Derek Thibeault

37 minutes ago, Joe Bauer said:

I have also wondered the same about Clemmons.

And who could ever argue that fear wasn't a huge factor in the entire picture of witnesses coming forward and sharings things they may have known about so many aspects of the JFK event and the main characters involved?

My common sense guess is that hundreds of people with more information never came forward to the authorities or the press with what they knew or saw about the event.

For reasons we all would have similarly felt.  

Witnesses who did come forward that had anything to share that contradicted the quickly fabricated "deranged commie lone gunman Oswald did JFK" and "Jackie Kennedy avenging Jack Ruby did Oswald" and "This Case Is Cinched" official line were heavily grilled or even harassed and threatened.

Julia Ann Mercer was just one such witness. Sylvia Odio another. Many others.

Fear hung over Dallas like a heavy dark cloud as it logically should have,  Too much murder, doubt and and suspicion filled the air there for a long time.

 

 

She certainly did a great job disappearing, she was so compelling in the Rush to Judgement doc that Mark Lane did.

13 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

Let me add, Joe quotes author Gaeton Fonzi and the film maker deAntonio in his book talking about the fear in Dallas, especially surrounding the Tippit case.

I already quoted this in relation to Clemmons.  But Fonzi wrote about it in general.  He wrote that many of the witnesses were hard to locate, and some moved without notice, leaving no forwarding address. He wrote they where all aware of the strange things that had happened, particularly to other witnesses. (McBride, p. 461)

Salandria noted this also, especially in relation to Markham. She would not meet with VInce for  an interview.  She then relented.  But when he came back, as John Kelin has written, there were two police cars in front of her apartment. The cars left, but then Mr. Markham refused to allow them entry. When asked if they had been threatened, the man said yes.

(https://www.kennedysandking.com/john-f-kennedy-articles/conspiracy-theory-why-no-one-believes-the-warren-report)

If I remember correctly, Clemmons was really never heard from again - do we ever know where she went and when she died, does she have surviving relatives that may have information?

I think the Tippit case is so important to the JFK case and should have been fully investigated, like any other murder. Something happened here that was directly linked to the assassination, and discovering what happened and why would help solve the overall case. I know Mcbride talked to his father, but were there other family members that were missed during the so-called investigation. His supposed mistress? Obviously the whole case fascinates me but this piece of it is critical.

2 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

Derek:  Ugh. Fetzer!  

Ha ha

8 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

This was just posted at two sites.  Thanks so much John.

https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/07/26/new-four-part-documentary-jfk-destiny-betrayed-leaves-no-doubt-that-jfk-was-assassinated-as-part-of-cia-coup/?fbclid=IwAR2nxI0eOTP9jV4WQzdL03JQuGqXxRTiI-S2RVVSOtuZvDlDVqiRTn0m3xA

Good article - I see James Fetzer commented on it. Thanks for the share.

This, Thompson's Doc, and Good's doc it's been a good year. We need the rest of the files released and unredacted. We need to keep it in the eye of the people. The country changed that day and people need to understand what happened. Dag, Lumumba, Malcolm X, JFK, MLK, RFK, Fred Hampton. Not a coincidence, no time in modern history have that many important people been assassinated.

On 7/26/2022 at 5:00 PM, James DiEugenio said:

Derek:

Yes the 2 and the 4 hour ones are both included.

The 2 hour one is not inherently included in the 4 hour one.  For instance, that haunting, impressionistic montage opening is not in the long version. The long version begins with RFK on that day.  And there are things in the 4 hour one not in the 2 hour one.

For just one example, Matt D was kind of upset that the Chesser/Mantik/Aguilar discussion about the dust fragments in the frontal area vs the larger fragments in the middle to rear area of the skull, that was not in the 2 hour version.

The DVD commentary is on the 2 hour version.  

Awesome thanks - Jim - I will be buying a copy - first DVD purchase in many years!

On 7/23/2022 at 11:02 PM, Vince Palamara said:

(2-hour version last night. 4-hour version today. I am going to watch/listen to the audio commentary by Stone and DiEiugenio for the 2-hour version tomorrow)

Fantastic, fabulous, essential, classic, etc. This series defies words. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was blown away by the sheer amount of diverse content as presented by the impressive list of speakers. I took copious notes that almost looks like a small paperback LOL! 

Here is a great analogy [keeping in mind the "ET" controversy, which I equate to the Three Tramps in "JFK" in 1991]:

If this was the Super Bowl, this team won 52-3 (would have been a shut out if not for the "ET"). Still a huge and impressive victory.

I also highly recommend the book of the film- super impressive. The book almost acts as the unofficial "6-hour version."

So both the 2 hour and 4 hours are included and there is commentary on both? Why include the 2 hour if it's already contained in the 4 hour? I saw the 2 hour and wondering if I should buy or stream the 4 hour. Reading the interviews in the back of the book now. The 2 hour version was excellant.

On 7/23/2022 at 7:22 PM, James DiEugenio said:

Max deserves so much credit for doing this.

I mean, the guy had almost no money, no crew to speak of, and it took him several years to complete it.

But he finished the film.  And its getting a lot of attention, more than I thought it would.  I actually think it has given him a name in the independent world of film.  For sheer perseverance, he deserves kudos.  He is making the film festival rounds and the streamers.

This caps off a two year run for our side that has been kind of unprecedented since 1993.  If you recall, that is when Bob Loomis and Harry Evans decided to dump a ton of money into an American tour for Jerry Posner and his flatulent book Case Closed. This was done to close down the ripples from Oliver Stone's JFK and turn the 30th into a mindless and mendacious Warren Report orgy.  Capped off by Gus Russo and Dale Myers and the late MIke Sullivan's horrible belittling of Sebastian La Tona. And, as I have argued, this could not have been a mistake. (And let us not forget Myers and OMG, Tatum.)

That piece of rubbish set the tone for every network and cable show for decades to come.

But in the last two years we have had the Thompson ABC O and O special, with Gary Aguilar, Tink and Doug DeSalles, JFK Revisited and JFK: Destiny Betrayed, both national and worldwide successes which attracted the attention of tens of millions; and now Max Good, opening up a whole new angle to the public that was all but hidden before.

That shows you, this case will not go away.  How could it with what the Warren Report did.

Keep the foot on the gas. I know in 93, not only Posner, but it seemed every major magazine went after Stone. TV Specials like Peter Jennings and eventually a bunch of cable specials. None ever seemed to have specials with conspiracy views. We need more - exploring evidence that just can't be disputed. Keep writing - keep talking. Thankfully Youtube exists.

Honestly - Ruth Paine seems to like the attention, I don't think this has been this tragic for her. She is still talking even at her advanced age.

I am sure a lot of people wanted to go but didn't and some didn't want to go. Not all of Dallas was there.

On 7/21/2022 at 2:02 AM, James DiEugenio said:

BTW, just remember about Summers:  He was involved with the same 1993 PBS special Who was Lee Harvey Oswald? as Russo and Myers.

He did not ask to have his name taken off until the very last.

The other thing I learned about Summers was through Paul Hoch.  When I was doing my Bugliosi work, i was trying to find out about who were the consultants on that really poor lousy faux trail show.  I though Hoch was.  Well when I got into contact with Paul--this was when I was speaking to him--he told me that Summers was really the main consultant.

That's too bad "Conspiracy" was one of my original reads back in the day, along with Henry Hurt's "Reasonable Doubt". Which I read when I was in High School and did a report on. That's where it all started for me mid-80's, in the second wave of books.

1 minute ago, Pat Speer said:

We can suspect so. I talked to him briefly and eavesdropped on a number of his conversations at a 2014 meet and greet at the beginning of a conference in Bethesda. And he certainly sounded like he was on the fence. 

As I recall he expressed no interest in researching the medical or ballistics evidence. He saw himself as a reporter, reporting on what the witnesses said, and what the "experts" told him. 

I think the one avenue of interest he retained at the time was the Veciana story, and I suspect Newman has convinced him that's a nothing burger. 

I hadn't really seen him in awhile and thought he just kind of moved on, unlike the serious guys who stayed on the case still or until the end of their life. Him being more of a reporter makes total sense.

Thanks

He literally wrote a book called Conspiracy. A great book. Has he flipped?

only yours? rhetorical question right?

47 minutes ago, Pat Speer said:

Yes, it's sickening. O'Reilly lent his name to a book mostly written by a hack, and then promoted the heck out of it on his show. Nat Geo I think it was then bought the "film rights" or whatever and made a TV movie starring Rob Lowe as Kennedy. By my estimation, O'Reilly not only made more money off his "efforts" than any CT, but more than Bugliosi, Posner, etc. 

And the irony/sickening thing about it is that I don't know one LN who takes it seriously and thinks it anything more than a piece of crap. 

That's right, that crappy movie with Rob Lowe forgot about that. Couldn't watch it. Dreck.

Dag and Lumumba cases are so interesting and so unknown here in the US. I found out by Lumumba by watching the film that was made that no one saw. Both these cases illustrate what was going on in our intelligence agencies at the time and need more light shone on them.

On 7/18/2022 at 4:00 PM, Robbie Robertson said:

Thanks man great guys

I had no clue you were on here. I could listen to McBride all day. Thanks for the podcast and keeping this out there.

On 7/18/2022 at 2:38 PM, Pat Speer said:

At one point, I looked into this. While people like Lane, Lifton, Groden, and Livingstone made some money off the case, it wasn't much in comparison to the money made by Posner, Bugliosi, O'Reilly, and Swanson. Well, who's Swanson you might ask? Swanson is James Swanson, who wrote a series of young adult best-sellers detailing the assassination of Lincoln and the hunt for Booth. He wrote a dumbed-down re-telling of the assassination entitled End of Days (which relied almost entirely on the Warren Report) and was able to convince a prominent publisher to front him 1 million for his efforts. It was published to no acclaim and little audience, along with a heavily illustrated version of the book entitled The President has been Shot!. 

This last bit is quite telling, IMO. I doubt any prominent writer with a CT slant could get a million up front to write a book pushing the CT angle, although it would almost certainly sell more than Swanson's garbage. 

Perhaps Jim D can share with us the advance they got for his new book. This had a movie tie-in. And an association with Oliver Stone. Even so, I'd bet it was far less than 1 million. 

I did like Swanson's book Manhunt on the hunt for Booth but i wouldn't trust him on JFK. Also has does O'Reilly get to make money off this...I refuse to read anything by him. I don't know how you career researchers do it - I bet Garrison lost money. I am just glad all of you are still in the hunt.

I just watched the Out of the Blank JFK Panel 2, it had Joseph McBride, Joe Green, and Richard Bartholomew as guests. Great open conversation. Joe Green wrote the film King Kill 63 along with the Pages - does anyone know where to find it to watch? Thanks

12 hours ago, Bill Brown said:

Warren Commission Exhibit 162.

Can DNA testing be used or is this stuff too old?

2 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

Charles, the McBride book is the best there is on the TIppit case.

A real piece of kryptonite for Myers.  Who did not like its appearance.

You can get it for 30 bucks in ebook version.

Joe makes some interesting comments on wrong way Callaway. (pp. 478-79)

I just started reading your latest, maybe after.

Where is the jacket now? Was it ever taken in as evidence?

We need a docuseries on the Tippit murder. I mean, if they can have another one on DB Cooper. We need this case to be reviewed by both sides and all aspects gone over. There are times when I say LHO didn't kill him, wasn't there. And other times I believe he did kill him, and it was for a reason not because Tippit was trying to arrest him. And yes I have to read the McBride book, but I need to find it cheaper.