Benjamin Cole

It was those people out on bond from the Jan. 6 insurrection. They put on blackface and pretended to Haitians, down by the border. Including the confirmed "informant."

Larry-- Of course, you are asking all the questions a sensible, smart person would ask. Because you are a sensible, smart person. I can tell you I have made some truly rotten decisions along the way (nothing illegal), that when I look back, I ask, "Did I have rocks in my head?" Or, "Why, did I ever believe that?" Or "Why did I trust that person?" LHO was in a dead-end job, had no academic education that would lead to law degree etc., wasn't getting promoted in his intel work, had a dishonorable discharge, was losing wife and kids in part due to money problems....yet was the sort to take risks---see Russia, see the Walker shooting. He was also only 24, and needed a boost forward if he was not going to spend decades and decades in mundane, low-pay work. Maybe LHO make a big mistake.

Yes, Newman's work, the series for the FFF, is completely fascinating history. Newman knows his stuff, and is a real historian. Some researchers are more comfortable with documents, and avoiding confrontations, and others like to engage people personally, even challenge sources. That said, if anybody is essentially going to publicly discredit another person's statement, you owe that person a phone call, a chance to tell their side of the story. That applies left- or right-wing, pro- or anti- lone nut, whatever. That is good journalism, good practice, courtesy, fair play.

Excellent review. John Newman does have a dark, and sometimes even peevish, assessment of Antonio Veciana. Newman has said Veciana first referred to a "Morris Bishop" in interviews, but later to a "Maurice Bishop," as if this was a telltale clue of fakery. Veciana's native language is Spanish. After 40 years, Veciana might have been off on some dates. We also know that Bill Harvey backdated documents, and falsified others, as standard operating procedure. Primary research on documents is a necessity, but when those documents come from the CIA....take with a grain of salt. Newman is an outstanding and steady researcher. I agree the long diversion into 1960s civil rights actions is not necessary. I gather no one edits Newman's works. For the general reader, as usual, we end up in a muddle: Did Veciana meet David Atlee Phillips, in the company of LHO, or not?

Seven Days in May, shot in crisp b/w, is a great film. Shot in the White House too. Somehow I watched it on the Internet...can't remember how...for free too.

OK, I will construct a scenario I do not agree with...but here goes: The CIA is running LHO, and has him in play. But LHO wants some real assignments, and some money. He is moving boxes around at the TBSD, hardly any better than radio-factory work in Russia. OK, so the hit squad from Miami approaches LHO. They give him the respect he does not get from HQ, but they also tell him HQ is behind the JFKA, due to Cuba and other JFK weakness. The Miami guys need LHO as a decoy, and a patsy, and they promise him a new life in South America, as a bleached blond with a nose job. LHO's job is to fire a rifle from the Sixth Floor, and leave behind evidence to throw off the investigation, and then leave the TSBD to get a plane ride to Buenos Aires. The real assassins are on the Dal-Tex roof. The Grassy Knoll smoke-and-bang is another diversion But LHO's ride from the TBSD goes bad. Maybe something so trivial as a car breaks down. LHO looks for his ride...concludes he has been hung out to dry. LHO goes home gets his gun, sadly runs into Tippit, then hides in the Texas Theater...then LHO gets gunned down to keep him quiet. Well, it is a scenario outside the box....

Kilroy (was here): I like to say there isn't single straight line in the entire JFKA. I am working on a story regarding Connally's clothing from that day. A pulp fiction novel is more believable. By far.

I largely concur with you. You cannot make LHO the patsy (at least immediately) if he is on the sidewalk waving at the President. True, the rifle alone might lead to him being considered a suspect and a co-conspirator. But then the government is left with finding the other conspirators. LHO's mysterious wallets and mail order guns add to the clues. Larry Hancock, based upon real and circumspect research, posits the real shooters did not care if it became known there were multiple shooters or not. They just wanted to kill JFK and escape. Which they did. Which leaves LHO as something of a fifth wheel. Unfortunately, the CIA guy in charge of assassinations, Bill Harvey, conducted paperless meetings with oblique language, and even created fake paper trails. So reading through documents is likely a dead end. At his late date, we end up in a cul-de-sac , with only speculation as to the actual perps....

I think I agree. So...if LHO was just doing his job and was totally uninvolved with the JFKA...then why go home and get his pistol? And if LHO knew nothing about the JFKA...why did Ruby gun him down? It sure looks like LHO was involved...probably as a patsy, but perhaps as part of multiple shooters at JFK. Somebody was shooting at JFK from the TSBD.

"So...what if all those elements were true and not fictional, made up after the fact. Step into that box and revisit the Walker shooting, the photos, the letter and ask yourself, is this Oswald really becoming a radical, or is it all a process for building his value for intelligence purposes, either collections or propaganda? And if you pick one, think about what was supposed to happen next if it wasn't just Oswald becoming a radical - and why the WC didn't go full bore with painting the above picture for the public?"--LH Can you re-phrase the question? My take is there was a biography build on LHO. He himself was conflicted or just cynical, or even just youthful and academically uneducated (though certainly smart enough). Maybe willing to change views for a new paymaster. In a troubled marriage.

Sandy L- Thanks for your comments. 1. The wallet. Oh, I agree, that wallet was planted at the Tippit murder scene. There is the video, and the FBI agent commentary. The evidence inside the wallet is too pat for a comic book, let alone a pulp detective novel. And then to be left at the scene? So who planted the wallet? If a small CIA-assassin-squad came from Miami to Dallas and LHO was not in the loop...the assassination squad came to Dallas prepared with a fake wallet? Maybe so....seems like a stretch. 2. https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/27058-general-edwin-walker-lee-harvey-oswald-the-bad-shot-and-the-dog-that-didn’t-bark / The above is my take on the Walker shooting. I contend the Walker shot was obviously an intentional miss, and a biography builder. Most likely LHO had a ride. I have no proof, but hear me out. 3. OK, if LHO knew nothing at all about the JFKA on Nov. 22, totally clueless and just working his day job packing boxes (although LHO was likely a military-COA intel aset in Russia, New Orleans and elsewhere)...why did he leave the TBSD and take a taxi, go home and get his gun? Why did LHO not assume some punks or right-wing kooks, mobsters, etc., had taken a potshot at JFK, and it did not concern him? Sheesh, he could have walked home from the TBSD if he just wanted to leave work (less than two miles, and LHO was 24, and the day was not hot). 4. If LHO knew nothing at all about the JFKA, what beans could he spill? LHO might be able to convince someone somewhere he had in the past been a military-intel asset, or informant, although no records of that. Then what? LHO, with able counsel, might have been able to avoid a guilty verdict. But so what? He had no beans to spill (if totally uninvolved), except that he had been a government informant, but can't prove it? No, the reason LHO had to be killed and quickly...logically...was that he knew a lot about what happened on Nov. 22. That implies participation. I posit unwitting participation, but enough participation he had to be eliminated. Larry Hancock may soon flesh out this troubling question, of LHO's role in the JFKA. This is my take: https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/27073-towards-a-simple-plausible-yet-explanatory-conspiracy-theory/ That's my story and I am sticking with it.

I agree.

I am eagerly awaiting Red Bird. The connection between LHO and the Miami hit squad needs the sort of reasonable, informed, circumspect, grounded explanation that a Larry Hancock can deliver. It sure seems LHO was involved in the JFKA, but at what level? We will just have to wait and see what Red Bird says. 1. But what about that wallet at the Tippit crime scene? 2. My contention is that the Walker shooting was a test of LHO, and an intentional miss, and a biography builder. Meaning someone was directing LHO with an intention to later involve LHO in....? Was it happenstance that somebody in the CIA had plans for LHO, while the CIA-Miami hit squad were doping out their plans? 3. It sure looks like either LHO was guilty, or deduced he was the patsy within moments of the shooting. Going home to get his gun, even by taxi. Does this suggest LHO was deeply involved in the JFKA? 4. LHO knew enough that somebody wanted him dead. That suggests involvement in the JFKA too. If LHO was just working his day job, knew nothing Nov. 22, then why murder him? There were no beans for LHO to spill. And to re-affirm, I do not suspect Larry Hancock is a powerful and sinister force in America.

What an entirely depressing article.

Chuck S- Yes, Jeff Morley is another dedicated, smart and serious JFKA researcher. The CIA, beyond debate, did not cooperate with the WC or HSCA investigations, and in fact engaged in obfuscation. If a CIA hit team was dispatched from Miami to Dallas, rogue or otherwise, I contend they must have worked with LHO. LHO was involved enough that somebody wanted him dead post-JFKA, and also many witnesses saw shots fired from the TBSD, in which LHO worked, and also in which nobody saw LHO at the time of the gunshots. LHO's behavior post-JFKA strikes me as someone who is running, and that means he is guilty or had deduced he was a patsy. I suspect the latter. Side note: One thing is you can't have it is both ways. "LHP was totally innocent, but was also running to the Texas Theater to meet a co-conspirator." That doesn't make sense. If LHO was in fact trying to meet a ride, getaway man or contact at the TT, then he must have been a party, unwitting even, to the JFKA. That also meant co-conspirators knew how to tip off the DPD as to LHO's location. My guess is LHO was simply trying to hide in a dark theater, and wait until dark. The best, bad option. His brains may have been fried at the point.

Ron B. Of course, you are correct. I was speaking tongue-in-cheek about Larry Hancock as a powerful, sinister figure. I concur, at least three shots were fired at JFK and JBC more rapidly that can be accounted for by a single-shot bolt action rifle. In my book, that is a conspiracy. Despite the best efforts of shrewd and tireless researchers, the outlines of the JFKA conspiracy are unclear. We have suspects....

I have just re-read Tipping Point, and think it a very worthwhile read, even if it will disappoint some readers as an incomplete picture of the JFKA. The reason the picture is uncomplete is because the real picture is incomplete. We know why the picture is incomplete, and it is not Larry Hancock's fault (unless Hancock is a far larger and more sinister figure than imagined). I have a theory that no JFKA theory can proven, but I cannot prove my theory.

Ditto. The important thing is first, and that is several days of discussion about AOC's dress. Now that that is out of the way, perhaps we can discuss transparency in democracy and disclosure as required by law.

Chuck S.-- Yes, it seems probable, close to certain, that the CIA was using LHO prior to the JFKA, and building a biography around him, based upon the work of Newman and others. I suspect the CIA's plan was to use LHO in a false-flag fake (intentionally unsuccessful) JFKA. However, Larry Hancock, who has spent a long time on the JFKA and also looked at a lot of primary materials, is more prone to a JFKA explanation that a group working out of Miami's giant CIA base, and Cuban exiles, organized a real JFKA. See his Tipping Point book. The connection between LHO and the Miami hit squad is muddy, even with Hancock's insights. Moreover, there is no provable connection between the Miami hit squad and CIA HQ----Bill Harvey's standard operating procedures were to keep no paper records, to speak in oblique terms, and create false paper trails to boot. In addition, many documents have been destroyed in the meantime. Dulles, Angleton, Harvey, Helms, et al, are all dead now, and cannot be cross-examined. Of course, one can have dark suspicions, but suspicions are not facts. As a result, it is opaque whether the CIA hit on JFK was sanctioned even tacitly at higher levels, or was a rogue operation. Larry Hancock, if I read Tipping Point correctly, is open to the idea the JFKA was tacitly sanctioned at higher levels. I still hold out that the JFKA could have been a CIA HQ tacitly sanctioned false-flag but fake assassination attempt that got out control. Unfortunately, I am limited to what is online for my research, as I live offshore. That's my story and I am sticking with it.

I am with Joe B. I don't understand the photo or the Ida Dox drawing at all, or the x-rays or anything. The Parkland doctors said there was a blowout in the back of the head. They have no reason to lie, and seem earnest. Then you see this photo and drawing, or the x-rays. Like everything about the JFKA, it is screwy.

Paul- Certainly, distrust of official narratives in the JFKA is warranted. I cannot prove my views. But I am cautious about JFKA counter-narratives that require multiplying numbers of complicit actors, such as (in the immediate example), the officers in the Texas Theater arrest. OK, maybe the three or four officers involved in the arrest, and possibly a few theater patrons, lied and kept quiet over the years. Then the DPD fabricated his statement he had a pistol, requiring an additional set of XXXXX. Others participated in planting a gun on him. At some point, I sense credulity is stretched. The official narrative, regarding LHO arming himself, seems likely true.

Hi Paul: Maybe the "LHO was armed" story was fabricated, but there seems to have been a lot of witnesses in the Texas Theater. LHO appears to have acknowledged he was armed in the (unrecorded) interviews with the DPD. We do have a conflict in much the rehashing of the LHO stories. 1. If LHP was totally innocent on Nov. 22, not a party to anything, just doing his job that day (although an erstwhile intel asset) then why would he rendezvous with anybody post-JFKA? There would be nobody to rendezvous with. 2. OK, if LHO was a party to the real assassination, maybe somebody would be at the Texas Theater to take him offshore or to a safehouse. But that strikes me as a weak plan. A simple car leaving Dealey Plaza would work a lot better. There were no road-blocks out of Dallas. 3. If (as I suspect) LHO believed he was part of a false-flag op to unsuccessfully assassinate the President, then likely he would not meet anyone at the Texas Theater, correctly deducing he had just been made the patsy in a real assassination by his colleagues. LHO appears to have known that he had been made the patsy almost immediately, which is why he went home, had the taxi drop him a few blocks from his room, and then got his revolver. LHO's best option at that point, but still very bad option, would be to hide in the theater until dark outside. LHO's frame of mind was fried at that point, and so he snuck into the theater, rather than just paying. My guess is that if the DPD was "in on the JFKA" they could have shot LHO dead in the theater. That's my story I am sticking with it.

If we assume that LHO was a patsy and knew it, then the last place he would go would be to a pre-arranged rendezvous with the people who just made him a patsy. He might well determine that would be a lethal meeting. My guess is LHO figured out he was the patsy rather quickly, and vamoosed by the means available, and then got his gun. He knew he could not stay at home, or on city streets. A movie theatre, darkened, might the best of bad options. IMHO, LHO's leaving the TBSD and getting a gun have always signalled either guilt or involvement in the JFKA. If we rule out guilt, that means LHO was the patsy, but figured it out quickly on the basis of a few gunshots and sirens. To me, that suggests LHO was involved in some event that was supposed to happen, such as a false-flag but unsuccessful JFKA. But I am re-reading Larry Hancock's Tipping Point for pointers. The connection between LHO and a small assassination team imported into Dallas from Miami, on a very compartmentalized basis, is difficult to ascertain.

My mind is unorganized, and I still don't understand 9/11.

David A.-- My understanding of controlled building implosions is that they require multiple charges on every floor, and associated wiring to time the charges. There were 110 floors on each of the WTC big towers, and 57 floors in #7. I have no great insights to the 9/11 disaster. But when it comes to conspiracies, the smaller the number of participants, the better.