Lee Forman

One question: Has anyone ever had a conversation with Hoffman, and informed him that his testimony is a major stumbling block in the acceptance of a confessed assassin? I'd love the opportunity to present him with Files account, and then ask, "Ed. Are you sure there was a train man? Are you sure the other man tossed his weapon to him, and that he broke it down? James Files says he did indeed kneel down, and he placed his weapon [show him a photo of the Remington Fireball] in his bag. He claimed he wouldn't have passed his weapon to anyone in such a critical mission, as that would be tantamount to lunacy." And see what he says. Also, Files doesn't walk down the railroad tracks. I'd also like to know if he has ever been provided with the opportunity to read Lee Bowers account also. No offense folks, but the mind is a very intricate and complex thing. I don't think its very difficult to convince the mind of having seen things differently than how they actually occurred. Let me add that I give him a lot of credit for intially coming forward, for returning, and for continuing to provide a clear, firsthand eye-witness account of conspiracy. I just personally think he is incorrect about what he saw, because Files has 98% convinced me.

Hello Bernice! I concede on many of your points, including the size of the opening of the drain, etc. - I do not know what the height of the Lincoln was, but would caution that the photo detailed may not in fact be high enough for a comparison. - Back to the original argument as relates to trajectory. Which shot would have come from the storm drain? I believe that Tom Wilson's work would have us believe that it was a single shot - the head shot. This despite a great amount of evidence otherwise - smoke on the knoll, witnesses, Hill, Files, Ed Hoffman, Lee Bowers, etc. As I postulated earlier, and I mean no disrespect to the man, when you view the wounds suffered to Kennedy's head as the means to determine trajectory, you have to take into account 2 critical pieces of [contested] evidence: 1. Was there impact to the back of the President's head from a rear shot [Depository, DalTex, Records building, etc.] almost simultaneous with the frontal killing blow? -- As evidenced in Zapruder, and as accounted by Files. 2. How would a dumdum / frangible / sabot / mercury loaded high velocity bullet act upon impact? If it was shell containing a mercury payload, as accounted by Files, would 100% of the mercury simply seek the easiest path of exit? Or would it splatter upon impact, and create a trauma that would make the wound more dificult to analyze? With say, 65% continuing along the line of trajectory, so that the exit threw brain matter 'back and to the left.' Here's a combination: Let's say that there was a shot that struck Kennedy's head almost precisely prior to the fatal head shot. Let's say it was a loaded shell, containing mercury. Wouldn't the mercury seek the path of least resistance, and blow the area of the other bullet's entry point wide open? I don't credit the storm drain shot. There was sufficient security involved from all accounts to protect and secure the knoll. Also, from that angle, the top of Kennedy's skull would have lifted right off, if the entry was through the temple. - lee

Blood, Money and Power - How LBJ killed JFK." John - I just ordered this book - saw that you have a great summary on http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKmcclellan.htm, and coincidentally, found this post. I'm excited to read the book, but was wondering if you could manage to get Barr on the forum at some time in the near future? You may have contact info on him? [Give me a chance to finish Larry's book first!] Also, amazingly enough, I tried reading over everything Ruby said or wrote to find the reference to the LBJ book I remember him citing. And here it was on the post on Wim's website - so now I have to order that one as well [A Texan Looks at Lyndon by J. Evetts Haley]. If Ruby recommended it, it's got to be worth the read. This scenario fits in very well logically with what I see as the top of the conspiracy hierarchy. Plenty of motive, sufficient power and means. Still lots of questions and missing puzzle pieces, but this looks like the original button presser. Did you ever receive any additional information on this subject? BTW - we are supposed to have the Freedom of Speech here in the US, so I'm pissed as hell that I can't get that airing of the Guilty Men special [The Love affair, etc.] on DVD, VHS or otherwise. Unbelievable. - lee

Thank you Antti. That was disquieting. I'm a bit perturbed at present as I have unsuccessfully searched for almost an hour for any information concerning the man's passing. Did he legally change his last name? Does anyone have any additional detail to add? What was the cause of his death? BTW: Anyone feel free to correct me if I mistaken! I hadn't realized until this morning that Holland's shooter, at the Knoll, was located at the picket-fence corner, to the left of Zapruder's pedestal, and can be seen in the final frames of the man's film. "Badgeman" and Gordon are located much further back by close to 20 feet, almost where the fence line ends. - lee

Hi Larry! I am not done reading your book yet, but just wanted to add something that I concluded a long time ago. My background is business, so perhaps I bring a different viewpoint to the assassination. I break it into 3 specific segments, and then allocate the resources and budget required for each, in terms of a project. You can also estimate the approximate amount of time required for each segment, relatively speaking, as the cover-up appears to have spilled over into the new Milennium. a. Conspirators - how many, and from what organizations? Most likely, less than 100 people. Of course, at the opening of the 'project' we're talking ~20 or less? In total, these would include Ex-Cuban militants, right wing radicals, CIA, Mafia, Texas Oilmen, perhaps some businessmen? and of course, the honorable Lyndon B. "You'd be afraid to kill her because you'd get caught. And what would trip you up? Motive." Strangers on a Train b. Actors - there's a lot of different theories here - but if you accept Plumlee and Tosh's accounts, you've got around 50 actors engaged in a variety of activities in and around Dealey Plaza. I'd like to open a separate post on just shooters / locations. c. 'Cover-uppers' - for lack of a better word. Now you're into serious budget, and resources. Counting the newpapers and other media, ONI, MI, FBI, SS, Dallas Police Department, Chiefs of Staff?, NSA?, Justice Department, CIA, etc. - you're well into the thousands of resources, and we're talking about millions of dollars. And the costs will continue, as the JFK act keeps people busy - drawing lines with black magic markers through anything that might be relevant, possibly destroying things permanently, or replacing things completely with false information... But that's not my point - my point was simply how uninformed and left out Hoover seemed to be. I realize that he was allegedly compromised, as there were allegedly photos of him engaging in homosexual acts with his aide, but I don't find much that supports much involvement by the FBI in the first 2 stages of the operation. Would you agree with that? Hoover seemed to be as much in the dark as anyone in America initially, and I'll bet he didn't sleep well the first few weeks. I would NOT be surprised if he didn't take the bull by the horns soon after, and force the CIA to remain only in operations that took place OUTSIDE of US soil. So I'd implicate Hoover in some of the assassinations that followed Kennedy, but I'd absolve him for 11/22/63. One account stands out, however, and that's the fact that 6 FBI agents supposedly took HL Hunt and his entire family out of Dealey plaza at 12:31pm CT on 11/22/63. [Torbitt document] This would of course imply foreknowledge. Anyway - it's all just speculation. What do you think? One more point, have you ever built any 'network' maps, which would visually depict hierarchies, reporting relationships and collusion between various organizations and factions? Seems to me that you've drawn a very impressive picture with your book, but a graphic would do a lot to bring it all together in one snapshot. Just an idea. - lee

Thanks Larry! I will do that. It's interesting to note that I have always given him the benefit of the doubt because of what potentially could be lost in translation, but I have to say, although the story of Badgeman is very compelling, I'm still stuck believing Files shot the fatal head shot, and that the photo enhancements done by Jack White are open to interpretation. If we firmly conclude that a man in a Policeman's uniform fired the fatal shot, we can get trapped in going down a similar rathole as the WC in trying to prove LHO did it alone. Bowers didn't see any Policeman behind the fence -and he had the ultimate vantage point. Dumb question - but I noted Ed Hoffman wore glasses in the Turner interview - any idea as to his corrected vision and whether he is near sighted or far sighted? - lee

Gordon Arnold's story [presence on the knoll filming at the time of the assassination] is substantiated by Senator Yarborough, and again, by the Jack White work on the Moorman photo. Doesn't Arnold appear in Nix or any of the other films? Bronson photo? I mean, he's right in front of the fence! That's not the question I wanted to ask however. If anyone is in touch with Gordon Arnold, would you mind please showing him a photo of the Remington Fireball? In his account in Nigel Turner's program, the weapon the officer was holding was substantial. "I don't recall if it was a shotgun, or what." Quoting from Crossfire, Jim Marrs, Carroll & Graf, NY. Has Gordon Arnold ever seen File's picture? Also, does anyone have a picture of a young Jack Lawrence that could be shown to him? Is anyone aware if the official Dallas Police record on Lawrence is available? One more - in Crossfire, a policeman kicks Arnold as he is laying prone, a position he has taken for protection when a bullet whizzes past his left ear. The Policeman says, "Get up." THEN ANOTHER policeman walks to where he apparently still lying on the grass - demands to know if he was filming. This is the one described in Arnold's account on The Men who Killed Kennedy as emotionally distraught, armed, crying, and with dirty fingernails. Page 78. Finally, when Arnold mentions the railroad worker he saw, almost as a prompted afterthought in Turner's 'Men who killed Kennedy,' when and where did he see him? What about the moments following the shot when the crowd surged up the side of the hill? Unless he high-tailed it directly following the head shot - which he didn't, because he was accosted, his film was taken, and he was kicked while prone on the ground - wouldn't he have then been trampled by the crowd? The knoll is small, ladies and gentleman - there's really no place to hide, despite the shadows on all of the film footage. I find it odd that Arnold doesn't appear on Zapruder's film even. One final question - even if you forcefit a scenario to make it all work - concede that Hoffman only had a partial view. Bowers saw only 2 businessmen, that didn't act as if they were together, 10 -15 feet apart. These could be your men with the SS Identification. 2 Police Officers or men impersonating Police Officers in FRONT of the fence. We still have to contend with the Z-film [no one in the final frames of the film], and the railroad workers. - lee

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/hoffman.htm McAdams would have us believe that Ed Hoffman's story has changed multiple times over time. His story as generally accepted and aired on Nigel Turner's "The Guilty Men," has a scenario in which one man in a suit throws a rifle to another man in a railroad worker's uniform, who promptly breaks it down, and the two wander off down the tracks. This story seems to validate Gary Mack's work with jack White concerning the Badgeman and the Railroad worker, but it doesn't jive well with Lee Bowers, or James Files. Did Ed see a 'gun' or a 'rifle?' Has anyone shown him what a Remington Fireball XP-100 looks like? As per the other forum's debate: http://www.jfk-info.com/discus/messages/23...html?1044859059 Has anyone shown Hoffman a photo Files? The suit jacket corresponds with File's story, after he inverted it - reversable Plaid and Grey. How come he only saw 2 people - because of how far away he was positioned? In the Nigel Turner program, the area is so heavily overgrown with vegetation you can hardly see anything. Why wouldn't he have seen a man dressed as a Dallas Police Officer - consistent with the Moorman blow-up of Jack White, and the story of Gordon Arnold? Maybe Hoffman has allowed his memory to get the better of him over time, since he's also had the opportunity to be provided with new information, and this has had the unfortunate effect of validating Jack White and Gary Mack's work on the Moorman photo, which may in fact be patches of light between leaves? If Ed is correct, it invalidates Badgeman as a shooter - and the Moorman expose. I continue to struggle with that fact, because it also creates issues for Files account. - lee

While I'm on the subject of stuff for sale... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=3912358788 Purported to be a first generation Dallas Police Department Dictabelt on CD. - lee Price Reduced---$21.95---Dallas Police Department tapes on CD .This is a 3 CD set of the transmissions made by the Dallas Police Department pertaining to the assassination of President Kennedy, and events surrounding it, on November 22, 1963. In 1976, while on the faculty of East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce), I designed and taught a course on audio. As I developed the new syllabus I consulted with a colleague from the Physics Department of the university. This colleague, who was a former FBI agent in the Dallas area, was asked, as I recall, by the DPD to transfer their transmissions related to the President Kennedy visit, his assassination, and the events immediately following from dictabelt to audio tape. In 1963 the dictabelt was the storage medium. For some reason unknown to me, the signal was on the belt in reverse. As I understand it, because the special techniques required to make the transfer were within my colleague's area of expertise, he was asked to make the transfer. Through him I came into possession of 1st generation audio tapes of the transmissions from Channel 1 and a portion of Channel 2. From these tapes I have copied the audio with no alteration, editing, or processing. I have continued over the years to honor the request of my colleague to remain anonymous concerning this audio. Two channels were to be used by the DPD: Channel 1 for the activities of the Kennedy visit and motorcade and Channel 2 for all other activities. However, a motorcycle policeman in the motorcade had his mike button open for several minutes (upwards of 20) making it difficult to use Channel 1 for transmissions. The open mike was transmitting for the entire time, and sounds purported to be the gunfire that killed the president are heard. (The first track on CD 1 (Channel 1) isolates about minute which includes the gunfire). This audio was instrumental in future investigations and reconstructions concerning the crime. My graduate students in the course subsequently used a spectrum analyzer to analyze what is supposed to be the gunfire. I can make their results of the analysis available. Since Channel 1 was not sufficient to handle the transmissions, the DPD started using Channel 2 as well as they swung into action to clear the president's path to Parkland hospital, to find the killer or killers, to run down a variety of false leads and nuisances, and finally to capture the killer of one of their own. I have recorded the audio from these tapes onto 3 CD's. On track one of the 1st CD is the first shot at 19 sec, followed by what appears to be three more shots. On successive tracks can be heard sirens, a reference to the stuck open mike button, and the report of Officer J.D.Tippit being shot. CD 2 contains the APB on Oswald after he shot Officer Tippit; pursuit of Oswald, recovery of the white jacket, and the capture of Oswald in the Texas Theater, etc. CD 3 contains portions of the transmissions on Channel 2 pertaining to the assassination and the clearing the route to Parkland Hospital. This CD set will be of interest to historians, collectors of JFK memorabilia, and to anyone who wants a deeper insight to the sad event. This is a Dutch Auction--For a limited time I will make copies of the three CD set available for $21.95 per set plus $6.00 shipping and handling.

John Kennedy/Kennedy Family: Folder of notes and manuscripts regarding the George deMorenschildt "suicide" much of the material between Dick Sprague and R. B. Cutler. About a dozen pieces, some stapled with attachments, some are copies and many are also originals. Lays out a scary scenerio about the information deMorenschildt had and why they feel he was killed. Some of this theory has not seen the light of day beyond this folder. $100.00 http://amres.com/catalogs/PLKS.asp#Mjr1 Looks very interesting, but also makes me wonder if this is just a con. If someone wants to 'bite the shell casing' and has an extra $100, be my guest. - lee

Just a few points: John, in your pointing out the tapped conversation [i thought it was FBI] that Kilgallen had with Rothberg was on August 3rd, 1962 - and 2 days later, Marilyn Monroe is found dead. There's been a lot of speculation about what she may have said [Joe Dimaggio, Kennedy affair, UFOs, etc.], and we may never know, but the real threat appears to be the relationship of Marilyn Monroe to the Kennedy's, and JFKs disclosure concerning Area 51. I have read about everything I could on Mary Pinchot Meyer. I have my own theories about her, which are not explicitly expressed by Nina Burleigh. I believe I can make a fairly good case that she was CIA. If not, she certainly had some very close connections [Cord being the most obvious], and her own mission in life. - Her husband, Cord Meyer, was head of the Dirty Tricks department, and may have had a hand in the JFK cover-up. - She also was intimate with Bill Bradley, who may have been 'DeepThroat,' and eventually sold out the mistress and drugs story to the Enquirer. - She had a very close relationship with James Jesus Angleton, whose most well known quality was in his ability to supply disinformation so genuine and plausible as to confuse the facts. And yes, he tried to break in to get her diary [or sketchbook] - he finally got it, and according to sources, documented every page before returning it to Mary's friends, when it was burned. I also personally believe he played an extensive role in the JFK cover-up. - The CIAs entirely redacted 10 page file on her is dated 1953. - Her relationship with Timothy Leary, and her ability to score pure lab LSD is unbelievable. She experimented with LSD [supposedly with some other wives in the Georgetown area - but they never came forward] for the purpose of changing the behavior of high leading officials in the country - for good. It's quite possible that this was her own idea - granted, but sure smells funny. - Her killer, Roy Crump Jr., has too many similarities to Sirhan Sirhan to go into on this Post. Following his acquittal, he went on to amass 'a rap sheet as long as your arm,' attempted murder, robberies, arson, etc. He doesn't recall the details of that day. He worked near a hospital that had some strange CIA ties if I remember correctly....I can dig this out if you'd like. Where I'm going is MK/ULTRA. I don't think we've even scratched the surface on how deep the resources of this project went, and all it's various activities. I think that topic deserves a separate post, but I'd like to make a few more points. One - off topic, on subject: Lee Harvey's efforts at voter registration to get access to a job at that hospital [sorry - I don't have time to look it up]. Some have postulated that it was the job of his handlers to make him appear insane - I don't buy that. There are clear ties between the Doctor [sorry again] that he claimed to be living with, and MKULTRA and that this hospital was a major source for pure LSD. Clay Shaw - was he a business man? Yes, but what did he sell? The opportunity to jump in on the opportunity mass distribute the new drug, which was easily transportable, easy to conceal, small quantities for massive results, etc. I believe that was the motive to get Lee on the inside - LSD and $$$ Kilgallen - She was found partially dressed in bed with a reading light on. Her false eyelashes were still on. - She wasn't in her normal bedroom, but in a normally unused bedroom. - The book open in her lap was one that she had already read. - Various doctors claimed that the contents of her stomach revealed barbituates, but not a sufficient amount to kill someone. - There are reports of a strange vial found beside her bed, and as I understand it, this also occurred for Marilyn Monroe [this is all lee Israel's stuff in her book 'Kilgallen']. - Her notes on the JFK assassination were not lost - or at least, her husband, Richard Kollmar, claimed to have them, but said he was going to destroy them. He died 5 years later, in January, 1971 of another suicide. - There some weird stuff about political infighting between the autospy doctors, and a report of a pink fluid, found in Killgallen's stomach, that never made it to the official report, as one of the Doctors wanted to hold on to it to use against someone else. And on and on it goes. Enough for now, but I'll elaborate on any of these points and would like to see what everyone else has to offer. I'd really like to see a separate post on MK/ULTRA. - lee

Hello John! My interest concerning Lisa Howard first arose when I came across the semi-fictionalized account of Mary Pinchot Meyer by Nan C. Druid, a.k.a. Maerian Morris. http://www.sirbacon.org/jfk.htm I have since learned that there is no credible established connection between the two women - however the story is facinating, and 75% accurate. "A year later, Lisa Howard died under suspicious circumstances. Her death was attributed to suicide. Supposedly she took one hundred phenobarbitols at mid-day in a parking lot where she was found wandering in a daze. She had been fired because she had "chosen to participate publicly in partisan political activity contrary to long established established ABC news policy." 30 Suspicions about her death"..... if ever substantiated.....would make her the second female news reporter (after Dorothy Kilgallen) whom assassination critics suspect was silenced because of her knowledge of the assassination. " 31 Before her death, Lisa turned against Robert Kennedy, who was running for the U.S. Senate in New York. At a group meeting she organized with Gore Vidal in support of the incumbent Senator Keating, Bobby was described as " the very antithesis of his brother....ruthless, reactionary, and dangerously authoritarian." Explaining her reasons for forming the group she said, "if you feel strongly about something like this you can't remain silent. You have to show courage, and stand up and be counted." After ABC fired her she continued her "partisan political activity" remarking in a debate over Robert Kennedy that "Brothers are not necessarily the same....There was Cain and Abel."32 An interesting comparison." Both of these references are documented as having come from 30. The Kennedy Conspiracy p. 259, 31. Ibid. p.260. In any event - her obituary in the Washington Post has her collasping outside of a drug store, according to Police, where she had just purchased some pills. I don't have the reference cited by Druid, where she has Lisa Howard wandering around in a parking lot in the afternoon after taking 100 phenobarbitols. The obituary cites a despondent condition since a recent miscarriage. - What strikes me is the method of suicide. Too similar, and within the same basic timeframe, same modus operadi as Monroe and Killgallen. Killgallen's death is also very messy, and fraught with bizarre, unanswered questions also. It's possible that it's all just coincidence, but at the same time, this woman appears to have been extremely vocal, and could have been perceived as a threat for something that maybe only Gore Vidal could answer. GoreVidal@wbai.org I don't know if this is a valid address or not, but I'll send him this post. - lee

Hello Larry! Still only halfway through, but it's an awe inspiring piece of work! Excellent! A few items of note / questions: - Do you maintain a website for updates which you will inevitably receive as your book gets circulated? Specifically, I was very much impressed with the glossary you created upfront, which provided a hi-level summary of many of the CIA code named operations, etc. Unless one already exists, I think it would be ideal to have a page devoted to all of the acronyms associated with the case, including individuals pseudonyms and code names [e.g. BISHOP, and JP/IDEAL, etc.] - Interesting to note Phillips alias of 'Bishop,' when viewed against Hunt's 'Knight,' makes me wonder if there was also a 'Rook.' Certainly there was a 'Pawn.' - Not sure if you cover Lisa Howard's bizarre demise in your book, or are aware of it? 'Apparent' overdose on pills in the middle of the afternoon, July 4, 1965 - isn't that Independence Day? I also read somewhere that she had only recently been fired from her job at the Post - can't find the reference now. Who kills themselves in the middle of the day on a holiday? An 'apparent' suicide. - Fountainebleau hotel in Miami. Page 52. Martinez, a.k.a. 'Blabbermouth' henceforward, worked there in 1963 as a Bellhop. As per 'Mob Lawyer,' this hotel appeared to be quite active with a number of interesting individuals, including Frank Sinatra, Marcello, Roselli and multiple visits from Santo Trafficante. Found the connection interesting. - Page 32 "The Mexicano I associate with Oswald is stocky...athletic build...160, 165 pounds, butch haircut...about 26...around Oswald's height." In Robert Groden's "The Killing of a President," Viking Studio Books, New York, 1993, pages 208 - 209, he has an enhancement done on the Tom Dillard photo of the Dallas Book Depository window. "This artist's rendering...of the man's features add clarity....the man is clearly not Lee Oswald. He is heavier, with a flat-top crew cut." As I have also noted elsewhere, but I believe you have elaborated on in page 54, there are a number of witnesses that place a hispanic-looking, or dark complected, man in this window. The photo [enhanced] seems to at least confirm a heavier-set man with a butch style haircut. - As to Trafficante and his Cuban dilemma - again, as per 'Mob Lawyer [cited previously]' a few points worth mentioning: Trafficante was not 'incarcerated' but was held under more of a 'house arrest' condition. His name, however, was registered on a 'death list,' and the house in which he was detained was full of individuals [batista sympathizers, etc.] in similar straights. Trafficante was not permitted to leave Cuba. His daughter's wedding took place in Havana. Frank Ragano, his attorney, and the subject of the biographical work, made 2 efforts to have Trafficante's name removed from the death list - his first effort was through a con man known as 'Charles,' a.k.a. 'Phantisimo.' An amazing account follows, almost Science Fiction, in which this well known Cuban revolutionary flies right in to Cuba - at the Havana airport! Phantisimo briefly gets Trafficante off the death list [with the promise of $55K in return for the favor], only for them to later discover that he has some form of hidden agenda, is in fact a conman, and Trafficante is re-entered on the list. Ragano goes to talk with the Ministry of Defense at this point. I believe that it would have been very probably for Marcello to send Ruby over to see what could be done, as his closest business partner was on the verge of being executed. To finish off this long diatribe: Trafficante is officially released on or around August 15, 1959. "Upon his return to Tampa he recounted that on the day after I left Cuba he saw Raul Castro. 'We worked out an arrangement,' he said cryptically...." "His bolita underlings, who had a fairly good idea of his worth in Cuba, said that the revolution cost him more than $20 million in hotels, casinos, and clubs that were confiscated and nationalized." - The interesting saga of the station wagon - page 134 - 136. Any ideas as to a year [sorry, you've got that - 1959], make and model? The Ed Girnius story is amazing. Fantastic stuff. I am excited to read the rest as soon as possible. Lee

Thanks Jim! Agreed! It wasn't until after the events of 9/11 that I recognized how intelligence operations are carried out. The use of 'cells' and 'need to know' originally to me was a stunning feat of evil genius. Since then, in my reading, I have come to appreciate the fact that this is not a new technique. The shooters in the case would most likely; a. Not have known whether or not there were other shooters, or their identities, and b. Would not know who was pushing the buttons, beyond their primary contact/contract. I believe it was either Files or Plumlee that said 'Need to know' meant, 'You don't ask.' You have an assignment, and you carry it out. Knowing who the shooters were only gets us to level One. It's working backwards to get to the top that presents the genuine challenge. - lee

One more response, geared more towards the original question concerning trajectory and the fatal head shot. Let's assume James E. Files is credible. The extant Zapruder Film, doctored or not, does lend visual evidence of an impact from the rear, from a shot striking the President in the back of his head, sending his head forward for a fraction of a second, before being violently impacted from the front, and throwing the head backwards. Files says that he fired only because he was concerned that the job was incomplete, and later was derided by Roselli for having fired at all, as [if it was Roselli, firing from DalTex] the shot to the back of the head would most likely have resulted in a fatality. I've seen some work by a researcher [name escapes me] on Nigel Turner's program, 'The Men who killed Kennedy,' who implies a storm drain shot from a computer analyzed version of the wounds. I disagree, and here's why: Aside from the angle required for this shot, assuming Files is credible, and that the frontal movement of the President's head was in fact from a shot impacting the rear of his head, we've got 2 separate wounds. Furthermore, even if we don't agree that Files was the shooter, you have Rivels work in which it was claimed a frangible bullet had been used. In 'The men who killed Kennedy,' Rivel has an interview with 'Michel,' in which the claim is made that there was a French shooter using a frangible bullet. Michel goes on to say 'that it makes a bigger hole in the body' and that 'it flattens out leaving no trace.' I don't know what would be contained in such a bullet, but mercury sounds likely. Files has his bullet especially packed with a payload of mercury. The resulting damage that would have been caused by this form of payload is a true challenge of physics! You'd need to engage a true specialist to demonstrate how mercury would move in such an instance - would it continue in one direction, or in many different directions simultaneously upon impact? If you did have a rear wound caused by a high velocity bullet [standard or sabot], coupled with a missile containing a mercury payload, you'd have exactly what we see today: confusion over the trajectory of such a wound from the massive, 'abnormal' damage that occurred. I've seen the studies of various shots being fired into vegetables and fruit, etc., on Wim's site, which he provided the link to earlier. What we'd really need to see to offer incontravertible scientific evidence would be a repeat of the event, [with the use of a cadaver preferrably - I'm not volunteering], the appropriate angles and distances, a high velocity shell being fired from the rear, and a mercury packed dumdum being fired from the front right. If it's reproduceable, you'd have additional credence for both a Grassy Knoll shooter, an exploding bullet, and a shot from Daltex at the rear. Here's a related question: Would RFK, in an altruistic effort to send his brother to hi final resting place at sea, have given the order to remove JFKs brain, and have it buried at sea along with the bronze coffin? the JFKLancer link. http://www.jfklancer.com/LNE/coffin.html If the brain had been medically observed by professional pathologists, would they have found traces of mercury throughout? Given the material I have seen, I believe its highly possible that these 2 factors have led to confusion [aside from the coverup material] over this shot: There were in fact 2 direct hits to the President's head which occurred almost simultaneously, and that the 'exploding' bullet may have contained mercury, which would not have reacted in the way a normal metal would have upon impact - which is what a pathologist is accustomed to seeing [hard metals like copper, brass, nickel, alloids, etc.], as this type of weapon is highly illegal, and I've never heard of an instance before or since myself in which this technology was deployed. Lee

Thanks James! I will follow up on your lead. Much appreciated, and I'll keep you posted when I make some progress [have to be positive]. I think Jack has a lot he could add. - Lee

There are a number of issues I'd like to broach with the general forum - these are my opinions, and I welcome any feedback. 1. Extant copy of the Zapruder film. As per my knowledge of the film, drawing from numerous sources, the authenticity of the film has been severely compromised. According to numerous accredited sources [Jack White's work foremost], this film, has undergone splicing and excessive 'doctoring.' I discount any claims that, 'if this is fact, then Nix and Muchmore, etc., must have also been doctored,' as I believe sufficient evidence exists to suggest, yes, in fact, they were; and how could they not have been, considering the scope of the cover-up, the location of these films over the years, the resources available, the mission and the BUDGET involved! Did we miss the first shot striking Kennedy in the throat from the front? Did we miss the Stemmons Freeway sign being struck by bullet number 3, coming from an angle that didn't coincide with the Dallas Book Depository? Did the film continue 'unmagnified' until the grassy knoll, directly to the right, and about 10' away from where Abraham Zapruder was standing?!? What's required is a copy of the original film; not a refilmed, spliced, magnified and edited version of the original reshot through the same Bell & Howard camera used by Zapruder. How can we get it? 2. Disinformation. In my opinion, any attempts at supplying or planting disinformation on this site should be immediately identified and the author discredited. References should be supplied, especially when providing a quotation, or made available upon request in the case of paraphrasing, or referring to a specific researcher's findings. Again, in my personal opinion, I believe that IRS investigations should be conducted of certain individuals that continue to promote the charade of a lone nut assassin, through the use of selective witness accounts, bogus documentation, alleged interviews and 'doctored' evidence. The case isn't closed, and won't be until the Warren Report is officially overturned. And I am extremely displeased about a special that was broadcast on A&E -- directly following Nigel Turner's 'The Guilty Men' -- which suggested that some loonie named Lee Harvey Oswald, a.k.a. 'xxxxbird' in the Marines due to his inability to strike the broad side of a barn, could have fired 3 shots in rapid succession [1.8 seconds] with a bolt action, low velocity CARBINE -- which had its sites badly off, through dense foliage [Texas Live Oak I believe?], from a window with a pipe blocking the entire left side, successfully hitting a moving target more than 100 feet away twice, resulting in ~6 different wounds in 2 individuals. This broadcast was in 2003! The IRS investigation would include a complete audit - total assets and holdings compared with total income, year-to-date. Unless a sufficient accounting can be drawn, where instances exist of greater holdings than income, I would propose that these individuals be penalized for accepting bribes or being in a state of unreported income. If this particular method is ineffective, given that the IRS is simply another government agency, and therefore subject to 'orders,' then the individuals in question should be sued for libel, or malfeasance, or something. Another item of significant note would be bringing to trial any living individual guilty of manipulating / altering / destroying of evidence or in any other way impeding the initial, and subsequent investigations of the JFK assassination. This would include relocation of wounds, providing doctored autopsy photos, interfering in an autopsy, removing the President's body from Dallas, altering the Zapruder film, creating scenarios in which a single bullet could cause more than 4 wounds and remain intact, etc. I would like to see a website devoted to known 'fraudulent' authors of such deliberate fabrications, disinformation and suspected collaborators. Fight fire with fire. 3. Continued vigilance in a full frontal assault of the media for failing to perform it's duty. I am interested in the idea of supplying the Press and the networks with the most recent information concerning the assassination, and then bringing litigation against any who fails to make public this information. Just a thought. [it's interesting to note that even publishers of the vast majority of JFK Assassination related material - the majority of them do not appear to be well known names, e.g. Catfeet Press, Quasar Ltd, Viking Studio?]. 4. Witnesses, etc. Judyth Vary Baker - I for one believe that Judyth Vary Baker should be given the benefit of the doubt. Let's wait until after she's released her book before targetting her and questioning her credibility. Let's recognize that she could potentially be one of the greatest heros in the history of the country. Marina Oswald - dangerous subject. Whay did she say what she said, why has she changed some of her position, what's her motivation, and really, what could she know anyway? I'd tend to downplay any statements made by this individual, as potentially untrustworthy. Why won't she authorize the release of LHO's W2's? James E. Files - what can we do to convince you that we need that diary? Jack Lawrence - Alive today? Anybody looking? What was his role on 11/22/63? Was he a shooter - if so, what was his position, did he hit his target, and who contacted him? Umbrella Man - Did anyone compare photos of 'Mr. Witt" against the man sitting on the curb in Dealey Plaza? Hancock's "Somebody would have talked" and somebody did - great concept - there's bound to be more. I know it [i'm halfway through it now, and it's simply packed with information - an excellent piece of work]. Who's missing? 5. Re-opening a new trial, or pushing the Justice Department on the basis of the conclusions of the HSCA. Any ideas? 6. JFK 'Buffs' - Anytime that Nixon wanted to discredit someone, he used a label. Typcially it was associated with the color Red or Pink, using Communism as the means to bring question against the individual's integrity. I think that this label 'Buff' is a similar tactic, and I resent it. Wouldn't anyone in this forum be content if the US Government decided to officially state the truth of the matter of what occurred November 22, 1963 and why? For the record, why does anyone care what happened 40 years ago? For myself, it's very simple, as I've had to explain many, many times over the past years: It's not so much the case that, "It can happen again," it's more of a question as to the basic tenets supporting the foundation of the United States - that it maintain a balance of power, that it has freedom, that it has a democracy [despite the fact that it is a Republic], etc. How free are we? If you are a citizen of the US - How free do YOU feel? How free were the countless individuals that died under mysterious causes, guilty only of giving evidence in the case? If it happened then, how could it have happened? Unless there were significant and powerful forces at work beyond the Executive Office, superceding it. And then the ultimate question, "if it happened then, where are the powers that effected it, today?" And then you look at the USS Liberty and the present Iraq crisis, and you have to wonder! Is it all just about money? http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?f...iberty%20attack Does the US have a balance of power, and are elected bodies representing the rights and needs of the constituency, or are changes necessary and a requirement for this Country? Wouldn't the recognition by the US Government of a coup detat in 1963 confirm this fact? Lee

Sorry - I wrote that last piece in about 5 minutes - many typos and a few incomplete thoughts. Another - Pick-up man. He was loading something into his truck, parked closer to the south knoll - what was it? See Jack White's work on pick-up man, the guy who doesn't exist in the extant Z-Film. You can catch it in Murder in Dealey Plaza by James Fetzer. Or Jack can comment himself on this bizarre cover-up. Now you see him, now you don't. Once it was a pick-up with an open bed, and a man was placing something in the bed, now it's capped and there's no one around. Why take the time to cover it up, if there wasn't something that you didn't want seen, like a shooter with a rifle? Last - if you credit Files, there's no room for 2 shooters from behind the picket fence. Who would be stupid enough to take up a position in front of the fence and behind the wall? There'd be too many witnesses. If someone could get a copy of the original Zapruder film, I believe there may be some evidence available that would confirm this fact. From what I've read, the undoctored version shows the first hit. HL Hunt had his copy - Where is it now? Can it be subpoenaed? I'm done for now as relates to the first shot to hit Kennedy. Frontal shot, from the South Knoll area, penetrated the windshield, hit the President in the throat. Possibly fired by either Charles Harrelson, or Jack Lawrence. - lee

Hello! I am struggling with this same problem. It's my firm opinion that the first shot to strike Kennedy came from the front, penetrated the windshield, and hit him in the throat. This shot was not fired from the 'North' or Grassy Knoll. That's my opinion, and I'll tell you why. - Files says he only fired one shot. Even if you discredit his story, the fatal shot was a sabot, dumdum or a loaded 'exploding bullet.' The front throat wound was of a small caliber, due to the size [3 - 5mm] entrance wound, and no apparent exit. Badgeman, whether or not it was Files, couldn't have changed weapons. Files claims he was the only shooter. - Blackdog man - I agree, it's a puzzle, but I don't think he has to be anything other than a witness running. There were people up there, and at the time of the shooting, someone smashed a coke bottle against the wall. Would you do that if you were the shooter? - Tosh Plumlee's abort mission - he was seeking a. triangulation, b. a 3-man shooter team, and c. the area a sniper would have selected to line up the target it his crosshairs. Plumlee basically relates that a sniper wouldn't be continually following a moving target, but would essentially remain as stationary as possible, waiting for the target to cross his range of fire. On Wim Dankbaar's site, www.jfkmurdersolved.com - The windshield, destroyed by the SS [plenty of material on this, but I believe I read the majority of it in Murder in Dealey Plaza by Fetzer, who I am also trying to get to join the forum], was replaced by one that didn't have a pass through shot, only a crack, and the crack was from damage to the inside. The original windshield, per witnesses, had a hole in it large enough to pass a pencil through. - If you draw a line across Dealey Plaza, lining up the hole in the windshield at the time of the shot [relatively speaking, since this is hard to identify with the extant version of the Z-film], you get a shot from the South Knoll. Try it - I did. - I checked the south knoll myself, and there are at least 2 areas at the top from which this shot could have been taken. If a silencer was used, the cops on the bridge wouldn't even have noticed. - Cops on the bridge. One was Roscoe White. He's been proven to be a very shaky character. I don't recall who the other cop was, but there appeared to have been widespread badness in the Dallas Police department at that time. - Witnesses that saw men with long rifles on the overpass prior to the assassination. - Triangulation. People have spoken about triangulation being a crucial factor in this type of operation - as per the manual [ZRIFLE, whatever]. DalTex, Grassy Knoll and Dallas Book Depository don't give you real tirangulation. A south knoll shot does however. - Curry's report on the dictabelt - get a man up on the overpass and see what the hell is going on up there - why? - Tosh Plumlee's account that a bullet seemed to come from over his head. Photographic evidence appears to support his having been present at the time of the assassination, at the location he claimed - on the south knoll, but not at the top, close to the railroad bridge. - One more - if you've ever been there, there is a parking lot directly above the south knoll. One wouldn't need to necessarily be directly at the overpass bridge to make the shot. You could be a little further down in the parking lot area, and then you'd be almost directly across from the North knoll! - Okay, one more one more - too many shooters and unknown locations. According to Chauncey Holt, again on Wim's site, Charles Harrelson, Woody's pop, was there. He was a marksman - what was his mission if he wasn't a shooter? But he wasn't Badgeman, DalTex, County Records or Dallas Book, from everything I've surmised. Jack Lawrence, pale and vomiting. Another possible shooter - from where? Anyway, that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. South Knoll shot, hit Kennedy in the throat through the windshield. Kind regards, Lee Forman P.S. Dump the storm drains, the angle is all wrong. And the Umbrella Man firing a secret weapon at a moving target, even at that range, a flachette filled with a paralysis chemical - is just too hard to credit. Occam's razor.

Larry, I ordered your book yesterday, so perhaps I should have waited to post until I have had the chance to read it, but coincidentally I have just finished 'Mob Lawyer' by Frank Ragano, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1994. The book is interesting, but doesn't provide concrete information. There is quite a lot of intelligent speculation, based upon Frank Ragano's understanding of the 'corporate' culture. 'Omerta' - don't talk. That's the rule, and Trafficante never broke it, even at the last when he had his final private conversation with Ragano, demonstrating his potential complicity in JFK affair. To what extent were Trafficante and Marcello involved? My impression, having finished the book, is that there was collusion, but the involvement of these specific individuals was of a lesser percentage than Giancana and Roselli. In any event, quoting from the book, an interesting hypothesis from Ragano as to the hit on both Giancana and Roselli, from pages 324 and 325: "In testimony before the Senate committe, Roselli recalled the session as having taken place in late 1960 or early 1961..." "Of the Mafia trio, only Roselli testified before the State committee. On July 19, 1975, the night before he was going to be questioned by committee members, Sam Giancana was preparing a supper...when a person he evidently trusted and had invited to share the meal ended his life by firing a .22 caliber handgun equipped with silencer into the back of his head. The killer followed up by discharging six more rounds into Giancana's neck and mouth. Some organized-crime experts theorized that Giancana's murder was unrelated to the Senate inquiry, and that he was killed by rivals to stop him from regaining supremacy of Chicago's Mafia clan. From what I had picked up over the years about mob executions, the nature of Giancana's death contradicts that theory. In a traditional Mafia hit, a bullet in the throat signifies that the victim had been 'talking,' and a bullet in the mouth means he will never 'rat' again. Undoubtedly, Giancana was murdered to prevent him from talking about the CIA-Castro plot or any other Mafia secret. Almost exactly on the first anniversary of Giancana's death, another layer of mystery was added to the coincidence of his slaying and the Senate's CIA investigation. After years of seemingly cooperating with congressional committees and talking rather freely with newspaper columnists about Mafia affairs, Johnny Roselli became extremely cautious, almost reclusive... In late July 1976, Roselli made a dinner date. He was seen with his old friend Santo Trafficante at The Landings, a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. Two days after dining with Santo, Roselli disappeared. Twelve days later, on Augst 7, 1976, a fifty gallon drum containing the legless body of a silver-haired man....The corpse was Johnny Roselli. The manner of Roselli's death also fit a Mafia pattern. He was beguiled to his death by someone he trusted. The dumping of his body in the bay was another message: The killers either wanted to give the impression that he had deliberately vanished or they wanted to punish his relatives for his misdeeds, perhaps his violation of omerta. ...One fact, however, was indesputable: Santo Trafficante was the only survivor of the three mobsters recruited by the CIA to kill Fidel Castro." - lee

Hello Ed. Can't fathom your logic. I don't see how Marina's replies in any way can be used to assert that she was married to another individual other than the arrested LHO, or provide substance to the claim that she in fact even took the infamous backyard photos. Can you get her to join the forum? As per everything that I have read regarding Marina, her credibility is highly suspect. Is it true that she has the authority to release LHO's W2s? What's preventing her from doing that - threat of deportation? - Some research theorizes that there is a suspect for the individual that provided the 10:00am shadow 'body' for the 12:00pm shadow pasted 'face' [a scar on the right arm]. This may in fact have also been the research work of Jack White. I can't find it at the moment. - There are 3 photos, unless you believe the one sent to Marguerite that she allegedly destroyed was a number 4 - a picture depicting LHO holding the Mannlicher Carcano carbine up over his head. - The 3rd photo, another 10:00am shadow body with a 12:00pm shadow pasted face, but in a different position than the first 2 photos, was released on 1973, and was in found to be in the possession of Geneva Dees, Roscoe White's widow. Roscoe was a photographic technician for the Dallas Police Department [Robert Groden, The Killing of a President, Viking press, NY, Copyright 1993, page 170]. - The DeMohrenschildt photo has come under fire as it was of better quality and larger than the photos reputed to have come from Oswald's Imperial Reflex. The other 2 photos were originally investigated and confirmed to have come from the Imperial [aperture and backplane?]. - Jack White has done sufficient analysis to conclude that the 3 backyard photos were all from the same original picture - used as a template, and simply tilted at different angles on the enlarger. - Ira David Wood III, Assassination Chronology, published in "Murder in Dealey Plaza," James H. Fetzer, Catfeet Press, Chicago, Copyright 2000, page 104, states that on 11/22/63, at around 4:00pm in the afternoon, a Robert Hester, "commercial photographer in Dallas, is called from home to process assassination related photographs of Oswald holding a rifle and pistol, sees an FBI agent with a color transparency of one of those pictures and one of the backyard photos he process shows no figure in the pictures. This claim is corroborated by Hester's wife." - Marina's original claim to having taken the photos, as pointed out by Groden, [Robert Groden, The Killing of a President, Viking press, NY, Copyright 1993, page 170], said she was standing by the steps when she took the photos. All three extant photos show the steps at left. Here's a more likely scenario: Marina took 'no' backyard photos, maybe ever. Or, if she did, it was not the set of photos we all know well today. The FBI in collusion with the Dallas Police Department [possibly Roscoe] gained access to the backyard, created the template [probably the afternoon of November 22, 1963], and the alleged 'backyard photos' were created and released to ensure LHO's guilt, and Marina was coerced and manipulated into her original, and subsequent, false statements. Let's not forget, the 'exhaustive' search conducted of the Paines garage on 11/22/63 turned up no photos. They weren't 'discovered' until later the following day. - lee

Hi John! Yes - that was the official conclusion of the HSCA, but the number of bullets demonstrates that this data was clearly unreliable for the purpose of making that determination. - There was limited research performed by this committee in terms of locations when attempting to get a fix on where shots were fired from. For example, was the DalTex tested? The County Records building? The storm drains? No. I believe this investigation was specific to proving a Grassy Knoll shooter. - Echoes due to building proximities created another challenge. - I believe that the result of the investigation was that it was determined that the open microphone was caused by Officer McClain, who was approximately 154 feet behind the Presidential limo. What impact would that have on the quality of the sound? - Chauncey's testimony, if credible, would lead one to believe that ammo was created and sent ahead for use in the assassination which could be used for diversionary tactics, eg, loud and noisy but with no velocity. This would be consistent with theories surrounding whomever it was that was firing from the LHO sniper' nest - a total diversion. - Robert Groden conducted his own investigation with the experts used by the HSCA, Mark Weiss and Ernest Aschkenasy, and they were able to conclude that while there were 4 audible shots recorded, there were an additional 2 sounds that also may have been shots, which would leave a total of 6 [see "The Killing of a President," Viking Studio Books, NY, 1993 page 173] - As per Frames 312 - 313 of the Zapruder film, the President's head appears to be in forward motion, just prior to the fatal, and last, head shot from front right, which threw the President's head, "back and to the left." This would support a last shot to the head from the rear occurring almost simultaneously with the Grass Knoll shot - as attested to by James E Files in his confession. If accurate, would this sound have been captured separately, or as one sound? - As attested by listening to the dictabelt, Officer McClain's timely jamming of the radio left numerous Police Officers with efforts to engage the frequency. Did these multiple attempts to use the channel have any impact on the sound quality? - The use of silencers would eliminate all reliability of this type of data. Invented 1909: Gun silencer: Hiram Percy Maxim. - There was some research the concluded that the Police dictabelt had been tampered with, since JD Tippit originally had no business racing around in the Oak Cliff area. I can find this reference if required, but essentially it amounted to a voiceover being introduced after-the-fact [audio tests were performed] to give credibility to Tippit's questionable actions following the assassination. And finally, when we review the number of wounds, and evidence of bullets striking the pavement, sidewalks, curbs, grass, the sign, etc. 4 is another impossibly magical number. It's still my conviction that some 11 or more shots were fired. - lee

I have read an awful lot of material surrounding the sequence, the locations and the number of shots that were fired during the Assassination. It becomes very confusing when efforts are made to determine chronology, sequence, location of shot, and impact, and I recognize that there are many different theories. What I'd like to present for the panel is a simple accounting to [possibly] gain consensus, or at least additional insight as to the actual number of shots fired. 1 shot hit Elm street pavement behind the motorcade 1 shot hit President Kennedy in the throat 1 shot hit President Kennedy in the back 1 shot hit President Kennedy in the back of his head 1 shot hit President Kennedy in the front right side of his head 1 shot hit Conally in his back 1 shot hit Conally in his wrist 1 shot embedded in limo dashboard 1 shot struck curb [Tague] 1 shot struck sidewalk near manhole cover 1 shot struck Stemmon's Freeway sign That would give us a total of 11 shots fired. Questions: - Did another shot end up in Connally's leg, or is it accounted for above? - Were the 2 shots in the grass between Elm and Main street also misses, or are they somehow accounted for in the tally above? - Did another shot strike the sidewalk, and is this accounted for in the tally? - Did the shot that penetrated the windshield hit Kennedy in the throat, sending glass fragments into the right side of his face, which then later had to be plugged by Tom Robinson when he was filling the body with embalming fluid? - Was Kennedy hit more than 4 times [e.g., 'other' back wound and wound to right forehead]? - Were silencers used for some of these shots? - Are there any shots missing in my list? Kind regards, Lee Forman

As per my previous post, in reference to 'known' copies of the Zapruder film. Reference, Harrison Edward Livingstone, Killing the Truth. 1. FBI Lab 2. Dallas FBI office 3. Washington, DC, FBI 4. Henry Wade 5. Dallas police 6. and 7. Two copies for the two couples who owned the film lab 8. Secret Service Copy 9. H.L. Hunt copy Again, it's my distinct impression that there would be large gains made in the research effort, should one of these original copies again be brought to the light of day. Even if you dispute the 'doctoring' of the film [and what better way to make that determination?], there is at least one splice in the extant copy, which would more than likely lend additional credence to the estimated number of shots fired [i make it to be 11].

Thank you Judyth! Very edifying and interesting. I'm fan of William of Occam, one should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything - so your version provided me with some additional insight. If Lee and Marguerite purposely falsified documents in the past, this would add to the overall confusion. I'm still inclined to believe that the other individual using Lee's identify, at least in the weeks preceding the assassination, must have had a strong resemblance to him. I'd like very much to know when your book is slated for publishing? Will it contain any photographic material? Can you give us any ideas as to whether it will contain any specific documentation? I am very intrigued by your accounting - it was the Nigel Turner special in which you made your appearance on A&E that drew fire from Ford, Carter and Ladybird, which prompted my continued interest in the 'open case.' I have a bevy of questions that I'd also like to ask you [was Lee waiting for a phone call in the 2nd floor lunch room, and from whom, did he ever mention Tippit, did he ever mention either HL Hunt or John Hurt, how long did he know Jack Ruby, and how was this association initiated, etc], however you may already be answering a number of them in your book. Thanks again for your response. Kind regards, Lee Forman