Who Killed JFK?: Texas Oil Industry

[Tim Gratz]

Interesting post, Mark.

[Tim Gratz]

Jim wrote:

I tend to believe that McCloy was a major player in the assassination conspriacy.

Sorry, Jim, no evidence for that at all . Might as well nominate Howdy Doody. ("Doody did it" at least has alliteration going for it; try even "Doody dood it!

Edited January 10, 2006 by Tim Gratz

[Jim Root]

Mark

On the Amherst College website is an outline of public service for John J. McCloy. Many things overlap the 1961 period.

1947 - 1989 Trustee of Amherst College

1956 - 1969 Chairman of the Corporation (Amherst)

1952 - 1965 Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ford Foundation

1953 - 1971 Chairman of the Council on foreign Relations

1961 - 1989 Milbank, Tweed, Hope, Hadley & McCloy

1961 Jan-Oct Advisor to President Kennedy

1961 - 1974 Chairman of General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament

McCloy had a falling out with Kennedy on the subject of a Comprehensive vs Limited Test Ban Treaty. By the June dates that you suggest Kennedy had taken a giant step back in the US push for a comprehensive test ban that would push all countries toward curbing the spread of nuclear weapons. Kennedy believed that we could not guarentee the French would approve of such a plan and that the Soviets could not guarentee China's approval so why bother. After the assassination of Kennedy, McCloy was back in Geneva working toward the treaty that was signed by some 70 nations in, I believe, 1968.

My research seems to suggest that it is Kennedy that did not have a solid position on the spread of nuclear technology and that it was McCloy who was pushing the tough stance. It was October of 1961 that McCloy was removed from negotiations with the Soviets after they complained to Kennedy about his tough positions.

June 10 was the date of Kennedy's major speech spelling out a new negotiating position with the Soviets on testing. The Soviets had always opposed inspections and it is not surprising that their ally, Egypt would take the same position. It would not be a stretch to believe that McCloy would be put in a very delicate position to push for inspections in the Middle East, where the oil companies he represented had special interests, while having been taken off the negotiating team with the Soviets for pushing to hard for inspections.

"This attempt by JFK to correct McCloy's failure to accurately spell out to Nasser what his position on the arms race was is the most likely point where JFK and McCloy fell out, IMO."

IMO it was JFK's inconsistancy in this arena over several years that I am begining to believe may have played into not only the "falling out" between McCloy and Kennedy but may have led to actions on the part of McCloy that only ended when the Warren Report was completed.

Remember that it was during this same period (June 12, 1963) that McCloy wrote his "interesting" letter to Edwin Anderson Walker.

Jim Root

[Jim Root]

Howdy Tim

"Sorry, Jim, no evidence for that at all . Might as well nominate Howdy Doody."

I will agree that my "evidence" is circumstantial but I will suggest that you reread my mitriculating posts over the last year and a half and you will at least find some consistancy in the story that I have discovered.

Some of the major points:

Belief that McCloy had been and was a major player in the intelligence community since 1940

McCloy's association with Edwin Walker during WWII (two particular assignments)

Walker's role in intelligence and counter intelligence throughout his career.

Walker's role in the development of Special Forces.

McCloy's association with Maxwell Taylor (1943 - 1963 +)

The Taylor - McCloy disagreement with Kennedy over nuclear arms talks (motive)

The Taylor - Walker connection that begins in 1927 at West Point, Korean War POW exchange, the Straits of Taiwan Crisis and Little Rock (in Korea, Little Rock and Taiwan Taylor assigns Walker to the most delicate tasks)

The McCloy - Taylor - Walker association with a little know NSA employee named John Hurt (Oswald would attempt to contact a John Hurt while in custody)

The McCloy - Warren connection (begins with the relocation of Japanese Americans during WWII and continues with support for Governor of California, VP and Supreme Court nomination)

The McCloy - Dulles connection (begins in Paris in th e1930's continues throughout WWII OSS assignments, transition of OSS to CIA and elevation of Dulles to head of the CIA)

McCloys fear over the proposed Paris Summit of 1960 (November 1959 meeting of the principles)

There was concern that the US would be, because of international pressure, boxed into a limited nuclear test ban treaty. It is perhaps a coincidence that a U-2 was downed on May 1, 1960 that led to the failure of this Paris Summit and perhaps also just a coincidence that Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine that had operated radar on bases from which the U-2 had flown, had defected to the USSR. The failed flight of Francis Gary Powers helped prevent the Paris Summit that McCloy feared.

Oswald's travel from London to Helsinki and the coincidence of both Walker traveling in the area and the lack of infomation provided to the Warren Commission (without question from the commissioners) about this period. The informative message sent from the Helsinki Embassy on Oct. 9, 1959 (one day before Oswald travels to Helsinki) to the State Department providing the exact information that Oswald followed to obtain a visa into the USSR.

The involvement of Edwin Walker in the assassination story after receiving a letter from McCloy five months before the assassiantion of JFK, etc., etc. etc.

For me, it is the consistancy of this hypothesis that intrigues me. It makes the assassination of JFK

the continuation of a long series of events that begins before JFK is elected and centers around a group of people that continue in government after the election of JFK (conspirators if you like).

Tim if you wish to "nominate Howdy Doody" please do so but also provide the name of the puppet master.

On the other hand if you can factually discredit any of the information above please provide that information and I will examine it carefully.

If you can provide an alternative theory that encompasses the above information with a plausible explanation please provide that as well (please do better than coincidence because I would suggest that as I have followed this trail, gathering more and more information, the coincidences have mounted to a degree that is mathematically staggering).

Jim Root

[Tim Gratz]

Thank you for the explication, Jim. I will attempt to respond at length later.

Loved your line about howdy doody, btw!

[Mark Stapleton]

Mark

On the Amherst College website is an outline of public service for John J. McCloy. Many things overlap the 1961 period.

1947 - 1989 Trustee of Amherst College

1956 - 1969 Chairman of the Corporation (Amherst)

1952 - 1965 Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ford Foundation

1953 - 1971 Chairman of the Council on foreign Relations

1961 - 1989 Milbank, Tweed, Hope, Hadley & McCloy

1961 Jan-Oct Advisor to President Kennedy

1961 - 1974 Chairman of General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament

McCloy had a falling out with Kennedy on the subject of a Comprehensive vs Limited Test Ban Treaty. By the June dates that you suggest Kennedy had taken a giant step back in the US push for a comprehensive test ban that would push all countries toward curbing the spread of nuclear weapons. Kennedy believed that we could not guarentee the French would approve of such a plan and that the Soviets could not guarentee China's approval so why bother. After the assassination of Kennedy, McCloy was back in Geneva working toward the treaty that was signed by some 70 nations in, I believe, 1968.

My research seems to suggest that it is Kennedy that did not have a solid position on the spread of nuclear technology and that it was McCloy who was pushing the tough stance. It was October of 1961 that McCloy was removed from negotiations with the Soviets after they complained to Kennedy about his tough positions.

June 10 was the date of Kennedy's major speech spelling out a new negotiating position with the Soviets on testing. The Soviets had always opposed inspections and it is not surprising that their ally, Egypt would take the same position. It would not be a stretch to believe that McCloy would be put in a very delicate position to push for inspections in the Middle East, where the oil companies he represented had special interests, while having been taken off the negotiating team with the Soviets for pushing to hard for inspections.

"This attempt by JFK to correct McCloy's failure to accurately spell out to Nasser what his position on the arms race was is the most likely point where JFK and McCloy fell out, IMO."

IMO it was JFK's inconsistancy in this arena over several years that I am begining to believe may have played into not only the "falling out" between McCloy and Kennedy but may have led to actions on the part of McCloy that only ended when the Warren Report was completed.

Remember that it was during this same period (June 12, 1963) that McCloy wrote his "interesting" letter to Edwin Anderson Walker.

Jim Root

Jim,

Thanks for that. I agree that John McCloy is a person of significant interest. BTW, were you aware of McCloy's role as Presidential emissary to Egypt and Israel? The reason I ask is that JFK's efforts to curb nuclear proliferation in the Middle East seem to have been erased from the public domain. I have Dallek's bio of JFK (JFK: An Unfinished Life), which runs to over 700 pages and the book doesn't contain a single word about JFK's efforts in this important area.

You're probably right about JFK's consistency concerning the Soviets. However, his policy concerning nuclear proliferation in the Middle East appears to be perfectly consistent and solid. From his first meeting with Prime Minister Ben-Gurion at the Waldorf-Astoria in 1961, during which he extracted tentative guarantees concerning inspections of the Dimona facility, right through to the time of his assassination, JFK was strongly opposed to any nuclear proliferation in the region. The small research reactor constructed with US assisstance at Nachal Soreq was not the major concern, the Dimona facility--with the plutonium separation plant constructed by Israel with French assistance--was the issue. The situation changed rapidly after JFK's demise, despite LBJ's window dressing.

[Tim Gratz]

Jim wrote (to prove McCloy a major conspirator):

"Belief that McCloy had been and was a major player in the intelligence community since 1940"

So what? What does that prove? Nothing.

"The McCloy - Warren connection (begins with the relocation of Japanese Americans during WWII and continues with support for Governor of California, VP and Supreme Court nomination)"

What in the world does it prove that McCloy had associations with Earl Warren? We all know that Warren conducted a cover-up, motivated by a fear of war if foreign involvement was indicated. Although Robert Welch branded Warren a communist, I am aware of few if any who claim Warren was a conspirator. Do you?

Jim wrote:

"McCloy's association with Maxwell Taylor (1943 - 1963 +)"

Again, unless you claim Maxwell Taylor was a conspirator, how does such an association implicate McCloy in the assassination?

"The McCloy - Dulles connection (begins in Paris in th e1930's continues throughout WWII OSS assignments, transition of OSS to CIA and elevation of Dulles to head of the CIA)"

Again, unless you claim Dulles was a conspirator, how does this association inculpate McCloy?

Since McCloy's association with Warren, Taylor and Dulles in no way implicate him as an assassination plotter, why even clutter your post with their names?

Same thing with Walker. Someone took a shot at Walker, apparently as some part of the plot (to link Oswald or his rifle?). But unless you claim Walker was a conspirator, your claim that McCloy knew him gets you, as the saying goes, "noplace fast".

Jim, refresh my recollection, if you will, on a McCloy letter to Walker. What was it about? How do you claim the letter ties into the assassination?

It seems your entire thesis comes down to the fact that McCloy met Walker during WW II and McCloy had a major policy difference with JFK. That seems scant evidence upon which to besmirch the reputation of a very well-respected member of the Washington "establishment" who provided yeoman service to his country.

Perhaps you should consider what your grandchildren would think if years after your death some one claimed you were a murderer on essentially no evidence whatsoever.

If someone claimed my father was a murderer, I'd be pretty tempted to deck him for such slander.

Do you have any information that McCloy ever violated the speed limit or was ticketed for jaywalking? And yet you brand a man with a splotless record of service to his country as a murderer, a traitor.

Edited January 11, 2006 by Tim Gratz

[Jim Root]

Tim

You ask and state:

"Do you have any information that McCloy ever violated the speed limit or was ticketed for jaywalking? And yet you brand a man with a splotless record of service to his country as a murderer, a traitor."

The answer is yes. The Korematsu Case (dealing with the relocation of an American citizen during the relocation of Japanese-Americans during WWII) demonstrates just such a proclivity on the part of John J. McCloy. As an interesting side note: During the process of relocating the Japanese-Americans during WWII McCloy first worked with Earl Warren.

From an article by Harvey A. Silverglate and Carl Takei that appeared in the Boston Pheonix:

"In the spring of 1943, the Supreme Court was preparing to hear two cases — Yasui v. United States and Hirabayashi v. United States — challenging a wartime curfew for people of Japanese ancestry. A third case, Korematsu v. United States, which challenged the internment of this group, was coming down the pike as well.

'The War Department knew it would have to provide military justification for these racially discriminatory measures. However, a month before oral arguments in Yasui and Hirabayashi, it encountered a problem. General John L. DeWitt, who directed the internment of Japanese-Americans, submitted a report to justify the program. In it, he wrote: "It was impossible to establish the identity of loyal and disloyal with any degree of safety. It was not that there was insufficient time in which to make such a determination; it was simply a matter of facing the realities that a positive determination could not be made, that an exact separation of the ‘sheep from the goats’ was unfeasible." He grounded this assertion on the notion that the Japanese race was "a potentially dangerous element" with peculiar traits that made their loyalties and intentions inscrutable. This rationale, War Department officials realized, was legally indefensible.

'Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy and several Army officials asked DeWitt to rewrite the report so as not to jeopardize the Supreme Court cases. DeWitt complied; he removed the racist language and replaced it with the assertion that wartime circumstances demanded immediate action, that there was no time to investigate the loyalty of each Japanese-American. McCloy then forwarded the doctored report to the Justice Department for use in the upcoming Korematsu case. The War Department destroyed all copies of the original, racist report, except for one that was accidentally misplaced and which eventually made its way to the National Archives, only to be rediscovered nearly a half-century later.

'The Supreme Court issued opinions in the Yasui and Hirabayashi cases on June 21, 1943, and in Korematsu on December 18, 1944. In all three, the court ruled for the government, relying heavily on the Justice Department’s assertion (which the lawyers derived primarily from the doctored report) that the exigencies of war demanded immediate action, and that there had been insufficient time to separate loyal from disloyal Japanese-Americans.

'In his dissent in Korematsu, Justice Robert Jackson expressed concern that the court, "having no real evidence before it, has no choice but to accept General DeWitt’s own unsworn, self-serving statement, untested by any cross-examination."

Encouraging a whitness to change his testimony before the highest court in the land to protect the "integrity" of the government, distruction of the records that would prove this violation of the highest tenets of our Constitution......I figure this could be considered more serious than speeding violations or jaywalking tickets.

How large of a leap is it from a lie to the Supreme Court and distruction of evidence to the assassination of a President is a good question. Would McCloy be willing to sanction murderers.

Let us examine the record.

Justice Robert Jackson and McCloy would differ on another occassion. Jackson would preside over the Nuremburg Trials, McCloy would overturn or change the sentences of many of those that had been convicted. This would occur seven years after the 1944 opinion in the Korematsu Case was written.

In "The Legacy of Nuremberg," a documentary project of Minnesota Public Radio we find this statement about McCloy and his part in "reconsidering" Nuremburg "judgments."

"The man who appointed the review board, John McCloy, stressed that the board was not reconsidering judgments but would examine fairness in sentences imposed by the tribunal. Many prosecutors suspected that politics were involved, though John McCloy always denied that he was acting on any political directives from Washington, according to prosecutors and historians.

"Between 1949 and 1958," says William Caming, "all of the prisoners had sentences reduced and were then released. Including, surprisingly enough, four of the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen death squads. It was a political measure. No members of the prosecution staff and none of the judges at Nuremberg were even consulted."

'Among the first released were the German industrialists, including Alfried Krupp and Karl Krauch, the I.G. Farben executive. Many of the former prisoners, like Krupp, would re-establish their wealth and positions in German society. Years later, a handful of the convicted war criminals would be tried again in a series of war crimes trials in Germany that continue to this day. The German government and German industry also paid out billions of dollars in compensation to victims of Nazi crimes. And beginning in the 1960s, a post-war generation of German writers, intellectuals and politicians confronted many of the demons of Nazism.

'In addition, 20 of the 24 Einsatzgruppen officers convicted by Benjamin Ferencz were released, including nine men originally sentenced to death, according to historian Peter Maguire. The last two left Landsberg prison in 1958. Recently declassified U.S. documents and CIA files obtained by Peter Maguire suggest that at least two former Einsatzgruppen officers later may have worked as spies for western intelligence agencies, including the CIA."

Would John J. McCloy do "anything" to protect the "integrity" of the US Government and its intelligence activities?

I can imagine Judge Jackson, if he had lived till 1964, writting his "opinion" of McCloy and the Warren Commission Report. He might have said, ""having no real evidence before it, THE NATION has no choice but to accept THE WARREN COMMISSIONS own..., self-serving statement, untested by any cross-examination."

For the other questions.....it takes more than one person to make a conspiracy.

I will get back to you on the letter and how it fits in.

Jim Root

[Nathaniel Heidenheimer]

John

John J. McCloy was partner in the law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hope, Hadley & McCloy during the period 1961-1989. He represented the major oil companies (known as the Seven Sisters) during this period. His duties included OPEC negotiations, antitrust investigations annd divestitures.

What is interesting is that he took this position at about the same time that he ceased being a Kennedy "advison" which dates to October of 1961.

As I have stated on other threads McCloy seems to have had a falling out with Kennedy over arms negotiations with the Soviets etc. There seems to be some evidence of McCloy dealings with Bobby Kennedy, as Attorney General, on behalf of the oil companies that were less than productive.

I tend to believe that McCloy was a major player in the assassination conspriacy. Does this dovetail in with some of your information?

Jim Root

Another characteristic of McCloy that might relate to this line of reasoning, is that he tended to have a foot in both camps. He was a Republican, but one who rejected that party's isolationism before many others. He worked in the military under FDR and Stimson. He could be suffieciently nativist -- witness his key role in the deportation of the japanese. This might make him appeal to the western unilatteralist crowd. Also some have said he was partly responsible for failing to make the rescue of jews a priority during WWII. Again, this could be an asset for western resume readers. Yet with reg ard to Europe, he could sometimes seem more multilatteralist than other key players; for example he seemed more willing to contemplate sharing nuclear policy decisions with the Soviets later than other people closer to Truman.

The fact that he was working for unilatteralist 8F group types seems particularly interesting because he would also have been trusted by groups within the CIA that these unilatteralist groups opposed. His foot in both camps characteristic would seem to be usefull in alerting the CIA what the unilatteralist intelligence groups were up to, and vise versa. It could also be usefull for feeding false info. about one to the other.

[Robert Howard]

Since the thread mentions the Texas Oil Industry, for anyone who can take my comments without interpreting them as a 'plug' for Bruce Campbell Adamson; (he of the short-lived 'visit' to the Forum recently) while perusing Oswald's Closest Friend, a book detailing activities of George and Dimitri DeMohrenschildt, he mentions some rather incredible items. Such as that one 'Billy Joe Lord' who 'shared a room' with Lee Harvey Oswald on the SS Marion Lykes in 1959 when Oswald was traveling to Russia, was 'indirectly' working for George 'Dubya' Bush in 1976-77, as in Dubya, current President residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Small world Eh.

The book in my opinion, after a couple of hours of perusal, makes Tarpley's Un-authorized Bush Biography seem tame in comparison. The 'Midland associates' of 41 GHWB appear to have deserved a lot more scrutiny than they ever did, and give Nagell's Big Mother Busher an element of un-intended? surrealism.

On a more serious note, the information in the book appears to be very well documented. It is a shame that Bruce wasn't more 'user-friendly' during his brief visit to the Forum.

PS His research concerning DeMohrenschildt (the assertions made concerning George's 'suicide' are worth the purchase price alone [see below]) and his 'life and times' appear to be very documented. If you are politically incorrect enough to take the plunge into his research, you may find yourself never thinking of Midland, Texas the same way again.

Assertion that the show The Doctor's (which was one of DeMohrenschildts fav's, ostensibly) at the time of 2:10 P.M. + 18 seconds played the following dialogue.

" You're a Patsy and Barney knows that."

With apologies? to one of our Forum members.

A beeping sound (coming from a triggered security alarm) continually going off in the same time frame, indicating that a 'person' or 'person's' were entering and/or exiting the house.

It is hard to find the coroners report on George's death, if it is online. Time of Death?

Does anyone have a solid official time of death, as in the Palm Beach Sheriff's Report? There is a time of death suggested as being 3:45 PM but the source is one I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw a stick, I would like to know Gaeton Fonzi's statement regarding this, I don't think it is in the Last Investigation, believe it or not, or on his interview on Cuban-Exile.com.

PS I realize Fonzi believes DeMohrenschildt committed suicide, but I am also aware that Jeanne did not, then there is the 'programmed to take his life theory,' but I have trouble believing 'comic book man's story. I am sorry if that appears harsh, and I certainly don't think it is impossible that it is true.

I am not familiar with Adamson's complete line of books, 'Oswald's Friend' was the first one I have ever read, and as I stated it appears to be very thorough, but that does not mean that I believe every theory he advances, but he does bring up some things that seem very compelling, as in the fact that Mohammed Fayed was involved in the DeMohrenschildt/Haiti Clemard Charles intrigues, and that his son was the one who died with Princess Diana in the infamous car crash, small world indeed!

Edited January 29, 2006 by Robert Howard

[John Simkin]

People like Rupert Murdoch argued that the main reason for the Iraq War was that it would result in lower oil prices. This in turn would improve the state of the stock-market and revitalize the American economy.

In fact, the occupation of Iraq has not lowered oil prices. The average price at the pump - $1.46 a gallon when George Bush came to office is now well above $3 in many parts of America. It is therefore not surprising that the latest CNN poll shows George Bush with a record low rating of 32%.

However, did Bush and his cronies really believe that the invasion of Iraq would lead to lower oil prices? Did they ever really think they could get complete control over Iraq’s oil? Pipelines are easy targets for terrorists. This is a story that rarely appears in the media.

What we do know is that oil companies have been making record profits since the invasion. Bush has also rejected calls by Democrats for a windfall tax on oil company profits from the higher prices. Bush was of course heavily backed by the oil industry in the two presidential elections. Maybe he will even bring back the oil depletion allowance.

[John Simkin]

Mark

On the Amherst College website is an outline of public service for John J. McCloy. Many things overlap the 1961 period.

1947 - 1989 Trustee of Amherst College

1956 - 1969 Chairman of the Corporation (Amherst)

1952 - 1965 Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ford Foundation

1953 - 1971 Chairman of the Council on foreign Relations

1961 - 1989 Milbank, Tweed, Hope, Hadley & McCloy

1961 Jan-Oct Advisor to President Kennedy

1961 - 1974 Chairman of General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament

McCloy had a falling out with Kennedy on the subject of a Comprehensive vs Limited Test Ban Treaty. By the June dates that you suggest Kennedy had taken a giant step back in the US push for a comprehensive test ban that would push all countries toward curbing the spread of nuclear weapons. Kennedy believed that we could not guarentee the French would approve of such a plan and that the Soviets could not guarentee China's approval so why bother. After the assassination of Kennedy, McCloy was back in Geneva working toward the treaty that was signed by some 70 nations in, I believe, 1968.

My research seems to suggest that it is Kennedy that did not have a solid position on the spread of nuclear technology and that it was McCloy who was pushing the tough stance. It was October of 1961 that McCloy was removed from negotiations with the Soviets after they complained to Kennedy about his tough positions.

June 10 was the date of Kennedy's major speech spelling out a new negotiating position with the Soviets on testing. The Soviets had always opposed inspections and it is not surprising that their ally, Egypt would take the same position. It would not be a stretch to believe that McCloy would be put in a very delicate position to push for inspections in the Middle East, where the oil companies he represented had special interests, while having been taken off the negotiating team with the Soviets for pushing to hard for inspections.

"This attempt by JFK to correct McCloy's failure to accurately spell out to Nasser what his position on the arms race was is the most likely point where JFK and McCloy fell out, IMO."

IMO it was JFK's inconsistancy in this arena over several years that I am begining to believe may have played into not only the "falling out" between McCloy and Kennedy but may have led to actions on the part of McCloy that only ended when the Warren Report was completed.

Remember that it was during this same period (June 12, 1963) that McCloy wrote his "interesting" letter to Edwin Anderson Walker.

Jim, are you aware of McCloy's connections to the oil industry?

After the war McCloy was invited by Nelson Rockefeller to join the family law firm, Milbank, Tweed, Hope & Hadley. He accepted the offer and the firm became known as Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. The law firm's most important client was the Rockefeller family's bank, Chase National. As John D. Rockefeller Jr. told his personal lawyer, Thomas M. Debevoise, "McCloy knows so many people in government circles... that he might be in the way to get information in various quarters about the matter without seeking it, or revealing his hand."

The family's main concern was the threat posed against their interests in Standard Oil of California. John D. Rockefeller Jr. owned almost 6 per cent of the stock of the company, making him the single largest shareholder. In 1946 Harold Ickes claimed that Rockefeller was violating the terms of the 1911 dissolution decree. Two other anti-trust lawyers, Abe Fortas and Thurman Arnold, joined forces with Ickes to petition the Justice Department to investigate the matter. John McCloy, was asked to sort the matter out and by the autumn of 1946, he had persuaded Ickes, Fortas and Arnold to drop the matter.

After leaving Germany in 1953 McCloy became chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank (1953-60) and the Ford Foundation (1958-65). He also continued to work for Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. The company was owned by the Rockefeller family and therefore McCloy became involved in lobbying for the gas and oil industry.

McCloy remained close to Dwight D. Eisenhower and according to Kai Bird (The Chairman: John J. McCloy: The Making of the American Establishment): "On at least one occasion, in February 1954, he (McCloy) used a Chase National Bank plane to ferry himself and the rest of Ike's gang down from New York in order to keep a golf date with the president at the Augusta National range."

It was Eisenhower who first introduced McCloy to Sid Richardson and Clint Murchison. Soon afterwards, Chase Manhattan Bank began providing the men with low-interest loans. In 1954 McCloy worked with Richardson, Murchison and Robert R. Young in order to take control of the New York Central Railroad Company. The activities of these men caused a great deal of concern and the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) eventually held hearings about what was described as "highly improper" behaviour. The takeover was a disaster and Young committed suicide and New York Central eventually went bankrupt.

In 1950 Eisenhower had purchased a small farm for $24,000. According to Drew Pearson and Jack Anderson (The Case Against Congress), several oil millionaires, including W. Alton Jones, B. B. Byers and George E. Allen, began acquiring neighbouring land for Eisenhower. Jonathan Kwitny (Endless Enemies) has argued that over the next few years Eisenhower's land became worth over $1 million: "Most of the difference represented the gifts of Texas oil executives connected to Rockefeller oil interests. The oilmen acquired surrounding land for Eisenhower under dummy names, filled it with livestock and big, modern barns, paid for extensive renovations to the Eisenhower house, and even wrote out checks to pay the hired help."

In 1956 there was an attempt to end all federal price control over natural gas. Sam Rayburn played an important role in getting it through the House of Representatives. This is not surprising as according to John Connally, he alone had been responsible for a million and a half dollars of lobbying.

Paul Douglas and William Langer led the fight against the bill. Their campaigned was helped by a speech by Francis Case of South Dakota. Up until this time Case had been a supporter of the bill. However, he announced that he had been offered a $25,000 bribe by the Superior Oil Company to guarantee his vote. As a man of principal, he thought he should announce this fact to the Senate.

Lyndon B. Johnson responded by claiming that Case had himself come under pressure to make this statement by people who wanted to retain federal price controls. Johnson argued: “In all my twenty-five years in Washington I have never seen a campaign of intimidation equal to the campaign put on by the opponents of this bill.” Johnson pushed on with the bill and it was eventually passed by 53 votes to 38. However, three days later, Dwight D. Eisenhower, vetoed the bill on grounds of immoral lobbying. Eisenhower confided in his diary that this had been “the most flagrant kind of lobbying that has been brought to my attention”. He added that there was a “great stench around the passing of this bill” and the people involved were “so arrogant and so much in defiance of acceptable standards of propriety as to risk creating doubt among the American people concerning the integrity of governmental processes”.

The decision by Dwight D. Eisenhower to veto this bill angered the oil industry. Once again Sid Richardson and Clint Murchison began negotiations with Eisenhower. In June, 1957, Eisenhower agreed to appoint their man, Robert Anderson, as his Secretary of the Treasury. According to Robert Sherrill in his book, The Accidental President: "A few weeks later Anderson was appointed to a cabinet committee to "study" the oil import situation; out of this study came the present-day program which benefits the major oil companies, the international oil giants primarily, by about one billion dollars a year."

According to Jonathan Kwitny (Endless Enemies) from 1955 to 1963, the Richardson, Murchison, and Rockefeller interests (arranged by John McCloy) and the International Basic Economy Corporation (100% owned by the Rockefeller family) gave "away a $900,000 slice of their Texas-Louisiana oil property" to Robert B. Anderson, Eisenhower's Secretary of the Treasury.