a friend, Hector Gastelo (now a farmer in Sonora State) as probably having been present during the encounter with Oswald.

Interview with Alcaraz, 1993; CE 2121; and multiple FBI reports – Available at the Assassination Archive and Research Center, Washington DC and Mary Ferrell website.

[*As Not in Your Lifetime went to press, the author became aware of information that the CIA ran an agent in Mexico, code-named LICOZY-3, who was a student from Philadelphia. – Phillip Agee, op. cit,. p. 530]

Associated Forum topic:

Was Lee Oswald in Montreal in 1963?

Warren Commission documents + Oswald 201 File, Vol 24 Part 2

Zach

Thanks to Bill Simpich for studying the documents available, it would appear that Nelson L. Raynock is Henry Hecksher.

Hecksher’s name is scribbled in the top right of this document.

Hecksher also used these pseudonyms: James D. Zaboth and Henry Boysen.

CIA Pseudonyms [Carl E. Jenkins, the only other CIA officer involved in AMWORLD to my knowledge, used the pseudo James E. Beckoff]

PHOTOS OF MANUEL ARTIME BUESA ALONE AND WITH MARTIN FERRER AND HENRY BOYSEN

Artime and Hecksher from the above link.

AMTHRILL's true identity is a mystery for another day.

Zach

Michael, Bill, & Steve:

Thank you very much for the kind words. It is awfully high praise that I greatly appreciate. It is great to be able to use this forum to get to know good people like yourselves. And Michael, I’m sure if James reads what you wrote about him, he would be very appreciative as well.

Zach

John,

Thanks for the great insight. Very interesting stuff about R.G. Guzman, the Orange County Health Deptartment and the Private Detective James Jones.

O’Hare’s “death” was March 23. The people at Cox-Parker Funeral Home also play into this. The “burial” at Glen Haven Memorial Park was March 26. And the death certificate is dated May 6.

It makes sense that O’Hare would hook up with Rip Robertson’s buddy – especially if that is indeed them together at the corner of Main and Houston in Dallas on 11/22.

Thanks Bill,

Is the Jerry Rose article available anywhere? I'd also like to see the rest of that Continuing Inquiry article as well. I wonder if they have it at Baylor?

I am not sure exactly how O’Hare faked his death although I’ve read that he was prepared to do it anytime if things went awry. I would be willing to bet a lot of those types of guys were.

I also do not know if O’Hare’s “death” had anything to do with the Church Committee forming or not. That may just be a coincidence.

I can’t make out the bottom of the Campbell death certificate. I can only speculate what happened with that guy. Hopefully some new leads will turn up on that character.

Zach

Here is some additional information on Col. Bishop:

William Bishop Mexico City 1963

The Man Who Knew Too Much end notes Bernard Fensterwald disinformation linking O'Hare to Bishop

U.S. - Cuban intelligence conference on JFK assassination

Mary Ferrell Database Entries:

Entry #1

Record: BISHOP, WILLIAM C. (CLARENCE ?) (COL.) Sources: Madisonville Meteor, 7/6/92

Mary's Comments: DOB: 2/18/23; POB: Georgia; DOD: 7/2/92.

Served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Paratrooper with Darby's First Rangers Battalion. Served 23 years in military intelligence. Was at Pearl Harbor. Prisoner of war during both WW II and Viet Nam. 33rd degree Mason, Shriner of Hellana Temple, Dallas.

Survived by wife: Jean Gibbs Bishop of Madisonville, two daughters and sons-in-laws, Nita and Doran Walker of Cleburne and Susan and Pete Alanis of Houston; two sons, Robert Smith of Houston and Richard Smith and wife, Karen of Sugarland.

Buried 7/5/92 in City Cemetary in Madisonville.

Interviewed by Gary Shaw and Earl Golz in 1984. Told strange stories of involvement with CIA and involvement in murder of Trujillo. He claimed he was in Baker Hotel in Dallas as part of military intelligence 11/22/63.

Claimed he was at Trade Mart, Dallas, checking identification. Claimed to have been in Africa. Claimed to have been involved in murders of James Meredith, Martin Luther King and Jimmy Hoffa. Although we have copies of Bishop's Military I.D., the government denies any knowledge of him. (See card on Bill Bishop)

Entry #2

Record: BISHOP, WILLIAM C. "BILL" Sources: List of patrons at Sportsdrome Gun Range one of the days Oswald was allegedly there.

Mary's Comments: 1963 City Directory; Wm. C. Bishop, Bank Manager, Brook Mays Music, 2927 W. Colorado Blvd., Dallas, TX. 1966 City Directory; Wm. C. Bishop, Investments, 1st Natl. Bank Bldg., Dallas, TX (214) 748-3347; residence; 2927 W. Colorado (214) 337-7023. (See entry for Wm. C. Bishop)

This photo of Bishop was taken in 1980 after he suffered a stroke. (Photo Credit: The Man Who Knew Too Much by Dick Russell)

Zach

I think it would be worthwhile to start a topic on John Adrian O’Hare. At this point, I think it is clear that O’Hare and the man known as Colonel William Bishop are two totally different people.

John O'Hare also went by the following names: Col. Richard Gray, P. Harrison and possibly Oscar Del Valle Garcia.

[Garcia may be Bishop's alias and another attempt to tie O'Hare to Col. Bishop's identity.]

O’Hare faked his own death in March of 1975, escaped the country, and lived out his days in Africa. Bishop died in 1992 in Texas.

Here are some of the resources I have dug up concerning John Adrian O’Hare:

LIFE Magazine Aug 5, 1966 [story + photos]

Weisberg Collection:

AKA Colonel Richard Gray

Report on CIA Domestic Improprieties + Phony O’Hare Death Certificate

Latin American Studies:

Ken Smith Investigation

Morning Journal - Datona Beach, Florida Friday, May 14, 1976

The Continuing Inquiry. Volume 8, Issue 8

Is John Adrian O’Hare - Superspy - Dead or alive?

The Third Decade, Volume 5, Issue 6

The Senator Must Die: A Review, by Jerry D. Rose

Oscar Del Valle Garcia on No Name Key

Author: Thomas O'Hare

Scope: Clandestine covert operations and paramilitary operations set against personnal turmoil.

Timeline: 1957 - 1975

Synopsis: Based on a true story...

A patriot takes on a dual role of CIA contractor and Special Forces member to counteract a growing communist influence in the Americas.

He is totally unaware of the emotional and personal toll serving his country in a murky world of clandestine operations will have on himself and his family.

Sometimes living for your country is much harder then dying for it...And even harder to do both...

He Is My Father

Catacombs of Salt

This photo, from the Spartacus website, was taken in 1966 in Vietnam.

Zach

I just spoke with Jack on the phone for about 10 minutes or so. He's doing fine. His surgery was a complete success. However, he lost his appetite due to one of the medications he was prescribed and, as a result, he lost a good deal of weight. He's no longer on that drug so his appetite is improving. The temperature in Fort Worth has been 103 to 105 everyday for about 3 weeks, which isn't helping.

Overall--a good report. It's just taking longer to get back up to speed than he would have preferred. Once the heat wave breaks he will be able to get outside more often and be more active.

Thanks for the update Greg,

After not hearing anything for about a month, I was a little worried. Glad to hear Jack is doing well. I wish him the best during these difficult times.

Regards,

Zach

The Gordon Campbell character should be of great interest to anyone studying the assassinations of both Kennedy brothers. Finding out what happened to the man Brad Ayers knew as Gordon Campbell after JMWAVE was phased out is very important. Possible links to the Ambassador Hotel and the Bulova Company are tantalizing.

This image of Gordon Campbell is from the exceptional photographic archive of James Richards. [Thank you for sharing, James] The image quality is not the best, but I don’t think there are any other photos available of Campbell at this time.

Hopefully someone out there can help shed some light on this mysterious aspect of JMWAVE.

Zach

Here is a LIFE Magazine article on Clendenin Ryan from 1949.

Wire-Tapping Mystery

There are 2 nice photos of Ryan and also an image of John Broady included.

Also for those that don't know, you can access all the LIFE Magazines from 1936-1972.

LIFE Magazine Archive

This is an invaluable resource for research.

Zach

Hand was guided by his Manhattan handler and disappeared into the murky world of intelligence.

I was wondering if you could share who the Manhattan connection to this is? I seem to remember reading about a man by the name of John Martin who was supposedly from NYC and associated with Intel-types. Is this the man you were referring to?

Excellent, Zach, you are right on the money. John Martin is an alias of course. He was also a sponsor of Robert Emmett Johnson. I very much enjoy your posts. Keep up the great work. JK

Thanks Mr. Kelly!

Here is an forum topic that I think deserves some more attention here:

Clendenin J. Ryan - Baltimore millionaire and CIA funder

While Clendenin Ryan is likely not "John Martin," I think he has plenty of connections to Col. Ulius Amoss, The INFORM intelligence network, and ultimately Robert Emmett Johnson which in turn, will lead to "John Martin's" true identity.

Zach

Hand was guided by his Manhattan handler and disappeared into the murky world of intelligence. JK

Hi Mr. Kelly,

First off, I just want to say that I very much enjoy reading your posts. They are filled with great insight.

I was wondering if you could share who the Manhattan connection to this is? I seem to remember reading about a man by the name of John Martin who was supposedly from NYC and associated with Intel-types. Is this the man you were referring to?

Thanks,

Zach

Here is an interview General Lansdale gave for the series Vietnam: A Television History

Estrangement from the Kennedy Administration:

Part 4

Part 5

Lansdale in Vietnam:

The "ED HEADS" were all about winning the hearts and minds in Vietnam

BBC News: Saigon Songs

The campaign was run by Maj Gen Ed Lansdale of the US Army, who by all accounts was a most remarkable man...Maj Gen Lansdale's singers even included the country's prime minister, Air Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky, who by the sound of the tapes was probably a better airman than a vocalist. The concerts took place not only at Maj Gen Lansdale's villa, but in villages and army camps around the country.

...But of course the hearts and minds campaign failed.

Fearing that this might happen, Maj Gen Lansdale assembled the tapes and sent them to his country's leaders - Henry Kissinger, the Chiefs of Staff and President Lyndon Johnson - to try and give them a better idea of what this other war was like, and the need to resource it properly.

Two years before he died in 1987, Lansdale set out his views on the difference between conventional wars and people's wars, which he presciently insisted had to be fought by other means than firepower alone...

Finally, the famous photo taken by George Smith of the Fort Worth Star Telegram:

Associated Forum Topics:

Lansdale in DP on 11/22/63?

The Ed Lansdale lookalike

Was Lansdale in Dealey Plaza?

[Photo Credits: 'Edward Lansdale's Cold War,' by Jonathan Nashel]

Zach

Here is an interesting article from 1967 that mentions this incident:

Garrison Says CIA Knows JFK Slayer

This article is from the Harold Weisberg Archive at Hood College. It contains over 240,000 files online and is a tremendous resource. It is the world's largest accessible private collection of government documents and public records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Harold Weisberg Archive

Zach

It would appear that WOFIRM is just another crypt for the Central Intelligence Agency. There are some interesting document hits in the above search link.

Here are two on Mitch WerBell, another name that deserves mention within the subject of Caribbean intrigue.

WERBELL-INFORMATION ON SUBJECT'S LIFE STYLE AND ETHICS

WERBELL-INQUIRY IF CIA EMPLOYEE

Not to divert the thread, but here is another curious document regarding Phillips: AMCORE-2, A LONG TIME WOFIRM ASSET

Bill, is AMCORE-2, LUIS CONTE AGUERO?

Zach

David,

I appreciate that. Another name that is not mentioned who I'd like to learn more about is Napolean Vilaboa. Here is a cable from 1965: CUBAN EXILES AND PLANS FOR THE FORMATION OF A COMPANY OF MEN FOR DUTY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

=======

Bill,

Here is something else that I find curious: MICHAEL C. CHOADEN, MY FRIEND

I just found that after a quick search. I am sure there are plenty more documents regarding Phillips' time in the Dominican.

What is WOFIRM?

Mary Ferrell WOFIRM search

Zach

David,

Loran Hall, Frank Sturgis, Felipe Vidal, Bill Johnson and Robert Emmett Johnson. I figured between helping facilitate the assassination of Trujillo and conspiring in numerous failed vest pocket invasions of Haiti, I thought REJ might get at least a passing mention, but I am not surprised he didn't.

Zach

Trujillo and Duvalier both get a workover, and have some hideous crimes exposed, in the new book Red Heat, by Alex von Tunzelmann. It's a harrowing read on Dominica and Haiti, but unfortunately is loose with Seymour Hersh-like tales of JFK misbehavior, as if that was what prevented liberation in the Caribbean. Otherwise, a hellish indictment of two dictators:

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Heat-Conspiracy-Murder-Caribbean/dp/0805090673/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309839134&sr=8-1-fkmr0

I was surprised that the death of Galindez didn't make it in, when unsubstantiable JFK canards did. But still worth a reading.

David,

Thanks for the link to the new book. Using the "Inside Feature" to check the index, it is always interesting to see the names mentioned throughout the book and in this case, the names not mentioned.

Zach