Sandy Larsen Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) I've kept an open mind regarding the so-called James Files confession. I've seen a lot of points made that supposedly shoot holes in the story, but none of them so far have struck me as being very substantial. The one thing that bothers me a little is that Files made no mention of the slow-down in the limousine speed that occurred right before what would have been File's shot to the head. (Ironically, this point was made by none other than James Fetzer, the guy who seems to see conspiracy in everything.) Today I came across something written by Jim Marrs, in 2009 as far as I can tell. In it he asks three questions and asks how each are possible if James Files weren't who he says he is. My question is, have any of these questions been answered in a way that indicates Files hasn't been telling the truth? Here is what Jim Marrs wrote: (Read just the blue titles for a summary of the questions.) Quote TO JAMES FILES CONFESSION CRITICS: ANSWER ME THIS by JIM MARRS First off let me set the record straight. I have not -- nor am I now -- taking any particular position on the truthfulness of the James E. Files confession. I was not on the Grassy Knoll on November 22, 1963, so I cannot state with any 100 percent assurance what really happened. All I have ever said on this matter is that I am aware of much more to this story than simply a talking-head videotaped confession and that I feel it deserves more serious attention than it has received in the past. Those who have been so quick to dismiss Files as a hoax do not know the full details of this issue. Others have personal problems with one or more of the researchers who have brought the Files story public. Let's not toss out the message just because we don't like the messenger. Never forget that the whole Files story came about due to a tip from an FBI agent, not from mere speculation by some researcher. Despite what I feel to be an honest and open-minded attitude toward the Files story on my part, I, along with anyone else who dares to admit interest in this issue, have suffered much abuse on the Internet and other places from some critics who, after superficial or no research, branded the Files story a hoax. Without making a long, involved story even longer, I would simply like the answers to the following three simple questions regarding James Files:[1] HOW DID JAMES FILES KNOW THAT HUMAN TEETH IMPRESSIONS WOULD BE FOUND ON A .222-CALIBER SHELL CASING FOUND ON THE GRASSY KNOLL IN 1987?[NOTE: This was debunked by Allan Eaglesham in 2007. See his presentation titled The Tell-Tale Dash: James Files and the Dented Cartridge Case. Jim Marrs made a note of Eaglesham's presentation in his latest (2013) edition of Crossfire.] It is a fact that John C. Rademacher of Granbury, Texas, discovered a .222-caliber shell casing on the north Grassy Knoll in Dallas' Dealey Plaza in 1987. He brought the casing to my class at the University of Texas at Arlington in 1990. I recall asking him about strange marks on the casing because at the time I was very interested in the sabot or husk bullet issue. Rademacher said the mark was on the casing when he found it but that he had no idea what it was. On May 3, 1993, researcher Bob Vernon along with TV executive Barry Adelman first interviewed James E. Files in prison. Files claims to have used an unusual and expensive single-shot match pistol, a .222-caliber Remington XP-100 "Fireball", to shoot President Kennedy from behind the wooden picket fence on top of the Grassy Knoll. Toward the end of the interview, Files casually mentioned that he had left the .222-caliber shell casing behind on the Grassy Knoll and that if anyone was to find it they would know it was his. When asked how it could be identified, Files said he had bitten down on the empty shell casing and left it behind on a cross piece of the wooden picket fence. "It will have my teeth marks on it," he explained. Reflecting on this information, Vernon recalled seeing something about a man finding a shell casing on the Grassy Knoll in the files of the late Texas researcher Joe West. After locating the story in West's material, Vernon along with Mrs. Joe West visited Rademacher in July, 1993, and first saw the shell casing with the markings on it. After about two months of correspondence, Vernon finally obtained the shell casing in late September, 1993, and sent it for study by Dr. Paul Stimson of the University of Texas at Houston, a member of the American Boards of Oral Pathology and Forensic Odontology. About Oct. 4, 1993, following days of microscopic examination, Dr. Stimson reported, "Opinion: The indentations are oriented on the shell casing in a pattern that would be consistent with the maxillary right central incisor making the larger mark and the two smaller marks would be consistent with the lower right central and lateral incisors. It is my opinion that the marks are consistent with having been made by human indentation." It is highly unlikely that this whole story could be a gigantic hoax involving such diverse people as Dr. Stimson, Vernon, Joe West (who died before ever learning of the casing connection between Rademacher and Files) and his wife, Adelman, Files, myself and others over a period of more than six years. Having rejected the complicated hoax theory and considering that apparently no one in the world knew of the casing/teeth issue prior to Dr. Stimson's findings in October, 1993, I am left with the question --- If he had no first-hand knowledge, how did James Files know that human teeth impressions would be found on a .222-caliber shell casing discovered on the Grassy Knoll in 1987?[2] HOW DID FILES FIND OUT ABOUT THE "WHITE STAR" TEAMS IN LAOS UNLESS HE WAS A MEMBER? During interviews with James E. Files, he told of his military record which included a stint with the 82nd Airborne Division concerning covert operations in Laos in 1959. He said he was supposedly out of the military but was actually being paid by the U.S. Army and specifically mentioned being part of the "White Star" teams to train Laotian Army regulars. Being a Vietnam-era veteran myself and a lay historian, I was surprised that I had never heard of the "White Star" teams. In fact, I chalked this term up as a point against Files since no one I knew had ever heard of such teams. Then in the summer of 1996, in a telephone conversation with Col. Fletcher Prouty, I happened to mention that Files claimed to have trained Laotian Army troops in 1959. "Oh, that was my operation," said Prouty. "They were called the White Star teams." Prouty explained that members of the "White Star" teams were "sheep-dipped," He explained this process as "an intricate Army-devised process by which a man who is in the service as a full career soldier or officer agrees to go through all the legal and official motions of resigning from the service. Then, rather than actually being released, his records are pulled from the Army personnel files and transferred to a special Army intelligence file. (The Secret Team: pp. 172-173)" This is exactly the process mentioned by Files and, obviously, could go far in explaining some of the frustrations encountered in trying to verify his military record. Prouty said the "White Star" teams were composed of "sheep-dipped" officers and men who were hired by a private company created by the CIA and sent to Laos to train troops. Prouty's statements force the question --- If Files is a phony and never in the military (as some critics have asserted), how did he know the correct term "White Star" teams and the circumstances of their involvement in Laos.unless he was part of it?[3] WHERE DID FILES LEARN OF AN "ABORT TEAM" IF NOT FROM JOHNNY ROSELLI? According to the Files confession, the JFK assassination was carried out by Chicago mob hit man, Charles "Chuckie" Nicoletti on orders from boss Sam Giancana. ".(Richard) Cain and Nicoletti were actual gunmen for the hit." wrote Giancana's brother Chuck in his 1992 book Double Cross (pp. 334-335). Files said the hit team originally was to be Nicoletti and mobster Johnny Roselli. Files himself was only to have transported weapons to Dallas and acted as driver. But, according to Files, Roselli arrived in Dallas early on the morning of November 22, 1963, by means of a "military flight". Roselli said the CIA had sent an "abort team" to Dallas to stop the assassination and he declined to participate saying they would all be killed. Undaunted by Roselli's fears, Nicoletti decided to move ahead with the carefully-laid plans and so asked Files --- a man who had been his driver and confederate in several other jobs --- to back him up. Many critics have questioned why Files at such a young age and not being a "made" Mafia man would have been included on something as important as the JFK assassination. This is a very good question but it appears answered in this account of Files' last-minute substitution after Roselli suddenly backed out, fearful of being killed by an "abort team". Files' use of the term "abort team" was only the second time in my career I had heard that term. The first involved a "black ops" military pilot who also mentioned an "abort team' --- and in connection with the JFK assassination!! William Robert "Tosh" Plumlee claimed to have been involved in secret government skullduggery beginning before the Bay of Pigs invasion and lasting through the Iran-Contra scandal. I have reams of FBI and DEA reports on Plumlee and they state he was claiming to have knowledge of the JFK assassination as far back as the 1970s. In addition to his numerous government files, Plumlee was called for secret testimony during the Iran-Contra hearings. He obviously is a credible source. In the late 1980s, Tosh took me on a guided tour of Dallas and presented an incredible story of how he piloted a plane from Florida to New Orleans on November 21, 1963. In New Orleans, he picked up a team of men, along with some small cases, and flew them to Dallas, arriving early on Nov. 22. Originally slated to land at Red Bird Airport, he was diverted to Garland Airport due to early morning rain and overcast. Here the team disembarked. This group was largely unknown to Tosh except for one man whom he had piloted before. He only knew this man as "Colonel John Roselli". Tosh also said he was told that the group were an "abort team" sent to Dallas to stop an assassination attempt on President Kennedy. Tosh's account of this flight, his observations in Dealey Plaza and his planned return trip to meet David Ferrie in Houston make for a fascinating tale, one that has never been disproved. Tosh says he flew Roselli into Dallas on a military plane and Roselli tells Files he arrived on a military flight. Tosh said the flight was to bring in an "abort team" and Roselli bows out of his part in the assassination confessing fear of an "abort team". Since Tosh and Files are the only two people I have ever heard mention an "abort team" and since by all research Tosh and Files never met, how could Files have known about an "abort team" unless his story of Roselli's statements are true? Now I am the first to admit that there are problems with the Files confession, mostly due to the lack of substantiating documentation. Of course, men like Files don't live long or prosper with the Chicago mob or CIA by leaving behind a well-managed paper trail. In my study of this issue, I have found many small things which seem to corroborate his story. Three of these are mentioned above. There remains much more research to be done on the Files. In the meantime, if someone will simply give me a credible and well-supported answer to the above three questions, I might consider joining the chorus of nay-sayers in the James Files confession. - Jim Marrs Edited November 8, 2016 by Sandy Larsen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James DiEugenio Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Sandy: See Allan Eaglesham's site on Files. Also, Joe West was one of the worst things to ever happen to the JFK case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Larsen Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) Jim, Thanks, I'll look at Allan Eaglesham's material. Do you know if he "debunked" any of Marrs' three points/questions? Also, what was it about Joe West that harmed the JFK case? More importantly, does that carry over to the James Files confession? Because I'm not at all influenced by Joe West, but I am to some degree by James Files. EDIT: Never mind about my Eaglesham question... I found it and am studying it. Thanks. Edited November 7, 2016 by Sandy Larsen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Hancock Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Sandy I think if you do some web searching you will find most everything debunked as well as the fact that Files had read assassination books before he started talking. As to the shell casing, of course it was found a long way from where he describes it behind the fence. And as to Tosh Plumlee, I would encourage you to wade through the different variations of his story and note the dramatic changes as well as his dialog on JFK and Bobby being warned of the attack before hand, given the exact location of it in front of the Adolphus hotel, then told that plans had changed and the whole thing was out of control - and JFK just drove right on down the street with Jackie. Check out how it is that Tosh knows that and his remarks on how he was visited in Florida by a senior CIA officer (Helms, don't recall) and given that sort of detail. Then draw your own conclusions. When you are finished I will be happy to sell you my copy of the first Files video release of his story - on cassette no less - just one more of my great investments in JFK research. ..grin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James DiEugenio Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) You lucky dog Larry. You made millions. As per Joe West, if you are old enough to recall, Joe was one of the prime motivators behind the whole Roscoe White fiasco. He then was the guy who discovered James Files. Coincidence? Edited November 7, 2016 by James DiEugenio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Larsen Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 Jim, never mind about my Eaglesham question... I found it and am studying it. Thanks. Thanks Larry. Are you of the opinion that Tosh Plumlee was in cahoots with Wim? You don't find Tosh to be credible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Hancock Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Sandy, as your quote of Jim relates, Tosh was telling at least parts of his story, before Joe West ever got involved with the Files story and before anything from Files got out to the public. Nothing in Tosh's earliest information really would have anything to do with Files story other than the issue of flying in someone he recognized as Roselli from Florida (how he would have recognized Roselli is a question that comes to mind). Without getting wrapped up in why Roselli would have flown into Dallas with an abort team in order to tell Nicholetti that he was backing out because an abort team was there (my mind sort of blows up at that point) I'll just answer your question by saying that no, even after several dialogs with Tosh, a full review of all the FBI documents and arrest records I could get on him and searches of the references he provided, I simply was not convinced that of any association between he and military intelligence or by the various iterations of his story about Dallas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bristow Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 One mistake Files made was he said the Stemmons sign was about to cut of his field of view and so he "had to take the shot". Of course the headshot came 5 seconds after Kennedy passed the sign, even earlier from Files position. It could not be any other sign as the Ft Worth sign blocked his view several seconds after the headshot. It could only have been the tree on his right. Surprising that such a crucial part of his decision involved that last chance to shoot but he remembers it wrong. He exchanged a cordial letter with a member of the 'family' while in jail, that tells me he did not make it all up. I would think if he falsely implicated Roselli and others he would not be in good favor with the family. I think the basic story could be true but when it comes to filling in for Roselli as a shooter, he may have added that so he could be billed as the guy who shot Kennedy. It is possible he had someone plant the shell casing with the tooth mark. One other thing bothers me. Don't mob hits use professional hit men? People who can not be directly tied to the family. People who come in just to be the gunman, then disappear with no connections? In this case the gunman were also the front team, the same people who were driving around the town days before, visiting the plaza. I thought big hits like the president would not be played so loose. Maybe that is just Hollywood? One more question. I heard a discussion about whether Oswald drove or had a license but Files said Oswald drove a Blue Falcon to his motel room. Has anyone found a Blue Ford Falcon connected to Oswald. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Hancock Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 As to using professionals, its sort of important to note that there is no indication that Roselli had ever used a weapon since his basic training during WWII and his days of being a street guy were decades behind him. Given his age, his physical condition (fine for Vegas and LA clubs but not so much for tactical operations) and the fact that he would be about a far as you could get from being a professional shooter he seems an unlikely pick. He is also a particularly bad choice given that the FBI had Roselli under daily surveillance (we have the records) and he was very well aware of it. And then to draft Files at the last minute, give him a handgun he had never used, one that has a rather unique kick and which he had never practiced with - again probably not the best way to go from a professional standpoint. Not to mention that if any of those players are busted it goes right back to Chicago with no deniablity at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Josephs Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Quote Never forget that the whole Files story came about due to a tip from an FBI agent As if this was some sort of ringing endorsement for truth and honesty.... Virtually every bit of deception that occurs in this case was at the hands of the FBI... Mr. Files lied as part of his profession. Day in and Day out... a xxxx. Between he and the FBI in this case, sadly, he is probably a more reliable source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James DiEugenio Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) Read this article about Roscoe White and you will see why I have problems with anything the late Joe West discovered. http://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/i-was-mandarin/ The Roscoe White case was a first rate fiasco. Edited November 7, 2016 by James DiEugenio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Hancock Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) And in the end, after he sold the Files story rights (which might an indication of what was going on right there) Files first promoter (West's partner Bob Vernon) came public with a number of points which undermined Files. I had some lengthy emails with him at that point in time, probably on an earlier PC at this point. It was kind of a dump of how he himself had become fed up the the Files story that he had touted for several years. Edited November 7, 2016 by Larry Hancock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Larsen Posted November 8, 2016 Author Share Posted November 8, 2016 (edited) Allan Eaglesham's research and presentation are indeed a serious blow to the James Files confession. At the very least it indicates that Files was aware of the marks on the .222 caliber shell beforehand and that he fabricated the story of biting down on it, IMO. Of course this casts doubt on the rest of his story. For anyone reading this who wants to know more, the presentation is given here and is titled The Tell-Tale Dash: James Files and the Dented Cartridge Case. It pretty much proves that the .222 caliber shell that Files allegedly bit down on was not manufactured till 1971 or later. Thanks to Jim DiEugenio for the heads-up on this. Edited November 8, 2016 by Sandy Larsen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Hancock Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 (edited) Sandy, I had mentioned Bob Vernon later, the first "promoter" of Files; you might find the following of interest - it elaborates on some of the issues raised by Allan: http://citizensforjustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=158 Edited November 8, 2016 by Larry Hancock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James DiEugenio Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 Eaglesham does not to a lot of work on the JFK case, but when he does its usually pretty good. If you have not seen his work on the photos of the sixth floor, which he did with Tom Alyea, you really should. Its eye opening. The WC could not even get the first day crimes scene photos correct. If you cannot do that, then what is your inquiry worth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now