Gaeton Fonzi & Update on Bugliosi Book

[Bernice Moore]

Gaeton Fonzi, author of "The Last Investigation", & update on the Bug Book

If anyone wants to read a I,696-page

crock, we recommend Reclaiming

History by the noted lawyer, Vincent

Bugliosi. It says Lee Harvey Oswald

alone killed President Kennedy. In making

his case, he questions - and distorts - the

work of Gaeton Fonzi, my former editorial

partner and the author of The Last Investigation,

the increasingly influential book

which makes the strongest case in print that

Oswald did not kill Kennedy. When Bugliosi

challenges Fonzi's book, he challenges

this magazine, for Fonzi's work originally

appeared here and in The Washingtonian in

1980. That was l4 years before it became a

book which is a must reading for students of

the assassination.

Bugliosi's book is just being released,

but Fonzi read parts referring

to his work. Fonzi particularly was annoyed

by being labeled "a conspiracy

theorist." Writes Fonzi: "Bugliosi is

wrong. I was never a 'conspiracy theorist.'

I went from an agnostic to a conspiracy

believer."

Fonzi goes on to describe how he

became a believer. It stemmed from interviewing

Arlen Specter (the same U.S. senator

we see on TV all the time) back in 1967.

Specter had returned from working for the

Waren Commission and coming up with

"the single bullet theory." Fonzi had just

met with a lawyer named Vincent Salandria,

and surprised Specter by knowing in detail

the contradictions to that theory. Fonzi

was amazed that when confronted with

inconsistencies Specter could not explain

them.

Normally articulate, he stumbled and

fumbled. Fonzi's article in Philadelphia

Magazine caused a local sensation. It resulted,

some years later, in Pennsylvania Sen.

Richard Schweiker hiring him as a field investigator,

here in Florida, when Congress

reopened the investigation into JFK's death.

In three years on the government payroll,

Fonzi developed links between Oswald and

the CIA. He discovered the agency had lied

to the Warren Commission, and 15 years

later was still stonewalling him and others

trying to solve the crime of the century.

He wrote all this in these pages. And

not long ago he followed up with a story

detailing how recently declassified CIA

files have reinforced the impression that if

intelligence figures did not kill a president.

they surely did their best to frustrate the doc

attempting to find out who did.

June2 007

By BernardM cCormick

As for Bugliosi's assertion that Fonzi

came to his investigative work with a bias,I

rise to support Fonzi. I was there that day in

Wildwood, N.J., when the two of us, while

working on a light piece (the title was "The

Working Man's Riviera") were diverted to

meet a Philadelphiala lawyer who was insisting

the Warren Commission was a cover

up. Vincent Salandria was unusual at that

time in that he had actually studied the 26

volumes of evidence. Neither Fonzi nor I

had even read the official report, a summary

which had been praised by the New York

Times. But no one at the Times had read the

26 volumes of evidence, because they had

not yet been released. Such endorsements

made the commission's work accepted by

the public, including Fonzi and me. We did

not know enough to have any bias.

THE

ANSWER

Salandria wanted to meet Fonzi

because of his reputation as an investigative

reporter. Fonzi invited

me along for the fun. Both of us

expected to meet a nut case. And initially

I thought we had. My first impression was

of a man unnervingly intense and obsessive.

But when he began running us through

the evidence, we were startled at the blatant

contradictions.Keep in mind, this was just

the initial physical stuff - the position of the

holes in JFK's shirt, the wounds, the pristine

"single bullet" that had to wound both Kennedy

and Gov. John Connolly to limit the

deed to a single shooter.

This was before it became known that

dozens of witnesses thought shots came

from the grassy knoll, and it was a decade

before investigators, including Fonzi.

discovered that the CIA had concealed its

huge involvement in anti-Castro activities

in South Florida from the Warren Commission.

It was even longer before it was

learned that the CIA set up President Kennedy

for failure at the Bay of Pigs, figuring

he would have to use our military to save

the operation,and his butt. It was before the

truth of the Cuban Missile Crisis came out.

When Kennedy, after a secret agreement

with the Russians tried to shut down CIA

efforts to kill Castro and stage attacks in

Cuba.

That resulted in CIA agents and their

Cuban-American operatives hating Kennedy,

considering him a traitor. And it was

nearly 40 years before we would learn that

in faking cooperation with Fonzi's investigation.

the CIA assigned as liaison a retired

agent who was, had been deeply involved

in coordinating anti-Castro activities in

Miami. Of course, he didn't bother to mention

that. And when asked to identify the

specitic CIA man who headed the anti-

Castrcl work in South Florida, he could not

find him. It turns out the man government

investigators wanted so badly to question

was /rillsef.

It is thought most of those involved

in the murder of JFK are dead. Certainly

the most suspicious CIA types are. And

) ct those books supporting a long dis-

credited idea that Oswald acted alone

.()ntinLrc to be published. It is strange.

\n.i indt-'c'd.. it is stranger that Fonzi, who

started out as an agnostic and became a believer

criticized or finding and revealing

tirc t i ' L r t l r .

IIERE}

g u lfst reo m m e d i ag ro u p.co m

PUBLISHER'S LETTER

that the opposite end of this

book, we rise once again to defend a work which

appeared in these pages 27 years ago, and which

has grown into something of a landmark in the

history of the Kennedy assassination. If you have

a day to devote, Google the name Gaeton Fonzi

and see the multiple references to his book The

Last Investigation which first appeared here as two

long magazine articles in 1980.

In retrospect, the book had the wrong name,

but only because it has had such an impact that

many researchers have been inspired to investigate

the crime of the century, uncovering additional

information to corroborate crucial details

that Fonzi developed during five years as a government

investigator.

Fonzi's initial assignment for Pennsylvania

Sen. Richard Schweiker was to look into CIA connections

with anti-Castro Cubans in South Florida.

Fonzi, in his own phrase, "stumbled" across

a connection between Lee Harvey Oswald and a

high ranking CIA officer. Fonzi never accused the

CIA man of particpating in JFK's murder, but he

did open a door that subsequently cast light on

the elaborate efforts of the intelligence community

to sabotage the quest for truth.

And the truth continues to come out, almost

45 years after the tragic day in Dallas. Even Fonzi's

CIA man, David Atlee Phillips, when near death,

said he thought the intelligence community was

involved in the killing. He did not admit a role,

but that may have been one last bit of spycraft,

a disinformation specialist's final wink at history

- kill a president and get away with it. And a dying

E. Howard Hunt, the famous Watergate burglar

and longtime CIA figure, named the intelligence

community figures he said were involved, including

David Atlee Phillips. Hunt modestly described

himself as "a bench warmer" in the actual event.

Another deathbed confession of sorts has

been the gradual declassification of documents

which show the extent to which the CIA stonewalled

the congressional committee for which

Fonzi worked. For more on that, go to the last

page. This magazine is not known as hard hitting,

but it is an immense satisfaction to know

that a former editorial partner in this publication

has made history, and that we had a part in

helping him.

>F >F >F

Some years back we interviewed the late ]im

Moran and he revealed Jim Moran's 10 rules of

business.1 . Be there 2 Be there.3. Be there 4. Be

there 5. Be there. 6. Be there 7. Be there 8. Be there

9. Be there 10. Be there.

First at Courtesy Ford in Chicago and later

when he built fM Family Enterprises into a giant

network of dealerships and distributorships in the

south, Jim Moran was there - for his customers

and for the communities he served.

- BERNARD McCORMICK

1 2 June 2007 gulfstreammediagroup

Beow is how it originally came through, I tried to make it

more readable........but for correct procedure...as sent from the

author....here it is below...

f anyone wants to read a I,696-page

crock, we recommend Reclaiming

History by the noted lawyer, Vincent

Bugliosi. It says Lee Harvey Oswald

alone killed President Kennedy. In making

his case, he questions - and distorts - the

work of Gaeton Fonzi, my former editorial

partner and the author of The Last Investigation,

the increasingly influential book

rvhichm akest he strongesct asei n print that

Osrvald did not kill Kennedy. When Bugliosi

challengesF onzi'sb ook, he challenges

this magazine, for Fonzi's work originally

appeared here and in The Washingtonian in

1980. That rvas l4 years before it became a

book which is must readinsf or studentso f

the assassination.

Bugliosi's book is just being released,

but Fonzi read parts referring

to his work. Fonzi particularly was annoyed

by being labeled "a conspiracy

theorist." Writes Fonzi: "Bugliosi is

wrong. I was never a 'conspiracy theorist.'

I went from an agnostic to a conspiracy

believer."

Fonzi goes on to describe how he

became a believer. It stemmed from interviewing

Arlen Specter (the same U.S. senator

we see on TV all the time) back in 1967.

Specter had returned from working for the

Wanen Commission and coming up with

"the single bullet theory." Fonzi had just

met with a lawyer named Vincent Salandria,

and surprised Specter by knowing in detail

the contradictions to that theory. Fonzi

was amazed that when confronted rvith

inconsistenciesS, pecterc ould not explain

them. Normally articulate,h e stumbleda nd

fumbled. Fonzi's article rn Philadelphia

Magazinec auseda local sensationI.t resulted,

some years later, in PennsylvaniaS en.

Richard Schweiker hiring him as a field investigator,

h ere in Florida, when Congress

reopenedth e investigationin to JFK's death.

In three years on the government payroll,

Fonzi developedl inks betweenO srvalda nd

the CIA. He discoveredt he agencyh ad lied

to the Warren Commission, and 15 years

later was still stonewalling him and others

trying to solve the crime of the century.

He wrote all this in these pages. And

not long ago he followed up rvith a stor)'

detailing how recently declassified CIA

files have reinforced the impression that if

intelligencefi guresd id not kill a president.

they surely did their best to frustratct-h osc

attempting to find out who did.

June2 007

By BernardM cCormick

As for Bugliosi's assertion that Fonzi

camet o his investigativew ork with a bias,I

rise to support Fonzi. I was there that day in

Wildwood, N.J., when the tlvo of us, while

r,vorking on a light piece (the title was "The

Working Man's Riviera") were diverted to

meet a Philadelphiala wyer who was insisting

the Warren Commission was a cover

up. Vincent Salandria was unusual at that

time in that he had actually studied the 26

volumes of evidence. Neither Fonzi nor I

had even read the official report, a summary

which had been praised by the New York

Times. But no one at the Times had read the

26 volumes of evidence, because they had

not yet been released. Such endorsements

made the commission's work accepted by

the public, including Fonzi and me. We did

not know enough to have any bias.

I' THE

RlISWER

alandria wanted to meet Fonzr

becauseo f his reputationa s an investigative

reporter. Fonzi inr ited

me along for the fun. Both of us

expectedt o meet a nut case.A nd initiallr

I thought we had. My first impression w'as

of a man unnervinglyi ntense.g aunt,o bsessive.

But when he began running us through

the evidence. we were starlled at the blatant

contradictionsK. eep in mind, this rvasj ust

the initial physical stuff - the position of the

holes in JFK's shirt, the wounds, the pristine

"single bullet" that had to wound both Kennedy

and Gov. John Connolly to limit the

deed to a single shooter.

This was before it became known that

dozens of witnesses thought shots came

from the grassy knoll, and it was a decade

before investigators, including Fonzi.

discovered that the CIA had concealed its

huge involvement in anti-Castro activities

in South Florida from the Warren Commission.

It was even longer before it rvas

learned that the CIA set up President Kennedy

for failure at the Bay of Pigs, figuring

he would have to use our military to save

the operation,a ndh is butt. It was beforet he

truth of the Cuban Missile Crisis came out.

when Kennedy, after a secret agreement

with the Russians.t ried to shut down CIA

efforts to kill Castro and stage attacks in

Cuba.

That resulted in CIA agents and their

Cuban-American operatives hating Kennedy,

considering him a traitor. And it was

nearly 40 years before we would learn that

in faking cooperation with Fonzi's investigation.

t he CIA assigneda s liaisona retired

agent who was had been deeply involved

in coordinating anti-Castro activities in

Miami. Of course, he didn't bother to mention

that. And when asked to identify the

specitic CIA man who headed the anti-

Castrcl rvork in South Florida, he could not

lind him. It turns out the man government

inrestigatorsw anted so badly to question

u as /rillsef.

It is thought most of those involved

in the murder of JFK are dead. Certainly

thc rnost suspiciousC IA types are. And

) ct thcse books supporling a long dis-

.rc!litcd idea that Oswald acted alone

.()ntinLrc to be published. It is strange.

\n.i indt-'c'dit is strangert hat Fonzi, who

.t.rrtcrl r)ut as an agnostic and became a be-

Irer er . r. criticizedf or findinga ndr evealing

tirc t i ' L r t l r .

IIERE}

g u lfst reo m m e d i ag ro u p.co m

PUBLISHER'SL ETTER

t the opposite end of this

book, we rise once again to defend a work which

appeared in these pages 27 years ago, and which

has grown into something of a landmark in the

history of the Kennedy assassinationI.f you have

a day to devote, Google the name Gaeton Fonzi

and see the multiple references to his book The

Last Investigation which first appeared here as two

long magazine articles in 1980.

In retrospect, the book had the wrong name,

but only because it has had such an impact that

many researchers have been inspired to investigate

the crime of the century, uncovering additional

information to corroborate crucial details

that Fonzi developed during five years as a government

investigator.

Fonzi's initial assignment for Pennsylvania

Sen. Richard Schweiker was to look into CIA connections

with anti-Castro Cubans in South Florida.

Fonzi, in his own phrase, "stumbled" across

a connection between Lee Harvey Oswald and a

high ranking CIA officer. Fonzi never accused the

CIA man of particpating in |FK's murder, but he

did open a door that subsequently cast light on

the elaborate efforts of the intelligence community

to sabotaget he quest for truth.

And the truth continues to come out, almost

45 years after the tragic day in Dallas. Even Fonzi's

CIA man, David Atlee Phillips, when near death,

said he thought the intelligence community was

involved in the killing. He did not admit a role,

but that may have been one last bit of spycraft,

a disinformation specialist'sfi nal wink at history

- kill a president and get away with it. And a dying

E. Howard Hunt, the famous Watergate burglar

and longtime CIA figure, named the intelligence

community figures he said were involved, including

David Atlee Phillips. Hunt modestly described

himself as "a bench warmer" in the actual event.

Another deathbed confession of sorts has

been the gradual declassification of documents

which show the extent to which the CIA stonewalled

the congressional committee for which

Fonzi worked. For more on that, go to the last

page. This magazine is not known as hard hitting,

but it is an immense satisfaction to know

that a former editorial partner in this publication

has made history, and that we had a part in

helping him.

>F >F >F

Some years back we interviewed the late ]im

Moran and he revealed Iim Moran's 10 rules of

business.1 . Be there 2 Be there.3. Be there 4. Be

there 5. Be there. 6. Be there 7. Be there 8. Be there

9. Be there 10. Be there.

First at Courtesy Ford in Chicago and later

when he built fM Family Enterprises into a giant

network of dealershipsa nd distributorships in the

south, |im Moran was there - for his customers

and for the communities he served.

- BERNARD McCORMICK

1 2 June 2007 gulfstreammediagroup

Thanks Frog.....

B...

[Charles Black]

Hello Bernice

From my first readings of some of his early work to the present time, Fonzi has been very near the top of my list of asassination investigators.

One of my greatest regrets regarding Fonzi's work and the investigation in general, is that The Baron's murder/suicide, prevented Fonzi's interview.

Charles Black

[Charles Black]

Hello again Bernice

I have two questions that I hope that you can input, as I feel that they are potentially important but never discussed.

First: The Baron's daughter (Alexandra?)...to what extent was she interviewed and by whom? Also her ex husband, whom tho I can't document, seems to have had a less high opinion of Georges, if I recall.

Are either or both still alive ?

Second: Jeanne de Morenschildt-----although I know that she considered his later years as being "insane"----this woman would have had a WEALTH of knowledge regarding their relationship with the Oswalds. Jeanne was not just a "flunky"! I feel that she had very intimate knowledge of all that he did and was a "co-worker" in nearly all of his "projects".

Although some very absurd reports have been recorded, such as the studies of LHO's pubic hair,

how deeply have the De Morenschildts, whom I have always felt were one of the most important factors, barring virtually none, regarding ALL of the later actions of the Oswalds, been deeply and seriously studied. His involvement with the Oswalds could not have been one of "social choice" and by chance!

I feel this is an extremely important area in which

I KNOW nearly nothing of "deeper significance" !

I hope that I am not taking this thread off course, but every time that Fonzi enters my mind...it is immediately followed by thoughts of The Baron's "very timely" death!

Charles Black