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Did 11 members of the White House detail opt out before the assassination?


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47 minutes ago, Vince Palamara said:

Yes- he is correct. This is based off of Gerald Blaine (and, later, Clint Hill's) statement in THE KENNEDY DETAIL. See my third book- I list all the names.

Vince: Could you please provide a concise summary of what these two sources said? Thanks.  DSL

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On 10/12/2022 at 8:56 PM, David Lifton said:

Vince: Could you please provide a concise summary of what these two sources said? Thanks.  DSL

[From my third book THE NOT-SO-SECRET SERVICE, pages 153-155] At the time of the assassination, the White House Detail was in a weakened condition due to recent resignations and transfers. Nearly one-third of the 34 agents on the White House Detail assigned to protect JFK, including a number of experienced agents, had recently resigned or been transferred. [quoting THE KENNEDY DETAIL, page 19“In the past two months alone, eleven of the most experienced agents on the Kennedy Detail had been replaced. It had been a purely personal choice by the agents–they’d requested, and had been granted, transfers to field offices… [N]early a third of the agents had decided they just couldn’t do it anymore. Too many missed birthdays and anniversaries, too many holidays away from home.” (This means that despite several known plots to assassinate the president, the Secret Service nonetheless was permitting numbers of its experienced agents to leave the Detail. Shouldn’t it have been obvious under the circumstances that allowing so many experienced agents to depart was unwise?). Based on years of intensive research, here are the experienced veteran agents who left in 1963: Tom Fridley, Bill Skiles, Scott Trundle, Milt Wilhite, Tom Behl, Charlie Kunkel (Summer 1963), Jimmy Johnson (Aug 1963), Ed Z. Tucker (Summer 1963), Jerry Dolan (Fall 1963), Bob Lilley (Fall 1963), Larry Newman (Oct 1963), Anthony Sherman, Jr. (Oct 1963), Thomas B. Shipman (DIED 10/14/63), and Ken Wiesman (10/23/63).

The new agents were Robert L. Kollar, Robert R. Burke (Summer 1963), Radford Jones (Summer 1963), George W. Hickey (July 1963), Robert R. Faison (Sept 1963), William T. McIntyre (Fall 1963), Chuck Zboril (Fall 1963), Henry J. Rybka (Fall 1963), William Straughn (10/17/63), Bill Bacherman (11/10/63), Dick Metzinger (11/10/63), John J. McCarthy (11/10/63), Roy “Gene” Nunn (11/11/63), Gerald W. O’Rourke (11/11/63), Kent D. Jordan (11/15/63), Andrew M. Hutch (11/18/63), Ed Morey (11/20/63), Dale Keaner (11/23/63), Ken Thompson (11/23/63), Glenn Weaver (11/23/63) and Bill Livingood (11/23/63). Regarding Metzinger: His daughter Julie wrote to me on 6/19/16 and said: “My dad got sent home unexpectedly from the detail the day before Kennedy was shot” Also, PRS agent Glen Bennett was made a temporary agent of the WHD on 11/10/63.

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This is really interesting.  1/3 of his security team was new including Rybka and Hickey on the trip.  Why did so many retire, resign or were replaced at a ultimately crucial time?

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On 10/13/2022 at 6:43 PM, Vince Palamara said:

[From my third book THE NOT-SO-SECRET SERVICE, pages 153-155] At the time of the assassination, the White House Detail was in a weakened condition due to recent resignations and transfers. Nearly one-third of the 34 agents on the White House Detail assigned to protect JFK, including a number of experienced agents, had recently resigned or been transferred. [quoting THE KENNEDY DETAIL, page 19“In the past two months alone, eleven of the most experienced agents on the Kennedy Detail had been replaced. It had been a purely personal choice by the agents–they’d requested, and had been granted, transfers to field offices… [N]early a third of the agents had decided they just couldn’t do it anymore. Too many missed birthdays and anniversaries, too many holidays away from home.” (This means that despite several known plots to assassinate the president, the Secret Service nonetheless was permitting numbers of its experienced agents to leave the Detail. Shouldn’t it have been obvious under the circumstances that allowing so many experienced agents to depart was unwise?). Based on years of intensive research, here are the experienced veteran agents who left in 1963: Tom Fridley, Bill Skiles, Scott Trundle, Milt Wilhite, Tom Behl, Charlie Kunkel (Summer 1963), Jimmy Johnson (Aug 1963), Ed Z. Tucker (Summer 1963), Jerry Dolan (Fall 1963), Bob Lilley (Fall 1963), Larry Newman (Oct 1963), Anthony Sherman, Jr. (Oct 1963), Thomas B. Shipman (DIED 10/14/63), and Ken Wiesman (10/23/63).

The new agents were Robert L. Kollar, Robert R. Burke (Summer 1963), Radford Jones (Summer 1963), George W. Hickey (July 1963), Robert R. Faison (Sept 1963), William T. McIntyre (Fall 1963), Chuck Zboril (Fall 1963), Henry J. Rybka (Fall 1963), William Straughn (10/17/63), Bill Bacherman (11/10/63), Dick Metzinger (11/10/63), John J. McCarthy (11/10/63), Roy “Gene” Nunn (11/11/63), Gerald W. O’Rourke (11/11/63), Kent D. Jordan (11/15/63), Andrew M. Hutch (11/18/63), Ed Morey (11/20/63), Dale Keaner (11/23/63), Ken Thompson (11/23/63), Glenn Weaver (11/23/63) and Bill Livingood (11/23/63). Regarding Metzinger: His daughter Julie wrote to me on 6/19/16 and said: “My dad got sent home unexpectedly from the detail the day before Kennedy was shot” Also, PRS agent Glen Bennett was made a temporary agent of the WHD on 11/10/63.

Hi Vince:

Thanks very much. I appreciate the time and effort you took to answer  my question, and assemble the detailed info that you did.

I have some other thoughts, but would prefer to communicate in private. 

If that's OK with you, please send your email address to me at: dlifton@gmail.com

Repeating (and spacing out the letters for easier reading): d l i f t o n @ gmail.com

Thanks.  DSL 

DSL (10/17/22; 7 AM PDT)

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Just now, David Lifton said:

Hi Vince:

Thanks very much. I appreciate the time and effort you took to answer  my question, and assemble the detailed info that you did.

I have some other thoughts, but would prefer to communicate in private. 

If that's OK with you, please send your email address to me at: dlifton@gmail.com

Repeating (and spacing out the letters for easier reading): d l i f t o n @ gmail.com

Thanks.  DSL 

DSL (10/17/22; 7 AM PDT)

P.S.: I looked for your third book ("The Not So Secret Service") on Amazon.  Its not there --or at least, I could not find it.

Please send me the relevant Internet link so I might obtain a copy,  Thanks.  DSL 

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It's there, but depends on what Amazon website you're logged in.

I have the same problem, some books are available on Amazon.nl  others on Amazon.de, etc

I think it has to do with the "free shipping" they offer within certain area's

The Not So Secret Service is available to me

https://www.amazon.nl/dp/1634241207/?coliid=I3JFG1FVLCFL7M&colid=1MELW289ME0JL&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

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10 hours ago, David Lifton said:

P.S.: I looked for your third book ("The Not So Secret Service") on Amazon.  Its not there --or at least, I could not find it.

Please send me the relevant Internet link so I might obtain a copy,  Thanks.  DSL 

Here is the link to all 5:

Amazon.com: Vincent Michael Palamara: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

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