Mathias Baumann

There's another photograph of Diaz Garcia on this website here: https://www.ecured.cu/Herminio_Díaz_García

Michael, I do not think that a theory should be completely discarded just because it seems outlandish. That does not mean that I subscribe to Jim's theory about the "Oswald Project". I do not. I certainly do not believe that "Harvey" learned Russian in Hungary, because Russian was not taught until grade 5. And no matter what the school records might show I don't think the CIA would use a Hungarian orphan to spy on the Soviets when they had an abundant supply of White Russian exiles in America. But some points Jim has raised are very interesting in my opinion. To give some examples: - Oswald's Marine Corps test: Oswald got half the answers right on a test that was aimed at native speakers. That is VERY remarkable! It is my belief as a language teacher that he could not have done so in just two or three months time without intensive instruction. If I'm wrong I'd definitely like to see the material he studied with. My guess is that he did study at the Monterey language after all (although I know there's no documentary evidence). - Jim has shown that in some of Oswald's Marine Corps records Oswald's height is incorrectly stated as 5' 9''. Curiously that is the same wrong height Oswald used in the applications he sent out when looking for a job in New Orleans. And coincidentally that's also Kerry Thornley's height... and Thornley is certainly a very curious and suspicious fellow... - David Phillips connection to McLendon is very interesting in my opinion. This was news to me. We know Phillips worked undercover in Cuba from 1959 - 1960. Ruby visited Cuba several times in 1959 ... Another coincidence? Some thoughts about Phillips: I think it's possible he was not directly involved in the assassination: In his novel Phillips describes how he builds up Oswald Marxist credentials in order to get him access to Cuba. I think this might be the truth, because it sounds like a reasonable explanation for Oswald's strange behavior in New Orleans. His attempt to blame Castro by using Alvarado seems too amateurish to me. That was certainly not planned well in advance but concocted after the fact. My guess is that Phillips was genuinely surprised by the assassination but then tried to take advantage of it. I also remember reading that Phillips stated in a newspaper interview that he believed that "individual CIA agents" could have been involved in the assassination. I find this a very remarkable statement in view of the fact that Phillips spent his life defending the CIA's reputation, don't you think? Maybe that was really his honest opinion?

Tracy, how do you know it's just incompetence they're trying to cover up? Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/interview-g-robert-blakey/ So the head of the HSCA has finally admitted that the CIA obstructed his search for truth, just as Gaeton Fonzi suspected from very early on. So tell me Tracy, how could the HSCA have possibly found evidence of CIA involvement? Blakey trusted the CIA but he was deceived and crucial evidence such as the Mexico City phone tapes (and possibly also photographs of Oswald!) was destroyed. David Morales admitted his involvement to two friends. Before his death he built his home into a fortress, because he "knew too much". His friend Johnny Roselli was brutally murdered when he started talking about the Kennedy assassination. Do you seriously believe there's no reason at all to suspect the CIA could have been involved in the death of president Kennedy?

Tracy, Do you not wonder why CIA counterintelligence kept a super secret file on Oswald? Why they decided to withhold vital information about him from the Mexico City station? Why Phillips lied about the tapes being destroyed? Why they lied about the surveillance cameras being out of order? Why Oswald was taken off the watch list AFTER he had met a KGB agent?

Jim, That is highly interesting. What is your source for that? Do you know if Phillips might have been involved in setting up the radio debate between Oswald and Bringuier?

Tracy, I agree with you. And I guess we all know who used such operations - David Attlee Phillips. The same Phillips who was involved with anti-FPCC operations and the Cuban Student Council at the time of Oswald's strange actions in New Orleans. And the same Phillips who lied about the tapes of the phone call being routinely destroyed and the same Philips who endorsed Alvarado's phony story. My hunch is that Phillips might also have been behind the phony radio debate between Oswald, Butler and Bringuier. That was most certainly designed specifically to discredit the FPCC, there's no doubt in my mind. Does that mean Phillips masterminded the assassination? Maybe, maybe not. But I find it very supicious that all that happened SHORTLY BEFORE Oswald was taken off the FBI's watch list, which again happened SHORTLY BEFORE he got the job at the book depository and rented a room under a false name? Do you really think that all these are just random, unrelated events? There's another point I think is often overlooked. I don't think Oswald could have learned he was off the list. So why would he try to assassinate the President of the United States with a crappy WWII rifle if he still believed he was being monitored by the FBI? We know he was scared to death by the FBI (or at least pretended to be so). That doesn't make sense, does it? And about Marina: So how did she got hold of Webster's address if they didn't know each other?

Tracy, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was Oswald's idea to move back to the US, not Marina's. And if she was intending to go to America, it would make sense for her to learn English, wouldn't it? And about my other questions: I really wasn't trying to tease you I'm genuinely interested in your opinion. Because frankly I can't make any sense of the whole incident. The more I learn about Mexico City the more confused I become. Just take your time and enjoy your vacation. Update: One more thought - did Webster speak Russian? And if he didn't, how did he communicate with Marina? Or are you implying they never met and he made the whole story up? If so, how come that Marina had the address of the place where he was staying?

One more thing, Tracy: You haven't forgotten about the questions I asked concerning Mexico City, have you?

Tracy, two questions: 1) Has Marina ever disputed Webster's claim? 2) Don't you think it's a huge coincidence that Marina would meet TWO American defectors AND be allowed to leave the country with one of them? I'm pretty sure she was a KGB informer assigned to monitoring American defectors. Speaking English would certainly help with that task.

Hello Tracy, thank you for linking that interesting article, which answers the question I posed above whether Oswald attended language lessons while in Russia: But I'm not sure if this statement is correct: Webster said he talked to her in English. Why should he lie?

Jim, I think it's possible that Oswald did indeed subscribe to a Russian newspaper. But that fact alone tells us little about his reading comprehension. The deMohrenshild statement you quoted above is far more interesting in my opinion. Do you know if Oswald received any kind of language training while in Russia? Because I don't think it is possibly to reach the level of a native speaker without any instruction.

Hello Jim, here you can download a CEF-A2 Russian test: http://www.russian-online.net/pdf/trki_a2_ron.zip CEF-A2 should roughly correspond to L2/R2. I think this might shed some light on the skills Oswald possessed at the time he took the test. And no, on that level Oswald would certainly not have been able to read and understand a Pravda article. Not by a long shot.

Sandy, if Jim is right and Oswald really got a passing grade he would have had to be at least on level L2/R2, because that appears to be the bar the military sets for that kind of exams: https://www.german-way.com/levels-of-language-proficiency-my-life-in-germany/ http://www.dliflc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Generic-Fam-Guide-MC-CBu-updated.pdf The latter link I found especially interesting because it explains this type of test in great detail. However, as Jeremy has pointed out, Oswald was rated "poor" in several areas, so I wonder if Oswald really did get a passing grade.

Jeremy, I don't think Oswald could have reached level L2/R2 in just two months without any instruction. He would have needed at least 4 - 5 lessons per day to get there.

Jim, I think the words "familiar context" is the key here. He might have been able to understand the main ideas of an article if it contained mostly familiar vocabulary. So I guess he might have been able to understand the gist of some articles in a tabloid magazine, if he was familiar with the vocabulary.

The John T. Martin film might be another piece of evidence: http://emuseum.jfk.org/view/objects/asitem/search@/0?t:state:flow=c8b4e071-bb56-4d84-bbbe-737e4d559a26

Jim, I don't think Oswald was able to read that kind of high-brow newspaper articles by the time he passed the Marine Corps test. "People wishing to work as military language analysts are required to maintain at least L2/R2 proficiency." Source: https://www.german-way.com/levels-of-language-proficiency-my-life-in-germany/ Now what does L2/R2 mean exactly? R-2: Reading 2 (Limited Working Proficiency) Sufficient comprehension to read simple, authentic written material in a form equivalent to usual printing or typescript on subjects within a familiar context. Able to read with some misunderstandings straightforward, familiar, factual material, but in general insufficiently experienced with the language to draw inferences directly from the linguistic aspects of the text. Can locate and understand the main ideas and details in material written for the general reader. However, persons who have professional knowledge of a subject may be able to summarize or perform sorting and locating tasks with written texts that are well beyond their general proficiency level. The individual can read uncomplicated, but authentic prose on familiar subjects that are normally presented in a predictable sequence which aids the reader in understanding. Texts may include descriptions and narrations in contexts such as news items describing frequently occurring events, simple biographical information, social notices, formulaic business letters, and simple technical material written for the general reader. Generally the prose that can be read by the individual is predominantly in straightforward/highfrequency sentence patterns. The individual does not have a broad active vocabulary (that is, which he/she recognizes immediately on sight), but is able to use contextual and real-world cues to understand the text. Characteristically, however, the individual is quite slow in performing such a process. Is typically able to answer factual questions about authentic texts of the types described above. [Data Code 20] Listening 2 (Limited Working Proficiency) Sufficient comprehension to understand conversations on routine social demands and limited job requirements. Able to understand face-to-face speech in a standard dialect, delivered at a normal rate with some repetition and rewording, by a native speaker not used to dealing with foreigners, about everyday topics, common personal and family news, well-known current events and routine office matters through descriptions and narration about current, past and future events; can follow essential points of discussion or speech at an elementary level on topics in his/her special professional field. Only understands occasional words and phrases of statements made in unfavorable conditions, for example through loudspeakers outdoors. Understands factual content. Native language causes less interference in listening comprehension. Able to understand facts; i.e., the lines but not between or beyond the lines. (Has been coded L- 2 in some nonautomated applications.) [Data Code 20] Source: Defense Language Proficiency Test 5 System, Familiarization Guide for Multiple-Choice Format --> http://www.dliflc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Generic-Fam-Guide-MC-CBu-updated.pdf I definitely agree with you up to a certain point - I don't think he could've passed the test without formal instruction. There's no way he could've taught himself enough Russian to pass the test in just a few months time. And certainly not from a dictionary and newspaper articles alone. But we should on the other hand not exaggerate the language skills he possessed at that point. After all he barely got a passing grade. And as you can see above the level required for a passing grade is not THAT high. The scale goes up to L5/R5 after all. I think a low estimate would be that he'd have needed somewhere around 100 to 200 individual lessons to pass the exam.

David, I think the same kind of logic can be applied to the Dictabelt evidence. What are the odds that two groups of leading acoustics experts would find 3 shots from the Book Depository and one from the grassy knoll if what they were working with was really nothing but random noise?

Paul, I think you also believe that David Morales was involved in the assassination. I believe he may have been one of the men who tried to buy trucks from the Bolton Ford dealership. One of the men was described as a muscular latino who had a scar over his left eye brow. I think I've found something in a photograph of Morales that could be a scar. Do you know of any other evidence that could corroborate this?

Jim, I think you're right about Mexico City being the key to the assassination. The conspirators certainly knew about Oswald's trip and his association with KGB agent Kostikov. But does that mean the fake phone call was part of a deliberate effort to frame Oswald? In my opinion this assumption does not stand up to closer scrutiny. First of all, Oswald was not yet working at the School Book Depository. In fact he was trying to leave America. So how could the conspirators possibly know he would be at the right time and place? I guess you could argue that Oswald was just a pawn they could move wherever they wanted to. But the evidence does not seem to support this. If we look closely at the transcript of the first"fake" phone call we notice that - the caller does not introduce himself, which could indicate that the impostor had not yet even learned Oswald's name. If the purpose of the call was to incriminate Oswald the impostor would drop his name, wouldn't he? - the caller only seems to have a vague idea of what Oswald has done at the Soviet Embassy. In fact it reads as if the fake Oswald is trying to acquire information. - Kostikov's name does not come up at all. So it appears that the purpose of this phone call was to find out what Oswald had been doing at the embassy, not an effort to link him to Soviet intelligence. The caller had obviously not yet learned of the Kostikov-Duran phone call, didn't know Oswald's name, didn't know he had NOT filled out a visa application and did NOTknow of his involvement with Kostikov. This suggests that whoever was behind the phone call was not privy to whatever Oswald was doing in Mexico City. I think it's a distinct possibility that the plotters learned about Oswald's association with Kostikov AFTER he came back to Dallas and THEN decided that his involvement in the assassination was desirable.

Jason, I guess that exactly is the important question: did the conspirators possess the power and influence to move Oswald around at will, make him incriminate himself and did they have access to all the files and documents pertaining to him and could they get him off the FBI's radar? My hunch is: Oswald was just one of many possible patsies. He was NOT indispensable to the success of the operation. If the Chicago plot had worked we'd be talking about Thomas Vallee not Oswald. So Oswald being taken off the list was probably just a lucky coincident or possibly related to some other clandestine operation but not the assassination itself. The conspiracy has not been exposed for more than 50 years. That leads me to the conclusion that the actual number of plotters was rather small, probably just a handful of people. Some of them certainly occupied influential positions (at least one of them must've been a high-ranking officer in counterintelligence with access to all of Oswald's files.) But they were neither all powerful nor omniscient. They chose Oswald because of his background, but they didn't create it. Oswald was a wanna-be-spook. He was playing all sorts of spy games and actively seeking the attention of all sorts of intelligence agencies. And they used him for all sorts of purposes (Russia, New Orleans) but he was never on their official payroll, so they always had plausible deniability. I think if people as powerful as Lyndon Johnson or Dulles had decided to plot Kennedy's death, they'd simply have poisoned him and make it look like a disease. So my bet is on "rogue" CIA agents, probably in cahoots with the mafia.

Jim, I was specifically refering to Nelson Delgado's claim that he'd taught Oswald Spanish. He says Oswald's Spanish was good enough they were able to discuss Marxism. I also remember reading about several instances when witnesses heard him speak Spanish in Robert Blakey's book. I think his landlady heard him talk Spanish over the phone.

The priest's name is Walter J. McChann. The source is Robert Blakey's book "Fatal Hour", page 198.

With Oswald still being on the FBI's watch list the plotters could not think of recruiting Oswald. So I don't think that the Silvia Odio incident was a deliberate attempt to frame Oswald. Maybe the remark Leopoldo attributed to him was really genuine. Now of course I might be wrong about Ruth Paine. Maybe it was sheer luck that Oswald got the job. But I think she and Linnie Randle disagreed about what Linnie had actually told Ruth. It seems she never told Ruth of a job opening at the Book Depository. There was an interesting thread about this here on the Forum some years ago, maybe I can find it... And Ruth not telling Oswald about that other (better!) job he could've gotten fits into the picture. I also find it very strange and unusual that a devoted anti-Communist such as Ruth Paine would house a committed Marxist together with a Russian woman that could well have been a KGB spy. The whole story is highly unbelievable in my eyes. And of course she knew nothing about the rifle Oswald supposedly kept in her garage...

Jason, you should not forget that a certain person withheld from Oswald information about a better paid job I think a look at certain events that took place after Oswald came back to Dallas might us help determine the timeframe just when the conspirators recruited Oswald: October 3, 1963: Oswald returns to Dallas. October 8, 1963: Gheesling takes Oswald off the FBI's watch list - for reasons unknown. October 10, 1963: a memo is created, compiling the latest information on Oswald http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1565#relPageId=2&tab=page. Only six senior CIA officers had access to it. http://jfkfacts.org/did-the-cia-track-oswald-before-jfk-was-killed/ October 15, 1963: Oswald gets the job at the Book Depository. Rents a room under a false name. So it appears that sometime between October 10 and October 15 1963 someone concluded that Oswald's participation in the plot was desirable and they decided to recruit him. Those people had access to all the latest intelligece information on him, knew he was no longer on the watch list and they possessed the influence necessary to help him get the job at the Book Depository. That should narrow down the number of suspects.