Benjamin Cole

Unfortunately, you are probably right. Biden recently referred to the filibuster rule being different when he "arrived in the Senate 120 years ago." Harris is defined only by ambition, so her decision will reflect that. And no one ever crosses the national security state if they wish forward progress in their political careers.

Nice post. You can read organizational charts, but then there is the way things really get done...

Verily, Jim Garrison got his day on national TV. On July 15, 1967, New Orleans District Attorney Garrison was given a half-hour to respond to an NBC program that was highly critical of Garrison. That will never happen again.

This is not relevant, or maybe it is, and really strange: If there were two American families further apart, intellectually, socially, economically and geographically than the Oswalds and the Bouvier-Kennedys, I would be surprised. But the Bouvier-Kennedys and Oswald had a common friend: George De Mohrenschildt. "While in New York, de Mohrenschildt became acquainted with the Bouvier family, including the young Jacqueline Bouvier, the future wife of John F. Kennedy. Jacqueline grew up calling de Mohrenschildt "Uncle George" and would sit on his knee.[19] He became a close friend of Jacqueline's aunt Edith Bouvier Beale.[20]" And Uncle George became a "friend" of the guy who (allegedly) shoots Jacqueline's husband. You can't make this stuff up. Why does anyone bother to write fiction? Real history tops the cake every time. That's why we leave fiction-writing to credentialed historians and CIA mouthpieces.

The story of what happened to Jim Garrison is one of the darkest chapters in US history and journalism. Sure, Garrison made some mistakes, undermined, as he was, by several on-staff landmines like Bethell and the weight of the US government and even state governments, which would not even grant Garrison extradition on many key participants/witnesses. To say Garrison operated on a shoestring would exaggerate his resources. Yet, Garrison on to something and in the larger picture he was right. My guess is somehow someone in the CIA fed Garrison the real dope (as much as was known), and Garrison never even betrayed a whisper of that inside information. But of course, documentation was impossible. The Garrison plan was to open up the JFKA through the aperture of Clay, Ferrie and Oswald, and some other participants/witnesses who were not called to testify as they could not be extradited. Garrison nearly won in New Orleans anyway, with several jurors afterwards saying that they had "reasonable doubt" and could not vote to convict. It is interesting that George Joannides also maintained a residence in New Orleans in 1963, when he worked out of Miami and had house and family there. It is now known the CIA maintained hundreds of contacts in US media in the 1960s, some paid off. James D's book, "Destiny Betrayed" is must reading, not just for students of the JFKA, but for anyone who is interested in US post-war US history. To understand what passes for "history" you must also understand what forces are present who are shaping academic and popular history.

Yes, I believe the record in incomplete, and most of the vital information erased by now. Remember, a lot of this stuff was never put down on paper, and if it was, it could be incinerated.

Tom-Tom: To be sure, in the intervening decades, the Walker house could have been expanded, and windows altered. Older wooden sash windows often turn to rot. I compared the present-day pictures of the Walker house to the famed Oswald photographs, and could determine nothing. I look forward to whatever you gin up. The only transcripts I know of the Walker shooting are the original DPD reports, and then the WC testimony of Walker. Add on: Walker initially thought kids had tossed a firecracker into the den where he was preparing tax forms. Walker had been in actual combat and had a long military career. We don't know by how much the Walker shot missed, but how close could it have been? Over the years, in increasingly fictionalized accounts, the Walker miss becomes narrower and narrower, and that only by lucky deflection.

Tom-Tom: Verily, I had the Sherlock Holmes story in mind, but couldn't summon it forth. Thanks for reading and the reminder. Yes, but in this case the dog didn't bark as it was sick...or poisoned. I am unaware of any overhead diagrams of the Walker house, and surroundings. The timeline is pretty well laid in police documents. Final chit-chat: The Walker house is actually up for sale presently, though I suspect it has been duded up over the decades. $4.4 million, and that is Dallas, where property is (usually) reasonably priced. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4011-Turtle-Creek-Blvd-Dallas-TX-75219/26693449_zpid/

Paul B-- Well, Walker had a lot of views on the matter. See my answer to Tony K.

Tony K: General Walker was mercurial, to put it mildly. Evidently he always believed something larger was afoot than a lone assassin, in his case or the JFKA case. In 1991, Walker authored this letter to the DPD, suggesting JFK knew LOH had taken a potshot at Walker, but set him free. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth337177/ In a strange way, Walker's knowledge of the military and government may have led him in the right direction, but down the wrong path. It truth, the executive branch of the US government, likely elements of or connected to military intel, put LOH up to shooting at Walker, and then set LOH up as the patsy in the JFKA. Walker may have still had sources in the military who related scuttlebutt to him. And the scuttlebutt was that military intel was involved in both the Walker shooting and JFKA. In my opinion, Walker erred in surmising that JFK had knowledge of CIA operations, especially an LOH operation of the type that was conducted in the twilight world between government and contractors. Side note: Walker had reason to think JFK was out to get him. RFK had Walker put into an insane asylum in 1962, for an intended 90-day observation, primarily due to Walker's extreme (and loathsome) pro-segregation viewpoints. The ACLU and others had to intervene to get Walker out.

General Edwin Walker, Lee Harvey Oswald, the Bad Shot, and The Dog That Didn’t Bark Part of the official JFKA lore is that Lee Harvey Oswald armed himself with his Mannlicher-Carano rifle on the night of April 10, 1963, and took a bus close to the Turtle Creek neighborhood of General Edwin A. Walker, then a nationally prominent right-wing political activist. Oswald then walked to behind the Walker residence, into an alley. Resting his rifle on a latticed fence about 100 feet from Walker, who was seated behind a desk inside his home in front of a large first-floor window, Oswald at 9 pm took a potshot at his target. And missed. Entirely. The shot went over Walker’s head, and into a wall. Walker, on surveying the latticed fence afterwards that evening with a lieutenant from the Dallas Police Department, remarked that the unknown would-be assassin was a “lousy shot.” A police officer reviewing the layout and shooting that night replied, “He couldn’t have missed you.” The official version is Oswald, after shooting at Walker, then “buried” his rifle somewhere, and rode a bus back home, where he confessed to wife Marina details of his expedition. Also entered into the lore was that Oswald would have struck Walker, save for a window pane that deflected his shot. But a review of the Dallas Police Department documents reveals just the opposite—whoever shot at Walker that night would have missed even more badly, save for the deflection of the window pane. First, here is a photo of the Walker window pane and the damage caused by the passing bullet. Obviously, the damage is on the lower edge of the crossbar of the wind plane, and likely would have deflected the bullet lower. And that is how the Dallas Police Department saw it. “Officers observed a bullet of unknown caliber, steel jacket, had been shot through the window, piercing the frame of the window and going into the wall above comp's (Walker’s) head,” according to DPD report filed on April 10 (italics added). The report continues, “The bullet struck the window frame near center looking device. From the point where the bullet hit the window frame to the point where it struck the wall is a downward trajectory.” It is hard to escape the conclusion that whoever shot at Walker would have missed by even more, except for the deflection. The shooter missed Walker from a distance of about 100 feet, armed with a rifle resting on a fence for support. Careful readers will also note that a “steel-jacket” bullet was found at the scene of the Walker shooting. JFKA researchers know, of course, that Oswald’s Mannlicher-Carcano used copper-jacketed ammo, from the Western Cartridge Company. One thing about cops is that they tend to know guns and ammo, and one might assume that the DPD assigned some of their best detectives to the Walker shooting, given his national prominence in 1963. But after the JFKA, the DPD sent the steel-jacketed Walker bullet, stated in police reports to be a 30.06 calibre, to the FBI. The projectile was then transformed into a 6.5 slug from the Western Cartridge Company, and copper-jacketed. In a more-innocent era, one might assume the DPD made a mistake, after all, mistakes happen, and bullet was mangled after passing through a wall in the Walker residence. But since then the profoundly dismaying history of CE 399, the “Magic Bullet,” has been revealed: the famed nearly pristine slug was almost certainly introduced into the evidentiary record within the FBI facilities in Washington. The curious “pointy head” slug found on the Parkland hospital hallway Nov. 22 has disappeared, and almost certainly had nothing to do with the JFKA anyway. So, with the Walker bullet one reasonable supposition is that the FBI again fabricated and switched in evidence, replacing the steel-jacketed projectile from Dallas with a copper-jacketed Winchester Cartridge 6.5 slug. There is much more to that evening in April 1963; for example, outside Walker’s home at least two vehicles sped from the scene in the wake of the gunfire, as seen by multiple witnesses. Also, a Walker neighbor’s dog, known as an active barker, was conveniently ill that evening. “The neighbor's dog to the east of the Walker property is a fanatical barker but on this incidence did not make a sound,” according to an April 12 DPD report. Concerning the dog, a neighbor told the DPD that, “Dr. Ruth Jackson, who lives next door to the General, has a dog that barks at everybody and everything. The night that this offense occurred Dr . Jackson's dog did not bark at suspects. Investigating Officers received further information…that Dr. Jackson's dog was very sick yesterday [the date of shooting] and is also sick today. Reason for this illness is unknown at this time.” And of course, everyone’s favorite is the backyard black-and-white photo of Walker’s house, purportedly found in Oswald’s possessions, featuring the infamous two-tone 1957 Chevrolet---with its identifying license plate mysteriously cut out. But for the purpose of this article, the WC treatment of Walker shooting is the interesting part. In all likelihood, whoever shot at Walker— Was a lousy shot, to put it mildly Or, intended to miss Or, had very faulty firearms And had accomplices None of above surfaces in the WC treatment of the Walker shooting. Indeed, the version that the “window pane deflection likely saved Walker” is allowed to survive unchallenged in the WC version of events, and grew in mass media literature over the years. My own interpretation is that Oswald was the shooter that night, had accomplices (hence the cars racing from the scene), did not use a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle, and missed intentionally. In a later, more complete article I will contend the Walker escapade was part of Oswald biography-building exercise, to practice and test Oswald’s nerve for an intentionally unsuccessful assassination attempt of a prominent figure. Evidently, Oswald passed. —30— For the DPD documents, see: https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh24/pdf/WH24_CE_2001.pdf

Peter Mellor: Excellent.

Ditto. In October, Biden can give the thumb's up or down on total release of the JFK files. I suppose it is a lost cause, but is anybody organizing an e-mail letter-writing campaign, or PR effort? Are there any prominent figures known to support full release who could write (or ghost-author) an op-ed for Wapo and the NYT? Yes, Oliver Stone, but I am thinking of someone in the business-political world.

Thanks to James DiEugenio and Matt Douhthit, and the rest of the indefatigable band of earnest researchers who have actually tried to pry the JFK assassination truth from government hands, or unyielding circumstance. There seems to be a spate of this JFKA-disinformation in the media lately, the Woolsey book and so on. My guess is that the renewed (again) JFKA disinformation campaign is groundwork for October, when Biden must decide whether to open the remaining 15,834 JFK files or not. https://jfkfacts.org/cia-director-bill-burns-will-advise-biden-on-secret-jfk-files/#more-30908 So, you see, since the WC was right, or the Russians did it, or the JFKA community is just a bunch of kooks, then it won't matter if Biden opens up the remaining JFK files. The betting is, come October, Biden will keep the JFK files from the public eye. You know, why should the voters and taxpayers see these documents? Besides, national security will collapse if these half-century-old documents are released. I can all but guarantee that the mainstream media will not make a cause celebre in October about opening up the JFK files. My congrats to the JFKA community. It's easy to win, to own or work for the New York Times, Disney or CBS, and "go along to get along." It is lot harder to get beaten every day in the mass media, and keep coming back. I know who I admire.

Very interesting post. Fascinating information.

Smedley Butler....man, oh, man. What a name, what a character, and yes, his insights remain germane to this day....

Thanks for your sentiments. On and off I have been reviewing the JFK case since it happened. The advent of the internet has really invigorated the topic. I can actually remember getting LIFE magazine (as an eight-year-old boy) in 1963-4 and reading and re-reading it as gospel on the assassination. Over the years I have always wanted to read a plausible version of events. One with only few participants. I looked at the Mob-Marcello angle for long time (as did Robert Blakey). But, when one ponders the LOH backstory, the FBI control and manipulation of evidence, the WWIII scare-story, the WC cover-up...then the Mob story looks weaker and weaker. The Mob can't do all that. My guess is, if the JFK assassination was a simple mob hit, then US investigative agencies might have actually investigated, and brought the perps to justice. John Newman seems to working on US Army intel version of the JFKA, and let's see where that goes. But he is already on record (along with Dan Hardway) that the CIA had been handling LOH for quite a while. Well, stay tuned....

Greg D.--- The mismatch in "the Mob got JFK" is in the history of LOH. As John Newman and Dan Hardway have posited, LOH was being run by the CIA, to Russia and back, then into New Orleans, and down to Mexico City and back, and possibly even into the TSBD. A biography of LOH was created, and then even the story that nuke-WWIII would break out if LOH was not painted as a leftie-loser-loner. The Mob had nothing to do with any of that. The FBI enhanced the evidence and the paper trail, and the WC---well, you know the WC story. Robert Blakely was a mob-hunter prior to the HSCA. He saw the Mob everywhere. However, you can see Youtubes later in Blakey's life, when he says he thinks Eladio Del Valle and H. Diaz were involved, and (to Blakey's credit) that he now believes the CIA badly misled him. The Mob angle, even for Blakey, is not so compelling. My guess is the CIA turned to the Mob to get LOH, after the event. The CIA has vast, but not infinite, resources. They needed LOH silenced, but who could do it? LOH was in Dallas. They put their feelers out to the Mob, with whom they had bedmates on getting Castro. That led to Ruby.

Verily, I am editing my "false-flag fake assassination version" as we speak. Everyone has their own take. If LOH was a know-nothing witless patsy, then why take a taxi home and get a gun? Why did not LOH assume right-wing loonies or a deranged nut, or even lowlife thugs took a potshot at the President? If he was uninvolved, then why worry about anything? One spooky thing was Garrison telling King, "They are going to shoot Robert Kennedy too." My guess is Garrison had a good source inside the CIA who was feeding him info.

Well...Larry King showed extraordinarily bad judgement in using $5k cash to pay his own IRS tax bill rather than delivering the cash to Garrison. Taxes? You can always get an extension in payment from the IRS, or go on payment plan. But, set that aside. Larry King probably did the hear the tape as described. Of course (you are probably ahead of me on this) is the purported pilot on the tape telling a real story, or just a drama seeker? Or even a CIA plant sending Garrison up another box canyon? At this late date, and without even the tape, all that remains are ciphers. That said, yes I strongly suspect LOH had arranged for a getaway car (although LOH once said escaping somewhere by bus is not a bad plan, as cops do not check busses. Ironically, and perhaps tellingly, cops were checking busses after the JFK shooting). The car-ride dematerialized, or LOH decided not to take the ride, after the JFK assassination happened for real. The Larry King version, of course, suggests LOH played a role, one that became the patsy role, in the day's events. In the Larry King version, LOH was a patsy, who initially anticipated escape help. Add on---A bit shaky on this point: Who would hire a mercenary for $5k + $5k to provide an airplane ride to a Presidential assassin? So the hired pilot figures out the next day, when he reads the newspapers, that he just gave a plane-ride to Mexico to the President's assassin. So the pilot mulls things over. I can keep quiet, but if LOH's escape is tracked back to my plane I then become an accomplice in a President's assassination. I better squeal---meaning I say who hired me. I rather think LOH's get-away ride was a car, driven by a Cuban/CIA asset who was in on the intentionally unsuccessful false-flag JFKA. The ride never happened after JFK was shot for real.

Chris Barnard--- Thanks for the heads-up.

Larry-- Congratulations on an earnest and intelligent effort. We can kibbitz, even disagree---but we should all recognize excellent work when done. And if we disagree, let us posit other plausible scenarios for public discussion...and save for those divinely inspired, any one of us could be off target.

Greg-- I do not believe LOH shot JFK. I think he took one or couple of wide misses, on purpose. The Tague shot, for example. Still, you and Speer raise excellent points---why no telltale traces on LOH's cheek? That is a weakness in my version of events, which I will post after a couple more edits. Nevertheless, there is a possible mix of explanations for LOH's "clean" cheek. 1. A false negative due to time delay. And it may be LOH only fired once, not three times. The Guinn tests followed WC gospel of three shots. We do not take WC as gospel---except when we do? 2. Perhaps Oswald did wash his face, maybe with a garden hose en route to the Texas Theater, maybe in the Texas Theater, or maybe even when taking a bathroom break at the DPD. He did not take a shower in DPD custody---but really, he never used the john either? Are you sure? Earlene Roberts testimony is clear, as you say---but really, if LOH had ducked into the bathroom quietly, would she have noticed? She was never asked directly about this possibility 3. It sounds whimsical, but LOH could have put saran wrap, or possibly a sheet of paper, on his cheek when firing. 4. The circular sniper's nest may have created a swirl of air outwards, which blew out when LOH fired his one shot (not three shots). Any mix of the above explanations might result in a false negative. So why did Oswald's hands test positive, but not his face? Many answers for this one. Perhaps his hands came into contact with (common) items that test positive, after the assassination. False positives, in other words. Perhaps LOH really did shoot Tippit, many times, and with a revolver, and that left a strong "dose" on his hands. I am open to the idea that LOH, realizing he had been framed, and thinking he had been done in by powerful figures, was in a desperate frame of mind when he met Tippit. The timelines do not add up, but maybe. Anyways, that is what I can think up today.

Jeremy- Thanks for your comment. Well, maybe. On the other hand, let us say you are relatively crafty and smart fellow ala Oswald. You want to be seen just before and after the shooting in innocuous locations, so indeed you to try to arrange just that. Plant exculpatory evidence. Five minutes--from when LOH saw Jarman and Norman--is plenty enough time to get upstairs. People have re-traced LOH's steps on the way down many times, and he had enough time to run into Marion Baker. Also, neither here nor there, but please read the WC testimony of Amos Lee Euins. He states flatly he saw the gunman, and the gunman was bald. I ask this every few days, but why is Euins' testimony always ignored?

Greg-- Ok, I have now read through Speer's chapter 4. Excellent work by Speer. Speer makes a solid case that anyone shooting a Mannlicher-Carcano should have telltale residue (chemical or metallic traces) on their cheek afterwards, for at least several hours. There is the problem of washing the face. It seems unlikely Oswald washed his face, but then there are times his whereabouts are unknown, after the shooting. Though unlikely, Oswald might have washed his face with a garden hose, or inside the Texas Theater before taking a seat. There is some confusion about Oswald going upstairs or not at the theater. I wonder where the bathrooms are. Possibly Oswald even washed his face at his rooming house, through not mentioned by the landlady. But if he made a quick jag to the bathroom before or after entering his room, would she have noticed? As I recall, she was watching TV or reading a book. Also, are we certain Oswald was never even allowed a bathroom break while being detained? The DPD has been lambasted for poor police procedures. It is little surprising that something such as which way the breeze is blowing can affect cheek-test result. Sure, the breeze was blowing towards Oswald, which should enhance the amount of traces left on Oswald's cheek. But, we all know breezes can swirl. Lastly, the casts of Oswald's cheek, which admittedly were negative, were done many hours after the event. The longer one waits, the higher the chances for a false negative. All in all, I think the negative result of the cheek test in Oswalds case is suggestive, but not conclusive. And yes, the FBI and the WC lied their teeth out about the whole matter, and they framed Oswald in many other ways. I am amazed they didn't just rig the cheek test too--ala CE 399. I am being a bit whimsical when I say Oswald might have used saran-wrap on his face before shooting. Since I contend LOH was part of a false-flag but phony assassination attempt, there would be no need for that. But maybe he planned on a little insurance in case he was caught.