Jump to content
The Education Forum

Helicopter at Bethesda


Recommended Posts

"He also added a fact that I’m not sure was in the original phone interview—that there was still another coffin that arrived at Bethesda, via helicopter. This turned out to be important, in terms of the possibility that there was either a decoy casket also sent by helicopter, or that there was validity to the account that a Secret Service agent had been shot that day."

The above quote is from David Lifton's tribute post to Dennis David.

Is there any research into a helicopter arriving at Bethesda on the evening of the assassination? If a secret service agent were murdered that day, wouldn't we have a name? Is there a record of autopsies performed at Bethesda starting on the 22nd and through the next week or so?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, Ty Carpenter said:

Is there any research into a helicopter arriving at Bethesda on the evening of the assassination?

In his HSCA interview, Lt. Lipsey describes going to Bethesda by helicopter, though the body went in a hearse.

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/med_testimony/Lipsey_1-18-78/HSCA-Lipsey.htm

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/30/2017 at 5:20 AM, Ty Carpenter said:

"He also added a fact that I’m not sure was in the original phone interview—that there was still another coffin that arrived at Bethesda, via helicopter. This turned out to be important, in terms of the possibility that there was either a decoy casket also sent by helicopter, or that there was validity to the account that a Secret Service agent had been shot that day."

The above quote is from David Lifton's tribute post to Dennis David.

Is there any research into a helicopter arriving at Bethesda on the evening of the assassination? If a secret service agent were murdered that day, wouldn't we have a name? Is there a record of autopsies performed at Bethesda starting on the 22nd and through the next week or so?

Ty:

Here's what we know about helicopters--or at least, here's what I think I "know" based on a very confusing record:

1. General Wehle, Lt. Lipsey (his assistant) and the casket team flew in a twin-rotor helicopter from Andrews to Bethesda, and landed (per the MDW Report) at (as I recall) 6:45 p.m.

2. Dennis David saw a chopper land (again, "as I recall") in my 1980 filmed interview (and possibly, also, in the 7/2/1979 initial phone interview).  He not only saw a chopper land, I believe he said a casket was brought off that chapter. Again, going by recollection.

3. Paul O'Connor, who was inside the morgue (which is at the back of the hospit, on the "basement" level) heard the sound of chopper(s), one (at least) landed, and then the men brought the shipping casket into the morgue.  So he (O'Connor) made the "connection" between the sounds he heard (of one or more choppers) and the appearance of the shipping casket, even though we mnow that the shipping casket came out of a black hearse.

As far as a dead SS agent is concerned: I doubt very much that if there was such a body, that it would have been brought to Bethesda.  First of all, if you're going to deny such a death (and I'm not saying this happened, but if it did), the last place you'd want to take the body would be to Bethesda (which was the focus of so much public attention); or even Walter Reed.  lf such a body existed, and had to be disposed of, I'd think it would go to a private funeral home, and the family (assuming there was one) would be given some story about their loved one having "died a hero."  Again, this is all speculation.

My own conclusion(s): I think its clear, from the account of O'Connor (who was quite strong on what he heard) that one or more choppers landed at the rear of Bethesda, perhaps in the parking lot of the Officer's Club.  Further, based on what Dennis David saw, he witnessed a chopper landing supposedly at the front,  but I'd have to go back to the original footage to see whether he spelled that out, and whether or not he could e a landing at the rear.

DSL

5/31/2017 - 4 p.m.

Los Angeles, California

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, David Lifton said:

Paul O'Connor, who was inside the morgue (which is at the back of the hospit, on the "basement" level) heard the sound of chopper(s), one (at least) landed, and then the men brought the shipping casket into the morgue.  So he (O'Connor) made the "connection" between the sounds he heard (of one or more choppers) and the appearance of the shipping casket, even though we know that the shipping casket came out of a black hearse.

David,

Is it possible that a shipping casket with the body was offloaded from AF1 on the opposite side during the official "offloading" that was filmed by TV and press... That casket then gets loaded in a Helicopter and taken to Bethesda where it is then loaded into a black hearse in the "O" Club parking lot and taken around to the Bethesda loading Dock?

In this scenario, the body could arrive 30-40 minutes prior to the official entourage and still be seen unloading from the black hearse. If it arrived by helicopter there would have needed to be some vehicle available to take it from the landing location to the morgue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been perusing William Matson Law's "In The Eye of History" interview of Dennis David (as well as that of Paul O'Connor) for the last hour.  I saw no mention of a helicopter from Mr. David.  That doesn't mean he didn't at other times.  Maybe Mr. Law just didn't think to bring up the subject in relation to the bigger picture in the scope of his interview.  David does state that at 6:20 he received a call saying "your visitor's on his way", and at 6:30-6:35 a BLUE (private, non governmental, always gray - emphatic about this) hearse backed up to the "jetty' (dock?).  Two civilians (he spoke to the driver and feels sure of this) got out of the front seats and 5-6 men in blue suits, he presumed Government agents, "perhaps Secret Service or whatever" got out of the back, they never identified themselves.  His corpsmen carried the Gray Metal Shipping Casket into the morgue anteroom and he then dismissed them.  The hearse driver (dressed in a smock "like they used in the OR") told him they had come in the back entrance off Jones Bridge road by the officers Club.

Paul O'Connor was quite emphatic.  "After we heard the helicopterS come over, I distinctly heard one land in the Officers Club parking lot.  There was a big parking lot.  I heard one helicopter land there.  I heard another helicopter land at the north side of the hospital where there was a normal helicopter landing pad.  Several minutes later...maybe five - the back of the morgue opened up and a crew of corpsmen and a higher ranking corpsman (Dennis David?) brought in a plain pinkish gray shipping casket. ...Inside was the body bag."

Apologies to Mr. Lifton for not buying a (used) copy of Best Evidence until the early 2000's.  It still blew my mind and greatly intensified my interest in the Truth.  His statement above about Mr. David mentioning a helicopter to him helps confirm that of O'Connor.  Video would be damning.  

Edited by Ron Bulman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 5/31/2017 at 7:03 PM, David Lifton said:

 

Will there be an updated edition of Best Evidence when Final Charade comes out, or is the 1992 Signet edition the last one? I'm thinking about getting a copy of the 1992 one but not sure if I should wait.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...