W. Niederhut

Here's a story for "untold" history buffs... 🤥 Obits Blackout Claims That Reagan Conspired to Keep Hostages in Iran Until After 1980 Election Obituaries for Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, Iran’s first post-revolution president, largely left out his claims about the “October Surprise.” https://theintercept.com/2021/10/11/bani-sadr-reagan-iran-hostages-october-surprise/ October 11, 2021

Robert, Sorry to hear about your health issues. Best wishes. Regarding your question, I do believe that public knowledge, and acknowledgement, of the truth about President Kennedy's assassination would be beneficial for the future of the country. It would be a step toward breaking down the systemic denial of truth by our military industrial media complex, which I view as a major threat to a healthy, informed, democratic society. The American people have been repeatedly manipulated and misled by the M$M and the military industrial complex. George Orwell's work has been singularly prophetic on the subject.

Addendum Sicknick death ruled 'natural' but experts say stress can set off strokes https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/health/sicknick-death-natural-strokes/index.html

Sad story. Speaking of rock 'n roll history, has anyone heard from our resident rock 'n roll historian, Cliff Varnell? He hasn't posted anything on the forum for quite awhile. I hope Cliff is o.k.

Ben, I must confess that you have an unusual ability to completely ignore rebuttals and refutations of your oft-repeated talking points-- e.g., regarding the conflicting FBI assessments about January 6th, Brian Sicknick's anomalous death, etc. So, I won't repeat them. Billionaire Phillip Anschutz's right wing propaganda mouthpiece, The Washington Examiner, has aggressively promoted the narrative that the January 6th insurrection was, 1) not coordinated by Trump, Bannon, Roger Stone, et.al., and 2) was not an insurrection. IMO, a subscription to the Washington Examiner could be useful in the event of a future pandemic-related toilet paper shortage. As for the planning of Trump's January 6th insurrection, hopefully, more information will be uncovered by the Congressional investigation-- although Trump is aggressively stonewalling the subpoenas currently. We know that Steve Bannon has stated publicly that he was involved in planning the January 6th insurrection with Trump, himself. And FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to Congress in March that there was evidence that the January 6th attack on Congress was coordinated by "die hard members of the Trump attack force." At the very least, the FBI has given us mixed messages about the insurrection. See, for example... Is the FBI telling us the truth about the Jan. 6 coup attempt? Because it doesn't feel that way Reports from FBI and DHS suggest a dangerous rift in law enforcement over the Jan. 6 coup plot. We need the truth https://www.salon.com/2021/08/26/is-the-fbi-telling-us-the-truth-about-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-because-it-doesnt-feel-that-way/

Ron, Good old Randy California! Yes, indeed, Spirit and I go way back-- to 1968. I was never wild about their song, 1984, but I still listen to their old Family That Plays Together album.

Ben, Here are some old references on the subject of police complicity in the strange, lax security at the Capitol on January 6th. Many Capitol Police actually facilitated the Trump mob attack on Congress. And let's not forget that Mitch McConnell was the Senate Majority Leader on January 6th-- not Schumer. 1) Capitol Police official gave directions to pursue only 'anti-Trump' protesters on January 6th An investigation found an official's radio transmission to "all outside units' attention" that they should not be "looking for any pro-Trump in the crowd" www.politico.com/news/2021/04/21/capitol-officer-investigated-antitrump-protestors-484048 April 21, 2021 2) Several Capitol police officers suspended, more than a dozen under investigation www.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-police-officers-suspended/2021/01/11/0ee0e422-545f-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html January 11, 2021 Several U.S. Capitol Police officers have been suspended and more than a dozen others are under investigation for suspected involvement with or inappropriate support for the demonstration last week that turned into a deadly riot at the Capitol, according to members of Congress, police officials and staff members briefed on the developments. Eight separate investigations have been launched into the actions of Capitol officers, according to one congressional aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the status of the internal review. In one of the cases, officers had posted what Capitol Police investigators found to be messages showing support for the rally on Wednesday that preceded the attack on the complex, including touting President Trump’s baseless contention that the election had been stolen through voter fraud, the aide said. Investigators in another instance found that a Capitol officer had posted “inappropriate” images of President-elect Joe Biden on a social media account. The aide declined to describe the photographs. 3) I’ve Experienced U.S. Capitol Security Firsthand — And It Was Nothing Like The Rioters Saw I was in the Capitol when disabled protesters were dragged out of their wheelchairs. Last week, rioters strolled right in www.huffpost.com/entry/capitol-riot-trump-supporters_n_5ffc70ebc5b691806c4b11df January 12, 2021 Excerpt "The treatment my friends and I experience at the Capitol as advocates and activists stands in stark contrast with the way the Proud Boys and other rioters were treated on Jan. 6. Whereas I have come to expect metal detectors and strict enforcement of the rules that have kept the Capitol safe for over 200 years, the Capitol Police opened barricades for the rioters and waved them in despite their display of such overt symbols of hate as the Confederate flag and a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt. This insurrection mounted by domestic terrorists at the urging of a sitting president was planned well in advance. Plans to “Storm the Capitol” were discussed on social media. Trump himself tweeted, “Big protest on January 6th. Be there, will be wild.” As we all saw, it was indeed wild. As the insurrection unfolded, the Capitol Police seemed to be sparse and taken by surprise. In a city known for mass protests, a city that knows how to prepare, this complete lack of security was unthinkable. This was no ordinary protest, either. The insurrectionists showed up with bombs and assault weapons. Their plans included not just stopping the certification of an election that was conducted freely and fairly without any evidence of fraud, but to do so by force. Even more concerning, the insurrection was planned for a day when both Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the first and second people in line for succession to the presidency, were present in the Capitol, and there were explicit calls to “Hang Mike Pence.” I have lived in D.C. for over 20 years and have never been afraid of going to protest or just being near one. This was different, in no small part because of the way the rioters seemed to be treated like honored guests, posing for selfies on the Senate dais and parading through the halls of the House with the speaker’s lectern. It’s hard to reconcile these images with my own experiences of entering the Capitol under tight security. For more than 200 years, the Capitol has been a solemn place of democracy. I do not always like what happens in the Capitol, but its halls have always been a place for serious reflection and action. They have always been secure. On Jan. 6, the lackluster response to rioting Trump supporters put democracy in peril, and, at times, the Capitol looked more like the scene of a frat party than the seat of the United States Congress. To those of us who live in D.C., another contrast was blatant. Just months earlier, when Black Lives Matter protests filled the streets of the city demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the countless other Black lives lost to senseless police violence, we saw how D.C. can quickly mobilize a large and terrifying force when it has the will to do so. For the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer, the National Guard was activated almost immediately. One of the most chilling sights from that time was the heavily armed, unmarked federal agents in military uniforms throughout the city. When it came to Black Lives Matter protests, no show of power and might was too much. Law enforcement did not hesitate to use force or make arrests. Most notably, the National Guard tear-gassed a mostly Black, completely peaceful gathering in Lafayette Park across from the White House for the sole purpose of allowing Trump to take a photo of himself in front of a church holding a Bible backward. This disparity in the way white supremacist terrorists and Black Lives Matter protesters were treated was blatant enough to be noted by President-elect Joe Biden when he said that “no one can tell me that if that had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday, they wouldn’t have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol.” Yet I do not expect anything to change. The Proud Boys have been emboldened by the reception they got in Washington on Jan. 6, which fell just short of a warm welcome. White extremist groups are openly planning another attack the week of Jan. 20 when President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in to office, and The FBI has warned of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals. Across the city, neighbors are urging one another to take down Airbnb listings and to remove Black Lives Matter signs and rainbow flags from their windows for fear of being targeted. It could not be clearer that there are different rules for domestic terrorists who are white and Black Lives Matter activists and their allies. Even the regular rules that apply to ordinary activists and advocates like me were swept aside. There has been no clear rebuke of the president’s role in inciting this insurrection and the deaths it caused, no sanction for shaking our democracy to its core. On Jan. 6, there was a choice not to be prepared, to go easy on the white domestic terrorists who infiltrated the Capitol. There can be no clearer sign of who we are as a nation."

Ben, Have you looked into the question of why the Capitol was so poorly defended on January 6th-- especially when the FBI had informants in the ranks of the insurrectionists? How do you explain that? The latest story is the recent report that the National Park police on the Washington mall were overwhelmed by the Trump mob as early as 9:00 AM-- and had, apparently, been told to stand down. Have you considered the possibility that Trump and his staff-- including Chris Miller-- deliberately failed to protect Congress and the Vice President from the Trump mob that was determined to block certification of the election?

Ron, These Orwellian WaPo authors insist that there is only one true answer per quiz question. So, on 1) they acknowledge that the FBI "kept tabs" on MLK, but insist that Oswald was a lone assassin in Dallas. On 2) they acknowledge Iran Contra but not the GOP voter roll purges, Brooks Brothers Riot, or butterfly ballots in 2000. On 3) they acknowledge the MK-Ultra LSD experiments. 4) None of the above. 5) They acknowledge the syphilis experiments on the Tuskegee Airmen but deny Trump's campaign contacts with Kremlin officials in 2016-- Veselnitskaya, Kilimnik, Lavrov, et.al. 6) They acknowledge Exxon's climate change denial but not the existence of a "Deep State" or any Rothschild type influence on geopolitical affairs.

Here's the remainder of the quiz.* But you have to click on the answers to get WaPo's "correct" answers to the quiz questions. According to WaPo; 1) Oswald was definitely a lone assassin, 2) there is no "Deep State," 3) Russia didn't help put Trump in the White House in 2016-- because Robert Mueller couldn't find definitive evidence that the pardoned perjurer Paul Manafort "colluded" with Konstantin Kilimnik, etc. 4) Nor did Republicans steal the 2000 election from Al Gore. What a relief... 🤥 * 2/6 Partisanship plays a role in what people believe: Both Republicans and Democrats are prone to believe conspiracy theories that make the other party look bad. Can you pick the true statement — or will you be blinded by party loyalty? Republicans cheated their way to win the 2000, 2004 and 2016 presidential elections. Hillary Clinton conspired to provide Russia with nuclear materials. During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, government officials secretly and illegally sold weapons to Iran, and used the money to fund Nicaraguan revolutionaries. Barack Obama faked his citizenship to become president. Conspiracy theories follow a simple formula Powerful people + Use deceitful or shadowy means + Benefit themselves or harm the public Barack Obama faked his citizenship to become president. Donald Trump faked having covid-19 to help his chances at reelection. Hillary Clinton conspired to give Russia access to nuclear materials. Real-world events sometimes follow this formula as well. Example: The Reagan administration acted secretly and illegally in the Iran-contra affair, and the FBI did spy on King. But the key difference is that these real incidents are backed up by evidence, facts and witnesses. Conspiracy theories are different. They’re just theories. Most have no evidence to support them. They often connect unrelated facts to create an impression of plausibility. Yet almost everyone believes at least one. According to Enders, “One thing I notice a lot in talking to colleagues, journalists and students — people don’t realize that a lot of people just believe weird stuff. A lot of this commotion about conspiracy theories, especially in the last four or five years, is fueled by this complete misunderstanding of the basic contours of public opinion.” Story continues below advertisement 3/6 Conspiracy theorists commonly seize on subjects that most people have little expertise in, such as health and science, and therefore cannot easily be debunked. Half of Americans believe one of the claims in the list below, but only one is backed by evidence. Which of these is true? The dangers of genetically modified foods are being hidden from the public. The U.S. government secretly dosed Americans with LSD in an attempt to develop mind control technology. The AIDS virus was created and spread around the world on purpose by a secret organization. The coronavirus was purposely created and released by powerful people as part of a conspiracy. 4/6 Some conspiracy theories are like astrology — entertaining nonsense that ultimately doesn’t hurt anyone. But some are bizarre, sinister or downright offensive. Which of these statements, if any, is correct? School shootings, such as those in Newtown, Conn., and Parkland, Fla., are “false flag” attacks perpetrated by the government. The number of Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II has been exaggerated on purpose. Satanic sex traffickers control the government. None of the above Some of these theories are transparently absurd: The Holocaust was not exaggerated, mass shootings were not faked, and Satan worshippers don’t control the government. But the least believable conspiracy theories can have the biggest consequences. Holocaust deniers and believers in “false flag” theories often support political violence and exhibit sociopathic personality traits. Many of the rioters involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol showed some allegiance to QAnon — a belief system built on conspiracy theories about Satanists. Most Americans aren’t drawn to these dark ideas — instead, they more casually rely on false theories to explain tragedies including terrorist attacks or presidential deaths; or they enjoy nasty rumors about their political opponents. The belief in one false theory does not necessarily mean the belief in an alternate reality. But it sometimes can. As Enders told us: "The political and psychological and social motivations that fuel beliefs in conspiracy theories are shared among all people.” Story continues below advertisement 5/6 Let’s try another one: Which of the three statements below is true? The U.S. government knew hundreds of Black men in Alabama had syphilis, but told them they had “bad blood” and withheld treatment as part of a medical experiment. President Donald Trump faked having covid-19 in order to help his chances at reelection. Donald Trump colluded with Russians to steal the presidency in 2016. 6/6 Conspiracy theories often help powerful people — sometimes by putting other powerful people in the crosshairs, or by playing on prejudices. Which of these statements is correct? A powerful family, the Rothschilds, through their wealth, controls governments, wars and many countries’ economies. There is a “deep state” embedded in the government that operates in secret and without oversight. Fossil fuel companies like Exxon knew about climate change for decades, but spread misinformation about the issue to deflect blame and influence environmental policies. Even reasonable people fall for conspiracy theories. During George W. Bush’s presidency, half of Democrats said Bush let the 9/11 attacks happen so he could start wars. Two-thirds of Republicans believe the “big lie” — that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. These theories have consequences. Since the 2020 election, Republicans have pursued election “audits” — recounts aimed at casting doubt on Joe Biden’s win. Other conspiracy theories, such as anti-vaccine narratives, threaten public health. Eventually, you’ll run into a conspiracy theory that appeals to you politically or psychologically. So be careful and double-check your sources — or you could fall down the rabbit hole, too. Story continues below advertisement

My apologies, Norman. To grasp the absurdity of the article, you need to answer the quiz questions. For example, if you click "True" on the question about a conspiracy to kill JFK, you get the following WaPo response. I. Let’s get started: Which of the statements below is true? Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire accused of running an elite sex trafficking ring, was murdered to cover up the activities of his criminal network. President John F. Kennedy was killed by a conspiracy rather than by a lone gunman. The FBI kept tabs on civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., attempting to find compromising information and damage his reputation. Regardless of who is officially in charge of the government and other organizations, there is a single group of people who secretly control events and rule the world together. Wrong. The evidence is clear: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone to assassinate President Kennedy. But 44 percent of Americans believe this theory, and half of Americans think Epstein was murdered. A third of Americans think a secret cabal controls the world. The correct answer: The FBI surveilled the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and attempted to damage his reputation among key supporters. Percentage of people who believe the conspiracy theory about... Epstein didn’t kill himself 50% JFK killed by a conspiracy 44% One secret group controls the world35%

I was having a good day today, before reading this ridiculous front page article at the Washington Post. I could feel my blood pressure rising as I read it. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Oswald was a Lone Assassin... 😬 (Re-printing the first section for WaPo non-subscribers.) Will you fall into the conspiracy theory rabbit hole? Take our quiz and find out. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2021/conspiracy-theory-quiz/ October 6, 2021 Who believes in conspiracy theories? Statistically speaking: almost everyone. A team of researchers recently showed several thousand Americans a list of 20 common conspiracy theories and asked if they believed them. These included false conspiracy theories about the John F. Kennedy assassination, 5G cellular wireless technology, Barack Obama’s birth certificate, covid-19 and climate change. The result: Nine in 10 Americans believed in at least one conspiracy theory. The study — led by Adam Enders of the University of Louisville and Joseph Uscinski of the University of Miami — surveyed a representative sample of 2,023 Americans in March 2020 and 2,015 more in October 2020. This article uses questions from their surveys to test your knowledge — and your credulity. So, can you tell fact from fiction, or will you fall down the rabbit hole? Scroll down to find out. 1/6 Let’s get started: Which of the statements below is true? Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire accused of running an elite sex trafficking ring, was murdered to cover up the activities of his criminal network. President John F. Kennedy was killed by a conspiracy rather than by a lone gunman. The FBI kept tabs on civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., attempting to find compromising information and damage his reputation. Regardless of who is officially in charge of the government and other organizations, there is a single group of people who secretly control events and rule the world together.

Yes, and the worst thing about Pence's latest bovine excrement about January 6th is that he knew that Trump and Eastman were conspiring to block the certification of the election. He was in the room with them. The man should have the decency to tell the truth, instead of piously lying his a-- off. 🤥

Geez... No wonder Pence draws flies... 🤥

Chris, You might be interested in a book that I read a few years ago, written by a fellow at the National Holocaust Museum, about the influence of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen on Hitler-- Ibsen and Hitler: The Playwright, the Plagiarist, and the Plot for the Third Reich. It turns out that Hitler was obsessed with the plays of Henrik Ibsen, which had a major influence on his worldview. One of his deranged, early mentors in the N-a-z-i Party, Dietrich Eckart, was a translator of Ibsen's Peer Gynt, and the term, "Third Reich" was borrowed from Ibsen's play, Emperor and Galilean, based on the reign of the Roman Emperor Julian "the Apostate." At his trial following the Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler stated that his occupation was, "Master Builder," the title of another Ibsen play. https://www.amazon.com/Ibsen-Hitler-Playwright-Plagiarist-Third/dp/0786719354

Ben, How man of Trump's January 6th insurrectionists at the Capitol were arrested (and searched) on January 6th? Weren't most of them tracked down and arrested after the event? It seems like you're still having trouble getting an insurrection... 🤥

Chris, From what I have read on the subject, recruitment by Hitler, Goebbels, and the nascent N-a-z-i Party prior to 1932 was based mainly on resentment and grandiose appeals to nationalism, racism, and paranoia-- fascism. The main identified enemies of the N-a-z-i Party were Jews and liberal socialists in the Weimar Republic. Hitler's early support was strongest in the ranks of right wing ex-military and police types who comprised the SA-- eerily similar to Trump's hard core militant base in the U.S. today. Ultimately, the capitalists and wealthy industrialists in Germany-- I.G. Farben, Krupps, et.al.-- aligned themselves with the N-a-z-i-s, because they viewed them as a fascist bulwark against communism.

Trump Extremists Brought Numerous Guns on January 6th, Evidence Shows Rioters at the Capitol carried concealed pistols, allegedly stockpiled weapons nearby, and called for overthrowing the US government. https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2021/09/trump-extremists-guns-january-6-insurrection-congress-domestic-terrorism/

Larry, From what I can discern, Prouty wasn't officially appointed by McNamara as the Joint Chiefs' chief liaison to the CIA for Special Operations until 1962, although, he had, apparently, worked with the CIA in some capacity (within the USAF) after 1955. In fact, he had been decorated and promoted in the USAF for his meritorious service to the CIA by 1961. The only thing I recall reading in Prouty's own memoirs about the Bay of Pigs was his observation of McGeorge Bundy's phone call to JFK nixing supplemental U.S. air strikes, (after the failure of the initial Cuban air strikes from Nicaragua.) It doesn't sound like managing Naval arrangements for the Bay of Pigs flotilla would have been Prouty's specialty (or responsibility) in April of 1961. Perhaps he was later blamed by Bissell & Co. for failing to provide conventional air support for the Bay of Pigs landing that had been nixed by JFK?

Is anyone else having trouble with the playback on this Parallax View interview? Not sure if the problem is with my laptop, or with Mozilla Firefox.

Larry, Just to clarify, are these details (above) about the true history of the Bay of Pigs described in your book, In Denial, or in a different text? I had never heard about the forced use of commercial Cuban vessels in the botched Bay of Pigs assault before reading your posts today. Shocking that they coerced civilian crews into a theater of combat. Equally shocking that the general public still hasn't heard about the true history of the Bay of Pigs. At the same time, it sounds like the story I read somewhere about GHWB, the Bay of Pigs, and the good ship Barbara is bunk.

Thanks for the feedback, Larry. It sounds like I need to read Someone Would Have Talked. I'm a latecomer to the JFKA research literature and, as I've read various books-- good and bad-- I've tended to formulate paradigms/theories then look for evidence that confirms my paradigms. 🤥 The Allen Dulles/Ruth Paine nexus reached out and grabbed me at some point, along with the evidence that Dulles aggressively pitched the "Lone Nut" narrative up front to the Warren Commission. And, as you pointed out at the end of Tipping Point, Dulles and Angleton may have been involved on some level with the JMWave assassination plot. After all, the "Bay of Pigs thing" led directly to the official demise of Allen Dulles. As for "Mr. George Bush of the CIA," have you and David Boylan ever found any JMWave files or cryptonyms linked to GHWB or Zapata Offshore and the anti-Castro Cubans? I'm still wondering about the evidence that GHWB was in Dallas on 11/22/63, and was de-briefed by J. Edgar Hoover on 11/29/63 about the aborted FBI investigation of JFK's murder. Regarding Bush and the Cubans, I think it was Russ Baker, in Family of Secrets, who mentioned that one of the transport ships involved in the Bay of Pigs attack was named The Barbara.

As is often the case, I'm behind the curve here on the forum when it comes to reading new books. BUT, I just finished reading Tipping Point, and had a number of questions. The book is terrific, and I learned a lot about the anti-Castro Cubans and their CIA associates. The book certainly makes a compelling case for their direct role in the assassination op. One of the most compelling bits of evidence unearthed was John Martino's foreknowledge of the impending assassination-- even to the extent that he kept his son home from school on 11/22/63, instructing him to keep his eye on the television news. My questions are mainly about how the mechanics of the assassination plot outlined in Tipping Point relate to evidence of a higher level CIA role in the handling of Oswald, Dealey Plaza "security," and the scrubbing of evidence (e.g., the limo, JFK's corpse, etc.) 1) For example, didn't apparent CIA asset Ruth Paine arrange for Oswald's employment at the TSBD in October of 1963? If so, isn't the implication that Oswald's role in the assassination op was being handled by the CIA at a level other than JMWave and the Cuban assassins? And why did Oswald try to call a handler/cut out in Raleigh, N.C. after his arrest? 2) Does CIA asset Earl Cabell's involvement in the motorcade route also imply higher level CIA management of the op? 3) Who had the authority to order the scrubbing and removal of the limo? The confiscation of JFK's corpse? Doesn't that also imply a higher level of CIA management than the JMWave-affiliated Cuban assassin team? 4) The Tipping Point material on Hal Hendrix and the post-assassination JMWave Oswald propaganda was informative. But what about C.D. Jackson's purchase of the Zapruder film? Doesn't the handling of the Zapruder film (and shredded story boards described in Tipping Point) also point to higher level CIA management of the op?

Geez, Ben... talk about an alleged failure of intelligence. The DHS saw no evidence of illegal activity? I didn't watch news coverage of the January 6th attack live because I was skiing that day, but I was probably one of the few people on the planet who didn't know that illegal activity was occurring at the Capitol. One person who, obviously, knew about the attack on Congress was Donald Trump. According to Bob Woodward's new book, Trump ignored requests for intervention* on January 6th while gleefully watching the attacks on television. No wonder Trump is now suing to block Congress from seeing his January 6th phone records... 🤥 * Trump ignored pleas to intervene during Capitol riot and kept watching the violence unfold on TV instead www.businessinsider.com/trump-ignored-plea-stop-capitol-rioters-kept-watching-tv-book-2021-9