Steve Thomas

Paul, In working my way through this, I think I did learn something new. In an article in the Abilene Reporter News, November 17, 1965 https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-nov-17-1965-p-61/ it reads: “Accompanying Colonel Offer to Abilene were Colonel John F. Marshall, East Texas Sector Commander for VIII Corps and Lt. Col. Al Hagler, both of Dallas.” “Col. Offer and Col Marshall are Regular Army Officers, while Col. Hagler is a Reservist.” Reading that article, it appears that Col. Marshall would have been Whitmeyer’s boss. Dallas Morning News 11-16-1965 Lt. Col. George L. Whitmeyer, deputy East Texas sector commander (both newspaper articles are from the same week in November, 1965. One refers to Marshall as the Commander, and the other refers to Whitmeyer as the Deputy Commander of the VIII Corps East Texas Sector). It appears from this VIII Corps Lineage that the VIII Corps was Regular Army, and not part of the Reserves: Steve Thomas

Jim, It's curious. Look at this article from The Abilene Reporter for November 17, 1965. https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-nov-17-1965-p-61/ In the article, it says that Offer was Regular Army, not Reservist, yet two times in the article it refers to him as a Reserve Army officer. It has me scratching my head. I've wondered before how a U.S. Army Corps could be headed by a Colonel. It seems there was a major drawdown of the U.S. Army Reserves in 1965. I've seen references to that several times in other places. I guess Crichton's 488th was not part of the 751 units affected huh? If Offer was Regular Army, I wonder how he felt about Crichton "... starting up his own spy unit, the 488th Military Intelligence Detachment." as the Spartacus page puts it. https://spartacus-educational.com/MDcrichton.htm Do they do that in the Army very often? (Asked not entirely tongue in cheek) PS: While Legion of Merit awards were originally pretty prestigious; by 1967, they were being given out by Colonels. Steve Thomas

Jim, There was a real 488th MID. See Thomas Cagley's 1991 Study of Military Intelligence Detachments here" https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a233391.pdf see Table II-2 on p. 14 of his Study (p. 21) of the pdf file. They were one of the MID's who reported directly to the DIA. See also the obituary of Jack E. Earnest https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?pid=160976735#sthash.mX3LJS6E.dpuf

Paul, You're right. I should have more correctly said, "The Texas State Guard Reserve Corps". Even though the Federal Government re-authorized the establishment of State Guards in 1955, Texas jealously and protectively held on to their Reserve Corps until 1965. It is my belief that they did not want their State guard subject to Federal call-up, as JFK did in 1961 when he nationalized the National Guards in the wake of the Berlin Wall crisis. https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Texas_State_Guard

Bart, Thanks for this. I hadn't seen this before. Steve Thomas

Jim, According to the 1940 Census, her name was Jeraldean. She gave an affidavit to the Dallas Police on November 23, 1964. It was taken by James Leavelle. You can find it in the DPD Archives in Box 2, Folder# 2, Item# 17 here: http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box2.htm Her FBI statement was given on March 18,1964 here: https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh22/pdf/WH22_CE_1381.pdf page 39. As Bob Ness pointed out: https://billiongraves.com/grave/person/5462540 She was married to Robert Anthony It's interesting. A Robert Reid gave a statement to the FBI on January 10, 1964. He was a Court Clerk in the Dallas District Clerk's Office. I do not know if he was Robert Antthony, He told the FBI: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/exhibits/ce2099.htm "ROBERT REID, Deputy Distruct Court Clerk, Dallas District Court, Clerk's Office, Records Building, advised that on November 22, 1963 he was observing the Presidential Motorcade from the window of Judge HENRY KING's court room, and followed the progress of the Presidential Motorcade from the second floor windows of the court house as it progressed down Main Street on to Houston Street and west on Elm Street from Houston Street. Mr. Reid believes that Mrs. LILLIAN MOONEYHAM and CECIL AULT, Deputy District Court Clerks, Criminal Courts Building, as well as others not recalled, were also observing the Presidential Motorcade from Judge KING's court room window." Lillian Mooneyham told the FBI: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/exhibits/ce2098.htm "LILLIAN MOONEYHAM, Deputy District Court Clerk, 85th Court, Records Building, advised that she watched the Presidential Motorcade on November 22, 1963 from the windows of the court house. She, along with Mrs. ROSE CLARK and JEANETTE E. HOOKER, observed the Presidential Motorcade proceeding down Main Street from the window of Judge J. FRANK WILSON'S courtroom, overlooking Main Street. As the motorcade passed them on Main Street, MOONEYHAM, CLARK and HOOKER ran to Judge HENTY KING's courtroom window, which faces Houston Street, in time to see the motorcade turn west from Elm Street on Houston. Mrs MOONEYHAM believes that BOB REID, Deputy District Court Clerk, Dallas, Texas, was in Judge KING's courtroom watching the motorcade at te same time as was MOONEYHAM, CLARK and HOOKER." " Mrs MOONEYHAM believes that BOB REID, Deputy District Court Clerk, Dallas, Texas, was in Judge KING's courtroom watching the motorcade at the same time as was MOONEYHAM, CLARK and HOOKER." " Mrs. MOONEYHAM and Mrs. CLARK left Judge KING's courtroom and went to the office of Judge Julien C. Hyer on the third floor of the Records Building, where they continued to observe the happenings from Judge HYER's window." Around 4-5 minutes after the assassination, she saw a man on the sixth floor of the TSBD. "Mr. REID stated he observed nothing significant and at no time did he observe the windows of the TSBD building." Steve Thomas

Paul, I have looked for this 1970 interview between Larry Haapanen and George Whitmeyer to no avail. This is the closest I have come: Peter Dale Scott- ‘The JFK assassination as an engineered provocation-deception plot’ November 24, 2010 By Copa The JFK Assassination as an Engineered Provocation-Deception Plot:Some Military Parallels Between 11/22 and 9/11 Address to COPA, November 2010 Peter Dale Scott https://archive.politicalassassinations.net/2010/11/peter-dale-scott-the-jfk-assassination-as-an-engineered-provocation-deception-plot/ “Researcher Larry Haapanen has discovered the 488th seems to have had its own direct chain of command linking it to Washington. In an esoteric publication entitled The Military Order of World Wars (Turner Publishing Company, 1997, p. 120), he found that Crichton “commanded the 488th MID (Strategic), reporting directly to the Army Chief of Intelligence and the Defense Intelligence Agency.”# And in 1970 Haapanen was told by Crichton’s commander in the Texas Army Reserve, Lt. Col. Whitmeyer, that Crichton’s unit did its summer training at the Pentagon.” Palamara, Vince. Survivor’s Guilt. 2013 edition( Originally published in 2005). https://books.google.com/books?id=YA4CBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT155&lpg=PT155&dq=1970+%22Larry+Haapanen%22+Whitmeyer&source=bl&ots=A7K7hl4g09&sig=ACfU3U0-53PNS8gUGlprvMty-Y0rEToRiQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjvyJGPs7nkAhVQC6wKHdPrA9YQ6AEwCnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=1970%20%22Larry%20Haapanen%22%20Whitmeyer&f=false Something that had escaped my notice up until now... Scott identifies Whitmeyer as "Crichton’s commander in the Texas Army Reserve,..." He didn't say, "U.S. Army Reserve. He said "Texas Army Reserve". So, with respect to the 488th, I think we need to be looking for information in the Texas State Guard records at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Steve Thomas

Joe, Chrichton wrote a book about that campaign. The Republican-Democrat political campaigns in Texas in 1964 Author: Jack Crichton Publisher: [Texas] : J. Crichton, 2003. Edition/Format: Print book : English Database: WorldCat https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3ACrichton%2C+Jack.&qt=hot_author Someday, I'm going to buy that book. Steve Thomas

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Bill, Your post raises some interesting issues. I'd like to address two of them: 1) Russ Baker's book, Family of Secrets, has some information on Whitmeyer. In 1956 Jack Crichton, a close friend of George W. W. Bush, started up his own spy unit, the 488th Military Intelligence Detachment. Crichton served as the unit's commander under Lieutenant Colonel George Whitmeyer, who was in overall command of all Army Reserve units in East Texas. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=156778130 DPD Deputy Chief, George L. Lumpkin, drove the Pilot Car. Lumpkin was also a Captain in the 488th Military Intelligence Detachment. Lumpkin was also a Captain in the 488th Military Intelligence Detachment - the spy unit in Dallas created and led by ex-OSS, Col. Jack Crichton and was the highest ranking officer in the 488th and Col. Whitmeyer's superior. Who was the commander, and who was the subordinate? Peter Dale Scott COPA Conference 11/24/2010 http://archive.politicalassassinations.net/2010/11/peter-dale-scott-the-jfk-assassination-as-an-engineered-provocation-deception-plot/ “We have already seen that Crichton commanded the 488th; and Lumpkin, in addition to being the Deputy Police Chief, was also a deputy commander of the 488th under Crichton.” John Crichton was the kind of figure Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point described as a “connector….people with a special gift for bringing the world together.”# Some of his contacts are figures who should be familiar to students of the JFK assassination. His superior in the Army Reserves, Lieutenant Colonel George Whitmeyer, was on 11/22 in the pilot car of the Kennedy motorcade along with DPD Deputy Chief George Lumpkin; In 1970 Haapanen was told by Crichton’s commander in the Texas Army Reserve, Lt. Col. Whitmeyer, that Crichton's unit did its summer training at the Pentagon. Brandy, Our Man in Acapulco: The Life and Times of Colonel Frank M. Brandstetter. A Biography by Rodney P. Carlisle and Dominic J. Monetta. University of North Texas Press, 1999. https://books.google.com/books?id=QLdqgDsVio4C&pg=PA122&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false pp. 127+ “after leaving Jamaica in early 1957, Brandy served as assistant troop commander and provost marshal of the Fourth U.S. Army Area Intelligence School for two weeks in August, 1957. p. 128. “As was common for Brandy, he received a fine commendation for his work from his commanding officer, at this time, Colonel George Lumpkin....” p. 129. (Sometime after 1958) “In particular, he met Lt. Colonel William B. Rose, chief of the Army Intelligence Reserve Branch of the Office of the Assistance Chief of Staff, Intelligence (ACSI) at the Pentagon.” Paul Brancato posted in the Education Forum March 15, 2019: “There are two books about Colonel Brandstetter, one a co-written autobiography. He states in both books that he worked for ACSI for two decades, and that in 1959 he was assigned, or permitted to join, the 488th MID for weekend duties by Colonel Rose at ACSI.” Crichton said he established his 488th in 1956? If Crischton established the 488th and was its only commander, how could Whitmeyer be his boss after 1956, and Lumpkin be Brandstetter’s (who was assigned to (or encouraged to join) the 488th) boss in 1959? 2) Which Reserve component were these people in? U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Policy Manual (2016) https://media.defense.gov/2017/Mar/28/2001723243/-1/-1/0/CIM_1001_28C.PDF Reserve Component Categories: Ready Reserves Standby Reserves Retired Reserves The three components had to do with "time in" and how much you could earn towards retirement based on length of service and pay earned during that time. Department of Defense Uniform Reserve, Training, and Retirement Categories for the Reserve Components INSTRUCTION NUMBER 1215.06 March 11, 2014 Incorporating Change 1, Effective May 19, 2015 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/121506p.pdf?ver=2019-03-11-081732-937 “DoDI 1215.06, March 11, 2014 Change 1, 05/19/2015 2e. All RC Service members not counted in Active Component (AC) end strengths pursuant to Title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.) (Reference (d)), will be placed in one of the Reserve Component categories (RCCs) and training and retirement categories (TRCs) described in this instruction. Individuals will be assigned to RCCs and TRCs based on their obligations to meet mission and training requirements as described in Enclosure 5.” Enclosure 5. p. 23 “1.GENERAL a. This enclosure establishes authorized RCCs and TRCs in the RCs for training and accountability purposes. RCCs are categories identifying an individual’s status in a RC. There are three RCCs: The Ready Reserve, the Standby Reserve, and the Retired Reserve. Each member of the National Guard and Reserve is assigned within one of those categories. All National Guard members, including those in the inactive National Guard (ING), are in the Ready Reserve. You can find Title 10 of the United States Code Subtitle E— Reserve Components here: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/subtitle-E The command structure and reporting network for each of these components would have been different, and until we see some kind of paper trail for Crichton's 488th, we can't really know who was the superior and who was the subordinate and who was reporting to who and what they were actually reporting. In his oral history, Crichton said that there were 100 men in his 488th, but I have never seen anyone (aside from Brandstetter) who ever claimed to be in it. Steve Thomas

Joe, U.S. Army Training Center Yearbook (Fort Polk, LA) Class of 1962 General Staff http://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/US_Army_Training_Center_Fort_Polk_Yearbook/1962/Page_13.html Page 13. “Harley B. West Major General, USA Commanding General M4” Major General West's military career began in 1928 when he enlisted in the Missouri National Guard. He was commissioned in the 138th Infantry in 1929. Later, as a company commander, he was promoted to Captain. In 1940, he transferred to the 90th Infantry Brigade staff, an Oklahoma Army National Guard unit and served with the 90th when mobilized that year. While with the War Department General Staff in Washington, he was promoted to Colonel. In 1944, he served in the Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations on the staff of General Walter Krueger, Sixth U.S. Army Commander. He was Assistant G3 and G3 of the Sixth Army in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan. After WWII, he returned to civilian life in Dallas, Texas, where he joined the newly activated 49th Armored Division. He was assigned as G3 and later as Chief of Staff. In October, 1955 he was named Assistant Division Commander and promoted to Brigadier General. On 1 July 1961 he assumed command of the 49th. Commanders of the 49th: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49th_Armored_Division Start date End date 1961-07-01 1964-03-31 MG Harley B. West He would go on to serve as the commanding officer of the Texas State Guard from 1966-1969. I just thought that with his background in training and Reed being in "personnel management", its conceivable that their paths might have crossed. Steve Thomas

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Joe, FWIW. I've gone through what little I have on the 316th, the 112th and the 4150th, and haven't run across his name. Steve Thomas

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Joe, Check this out. From your FBI document: Irving Daily News from Irving, Texas November 9, 1969 Page 30 https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/44056509/ IRVING DAILY NEWS - Sunday, JOE GARLAND KEESEE SP3 U. S. Army Son of Mr. and Mrs. TJ. Keesee of 601 Brandenburg Serving as radio operator in radar tower at missile test range near Kunsan, Korea. Basic training at Fort Bliss, El Paso, radio school at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, then to Korea in July. Irving High School 1967 graduate, attended ElCentro for one year and employed at Dyna Color Corporation prior to joining the army This doesn't prove anything of course, but it's awfully suggestive. (So is the Fort Huachuca assignment. A lot of the guys in MI spent time there.) Dyna Color was a a subsidiary of 3M. Steve Thomas

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Captain, Cecil Talbert was back in that alley too. Talbert was the Captain of the Patrol Division, Second Platoon 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM shift. Report of Sergeant H.H. Stringer Personnel Bureau, Box 2, Folder# 7, Item# 40. http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box2.htm Report of Paul Bentley Box 5, Folder# 2, Item# 71 http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box5.htm There is no report from Talbert in the DPD Archives concerning his actions on the 22nd. Talbert was in charge of the TSBD until Lumpkin showed up at 12:49 PM. He was also at the site of Tippit’s shooting. That's where he and Bentley hooked up. Steve Thomas

According to Dale Myers, Ward's Drug Store was across the street from the Theater on Jefferson at the corner of Jefferson and Madison. Steve Thomas

Jeremy, Buhk, Cunningham, Talylor and Toney were riding together. This is from Buhk's after-action report: (from Box 2 of the DPD Archives). Cunningham said: I'm not sure where Ward's Drug Store is in relation to the Theater, or if Buhk moved the car to the alley after letting the other three out. Buhk said, "We brought him to City Hall", so I'm almost certain it was their car that took Applin downtown. Steve Thomas

From JFK and the Unspeakable, by James Douglas p, 361 https://books.google.com/books?id=KS-6XrdalGkC&pg=PA361&lpg=PA361&dq=%22George+Applin%22&source=bl&ots=1jTd8TtRCF&sig=ACfU3U0A7VQ-QtdiVf2_hEoZYmni3vqVJQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj51oiUrabkAhUnjK0KHSzoAzY4ChDoATAAegQICBAB#v=onepage&q=%22George%20Applin%22&f=false Footnote 823 (pp 486-487) is not included in this online version. Steve Thomas

Jeremy, You could very well be right. George Applin's affidavit is found in Box 2, Folder# 2, Item# 3 in the DPD Archives here: http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box2.htm It was taken on the 22nd by Eunice Sorrells, who was a stenographer in Curry's office; and while Toney's name isn't on it, Applin's affidavit was witnessed by Arthurene Teague, who was a typist in the Forgery Bureau, where Toney worked. https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pdf/WH19_Batchelor_Ex_5002.pdf Steve Thomas

Ron, This is from the Sheriff Department's Dispatch Tapes - CE 705 p. 379. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1134#relPageId=405&tab=page I don't know who 44 and 35 are, or how 35 knew this, but between 1:40 and 1:50, units 24, 61, 25, and 29 responded that they were out at the Theater. 44 said he was enroute. By 1:51, Units 103, 104 and 23 are also there. (That's what? eight Sheriff's Deputies?) By 1:53 the suspect is in custody. P.S. Ron, as the originator of this thread, I think you are the only one who can edit its title. Steve Thomas

Beckham's 28 page interview before investigators for the HSCA: Beckham’s 28 page interview before the HSCA https://www.fittonbooks.org/rpf825215.pdf There is some info about delivering a package to Lawrence Howard in Dallas two weeks before the assassination, but nothing about being in the Theater, or even being in Dallas on the 22nd. Steve Thomas

From Gilbrede's Matrix for Assassination pp. 311-312 If Applin's guy was wearing a "light-colored shirt", and the guy Courson saw coming down the stairs was wearing a "kind of plaid or checkered pattern shirt", they probably weren't the same guy. Steve Thomas

Richard Gilbrede makes the case that this witness might have been Thomas Edward Beckham. From Matrix for Assassination by Richard Gilbride. Page 311 https://books.google.com/books?id=j7iN57YRRBIC&pg=PA311&lpg=PA311&dq="John+B.+Toney"&source=bl&ots=snc7cE0BM3&sig=ACfU3U0CxbDyfQ-oemPYOfDf2ABsw5gXYQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi90IGGn6PkAhVBYKwKHVVmAfA4ChDoATAGegQICBAB#v=onepage&q="John B. Toney"&f=false Beckham? Who is Beckham? From page 310 A Record from Mary's Database https://www.maryferrell.org/php/marysdb.php?id=941 Record: BECKHAM, THOMAS EDWARD Sources: HSCA, Vol. XII (397); Kennedy Conspiracy, Flammonde (203); Cover-Up, Shaw & Harris (164); New Orleans Times Picayune, 2/3/68 (22); JFK Collection List, pg. 40 (under aliases), pg. 58 (under arrest) (AMKW 78, 96) Mary's Comments: Born in Enid, Okla. Associate of David Ferrie's. Arrested with his brother Orville in July 1961 in Algiers (New Orleans) for theft. Singer and disk jockey (using name "Mark Evans"). Street preacher for a mission for Cuban exiles. Corresponded with Fred Crisman, a disk jockey who used name "John Gold". Ran for Congress in 1966 from 2nd Nebraska District. Picture from Garrison's office shows mug shot of Beckham with "sign" hanging around his neck: New Orleans, LA 6/14/62. He was in jail in Mobil, Ala, in 1978 when HSCA had "long interview" with him. Long story in Mobile, Alabama, newspaper. Beckham had a brother, A. M. "Sonny" Beckham, in Slidell, Louisiana. Subpoenaed Witnesses in Kennedy Probe https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/new-orleans-la-the-orleans-parish-grand-jury-issued-three-news-photo/515040512?adppopup=true (Original Caption) 12/29/1967-New Orleans, LA- The Orleans Parish grand jury issued three subpoenas for witnesses in connection with DA Jim Garrison's Kennedy assassination probe. They are (left to right): Lawrence John Howard Jr., of Los Angeles; Thomas Edward Beckham, of Omaha, NE; and Loran Eugene Hail of Kernville, CA. Beckham does not appear in the DPD Archives Index. Steve Thomas