Lee Oswald - The Cop-Killer

[James DiEugenio]

LOL, nice one Gene.

 

Sums up Bill and the Tippit case.

[James DiEugenio]

LOL, nice one Gene.

 

Sums up Bill and the Tippit case. Now let us get funnier, let us take a look at Croy.

 

That declaration of not knowing who gave an officer an important piece of evidence applies to Croy also. But before getting to that point, we should, as we did with Westbrook, review Croy’s Warren Commission testimony. And we should keep in mind that, as with Westbrook, the Commission never challenged Croy, nor tried to corroborate what he said.

First of all, Croy was not a regular officer. He was a reserve officer. He drove patrol car duty perhaps once a month. (WC 12, p. 195) On the day of the assassination, Croy said he was just off of Main street when he heard President Kennedy was shot.

Croy was just a few blocks from Dealey Plaza at this time. He then said that he drove to the nearby courthouse to see if the police might need some help. (WC 12, p. 200) Considering the circumstances, it is hard to believe that Croy had to ask this question, or that the police would say no if he did. But Croy said he could not recall whom he asked, and Commission counsel Burt Griffin did not probe the answer to Croy’s question on November 22, 1963. Croy added that, amid all the tumult going on a few blocks away, he decided to go home. He then said that he heard a call about an officer being shot.

As the reader can see, there really is no way so far to corroborate Croy’s whereabouts from the time of the assassination to the time of him arriving at the scene of the Tippit shooting. And Croy insisted he was the first policeman there. (WC 12, p. 201) From his description, once he was there, he talked to Helen Markham. But as Griffin questioned him about his discussion with Markham, a surprising admission came into the record. Croy claimed he did not file a report on his activities that day. Once Griffin elicited this piece of information, he just passed it by, making no comment or inquiry about it. Which is remarkable considering Croy’s insistence he was the first officer at the scene.

Edited July 15, 2022 by James DiEugenio

[James DiEugenio]

Can you imagine being the first officer on the scene of a homicide, talking to Markham, and not filing a report?

And Griffin does not bat an eyelash.

Just imagine what someone like Sprague would have done to these two guys.   Someone not wedded to the official story.

Edited July 15, 2022 by James DiEugenio

[James DiEugenio]

Now, let us get to Croy and his piece of evidence that he cannot really pinpoint.

Croy now added something even more puzzling. He said that before going to the diner, he intended to go to his parents’ house to change his clothes. Presumably, this was when he heard about the Tippit shooting. Due to his job duties, he was late for the dinner with his estranged wife. He colorfully adds that she was angry. Apparently sharing a hamburger was more important than the murder of a police officer. (This writer is not aware if Griffin ever called her to confirm this tale.)

Croy is important because when the story about the wallet finally did break, he was the policeman who was credited with first handling it. His story was that he was handed the wallet by a civilian. Of course, Croy never asked the name of this witness. (See again Simpich, “Who Found Oswald’s Wallet”)

Considering his modus operandi that day, it was as if Croy were operating in a fog. To show how thick the fog was, Croy once told one researcher that he did not examine the contents of the wallet. He then told another researcher that there were seven different ID’s in it and none were Oswald’s. (See part 2 of Hasan Gokay Yusuf's review of Myers’ book)

With a hapless performance such as his, whether that fog was designed or accidental is a natural question to pose.

[James DiEugenio]

Now, let us reiterate:

Westbrook does not know where the jacket came from or who gave it to him.

Croy does not know who gave him the wallet.  And, in fact, even though he is the first guy there, talks to Markham, and is allegedly handed the wallet, he does not even file a report.

Bugliosi was so desperate to get rid of this wallet that he said it was Tippit's, even though Tippit's wallet was listed as at the morgue.

[James DiEugenio]

Now, let us return to TIppit.  What did he do after driving off form the Gloco station?

Another piece of the millennium’s new evidence now enters the equation. Just a few moments after this, Tippit pulled over a car driven by insurance agent James Andrews. Andrews told a Dallas researcher that Tippit drove in front of him and cut him off on the 300 block of West Tenth. Tippit jumped out of his car, walked forward and inspected the space between the front and back seat. Perplexed, Andrews looked at the officer’s nameplate. Without saying anything, Tippit got back in his car and drove away. Andrews commented that Tippit “seemed to be very upset and agitated and acted wild” (McBride, p. 448)

Tippit was next reported at the Top Ten Records store at 338 West Jefferson Boulevard. Two witnesses, Dub Stark and Louis Cortinas, saw him there. Cortinas said that Tippit was in a hurry and asked people to move aside. Tippit, whom he knew fairly well, then commandeered the phone, called someone, and apparently did not get an answer. He then hung up and walked off, looking worried or upset about something. (McBride, p. 451) At around this time, 1:00 PM, the dispatcher called Tippit and got no answer.

As McBride comments, it seems logical to assume that—unless this was the first time he ever saw the viaduct—Tippit was waiting for someone to cross over by car or bus. He then actually did stop a car, apparently to look for someone hiding in the back. Frustrated at both places, he then tried to make a phone call in order to get further directions. Finally, he proceeded to his death at 10^th and Patton, driving his car very slowly, as if he were looking for someone. (WC 3, pp. 307, 324) In this new light, it is possible to see his death more fully and accurately than either Henry Hurt or Jim Garrison did.

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[James DiEugenio]

BTW, I asked Bill Simpich about the record store.

I said did that really occur?

He said oh yeah.  John Whitten knew about it and asked about it.

And he sent me a letter that Whitten sent to the Record Store.

With something like that, no wonder Helms took Whitten off the case.

[James DiEugenio]

In the light of all of the above, virtually none of it in the WR, I think its absurd to label a thread like this one is.

And then to rely on wrong way Calloway as your accuser?

As both Joe McBride and Sylvia Meagher have said,  the WC did a horrible job investigating the Tippit case.  And they did another bad job trying to find out about Tippit the man, and what he was doing that day. As far as I am concerned, their inquiry into the Tippit case was pretty much non existent.  They simply accepted everything the DPD gave them.

Considering what we know about the DPD today, that was not a wise choice, to say the least.

PS: I guess this posting series helped.  My essay "The Tippit Case in the New Millenium" is now number 2 at Kennedys and King.

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by James DiEugenio

[Ron Bulman]

Lee Harvey, "didn't shoot anybody".  He was framed.

 

[David Von Pein]

11 hours ago, Sandy Larsen said:

Tippit's ambulance arrived at the hospital at 1:15,

That's highly doubtful, since the same ambulance didn't even arrive at the Tippit murder scene until 1:18:59 PM [per Dale Myers' "With Malice", page 104].

Of course, the "in" thing to do now amongst CTers seems to be to pretend that all of the times that appear on the DPD radio transmissions are way way off, which is ridiculous. If the DPD tapes are "off" at all, they are not likely to be off by more than a few seconds. So there's no way (realistically) that the ambulance with Tippit's body in it arrived at the hospital by (or at) 1:15.

Edited July 16, 2022 by David Von Pein

[David Von Pein]

12 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

I don't read DVP any more especially since that ridiculous post on my videos, as if the numeral 12 on the envelope being a machine stamp was a fact.  I mean please. Armstrong showed the envelope to a retired letter carrier who worked for 35 years in the post office.  The guy said that is a zone number.  So what DVP presents as fact is not. 

It would be nice if James DiEugenio wouldn't misrepresent what I said. Contrary to what DiEugenio just said above, I never said my theory regarding the "12" on the postmark was a "fact". I used the word "likely" in this post in question.

Edited July 16, 2022 by David Von Pein

[James DiEugenio]

It sure looks that way Ron.

BTW, Tom Gram did a nice job showing the lack of chain of custody on the alleged handgun after the fact.

Well, there is not proof that Oswald ever picked up that handgun at REA. I  went after Bugliosi on this one in my book about him.

I pointed out several problems with this issue.  Virtually all of the paper work that should be there is not.  There was no proof that the transaction was ever completed and payment forwarded to the originating company Seaport Traders. I could find no proof that REA remitted payment to Seaport for the handgun.  The WR shows no bank transactions to certify this exchange.  And again, I can find no proof the FBI visited that particular REA to interview any of the employees as to the transaction with Oswald. If such interviews existed, where are they? And, of course, the 302 would be there. (James DiEugenio, The JFK Assassination: The Evidence Today, p. 128)

I will be glad to look at one, where is it? 

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by James DiEugenio

[James DiEugenio]

Here is a good article on the last culprit from the DPD on the TIppit case, Jerry Hill. And to think, CBS hired this guy to work on their 1967 special.

 

http://jfkfacts.org/jerry-hills-lies-heart-tippit-shooting/#more-21481

Edited July 16, 2022 by James DiEugenio

[Gene Kelly]

Jim

Oswald as a cop killer - the misleading title of this thread (which employs the Illusory Truth Effect) - is absurd on its face.  But the idea of constructing a police officer’s murder - as a diversionary tactic and emotional event - is a masterful addition to a plot. And then having it point to the patsy is almost too good to be true.  Couple that with the use of police officers as evidence planters, witness intimidators and crime scene cleaners (e.g., Croy, Hill and Westbrook) who have almost total control of the crime scene, with perfect cover and plausible deniability.  

Oswald allegedly showed an interest in the Smith and Wesson .38 revolver from Seaport Traders of Los Angeles just two days before Thomas Dodd's Juvenile Delinquency Subcommittee began hearings on the interstate shipment of firearms. Jeff Morley points out that when the mail order coupon (CE 135) is filled out on January 27, 1963, this is the first time we see evidence of the Hidell alias being used.  Coincidentally, a corresponding purchase in Texas from Seaport Traders was duly noted in the Dodd Subcommittee's sample statistics (see P.D. Scott). 

An 'investigator' looking into interstate firearms sales at this time was Manuel Pena, the LAPD lieutenant who was later instrumental in Robert Kennedy's post-assassination coverup. I find it more than coincidental that it was Pena who traced Oswald's telescopic sight to a California gun shop. William Turner's research confirmed that Pena performed special assignments for the CIA, where he was affiliated with the mercenaries and cut-outs used by JMWave operatives in various operations (Saigon, El Salvador, Uruguay, Phoenix) employed by cover with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

George Rose & Company was the parent company of the mail-order business “Seaport Trading” overseen by a mail-order management company, Merchanteers, Inc. Seaport was one of the weapons houses which the Dodd subcommittee was investigating at the time, and also traded in Mannlicher-Carcano rifles. Prior to making the weapons available to the public from Seaport as inventory, some of the pistols were converted by a gunsmith in California to make the barrels shorter than the standard 5 inches ... the S&W .38 Special with 2¼” barrel was the preferred weapon of police departments across the country in the early 60’s

The only documentary evidence that Oswald received the pistol is one invoice (#70638) saying the gun was shipped COD via REA to A. J. Hidell ... a copy (not the original) signed by an unknown/unidentified individual named "Paxton" with a witness signature signed 'D.F. Drittal'. Greg Parker has pointed out that, whoever did order this revolver from Seaport was playing an inside joke by claiming the name of the person who could vouch for the buyer was Drittal ... similar to the German phrase Dienst Fur Drittel - "on behalf of a third party."  Coincidentally, the NSA linguist John Hurt - possibly the person Oswald tried to call while in custody - married a Russian immigrant named Ana Drittel (a performing NY cellist).

David Josephs is right when he asserts that the evidence is the conspiracy. If one connects all of these dots, it tells us where that revolver came from ...

Gene  

[Steve Thomas]

The one thing I have never understood is why the empty shells were not dusted for fingerprints. Domingo Benevides said that he saw the killer put these shells in his hands and throw them away. These were turned over to Sgt. Pete Barnes of the Crime and Search Section of the DPD, who was at the scene and dusting the car for fingerprints. He had the dusting kit in his hands and was using it; yet did not use this kit to dust the empty shells.

https://www.jfk-assassination.net/russ/testimony/benavide.htm

Mr. BENAVIDES - Then I seen the man turn and walk back to the sidewalk and go on the sidewalk and he walked maybe 5 foot and then kind of stalled. He didn't exactly stop. And he threw one shell and must have took five or six more steps and threw the other shell up, and then he kind of stepped up to a pretty good trot going around the corner.

 

Mr. BELIN - All right. Now, you said you saw the man with the gun throw the shells?
Mr. BENAVIDES - Yes, sir.

 

Mr. BELIN - Now you saw him throw two shells?
Mr. BENAVIDES - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - You saw where he threw the shells?
Mr. BENAVIDES - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - Did you later go back in that area and try and find the shells?
Mr. BENAVIDES - Yes. Well, right after that I went back and I knew exactly where they was at, and I went over and picked up one in my hand, not thinking and I dropped it, that maybe they want fingerprints off it, so I took out an empty pack of cigarettes I had and picked them up with a little stick and put them in this cigarette package; a chrome looking shell.
Mr. BELIN - A chrome looking shell?
Mr. BENAVIDES - Yes, sir.

 

WC testimony of Gerald Hill:

https://www.jfk-assassination.net/russ/testimony/hill_gl.htm

 

The first man that came up to me, he said, "The man that shot him was a white male about 5'10", weighing 160 to 170 pounds, and brown bushy hair."

Mr. BELIN. Now, let me interrupt you here, sergeant. Do you remember the name of the person that gave you the description?
Mr. HILL. No. I turned him over to Poe, and I didn't even get his name.

 

Poe's after-action report dated 11/22/63
Supplementary Offense Report
Portal to Texas History

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth338726/m1/1/?q=J.M.%20Poe

Poe wrote, "Unidentified witness handed Officer Poe two empty hulls in an empty cigarette package and stated, "These were the bullets that killed the officer.". These shells were released to Sgt. Pete Barnes of the Crime and Search Section.”

The bottom of the Report os marked, “Pending”.

 

WC testimony of W.E. “Pete” Barnes

https://www.jfk-assassination.net/russ/testimony/barnes.htm

 

Mr. BELIN. Anything else that you did out at the crime scene?
Mr. BARNES. I photographed the scene; yes. There was a couple of hulls that was turned over to me.
Mr. BELIN. Do you mean empty shell casings?
Mr. BARNES. Empty .38 caliber hulls was turned over to me at the scene by patrolman--I believe I would be safe in saying Poe, but I am not sure about that.
Mr. BELIN. How do you spell that?
Mr. BARNES. P-o-e, I believe is the way he spells it.
Mr. BELIN. You think he was the one that turned over some shells?
Mr. BARNES. I believe it is. I am not too sure right now, but I believe that is what is on the report. I would have to check it to be sure.
Mr. BELIN. Would these be on your report?
Mr. BARNES. It would be on our report, at the crime scene search section.
Mr. BELIN. Is there anything else that was turned over to you at the scene besides these hulls that you think Patrolman Poe turned over?

Mr. BARNES. Not that I can remember at this time.

There is no mention of dusting the shells for prints.

 

Forget the car. Any number of people could have touched the car before the Crime and Search Section arrived on the scene. Only the killer and Benevides touched the shells.

 

Steve Thomas