Steve Thomas

Bart, The only thing I can say is that these two numbers appear to be missing in the FBI Headquarters file in the Mary Ferrell Foundation site. Look in FBI 105-82555 Oswald HQ File, Section 237 between pages 155 and 156 here: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=60412#relPageId=155&tab=page The numbers jump from 5711 to 5714. Unless they are filed somewhere else. Steve Thomas

David, Thanks. The possibility _ just a possibility, mind you - exists, that LHO was at that anit-Stevenson rally too. Steve Thomas

Paul, It looks like you can pick up a used copy for about $12.50 The Military Order of World Wars By Turner Publishing Company Staff, Military Order of World Wars Published by Turner Publishing Company, 1995 ISBN 1563111845, 9781563111846 208 pages Admiral George C. Dyer was the author of MOWW – Its First Fifty Years. https://www.amazon.com/Military-Order-World-Turner-Publishing/dp/1563111845 As far as DeM goes, I think I would classify him as an asset. His "walking tour" of Mexico down to the Panama Canal at the time of the Bay of Pigs is suspicious; so is his move to Haiti at a time when serious thought was being given to overthrowing the government of Haiti. I read the other day that his wife Jeanne was business partners with Abraham Zapruder. Lately, I've become interested in the role that uranium mining might play in the JFK story. I'm not a geologist, but uranium deposits seem to be found near oil fields. I lived in that Rangely, CO. area for a while, so I had a personal interest in DeMohrenschildt's comings and goings. When I read that D.H. Byrd sold his interests in Byrd Oil and used the money to found Byrd Uranium, my ears perked up. Whey would a person give up the lucrative money of big oil to invest in uranium? You have to figure that in the later 50's and early 60's, uranium would have to be a pretty hot commodity. There's a woman named Linda Minor, who writes a blog called, Quixotic Joust. She explored the topic of uranium exploration among rich Dallasites here: http://quixoticjoust.blogspot.com/2011/06/other-uranium-explorers-in-texas-in.html “Other Uranium Explorers in Texas in the 1950's “ She talks about the shadowy Dallas Uranium and Oil Company in the Dal-Tex building, and more. It's intriguing. Steve Thomas

I'm sorry. I have a correction to make. Even though the title of this document is COL. LAWRENCE ORLOV: EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL RECORD, it is actually a resume of George DeMohrenschildt that he gave to Orlov in 1958. (see p. 2 of that document). It was DeMohrenschildt who was working for Byrd. Steve Thomas

Paul, Thank you. Yes, I have seen it (at least as much as you can get online). Here is Crichton's entry on page 87: https://books.google.com/books?id=ibtADE8gMeoC&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=%22Legion+of+Merit%22+Crichton&source=bl&ots=UsV17DJRk7&sig=sw-DLTVYZL9P6SKEfsWpeLEhvEg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJruvqzcvRAhXKw1QKHbOTD2IQ6AEINzAF#v=onepage&q=%22Legion%20of%20Merit%22%20Crichton&f=false Page 120 is not available in this online version Steve Thomas

Linda J. Minor writes in her blog: Quixotic Joust http://quixoticjoust.blogspot.com/2011/06/other-uranium-explorers-in-texas-in.html “Other Uranium Explorers in Texas in the 1950's “ “Jerrell Dean Palmer writes: "In 1952 the entrepreneur [Byrd] began to phase out Byrd-Frost and organized the Three States Natural Gas Company, which was purchased by Delhi-Taylor Oil Corporation in 1961." https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fby13 The United Press reported in mid-March of 1955: "Byrd Uranium Corp. had a new charter from Delaware Thursday making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of Byrd Oil Corp., President D. Harold Byrd said. The new company, authorized to operate in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Texas, will examine uranium prospects on the oil company's extensive holdings in the Rocky Mountain region." It would have been during this period of time that George De Mohrenschildt's resume * reflects he worked for Three States Natural Gas in the Rocky Mountain area and in the Uintah basin. * COL. LAWRENCE ORLOV: EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL RECORD https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=7491#relPageId=3&tab=page “During the period of 1949 – 1959 acted as consultant on various projects, namely in Haiti, West Indies... for Western Hemisphere Oil Corporation; in France... for Three States Natural Gas Company...” “July, 1946 to January, 1949. Field Engineer for one year and then Chairman of Rangely Field Engineering Geological Committee, Colorado.” George DeMohrenschildt worked in Rangely. Orlov was with DeMohrenschildt when they first sought out the Oswalds in 1962. Steve Thomas

Steve Thomas

https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/1959_80AF25CF0E76A.pdf Memorandum to: Each member of Congress In compliance with provisions of Public Law 476 of the 79th Congress, I am forwarding herewith the annual report of the Civil Air Patrol of 1959. Stephen D. McElroy Brigadier General, USAF National Commander “On 8 August (1959) the National Headquarters opened for business in its new home at Ellington AFB, Texas, in a building far more suitable than the old Bolling AFB facility. The Corporation received a new chief executive officer when Colonel D. Harold Byrd replaced General Carl Spaatz who retired in April after many years of service as National Chairman” Steve Thomas

“A History of the Texas State Guard” by Colonel Curren R. McLane “Members of the Special Staff of the Texas State Guard Reserve Corps were: Judge Advocate Section: Col. Charles O. Betts, Austin.” Austin Sunday American Statesman Newspaper Archives Sunday, June 04, 1950 - Page 19 Judge Charles O. Betts, former 10th District commander, told the group of the State Guard’s service during the war years, and of the legislation which continued the Texas State Guard Reserve Corps in permanent status subject to active service at any time the National Guard may be called into federal service.” More on Charles O. Betts: http://www.texastotheworld.com/the-lbj-murder-conference/ “Regardless, the jury found (Mac) Wallace guilty of murder and eleven of the panelists wanted the death penalty while one suggested life in prison. The judge in the case, Charles O. Betts, issued a “jury verdict notwithstanding” and gave Wallace a five year suspended sentence.” http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKjohnsonJ.htm “The jury found (Mac) Wallace guilty of "murder with malice afore-thought". Eleven of the jurors were for the death penalty. The twelfth argued for life imprisonment. Judge Charles O. Betts overruled the jury and announced a sentence of five years imprisonment. He suspended the sentence and Wallace was immediately freed. “ John Simkin in the Education Forum December 2, 2006. http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/8715-david-harold-byrd/ “In 1944 Byrd founded Byrd Oil Corporation and B-H Drilling Corporation. In 1952 Byrd established the Three States Natural Gas Company. Byrd later sold Byrd Oil to Mobil and Three States to Delhi-Taylor. Byrd used this money to invest in aircraft production and established Temco. A company that employed Mac Wallace after he was convicted of killing John Kinser.” John Simkin in the Education Forum December 3, 2006, quoting Richard Bartholomew (http://www.acorn.net/jfkplace/09/fp.back_i...e/rambler3.html) http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/8715-david-harold-byrd/ “Mac Wallace, who received a five-year suspended sentence in the shooting death of John Douglas Kiner in Austin on October 22, 1951, went to work for Temco, Inc. of Garland, Texas five months after his trial. He remained in that position until February 1961, four months before Henry Marshall's mysterious death on June 3, 1961, when he transferred to the Anaheim, California offices of LTV. Still more LTV intrigues were revealed by Peter Dale Scott: "A fellow-director of [Jack Alston] Crichton's firm of Dorchester Gas Producing was D.H. Byrd, an oil associate of Sid Richardson and Clint Murchison, and the LTV director who teamed up with James Ling to buy 132,000 shares of LTV in November 1963.” “Corsicana Daily Sun” from Corsicana, Texas March 31, 1970 Page 10 https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/41268447/ “The building (the Texas School Book Depository) is owned by the Dallas Trust Corp. The majority stockholder of the firm, Col. D. Harold Byrd, 69, has decided to liquidate some of his holdings.” Steve Thomas

deleted Steve Thomas

David, You're right, and that crossed my mind too. Why would the CIA, or FBI need Oswald when they were already burglarizing their offices and opening their mail, and like you said, 1/3 of their members were informants anyway. They didn't. They just let Oswald think he was important in that effort to infiltrate the organization. Someone once described Oswald as a "useful idiot". Another said, "Poor Oswald, he didn't know who he was working for." Oswald was double crossed. Steve Thomas

Paul, I don't think that anything less than a successful assassination would have resulted in the invasion of Cuba. The removal of Castro was important, yes; but he was only a by-product. The Cubans would have just replaced him with someone else, like his brother. The ultimate goal was the invasion and occupation of the island itself. Think geographically. Cuba is the gate to the the Caribbean and thus to the southern hemisphere. Steve Thomas

If the intended patsy was going to be the FPCC, it would explain Oswald's New Orleans efforts in the Spring of 1963 to join and organize an FPCC presence there. I think his alleged trip to Mexico City in an attempt to get to Cuba by flashing his FPCC credentials as bona fides, is a further example of this. If there was a conspiracy to assassinate JFK, some people have asked when it was hatched. I used to think it was after JFK's speech at American University in June of 1963. I now think it went back further than that, and believe that it was hatched after JFK's refusal to invade Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October, 1962. This may also explain the missing two weeks in Oswald's chronology from October 19 to November 3, 1962. I think he was being trained or groomed to infiltrate the FPCC. He thought he was part of an effort to infiltrate and learn everything he could about that organization. In reality, he was being set up to take the fall when JFK was killed. Steve Thomas

Viewed through the lens of the strategy of tension, I wonder if the FPCC was the real intended patsy, with Lee Harvey Oswald as its public face. Steve Thomas

What I don't understand is why they had to go down Main St. anyway. The plan was to go down Harwood and cross over Elm in order to turn right on Main. The motorcade could just easily have turned right on Elm and avoided that hairpin turn at Dealey Plaza. I've decided that the intent was to draw more people onto Main St. so that the merchants could sell more stuff. Either that, or they didn't want JFK to have to drive past the Giant Eyeball. That's pretty scary if you ask me. Steve Thomas

Trygve, I'm sorry, I don't know. Perhaps the same person who took this other one? Cabluck maybe? Steve Thomas

Trygve, I personally believe that this is the person known as "Black Dog Man". If you look at these pictures from the bottom to the top, you can follow him as he leaves the corner of the fence and is walking east down the sidewalk running between the low brick wall and the Elm St. extension. Steve Thomas

Security for the Trade Mart was assigned to Deputy Chief, M.W. Stevenson Security for Love Field was assigned to Deputy Chief, N. T. Fisher Security for traffic related issues related to the motorcade was assigned to Deputy Chief, R. H. Lunday In his WC testimony, http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/lawrence.htm Captain, Purdue Lawrence told the Commission on two or three occasions that responsibility for guarding against assaults on JFK that were not traffic related, e.g. someone throwing something at JFK, were given to the Special Service Bureau and the CID. The Special Service Bureau was headed by Captain, W.P. “Pat” Gannaway. This was a semi-autonomous Bureau that reported directly to Police Chief, Jesse Curry. The CID, or Criminal Investigation Division, took in the Homicide and Robbery, Juvenile, Burglary, Auto theft, and Forgery Bureaus. Gannaway seems to have delegated his responsibilites to his subordinates. In the DPD Archives, there ware reports to Gannaway from Lieutenants T. Ingargiola and Eric Kaminsky. DPD Archives. Box 1, Folder# 11, Item# 7. Report typed, by Lieutenant T. Ingargiola. Photocopy of a report to Captain W. P. Gannaway concerning security at the Trade Mart listing officers assigned, (Photocopy), 12/17/63. 2 pages 00000333 01 11 007 0333-001.gif 0333-002.gif http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box1.htm 50 men were requested for security for the first floor of the Trade Mart. “We had a total of 71 officers.” guarding the President against a guest list of 2,500 invited guests. DPD Archives. Box 1, Folder# 11, Item# 8. Report typed, by W. P. Gannaway. Photocopy of a report to Assistant Chief Batchelor listing officers assigned to the Trade Mart, (Photocopy), 12/18/63. 1 page 00000334 01 11 008 0334-001.gif http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box1.htm 15 officers from the Special Service Bureau were assigned to the Trade Mart. DPD Archives. Box 4, Folder# 1, Item# 6. Information Report, by E. Kaminski. Report to Captain W. P. Gannaway listing officers assigned to the motorcade, (Photocopy), 12/11/63. 00001132 1 page 04 01 006 1132-001.gif http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box4.htm 14 men were assigned, only on Main St., stationed a block apart, on foot, guarding the President against potentially tens of thousand of members of the general public. Where are the snipers on rooftops? Whether by design, or by negligence, it seems to me that the priorities were screwed up here. Steve Thomas

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

Cory, That same Commission Exhibit, #768 gives Lawson's plans for the street routes on how the motorcade was going to return to Love Field from the Trade Mart on p. 604. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1134#relPageId=630&tab=page I get the impression that the order of the cars themselves was going to be determined in the Trade Mart parking lot after the luncheon was over. Lawson wrote, "Presidential party leaves head table, is escorted to motorcade formation area in same parking lot and motorcade is formed." (p. 603) Probably not everyone who rode in the motorcade from Love Field to the Trade Mart would be returning to Love Field to see JFK off. In his traffic assignment memo, Purdue Lawrence wrote, "... also that other assignments would be made after the President left the Trade Mart and that Lieutenant M.P. Southard would give each officer his individual assignment." https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/html/WH_Vol20_0259a.htm I don't find Southard in the DPD Archive Index or the WC witness list. Steve Thomas

Cory, Here's a little bit about the Trade Mart security. It might help you get started. It's from CE 768. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1134#relPageId=632&tab=page Steve Thomas

Cory, I think they left in bits and pieces from Parkland Hospital. Some never did go back to Love Field - like the members of the Dallas Police force. I'm not sure what the bulk of the press corps did. At one time, I was curious about what Whitmeyer did. I never did learn. The police he was with in the pilot car all went back downtown, but they didn't mention that he was with them. His wife had an antiques store across the street from the Trade Mart. He figured he called her and asked her to come and get him. Steve Thomas

Ah, but Joe, there was. "I didn't see nuffin from nuffin" http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/holmes1.htm Mr. BELIN. On what corner is your building? Mr. HOLMES. Southwest. Mr. BELIN. On what side of the building is your office where you were sitting? Mr. HOLMES. On the north side. Mr. BELIN. From your office looking north, what building would you see? Mr. HOLMES. The Texas School Book Depository Building. And I am on the fifth floor of my building. Mr. BELIN. Were you on the fifth floor about the time the motorcade was coming down Main Street? Mr. HOLMES. Yes, sir. Mr. BELIN. Were you looking with the aid of any optical instrument? Mr. HOLMES. I had a pair of 7 1/2 x 50 binoculars. Mr. HOLMES. I watched for hours from that vantage point up there with my binoculars, hoping I would see someone running across the railroad tracks, or maybe that I could get word to the police as to where they were, because it was like a birdseye view of the panorama of the whole area. Steve Thomas

Gene, How times change, huh? (off topic alert!) https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/deliveries-per-day.pdf Free city delivery began on July 1, 1863. In its early years, carriers were expected to make deliveries"as frequently as the public convenience may require," according to Section 92 of the Postal Laws and Regulations of 1873, and deliveries were made as many times per day as mail was received in the Post Offices. The 1922 Annual Report of the Postmaster General noted that business sections in smaller cities received three daily deliveries, those in larger cities averaged three to four, and those in the largest cities received deliveries three to seven times a day. In 1949, steps were taken to reduce all four-trip routes to three trips in business sections and all three-trip routes to two trips in strictly residential areas. An order dated April 17, 1950, limited the number of deliveries in residential sections to one each day. It also reduced the number of deliveries to business districts by one on Saturdays only; businesses continued to receive multiple deliveries during the week. The 1969 Annual Report noted that, because of changing transportation patterns and new distribution procedures, few second or third deliveries to businesses were needed. Although areas in New York with exceptionally heavy mail volume received two daily deliveries until the late 1990s, this practice has been phased out. Today, standard policy limits business deliveries to one per day. Steve Thomas

Vince, I don't know if anyone has told you this, but if you want your image to appear in the body of your post, when you upload an image, or a file, if you go to the little thumbnail of your image and click on the little plus sign (+) in the corner of the thumbnail, your image will appear in the body of your post. Please excuse me if I am being presumptuous. Steve Thomas