Fred Korth

[John Simkin]

Oswald’s step-father’s attorney in his divorce from Oswald’s mother was Fred Korth.  Fred Korth went on to become the Secretary of the Navy, replacing John Connally, whom Oswald had written to in an attempt to get his dishonorable discharge reversed. Korth refused Oswald’s pleas.  Just before the assassination, in mid-October 1963, Korth resigned after getting accused of corruption as part of the brewing Bobby Baker scandal.  Lyndon Johnson himself would be named as a recipient of bribes on November 22, 1963.  By the next day, the whole scandal simmered down.

Fred Korth is one of the characters that needs to be investigated. There is very little on him on the web. Korth was president of the Continental National Bank of Fort Worth. He was appointed as Navy Secretary by President John F. Kennedy on 4th January, 1962. According to author Seth Kantor, Korth only got the job after strong lobbying from Lyndon B. Johnson.

In 1963 John McClellan, chairman of the Permanent Investigations Committee, began looking into the activities of Billie Sol Estes and Bobby Baker. During this investigation evidence emerged that Johnson was also involved in political corruption. This included the award of a $7 billion contract for a fighter plane, the TFX, to General Dynamics, a company based in Texas. When it was discovered that the Continental National Bank of Fort Worth, was the principal money source for the General Dynamics plant. As a result of this revelation Korth resigned from office on 1st November, 1963.

On 22nd November, 1963, a friend of Baker's, Don B. Reynolds told B. Everett Jordan and his Senate Rules Committee that he saw a suitcase full of money which Baker described as a "$100,000 payoff to Johnson for his role in securing the Fort Worth TFX contract".

A study of LBJ's telephone tapes show that stopping this information reaching the public was his main concern during the months following the assassination. With a lot of bullying and threats he managed to do this. However, this was because he was president. Reynolds even said that he was not willing to testify against a president. Only the death of JFK made this possible.

John McClellan, the chairman of the Senate subcommittee investigating the TFX contract said that he wanted to interview Don Reynolds. However, for some reason the subcommittee did not resume its investigation until 1969, after Johnson had left office.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKkorth.htm

[Antti Hynonen]

John Simkin Posted Yesterday, 08:41 AM

  QUOTE(Pat Speer @ Nov 13 2004, 01:07 AM)

Oswald’s step-father’s attorney in his divorce from Oswald’s mother was Fred Korth.  Fred Korth went on to become the Secretary of the Navy, replacing John Connally, whom Oswald had written to in an attempt to get his dishonorable discharge reversed. Korth refused Oswald’s pleas.  Just before the assassination, in mid-October 1963, Korth resigned after getting accused of corruption as part of the brewing Bobby Baker scandal.  Lyndon Johnson himself would be named as a recipient of bribes on November 22, 1963.  By the next day, the whole scandal simmered down.

Yet another normal, natural, perfectly innocent coincidence in the JFK case... which should not cause anyone to research the issue.

Edited November 15, 2004 by Antti Hynonen

[John Simkin]

Namebase Entry for Fred Korth:

http://www.namebase.org/main2/Fred-Korth.html

DiEugenio,J. Destiny Betrayed. 1992 (340)

Hepburn,J. Farewell America. 1968 (147)

Kantor,S. The Ruby Cover-up. 1992 (50-1)

Lernoux,P. Cry of the People. 1982 (105)

Los Angeles Times 1977-08-21 (IV3)

Marrs,J. Crossfire. 1990 (92)

Mollenhoff,C. The Pentagon. 1967 (245, 312, 316-20)

Pyadyshev,B. The Military-Industrial Complex of the USA. 1977 (73)

Russell,D. The Man Who Knew Too Much. 1992 (523)

Sale,K. Power Shift. 1976 (130)

Scott,P.D. Deep Politics. 1993 (220-1)

[Jim Marrs]

I have an interesting story about Korth, who was from Texas. His first wife told me he was a delight until the fall of 1963 when Korth became silent and sullen, troubled by something. He moved out of their house in early Nov. 1963 and would not speak to her again. She was convinced that there was not another woman involved. What did Korth know that made his leave his wife? Was this to protect her?

[James Richards]

FWIW.

James

Edited November 2, 2005 by James Richards

[Lee Forman]

NARA has 4 hits for Korth.

- The document on Korth and Marguerite Oswald was postponed in full.

- one has the subject, "MCO, Suspect, Korth, Fred"

- one seems to be related to a newspaper clipping sent by Norma Jean korth

This one was interesting:

Hit 1 of 1

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : FBI

RECORD NUMBER : 124-10025-10463

RECORDS SERIES : HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 62-109060-2859

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR : CITIZEN

FROM : BRAY, EDWARD F.

TO : AMERICANS FOR NATIONAL SECURITY

TITLE : [No Title]

DATE : 03/23/1964

PAGES : 1

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

SUBJECTS : DEATH, THREAT, CONNALLY, JOHN, KORTH, FRED

CLASSIFICATION : UNCLASSIFIED

RESTRICTIONS : OPEN IN FULL

CURRENT STATUS : OPEN

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 10/26/1992

I don't recall Bray ever mentioning a threat against Korth. I doublechecked, and couldn't find his name mentioned by Bray?

[James Richards]

Hi Lee,

Nice to have you back.

In case you haven't seen it, here is the letter Bray wrote to Earl Warren.

James

[Tim Gratz]

Fascinating stuff on this thread.

I had not read that Korth left his wife in November of 1963. The idea that he did it to protect her is, I am sure, speculative but nonetheless most interesting.

Congratulations to all the contributors.

[John Simkin]

Fascinating stuff on this thread.

I had not read that Korth left his wife in November of 1963. The idea that he did it to protect her is, I am sure, speculative but nonetheless most interesting.

Congratulations to all the contributors.

You seem to like it when Democrats are suggested as possibly involved in the assassination. It is very different when members of the Republican Party are suggested as candidates. I wonder why?

[Tim Gratz]

Well, John, LBJ was a Democrat; as was Bobby Baker; and Korth, etc., etc. As was Sam Giancana and Johnny Rosselli.

There is at least some evidence that might connect these individuals to the assassination. Moreover, I am not sure anyone was necessarily claiming Korth himself was a conspirator as much as that his connections could suggest he had acquired possible knowledge that explained his unusual separation from his wife in November of 1963.

The evidence connecting Dillon or Buckley is simply non-existent. As I said before, there is as much evidence connecting Captain Kangaroo as there is Buckley. Ditto for Dillon. You yourself seem to have admitted that there was no evidence to suggest any involvement by Buckley.

My second response, however, is that you seem to have forgotten that I did express interest in the possible involvement of a far right-wing young man from Dallas, who was, I believe, a Republican. Did you conveniently forget that?

Should the evidence show a Republican did it I would gladly participant in the man's execution.

It does kind of remind me of an old saying, however: I never said all Democrats are horse-thieves; it'sjust that all horse-thieves are Democrats. (Of course I say that in jest but I think history indicates there was far more corruption and racism in the Democrat Party than in the GOP.)

Edited November 3, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[John Simkin]

Well, John, LBJ was a Democrat; as was Bobby Baker; and Korth, etc., etc. As was Sam Giancana and Johnny Rosselli.

My second response, however, is that you seem to have forgotten that I did express interest in the possible involvement of a far right-wing young man from Dallas, who was, I believe, a Republican. Did you conveniently forget that?

My views on the assassination, unlike yours, are not based on support for a particular party. I am not a member of the Democratic Party. If I lived in the US I would be unlikely to vote for either the Democrats or the Republicans.

It is because you see everything through a far-right prism that makes you such a poor historian. In fact, in terms of your JFK research, you are no more than a party hack.

[Tim Gratz]

That is a ridiculous assertion, John.

You know full well there is no evidence--NONE, John--that any prominent Republican participated in the assassination. Which is not to say that some far-right wing republican kook may have participated, but there is really little evidence of that either. And even if that were to be the case it certainly is no indictment of the Republican Party.

Even if Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat President, was a conspirator or had foreknowledge of the assassination, and even if he was assisted by several other Democrats, that is no indictment of the Democrat Party and no Republican would try to so portray it.

I am blue in the face in saying that my belief that Castro may have participated has NOT A THING to do with the fact that he is a left-wing dictator. The point is that he had a tremenduous motive and there is some evidence of pro-Castro Cubans in Dallas. Castro's motive was pure and simple self-preservation. The Castro scenario has absolutely NOTHING to do with my politics.

I assert, however, that many, including yourself, who fight the Castro scenario do so because you do not want to think that a left-wing dictator did it.

Trujillo's son and followers had a somewhat similar motive, although in this case would be revenge since Trujillo had already been assassinated. If there was evidence of Trujillo intelligence agents in Dealey plaza, i would certainly consider Dominicans as possible conspirators.

I do not know what I can do to make it any clearer to you that although I detest the Castro regime's denial of human rights as well as its support for leftist revolutions in Central America, I have never asserted that Castro did it because he hated America and Kennedy (although that IS a possibility). My analysis that Castro may have gunned down America's leader because America was gunning for him has nothing whatsoever to do with Castro's politics.

Moreover, from a partisan standpoint, would not the Republican Party gain more from demonstrating involvement by Lyndon johnson than be Fidel Castro? How does the Castro scenario in any way convert to a partisan advantage? Your analysis is faulty.

In terms of your slur that I am a poor historian, I respectfully suggest that the Rosa Parks thread amptly demonstrates that I am far more well-read and literate on twentieth century American history than you are. Unless you will admit that your failure to admit Republican support for the civil rights legislation of 1957 and 1964 was based on deception rather than ignorance and failure to read Caro's important book on LBJ.

I have now read your post in the Rosa Parks thread where you attempt to defend your failure to admit the strong Republican support for civil rights legislation in the 1050s and 1960s by claiming you were only talking about "campaigning" for civil rights. Well, it is far more important to pass civil rights legislation than to get on some soap box and try to get black votes by claiming to be for civil rights. I wonder what efforts JFK made to try to end the right to filibuster while he was a senator in the 1950s. Nixon pressed hard for--campaigned for--that change.

Edited November 3, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[Pat Speer]

In terms of your slur that I am a poor historian, I respectfully suggest that the Rosa Parks thread amptly demonstrates that I am far more well-read and literate on twentieth century American history than you are. Unless you will admit that your failure to admit Republican support for the civil rights legislation of 1957 and 1964 was based on deception rather than ignorance and failure to read Caro's important book on LBJ.

Well, Tim, once upon a time there were liberals in the Republican Party. But your heroes Buckley, Nixon and Reagan put an end to that... If we replayed the fifties today, the Republican leaders would pull a Thurmond and do anything and everything to keep the black man down. And you know it.

[George Bollschweiler]

Normally this is Richard's job

Mrs. Fred Korth (2nd from the left)

Fred Korth (2nd from the left)

[Pat Speer]

Does anyone know what became of Korth? I recently read where LBJ commissioned a report in 67 on the feasibility of handing over a big chunk of Navy billing to General Dynamics, etc.. The report declared it would be cheaper for the U.S. to shut down the Navy construction yards and have all sea vessels built by private industry. He enacted the recommendations of this report , a policy that is still in effect, despite the mass corruption exposed year in year out.

I'm wondering if Korth didn't have something to do with this. Did he go to General Dynamics after his downfall? Most former Secs of Navy find a nice cushy MIC job somewhere.