When and Where Did the Training Take Place?

[Tony Krome]

I'm thinking with any possible shots from the TSBD, the aiming wasn't that flash, and required little training;

[David Boylan]

On 9/7/2023 at 1:03 PM, Larry Hancock said:

This would not be a deniable operation so tracing would not be an issue,  weapons going back to the general commercial market would be just fine since Castro associated actors could easily pick them up in the US.   As to rifles in Texas or the south in general, you put them in the trunk of the car or the bed of the station wagon and go, people carried them openly on the streets. There were gun shops downtown so if you really wanted to be cool put them in a gun case (there were multiple reports of that from Dallas that day)    But more likely just park in the lot behind a building, put the gun inside a raincoat or jacket or have it in a package, take them out of the car, use them, throw them in the back of the vehicle as was described and drive off since nobody opened any trunks of the cars exiting the parking lot.   

A serious shooter is going to use a bolt action or a semi-automatic since they expect to hit where they aim and they will have a clearly defined target in the open, take a couple of shots at the most and be gone.  I recall our arms instructor saying - when we were issued M16s  - look at the full auto switch setting and forget it.  You only use if for fire suppression - to stop people shooting at you, and you better have plenty of clips or they will just come on and kill  you.  If you actually have a target you want to kill  you use single shot in semi-auto mode. 

 

 

As Larry stated above, bolt action rifles were used previously. We know quite a bit more about the training of early recruits for what later became the BOP. The early recruits were called the "cadre". They were to be highly trained in most paramilitary subjects that would enable them in turn, to train others in Cuba. Carl Jenkins was in charge of getting these guys trained. The "down range" (sniper) instructor went by the name of "Larry". His official pseudonym was Alton Pirnack. We don't know his real name at this point. Two of their trainees were Felix Rodriguez and Segundo Borges. They were to assassinate Castro at Varadero Beach with pre-sighted bolt action rifles (Operation Pathfinder). According to Rodriguez, he was sent in a total of three times but failed.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=99953#relPageId=2&tab=page

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by David Boylan

[Steve Thomas]

On 9/19/2023 at 12:28 AM, Ron Bulman said:

I found it in Walt Brown's Treachery in Dallas.  Two officers saw "mock target practice going on at the picket fence atop the knoll."  They arrived in time to see the suspects depart in haste.  Thinking it not important they didn't write it up in a report until after the assassination....  Attributed to H 11, pgs. 417-419?

Ron,

It's a little late, but I'm thinking ow that H-11, pp. 417-419 is Chapter 11 in a book authored by somebody whose name begins with the letter H.  Pages 417-419 would fit with a Chapter number as late as 11.

I don't know who this might be. I think the last book I read on the JFK Assassination was Six Seconds in Dallas back in the 1960's. 😀

Steve Thomas

[Leslie Sharp]

@Steve Thomas I’m curious. Then what book or books or material prompted your interest in Jean Souetre years later?