2 Corrections on the FBIs Cover-Up of JFK Assassination

[Gerry Down]

There are two commonly repeated accusations made towards the FBI in relation to the JFK assassination, which i now have reason to believe may be false:

• Accusation #1 - The FBI Leaked The Backyard Photo to LIFE Magazine: The allegation is that the FBI did this in order to paint Oswald as a gun maniac in the publics mind and by doing this it would help steer the WC into confirming in its final report what the public now already thought - that Oswald was a gun maniac. In fact, Lumpkin made two dozen copies of the backyard photo on the weekend of the assassination and placed them on a table for any law enforcement officer to take. Could one of these DPD officers have leaked the photo to LIFE magazine for financial gain? And therefore the FBI were completely innocent of this leak?
• Accusation #2 - The FBI Leaked Oswalds Diary To The Press: This allegation is that the FBI did this in order to further Oswalds image in the publics mind as a communist lunatic. And by doing so, it would help steer the WC into confirming in its final report what the public now already thought - that Oswald was a communist lunatic. However, according to the below 1966 memo from FBI chief Gordan Shanklin to Hoover, it was in fact Bill Alexander who leaked the Oswald diary to the press. And Bill Alexander at the time was not on good terms with the FBI.

While I believe there was some type of cover-up by the FBI, the above two common accusations against the FBI appear to be unfounded. 

What do you think?

[Pat Speer]

5 hours ago, Gerry Down said:

There are two commonly repeated accusations made towards the FBI in relation to the JFK assassination, which i now have reason to believe may be false:

• Accusation #1 - The FBI Leaked The Backyard Photo to LIFE Magazine: The allegation is that the FBI did this in order to paint Oswald as a gun maniac in the publics mind and by doing this it would help steer the WC into confirming in its final report what the public now already thought - that Oswald was a gun maniac. In fact, Lumpkin made two dozen copies of the backyard photo on the weekend of the assassination and placed them on a table for any law enforcement officer to take. Could one of these DPD officers have leaked the photo to LIFE magazine for financial gain? And therefore the FBI were completely innocent of this leak?
• Accusation #2 - The FBI Leaked Oswalds Diary To The Press: This allegation is that the FBI did this in order to further Oswalds image in the publics mind as a communist lunatic. And by doing so, it would help steer the WC into confirming in its final report what the public now already thought - that Oswald was a communist lunatic. However, according to the below 1966 memo from FBI chief Gordan Shanklin to Hoover, it was in fact Bill Alexander who leaked the Oswald diary to the press. And Bill Alexander at the time was not on good terms with the FBI.

While I believe there was some type of cover-up by the FBI, the above two common accusations against the FBI appear to be unfounded. 

What do you think?

You are absolutely correct. The DPD and DA's office were leaking all sorts of stuff. If I recall someone fed the Diary to Hugh Aynsworth, but Aynsworth wouldn't give up his source. The FBI thought it was Bill Alexander and tried to get Alexander to confess,  but he told them to kiss his patootie. After which it got dropped. 

The details are bit foggy now but we actually aded a piece to the puzzle right here on this forum. A young man had joined the forum and had asked if there was anything he could do to help. I mentioned that I'd come to realize that even before Marina had sold the backyard photos to Life magazine, that a Detroit newspaper had published one in an article by a legendary journalist, who was still alive. My bad--I can't think of his name at this moment. In any event, I told the eager beaver that if he could reach out to this legend, and maybe juice it up a bit by saying he was interested in history and journalism, he might get this man to say how he got the photo. Well, heck, the kid was a natural. The journalist admitted to him that for a fee you could get someone on the night shift at the DA's office to give you access to just about anything, and that that is how he got his copy of a backyard photo. 

 

From Chapter 3b:

 

In its 7-10-64 issue, Life Magazine resumes its campaign to convict Oswald in the public eye and bolster the by-now certain conclusions of the Commission. Its introduction to Oswald's diary from his time in Russia claims that the diary "is one of the most important pieces of evidence studied by the Warren Commission in its effort to unravel the character and motives of President Kennedy's assassin." No "accused" No "presumed." Assassin. Singular. Period.

Now, the commission had been leaking for months. But there is a problem with this leak. The Commission did not want Oswald's diary leaked to the press. This led the commission, then, to ask the FBI to find out who was behind this leak, and this, in turn, led the FBI to contact the Dallas District Attorney's office, and to focus in on one suspect in particular--Assistant District Attorney Bill Alexander. Alexander, we should recall, had discussed charging Oswald as part of a communist conspiracy, but had been shot down. Apparently, this had annoyed him a bit, and had led him to leak info to the press suggesting Oswald was the shooter, and was under the influence of Russia.

Well, this led the FBI to question Alexander on 7-10, and write up a report on 7-11. This report was written as a response to the specific claim Alexander had released evidence to the Dallas Morning News. According to the report, Alexander denied releasing this information, and claimed further that the Dallas Times-Herald had contacted him and told him they'd reveal him as the source if he wouldn't provide them with similar information, and that he told their messenger 'kiss my a--, tell your bosses that." The FBI report continues: "Alexander also advised he made a statement that Lyndon B. Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, and the 'Warren Commission could kiss my a--." Knowing full well this would get back to Hoover, the writers of the report, agents Barrett and Lee, then added "Alexander was strongly admonished by interviewing agents concerning his making such remarks about Director J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, and President Johnson."

But, apparently, this had no effect on Alexander other than to further ruffle his feathers. Alexander proceed to blame the leak on others, and claim "that if 'someone puts a blowtorch to my a--, we'll go on from here." The report concludes: "Alexander then made a statement that he conducts his affairs very similarly to the way that the FBI 'works,' and that he, too, keeps a 'little black book.' Alexander stated that if any pressure were ever put on him in any investigation by anyone, he would 'break an egg off in someone.' Alexander was advised that the agents were conducting an objective investigation in the matter and that there were no personal grievances involved. The interview was terminated at 11:32."

So, yikes, the Assistant DA of Dallas threatened the FBI, Hoover, and President Johnson that they would regret it if they pressured him, and the FBI backed down.

One can only wonder, then, what would have come out if they had not backed down.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Pat Speer

[Larry Hancock]

Well its wild speculation but we know that Jack Ruby was in Alexander's office days before the assassination, we also know that Alexander prepared charges involving Oswald in a conspiracy, that he was extremely upset which those charges did not get actually filed and conspiracy made a thing. 

He appears to have thought he had some supreme type of leverage which could have opened up the conspiracy thing again, possibly something Ruby had "primed" him with?

[Gerry Down]

On 12/18/2023 at 11:17 PM, Pat Speer said:

You are absolutely correct. The DPD and DA's office were leaking all sorts of stuff. If I recall someone fed the Diary to Hugh Aynsworth, but Aynsworth wouldn't give up his source. The FBI thought it was Bill Alexander and tried to get Alexander to confess,  but he told them to kiss his patootie. After which it got dropped. 

The details are bit foggy now but we actually aded a piece to the puzzle right here on this forum. A young man had joined the forum and had asked if there was anything he could do to help. I mentioned that I'd come to realize that even before Marina had sold the backyard photos to Life magazine, that a Detroit newspaper had published one in an article by a legendary journalist, who was still alive. My bad--I can't think of his name at this moment. In any event, I told the eager beaver that if he could reach out to this legend, and maybe juice it up a bit by saying he was interested in history and journalism, he might get this man to say how he got the photo. Well, heck, the kid was a natural. The journalist admitted to him that for a fee you could get someone on the night shift at the DA's office to give you access to just about anything, and that that is how he got his copy of a backyard photo. 

 

From Chapter 3b:

 

In its 7-10-64 issue, Life Magazine resumes its campaign to convict Oswald in the public eye and bolster the by-now certain conclusions of the Commission. Its introduction to Oswald's diary from his time in Russia claims that the diary "is one of the most important pieces of evidence studied by the Warren Commission in its effort to unravel the character and motives of President Kennedy's assassin." No "accused" No "presumed." Assassin. Singular. Period.

Now, the commission had been leaking for months. But there is a problem with this leak. The Commission did not want Oswald's diary leaked to the press. This led the commission, then, to ask the FBI to find out who was behind this leak, and this, in turn, led the FBI to contact the Dallas District Attorney's office, and to focus in on one suspect in particular--Assistant District Attorney Bill Alexander. Alexander, we should recall, had discussed charging Oswald as part of a communist conspiracy, but had been shot down. Apparently, this had annoyed him a bit, and had led him to leak info to the press suggesting Oswald was the shooter, and was under the influence of Russia.

Well, this led the FBI to question Alexander on 7-10, and write up a report on 7-11. This report was written as a response to the specific claim Alexander had released evidence to the Dallas Morning News. According to the report, Alexander denied releasing this information, and claimed further that the Dallas Times-Herald had contacted him and told him they'd reveal him as the source if he wouldn't provide them with similar information, and that he told their messenger 'kiss my a--, tell your bosses that." The FBI report continues: "Alexander also advised he made a statement that Lyndon B. Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, and the 'Warren Commission could kiss my a--." Knowing full well this would get back to Hoover, the writers of the report, agents Barrett and Lee, then added "Alexander was strongly admonished by interviewing agents concerning his making such remarks about Director J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, and President Johnson."

But, apparently, this had no effect on Alexander other than to further ruffle his feathers. Alexander proceed to blame the leak on others, and claim "that if 'someone puts a blowtorch to my a--, we'll go on from here." The report concludes: "Alexander then made a statement that he conducts his affairs very similarly to the way that the FBI 'works,' and that he, too, keeps a 'little black book.' Alexander stated that if any pressure were ever put on him in any investigation by anyone, he would 'break an egg off in someone.' Alexander was advised that the agents were conducting an objective investigation in the matter and that there were no personal grievances involved. The interview was terminated at 11:32."

So, yikes, the Assistant DA of Dallas threatened the FBI, Hoover, and President Johnson that they would regret it if they pressured him, and the FBI backed down.

One can only wonder, then, what would have come out if they had not backed down.

 

 

Great info, thanks!

So it looks like i'm wrong about the allegation that it was the FBI who leaked the backyard photos to LIFE magazine. Instead it was simply Marina who sold LIFE the rights to print it. 

[Pat Speer]

6 hours ago, Gerry Down said:

Great info, thanks!

So it looks like i'm wrong about the allegation that it was the FBI who leaked the backyard photos to LIFE magazine. Instead it was simply Marina who sold LIFE the rights to print it. 

If I recall it was more complicated than that. Much as the Detroit paper, Life had acquired a bootleg copy of the photo from ??? They wanted to publish to cut others off from publishing, and avoid a lawsuit should it be determined Marina had the rights. So they bought the rights to the photos, as I recall. Which effectively prohibited others from publishing them. Oh, that Life. Always trying to get a leg up on their competitors. 

This is all a bit fuzzy, so I apologize in advance should I be confusing the rights to the photos with the rights to Oswald's diary, or some such thing.