Who Killed JFK?: Poll and Discussion?

[Thomas H. Purvis]

I am more convinced than ever before that JFK was killed by a small group of people. It was not a vast conspiracy, but it was a conspiracy. It was not our government that did it. It was perpetrated by a loose cannon that happened to be IN government. Barr McClellan phrased it best “Blood, Money and Power” (That's) How LBJ Killed JFK.

That’s what I think. How about you?

I have argued elsewhere that as a result of the assassination certain aspects of John F. Kennedy’s policies were brought to a halt. This included plans to end the oil depletion allowance, investigations into government corruption (TFX and Bobby Baker scandals), secret negotiations with Fidel Castro, the refusal to start a war in Vietnam and an unwillingness to support anti-democratic military dictators in the America. I have attempted to show that all these decisions benefited the Military Industrial Congressional Intelligence Complex (MICIC).

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=5799

Although the MICIC had a good motive for killing Kennedy, it is much more difficult to show how this was organized. A considerable amount of evidence has emerged to indicate that anti-Castro Cubans working for the CIA were involved in the assassination. This in itself was linked to CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro.

Gaeton Fonzi has argued convincingly in The Last Investigation that CIA officers, David Atlee Phillips and David Morales were involved in the assassination of Kennedy. Fonzi discovered that in 1963 Morales was head of operations at JM/WAVE, the CIA Miami station. (1) JM/WAVE chief was Ted Shackley and his top deputy was Tom Clines. As Warren Hinckle and William Turner were to point out in Deadly Secrets, Operation 40 the “ultra secret… assassins-for-hire” program was based at the JM/WAVE station. (2)

An account of the formation of Operation 40 can be found in the Senate Report, Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders. On 11th December, 1959, Colonel J. C. King, chief of CIA's Western Hemisphere Division, sent a confidential memorandum to Allen W. Dulles, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. King argued that in Cuba there existed a "far-left dictatorship, which if allowed to remain will encourage similar actions against U.S. holdings in other Latin American countries." (3)

As a result of this memorandum Dulles established Operation 40. It obtained this name because originally there were 40 agents involved in the operation. Later this was expanded to 70 agents. The group was presided over by Richard Nixon. Tracy Barnes became operating officer of what was also called the Cuban Task Force. The first meeting chaired by Barnes took place in his office on 18th January, 1960, and was attended by David Atlee Phillips, E. Howard Hunt, Jack Esterline and Frank Bender.

According to Fabian Escalante, a senior officer of the Cuban Department of State Security (G-2), in 1960 Richard Nixon recruited an "important group of businessmen headed by George Bush (Snr.) and Jack Crichton, both Texas oilmen, to gather the necessary funds for the operation". This suggests that Operation 40 agents were involved in freelance work. (4)

In 1990 Common Cause magazine argued that: "The CIA put millionaire and agent George Bush in charge of recruiting exiled Cubans for the CIA’s invading army; Bush was working with another Texan oil magnate, Jack Crichton, who helped him in terms of the invasion." (5) This story was linked to the release of "a memorandum in that context addressed to FBI chief J. Edward Hoover and signed November 1963, which reads: Mr. George Bush of the CIA" (6)

Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo claim that in 1959 George Bush was asked “to cooperate in funding the nascent anti-Castro groups that the CIA decided to create”. The man “assigned to him for his new mission” was Féliz Rodríguez. (7)

Daniel Hopsicker also takes the view that Operation 40 involved private funding. In the book, Barry and the Boys: The CIA, the Mob and America’s Secret History, he claims that Nixon’s had established Operation 40 as a result of pressure from American corporations which had suffered at the hands of Fidel Castro. (8)

Webster Griffin Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin have argued that Bush was very close to members of Operation 40 in the early 1960s. In September, 1963, Bush launched his Senate campaign. At that time, right-wing Republicans were calling on John Kennedy to take a more aggressive approach towards Fidel Castro. For example, in one speech Barry Goldwater said: “I advocate the recognition of a Cuban government in exile and would encourage this government every way to reclaim its country. This means financial and military assistance.” Bush took a more extreme position than Goldwater and called for a “new government-in-exile invasion of Cuba”. As Tarpley and Chaitkin point out, beneficiaries of this policy would have been “Theodore Shackley, who was by now the station chief of CIA Miami Station, Felix Rodriguez, Chi Chi Quintero, and the rest of the boys” from Operation 40. (9)

Paul Kangas is another investigator who has claimed that George Bush was involved with members of Operation 40. In an article published in The Realist in 1990, Kangas claims: "Among other members of the CIA recruited by George Bush for (the attacks on Cuba) were Frank Sturgis, Howard Hunt, Bernard Baker and Rafael Quintero.” In an article published in Granma in January, 2006, the journalists Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo argued that “Another of Bush’s recruits for the Bay of Pigs invasion, Rafael Quintero, who was also part of this underworld of organizations and conspiracies against Cuba, stated: If I was to tell what I know about Dallas and the Bay of Pigs, it would be the greatest scandal that has ever rocked the nation." (10)

Fabian Escalante names William Pawley as being one of those who was lobbying for the CIA to assassinate Castro. (11) Escalante points out that Pawley had played a similar role in the CIA overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in Guatemala. Interestingly, the CIA assembled virtually the same team that was involved in the removal of Arbenz: Tracey Barnes, Richard Bissell, David Morales, David Atlee Phillips, E. Howard Hunt, Rip Robertson and Henry Hecksher. Added to this list was several agents who had been involved in undercover operations in Germany: Ted Shackley, Tom Clines and William Harvey.

According to Daniel Hopsicker, Edwin Wilson, Barry Seal, William Seymour, Frank Sturgis and Gerry Hemming were also involved in Operation 40. (12) It has also been pointed out that Operation 40 was not only involved in trying to overthrow Fidel Castro. Frank Sturgis has claimed: "this assassination group (Operation 40) would upon orders, naturally, assassinate either members of the military or the political parties of the foreign country that you were going to infiltrate, and if necessary some of your own members who were suspected of being foreign agents."

Virtually every one of the field agents of Operation 40 were Cubans. This included Rafael ‘Chi Chi’ Quintero, Luis Posada, Orlando Bosch, Roland Masferrer, Eladio del Valle, Guillermo Novo, Carlos Bringuier, Eugenio Martinez, Antonio Cuesta, Hermino Diaz Garcia, Felix Ismael Rodriguez, Antonio Veciana, Juan Manuel Salvat, Ricardo Morales Navarrete, Isidro Borjas, Virgilio Paz, Jose Dionisio Suarez, Felipe Rivero, Gaspar Jimenez Escobedo, Nazario Sargent, Pedro Luis Diaz Lanz, Jose Basulto, and Paulino Sierra. (13)

Most of these characters had been associated with the far-right in Cuban politics. Rumours soon became circulating that it was not only Fidel Castro that was being targeted. On 9th June, 1961, Arthur Schlesinger sent a memo to Richard Goodwin:

“Sam Halper, who has been the Times correspondent in Havana and more recently in Miami, came to see me last week. He has excellent contracts among the Cuban exiles. One of Miro's comments this morning reminded me that I have been meaning to pass on the following story as told me by Halper. Halper says that CIA set up something called Operation 40 under the direction of a man named (as he recalled) Captain Luis Sanjenis, who was also chief of intelligence. (Could this be the man to whom Miro referred this morning?) It was called Operation 40 because originally only 40 men were involved: later the group was enlarged to 70. The ostensible purpose of Operation 40 was to administer liberated territories in Cuba. But the CIA agent in charge, a man known as Felix, trained the members of the group in methods of third degree interrogation, torture and general terrorism. The liberal Cuban exiles believe that the real purpose of Operation 40 was to "kill Communists" and, after eliminating hard-core Fidelistas, to go on to eliminate first the followers of Ray, then the followers of Varona and finally to set up a right wing dictatorship, presumably under Artime.” (14)

In an interview he gave to Jean-Guy Allard in May, 2005, Fabian Escalante pointed out: “Who in 1963 had the resources to assassinate Kennedy? Who had the means and who had the motives to kill the U.S. president? CIA agents from Operation 40 who were rabidly anti-Kennedy. And among them were Orlando Bosch, Luis Posada Carriles, Antonio Veciana and Felix Rodriguez Mendigutia." (15)

This is not the first time that Fabian Escalante has pointed the finger at members of Operation 40. In December, 1995, Wayne Smith, chief of the Centre for International Policy in Washington, arranged a meeting on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, in Nassau, Bahamas. Others in attendance were Gaeton Fonzi, Dick Russell, Noel Twyman, Anthony Summers, Peter Dale Scott, Jeremy Gunn, John Judge, Andy Kolis, Peter Kornbluh, Mary & Ray LaFontaine, Jim Lesar, John Newman, Alan Rogers, Russ Swickard, Ed Sherry, and Gordon Winslow. During a session on 7th December, Escalante claimed that during captivity, Antonio Cuesta, confessed that he had been involved in the assassination of Kennedy. He also named Eladio Del Valle, Rolando Masferrer and Hermino Diaz Garcia as being involved in this operation. All four men were members of Operation 40. (16)

It has been argued that people like Fabian Escalante, Jean Guy Allard, Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo are under the control of the Cuban government. It is definitely true that much of this information has originally been published in Granma, the newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party.

Is there any other evidence to suggest that members of Operation 40 were involved in the assassination? I believe that there are several pieces of evidence that help to substantiate Escalante’s theory.

Shortly before his death in 1975 John Martino confessed to a Miami Newsday reporter, John Cummings, that he had been guilty of spreading false stories implicating Lee Harvey Oswald in the assassination of Kennedy. He claimed that two of the gunmen were Cuban exiles. It is believed the two men were Herminio Diaz Garcia and Virgilio Gonzalez. Cummings added: "He told me he'd been part of the assassination of Kennedy. He wasn't in Dallas pulling a trigger, but he was involved. He implied that his role was delivering money, facilitating things.... He asked me not to write it while he was alive." (17)

Fred Claasen also told the House Select Committee on Assassinations what he knew about his business partner’s involvement in the case. He claimed Martino told him: “The anti-Castro people put Oswald together. Oswald didn’t know who he was working for – he was just ignorant of who was really putting him together. Oswald was to meet his contact at the Texas Theatre. They were to meet Oswald in the theatre, and get him out of the country, then eliminate him. Oswald made a mistake… There was no way we could get to him. They had Ruby kill him.” (18)

Florence Martino at first refused to corroborate the story. However, in 1994 she told Anthony Summers that her husband said to her on the morning of 22nd November, 1963: "Flo, they're going to kill him (Kennedy). They're going to kill him when he gets to Texas." (19)

Herminio Diaz Garcia and Virgilio Gonzalez were both members of Operation 40. So also was Rip Robertson who according to Anthony Summers “was a familiar face at his (John Martino) home. Summers also points out that Martino was close to William Pawley and both took part in the “Bayo-Pawley Affair”. (20) This anti-Castro mission, also known as Operation Tilt, also involved other members of Operation 40, including Virgilio Gonzalez and Eugenio Martinez.

There is another key CIA figure in Operation 40 who has made a confession concerning the assassination of John Kennedy. David Morales was head of operations at JM/WAVE, the CIA Miami station, at the time of the assassination. Gaeton Fonzi carried out a full investigation of Morales while working for the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). Unfortunately, Morales could not testify before the HSCA because he died of a heart attack on 8th May, 1978.

Fonzi tracked down Ruben Carbajal, a very close friend of Morales. Carbajal saw Morales the night before he died. He also visited Morales in hospital when he received news of the heart attack. Carbajal is convinced that Morales was killed by the CIA. Morales had told Carbajal the agency would do this if you posed a threat to covert operations. Morales, a heavy drinker, had a reputation for being indiscreet when intoxicated. On 4th August 1973, Morales allowed himself to be photographed by Kevin Scofield of the Arizona Republic at the El Molino restaurant. When the photograph appeared in the newspaper the following day, it identified Morales as Director for Operations Counterinsurgency and Special Activities in Washington.

Carbajal put Fonzi in contact with Bob Walton, a business associate of Morales. Walton confirmed Carbajal’s account that Morales feared being killed by the CIA. On one occasion he told him: “I know too much”.

Walton also told him about a discussion he had with Morales about John F. Kennedy in the spring of 1973. Walton had done some volunteer work for Kennedy’s Senatorial campaign. When hearing this news, Morales launched an attack on Kennedy, describing him as a wimp who had betrayed the anti-Castro Cubans at the Bay of Pigs. He ended up by saying: “Well, we took care of that son of a bitch, didn’t we?” Carbajal, who was also present at this meeting, confirmed Walton’s account of what Morales said. (21)

Another important piece of evidence comes from Gene Wheaton. In 1995 Gene Wheaton approached the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) with information on the death of Kennedy. Anne Buttimer, Chief Investigator of the ARRB, recorded that: " Wheaton told me that from 1984 to 1987 he spent a lot of time in the Washington DC area and that starting in 1985 he was "recruited into Ollie North's network" by the CIA officer he has information about. He got to know this man and his wife, a "'super grade high level CIA officer" and kept a bedroom in their Virginia home. His friend was a Marine Corps liaison in New Orleans and was the CIA contact with Carlos Marcello. He had been responsible for "running people into Cuba before the Bay of Pigs." His friend is now 68 or 69 years of age... Over the course of a year or a year and one-half his friend told him about his activities with training Cuban insurgency groups. Wheaton said he also got to know many of the Cubans who had been his friend's soldiers/operatives when the Cubans visited in Virginia from their homes in Miami. His friend and the Cubans confirmed to Wheaton they assassinated JFK. Wheaton's friend said he trained the Cubans who pulled the triggers. Wheaton said the street level Cubans felt JFK was a traitor after the Bay of Pigs and wanted to kill him. People "above the Cubans" wanted JFK killed for other reasons." (22)

It was later revealed that Wheaton's friend was Carl E. Jenkins, A senior CIA officer, Jenkins had been appointed in 1960 as Chief of Base for Cuban Project. In 1963 Jenkins provided paramilitary training for Manuel Artime and Rafael ‘Chi Chi’ Quintero and other members of the Movement for the Recovery of the Revolution (MRR). In an interview with William Law and Mark Sobel in the summer of 2005, Gene Wheaton claimed that Jenkins and Quintero were both involved in the assassination of Kennedy.

It seems that members of Operation 40, originally recruited to remove Fidel Castro, had been redirected to kill Kennedy. That someone had paid this team of assassins to kill the president of the United States as part of a freelance operation. This is not such a far-fetched idea when you consider that in 1959 Richard Nixon was approaching oilmen like George Walker Bush and Jack Crichton to help fund Operation 40. We also have the claim of Frank Sturgis that "this assassination group (Operation 40) would upon orders, naturally, assassinate either members of the military or the political parties of the foreign country that you were going to infiltrate, and if necessary some of your own members who were suspected of being foreign agents."

Further support for this theory comes from an unlikely source. David Atlee Phillips died of cancer on 7th July, 1988. He left behind an unpublished manuscript. The novel is about a CIA officer who lived in Mexico City. In the novel the character states: "I was one of those officers who handled Lee Harvey Oswald... We gave him the mission of killing Fidel Castro in Cuba... I don't know why he killed Kennedy. But I do know he used precisely the plan we had devised against Castro. Thus the CIA did not anticipate the president's assassination, but it was responsible for it. I share that guilt." (23)

Notes

1. Gaeton Fonzi, The Last Investigation, 1993 (pages 366-371)

2. Warren Hinckle & William Turner, Deadly Secrets, 1992 (page 53)

3. Senate Report, Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders, 1975 (page 92)

4. Fabian Escalante, CIA Covert Operations 1959-1962: The Cuba Project, 2004 (pages 42 and 43)

5. Common Cause Magazine (4th March, 1990)

6. The Nation magazine (13th August, 1988)

7. Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo, Granma (16th January, 2006)

8. Daniel Hopsicker, Barry and the Boys: The CIA, the Mob and America’s Secret History, 2001 (page 170)

9. Webster Griffin Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin, George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography, 2004 (page 173)

10. Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo, Granma (16th January, 2006)

11. Fabian Escalante, CIA Covert Operations 1959-1962: The Cuba Project, 2004 (pages 42 and 43)

12. Daniel Hopsicker, Mad Cow Morning News (24th August, 2004)

13. Jean-Guy Allard, Granma (22nd May, 2005)

14. Arthur Schlesinger, memo to Richard Goodwin (9th June, 1961)

15. Jean-Guy Allard, Granma (22nd May, 2005)

16. Fabian Escalante, Centre for International Policy, Nassau, Bahamas (7th December, 1995)

17. Larry Hancock, Someone Would Have Talked, 2003 (page 17)

18. Anthony Summers, The Kennedy Conspiracy, 2002 (page 328)

19. Anthony and Robbyn Summers, The Ghosts of November, Vanity Fair (December, 1994)

20. Anthony Summers, The Kennedy Conspiracy, 2002 (page 326)

21. Gaeton Fonzi, The Last Investigation, 1993 (pages 380-390)

22. Anne Buttimer, Assassination Records Review Board Report (12th July, 1995)

23. Anthony Summers, The Kennedy Conspiracy, 2002 (page 371)

http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presiden...uments/1578.cfm

Approved emergency sugar act and after 2 long conferences today, issued applicable proclamation and accompanying statement.4 Have warned all to be alert to Cuban reaction because when dealing with a "little Hitler" anything can happen.

[Randy Downs]

Well, it seems to me that with most of the players dead by now, the question becomes even more important rather than less. Because the battle against the truth hasn't lessened in the slightest. There is still an aggressive campaign of character assassination and disinformation being waged. The truth is not tucked away in the National Archives waiting to be released some day in the future. That's part of the dog and pony show for the American public. 'Well, in 2029 we'll get our answers'. No, we won't. I envision this locked and sealed chamber, with a crowd gathered at the entrance as the doors are unlocked, slowly swing open and we see... an empty room with quite a bit of dust on the floor.

The brain is gone, the shipping casket is gone; while we're filing our FOIAs, evidence is quietly being thrown away over the years. Who has the power to do that?

I believe the truth will never be known. That it's blatantly obvious we're dealing with institutions of such power that they can remain unknown. We are tossed enigmatic and mysterious names "Alpha 66", "Skull and Bones". I believe it's designed to capture our attention.

That being said, it depends on how you define "truth". As the saying goes: there's what you know and there's what you can prove. Was the Secret Service told to stand down? Obviously. According to one report, Clint Hill (the only agent on the President's detail who moved) was a last-minute replacement. Maybe he wasn't in the loop. I only discovered this recently: according to James Fetzer's "Murder in Dealey Plaza", Mr. Hill was Jackie's personal guard. Perhaps when the bullets began firing he didn't want her hit by accident (that's just a thought). Was LBJ in the loop? I read one report that stated LBJ hit the floor in his car just before the first shot.

What i find most disturbing is the display of brute force, over and over again. Murder in the midst of a crowd on a sunny afternoon. LBJ demanding to be sworn in before leaving Texas (an unnecessary ceremony), and also insisting that Jackie stand there and watch -with her husband's blood all over her.

A quiet assassination would have resulted in so much less work -in terms of killing off witnesses, confiscation of evidence, destruction of evidence, etc.

After decades of research and study, i think Peter Dale Scott has come the closest with his ideas of "deep politics" and "para-politics".

anon,

R.D.

[Shanet Clark]

So GREER was originally navy, interesting.

My theory reflect the lifelong interest of the navy and the joint chiefs in JFK's "health"

and it finds the minor marine defector LHO

and the conservative militants in the military intelligence and CIA brass

convening there in DALLAS with

the witting aid of CD DILLON , the Naval Secretaries of the 8F suite group, and high JCS/NSA/CIA honchos

looking the other way as some sort of "sanction" occured

following upon secret charges of

unfitness via JCS / ONI files we will never see .............

......and then JOHNSON and HOOVER merely reaping the rewards and following up appropriately.

[Guest Stephen Turner]

So GREER was originally navy, interesting.

My theory reflect the lifelong interest of the navy and the joint chiefs in JFK's "health"

and it finds the minor marine defector LHO

unfitness via JCS / ONI files we will never see .............

.

And, of course after the Northwoods debacle, Lemnitzer, LeMay, Shoup, Craig, Dulles, Bissell etc probably became obsessed with JFK's health..bring in Walker, minute men rifle's, all shots from behind, because thats where your designated patsy is..Hey presto, regime change, with shock, and awe thrown in..

[JL Allen]

John Kennedy was killed by the phenominally wealthy. By his nature, he wanted to make things more equitable for human beings. First, Americans... then, the rest of the world. The people whose lives we can hardly conceive of have elaborate plans for a complete transformation of the worth of an individual's contributions and just rewards for such investment. Rich Della Rosa at his website has a tagline which greets a vistor - "Cui Bono? Who benefits?" Look at the way in which the value of a workers contribututions have been devalued over the time since JFK was eliminated. It is the single-most, devastatingly identifiable fact since the assassination. Pensions stolen, benefits removed, wages reduced, human dignity demolished. In my opinion, one has to sit themselves, as if on the moon... and view the history as if it is the movement of huge tetronic plates. It was determined by some that the future history of the earth must be a of a certain complexion and a decided, drastic alteration.

Edited September 21, 2006 by JL Allen

[Peter McGuire]

I am amazed that so many people, especially those from academia, still believe there is more to the John Kennedy assassination than Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone.

In the 40 years since, there has not been a shred of evidence to support other conclusions. All the ballistic, eyewitness, motivational and biographical evidence points to nothing but that demented loser getting to the 6th floor--the highest station he reached in life--and killing the President.

I think educators should be dedicated to passing on truth, and leave conjecture to something unexplainable--like how the Pyramids were built. You'll be doing history a favor.

Let's try it this way, "In the 43 years since, there has been a mountain of evidence presented by private researchers that not only clears Lee Oswald , but which also shows the real purpetrators of the crime"

I think educators should be critical thinkers who encourage their students to think for themselves. And history does not need favors, it needs honest Historians.

The bullet hole shown in the picture has been described as having it's point of entry from the front. Of course , like most evidence in this case, the windshield was destroyed and replaced. But the words of the Parkland Hospital intern and the Ford Motor Company employee will not be forgotten.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Peter McGuire

[John Dolva]

theory 'in the making' ...

Motive : money, power, money

Capitalism is a system that depends on imbalance in the form of diverse markets. It also depends on room to grow. Where this room to grow contracts it seeks new fields and failing that takes steps to creatre them. This takes the form of wars of commercial and military nature. Whole populations and industries are wiped out, rebuilt and reorganised. War is also an impetus for technology creation. Unequal markets and instability is important. (one can say that 'Japan and Germany won WWII'. Simlarly, perhaps, in time one may be able to say 'Russia won the cold war')

The socialist revolutions of the 20th century, and the division of markets after WWII, were severely contracting the capitalist world. As such, winning the cold war was a must.

Along came Kennedy. His voice of reason and peace was perhaps the greatest enemy of rampant capitalism. (I think it was a failure to recognise that he had an agressive anti-communist stance, just not a militaristic one, rather a war for hearts and minds by example, education and judicious funding.) Kennedys approach was a radical shift. He had been warned by Eisenhower and he set about to create alternative structures to turn the US away from the confrontations that may have resulted in the destruction of the entire world. Nuclear weapons was the new factor. Contrary to Reagan's and others statements, there are no friendly atomic bombs. However to people whom I would class as sociopaths, Kennedy was an obstruction in the quest for 'divide and rule'. Kennedy was into 'unite and live'. Hence he was prepared to seriously tackle issues such as civil rights. In this environment in southern of USA, these sociopaths found ready elements of fanatics to do their bidding.

Means : hate, bigotry, strife, location

These right wing elements in the south, the racist bigots, could easily be manipulated as their interests and those of the 'Bankers' coincided. Someone like Walker would have been well placed as the bridge to the actual assassins. Separate but allied in common purpose were agency and gocvernment elements prepared to participate in a coverup.

Opportunity : a presidential visit to The heart of Texas, Dallas. The heart of Dallas, Dealey Plaza.

Here conflict was right up front, thus the first layer of concealment already in place. Fertile ground for conspiracy to take any of a number of directions, just not in the right one. Capital.

The population of Dallas in tight control of its Citizens Council and law enforcement. People, black and white, knew what it meant to step out of line. An area whos interests coincided with those of the 'Bankers' of the assassination. In a way here Oswald is unimportant. If it hadn't been him it would have been someone else. Similarly, Ruby was peripheral to this closed society, his non-local status combined with his Jewishness put him on the outer. He despearately wanted in. He was used and discarded.

Others that in this way were manipulated may be individual elements of agencies, (CIA, FBI and DPD) and anti Castro activists. I don't subscrire to the Mob scenario except insofar as individuals stood to gain finacially (itsa justa business), perhaps elements of rightwing union structures, but then only where membership overlapped.

The actual assassins were drawn from connections within the Dallas ruling bodies. These were likely KKK, fanatical white supremacists who had a warped view of black people, communists, catholics and Jews.

They also had a secret society where members were very aware of the consequences of breaking ranks. Enforced by a series of suspicious deaths and threats"

A three tiered conspiracy?

Top : Dispassionate, practical, would never rat on self, Industry leaders?

Middle : The tie, the middleman, aspirations of moving with the top, motivated by money, power, revenge, hate. Walker?

Lower : The assassins, ignorant base elements, motivated by base emotion, immediate gain. Belonging to secretive groups where betrayal means death. KKK?

Edited April 11, 2007 by John Dolva

[Don Roberdeau]

...

Don Roberdeau's evidentiary map shows skull and bullet material downfield

from the limousine, originating from the Dallas Textile building, and Ms.

Gutierrez makes it clear that the Blood and Tissue pattern conforms to

a forward originating shot. Shots from front and back, headshots: skull forward, tissue backward.

High powered front and back fire.

...

Good Day Shanet.... Utilizing the DP professionally surveyed map here....

....it has always been interesting to me that a theorized straightline path from President KENNEDY's head at 312/313, to where WILLIAM HARPER diagramed where he discovered the "Harper skull fragment," leads nearly directly back to the exact same TSBD 6th floor West open windows that ARNOLD ROWLAND warrenatti-testified where he observed at 12:15 PM a second rifle armed assassin, and, in the DILLARD photo captured just after the attack ended, is seen a person looking outward into the kill zone. Here is a quote from my discovery announcement, Rosemary Willis Zapruder Film 2nd Headsnap; West, Ultrafast, and Directly Towards the Grassy Knoll, located here:

http://members.aol.com/droberdeau/JFK/ROSE...NOUNCEMENT.html

<QUOTE>

...

If you utilize a professionally surveyed map of Dealey Plaza, and plot her correct standing location at Z-214, it is very clear that 90 degrees offset from Mr. Zapruder, with Rosemary at the apex, reveals that her head profile is facing towards the Texas School Book Depository (hereafter “TSBD”) between the sixth floor west open window units #10 and #11 (counting westward starting from the eastern most, #1, warrenatti-apologists, supposed, "snipers lair" “lone nut” window, and very easy to calculate with a 90 degree protractor, or, even an envelope corner).

This is the exact same TSBD sixth floor far west end open window that Dealey Plaza attack witness Arnold Rowland warrenatti-testified where he distinctly watched a second, rifle armed assassin at 12:15 pm. [8]

This is the exact same TSBD sixth floor far west end open window that Dealey Plaza attack witness Tom Dillard captured a photo only seconds after the attack ended, in which is seen a person looking outward into the kill zone.

This is the exact same TSBD sixth floor far west end open window that when a trajectory line is extended backwards from the location where the “Harper skull fragment” was discovered that passes through the President’s head location at Z-313, this same trajectory line intersects on the TSBD between the sixth floor, west open window units #11 and #12. [9]

The following diagram here details the found “Harper skull fragment” trajectory straight back through the President at Z-313, extended to the TSBD, which intersects very close to the exact same sixth floor west open window. The diagram includes an inset photo captured from the, warrenatti-apologists, supposed, “lone nut” “snipers lair” TSBD sixth floor farthest east window on 11/27/63 by the Secret Service on which is precisely indicated in red the location of known attack evidentiary artifacts.

NOTE: the very wide “Harper fragment” deflection angle of the trajectory of the “Harper fragment” from President Kennedy’s Z-313 location (the red line), as seen from the warrenatti-apologists, supposed, “lone nut” “snipers lair.” Also included on the diagram is a photo crop capturing the aforementioned man seen in a TSBD south face, sixth floor, west, open window in the Tom Dillard photo staring outward into the kill zone within a minute after the attack ended. (The solid red, larger, ellipse seen near the grassy knoll picket fence corner is the location where nine attack witnesses were attracted to see gun smoke, and the same location where the Dave Wiegman film shows lingering gun smoke as the limousine accelerated towards the triple underpass)

The brightness and contrasted animated clip that reveals the man in the west sixth floor open window staring out into the kill zone is available for you here and here.

NOTE: at the instant that Dillard captured this photo of the man in the sixth floor west open window (estimates timestamp the Dillard photo to being snapped between 5 and 30 seconds after the president’s head exploding), the Warren Commission theory mandates that the person seen in the sixth floor farthest southeast window must have already brought the rifle from a horizontal position down to his side, then, remained visible in the sixth floor farthest east open window for several seconds after the head shot (per witness Howard Brennan) staring transfixed to ensure his deed; then the alleged Oswald had to move out from behind the 22” of space between the boxes of the “lone nut” “snipers lair,” then weave 140’ to 160’ across the sixth floor through dozens of stacked groups of boxes, then slow down and stop to deliberately place and hide the rifle balanced upright on its bottom edges between stacked boxes near the far northwest corner sixth floor entranceway (approximately an 80’ distance away from the west open window the man was photographed in), and cross 5 floor stairs landings and descend at a faster than normal pace down 4 flights of stairs, cross the second floor landing, and enter through a vestibule room, then enter into the second floor lunch room, then have his depository second floor lunch room encounter with Dallas police motorcycle man Baker only 75 to 90 seconds after the head shot.

Here is a larger view from the warrenatti-apologists, supposed, “lone nut” “sniper’s lair” captured during the November 27, 1963 Secret Service reenactment detailing the red lined “Harper skull fragment” trajectory angle from the President at Z-313 to where it landed in the grass between Elm and Main streets. (in that same photo, additional important attack artifacts are also detailed at their specific locations, with each artifact shown in red, and the same attack artifacts locations, with victims precise locations, witnesses, photographers, suspected bullet trajectories, evidence, and additional important information are further detailed on my Dealey Plaza professionally surveyed map, provided for you here)

...

[8] In photos and films captured right after the attack, TSBD west window units #11 and #12 were open approximately fifteen percent and twenty percent, respectively. Only a couple degrees difference in trajectory to either side of this theorized trajectory was west open window unit #10 (fifty percent open), #13 (fifty percent open), and #14 (fifty percent open). Due to each depository window unit actually consisting of two separate, framed window sashes, the maximum any window unit could be considered "open" is 50%. West window unit #13 was the same window that Dealey Plaza attack witness Arnold Rowland warrenatti-testified that from Rowland’s line of sight he observed at 12:15 PM a second, rifle armed assassin standing in his view, 5’ back from the open window.

[9] Dealey Plaza witness, Arnold Louis Rowland, testimony to the Warren Commission volume 2, page 165 available here.

...

<END QUOTE>

Beside the West side of the TSBD 6th floor, I have also never eliminated the Dal-Tex West roofline as a possible shot origin, as a bullet trajectory from there would nearly match the vertical, horizontal, & lateral angles to the president----which would be a paramount consideration for the conspirators because of the inevitable autopsy to follow the attack....

http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/BRON...TEXmyers223.gif

http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/DT22...texROOFLINE.gif

....and a Dal-Tex 2nd floor assassin could have deliberately missed because the followup SS agents (whose headtops were almost 7' above Elm Street) bodies obstructed clean targeting of the president, so, at the last instant before/as he was squeezing the trigger he swung off target, and the missed shot un-jacketed bullet could have hit the "Tague curb impact," although a direct hit there would have caused more curb damage, so, that missed bullet probably did ricochet off something, first, such as Elm Street, remembering the many witnesses who all reported being attracted to see the street spark and/or its debris....

http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/DT2d...URBpossible.gif

....a 313/314 head impact trajectory from the south AND north ends of the triple overpass were both confirmed as entirely possible in the 2003 "Discovery Channel" documentary night time laser reconstructions. My calculations show that a bullet trajectory from the south end would clear the limo windshield chrome trim by about 3"-4", and, it would have had to pass in the open space between the pushed-nearly-straight-up sunvisors (and would have just barely missed CONNALLY).

http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/DPth...RAJECTORIES.gif

http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/DPth...TORIESviews.gif

Best Regards in Research,

Don

Don Roberdeau

U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, CV-67, "Big John," Plank Walker

Sooner, or later, The Truth emerges Clearly

ROSEMARY WILLIS 2nd Headsnap; Westward, Ultrafast, & Directly Towards the Grassy Knoll

Dealey Plaza Professionally-surveyed Map Detailing Victims locations, Witnesses, Photographers, Suspected trajectories, Evidentiary artifacts, etc

4 Principles

T ogether

E veryone

A chieves

M ore

For the United States

"A red-brown to black area of skin surrounds the wound, forming what is called an abrasion collar. It was caused by the bullet's scraping the margins of the skin on penetration and is characteristic of a gunshot wound of entrance. The abrasion collar is larger at the lower margin of the wound, evidence that the bullet's trajectory at the instant of penetration was slightly upward in relation to the body."

- 07HSCA175 describing President KENNEDY's, theorized, not-completely-probed, neck and back wounds

Edited June 24, 2007 by Don Roberdeau

[Kathleen Collins]

JFK was NOT killed by LHO, who was as he stated so clearly 'a patsy', though he had long been and likely was also that day a black operative of the CIA, MI, FBI and other such.

Peter, I agree with you. Years back, when I first joined another Forum, I called Lee Harvey Oswald a "punk." Because I figured, even if he didn't kill Kennedy, he was up to something. They were insulted! I could never live it down. At least here you can voice your own opinion.

Back to Oswald, if you know the Presidential motorcade is passing the building where you're working, do you not go to work that day? Or was he given some role to play -- and didn't realize they were making him the patsy? I've read Harvey and Lee by John Armstrong and I believe there were 2 men using the same identity. Only, I don't think Harvey knew about Lee. Lee, who may have been Harvey's cousin, helped set Harvey up. So, of course I wonder -- whatever happened to Lee?

Kathy

[Terry Mauro]

JFK was NOT killed by LHO, who was as he stated so clearly 'a patsy', though he had long been and likely was also that day a black operative of the CIA, MI, FBI and other such.

Peter, I agree with you. Years back, when I first joined another Forum, I called Lee Harvey Oswald a "punk." Because I figured, even if he didn't kill Kennedy, he was up to something. They were insulted! I could never live it down. At least here you can voice your own opinion.

Back to Oswald, if you know the Presidential motorcade is passing the building where you're working, do you not go to work that day? Or was he given some role to play -- and didn't realize they were making him the patsy? I've read Harvey and Lee by John Armstrong and I believe there were 2 men using the same identity. Only, I don't think Harvey knew about Lee. Lee, who may have been Harvey's cousin, helped set Harvey up. So, of course I wonder -- whatever happened to Lee?

Kathy

*********************************************************

"Years back, when I first joined another Forum, I called Lee Harvey Oswald a "punk." Because I figured, even if he didn't kill Kennedy, he was up to something. They were insulted! I could never live it down. At least here you can voice your own opinion."

Being a double agent, an FBI asset, or assigned to covert operations, does not necessarily relegate one to the status of a "punk."

"Lee, who may have been Harvey's cousin, helped set Harvey up. So, of course I wonder -- whatever happened to Lee?"

But, I thought you had already figured that one out, Kath. Donald Norton aka Ralph Geb, right?

Edited June 25, 2007 by Terry Mauro

[Kathleen Collins]

JFK was NOT killed by LHO, who was as he stated so clearly 'a patsy', though he had long been and likely was also that day a black operative of the CIA, MI, FBI and other such.

Peter, I agree with you. Years back, when I first joined another Forum, I called Lee Harvey Oswald a "punk." Because I figured, even if he didn't kill Kennedy, he was up to something. They were insulted! I could never live it down. At least here you can voice your own opinion.

Back to Oswald, if you know the Presidential motorcade is passing the building where you're working, do you not go to work that day? Or was he given some role to play -- and didn't realize they were making him the patsy? I've read Harvey and Lee by John Armstrong and I believe there were 2 men using the same identity. Only, I don't think Harvey knew about Lee. Lee, who may have been Harvey's cousin, helped set Harvey up. So, of course I wonder -- whatever happened to Lee?

Kathy

*********************************************************

"Years back, when I first joined another Forum, I called Lee Harvey Oswald a "punk." Because I figured, even if he didn't kill Kennedy, he was up to something. They were insulted! I could never live it down. At least here you can voice your own opinion."

Being a double agent, an FBI asset, or assigned to covert operations, does not necessarily relegate one to the status of a "punk."

"Lee, who may have been Harvey's cousin, helped set Harvey up. So, of course I wonder -- whatever happened to Lee?"

But, I thought you had already figured that one out, Kath. Donald Norton aka Ralph Geb, right?

About Lee, no I haven't figured it out in that I don't have confirmation. But yes, I think the guy in the yearbook picture was "Ralph Geb." And Donald O. Norton was one of the two red-headed Geb/Norton brothers. Supposedly, "Lee" Oswald. Yet none of them look like Oswald ! I know John Armstrong searched the country for Lee Oswald or Donald O. Norton. There must be some reason, but he won't reveal it. To read more about this go to

thecloakofdarkness.blogspot.com - beginning in Feb 2006.

About the word "punk." I felt, in the past, that Oswald was up to something that day, whether he shot at the President or not. "Nice" people do not make up the CIA, FBI, NSA, et al. The Cuban Exiles weren't nice. My picture of a punk would be Vic Morrow in The Blackboard Jungle. It's attitude more than anything else.

Kathy

[Myra Bronstein]

...

It was part of the overall conspiracy to keep Castro in power. The presence of a communist state so close to the United States helped to reinforce the communist threat and the need for massive arms spending.

...

John,

Do you feel that there was a time when the CIA genuinely wanted to topple Castro?

If so then when did they change their policy from wanting to nail Castro to wanting him preserved as the boogeyman close to home?

[Mark Vernon]

Where is the poll?

[Antti Hynonen]

Mark Vernon Posted Today, 08:52 AM

Where is the poll?

This has apparently been removed since the poll was started a few years ago already. You can ask John Simkin if he still has the poll and results around, and if he could "revive it" if you so like.

Antti

[Daniel Marvin]

I am more convinced than ever before that JFK was killed by a small group of people. It was not a vast conspiracy, but it was a conspiracy. It was not our government that did it. It was perpetrated by a loose cannon that happened to be IN government. Barr McClellan phrased it best “Blood, Money and Power” (That's) How LBJ Killed JFK.

That’s what I think. How about you?

I have argued elsewhere that as a result of the assassination certain aspects of John F. Kennedy’s policies were brought to a halt. This included plans to end the oil depletion allowance, investigations into government corruption (TFX and Bobby Baker scandals), secret negotiations with Fidel Castro, the refusal to start a war in Vietnam and an unwillingness to support anti-democratic military dictators in the America. I have attempted to show that all these decisions benefited the Military Industrial Congressional Intelligence Complex (MICIC).

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=5799

Although the MICIC had a good motive for killing Kennedy, it is much more difficult to show how this was organized. A considerable amount of evidence has emerged to indicate that anti-Castro Cubans working for the CIA were involved in the assassination. This in itself was linked to CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro.

Gaeton Fonzi has argued convincingly in The Last Investigation that CIA officers, David Atlee Phillips and David Morales were involved in the assassination of Kennedy. Fonzi discovered that in 1963 Morales was head of operations at JM/WAVE, the CIA Miami station. (1) JM/WAVE chief was Ted Shackley and his top deputy was Tom Clines. As Warren Hinckle and William Turner were to point out in Deadly Secrets, Operation 40 the “ultra secret… assassins-for-hire” program was based at the JM/WAVE station. (2)

An account of the formation of Operation 40 can be found in the Senate Report, Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders. On 11th December, 1959, Colonel J. C. King, chief of CIA's Western Hemisphere Division, sent a confidential memorandum to Allen W. Dulles, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. King argued that in Cuba there existed a "far-left dictatorship, which if allowed to remain will encourage similar actions against U.S. holdings in other Latin American countries." (3)

As a result of this memorandum Dulles established Operation 40. It obtained this name because originally there were 40 agents involved in the operation. Later this was expanded to 70 agents. The group was presided over by Richard Nixon. Tracy Barnes became operating officer of what was also called the Cuban Task Force. The first meeting chaired by Barnes took place in his office on 18th January, 1960, and was attended by David Atlee Phillips, E. Howard Hunt, Jack Esterline and Frank Bender.

According to Fabian Escalante, a senior officer of the Cuban Department of State Security (G-2), in 1960 Richard Nixon recruited an "important group of businessmen headed by George Bush (Snr.) and Jack Crichton, both Texas oilmen, to gather the necessary funds for the operation". This suggests that Operation 40 agents were involved in freelance work. (4)

In 1990 Common Cause magazine argued that: "The CIA put millionaire and agent George Bush in charge of recruiting exiled Cubans for the CIA’s invading army; Bush was working with another Texan oil magnate, Jack Crichton, who helped him in terms of the invasion." (5) This story was linked to the release of "a memorandum in that context addressed to FBI chief J. Edward Hoover and signed November 1963, which reads: Mr. George Bush of the CIA" (6)

Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo claim that in 1959 George Bush was asked “to cooperate in funding the nascent anti-Castro groups that the CIA decided to create”. The man “assigned to him for his new mission” was Féliz Rodríguez. (7)

Daniel Hopsicker also takes the view that Operation 40 involved private funding. In the book, Barry and the Boys: The CIA, the Mob and America’s Secret History, he claims that Nixon’s had established Operation 40 as a result of pressure from American corporations which had suffered at the hands of Fidel Castro. (8)

Webster Griffin Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin have argued that Bush was very close to members of Operation 40 in the early 1960s. In September, 1963, Bush launched his Senate campaign. At that time, right-wing Republicans were calling on John Kennedy to take a more aggressive approach towards Fidel Castro. For example, in one speech Barry Goldwater said: “I advocate the recognition of a Cuban government in exile and would encourage this government every way to reclaim its country. This means financial and military assistance.” Bush took a more extreme position than Goldwater and called for a “new government-in-exile invasion of Cuba”. As Tarpley and Chaitkin point out, beneficiaries of this policy would have been “Theodore Shackley, who was by now the station chief of CIA Miami Station, Felix Rodriguez, Chi Chi Quintero, and the rest of the boys” from Operation 40. (9)

Paul Kangas is another investigator who has claimed that George Bush was involved with members of Operation 40. In an article published in The Realist in 1990, Kangas claims: "Among other members of the CIA recruited by George Bush for (the attacks on Cuba) were Frank Sturgis, Howard Hunt, Bernard Baker and Rafael Quintero.” In an article published in Granma in January, 2006, the journalists Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo argued that “Another of Bush’s recruits for the Bay of Pigs invasion, Rafael Quintero, who was also part of this underworld of organizations and conspiracies against Cuba, stated: If I was to tell what I know about Dallas and the Bay of Pigs, it would be the greatest scandal that has ever rocked the nation." (10)

Fabian Escalante names William Pawley as being one of those who was lobbying for the CIA to assassinate Castro. (11) Escalante points out that Pawley had played a similar role in the CIA overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in Guatemala. Interestingly, the CIA assembled virtually the same team that was involved in the removal of Arbenz: Tracey Barnes, Richard Bissell, David Morales, David Atlee Phillips, E. Howard Hunt, Rip Robertson and Henry Hecksher. Added to this list was several agents who had been involved in undercover operations in Germany: Ted Shackley, Tom Clines and William Harvey.

According to Daniel Hopsicker, Edwin Wilson, Barry Seal, William Seymour, Frank Sturgis and Gerry Hemming were also involved in Operation 40. (12) It has also been pointed out that Operation 40 was not only involved in trying to overthrow Fidel Castro. Frank Sturgis has claimed: "this assassination group (Operation 40) would upon orders, naturally, assassinate either members of the military or the political parties of the foreign country that you were going to infiltrate, and if necessary some of your own members who were suspected of being foreign agents."

Virtually every one of the field agents of Operation 40 were Cubans. This included Rafael ‘Chi Chi’ Quintero, Luis Posada, Orlando Bosch, Roland Masferrer, Eladio del Valle, Guillermo Novo, Carlos Bringuier, Eugenio Martinez, Antonio Cuesta, Hermino Diaz Garcia, Felix Ismael Rodriguez, Antonio Veciana, Juan Manuel Salvat, Ricardo Morales Navarrete, Isidro Borjas, Virgilio Paz, Jose Dionisio Suarez, Felipe Rivero, Gaspar Jimenez Escobedo, Nazario Sargent, Pedro Luis Diaz Lanz, Jose Basulto, and Paulino Sierra. (13)

Most of these characters had been associated with the far-right in Cuban politics. Rumours soon became circulating that it was not only Fidel Castro that was being targeted. On 9th June, 1961, Arthur Schlesinger sent a memo to Richard Goodwin:

“Sam Halper, who has been the Times correspondent in Havana and more recently in Miami, came to see me last week. He has excellent contracts among the Cuban exiles. One of Miro's comments this morning reminded me that I have been meaning to pass on the following story as told me by Halper. Halper says that CIA set up something called Operation 40 under the direction of a man named (as he recalled) Captain Luis Sanjenis, who was also chief of intelligence. (Could this be the man to whom Miro referred this morning?) It was called Operation 40 because originally only 40 men were involved: later the group was enlarged to 70. The ostensible purpose of Operation 40 was to administer liberated territories in Cuba. But the CIA agent in charge, a man known as Felix, trained the members of the group in methods of third degree interrogation, torture and general terrorism. The liberal Cuban exiles believe that the real purpose of Operation 40 was to "kill Communists" and, after eliminating hard-core Fidelistas, to go on to eliminate first the followers of Ray, then the followers of Varona and finally to set up a right wing dictatorship, presumably under Artime.” (14)

In an interview he gave to Jean-Guy Allard in May, 2005, Fabian Escalante pointed out: “Who in 1963 had the resources to assassinate Kennedy? Who had the means and who had the motives to kill the U.S. president? CIA agents from Operation 40 who were rabidly anti-Kennedy. And among them were Orlando Bosch, Luis Posada Carriles, Antonio Veciana and Felix Rodriguez Mendigutia." (15)

This is not the first time that Fabian Escalante has pointed the finger at members of Operation 40. In December, 1995, Wayne Smith, chief of the Centre for International Policy in Washington, arranged a meeting on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, in Nassau, Bahamas. Others in attendance were Gaeton Fonzi, Dick Russell, Noel Twyman, Anthony Summers, Peter Dale Scott, Jeremy Gunn, John Judge, Andy Kolis, Peter Kornbluh, Mary & Ray LaFontaine, Jim Lesar, John Newman, Alan Rogers, Russ Swickard, Ed Sherry, and Gordon Winslow. During a session on 7th December, Escalante claimed that during captivity, Antonio Cuesta, confessed that he had been involved in the assassination of Kennedy. He also named Eladio Del Valle, Rolando Masferrer and Hermino Diaz Garcia as being involved in this operation. All four men were members of Operation 40. (16)

It has been argued that people like Fabian Escalante, Jean Guy Allard, Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo are under the control of the Cuban government. It is definitely true that much of this information has originally been published in Granma, the newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party.

Is there any other evidence to suggest that members of Operation 40 were involved in the assassination? I believe that there are several pieces of evidence that help to substantiate Escalante’s theory.

Shortly before his death in 1975 John Martino confessed to a Miami Newsday reporter, John Cummings, that he had been guilty of spreading false stories implicating Lee Harvey Oswald in the assassination of Kennedy. He claimed that two of the gunmen were Cuban exiles. It is believed the two men were Herminio Diaz Garcia and Virgilio Gonzalez. Cummings added: "He told me he'd been part of the assassination of Kennedy. He wasn't in Dallas pulling a trigger, but he was involved. He implied that his role was delivering money, facilitating things.... He asked me not to write it while he was alive." (17)

Fred Claasen also told the House Select Committee on Assassinations what he knew about his business partner’s involvement in the case. He claimed Martino told him: “The anti-Castro people put Oswald together. Oswald didn’t know who he was working for – he was just ignorant of who was really putting him together. Oswald was to meet his contact at the Texas Theatre. They were to meet Oswald in the theatre, and get him out of the country, then eliminate him. Oswald made a mistake… There was no way we could get to him. They had Ruby kill him.” (18)

Florence Martino at first refused to corroborate the story. However, in 1994 she told Anthony Summers that her husband said to her on the morning of 22nd November, 1963: "Flo, they're going to kill him (Kennedy). They're going to kill him when he gets to Texas." (19)

Herminio Diaz Garcia and Virgilio Gonzalez were both members of Operation 40. So also was Rip Robertson who according to Anthony Summers “was a familiar face at his (John Martino) home. Summers also points out that Martino was close to William Pawley and both took part in the “Bayo-Pawley Affair”. (20) This anti-Castro mission, also known as Operation Tilt, also involved other members of Operation 40, including Virgilio Gonzalez and Eugenio Martinez.

There is another key CIA figure in Operation 40 who has made a confession concerning the assassination of John Kennedy. David Morales was head of operations at JM/WAVE, the CIA Miami station, at the time of the assassination. Gaeton Fonzi carried out a full investigation of Morales while working for the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). Unfortunately, Morales could not testify before the HSCA because he died of a heart attack on 8th May, 1978.

Fonzi tracked down Ruben Carbajal, a very close friend of Morales. Carbajal saw Morales the night before he died. He also visited Morales in hospital when he received news of the heart attack. Carbajal is convinced that Morales was killed by the CIA. Morales had told Carbajal the agency would do this if you posed a threat to covert operations. Morales, a heavy drinker, had a reputation for being indiscreet when intoxicated. On 4th August 1973, Morales allowed himself to be photographed by Kevin Scofield of the Arizona Republic at the El Molino restaurant. When the photograph appeared in the newspaper the following day, it identified Morales as Director for Operations Counterinsurgency and Special Activities in Washington.

Carbajal put Fonzi in contact with Bob Walton, a business associate of Morales. Walton confirmed Carbajal’s account that Morales feared being killed by the CIA. On one occasion he told him: “I know too much”.

Walton also told him about a discussion he had with Morales about John F. Kennedy in the spring of 1973. Walton had done some volunteer work for Kennedy’s Senatorial campaign. When hearing this news, Morales launched an attack on Kennedy, describing him as a wimp who had betrayed the anti-Castro Cubans at the Bay of Pigs. He ended up by saying: “Well, we took care of that son of a bitch, didn’t we?” Carbajal, who was also present at this meeting, confirmed Walton’s account of what Morales said. (21)

Another important piece of evidence comes from Gene Wheaton. In 1995 Gene Wheaton approached the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) with information on the death of Kennedy. Anne Buttimer, Chief Investigator of the ARRB, recorded that: " Wheaton told me that from 1984 to 1987 he spent a lot of time in the Washington DC area and that starting in 1985 he was "recruited into Ollie North's network" by the CIA officer he has information about. He got to know this man and his wife, a "'super grade high level CIA officer" and kept a bedroom in their Virginia home. His friend was a Marine Corps liaison in New Orleans and was the CIA contact with Carlos Marcello. He had been responsible for "running people into Cuba before the Bay of Pigs." His friend is now 68 or 69 years of age... Over the course of a year or a year and one-half his friend told him about his activities with training Cuban insurgency groups. Wheaton said he also got to know many of the Cubans who had been his friend's soldiers/operatives when the Cubans visited in Virginia from their homes in Miami. His friend and the Cubans confirmed to Wheaton they assassinated JFK. Wheaton's friend said he trained the Cubans who pulled the triggers. Wheaton said the street level Cubans felt JFK was a traitor after the Bay of Pigs and wanted to kill him. People "above the Cubans" wanted JFK killed for other reasons." (22)

It was later revealed that Wheaton's friend was Carl E. Jenkins, A senior CIA officer, Jenkins had been appointed in 1960 as Chief of Base for Cuban Project. In 1963 Jenkins provided paramilitary training for Manuel Artime and Rafael ‘Chi Chi’ Quintero and other members of the Movement for the Recovery of the Revolution (MRR). In an interview with William Law and Mark Sobel in the summer of 2005, Gene Wheaton claimed that Jenkins and Quintero were both involved in the assassination of Kennedy.

It seems that members of Operation 40, originally recruited to remove Fidel Castro, had been redirected to kill Kennedy. That someone had paid this team of assassins to kill the president of the United States as part of a freelance operation. This is not such a far-fetched idea when you consider that in 1959 Richard Nixon was approaching oilmen like George Walker Bush and Jack Crichton to help fund Operation 40. We also have the claim of Frank Sturgis that "this assassination group (Operation 40) would upon orders, naturally, assassinate either members of the military or the political parties of the foreign country that you were going to infiltrate, and if necessary some of your own members who were suspected of being foreign agents."

Further support for this theory comes from an unlikely source. David Atlee Phillips died of cancer on 7th July, 1988. He left behind an unpublished manuscript. The novel is about a CIA officer who lived in Mexico City. In the novel the character states: "I was one of those officers who handled Lee Harvey Oswald... We gave him the mission of killing Fidel Castro in Cuba... I don't know why he killed Kennedy. But I do know he used precisely the plan we had devised against Castro. Thus the CIA did not anticipate the president's assassination, but it was responsible for it. I share that guilt." (23)

Notes

1. Gaeton Fonzi, The Last Investigation, 1993 (pages 366-371)

2. Warren Hinckle & William Turner, Deadly Secrets, 1992 (page 53)

3. Senate Report, Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders, 1975 (page 92)

4. Fabian Escalante, CIA Covert Operations 1959-1962: The Cuba Project, 2004 (pages 42 and 43)

5. Common Cause Magazine (4th March, 1990)

6. The Nation magazine (13th August, 1988)

7. Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo, Granma (16th January, 2006)

8. Daniel Hopsicker, Barry and the Boys: The CIA, the Mob and America’s Secret History, 2001 (page 170)

9. Webster Griffin Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin, George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography, 2004 (page 173)

10. Reinaldo Taladrid and Lazaro Baredo, Granma (16th January, 2006)

11. Fabian Escalante, CIA Covert Operations 1959-1962: The Cuba Project, 2004 (pages 42 and 43)

12. Daniel Hopsicker, Mad Cow Morning News (24th August, 2004)

13. Jean-Guy Allard, Granma (22nd May, 2005)

14. Arthur Schlesinger, memo to Richard Goodwin (9th June, 1961)

15. Jean-Guy Allard, Granma (22nd May, 2005)

16. Fabian Escalante, Centre for International Policy, Nassau, Bahamas (7th December, 1995)

17. Larry Hancock, Someone Would Have Talked, 2003 (page 17)

18. Anthony Summers, The Kennedy Conspiracy, 2002 (page 328)

19. Anthony and Robbyn Summers, The Ghosts of November, Vanity Fair (December, 1994)

20. Anthony Summers, The Kennedy Conspiracy, 2002 (page 326)

21. Gaeton Fonzi, The Last Investigation, 1993 (pages 380-390)

22. Anne Buttimer, Assassination Records Review Board Report (12th July, 1995)

23. Anthony Summers, The Kennedy Conspiracy, 2002 (page 371)

http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presiden...uments/1578.cfm

Approved emergency sugar act and after 2 long conferences today, issued applicable proclamation and accompanying statement.4 Have warned all to be alert to Cuban reaction because when dealing with a "little Hitler" anything can happen.