Meet Carlos Marcello who claimed to have masterminded JFK's assassination

[Douglas Caddy]

 

 

Carlos Marcello, The 'Godfather' Of The New Orleans Mafia (allthatsinteresting.com)

Edited September 17, 2022 by Douglas Caddy

[Douglas Caddy]

One reader of the article said, "False headline at worst. Misleading at best. Nowhere in the article is Marcello quoted as saying anything about the JFK case. The scant allusions are attributed to innuendo and informants. These blogs are like Xerox copies. The more they're copied off each other the weaker the copy."

Another reader said, "He was a man of respect."

[Lawrence Schnapf]

He allegedly confessed in jail to his cellmate, FBI informant  Jack Van Laningham while they were imprisoned in the mid-1980s in Texas. This was an FBI sting operation and the conversations were taped using a recording device in a radio. The tapes have been sealed. we are trying to get them unsealed to evaluate the veracity of these statements.  

[Greg Doudna]

I was surprised to learn that the FBI closed its investigation on the Kennedy assassination in February 1990 in response to information that a leading suspect in the case, Marcello, had confessed. When the FBI received a credible report that Marcello had confessed, the FBI responded by sending agents to ask Marcello whether he had confessed and whether he killed Kennedy. Marcello said no and no. The FBI accepted that and decided that was cause to permanently close down all further investigation into the JFK assassination. From a document under FBI, Dallas, letterhead of Feb 6, 1990:

"Nothing in any Bureau report [prior to 9/6/89] has provided any reasonable indication of Marcello's involvement in the captioned assassination, or that he assisted Oswald in the assassination. There have been numerous outside publications theorizing a connection between Marcello and the assassination, but none of these theories has been able to provide substantive proof of Marcello's involvement. Marcello was interviewed by Buagents on 9/6/89 at the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Rochester, Minnesota, regarding his statements on 2/27/89 that he was "going to get Kennedy when he came to Dallas". As expected, Marcello denied making these statements, as well as denying any involvement in the assassination of President Kennedy. Marcello denied knowing Oswald or Oswald's uncle, Dutch Murret. Marcello also denied knowing Edward Becker, or making any statement to Becker in 1962 about having President Kennedy killed.

"It was the opinion of the agents conducting the interview of Marcello that he was clear and lucid at the time of the interview, although he would, at times, ramble in a disoriented manner, apparently attempting to get the interview off track. Employees at the FMC confirmed Marcello would at times feign being disoriented for his own personal convenience, but that at other times, he would legitimately be disoriented. Based on this information, it would appear that Marcello was legitimately disoriented on 2/27/89, thus making the veracity of his statements suspect.

(. . .)

"It should be noted that the above allegations by Millington [concerning a previously undisclosed allegation of money sent from a New Orleans attorney to Marguerite Oswald following the assassination] again place the Bureau in the dilemma of being presented facts 25 years after the event that can neither be confirmed nor discounted. Dallas is of the opinion that no additional investigation in this matter is warranted, in view of the fact that this subsequent investigation was initiated based on statements made by Marcello while in a semi-coherent state and that these statements were subsequently denied by Marcello when interviewed.

"In addition, volume upon volume of investigation has previously been conducted by the Bureau, as well as various Congressional sub-committees, and none of these investigations has ever established a positive connection between Marcello and the assassination. Any further pursuit of this investigation will merely give appearance of self-doubt regarding the original and subsequent investigations. Accordingly, UACB, Dallas is closing DL 89-43 (the original Kennedy assassination), as well as the current investigation (DL 175A-109) relating to captioned matter." (https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=167683#relPageId=4)

The FBI's position in this document seems to be that investigation of the JFK assassination was kept open as long as no interesting evidence came to light. When something interesting did emerge it was considered cause to close down the investigation altogether on the grounds that to investigate would give an appearance of self-doubt regarding original FBI and Warren Commission conclusions.

Marcello's confession of 2/27/89 was denied by Marcello on the grounds that he never said it. The FBI does not appear to doubt that he said it but the FBI rejected it on the grounds that he was not in his right mind when he said it. The evidence that he was not in his right mind when he said it was that when the FBI went and asked him about it, Marcello in his right mind denied he killed JFK. The denial of the suspect that he killed Kennedy when the FBI asked him was regarded as evidence that the earlier confession therefore was not from his right mind. Case closed.  

[Benjamin Cole]

22 hours ago, Lawrence Schnapf said:

He allegedly confessed in jail to his cellmate, FBI informant  Jack Van Laningham while they were imprisoned in the mid-1980s in Texas. This was an FBI sting operation and the conversations were taped using a recording device in a radio. The tapes have been sealed. we are trying to get them unsealed to evaluate the veracity of these statements.  

Lawrence S.

While I suspect the Marcello angle is perhaps a false lead, I certainly salute your efforts and obviously, the tapes should be unsealed. 

What possible reason is there for not unsealing the tapes (which may be decomposing as we speak, unless transferred into a digital home)?

Where is Biden on this? AG Merrick Garland? 

Even if Marcello was the immediate impetus for the JFKA, certain jigsaw puzzles do not fit.

Really, Marcello could organize the JFK sloppy autopsy? The "World War 3" virus of LHO meeting with Valery Kostikov in Mexico City? LHO's trip to Russia? The Walker shooting?  Marcello could compromise many aspects of the FBI investigation? The magic bullet? 

If Marcello was involved, would it be more likely as eager instrument of the intel state, and not a standalone operation? Marcello was spending a lot of time with David Ferrie in the weeks leading up to the JFKA, who had been a CIA asset. The word is Ferrie was helping Marcello in his (successful) defense against an unrelated federal case. 

Blakey was a mob-hunter, but never seemed to come up with much on Marcello. Later in life Blakey seemed more suspicious of the CIA, and Eladio del Valle and Hermininio Diaz.