Did the Cover-Up Involve Convincing Different Groups They Had JFK Killed?

[Brian Schmidt]

Anyone who has spent some time looking into the Kennedy assassination would agree that it’s a complex web of intrigue and I have heard it described as “intellectual quicksand.” That’s because it’s full of strange little coincidences, contradictions, associations between those connected to the case, and plausible scenarios with enough circumstantial evidence to be convincing. There is a good case for: the CIA did it, the military-industrial complex did it, the Mob did it, right-wingers did it, Texas oilmen did it, LBJ did it, and anti-Castro Cubans did it. These categories, of course, are not mutually exclusive and many researchers believe it was an apparatus involving elements of each. The problem, however, is that not every person of interest could be involved, as the plot would balloon into potentially hundreds of people. A plot this big would be unnecessary and risky, and is unbelievable to a rational person.

Likewise, there have been too many confessions to be true. All those people couldn’t have been involved or ordered Kennedy’s assassination, therefore, some (or all) must be lying. But what if they legitimately thought they had Kennedy killed?

Consider the following:

Carlos Marcello, for example, gave a prison confession that Lamar Waldron bases much of his theory that the Mafia planned and carried out the assassination. It has been reported that other mobsters made similar confessions either themselves or through their lawyers on their deathbed.

We know that members of the CIA, Mafia, Cuban exiles, and mercenaries are demonstrably linked. The people in Dealey Plaza that day undoubtedly knew a lot of people. Perhaps part of the way to ensure those at the highest level, really pulling the strings wouldn’t be implicated would be to let multiple (relatively powerful) people order the assassination that’s going to occur anyway. Not only would this strategy create confusion, mislead and obscure researchers, it would create patsies along the way if researchers starting putting together too many pieces of the puzzle. And it’s a lot easier to blame someone when they themselves really believe they’re guilty and have something to lose.

There is circumstantial support for such an approach. Gerry Patrick Hemming has said that in additional to his adventures with the Agency, he and his associates were doing side-work for H.L. Hunt. There is also the story from Hemming of him, Roy Hargraves, and members of Interpen hanging out, drinking beer, and discussing right-wing politics at Edwin Walker’s house in the summer of ’63. Perhaps at one of the encounters, an assassination plot came up.

Hemmings’ own assertion that so many people were planning the assassination at the same time, it was only a matter of time also lends credence to such an idea.

Perhaps there was a hierarchy of patsies that could be hung out if the cover story fell apart.

Original intent: Oswald did it as an agent of Castro and is killed within hours of the assassination in Mexico.

Backup Layer one: Oswald did it as a lone-nut.

Layer two: Oswald did it with a few associates from the TSBD. Is it possible that the employees who got a job in the TSBD that Fall did so because someone had set it up that way. Bill Simpich believes Buell Wesley Frazier was impersonated in the weeks leading up to the assassination, as well as Oswald. If it was proved Oswald didn’t do it alone, the conspirators could fall back on a low level plot between a few nuts employed together.

Layer three: If the actual shooters were discovered, they were likely anti-Castro Cuban extremists/ideologues who wanted to get back at Kennedy for the Bay of Pigs--whose other associations would be cut off. This reflects the CIA’s use of surrogates in the carrying out of assassinations so they can maintain plausible deniability.

Layer four: The ground crew in Dealey Plaza was working on behalf of Edwin Walker, or powerful businessman in Dallas, etc.

Layer five: The Mob did it and used their connections through Johnny Roselli via Cuban projects. This backup plan may have materialized in the form of the HSCA’s conclusions.

Layer six: Finally, if there were to be demonstrable evidence that someone in the CIA was indeed involved, there could be a limited hangout whereby Hunt was a lone rouge in the Agency and got together a few of his Cuban buddies for a rogue operation. It’s very interesting that Hunt’s name only circulated as a possible conspirator until after Watergate and around the same time, the tramp photos appeared. It’s clear that as early as 1973, at the height of Watergate, someone in the CIA was leaking information to Tad Szulc that Hunt was Station Chief in Mexico City in 1963. Then, when things really started to heat up during the Congressional investigations of the late 70’s, the Helms-Angleton 1966 memo was leaked whereby they were concerned that someday they might have to explain Hunt’s presence in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Angleton himself was said to have shown this document to a reporter. Around this time, there was also the curious article by Victor Marchetti stating that the CIA was about to perform a limited hangout whereby they would name Hunt as a conspirator.

I’m not saying that this is exactly what the plan was, or that this plan didn’t evolve over time, but such a scenario would explain a lot.

Edited July 26, 2015 by Brian Schmidt

[Mark Knight]

Hemming hinted to me in emails that there were so many folks who wanted JFK dead, that it's entirely likely that would-be assassins who never fired a shot were paid for "doin' the deed." And that the multitude of interconnections between Cubans, Mafia, CIA, and FBI was the primary driver of the coverup, and the reason it never completely unraveled to the point of revealing who actually killed Kennedy.

This is one time where I don't believe that Hemming was pulling my chain.

[Jon G. Tidd]

In hindsight, an assassination attempt was easily predictable.

The fact the attempt in Dallas succeeded is remarkable, however. Past assassination attempts against government leaders had been carried out at close range, not at 80 yards or more. If Oswald did it as the Warren Commission said, his shooting was beyond remarkable; beyond amazing. It was and is baffling, given all the odds stacked against him as the shooter of a decrepit, barely functioning rifle.

If Oswald didn't do it, the Dallas attempt is still remarkable. JFK was killed, not merely wounded. And the people responsible for the killing did an acceptable job of framing Oswald. Acceptable at least to the U.S. Government and its media lackeys. That was acceptable enough. The perps had to know in advance what would be acceptable enough.

If Oswald didn't do it, there surely were and are today lots and lots of suspicious characters. That's why the Dallas attempt was easily predictable. It's not why the U.S. Government never has wanted to reveal the truth of the assassination to the American people. Some deep, dark, dangerous secret still exists. A secret Arlen Specter, for example, took willingly to his grave. I'd bet a substantial amount the deep, dark, dangerous secret, at its core, has little if anything to do with the central cast of suspicious characters.

[David Josephs]

Nicely done Brian... We would be remiss to even consider that these and many more layers were not envisioned as this was planned...

Although Hemming, to me at least, personifies JFK evidence... 95% bs with just enough truth to be believable, yet at the core simply not how it went down but how those who did it want history to remember it....

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One area to ponder... JFK is killed in Chicago and Vallee = Oswald. Or it happens in Tampa and ??? = Vallee = Oswald

Or they miss in Dallas and it happens down the road... how does the planning for Patsies and layered cover stories account for a success?

(Oswald was involved in non-assassination stuff all along, would he just gone on being an infiltrator of groups and disrupt for the FBI)

I truly think we here mere mortals forget that there are those whose job it is 40, 50, 80 hours a week to plan and test the contingencies of these things, to rank to prospective outcomes and have plans for each of these... Nagell was under the impression JFK was going to be assassinated in mid Sept.

From Sept 17/18th (when Alvarado originally said Oswald was in Mexico) thru Nov 22 is mind boggling - How anyone can look at that period and the events and claim Oswald was a "Lone" anything isn't paying attention.

[David Josephs]

Some deep, dark, dangerous secret still exists. A secret Arlen Specter, for example, took willingly to his grave. I'd bet a substantial amount the deep, dark, dangerous secret, at its core, has little if anything to do with the central cast of suspicious characters.

you always inspire a reply Jon...

the federal (and many state) government which the people "elect" is not really in charge of the really big stuff.

JFK came along after 8 years of Republicans run amok and were ready for another 8 under Dick "I'm not a crook" Nixon

JFK said enough of this... we need to be bigger than this...

the "secret" is that 99% play along to get along and do not represent the core interests of the multitude of people they represent but only the interests of those to whom they are beholden.

The "secret" is that we COULD have created the world's finest example of a society which had the best schools, hospitals, day-care and opportunities to contribute for all involved... the lowest death rates, cleanest air and water... and on and on... and now we simply can't any longer.

Tragedy of the Commons... we plan and scheme and blah ditty blah Di dah...

[Roger DeLaria]

bump