Steve Thomas

Larry, or anyone, Can you think of anything that might have been going on in December of 1960? Larry Uloth, 180th ASA Co, 1960-63 https://www.usarmygermany.com/Sont.htm?https&&&www.usarmygermany.com/Units/ASA Europe/USAREUR_320thASABn.htm " I was a morse intercept operator in Bad Aibling during this period. I was there for the Cuban crisis, the Berlin Wall and several other interesting times." " In early 1960 two cryptos, Mitchell and Martin at NSA, defected and we waited for the other shoe to fall. Prior to this time we had them (the Russians) cold, we knew where they were, where they were going, what frequencies they were going to as well as what the new call signs would be. We knew their operators so well that they were like old friends. Then December 25th came and all the armies disappeared for several weeks. We heard nothing and were on operations lock down, no leaves, slept in the ops building, manning all radios 24/7. This went on for some 30-60 days. When they gradually came back up it was all different -- we had to re-identify them all and were unable to follow them when they changed freq/cs just had to find them all over again. One army we lost for almost a year . . . and when I and another op found them, the folks at NSA didn't want to believe us. We got in quite a bit of travel because we would ID them without permission. But eventually they came reluctantly around to our way of thinking. Things were calm until August 13, 1961 when the Berlin Wall went up. While that was scary and interesting it was not as bad as December 1960." "The worst time was in October of 1962 when JFK and Khrushchev went eye to eye over the Cuban missles. Again we were in ops lockdown, but this time all of our families were set up ready to leave and head west, while we were ready to head east. We really thought that the balloon was going to burst and we would have the next war." "Then the President was assassinated in November of 1963, but by this time both us and the russians were smart enough to take it easy." Steve Thomas

To Bill Kelly's list, I might add Max Clark. Mr. JENNER. Of either of these people--Marina Oswald or Lee Harvey Oswald? Mr. De MOHRENSCHILDT. As far as I remember, George Bouhe, who is a close friend of mine, and a very curious individual, told me that there is an interesting couple in Fort Worth, and that the Clarks know them already--Max. Clark and Gali--they know them already. Mr. De MOHRENSCHILDT. My best recollection--I even cannot recall who gave me their address in Fort Worth. I don't recall that. Either George Bouhe or the Clarks, because the Clarks knew them already, Max and Gali Clark, because they were from Fort Worth, you see. Mr. De MOHRENSCHILDT. Now, Max Clark naturally was not afraid of him (Oswald) because Max Clark himself is an athlete, an ex-colonel in the Air Force, I think. He just disliked him, and he said to hell with that fellow, because Lee was rude to him. Steve Thomas

Larry, This is another good site: https://www.usarmygermany.com/Sont.htm?https&&&www.usarmygermany.com/Units/ASA Europe/USAREUR_ASAE.htm I have to take my hat off to those Reconnaissance Battalions. The Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy's assassination. That was some pretty scary times for those guys. Steve Thomas

I've read that Oswald was recruited into intelligence work while he was over in Japan. My thought was, if he did get into intelligence, it started right off the bat, which would fit right in to what you just said, and he was in a holding pattern while they did a background security check, and he was brushing up on his language skills. Steve Thomas

Jim, This is just for your own curiosity: http://jfkassassination.net/russ/testimony/ofstein.htm Mr. OFSTEIN Well, when I went in the service I was interested in radio--I was a disc jockey at the time, and the closest thing my recruiting sergeant said that I could get to radio would be possibly with the Army security agency, so I signed up, and after basic training I went to Fort Devens, Mass., and was held there on a temporary status while the agency determined what type training I should have, and I was given a language ability test and passed that and had a choice of three languages to take, and Russian was my first choice and I was sent to Monterey to study. Submitted by Walter Chisholm http://www.fortdevensmuseum.org/ArmySecurityAgency.php “Most enlistees who joined the Army when I did, did so for a period of three years and that was my intention, too. However, after taking the ordinary battery of tests given to new recruits, I and two others in my group were called aside and taken to a room to talk to another recruiter. He told us that our high scores on those tests qualified us to join an elite group of soldiers in the "Army Security Agency". Of course we had never heard of the ASA and when we asked questions he seemed quite evasive saying only that it was so secret that he couldn't tell us much about it, but he used the words "Top Secret" several times. Sounded very "cloak and dagger. He made a point that "you don't have much time to decide. If you accept, I have to get you on a plane to Fort Jackson SC where you will undergo basic training and then go on to your ASA schooling." We were at the induction station in Louisville KY and I had expected to go to basic just down the road at Fort Knox KY. At the time, I had never flown on a commercial airliner and the prospect of doing so, probably helped to sway my decision. Anyway, that and the way he didn't explain it, made it sound so intriguing that all three of us took the bait. Then he said "One more thing...because the ASA schooling is considerably more extensive than most other MOS's...many take from 6 to 12 months...the required period of enlistment is four years instead of the usual three". We all three thought about it for a moment, but it didn't deter us. We signed the paper and took the oath of enlistment”. After basic at Fort Jackson, I arrived at Fort Devens in March of 1964. Upon arrival there everyone was first assigned to Charlie Company. Before anyone could start training, a complete background investigation had to be performed by the FBI. That sometimes took a few weeks. C-company was a holding company where you spent most of your time pulling KP, Police Call, or other such menial tasks while you waited for your security clearance to arrive. I was transferred to A-company during training”. Steve Thomas

Jim, I had done some reading about the 507th USASA Group a while back. (This was the unit that Dennis Offstein of Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall and Thomas Crigler - the recruiting Sergeant Offstein went to to check up on Oswald, belonged to.) In reading through some of the blog entries, I discovered that the Army Security Agency hit these guys up when they first enlisted - even before they went through boot camp. They were even enlisted for a longer period of time than a normal enlistment. After basic training, the ASA and FBI conducted their background checks. What do you think of the idea that ONI was following the same procedure - i.e., that Oswald was recruited when he enlisted? Steve Thomas

I guess certain words aren't permitted by the forum's software. Which is understandable. I forgot to mention that the police had no intention of shooting Oswald in the theater - for resisting arrest or otherwise. The intent was to draw and quarter him. "I also recalled that Oswald was seized by two or three officers on his left and two or three officers on his right and placed under control... I recalled observing the officers on one side going in the opposite direction from the officers on the other side of Oswald for just a brief moment." Bob Barrett p. 21. So, I hope that settles that argument. Here's a copy of Barrett's 11/22/63 FD-302 that's referred to in his 1975 Senate Committee testimony.: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=95614&search="Robert_Barrett"+FD-302+Westbrook#relPageId=94&tab=page It's a shame he didn't mention the wallet. Steve Thomas

FBI Agent Bob Barrett flat out called McDonald a xxxx about what had transpired in the theater. Oh, but it was done in the nicest beureacratese and legalese. "I could not account for any statements made or not made by Officer McDonald." This is from Barrett's summary of his testimony before the Senate Select Committee in December of 1975. http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=9914#relPageId=21&tab=page page 21. On a side note, I am shocked by the very idea, or even the suggestion that in the 1960's, the FBI would tap someone's telephone; let alone Marina Oswald's. Barrett was asked if her phone was tapped after the assassination. Barrett refused to answer without approval and authority from the Bureau, because it would reveal a "sensitive technique." "When your testimony is over, get your ass up here." After he got back to the office, Supervisor Cregar told Barrett it was OK to let the Committee know that Marina's phone had been tapped, but that he (Barrett) had not been involved. http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=9914#relPageId=25&tab=page pages 25 and 28. I don't believe those transcripts will ever see the light of day. Look at the last paragraph on page 28. I've never heard of this technique of recording testimony. It's a new one on me. http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=9914#relPageId=28&tab=page Steve Thomas

Paul, Read the conclusions on pp 95-97 here: and p. 42 about General Blakefield. In addition to the Compendium, see the references to the "Biographic Data File" https://bkofsecrets.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/armyciviliansurveillance.pdf Steve Thomas

112th IINTELLIGENCE CORPS GROUP SPOT REPORT (REGION II) http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/A%20Disk/Army%20Intelligence%20112th%20INTC%20San%20Antonio/Item%2007.pdf Date Sent: 22 Nov 63 Time Sent: 17:30 hrs INTC, Region II, Dallas, Texas Spot Report No. 417 Subject: Lee Harvey Oswald Reference to Previous Reports: Spot Report No. 415 Time, Date, and Place: 17:15 hrs., 22 Nov, 1963, Dallas Personnel, Organization, or Installation Involved: SUBJECT and Dallas Police Summary: Assistant Chief, Don Stringfellow, Intelligence Section, Dallas Police Dept., notified Region II that Oswald had confessed to the shooting of President Kennedy and Police Officer Tippitt. The only additional information they obtained from Oswald at this time is that he defected to Cuba in 1959, and that he is a card carrying member of the Communist Party. Chief Lumpkin of the Dallas Police Dept. requested Region II assist them in obtaining a Russian linguist. (Chief Lumpkin did not say that SUBJECT'S wife was in custody of police, but it is known that SUBJECT is married to a Russian girl). Through Reserve Officer contacts of Region II, a Russian linguist was obtained. The linguist is _________, an employee of an oil company in Dallas. It is not known if _________ is presently at Dallas Police Station. No record files Hq 112th INTC Group of Mamantov. Source of Information: Stringfellow 12. Time and Date Information Received by Reporting Agency: 17:05 hrs, 22 Nov 63 Spot Report No. 419 on this pdf file cited above was Sent by: Lt. Green Received by:Maj. Gippo a) According to information sent by Stringfellow, at 17:05 hrs, Oswald confessed to these shootings. Lumpkin reached out to INTC for help in obtaining a Russian translator. c) Mamontov was obtained through Reserved Officer contacts of INTC personnel in Dallas. d) Has anyone ever seen Spot Report No. 415 ? Steve Thomas

A fruitful area of research, I think, and others have suggested; would be any and all communications to and from the Dallas Civil Defense Center and/or the police communications center at the Dallas Fair Grounds the day of, and the immediate aftermath of, November 22, 1963. Dallas Morning News March 19, 1978. This is also from Weisberg's Collection "Army Apparently Didn't Tell Commission of Oswald's Alias" http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/F Disk/FBI/FBI Records Release 12-7-77 News Accounts/Item 069.pdf Officer Bill Biggio was directing police intelligence communications at the Fair Grounds office the day of the assassination. He was working alongside Stringfellow that day. Col. Roy Pate, in command of the 112th in Dallas said the information in the cable quoting Stringfellow "did not originate in Dallas". There have been references on several threads about a cable sent on the evening of 11/22 from Fort Sam Houston to Strike Command, McDill AFB in Florida. In the cable, reference was made to information obtained by Detective Don Stringfellow of the Dallas Police Department. I managed to locate a copy of the cable, which you can find here: https://archive.org/details/nsia-ArmyIntelligenceJFK This is in the Weisberg collection. While Stringfellow's information is wrong in several places, it leads me to wonder what else was being communicated, and to whom. Steve Thomas

Dallas Morning News March 19, 1978. This si also from Weisberg's Collection "Army Apparently Didn't Tell Commission of Oswald's Alias" http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/F Disk/FBI/FBI Records Release 12-7-77 News Accounts/Item 069.pdf Officer Bill Biggio was directing police intelligence communications at the Fair Grounds office the day of the assassination. He was working alongside Stringfellow that day. Col. Roy Pate, in command of the 112th in Dallas said the information in the cable quoting Stringfellow "did not originate in Dallas". Interesting. Steve Thomas

Alistair, It looks like it's now: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/wit.htm Steve Thomas

Thanks anyway. I don't know how, but the url somehow got changed in two of my different browsers I got it back. Steve Thomas

Has something happened to this website? http://jfkassassination.net/russ/wit.htm I've been using for years as a word processing friendly site (copy and paste) for witness testimony. Now I can't seem to be able to get to it. Is anybody else having a problem? I'd sure hate losing it. Steve Thomas

I'm just asking because I don't know. Harry Dean says that he knew Loran Hall and Larry Howard. Do they say that they knew him? Steve Thomas

Paul, It seems to me that one has two possible avenues to approach: either the Defense Intelligence Agency, or the U.S. Army. In their book, 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 Carlisle and Monetta wrote: “Meanwhile, he kept in touch with Colonel William Rose at the Pentagon office of the Assistant Chief of Staff-Intelligence. 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.” In his 1991 study of Military Intelligence Detachments, Colonel Thomas R. Cagley wrote that they were under the oversight of either the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) or the Army Intelligence Agency (AIA) but under the operational control of their parent headquarters. The 488th was under the oversight of the DIA See page 14. Reforming Military Intelligence Reserve Components: 1995 – 2005 http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a233391.pdf At least that was the case in the 1980's. Crichton supposedly formed his “spy unit” in 1956, and I read that the DIA was established in 1961. In his study, Cagley wrote that these MID's were loosely formed in the 1950's and were more formally structured in 1960's. One questions is, was Crichton reporting the results of his spying efforts to anybody, or was he just compiling his own “Central Index”? Frank Brandstetter wrote an autobiography called, Brandy: Portrait of an Intelligence Officer, by Chuck Render and Frank M. Brandstetter. Copyright 2007. I haven't read that book, so I don't know what he has to say about who he was reporting to. From “Our Man in Acapulco”, 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. “These intelligence school sessions reviewed procedures and studies in a wide variety of areas for reserve intelligence officers including a review of a Central Index of Investigative and Domestic Subversive files.” How widely was this “Central Index” shared? Did Crichton contribute to it? Chuck referred to the Presidential Board of Consultants on Foreign Intelligence Activities and the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and mentioned two people: Lieutenant General Joseph F. Carroll Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense Major General Alva R. Fitch Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Department of the Army I don't know if information on foreign intelligence activities would also include a flow of information on domestic subversives. In his HSCA testimony, Robert Jones said that the flow of information from the 112th INTC would go up the chain of command through his Group Commander to the Security Division of Fourth Army, Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence. https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/unpub_testimony/Jones_4-20-78/html/jones_0009a.htm pp. 8-9 which, to me, implies an Army chain of command. Whether Active Army data, or data from the Reserve intelligence efforts, it looks like information got funneled through the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence at the Pentagon. The real MID's were more strategic rather than tactical in nature. They dealt with things on a global scale, which would fit Crichton's background in oil exploration and oil reserves around the world. Cagley wrote that the MID's were pretty much autonomous and didn't really report much to the Commanding Officers of their parent organizations, because those officers "were not on a need to know basis." I'll have to read up more about the DIA to see just how they fit into things, and why some of the MID's would be reporting to it instead of the Army Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon. Steve Thomas

I misspoke. Cloverleaf I was in 1954. It appears the years 1955 and 1956 were skipped and Cloverleaf II was in 1957. Looks like 1958 was skipped too. The Lawton Constitution from Lawton, Oklahoma August 8, 1957 Page 18 Exercise Cloverleaf II. a command post problem simulating the defense of West Germany and western Europe against an aggressor from the east, will begin Oct. 19 at Fort Sill with more than 900 officers and 650 enlisted men from throughout the Fourth U.S. Army area participating. A continuation of Exercise Cloverleaf I which was held at Fort Hood in 1954, the two-day problem will stress tactical employment of and defense against atomic, chemical and biological warfare weapons. The locale over which the map exercise is conducted will center around the Rhine corridor and Rhino River in Germany." Steve Thomas

Larry, Military exercise Jade Helm 15. I was just reading about that the other day. Those Texas gentlemen take their states rights very seriously. Steve Thomas

Larry, I've been reading about the Cloverleaf Exercises. The first one was in 1957 and was designated Cloverleaf I. These were Command Post Exercises, rather than field training. It looks like they had a Civil Defense component, as well as just regular command training. The Bellaire Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 4, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 22, 1961 Page 9 https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth521788/m1/9/ “Citizen-Soldiers Wind Up Two Week Training Session” “Commanded by Major General George P. Munson, Jr. the 75th MAC (Maneuver Area Command) acted as controllers of Cloverleaf V, a giant Command Post Exercise, best described as a “large scale paper war.” “The 75th's mission is solely to plan and control Command Post Exercise such as Cloverleaf V, and it is one of only two such units in the entire Army. The other units is a Fort Bragg, N.C.” An Introduction to the history of the 49th (Lone Star) Armored Division (1947 -1963) Brian Schenk http://texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org//49ad/49division.htm “Command Post Exercises (CPX) called "Cloverleaf" became a part of the command staff's training beginning in 1957. Conducted by Headquarters, 4th U. S. Army, the Cloverleaf exercises were based at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas.” For anyone interested, read the article in the Irving Daily News. The Irving Daily News Texan from Irving, Texas May 10, 1966 Page 3 https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/48695616/ "Exercise Cloverleaf — was field under tight security precautions to train more than 1,000 staff officers and key enlisted men of the National Guard and Army Reserve from a five - state area. The three - day "paper- war" problem, conducted over two weekend periods, provided a realistic command post exercise for both of Texas* National Guard divisions, with the theoretical tactical problems giving commanders and their staffs training in mobile, dispersed operations under conditions of extensive nuclear warfare." "It is more of a war of the mind, than of the muscle," the division commander continued. This differs from summer camp training, General Orrick pointed out, where all members of the division are actually engaged in "on the ground" training for their specific job. In Cloverleaf, the emphasis is to sharpen staff coordination and tactical procedures not required during actual training exercises. Looks like Texas was pretty specialized. Steve Thomas

To Chuck Schwartz and Larry Hancock, I will curse you until the day I die. This is going to take a lifetime of study and research. Larry, to just quickly comment on what you said about the Fairgrounds and DPD intelligence units, yeah, Ian Griggs steered me onto that a bunch of years ago. The DPD Special Service Bureau office was located there. The names of Special Service Bureau personnel factor greatly in the JFK assassination investigation. (Just as an aside: When Westphal went to write up his report of TSBD employees, he went to the Fairgrounds office to do it, and then had to run it down to Curry at City Hall). Chuck, your reference to the Military Order of World Wars is very intriguing to say the least, but it has led me to one thing I think. I think I understand the confusing references to George Whitmeyer. In various places, he was referred to as: "Mr. Lawson acknowledged that Lt. Col. George Whitmeyer, who was part of the Dallas District U.S. Army Command, 1/31/78 HSCA interview of Secret Service agent Winston Lawson (RIF#18010074-10396) In their combined Batchelor, Lumpkin, Stevenson after-action report, Whitmeyer was referred to as, “ Lt. Colonel George Whitmeyer, U.S. Army, Dallas Sub-section Commander.” Dallas Morning News 11-16-1965 " Lt. Col. George L. Whitmeyer, deputy East Texas sector commander... On April 22, 1964 Police Chief, Jesse Curry told the Warren Commission, “I had Deputy Chief Lumpkin, and a Colonel Wiedemeyer who is the East Texas Section Commander of the Army Reserve in the area... These identifications didn't make any sense to me until I read the entry for Lieutenant Commander Roy C. Anderson on page 49. "Key West Chapter Commander" "Department of Florida Commander" "Region VI Commander" https://books.google.com/books?id=ibtADE8gMeoC&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=Crichton+"Military+Order+of+World+Wars"&source=bl&ots=UsV45IHPh-&sig=pJBNm3klVtGA0fLuSeHMLi0Redk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_9LPJvp7SAhWLy4MKHfQLB7sQ6AEIJjAC#v=onepage&q=Crichton%20%22Military%20Order%20of%20World%20Wars%22&f=false (Jack Crichton has an entry on page 87 of that same book.) I wonder if Whitmeyer's various identifications didn't refer to the "Reserves" as such, but to this "Military Order of World Wars" As an interesting little aside, read the entry for Col. Adrian L. Hoebeke on MOWW on page 51. https://books.google.com/books?id=ibtADE8gMeoC&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=Crichton+"Military+Order+of+World+Wars"&source=bl&ots=UsV45IHPh-&sig=pJBNm3klVtGA0fLuSeHMLi0Redk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_9LPJvp7SAhWLy4MKHfQLB7sQ6AEIJjAC#v=onepage&q=Crichton%20%22Military%20Order%20of%20World%20Wars%22&f=false After retiring in 1963, he worked for the City of Dallas for 10 years. Was Treasurer of the Dallas Chapter. He was also the Dallas Chapter Commander. I wonder what Whitmeyer's relationship to Hoebeke was. As far as the connections to Civil Defense, “While at the Presidio, Brandy (Frank Brandstetter) had prepared a draft of a Domestic Emergency Plan, which he revised and submitted in 1954 as part of the Cloverleaf I exercise, to G-2 of the Fourth Army Command in Dallas, Colonel M.H. Truly.” Our Man in Acapulco, p. 121. (Cloverleaf I was in 1957) See also the last paragraph in the Military Order of World Wars entry for Lt. General Herbert R. Temple on page 60. He was involved in the same thing in California. Larry, I think I read (maybe from something Peter Dale Scott wrote? that Dallas was one of about six national civil defense sites) Larry, you wrote, " No offense meant in the post, as I said, both Larry H and I went down this military road years ago because we were curious about not only these Colonels but a lot of other anecdotal stories about particular military connections of the time. You are just slogging through the same things we already butted our heads against. Maybe you will get further, I can only share the sorts of things we found and talked about back then." I doubt I will, but I'll keep reading and learning from people like you and Larry Haapanen and Chuck and Peter Dale Scott. There is something there, I think. I keep going back to "means, motive and opportunity", and thinking about the "means". It seems like you would have to have somebody who knew the local terrain: the Apache scouts who knew the layout of buildings, the escape routes and knowledge of the streets in and out of the city, which "tribal elders" to trust, etc. Did these "colonels" serve that role? Steve Thomas Surprise Attack. Great. Now I've got something else to read. I'll curse you till the day I die.

Chuck, See: page 14. Reforming Military Intelligence Reserve Components 1995 - 2005 by Colonel Thomas R. Cagley http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a233391.pdf Now Cagley wrote his study in 1991, so I'm not sure when the 488th came into being. Crichton's write up in the Spartacus web page says he stated it in 1956. In his study, Cagley says the MID's became more formalized in the 1960's. I haven't found yet which MID's were in which ARCOM -so I'm not sure which one the 488th was in. Table V-I on page 48 tells you how many MID's were in each ARCOM, but not which ones. I suspect either the 4th or 5th CONUSA because I'm pretty sure they covered the central United States, but that's just a guess on my part. Steve Thomas

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... Steve Thomas (gnashing his teeth) My father and brother were both in the Navy.

Paul, I figure it was Crichton's braggadocio "the annoying or exaggerated talk of someone who is trying to sound very proud or brave". If it the 488th was some kind of "spy unit", it didn't "fit into the military reserve system" as you put it, which makes me ask, who were they spying on and what were they doing with the information they gathered? If he did take on the mantle of an official military organization, did he do so with the approval of the officials in the Reserves who he reported to? I wish I had kept the reference, but I read one time that the people in Crichton's political circle believed that Barry Goldwater was too liberal. That's why I think Crichton's book would be interesting book to read - get a sense of where this guy was coming from. Steve Thomas

See his Legion of Merit award entry page 87. He served with the 487th Bomber Group in WWII: Crichton Legion of Merit Award See: 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 87 The Military Order of the World Wars. Jack Crichton also authored a book on 1964 Texas politics. That would be very interesting to read, I think. The Republican-Democrat political campaigns in Texas in 1964 Author: Jack Crichton Publisher: [Texas] : J. Crichton, 2003. Edition/Format: Print book : English Database: WorldCat Steve Thomas