Marcello and Oswald and the assassination

[Greg Doudna]

Some thoughts on Marcello, Oswald, and the assassination

A lot seems to go to Marcello of New Orleans. Oswald family members had ties to the Marcello crime organization, and if FBI informant Van Laningham is to be believed ("has provided reliable information"), Marcello said Oswald himself had worked for him at one point. If the Ferrie and Oswald contacts developed by Garrison have some truth to it, that goes directly to Marcello since Ferrie was working directly for Marcello. What if Marcello learned that Oswald was an informant? That could justify offering Oswald up as the patsy.

I am struck by tracing key person movements from New Orleans with Marcello connections, to Dallas in the runup to the assassination. There is Jack Lawrence's prior employment in New Orleans according to coworkers who saw his job application papers, however denied by Lawrence who said he had never been in New Orleans. He arrives in Dallas in early Oct (from New Orleans according to the version denied by Lawrence) and finds employment at the Downtown Lincoln-Mercury whose anti-JFK owners are involved in helping arrange the logistics and route of the presidential parade in Dallas, and ended up lending vehicles used in the JFK parade. There is Jim Braden, mobbed-up oil man with a lengthy criminal record found in and out of the Dal-Tex building in the moments following the assassination, with an office in the same building in New Orleans in proximity to the office of Marcello attorney Gill where Ferrie spent his time working for Marcello when he was not with Marcello himself. There is Jack Ruby, who via Campisi and Civello of Dallas and contacts and visits to New Orleans has significant connection to Marcello, and Waldron even cites some financial documents to argue that Marcello was the true owner of the Carousel Club managed by Ruby. There are Ruby's extensive contacts inside the Dallas police department and his killing of Oswald while in police custody well interpreted as the long reach of Marcello. There is self-professed hitman and west coast mob asset Curtis Craford (Larry Crafard), whom I believe was the killer of Tippit, the recent arrival and new hire by Ruby at the Carousel Club in early Oct, not normally thought of as having a New Orleans or Marcello connection prior to his beginning to live at the Carousel Club, but I think a case can be argued for that.

And finally there is Oswald himself. His uncle in New Orleans, Lee's surrogate father so to speak, was long-term midlevel career Marcello crime organization employed. His mother Marguerite grew up with and dated Marcello crime organization figures. His lawyer when he joined the Marines at age 17 and probably his first contact for a lawyer in New Orleans in 1963 regarding appeal of his military discharge status case, is childhood-friend-of-Marguerite and Marcello-connected attorney Clem Sehrt, whose office was in the same building with Marcello attorney Gill and oilman Braden. Oswald goes from New Orleans to arrive in Dallas Oct 3.

There may be others unknown from the Marcello organization coming to Dallas in this time period, seeking employment in high buildings downtown positioned to cover possible likely choices of parade route for the JFK visit, with preparation for the assassination preceding final knowledge of the parade route. 

Preparation for the assassination preceding final knowledge of the parade route

There are the highly odd cases of persons other than Oswald claiming to be "Lee Harvey Oswald", prior to the assassination, seeking employment in assassination-sensitive locations: tall hotel buildings on Commerce Street downtown; an applicant "Lee Oswald" who was not Oswald sought employment in a tall building in Houston with excellent line of fire capability on two sides of JFK's parade route in Houston (the woman who did that interview did not hire the applicant; comes across as a credible witness, and "said that somewhere in her mind she recalled that he mentioned New Orleans, Louisiana", https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=60405#relPageId=121). There is the south Texas series of "Oswald visits" to Alice Texas and area, which was certainly not Oswald but who may have been Curtis Craford (the physical descriptions and height descriptions of those witnesses match Craford perfectly but not Oswald); Joan Mellen cites a Louisiana police investigation which traced an "Oswald" (who was not Oswald) in Louisiana to south Texas, perhaps the same one who may or may not have been Craford, with those south Texas "Oswald" visits of Thu-Fri Oct 3-4 ending exactly in time giving excellent agreement with what I believe was Craford's arrival to the Carousel Club in Dallas late the evening of Fri Oct 4 witnessed by attorney Jarnagin. 

I am beginning to think that not only was Oswald mixed up with people working for Marcello such as Ferrie, but that Marcello discovered Oswald was a snitch. But Marcello did not let Oswald know he knew. Oswald keeps on as if he is working for Marcello, and Marcello double-crosses the snitch, Oswald, by having Oswald's name used by other operatives seeking the critical tall-building employments in the runup to the JFK visit and setting him up as the patsy in the assassination itself. That Oswald has made his reputation as a communist is all the better for a patsy.

In this scenario Oswald would not be totally clueless, but in his understanding would be doing undercover informant work. This then offers a possible explanation of how it was that Oswald found employment so strategically located before the parade route was known. The answer (I am suggesting): Oswald himself becomes one of the multiple Marcello operatives coming into Dallas and applying for strategic parade-route jobs in the Oct-Nov time period in the runup to the assassination. Oswald does so because he is an informant, not because he was the assassin of Nov 22. But Marcello has him fingered as a snitch and after Oswald gets his job at the TSBD, Oswald is set up by Marcello operatives to be incriminated, then killed before he comes to trial.

In this scenario Oswald establishes a normal job search routine upon his arrival to Dallas Oct 3 but--hypothetically--sees to it that he is not actually hired before going to the TSBD on Oct 14. A lot of discussion has wondered at the incongruity of the hiring of Oswald at the TSBD preceding knowledge of the parade route. But on the assumption--not certain but likely, already in early Oct--that the JFK visit will involve a parade route through the downtown area, the only real uncertainty would be whether it would come into Dealey Plaza via Elm, Main, or Commerce. A sniper in a window in the TSBD with a scope could have unobstructed line of sight fire to a presidential limousine coming out from any of those three main downtown arteries in the open space en route to the Triple Underpass. It is not necessary that the limousine have made that hairpin turn from Houston on to Elm. In fact the TSBD would be one of the few strategically located buildings in which it was possible to have line of fire no matter which of those three downtown arteries was selected for the parade route at the last minute. However other buildings in Dealey Plaza also could serve the purpose. By this scenario, it was not a sure thing that Oswald would be hired at the TSBD but he succeeded in being hired. It could have been an unsuccessful job attempt like other operatives were finding in attempts to find jobs in other tall buildings. Unlike some of the other failed attempts, Oswald's succeeded at the TSBD. If Oswald had been turned down that day by Truly at TSBD, what would be expected is he would try again at some other strategic location. 

Some compartmentalized CIA ops, such as with DRE and the anti-Castro Cubans in New Orleans and Florida--Marcello funded anti-Castro Cuban activity in Louisiana so some of these things overlap--could piggyback on making use of Oswald as the accused assassin to attempt to blame Castro.

FBI and WC investigations: ignoring the elephant in the room

And how better to run the investigation that followed than to have Hoover's FBI control the investigation and the Warren Commission basically rubberstamp FBI work producing a report in which Marcello, the Mob boss whose territory of control included Dallas where the assassination happened, who had the ability to reach right inside the Dallas police department to kill Oswald, his name does not even appear in the Warren Report index, that is how little notice Hoover's FBI and WC took of Marcello.  

Marcello hated JFK and RFK with red-hot passion, so for Marcello killing JFK would be mixing business with pleasure. Marcello would come to Dallas and meet personally with H.L. Hunt who in turn was in close contact with Hoover and LBJ. The fact of Marcello's in-person visits to Dallas and in-person meetings with H.L. Hunt are according to what is told to me by Hunt's aide at the time, John Curington.

Only about three weeks ago Curington (age 94) called me just to keep in touch and had this to say about the assassination. He has no personal knowledge of who did it, nothing smoking-gun, but he thinks his old boss, HL Hunt along with Hoover and LBJ had it done. But never mind that, that doesn't matter, the point of interest is what Curington said about how he thought the assassination was done. This from a voice of experience, loyal bagman and operative for HL Hunt trusted to get jobs done and keep his mouth shut, probably associated with mob circles himself in earlier years even if living honorably in retirement today. He spoke (I did not bring this up, he did) critically of how some assassination conspiracy books have everybody under the sun involved, complex detailed planned-out operations involving casts of thousands, as he put it, "with half of the people of America" involved in the conspiracy. He does not think that is how it worked. He said, people think its complicated. He thinks it was as simple as one or two people asking one or two others for a favor. "You help us and we'll help you down the road". Then it would get done. Nobody would know how or want to know how, just that it got done.

Marcello: "Yeah I had the son of a bitch killed"

"Brief summary of investigation: confidential source (DL 2918-OC) on 12/15/85 was in the company of Carlos Marcello and another inmate at Texarkana FCI. Marcello discussed dislike for JFK on this occasion and stated, 'Yeah, I had the son of a bitch killed. I'm glad I did. I'm sorry I couldn't have done it myself.' File reflects desire to polygraph source. Results not indicated in Dallas file. File number: 175A-109, Volume I (. . .)

"Text continues: Marcello discussed dislike for JFK and stated, 'Yeah I had the son-of-a-bitch killed. I'm glad I did. I'm sorry I couldn't have done it myself'.

"For information of the Bureau, this file was not indexed to John F. Kennedy Assassination file."

(https://www.maryferrell.org/archive/docs/166/166501/images/img_166501_38_300.png) 

The original FBI report dated Mar 4, 1986, credited to "a confidential source who has provided reliable information in the past": https://www.maryferrell.org/wiki/images/c/ce/Pict_legacyofsecrecy_marcelloconfession.jpg.

And a description of the informant interviewed on television in 2009:

"[I]n 2009, a secret FBI informant exploded a verbal bombshell: Carlos Marcello once told him during a prison yard conversation, 'I had the little bastard (JFK) killed. He was a thorn in my shoe.' Jack van Laningham--a former cellmate of the Mafia don--disclosed Marcello's confession in a TV interview on the Discovery Channel's 'Did the Mob Kill JFK?' Van Laningham subsequently passed a polygraph test.

"He said Marcello explained that Oswald visited him in New Orleans and that 'he was my man. He did what the hell I told him to do.' 

"As for Jack Ruby, Marcello told his cellmate that Dallas strip club owner was under his thumb, deeply in debt, and owed the Mob boss 'big.' So Marcello, according to Van Laningham, ordered Ruby to pay off the debt by rubbing out Oswald."

("Carlos Marcello and the Assassination of President Kennedy", http://crimemagazine.com/carlos-marcello-and-assassination-president-kennedy)

Comments? 

[Denny Zartman]

When has the mob ever felt the need to use patsies when executing a hit?

When has the mob ever set up patsies in advance of a murder?

There are still documents relating to the JFK assassination that are kept secret today. The stated reasoning is that they pose a threat to national security. How could revealing Carlos Marcello had JFK murdered in 1963 jeopardize national security in 2022?

[Jon Pickering]

A more realistic appraisal of New Orleans before the murder is that it was used by the killers as a civilian patsy factory with a large population of compromisable male homosexuals there for recruitment. Remember: Lee Oswald wasn't the only patsy created in the conspiracy to murder the President. Include in this gallery of fronts and cutouts, Shaw and company, along with the Cubans, the mob, right wing activists, the FBI, CIA, and anything or anybody else that could plausibly be construed as civilian. In reality we know now they were simply egoistic fascist saps, used and then thrown away.

But, U.S. cmdrs and key subordinates nurtured and managed the New Orleans civilian-framing operation, make no mistake about it,  as surely as they managed the killings of important liberal leaders in the period before, during, and, after the 60s. Subsequently, we now learn that the other intended targets for assassination were liberal governance and its guiding philosophy - as no one currently in business, gov, or, media, qualify as liberal, nor, will there be anyone with this political philosophy occupying an influential position in these professions anytime, soon.

[Chuck Schwartz]

When "Mafia Kingfish" by John H Davis came out, I read this book.   I was swayed by Davis' argument that Marcello was deeply involved with the Murder of JFK.   I still feel that way, but do not believe that he was as involved as A. Dulles, R. Bissell, T. Barnes, H.Hunt, D. Phillips and D Morales (see page 261 of " The Devil's Chessboard" by David Talbot (the hardcopy version)).

[Sean Coleman]

The mob didn’t  normally tolerate snitches- if Marcello had got the slightest whiff of Oswald being a rat surely he’d have had him ‘removed?’ 

[Jamey Flanagan]

I believe the mob was most definitely highly involved. And I'll even give you the fact that Hoover wouldn't even publicly acknowledge the existence of organized crime because he'd been blackmailed by them into inaction much the way he blackmailed others to get what he wanted. Thus Hoover and the FBI were compromised. I'll even take the argument that the CIA was compromised because certain agents were joined at the hip with mafia guys on the whole Cuba issue.  I'll even give you LBJ for the hell of it. He was about to be dropped off the ticket and quite possibly even see jail time if he were drug down by the Bobby Baker and Billie Sol Estes stuff he was involved in. We know that RFK would be happy to see LBJ serve time. So even not trying to make any mob ties to LBJ, he's definitely along for the ride if you get rid of Kennedy and make him President. The entity that I just can't see is the Secret Service. They were knee deep in this assassination plot! How is the mob gonna influence them? Any ties to the SS? That's one of the places it being a mob plot from the get go loses me.

[Sean Coleman]

1 hour ago, Jamey Flanagan said:

I believe the mob was most definitely highly involved. And I'll even give you the fact that Hoover wouldn't even publicly acknowledge the existence of organized crime because he'd been blackmailed by them into inaction much the way he blackmailed others to get what he wanted. Thus Hoover and the FBI were compromised. I'll even take the argument that the CIA was compromised because certain agents were joined at the hip with mafia guys on the whole Cuba issue.  I'll even give you LBJ for the hell of it. He was about to be dropped off the ticket and quite possibly even see jail time if he were drug down by the Bobby Baker and Billie Sol Estes stuff he was involved in. We know that RFK would be happy to see LBJ serve time. So even not trying to make any mob ties to LBJ, he's definitely along for the ride if you get rid of Kennedy and make him President. The entity that I just can't see is the Secret Service. They were knee deep in this assassination plot! How is the mob gonna influence them? Any ties to the SS? That's one of the places it being a mob plot from the get go loses me.

Do you believe the story Edna was blackmailed into inaction due to the mob’s possession of a certain photo showing him in his favourite ball gown?

[Jamey Flanagan]

@Sean Coleman Well, let's just say this.....I believe he was blackmailed and that's probably why he let the mob do as they please. I don't believe any blackmail was required however in the JFK coverup. Hoover was reaching the mandatory age for retirement and only a decree from the President could change that. And no way in hell JFK was gonna keep him on as director! He took exceptional satisfaction in relaying the news of the President's death to Bobby, whom Hoover hated with a passion!

[Sean Coleman]

I like to think the photo exists, so does Susan Rosentiel. 
 

A lovely couple, just don’t get on their bad side….

[Norman T. Field]

6 hours ago, Denny Zartman said:

When has the mob ever felt the need to use patsies when executing a hit?

When has the mob ever set up patsies in advance of a murder?

There are still documents relating to the JFK assassination that are kept secret today. The stated reasoning is that they pose a threat to national security. How could revealing Carlos Marcello had JFK murdered in 1963 jeopardize national security in 2022?

The outfit did use a patsy for the assassination of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. 

[Joe Bauer]

23 minutes ago, Norman T. Field said:

The outfit did use a patsy for the assassination of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. 

They also used a patsy in the shooting of Joseph A. Colombo in front of tens of thousands in New York City during Columbo's broad daylight Italian League civil rights rally.

His shooter was a wayward and uneducated black man who was then blown to pieces himself by armed Columbo bodyguards.

[Michael Crane]

I personally think that Marcello,Trafficante & Giancana helped finance the operation.

[Denny Zartman]

2 hours ago, Norman T. Field said:

The outfit did use a patsy for the assassination of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. 

 

2 hours ago, Joe Bauer said:

They also used a patsy in the shooting of Joseph A. Colombo in front of tens of thousands in New York City during Columbo's broad daylight Italian League civil rights rally.

His shooter was a wayward and uneducated black man who was then blown to pieces himself by armed Columbo bodyguards.

I am confused about what definition of "patsy" both of you are using. Could you clarify? I'm talking about someone who didn't do it being set up intentionally to take the blame in order for the real perpetrator to get away with it. Oswald wasn't confessing to the crime when he said "I'm a patsy", was he? He had already denied shooting anyone that day.

[Jamey Flanagan]

@Michael Crane I don't have any kind of proof or anything in my pocket but if I had to guess I would assume that the oil men probably funded the operation. And just wrote it off as they'd gain quite a bit of it back once JFK is gone and that oil depletion allowance thing is gone with him.

[Michael Crane]

1 hour ago, Jamey Flanagan said:

@Michael Crane I don't have any kind of proof or anything in my pocket but if I had to guess I would assume that the oil men probably funded the operation. And just wrote it off as they'd gain quite a bit of it back once JFK is gone and that oil depletion allowance thing is gone with him.

You see,that's what I like.A persons opinion.I've seen this place ask members for proof about their statements.JFK had plenty of enemies.