This is the Washington Post?

[Gene Kelly]

Jim:

I am struck by Manny Pena's association with tracing the MC scope - ostensibly for Dodd, but perhaps more nefarious purposes - and his later obstructionist role in the Bobby Kennedy murder.

Did Lisa shed any light on the statement that he had traced the MC scope in 1963? I am interested in the provenance of that assertion. Was it G. M. Evica?

Gene

[James DiEugenio]

Yes she did.

She did not tell me who it was from. I think she had the actual documents from the inquiry.

[Gene Kelly]

Jim:

Thanks for that confirmation. That connection (of Pena to JFK/RFK) speaks volumes about both the reasons and sponsors of the assassinations, in my view. This has also raised my interest in Thomas Dodd's background. The backstory goes some way towards explaining why the ersatz Oswald weapons were obtained by (fabricated) mail order. It helps answer a question that many have puzzled over ... namely, why a purported assassin would procure traceable weapons in such an overt manner, when one could simply walk into a local store and anonymously purchase such. Consider this excerpt from "Thomas Dodd; Dined and Downed", The Downfall Dictionary" (June 2009):

The Senator also criticized the John F. Kennedy Administration for not doing enough to remove Fidel Castro from Cuba. Most notably, Dodd was a stalwart supporter of the Vietnam War; when he learned that the U.N. Secretary-General was opposed to the war, Dodd called for his resignation. While this made him a good friend of President Lyndon B. Johnson (who even considered Dodd as a Vice Presidential candidate for the 1964 election), it created some tension within the Democratic Party. Dodd's support for the war was enough to merit his inclusion in "The Draft Dodger Rag," a protest song by Phil Ochs which included the lyrics, "I'm just a typical American boy from a typical American town / I believe in God and Senator Dodd and keeping old Castro down."

Dodd was also well-known for his attempts to secure gun control legislation. In 1963, he co-sponsored legislation that would increase requirements for gun dealers and ban mail-order pistols. When President Kennedy was assassinated by a sniper with a mail-order weapon in November of that year, Dodd expanded his proposal to include a ban on mail-order rifles and shotguns as well. The bill died in committee in 1964, but was reintroduced by Dodd in 1965. The bill finally passed as the Gun Control Act in 1968. Though more watered-down than its original intent, the legislation still effectively banned mail-order firearms sales; added an age limits for gun sales and prohibited certain people, such as criminals, from purchasing them; raised the dealer fee to restrict gun traffic to legitimate sellers; and restricted the marketing of heavy-hitting weapons such as bazookas and mortars.

When the first accusations (of financial misconduct) began flying at Dodd, they were fired from the newspaper pages. In January of 1966, investigative columnists Jack Anderson and Drew Pearson began blasting Dodd and did not let up for another 17 months. Thanks to four whistleblowers who had been on Dodd's staff, the columnists had managed to copy thousands of documents from the Senator's office. They accused Dodd of getting paid by Julius Klein, a lobbyist for West German interests, to fly to Germany to reassure his clients. He was also charged with receiving untaxed contributions and gifts from several companies, including firearms companies opposed to his gun control legislation.

It would appear that - while guilty - Dodd was thrown to the wolves. Another source is "Above the Law: The Rise and fall of Senator Thomas J. Dodd by James Boyd (1968).

Gene