Warren Commission Cover Up of the Secret Service Involvement in the JFK Assassination

[Mark Gorton]

After becoming interested in the systematic breakdown of Secret Service protection for JFK in Dealey Plaza, I decided to read Survivor's Guilt by Vincent Palmara (available online in PDF form). On page 5 of chapter 6, I came across the following example where the Warren Commission changed Dallas Police Chief Curry's testimony,

"DPD Chief Curry testified to the Warren Commission about the matter; included in the actual transcript is a bizarre error recently discovered by the author involving a clumsy edit that appears to omit the actual answer (in italics):

Mr. Curry: “In the planning of this motorcade, we had had more motorcycles lined up to be with the President’s car, but the Secret Service didn’t want that many.”

Mr. Rankin: “Did they tell you why?”

Mr. Curry: “We actually had two on each side but we wanted four on each side and they asked us to drop out some of them and back down the motorcade, along the motorcade, which we did.”

Mr. Rankin: “How many motorcycles did you have?”

Mr. Curry: “I think we had four on each side of him.”

Mr. Rankin: “How many did you want to have?”

Mr. Curry: “We actually had two on each side but we wanted four on each side and they asked us to drop out some of them and back down the motorcade, along the motorcade, which we did.”

Mr. Rankin: “So that you in fact only had two on each side of his car?”

Mr. Curry: “Two on each side and they asked them to remain at the rear fender so if the crowd moved in on him they could move in to protect him from the crowd.”

Mr. Rankin: “Who asked him to stay at the rear fender?”

Mr. Curry: “I believe Mr. Lawson.”

Mr. Rankin: “The Secret Service man?”

Mr. Curry: “Yes, sir.”

[Emphasis added.]"

After thinking about it, I realized that this editting of Chief Curry's testimony has great potential significance. The significance is as follows:

The Warren Commission report is clearly a cover-up of the events surrounding the assassination. There are two possible reasons for this cover up: 1) the Warren Commission (or the controling parts of it) were acting in concert with conspirators who they knew, or 2) the Warren Commission (or parts of it) felt it necessary to cover up a possible conspiracy to avoid WWIII. The WWIII scenario is what LBJ used as his justification for establishing the commission and his role in much of the cover-up.

However, any cover up of secret service failures cannot be justified by fear of nuclear war. In the months after the assassination, very few people even suspected that there may have been secret service involvement in the conspiracy. So if the Warren Commission was covering up the secret service failures, then that shows that the controling elements of the Warren Commission were involved in an explicit cover-up of a conspiracy of which they were a part. And some elements within the Warren Commission had to have been privy to the full dimension of the conspiracy to even know that they were supposed to cover up aspects of the behavior of the secret service.

I personally think that this transcription error is very telling, but I am aware that any one bizarre deletion of an actual answer can be explained away with any number of rationales, but if a number of similar distortions of reporting of the role of the secret service could be found, I would consider it firm evidence that the Warren Commission was an explicit cover up of the conspiracy behind the assassination by conspirators within the Warren Commission or people on the Warren Commission in league with the conspirators.

So I was wondering if anyone knows of other cases involving the Warren Commission where the role and/or behavior of the secret service has been distorted? Or if anyone can suggest good places to look for such examples?

[Peter McGuire]

You are on the right track , Mark. The key to understanding what happened is the Smoking Gun - the verifiable behavior of the United States Secret Service while protecting the POTUS.

There is no getting out of it for the Secret Service. What they did and did not do cannot be explained - and you will see that , unlike virtually every other aspect of this case, very little is done by the conspirators to try to justify what the Service did, and did not do. They simply cannot.

But what many people have forgotten is that, when faced with the situation they were given, Warren and his group had NO CHOICE but to do what they did. They thought they were stopping a nuclear war with Russia and they helped heal the nation by covering up for the Secret Service, who enabled, therefore, killed the very man they were sworn to protect.

The United Stated Secret Service will be shamed for centuries to come.

Wasn't the late night at Kirkwoood's covreed up?

If you are talking about the late night drinking session Jim, I believe so. I have known about the early morning drinking for a long time and it took awhile for me to understand how important this was in this complex plot.

People do things when they are drunk OR hung over that they will not do otherwise. At about noon, these guys hangover was kicking in bad - and if their boss said don't move when the shots rang out or, what ever other commands were given, they would have been easier to follow-both psychologically and physically. It is easy to by apathetic when hung over and real easy not to react.

Sad bunch - these plotters. They did not miss a thing. Some pretty fart smellers.

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.

- - - Albert Einstein

Edited July 7, 2012 by Peter McGuire

[Paul Rigby]

In the months after the assassination, very few people even suspected that there may have been secret service involvement in the conspiracy.

Some unquestionably did, Mark, though not from the Left (as far as I have been able to establish); and those whose criticisms and scepticism did make into print were pretty much ignored by the first generation of researchers:

The more this publisher thinks about the murder of President Kennedy, the more angry we get at the unnecessary stupidity of the whole performance. This is the way it’s done in some cheap ‘banana republic,’ not in the United States. This newspaper makes no claim on being an expert on security matters, but how this terrible crime could have happened simply defies common sense.

First of all, as we said in our editorial yesterday, the bullet-proof glass around the President should have been up. The job of the Secret Service is to protect the President’s safety. However, supposing for some reason the glass could not be up. Then certainly there should have been four or five Secret Service men standing together should to shoulder on the back of the car, forming a living wall of flesh between the President and the bullet of any would-be murderer.

No one wants to see the back of a President’s head – except, in this case, the murderous assassin. Yet, this obvious safety precaution was not taken. There is nothing new in this idea. Secret Service men have traditionally interposed their bodies between the President and danger. In Pittsfield, Mass., early in the century, a Secret Service man lost his life when he threw himself between an incoming trolley car, which, through a blunder, crashed into a carriage carrying President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt. As a result, while the President was shaken up and badly bruised, he was not killed, although the gallant Secret Service man was.

What ought to happen is that there should be a full-scale investigation by an appropriate congressional committee as to just how good the Secret Service guarding the President of the United States really is. Frankly, looking back over the record, this newspaper is not very impressed…This record of presidential assassinations is a national disgrace!

William Loeb, editorial, “Investigate the Secret Service,” The Manchester Union-Leader, Tuesday, 26 November 1963, pp.1 & 17

A calculated leak (and one that has the ring of authenticity) now reveals the findings of the autopsy that was done on the body of President Kennedy.

Post mortem findings answered many puzzling details about the wounds that took the life of the President, but the central riddle of the assassination remains and is emphasized.

This is, of course, the question that the country cannot forget, and cannot be expected to forget: How was our President permitted to become a sitting target for a methodical (almost leisurely) sniper?

Shortly after the murder of Mr. Kennedy, it was written here: "The autopsy findings on Mr. Kennedy have not been made public, and may never be, but suppose the first wound was not mortal? Then the lax protection that permitted a second bullet to strike home becomes a great historical scandal."

Now we learn that the first shot did cause a wound that was not likely to kill. It struck the President high in the shoulder, from behind, causing considerable damage to the massive muscles of the neck and shoulder. But in the opinion of pathologists who examined the President's body, the first shot did not cause injury calculated to be fatal.

The second shot fired by the assassin struck Gov. John Connally. The third shot inflicted the wound that killed Mr. Kennedy by smashing away the back of his head.

The confusion over the wounds was caused by a fragment of the third bullet that coursed down through the President's head and exited through his throat approximately at the collar line. Because it was a small fragment that had spent much of its velocity before it emerged, it caused a wound which seemed to be characteristic of an entry wound.

The wound in Mr. Kennedy's shoulder was not even seen by the doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. A glance at the damage to Mr. Kennedy's skull and brain was sufficient to convince them that there was no remote hope of saving him; thus they merely went through the motions of starting supportive therapy while waiting for an electrocardiograph device to be attached to the President's body.

Now it is known that the first wound was one which a healthy adult was likely to survive, and the question becomes more compelling than ever. Why was the President's bodyguard so remote that the assassin had ample time for a second shot (that struck Gov. Connally), and the third shot that killed the President?

Films show us that it was not until some measurable period after the third shot that a Secret Service agent, helped by the tragically heroic figure of the First Lady, leaped onto the back of the automobile. This agent, Clinton J. Hill, had been riding on the running board of the automobile next behind the President's car. He was cited for his bravery in seeking to shield Mrs. Kennedy and the President with his body, but by then it was an eternity too late for Mr. Kennedy.

It seems reasonable to speculate that if (as is frequently done) a Secret Service agent had been riding on the tail step of the President's automobile the third might never have struck home.

This circumstance becomes particularly damning in the light of the citation issued to Secret Service agent Rufus Youngblood, who was assigned to the Vice President's car in the motorcade.

"Mr. Youngblood was riding in the front seat of the Vice President's limousine when the assassination occurred," the citation reads. "Upon hearing the first shot, Mr. Youngblood instantly vaulted across the front seat of the car, pushed the Vice President to the floor, and shielded the Vice President's body with his own…"

It seems impossible to conclude other than that the protection accorded to the Vice President that black day in Dallas was of a higher order that that given to President Kennedy. The commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren must learn the reasons behind this appalling lapse, and it must reveal them to the American people.

Richard Starnes, "Kennedy: Whose Fault?" The New York World-Telegram & Sun, 19 December 1963, p.13

There was considerable "surprise" registered in the UK press at the "performance" of Kennedy's SS unit. Two examples follow:

The assassination of President Kennedy will mean a review of British security measures for the Queen, the Royal Family, and senior Ministers.

The hidden flaw in the American security screen must be identified to ensure its elimination from British plans.

Scotland Yard senior officers responsible for such guards are deeply shocked by news of the assassination. They have spent years, in liaison with the world’s police through Interpol, in perfecting safety measures.

FBI Efficiency: Unsuspected loophole

Presidential visits to Britain have meant in the past valuable co-operation with the FBI. The efficiency of the American security service is highly praised in the Metropolitan Police.

Full reports of the murder of the President will be studied today by the Yard’s Special Branch.

The unsuspected loophole in the American security curtain is known as the X-factor.

Yard Amazement: Bodyguard beaten

Among Yard officers last night was evident amazement that the formidable FBI bodyguard, all picked marksmen, could be beaten. Unspoken, but equally evident, was the fear “This could happen here.”

Royal appearances in Britain during recent years have been marked by a growing informality. This attitude, beloved by the crowds, has nevertheless meant grave and additional problems for the Yard and provincial police.

For Royal and Ministerial personal security plans are based upon countering attack or interference from the individual, rather than the group. Crowd control, where a gunman could be difficult to spot, is always a major problem.

John Owen, “Overhaul of Security by Britain,” Daily Telegraph, Saturday, 23 November 1963, p.7

The body of President Kennedy tonight lies in repose in the White House and, 1,200 miles away in Dallas, a young ex-Marine denies that he is the gunman assassin.

This has been America’s Day of Mourning. All share a sorrow at “this heavy blow to people who hold dear the cause of peace.” Those are Mr. Khrushchev’s words in a cable to Washington. Words that have been echoed a thousand times by world leaders and the world’s common folk.

For this has been America’s Day of Questioning, too. Foremost is the question: What went wrong with security? Why did the President’s special bodyguard, reinforced by 350 policemen, fail?

Secret Service agents had been in Dallas for a fortnight before President Kennedy arrived. They checked every point along the route. They checked known trouble-makers.

But still an assassin’s bullet killed the President as a bodyguard pounded his fists in frustration.

Agents have always said that a president in an open car in a city street is at his most vulnerable as a target. To combat the menace, they build up a city-by-city picture dossier of men on police crank and criminal lists.

They memorise faces, so that they can pick them out in crowds. Their orders are: Never watch the President. Watch the people and crowds around him. They are also sworn to throw themselves in front of the President at first indication of gunfire.

Worried security men are asking if more stringent security in Dallas could have saved Mr. Kennedy from being struck – by TWO bullets, it was learned today.

Sunday Citizen Correspondents, “Security Storm: Why Did It Happen?” Sunday Citizen & Reynolds News, Sunday, 24 November 1963, pp.1&32

[Bernice Moore]

BREAKDOWN "FULL DISCLOSURE" - CHAPTER 3 THE "BREAKDOWN" OF THEINFRASTRUCTURE OF THE SECRETSERVICE ON NOVEMBER 22, 1963byVince Palamara

While it is a relatively easy task to point out the Secret Service'sgeneral deficiencies in regard to the tragic events of November 22, 1963in Dallas, Texas, it has been a more difficult feat to lay bare all of thespecific things that went wrong in regard to security. This has beenachieved primarily through a combination of luck, hard work, and,perhaps most importantly, dealing with primary sources (documents)and primary people (the actual former agents themselves). However,one very significant element has been missing up to now due in no smallpart to the constant evolution of my own thinking on the subject: who inthe agency benefited? Who did not? JUST HOW WERE THESE LAPSES INSECURITY ALLOWED TO HAPPEN? After discarding the options of mere innocence, guilt, negligence,and, more recently, the notion of a "benign" security-stripping test that "backfired" into the assassination, I have now come to the FIRM conclusion,based on seven-plus years of heavy, primary research and numerousinterviews, that the Secret Service actions (and inactions) in Texas weredue largely to a significant breakdown in both the chain of command and therespect of superior authority. In addition, I believe a "malignant" test of the President's security was involved on/'around November 22, 1963, with the actual intent to HARM AND/OR EMBARRASS President Kennedy,rather thanmerely shaking him into seeing that the Service needed more funds, equipment,and personnel (benefits which would arise from any attempt to harm JFK,successful or otherwise). Furthermore, it is now my strong belief, aftershaking off years of equivocation, that several agents HAD to have beeninvolved in the ACTUAL assassination by getting wind of the impendingthreat and letting it happen, not by an unruly mob out to treat Kennedylike Adlai Stevenson (the byproduct of a "malignant" test), but by a "flurryof shells", to quote Agent Kellerman in a much different kind of context. If Dallas was the "Superbowl" (a very appropriate analogy), then the"game" was not merely rigged, it was fixed from the very start by a combi-nation of inexperienced "third-stringers" and "bench-warmers". These men, knowingly or unknowingly, let the assassination happen through sheer incompetence, inexperience, and a desire to usurp the authority presented by the chain of command, whether those in this command were present in Texas or "out of the loop" in another part of the country at the crucial moment or moments. Key elements of this "team" chose to call their OWN "plays" in Dallas and, just as in the game of football, the consequences of defeat can wreak havoc on General Management (Treasury officials), the coaches (the brass), and, ultimately, certain players (the agents themselves). A look at the consequences of Dallas--the breakdown of the infrastructure of the Secret Service--is now in order. C. DOUGLAS DILLON, the Secretary of the Treasury, was responsiblefor the overall operations of the Secret Service during the Kennedy presidency.Dillon was certainly "out of the loop" on 11/22/63--he was on a crowdedCabinet plane bound for Japan via Hawaii with Dean Rusk, Orville Freeman,and most of the major players, including Press Secretary Pierre Salinger,whose absence on the Texas trip planning was profound. Agent Bob Lilleytold me that Salinger, who normally made these trips, was "extremelyknowledgable" about proper motorcade planning and security concerns,as the agency had "worked closely with Pierre on all our advance work"---except in Dallas [author's interviews with Lilley, 1992-1996]. As WilliamManchester accurately reported, even Andy Hatcher, the number two man, wasleft behind, ostensibly because he was a Negro, leaving a "third-stringer",Malcolm Kilduff, to make his first major trip on his own (The Death of aPresident, 1988 edition, p.12; author's interviews with Sam Kinney,1992-1994. Interestingly, a Negro agent, Robert R. Faison, was aprominent member of the Secret Service on the Texas trip). In Dillon'splace, ASST. SEC. ROBERT A. WALLACE had, among other duties, issued an"official" denial to the press at 3:33 p.m. that an agent was killed in Dallas, as the AP, UPI, and all the networks were continually reporting as fact--at this time, AFI was on its way back to Washington with JFK's body [NBC video, 3:40 p.m.] Another deputy, ACTING SEC. G. d'ANGELOT BELIN also "stepped in" in Dillon's absence during crucial parts of 1963 and 1964 [18H810-815; 933-934]; in fact, this man was "confused" by ChiefRowley as being the General Counsel of the Warren Commission(18H810-815]! Fallout? Although Dillon, a member of the "Stop Castro" lobbyin Washington [Destiny Betrayed by Jim DiEugenio, p. 334] and theprimary member of the "Dillon Committee" that whitewashed andcovered-up the agency's performance on November 22 (ironicallyformalized on November 22, 1964), a duty he would repeat for anotheragency as a member of the Rockefeller Commission with another Belin(David), he was replaced in January 1965 by UNDERSECRETARY HENRY"JOE" H. FOWLER. CHIEF JAMES J ROWLEY was a close, personal friend of J EDGARHOOVER who usually left day-to-day operations up to his top men, excepton important trips (i.e. Germany, June, 1963) [author's interview withRowley 9/27/92]. However, although quite aware of both the Chicago(11/2/63) AND the Florida (11/18/63) threats before Dallas ["TheThird Alternative" by the author, p. 53; HSCA audio tape of Rowley, 9/78],Rowley was left "out of the loop" back in Washington, D.C., attending aluncheon on 11/22/63 [Truman Library Oral History, 1988]. Meanwhile,DEPUTY CHIEF PAUL PATERNI, a member of the OSS during WWII and aformer partner of James Jesus Angleton and Ray Rocca ["Who's Who in theCIA"], would provide the only significant hands-on participation from theChief's office on 11/22/63: he was principally involved in the limousineinspection at the White House Garage with Floyd Boring whereupon bulletfragments, skull particles, and vehicle damage was "noted" before the FBIgot their hands on the car [CD8O, p. 3].Fallout? Rowley took much heat before, during, and after his FBI, WC, andHSCA appearances, in place of many of his more deserving deputies [see alsoThe Day Kennedy Was Shot, by Jim Bishop, 1988 edition, p. 558]. He wasultimately replaced during the Watergate crisis by H. STUART KNIGHT (moreon him later). SAIC GERALD A. BEHN went against protocol, not by removing himself from the 11/18/63 Florida trip (manned by Floyd Boring), but by his absence--- coinciding with his first full vacation---on the Texas trip (Behn was also in Washington "out of the loop"). Former Chief U. E. Baughman stated that the SAIC [behn] or his immediate assistant [boring] always accompany the President when he leaves Washington [secret Service Chief by Baughman, p.129]; in fact, a prominent member of the press corps in Dallas, Jerry ter Horst, wrote that Behn, who "traditionally accompanied" JFK, "would never forgive himself or be forgiven by others" for missing the Texas trip [The Flying White House, p 214]. Instead, yet another "third stringer", ASAIC [#3] ROY H. KELLERMAN, was making his first major trip on his own without either Behn OR Boring [author's interviews with Sam Kinney, 1992- 1994]! ASAIC [#2] FLOYD M. BORING, although also back in Washington, waslN CHARGE OF PLANNING THE TEXAS TRIP [author's interviews with Boringand Kinney, 1993-1994; Truman Library Oral History, 1988, p. 63; TheDay Kennedy Was Shot", 1988 edition, p. 558]! Boring had given ADVANCEAGENT WINSTON G. LAWSON the Dallas assignment [4H342] and had beenworking prominently with another advance agent, David B. Grant, Lawson'soften forgotten partner of 11/13-11/ 22 [17H601], on Kennedy's (cancelled)trip to Chicago (11/2) and Florida (11/18) AND Texas (11/21-11/22);Grant was the sole advance agent on the first two of these three major trips.In addition, Boring was involved both in the critical checks of the PRSfor potential threats to JFK for Dallas-which yielded NOTHING-and theimportant Trade Mart (vs. Women's Building) decision, which ultimatelydetermined the motorcade route choice(s), the speed of the car(s), andthe security of the (inferior) building selected (4H337; 21H546;11HSCA516; 2H1 07-108; 11 HSCA5l6; 2H107-108; 11H5CA523; TheThird Alternative, pp 11, 50; "Boring is Interesting", May 1995 FourthDecade]. Among other things, not the least of which was Behn's adamantstance against the Trade Mart, Boring HAD to have known of the prior(11/2-11/18/63) threats against JFK, as did his afore- mentionedpartner: ADVANCE AGENT DAVID B. GRANT--joined Lawson late on the night of11/16/63 and was involved in the extremely important meetings (with BettyForsling Harris, the DPD, and others) which resulted in the following:a deleted squad car, the changes in the motorcade's order of vehicles, the depletion of 18 motorcycles for JFK down to a measley 4 non-flanking units, and the removal of the press, photographers, Cecil Stoughton, Dr. Burkley, Godfrey McHugh, and Ted Clifton towards the rear of the motorcade in defiance of traditional protocol--being close to JFK [The Third Alternative pp. 18, 49; "Boring is Interesting", May 1995 Fourth Decade; Deep Politics and the Death Qf JFK by Peter Dale Scott, pp. 277-278; HSCA interview w/Winston Lawson, 1/31/ 78-new documents just released]. While Lawson, a former Army counter-intelligence agent [4H318] rode in the lead car, Grant was stationed at the Trade Mart on 11/ 22/63 (1nterestingly, as revealed in the newly- released HSCA/Secret Service interviews, Lawson stated that Lt Col. George Whitmeyer, who taught Army intelligence, rode in the pilot car, although he wasn't scheduled to be in the motorcade in the first place!) ATSAIC [deputy of the ASAIC's] EMORY P. ROBERTS was in commandof the other 7 agents in the Secret Service follow-up car for all three majortrips in November, 1963: Chicago (11/2-cancelled), Florida (11/18) andTexas(1 1/21-I 1/22). While the other two ATSAlC's, Stewart G. Stout andArthur L. Godfrey, were elsewhere (Stout at the Trade Mart, Godfrey in Austinat the Commodore-Perry Hotel [author's interviews with Godfrey, both in 1996]), Roberts was in a position to exhibit a lot of power, made manifest first by his critical positioning of the other seven agents in the car, especially agents HENRY J. RYBKA (a member of the car on 11/21-11/22 before Dallas [shift Reports of 11/21-11/22/63 via ARRB; Sturges film, Carswell AFB; 25H787]) and PRS agent GLENN A. BENNETT, who was making his very first trip ever [HSCA interview of Bennett, 1976; author interview of Kinney], riding in this most important of protective vehicles (Bennett was an administrator--if there were ostensibly, NO threats found by PRS of Dallas, WHY was Bennett placed here [he needed reminding by Lawson-17H631]? Could it be that he was (covertly)actively searching for KNOWN threats and this was covered-up afterwards [seeauthor's article in the April 1997 "JFK/ Deep Politics Quarterly"]? As forRybka, as discovered by this author, he was recalled by Roberts at Love Field[seeWFAA/ABC video and author's COPA 1995-1996 presentation videos],although Roberts would later cover this up by "mistakenly" placing RybkaIN the car via TWO written reports after-the-fact [ 18H739; Shift Reportof 11/22/63 via ARRB]; even Lawson made this same "mistake" in his FinalSurvey Report (LBJ Library copy]. In addition, once on Elm Street and after recognizing the first shot as a RIFLE blast (not a firecracker), Roberts recalled agent John D. Ready, the closest agent to JFK on the follow-up car, an action which he later erroneously blamed on the speed and distance between the two cars [18H734-735; 749-750] and ordered the other agents not to move [author's interviews with Sam Kinney, 1994]! From this moment on, Roberts totally usurped ASAIC Kellerman's proper authority in Dallas, and overtook the reigns of command, especially at Parkland Hospital [see "The Strange Actions (and Inaction) of Agent Emory Roberts", October 1996 "JFK/DPQ" by the author). However, Roberts wasn't the only agent to usurp Kellerman's authority on Elm Street... Driver William R. Greer, as has been documented many times bythis author [see "47 Witnesses: Delay on Elm Street" Jan/March 1992 ThirdDecade for example], turned around in his seat twice to stare at JFKwithout speeding up and evacuating the scene, and disobeyed a directorder from his superior, Roy Kellerman, who was sitting less than twofeet away from him in the front seat of the limousine; this all occurredbefore the fatal head shot arrived. For his part, Kellerman proved to be an inexperienced "third-stringer", not making any attempt to come to theaid of the wounded President although, like Greer, he also saw JFK hit viaturning around in his seat. Kellerman claimed that JFK said both "Get meto a hospital" [sibert & O'Neil interview of Kellerman 11/22/63; 2H73]and "My God, I've been hit" [2H73] AND made the equally-ludicrous claimthat JFK, with "his left hand in back of him appear [ed] to be reachingto a point on his right shoulder", an action not seen by any otherwitness or photographic artifact associated with 11/22/63! SAIC OF VP (LBJ) DETAIL, H. STUART KNIGHT was also absent from theTexas trip, although he was replaced by his deputy in Dallas, ASAIC RUFUS W. YOUNGBLOOD, on 11/25/63, he was back in Washington on 11/21-11/22/63, inactive ("20 Years in the Secret Service", by Youngblood, pp. S6-97; author's interviews with Knight 1992-1994 and Youngblood 1992-1994]. Although "official" history tells us Youngblood received a medal for his fast actions in Dallas covering LBJ (who wasn't even a target) after the first shot sounded, Senator Ralph Yarborough, who sat in the very same car with Youngblood and LBJ, said that this never happened-not only did Youngblood never even leave the front seat, the agent and LBJ were listening to a walkie-talkie with the volume set too low for the Senator to hear what they were picking up ["TheDeath of a President", p. 166 - surprisingly, Dave Powers, who rode in thefollow-up car in place of Cecil Stoughton, agreed with Yarborough on this] Fallout concerning Behn, Boring, Kellerman, Roberts, Lawson, Grant,Knight, and Youngblood? Behn was demoted -with Knight- on January 1965to a non-protective function known as "Special Investigations", which dealtin a tedious area of fraud. Who were these two replaced by? Rufus Youngblood,who became Kellerman's equal on 11/22/63 and Behn's equal soon after, whilebecoming Knight's superior immediately. While Lawson was tabbed as the "oneand only first ever-advance agent ever to lose a President" by an emotionalLawson himself ["Inside the Secret Service" video 1995; see also Manchester,p. 312], his long-forgotten partner,David Grant,went on to become an advanceman during the Nixon years and lived in near-total anonymity from the eventsof Dallas until this author "(re)discovered" him for the research community-Roberts became the Records Sec. to LBJ [interview with Kinney 1994], sharingimportant duties with another Roberts, Mrs. Juanita Roberts, Johnson's ChiefPrivate Secretary (Manchester, p. 403; Bishop, pp. 430, 528]. To date, thisauthor has been unable to confirm if this was Emory's wife, nor have I beenable to confirm if Roberts, who died unexpectedly in the late 1960's, was thesame agent who took his own life in Washington with his own weapon (the agentshowed signs he was beginning to buckle), according to agents Marty Venkerand Chuck Rochner ("Confessions of an Ex-Secret Service Agent" by GeorgeRush and Marty Venker, pp. 216-217]. Emory Roberts was the SECOND agentto die after Dallas. Who was the first? Fellow ATSAIC Stewart G. Stout-Stoutdied immediately after Dallas, cause unknown to date-Agents Kinney and Boringwould NOT tell me how he died during my interviews with them! In fact, Boringexpressed much doubt that Stout was EVEN IN DALLAS, which he unquestionablywas [2HKellerman; see also 18H665-702 and SS Shift reports via ARRB].Interestingly, on another November day when a President was in the midst ofan assassination attempt (Truman), not only was Floyd Boring temporarily incharge of the detail, but Stout was with him, as well, performing the verysame duties: armed and ready, safely away inside a building (Blair House andthe Trade Mart, respectively)! What about Boring? He was PROMOTED to Inspector right afterDallas, a highly coveted position of power and prestige (author's interviewswith Jerry Behn (9/27/92) and Floyd Boring 1993-1994]! And, whileBehn, Kellerman, Rowley, and Lawson were subjected to public and mediascrutiny of a negative sort, coupled with testifying to either the FBI, theWC, the HSCA, or all of the above, significantly, those who I feel stronglywere "out of the loop" on purpose--Boring, Grant, and Roberts--testifiedto NO ONE associated with any of the official investigations! Although theHSCA did have Boring's and Grant's addresses, they were apparently notcontacted (as borne out by the footnotes or lack of them- in the HSCA'sReport and accompanying volumes). Roberts was interviewed by Manchester,and I strongly suspect that he was the source for the erroneous quote,attributed to Boring, that JFK had told the agents to get off the rear of thelimousine in Florida on 11/18/63 (Boring denied that this was true ANDthat he was ever contacted by Manchester, and he is joined by notablecolleagues Kinney, Godfrey, Lilly, Behn and many others as denouncingthe whole mythology of JFK "desiring" to do away with the agents on/nearthe rear of the limousine, the motorcycles, the bubbletop, etc, [see"Boring is Interesting" and the 1995-1996 COPA videos for more onthis issue] As noted in my previous work, it is this "JFK-as-Scapegoat"theme, adopted by Roberts, Boring, Grant, and perhaps even Lawson,that, along with the impossible lack of PRS subjects for Dallas, greatlycontributed, along with this breakdown of infrastructure, to whatoccurred on 1 1/22/63). To summarize: while Dillon was "out of the loop" (and out of thecountry with Salinger et. al.), and while Chief Rowley and SAIC Behnwere inactive in D.C., Boring was pulling the strings for Dallas via D.C.,whereupon his deputies, Advance agent Grant and ATSAIC Emory Roberts,upstaged, commandeered, and, ultimately usurped the authority of "third-stringers" Roy Kellerman and Asst. Press Sec. Mac Kilduff (essentiallya non-player), not to mention Roberts' fellow ATSAIC's Godfrey and Stout AND Grant's "hapless" partner, advance agent Lawson. In addition, Young-blood took Knight's place both in Dallas and AFTER Dallas, and Greer joinedin his comrades Roberts and Boring in usurping Kellerman 's authority. This, I believe, is the key to what ultimately transpired onNovember 22, 1963-mixing in JFK's fraudulent security "desires"with a healthy dose of infrastructure breakdown spelled a deadly potionfor the planing and implementation of security concerns-and agentbehavior-in Dallas. Maybe there is a REASON a healthy majority of the agents wentfor unauthorized drinks on the eve of the murder after all...--------------- end -------------------------b

http://spot.acorn.net/jfkplace/03/VP/10-VP.html

Edited July 7, 2012 by Bernice Moore

[Thomas Graves]

BREAKDOWN "FULL DISCLOSURE" - CHAPTER 3 THE "BREAKDOWN" OF THEINFRASTRUCTURE OF THE SECRETSERVICE ON NOVEMBER 22, 1963byVince Palamara

While it is a relatively easy task to point out the Secret Service's general deficiencies in regard to the tragic events of November 22, 1963in Dallas, Texas, it has been a more difficult feat to lay bare all of the specific things that went wrong in regard to security. This has been achieved primarily through a combination of luck, hard work, and, perhaps most importantly, dealing with primary sources (documents) and primary people (the actual former agents themselves). However, one very significant element has been missing up to now due in no small part to the constant evolution of my own thinking on the subject: who in the agency benefited? Who did not? JUST HOW WERE THESE LAPSES IN SECURITY ALLOWED TO HAPPEN? After discarding the options of mere innocence, guilt, negligence,and, more recently, the notion of a "benign" security-stripping test that "backfired" into the assassination, I have now come to the FIRM conclusion,based on seven-plus years of heavy, primary research and numerous interviews, that the Secret Service actions (and inactions) in Texas were due largely to a significant breakdown in both the chain of command and therespect of superior authority. In addition, I believe a "malignant" test of the President's security was involved on/'around November 22, 1963, with the actual intent to HARM AND/OR EMBARRASS President Kennedy,rather than merely shaking him into seeing that the Service needed more funds, equipment,and personnel (benefits which would arise from any attempt to harm JFK,successful or otherwise). Furthermore, it is now my strong belief, after shaking off years of equivocation, that several agents HAD to have been involved in the ACTUAL assassination by getting wind of the impending threat and letting it happen, not by an unruly mob out to treat Kennedy like Adlai Stevenson (the byproduct of a "malignant" test), but by a "flurry of shells", to quote Agent Kellerman in a much different kind of context. If Dallas was the "Super Bowl" (a very appropriate analogy), then the "game" was not merely rigged, it was fixed from the very start by a combination of inexperienced "third-stringers" and "bench-warmers". These men, knowingly or unknowingly, let the assassination happen through sheer incompetence, inexperience, and a desire to usurp the authority presented by the chain of command, whether those in this command were present in Texas or "out of the loop" in another part of the country at the crucial moment or moments. Key elements of this "team" chose to call their OWN "plays" in Dallas and, just as in the game of football, the consequences of defeat can wreak havoc on General Management (Treasury officials), the coaches (the brass), and, ultimately, certain players (the agents themselves). A look at the consequences of Dallas--the breakdown of the infrastructure of the Secret Service--is now in order. C. DOUGLAS DILLON, the Secretary of the Treasury, was responsiblefor the overall operations of the Secret Service during the Kennedy presidency.Dillon was certainly "out of the loop" on 11/22/63--he was on a crowded Cabinet plane bound for Japan via Hawaii with Dean Rusk, Orville Freeman,and most of the major players, including Press Secretary Pierre Salinger,whose absence on the Texas trip planning was profound. Agent Bob Lilley told me that Salinger, who normally made these trips, was "extremely knowledgable" about proper motorcade planning and security concerns, as the agency had "worked closely with Pierre on all our advance work"---except in Dallas [author's interviews with Lilley, 1992-1996]. As William Manchester accurately reported, even Andy Hatcher, the number two man, was left behind, ostensibly because he was a Negro, leaving a "third-stringer", Malcolm Kilduff, to make his first major trip on his own (The Death of a President, 1988 edition, p.12; author's interviews with Sam Kinney,1992-1994. Interestingly, a Negro agent, Robert R. Faison, was a prominent member of the Secret Service on the Texas trip). In Dillon's place, ASST. SEC. ROBERT A. WALLACE had, among other duties, issued an "official" denial to the press at 3:33 p.m. that an agent was killed in Dallas, as the AP, UPI, and all the networks were continually reporting as fact--at this time, AF1 was on its way back to Washington with JFK's body [NBC video, 3:40 p.m.] Another deputy, ACTING SEC. G. D'ANGELOT BELIN also "stepped in" in Dillon's absence during crucial parts of 1963 and 1964 [18H810-815; 933-934]; in fact, this man was "confused", by Chief Rowley, as being the General Counsel of the Warren Commission (18H810-815]! Fallout? Although Dillon, a member of the "Stop Castro" lobby in Washington [Destiny Betrayed by Jim DiEugenio, p. 334] and on November 22, 1964), a duty he would repeat for another agency as a member of the Rockefeller Commission with another Belin (David), he was replaced in January 1965 by UNDERSECRETARY HENRY"JOE" H. FOWLER. CHIEF JAMES J ROWLEY was a close, personal friend of J EDGAR HOOVER who usually left day-to-day operations up to his top men, excepton important trips (i.e. Germany, June, 1963) [author's interview withRowley 9/27/92]. However, although quite aware of both the Chicago (11/2/63) AND the Florida (11/18/63) threats before Dallas ["TheThird Alternative" by the author, p. 53; HSCA audio tape of Rowley, 9/78], Rowley was left "out of the loop" back in Washington, D.C., attending a luncheon on 11/22/63 [Truman Library Oral History, 1988]. Meanwhile,DEPUTY CHIEF PAUL PATERNI, a member of the OSS during WWII and aformer partner of James Jesus Angleton and Ray Rocca ["Who's Who in theCIA"], would provide the only significant hands-on participation from the Chief's office on 11/22/63: he was principally involved in the limousine inspection at the White House Garage with Floyd Boring whereupon bullet fragments, skull particles, and vehicle damage was "noted" before the FBI got their hands on the car [CD8O, p. 3]. Fallout? Rowley took much heat before, during, and after his FBI, WC, and HSCA appearances, in place of many of his more deserving deputies [see alsoThe Day Kennedy Was Shot, by Jim Bishop, 1988 edition, p. 558]. He was ultimately replaced during the Watergate crisis by H. STUART KNIGHT (more on him later). SAIC GERALD A. BEHN went against protocol, not by removing himself from the 11/18/63 Florida trip (manned by Floyd Boring), but by his absence--- coinciding with his first full vacation---on the Texas trip (Behn was also in Washington "out of the loop"). Former Chief U. E. Baughman stated that the SAIC [behn] or his immediate assistant [boring] always accompany the President when he leaves Washington [secret Service Chief by Baughman, p.129]; in fact, a prominent member of the press corps in Dallas, Jerry ter Horst, wrote that Behn, who "traditionally accompanied" JFK, "would never forgive himself or be forgiven by others" for missing the Texas trip [The Flying White House, p 214]. Instead, yet another "third stringer", ASAIC [#3] ROY H. KELLERMAN, was making his first major trip on his own without either Behn OR Boring [author's interviews with Sam Kinney, 1992- 1994]! ASAIC [#2] FLOYD M. BORING, although also back in Washington, waslN CHARGE OF PLANNING THE TEXAS TRIP [author's interviews with Boringand Kinney, 1993-1994; Truman Library Oral History, 1988, p. 63; TheDay Kennedy Was Shot", 1988 edition, p. 558]! Boring had given ADVANCEAGENT WINSTON G. LAWSON the Dallas assignment [4H342] and had beenworking prominently with another advance agent, David B. Grant, Lawson'soften forgotten partner of 11/13-11/ 22 [17H601], on Kennedy's (cancelled)trip to Chicago (11/2) and Florida (11/18) AND Texas (11/21-11/22);Grant was the sole advance agent on the first two of these three major trips.In addition, Boring was involved both in the critical checks of the PRSfor potential threats to JFK for Dallas-which yielded NOTHING-and theimportant Trade Mart (vs. Women's Building) decision, which ultimatelydetermined the motorcade route choice(s), the speed of the car(s), andthe security of the (inferior) building selected (4H337; 21H546;11HSCA516; 2H1 07-108; 11 HSCA5l6; 2H107-108; 11H5CA523; TheThird Alternative, pp 11, 50; "Boring is Interesting", May 1995 FourthDecade]. Among other things, not the least of which was Behn's adamantstance against the Trade Mart, Boring HAD to have known of the prior(11/2-11/18/63) threats against JFK, as did his afore- mentionedpartner: ADVANCE AGENT DAVID B. GRANT--joined Lawson late on the night of11/16/63 and was involved in the extremely important meetings (with BettyForsling Harris, the DPD, and others) which resulted in the following:a deleted squad car, the changes in the motorcade's order of vehicles, the depletion of 18 motorcycles for JFK down to a measley 4 non-flanking units, and the removal of the press, photographers, Cecil Stoughton, Dr. Burkley, Godfrey McHugh, and Ted Clifton towards the rear of the motorcade in defiance of traditional protocol--being close to JFK [The Third Alternative pp. 18, 49; "Boring is Interesting", May 1995 Fourth Decade; Deep Politics and the Death Qf JFK by Peter Dale Scott, pp. 277-278; HSCA interview w/Winston Lawson, 1/31/ 78-new documents just released]. While Lawson, a former Army counter-intelligence agent [4H318] rode in the lead car, Grant was stationed at the Trade Mart on 11/ 22/63 (1nterestingly, as revealed in the newly- released HSCA/Secret Service interviews, Lawson stated that Lt Col. George Whitmeyer, who taught Army intelligence, rode in the pilot car, although he wasn't scheduled to be in the motorcade in the first place!) ATSAIC [deputy of the ASAIC's] EMORY P. ROBERTS was in commandof the other 7 agents in the Secret Service follow-up car for all three majortrips in November, 1963: Chicago (11/2-cancelled), Florida (11/18) andTexas(1 1/21-I 1/22). While the other two ATSAlC's, Stewart G. Stout andArthur L. Godfrey, were elsewhere (Stout at the Trade Mart, Godfrey in Austinat the Commodore-Perry Hotel [author's interviews with Godfrey, both in 1996]), Roberts was in a position to exhibit a lot of power, made manifest first by his critical positioning of the other seven agents in the car, especially agents HENRY J. RYBKA (a member of the car on 11/21-11/22 before Dallas [shift Reports of 11/21-11/22/63 via ARRB; Sturges film, Carswell AFB; 25H787]) and PRS agent GLENN A. BENNETT, who was making his very first trip ever [HSCA interview of Bennett, 1976; author interview of Kinney], riding in this most important of protective vehicles (Bennett was an administrator--if there were ostensibly, NO threats found by PRS of Dallas, WHY was Bennett placed here [he needed reminding by Lawson-17H631]? Could it be that he was (covertly)actively searching for KNOWN threats and this was covered-up afterwards [seeauthor's article in the April 1997 "JFK/ Deep Politics Quarterly"]? As forRybka, as discovered by this author, he was recalled by Roberts at Love Field[seeWFAA/ABC video and author's COPA 1995-1996 presentation videos],although Roberts would later cover this up by "mistakenly" placing RybkaIN the car via TWO written reports after-the-fact [ 18H739; Shift Reportof 11/22/63 via ARRB]; even Lawson made this same "mistake" in his FinalSurvey Report (LBJ Library copy]. In addition, once on Elm Street and after recognizing the first shot as a RIFLE blast (not a firecracker), Roberts recalled agent John D. Ready, the closest agent to JFK on the follow-up car, an action which he later erroneously blamed on the speed and distance between the two cars [18H734-735; 749-750] and ordered the other agents not to move [author's interviews with Sam Kinney, 1994]! From this moment on, Roberts totally usurped ASAIC Kellerman's proper authority in Dallas, and overtook the reigns of command, especially at Parkland Hospital [see "The Strange Actions (and Inaction) of Agent Emory Roberts", October 1996 "JFK/DPQ" by the author). However, Roberts wasn't the only agent to usurp Kellerman's authority on Elm Street... Driver William R. Greer, as has been documented many times bythis author [see "47 Witnesses: Delay on Elm Street" Jan/March 1992 ThirdDecade for example], turned around in his seat twice to stare at JFKwithout speeding up and evacuating the scene, and disobeyed a directorder from his superior, Roy Kellerman, who was sitting less than twofeet away from him in the front seat of the limousine; this all occurredbefore the fatal head shot arrived. For his part, Kellerman proved to be an inexperienced "third-stringer", not making any attempt to come to theaid of the wounded President although, like Greer, he also saw JFK hit viaturning around in his seat. Kellerman claimed that JFK said both "Get meto a hospital" [sibert & O'Neil interview of Kellerman 11/22/63; 2H73]and "My God, I've been hit" [2H73] AND made the equally-ludicrous claimthat JFK, with "his left hand in back of him appear [ed] to be reachingto a point on his right shoulder", an action not seen by any otherwitness or photographic artifact associated with 11/22/63! SAIC OF VP (LBJ) DETAIL, H. STUART KNIGHT was also absent from theTexas trip, although he was replaced by his deputy in Dallas, ASAIC RUFUS W. YOUNGBLOOD, on 11/25/63, he was back in Washington on 11/21-11/22/63, inactive ("20 Years in the Secret Service", by Youngblood, pp. S6-97; author's interviews with Knight 1992-1994 and Youngblood 1992-1994]. Although "official" history tells us Youngblood received a medal for his fast actions in Dallas covering LBJ (who wasn't even a target) after the first shot sounded, Senator Ralph Yarborough, who sat in the very same car with Youngblood and LBJ, said that this never happened-not only did Youngblood never even leave the front seat, the agent and LBJ were listening to a walkie-talkie with the volume set too low for the Senator to hear what they were picking up ["TheDeath of a President", p. 166 - surprisingly, Dave Powers, who rode in thefollow-up car in place of Cecil Stoughton, agreed with Yarborough on this] Fallout concerning Behn, Boring, Kellerman, Roberts, Lawson, Grant,Knight, and Youngblood? Behn was demoted -with Knight- on January 1965to a non-protective function known as "Special Investigations", which dealtin a tedious area of fraud. Who were these two replaced by? Rufus Youngblood,who became Kellerman's equal on 11/22/63 and Behn's equal soon after, whilebecoming Knight's superior immediately. While Lawson was tabbed as the "oneand only first ever-advance agent ever to lose a President" by an emotionalLawson himself ["Inside the Secret Service" video 1995; see also Manchester,p. 312], his long-forgotten partner,David Grant,went on to become an advanceman during the Nixon years and lived in near-total anonymity from the eventsof Dallas until this author "(re)discovered" him for the research community-Roberts became the Records Sec. to LBJ [interview with Kinney 1994], sharingimportant duties with another Roberts, Mrs. Juanita Roberts, Johnson's ChiefPrivate Secretary (Manchester, p. 403; Bishop, pp. 430, 528]. To date, thisauthor has been unable to confirm if this was Emory's wife, nor have I beenable to confirm if Roberts, who died unexpectedly in the late 1960's, was thesame agent who took his own life in Washington with his own weapon (the agentshowed signs he was beginning to buckle), according to agents Marty Venkerand Chuck Rochner ("Confessions of an Ex-Secret Service Agent" by GeorgeRush and Marty Venker, pp. 216-217]. Emory Roberts was the SECOND agentto die after Dallas. Who was the first? Fellow ATSAIC Stewart G. Stout-Stoutdied immediately after Dallas, cause unknown to date-Agents Kinney and Boringwould NOT tell me how he died during my interviews with them! In fact, Boringexpressed much doubt that Stout was EVEN IN DALLAS, which he unquestionablywas [2HKellerman; see also 18H665-702 and SS Shift reports via ARRB].Interestingly, on another November day when a President was in the midst ofan assassination attempt (Truman), not only was Floyd Boring temporarily incharge of the detail, but Stout was with him, as well, performing the verysame duties: armed and ready, safely away inside a building (Blair House andthe Trade Mart, respectively)! What about Boring? He was PROMOTED to Inspector right afterDallas, a highly coveted position of power and prestige (author's interviewswith Jerry Behn (9/27/92) and Floyd Boring 1993-1994]! And, whileBehn, Kellerman, Rowley, and Lawson were subjected to public and mediascrutiny of a negative sort, coupled with testifying to either the FBI, theWC, the HSCA, or all of the above, significantly, those who I feel stronglywere "out of the loop" on purpose--Boring, Grant, and Roberts--testifiedto NO ONE associated with any of the official investigations! Although theHSCA did have Boring's and Grant's addresses, they were apparently notcontacted (as borne out by the footnotes or lack of them- in the HSCA'sReport and accompanying volumes). Roberts was interviewed by Manchester,and I strongly suspect that he was the source for the erroneous quote,attributed to Boring, that JFK had told the agents to get off the rear of thelimousine in Florida on 11/18/63 (Boring denied that this was true ANDthat he was ever contacted by Manchester, and he is joined by notablecolleagues Kinney, Godfrey, Lilly, Behn and many others as denouncingthe whole mythology of JFK "desiring" to do away with the agents on/nearthe rear of the limousine, the motorcycles, the bubbletop, etc, [see"Boring is Interesting" and the 1995-1996 COPA videos for more onthis issue] As noted in my previous work, it is this "JFK-as-Scapegoat"theme, adopted by Roberts, Boring, Grant, and perhaps even Lawson,that, along with the impossible lack of PRS subjects for Dallas, greatlycontributed, along with this breakdown of infrastructure, to whatoccurred on 1 1/22/63). To summarize: while Dillon was "out of the loop" (and out of thecountry with Salinger et. al.), and while Chief Rowley and SAIC Behnwere inactive in D.C., Boring was pulling the strings for Dallas via D.C.,whereupon his deputies, Advance agent Grant and ATSAIC Emory Roberts,upstaged, commandeered, and, ultimately usurped the authority of "third-stringers" Roy Kellerman and Asst. Press Sec. Mac Kilduff (essentiallya non-player), not to mention Roberts' fellow ATSAIC's Godfrey and Stout AND Grant's "hapless" partner, advance agent Lawson. In addition, Young-blood took Knight's place both in Dallas and AFTER Dallas, and Greer joinedin his comrades Roberts and Boring in usurping Kellerman 's authority. This, I believe, is the key to what ultimately transpired onNovember 22, 1963-mixing in JFK's fraudulent security "desires"with a healthy dose of infrastructure breakdown spelled a deadly potionfor the planing and implementation of security concerns-and agentbehavior-in Dallas. Maybe there is a REASON a healthy majority of the agents wentfor unauthorized drinks on the eve of the murder after all...--------------- end -------------------------b

http://spot.acorn.ne...3/VP/10-VP.html

That's interesting.

PS I took the liberty of separating SOMEof thewords...

Edited July 7, 2012 by Thomas Graves

[B. A. Copeland]

The WC was compromised from the get-go thanks to (at the very least) Dulles and McCloy's involvement. I am convinced they were conspirators of the murder and so therefore truly feel they were obviously planted in order to derail the WC. I find it odd that a commission would be established to bring to truth the facts of the murder when the murder was engineered by the U.S in the first place. Great post Mark.

[Peter McGuire]

DON'T LET THE FOX GUARD THE HENHOUSE

"Don't assign a job to someone who will then be in a position to exploit it for his own ends."