John Geraghty

I would probably add Andrew Jackson to that list. If you are familiar with the monarchical trends in Europe you will see that there is frequent marriage between families with the intent to create peace. After the Renaissance there was a growth in the purchase of noble titles in Europe, therefore bloodlines became somewhat mixed and more difficult to trace back more than a few years to the person who bought the noble title. As far as I can establish in America the system of nobility (though not called nobles they were in effect in a position of nobility) was based upon wealth and shared bllodlines with English nobles. Nobles tned to intermarry as a way of retianing wealth, creating more and ensuring that they married someone of their own class. This class structure although deteriorating still exists among the 'higher' classes. I do not find anything sinister or new in these connections, they are merely an extension of what has been happening since the middles ages. As for Bush, I wouldn't be so sure that he has a very 'pure' bloodline and would most likely only be considered as a person of stature due to his welath and not his 'breeding'. I use inverted commas as words such as these do not convey my sentiments, but those of others. Pick up and History book on Early Modern Europe and you can see the system in which the nobility and royal familes operated. For example I think it was Louis the 14th who's grandson became Philip the 2nd King of Spain. I may have this fact wrong, but it was along those lines. All the best John Forgot to mention. I remember hearing something about Bill Clinton possibly being able to trace his ancestry back to Thomas Jefferson. John

James, Have you come up with any theories with regard to the group of cuban looking men located near the pergola. I cant post the photos as I am on my laptop and I have the photos on my pc. John

Hi tim, Some thoerise that the same people that killed JFK also killed Diem, in an attempt to promt a full military entrance into Vietnam, ala Oliver Stone. That is what I was making reference to, not Diems family seeking revenge of some sort. I should have made that clearer. John

I found this timeline of the bay of pigs very helpful and detailed, starting with castros overthrow of Batista. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/bayofpigs/chron.html Some interesting snippets LATE MARCH 1960: David Atlee Phillips, a CIA contract employee who until recently had maintained a public-relations company in Havana, is selected by the CIA as chief of propaganda for the Cuba project. At operation headquarters in Washington, Phillips is told that the Cuba project will go by the Guatemala scenario. (Phillips had performed the same function in PBSUCCESS, the 1954 operation against Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz. During the coup by a CIA?directed exile force, Phillips had operated a clandestine station supporting them.) CIA operative E. Howard Hunt, also a veteran of the Guatemala operation, is assigned the position of chief of political action for the project. His primary responsibility is to form a government-in-exile to replace Castro's government following the invasion. (Wyden, pp.20-22; Hunt, p.23) MAY 1960: CIA operative Howard Hunt spends several days in Cuba on an undercover visit, during which he observes Cuban attitudes toward the revolutionary government and visits areas around revolution?controlled radio stations. After returning to Washington, he reports on his findings to his supervisors at the CIA and offers several recommendations, including a suggestion that the Agency destroy the Cuban radio and television transmitters before or coincident with the invasion: Hunt's recommendation is based on his belief that without radio and television to inform the country, Castro's heirs would be unable to rally mass support. . (Hunt, pp.36, 38) I can not overestimate the usefulness of the national security archive website http://www.gwu.edu/%7Ensarchiv/ John

Here are two further examples of JFK trying to open talks with Castro, firstly there is a tape recording with McGeorge Bundy taped 17 days before JFKs assassination in Dallas in which they discuss the possibility of a secret meeting with castro in Havana, http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB103/index.htm . Castro sent LBJ a letter through Lisa Howard stating "that there are no areas of contention between us that cannot be discussed and settled within a climate of mutual understanding," and expresses hope that Johnson will win the November presidential election and continue with the Kennedy Administration's rapproachment effort. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/bayofpigs/index.html These would surely indicate that Castro was of a like mind to Kennedy and would not be involved in an assassination attempt, this also provides motive for CIA and anti-castro involvement. John

These 2003 released documents would seem to indicate that JFK and his advisors knew about the Diem coup in November 1963, thus ruling out the theory that both assassinations were connected. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB101/index2.htm John

I found this on the national security archive website, it is a CIA 'guidebook' dating back from the Nicaragua coup on how to carry out assassinations. It may be helpful in giving us some insight into how the CIA ran assassinations. It gives details on the preferred weapon and bullets used, including the relevance of silencers. This is a good indication considering it is not too distant from 1963. Take a look, theres some bloody well interesting stuff in this. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB4/ciaguat2.html A STUDY OF ASSASSINATION DEFINITION Assassination is a term thought to be derived from "Hashish", a drug similar to marijuana, said to have been used by Hasan-Dan-Sabah to induce motivation in his followers, who were assigned to carry out political and other murders, usually at the cost of their lives. It is here used to describe the planned killing of a person who is not under the legal jurisdiction of the killer, who is not physically in the hands of the killer, who has been selected by a resistance organization for death, and who has been sele cted by a resistance organization for death, and whose death provides positive advantages to that organization. EMPLOYMENT Assassination is an extreme measure not normally used in clandestine operations. It should be assumed that it will never be ordered or authorized by any U.S. Headquarters, though the latter may in rare instances agree to its execution by membe rs of an associated foreign service. This reticence is partly due to the necessity for committing communications to paper. No assassination instructions should ever be written or recorded. Consequently, the decision to employ this technique must nearly always be reached in the field, at the area where the act will take place. Decision and instructions should be confined to an absolute minimum of persons. Ideally, only one person will be involved. No report may be made, but usually the act will be pr operly covered by normal news services, whose output is available to all concerned. JUSTIFICATION Murder is not morally justifiable. Self-defense may be argued if the victim has knowledge which may destroy the resistance organization if divulged. Assassination of persons responsible for atrocities or reprisals may be regarded as just puni shment. Killing a political leader whose burgeoning career is a clear and present danger to the cause of freedom may be held necessary. But assassination can seldom be employed with a clear conscience. Persons who are morally squeamish should not attempt it. CLASSIFICATIONS The techniques employed will vary according to whether the subject is unaware of his danger, aware but unguarded, or guarded. They will also be affected by whether or not the assassin is to be killed with the subject hereafter, assassinations in which the subject is unaware will be termed "simple"; those where the subject is aware but unguarded will be termed "chase"; those where the victim is guarded will be termed "guarded." If the assassin is to die with the subject, the act will be called "lost." If the assassin is to escape, the adjective will be "safe." It should be noted that no compromises should exist here. The assassin must not fall alive into enemy hands. A further type division is caused by the need to conceal the fact that the subject was actually the victim of assassination, rather than an accident or natural causes. If such concealment is desirable the operation will be called "secret" ;; if concealment is immaterial, the act will be called "open"; while if the assassination requires publicity to be effective it will be termed "terroristic." Following these definitions, the assassination of Julius Caesar was safe, simple, and terroristic, while that of Huey Long was lost, guarded and open. Obviously, successful secret assassinations are not recorded as assassination at all. [illeg] o f Thailand and Augustus Caesar may have been the victims of safe, guarded and secret assassination. Chase assassinations usually involve clandestine agents or members of criminal organizations. THE ASSASSIN In safe assassinations, the assassin needs the usual qualities of a clandestine agent. He should be determined, courageous, intelligent, resourceful, and physically active. If special equipment is to be used, such as firearms or drugs, it is clear that he must have outstanding skill with such equipment. Except in terroristic assassinations, it is desirable that the assassin be transient in the area. He should have an absolute minimum of contact with the rest of the organization and his instructions should be given orally by one person only. His safe evacuation after the act is absolutely essential, but here again contact should be as limited as possible. It is preferable that the person issuing instructions also conduct any withdrawal or covering action which may be necessary. In lost assassination, the assassin must be a fanatic of some sort. Politics, religion, and revenge are about the only feasible motives. Since a fanatic is unstable psychologically, he must be handled with extreme care. He must not know the iden tities of the other members of the organization, for although it is intended that he die in the act, something may go wrong. While the Assassin of Trotsky has never revealed any significant information, it was unsound to depend on this when the act was p lanned. PLANNING When the decision to assassinate has been reached, the tactics of the operation must be planned, based upon an estimate of the situation similar to that used in military operations. The preliminary estimate will reveal gaps in information and possibly indicate a need for special equipment which must be procured or constructed. When all necessary data has been collected, an effective tactical plan can be prepared. All planning must be mental; no papers should ever contain evidence of the oper ation. In resistance situations, assassination may be used as a counter-reprisal. Since this requires advertising to be effective, the resistance organization must be in a position to warn high officials publicly that their lives will be the price of rep risal action against innocent people. Such a threat is of no value unless it can be carried out, so it may be necessary to plan the assassination of various responsible officers of the oppressive regime and hold such plans in readiness to be used only i f provoked by excessive brutality. Such plans must be modified frequently to meet changes in the tactical situation. TECHNIQUES The essential point of assassination is the death of the subject. A human being may be killed in many ways but sureness is often overlooked by those who may be emotionally unstrung by the seriousness of this act they intend to commit. The spe cific technique employed will depend upon a large number of variables, but should be constant in one point: Death must be absolutely certain. The attempt on Hitler's life failed because the conspiracy did not give this matter proper attention. Techniques may be considered as follows: 1. Manual. It is possible to kill a man with the bare hands, but very few are skillful enough to do it well. Even a highly trained Judo expert will hesitate to risk killing by hand unless he has absolutely no alternative. However, the simplest local tools a re often much the most efficient means of assassination. A hammer, axe, wrench, screw driver, fire poker, kitchen knife, lamp stand, or anything hard, heavy and handy will suffice. A length of rope or wire or a belt will do if the assassin is strong and agile. All such improvised weapons have the important advantage of availability and apparent innocence. The obviously lethal machine gun failed to kill Trotsky where an item of sporting goods succeeded. In all safe cases where the assassin may be subject to search, either before or after the act, specialized weapons should not be used. Even in the lost case, the assassin may accidentally be searched before the act and should not carry an incrimin ating device if any sort of lethal weapon can be improvised at or near the site. If the assassin normally carries weapons because of the nature of his job, it may still be desirable to improvise and implement at the scene to avoid disclosure of his ident ity. 2. Accidents. For secret assassination, either simple or chase, the contrived accident is the most effective technique. When successfully executed, it causes little excitement and is only casually investigated. The most efficient accident, in simple assassination, is a fall of 75 feet or more onto a hard surface. Elevator shafts, stair wells, unscreened windows and bridges will serve. Bridge falls into water are not reliable. In simple cases a private meeting with the subject may be arranged at a properly-cased location. The act may be executed by sudden, vigorous [excised] of the ankles, tipping the subject over the edge. If the assassin immediately sets up an outcry, playing the "horrified wit ness", no alibi or surreptitious withdrawal is necessary. In chase cases it will usually be necessary to stun or drug the subject before dropping him. Care is required to insure that no wound or condition not attributable to the fall is discernible after death. Falls into the sea or swiftly flowing rivers may suffice if the subject cannot swim. It will be more reliable if the assassin can arrange to attempt rescue, as he can thus be sure of the subject's death and at the same time establish a workable al ibi. If the subject's personal habits make it feasible, alcohol may be used [2 words excised] to prepare him for a contrived accident of any kind. Falls before trains or subway cars are usually effective, but require exact timing and can seldom be free from unexpected observation. Automobile accidents are a less satisfactory means of assassination. If the subject is deliberately run down, very exact timing is necessary and investigation is likely to be thorough. If the subject's car is tampered with, reliability is very lo w. The subject may be stunned or drugged and then placed in the car, but this is only reliable when the car can be run off a high cliff or into deep water without observation. Arson can cause accidental death if the subject is drugged and left in a burning building. Reliability is not satisfactory unless the building is isolated and highly combustible. 3. Drugs. In all types of assassination except terroristic, drugs can be very effective. If the assassin is trained as a doctor or nurse and the subject is under medical care, this is an easy and rare method. An overdose of morphine administered as a sedat ive will cause death without disturbance and is difficult to detect. The size of the dose will depend upon whether the subject has been using narcotics regularly. If not, two grains will suffice. If the subject drinks heavily, morphine or a similar narcotic can be injected at the passing out stage, and the cause of death will often be held to be acute alcoholism. Specific poisons, such as arsenic or strychine, are effective but their possession or procurement is incriminating, and accurate dosage is problematical. Poison was used unsuccessfully in the assassination of Rasputin and Kolohan, though the latte r case is more accurately described as a murder. 4. Edge Weapons Any locally obtained edge device may be successfully employed. A certain minimum of anatomical knowledge is needed for reliability. Puncture wounds of the body cavity may not be reliable unless the heart is reached. The heart is protected by the rib cage and is not always easy to locate. Abdominal wounds were once nearly always mortal, but modern medical treatment has made this no longer true. Absolute reliability is obtained by severing the spinal cord in the cervical region. This can be done with the point of a knife or a light blow of an axe or hatchet. Another reliable method is the severing of both jugular and carotid blood vessels on both sides of the windpipe. If the subject has been rendered unconscious by other wounds or drugs, either of the above methods can be used to insure death. 5. Blunt Weapons As with edge weapons, blunt weapons require some anatomical knowledge for effective use. Their main advantage is their universal availability. A hammer may be picked up almost anywhere in the world. Baseball and [illeg] bats are very widely dist ributed. Even a rock or a heavy stick will do, and nothing resembling a weapon need be procured, carried or subsequently disposed of. Blows should be directed to the temple, the area just below and behind the ear, and the lower, rear portion of the skull. Of course, if the blow is very heavy, any portion of the upper skull will do. The lower frontal portion of the head, from th e eyes to the throat, can withstand enormous blows without fatal consequences. 6. Firearms Firearms are often used in assassination, often very ineffectively. The assassin usually has insufficient technical knowledge of the limitations of weapons, and expects more range, accuracy and killing power than can be provided with reliability. Since certainty of death is the major requirement, firearms should be used which can provide destructive power at least 100% in excess of that thought to be necessary, and ranges should be half that considered practical for the weapon. Firearms have other drawbacks. Their possession is often incriminating. They may be difficult to obtain. They require a degree of experience from the user. They are [illeg]. Their [illeg] is consistently over-rated. However, there are many cases in which firearms are probably more efficient than any other means. These cases usually involve distance between the assassin and the subject, or comparative physical weakness of the assassin, as with a woman. (a) The precision rifle. In guarded assassination, a good hunting or target rifle should always be considered as a possibility. Absolute reliability can nearly always be achieved at a distance of one hundred yards. In ideal circumstances, t he range may be extended to 250 yards. The rifle should be a well made bolt or falling block action type, handling a powerful long-range cartridge. The .300 F.A.B. Magnum is probably the best cartridge readily available. Other excellent calibers are . 375 M.[illeg]. Magnum, .270 Winchester, .30 - 106 p.s., 8 x 60 MM Magnum, 9.3 x 62 kk and others of this type. These are preferable to ordinary military calibers, since ammunition available for them is usually of the expanding bullet type, whereas most ammunition for military rifles is full jacketed and hence not sufficiently let hal. Military ammunition should not be altered by filing or drilling bullets, as this will adversely affect accuracy. The rifle may be of the "bull gun" variety, with extra heavy barrel and set triggers, but in any case should be capable of maximum precision. Ideally, the weapon should be able to group in one inch at one hundred yards, but 21/2" groups are adequa te. The sight should be telescopic, not only for accuracy, but because such a sight is much better in dim light or near darkness. As long as the bare outline of the target is discernable, a telescope sight will work, even if the rifle and shooter are in total darkness. An expanding, hunting bullet of such calibers as described above will produce extravagant laceration and shock at short or mid-range. If a man is struck just once in the body cavity, his death is almost entirely certain. Public figures or guarded officials may be killed with great reliability and some safety if a firing point can be established prior to an official occasion. The propaganda value of this system may be very high. ( The machine gun. Machine guns may be used in most cases where the precision rifle is applicable. Usually, this will require the subversion of a unit of an official guard at a ceremony, though a skillful and determined team might conceivably dispose of a loyal gun crow without commotion and take over the gun at the critical time. The area fire capacity of the machine gun should not be used to search out a concealed subject. This was tried with predictable lack of success on Trotsky. The automatic feature of the machine gun should rather be used to increase reliability by placing a 5 second burst on the subject. Even with full jacket ammunition, this will be absolute lethal is the burst pattern is no larger than a man. This can be accomplished at about 150 yards. In ideal circumstances, a properly padded and targeted ma chine gun can do it at 850 yards. The major difficulty is placing the first burst exactly on the target, as most machine gunners are trained to spot their fire on target by observation of strike. This will not do in assassination as the subject will not wait. © The Submachine Gun. This weapon, known as the "machine-pistol" by the Russians and Germans and "machine-carbine" by the British, is occasionally useful in assassination. Unlike the rifle and machine gun, this is a short range weapon and since it fires pistol ammu nition, much less powerful. To be reliable, it should deliver at least 5 rounds into the subject's chest, though the .45 caliber U.S. weapons have a much larger margin of killing efficiency than the 9 mm European arms. The assassination range of the sub-machine gun is point blank. While accurate single rounds can be delivered by sub-machine gunners at 50 yards or more, this is not certain enough for assassination. Under ordinary circumstances, the 5MG should be used as a fully automatic weapon. In the hands of a capabl e gunner, a high cyclic rate is a distinct advantage, as speed of execution is most desirable, particularly in the case of multiple subjects. The sub-machine gun is especially adapted to indoor work when more than one subject is to be assassinated. An effective technique has been devised for the use of a pair of sub-machine gunners, by which a room containing as many as a dozen subjects can be "purifico" in about twenty seconds with little or no risk to the gunners. It is illustrated below. While the U.S. sub-machine guns fire the most lethal cartridges, the higher cyclic rate of some foreign weapons enable the gunner to cover a target quicker with acceptable pattern density. The Bergmann Model 1934 is particularly good in this way. The Danish Madman? SMG has a moderately good cyclic rate and is admirably compact and concealable. The Russian SHG's have a good cyclic rate, but are handicapped by a small, light protective which requires more kits for equivalent killing effect. (d) The Shotgun. A large bore shotgun is a most effective killing instrument as long as the range is kept under ten yards. It should normally be used only on single targets as it cannot sustain fire successfully. The barrel may be "sawed" off for convenience, but this is not a significant factor in its killi ng performance. Its optimum range is just out of reach of the subject. 00 buckshot is considered the best shot size for a twelve gage gun, but anything from single balls to bird shot will do if the range is right. The assassin should aim for the solar plexus as the shot pattern is small at close range and can easily [illeg] the head. (e) The Pistol. While the handgun is quite inefficient as a weapon of assassination, it is often used, partly because it is readily available and can be concealed on the person, and partly because its limitations are not widely appreciated. While many well kn own assassinations have been carried out with pistols (Lincoln, Harding, Ghandi), such attempts fail as often as they succeed, (Truman, Roosevelt, Churchill). If a pistol is used, it should be as powerful as possible and fired from just beyond reach. The pistol and the shotgun are used in similar tactical situations, except that the shotgun is much more lethal and the pistol is much more easily conceale d. In the hands of an expert, a powerful pistol is quite deadly, but such experts are rare and not usually available for assassination missions. .45 Colt, .44 Special, .455 Kly, .45 A.S.[illeg] (U.S. Service) and .357 Magnum are all efficient calibers. Less powerful rounds can suffice but are less reliable. Sub-power cartridges such as the .32s and .25s should be avoided. In all cases, the subject should be hit solidly at least three times for complete reliability. (f) Silent Firearms The sound of the explosion of the proponent in a firearm can be effectively silenced by appropriate attachments. However, the sound of the projective passing through the air cannot, since this sound is generated outside the weapon. In cases w here the velocity of the bullet greatly exceeds that of sound, the noise so generated is much louder than that of the explosion. Since all powerful rifles have muzzle velocities of over 2000 feet per second, they cannot be silenced. Pistol bullets, on the other hand, usually travel slower than sound and the sound of their flight is negligible. Therefore, pistols, submachine guns and any sort of improvised carbine or rifle which will take a low velocity cartridge can be silenc ed. The user should not forget that the sound of the operation of a repeating action is considerable, and that the sound of bullet strike, particularly in bone is quite loud. Silent firearms are only occasionally useful to the assassin, though they have been widely publicized in this connection. Because permissible velocity is low, effective precision range is held to about 100 yards with rifle or carbine type weapons, while with pistols, silent or otherwise, are most efficient just beyond arms length. The silent feature attempts to provide a degree of safety to the assassin, but mere possession of a silent firearm is likely to create enough hazard to counter the advantage of its silence. The silent pisto l combines the disadvantages of any pistol with the added one of its obviously clandestine purpose. A telescopically sighted, closed-action carbine shooting a low velocity bullet of great weight, and built for accuracy, could be very useful to an assassin in certain situations. At the time of writing, no such weapon is known to exist. 7. Explosives. Bombs and demolition charges of various sorts have been used frequently in assassination. Such devices, in terroristic and open assassination, can provide safety and overcome guard barriers, but it is curious that bombs have often been the imp lement of lost assassinations. The major factor which affects reliability is the use of explosives for assassination. the charge must be very large and the detonation must be controlled exactly as to time by the assassin who can observe the subject. A small or moderate explosi ve charge is highly unreliable as a cause of death, and time delay or booby-trap devices are extremely prone to kill the wrong man. In addition to the moral aspects of indiscriminate killing, the death of casual bystanders can often produce public reacti ons unfavorable to the cause for which the assassination is carried out. Bombs or grenades should never be thrown at a subject. While this will always cause a commotion and may even result in the subject's death, it is sloppy, unreliable, and bad propaganda. The charge must be too small and the assassin is never sure of: (1)reaching his attack position, (2) placing the charge close en ough to the target and (3) firing the charge at the right time. Placing the charge surreptitiously in advance permits a charge of proper size to be employed, but requires accurate prediction of the subject's movements. Ten pounds of high explosive should normally be regarded as a minimum, and this is explosive of fragmentation material. The latter can consist of any hard, [illeg] material as long as the fragments are large enough. Metal or rock fragments should be walnut-size rather than pen-size. If solid plates are used, to be ruptured by the explosion, cast iron, 1" thick, gives excellent fragmentation. Military or commercial high explosives are practical for use in assassination. Homemade or improvised e xplosives should be avoided. While possibly powerful, they tend to be dangerous and unreliable. Anti-personnel explosive missiles are excellent, provided the assassin has sufficient technical knowledge to fuse them properly. 81 or 82 mm mortar shells, or the 120 mm mortar shell, are particularly good. Anti-personnel shells for 85, 88, 90, 100 and 105 mm guns and howitzers are both large enough to be completely reliable and small enough to be carried by one man. The charge should be so placed that the subject is not ever six feet from it at the moment of detonation. A large, shaped charge with the [illeg] filled with iron fragments (such as 1" nuts and bolts) will fire a highly lethal shotgun-type [illeg] to 50 yards. This reaction has not been thoroughly tested, however, and an exact replica of the proposed device should be fired in advance to determine exact range, pattern-size, and penetration of fragments. Fragments should penetrate at lea st 1" of seasoned pine or equivalent for minimum reliability. Any firing device may be used which permits exact control by the assassin. An ordinary commercial or military explorer is efficient, as long as it is rigged for instantaneous action with no time fuse in the system. The wise [illeg] electric target can serve as the triggering device and provide exact timing from as far away as the assassin can reliably hit the target. This will avid the disadvantages olitary or commercial high explosives are practical for use in assassination. Homemade or improvised explosives should be avoided. While possibly powerful, they tend to be dangerous and unreliable. Anti-personnel explosive missiles are excellent, provided the assassin has sufficient techn ical knowledge to fuse them properly. 81 or 82 mm mortar shells, or the 120 mm mortar shell, are particularly good. Anti-personnel shells for 85, 88, 90, 100 and 105 mm guns and howitzers are both large enough to be completely reliable and small enough to be carried by one man. The charge should be so placed that the subject is not ever six feet from it at the moment of detonation. A large, shaped charge with the [illeg] filled with iron fragments (such as 1" nuts and bolts) will fire a highly lethal shotgun-type [illeg] to 50 yards. This reaction has not been thoroughly tested, however, and an exact replica of the proposed device should be fired in advance to determine exact range, pattern-size, and penetration of fragments. Fragments should penetrate at lea st 1" of seasoned pine or equivalent for minimum reliability. Any firing device may be used which permits exact control by the assassin. An ordinary commercial or military explorer is efficient, as long as it is rigged for instantaneous action with no time fuse in the system. The wise [illeg] electric target can serve as the triggering device and provide exact timing from as far away as the assassin can reliably hit the target. This will avid the disadvantages of stringing wire between the proposed positions of the ass assin and the subject, and also permit the assassin to fire the charge from a variety of possible positions. The radio switch can be [illeg] to fire [illeg], though its reliability is somewhat lower and its procurement may not be easy. EXAMPLES ([illeg] may be presented brief outlines, with critical evaluations of the following assassinations and attempts: Marat Hedrich Lincoln Hitler Harding Roosevelt Grand Duke Sergei Truman Pirhivie Mussolini Archduke Francis Ferdinand Benes Rasputin Aung Sang Madero [illeg] Kirov Abdullah Huey Long Ghandi Alexander of Yugoslvia Trotsky CONFERENCE ROOM TECHNIQUE 1. (1) Enters room quickly but quietly (2) Stands in doorway 2. (2) Opens fire on first subject to react. Swings across group toward center of mass. Times burst to empty magazine at end of swing. (1) Covers group to prevent individual dangerous reactions, if necessary, fires individual bursts of 3 rounds. 3. (2) Finishes burst. Commands"Shift." Drops back thru [sic] door. Replaces empty magazine. Covers corridor. (1) On command "shift", opens fire on opposite side of target, swings one burst across group. 4. (1) Finishes burst. Commands "shift". Drops back thru [sic] door. Replaces magazine. Covers corridor. (2) On command, "shift", re-enters room. Covers group: kills survivors with two-round bursts. Leaves propaganda. 5. (2) Leaves room. Commands "GO". Covers rear with nearly full magazine. (1) On command "GO", leads withdrawl, covering front with full magazine. 6.

Im pretty sure Tony Summers is a 'Mick' and is frequently interviewed on Iris radio concerning watergate, but does not seem to mention JFK or his assassination in connection with it. He was interviewed on the most listened to radio programme,hosted by Pat Kenny when the Mark Felt story broke. This is irrelevant, but I just thought I would clear the waters a bit! John

Hello all, While we are on the topic of releasing documents and such I thought I would post this link which explains the Freedom of Information act as researchers are frequently asking how to go about obtaining information and making their voice heard. http://www.gwu.edu/%7Ensarchiv/nsa/foia/tips.html John

Hi John, It does mention in the text that RFK said that if the ban was not lifted it would result in ridiculous mass indictments. But why would he worry about this so soon after his brothers death, and was this plan in place while JFK was in the white house, perhaps a sign of peace brokering? John

I found this article and document while doing a website appraisal for my American History course in College. Its in the national security archive so I assume everything is legitimate! http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB158/index.htm In December 1963 RFK wanted to lift the travel ban to cuba as he thought that it was not in keeping with the states code of conduct on freedom. I wonder what the motivation, if any wa behind this, and so soon after his brothers death. John

Just for the record, I wasn't trying to start a debate on whether harrelson is indeed the tramp, I intended simply to raise the point that some researchers take views expressed by others and either dont understand it or twist it, as is the case on the webpage that lynn links to. Lynn, If all this did in fact fit like a glove we would not have been debating it since the harrelson story came out. Its a mystery, thats the point. I think the intelligent people of this forum are far more likely to crack some of this case than you are by posting a few worthless links and factless theories. Steve, cudos for starting the other link asking lynn to post her facts.........the only fact is....they're non-existent! John

We all know the story of Charles Harreslon as one of the three tramps. I have found that one various different pages on the internet Harrelson is quoted as being both the tall tramp in the middle and the short tramp at the front. Several sites claiming to have a positive i.d. Is it just me or is it generally understood that Chauncey Holt fingered Harrelson as the tall tramp in the middle and that the other versions are rendered by people with no experience of the case and with bogus theories? http://www.jfkmurdersolved.com/lois1.htm Wims site shows harrelson as the tall tramp http://nixon.shorturl.com/ this site that lynn foster posted shows harrelson as the small tramp. obviously a misinformed member of the public. John

With regards to kennedy and the Vietnam war, I'm sure we are all familar with memorandum 263(or is it 261?) that Kennedy signed, presumed to be the start of the pull out from Vietnam. Although I do personally think it is likely that Kennedy was trying to pull out I think it is worth mentioning the historical facts surrounding the early kennedy administration and Vietnam. Lynn, this is for your benefit. Before Kennedy came to power US presence in Vietnam was failry minimla, if anything kennedy cranked the presence up a notch by sending in 400 green berets to train South Vietnamese in counter insurgency and by the end of his tenure in office there were 16,000 'advisors' in Vietnam and about 100 had died. 16,000 was not the amount there when Kennedy went into office. I think it is worth noting as people tend to get carried away and make it sound as though Kennedy was against the presence in Vietnam all along, which he was not. It was a late decision to remove forces as things had the potential to become quite hairy, as they subsequently did. John

Pat, I have never heard this story about Laura Bush, can you elaborate or give me a link on it? Cheers John

John, Will there be any online seminars this year? Last years were quite succesful and very popular. I'm sure all the usuals would be willing to contribute(including myself). I realise that you will be in Dallas over the assassination weekend but I'm sure you could rely on everybody to post up their seminar on a given day. All the best John

Mark Lane started hosting a radio show about a year back, there should be details of it on the lancer forum if you do a search. I'm sure you could get in touch with him via the station. John

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but there is a movie coming out about Bobby Kennedy about the last few hours of his life. starring Anthony Hopkins, Emilio Estevez. Emilio Estevez wrote and directed it. Does anybody know someone working as a researcher on the film to find Estevezs' views on the assassination. I hope he knows his facts john http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308055/

Not so far James, But I might be able to get in touch with some IRA guys if I push hard enough. Its all possible . Interesting. John

James, thats weird, I thought he would confess that Johnson killed JFK! No harm in trying, which I'm sure you have already done. I thinl we're on tp a good lead here. If it doesn't lead us to JFK, it will still further our understanding of US interaction with mercenaries. John

I have a bit more info on my computer at home (in a friends house at the moment) on Robert Emmett Johnson that I obtained from Gerry Hemming. I emailed the editor of Soldier of Fortune about Johnson and Saul Sague a while back, he is yet to get back to me after telling me he will ask around. Perhaps Gerry could post some info. It might be worth looking up any relatives that may still be alive. John

I find Wikipedia to be a good starting point for College essays and topics. The only qualm I have with it is that some authors tend to try to control their article and not allow others to make alterations, most notably in the Lee Harvey Oswald thread where the validity of the article was disputed.

Hi John, As you know I had a small debate with Mel Ayton over The MLK assassination, including discussion of Don Wilson whom Mel Ayton claims is lying. I have also been in contact with Dr.Pepper and he asures me of the validity of Don Wilsons claims and the integrity of the case. Don Wilson had a successful talent agency and was driven out of business when people began making threating phonecalls to his clients if they continued to work with Don Wilson. Mel Ayton says that Don Wilson fabricated his story, personally I don't see any reason to have done so since he has received no finanacial reward, nor has Dr.Pepper it must be said. Dr.Pepper is presenting as COPA this year, perhaps you could meet him. All the best John

I posted this on my forum at http://s10.invisionfree.com/KennedyAssassi...hp?showtopic=52 www.thepresidenthasbeenshot.4t.com I thought that I would share it with a larger group of members. All the best John For those unfamiliar with Niccolo Machiavelli, he was a 15th and 16th centruy politician in the Florentine republic who also wrote political books, including his most famous piece 'The Prince'. In 'The Prince' Machiavelli describes the various types of principalities, how they are aquired and how they are retained by the new ruler. I would like to apply some of Machiavellis work to the assassination of John F Kennedy. I am basing this thread on the assumtion that the assassination of JFK was part of a coup d'etat. Machiavelli argues that to come to power one must have the support of either the people or the nobility (The wealthy and powerful), One can not come to power by themselves alone. There was certainly no mandate by the people to have JFK removed from office so we must therefore conclude that the nobility that were opposed to Kennedy rule gave the backing for his removal. After a successful coup d'etat the new prince or in this case president must act quickly to consolidate his power and not give the supporters of the old prince the chance to regroup or question his rule. The family of the former prince must either be liquidated or thrown out of the Kingdom. I will now demonstrate how this was achieved. Lyndon Johnson quickly assumed the presidency on the day of Kennedys death on air force one in the company of the late presidents wife. From the day of the assassination the new president begins to call all of the top men in the government and relevant agencies- Hoover, Katzenbach etc. Robert Kennedy is effectively made a lame duck as attorney general in the absence of his brother and the new regime under LBJ. Years later as the previous dynasty (RFK) threatens to return to the throne he is killed and not allowed to take power. As in the society of the 16th centruy and as in the society of today the people are not told the truth with regard to those who oppose the governments power. Machiavelli argues that usually the kin of a former ruler attempting to regain power is eaither quashed by a republic or by a rival family or faction. Republic in this sense may simply mean a group of men, not elected intent on keeping power. Robert Kennedy is removed from the political situation, as is Ted Kennedy after the Chappaquiddick incident which leaves no-one to carry on the dynasty for some years to come. Because the character assassination of JFK continues to go on until this day and his death is denied as a state murder by the government, one must conclude that the same people that took power in 1963 are in still in power today and that the truth regarding his assassination will only come out with the change of the current regime. Machaivelli argues that three things influence the ability of a prince to come to power, His own cunning, the support of others and fate which can be manipulated for a short period of time, but which will always backfire and fate will once again take its normal course. Please feel free to add any Machiavellian similarities with the Assassination of JFK. John Geraghty

Joan, I look forward to reading your book. I have been hoping for a biography of Garrison to be published for some time now. Usually, the only information available are article with a set agenda for or against Big Jim. All the best John