Thomas H. Purvis Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 http://www.warbirdforum.com/recruit.htm Procurement of Personnel for China DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY Office of the Secretary Washington CONFIDENTIAL February 1, 1941 SUBJECT: Procurement of Personnel for China 1. Mr. Pawley and Colonel Chennault called today and informed me that an agreement had been reached between Curtiss, Inter-Continent and the Chinese for the servicing of 100 P-40's for China. It is also agreed that Inter-Continent will handle the procurement of American personnel. 2. Personnel requirements are: 100 pilots 150 enlisted ground crew. They emphasized the need for experienced personnel and the only feasible solution appears to be Reserve officers and enlisted men. They are ready to send [their?] people, Pawley, Leighton and Chennault, at once to the Air Stations, both Army and Navy, to find volunteers. They realize the necessity for keeping things quiet and will take due precautions. 3. The followign will be required: (a) Approval by War and Navy Departments of resignations of Reserve personnel without detriment to their future status in the service, in order to accept employment with the Central Aircraft Corporation. Note: BuNav is ready to do this, but it will have to be taken up with the Army, and I understand that General Arnold has not yet been informed by Secretary Stimson. I suggest that you personally take this up with Secretary Stimson, and also with Admiral Towers, who is not very enthusiastic about the idea, I believe. ( Deferment of draft through Mr. [illegible], inasmuch as these people will all be subject to draft as soon as released from Reserve status. © Passports to be cleared by State Department, the applicants requesting passports to China for employment with Central Aircraft Corporation. Note: I have taken this up with the State Department and they are willing to issue the passports to individuals as bona fide employees of Central Aircraft. (d) Pawley, Leighton and Chennault should have letters from someone in the War and Navy Departments, either the Secretarys or Chiefs of Personnel, authorizing them to visit the various Air Stations. (e) It was pointed out to me that this considerable organization would hardly be worth sounding out and estabishing unless there were an excellent prospect for further rlease of planes to carry on the work. They will have to start more or less from scratch in [illegible] and work their way in against probable opposition. /s/ [illegible] Introducing the recruiters April 14, 1941 MEMORANDUM FOR Command Officer, Naval Air Station, Jacksonville 1. This letter introduces Mr. C. L. Chennault, who has the permission of the Navy Department to visit your station. 2. He will explain the purpose of his visit. FRANK K. BEATTY Captain, U.S. Navy Aide to the Secretary [identical letters went to the Navy Air Stations at Opa Locka and Pensacola, Norfolk, and San Diego. Capt. Beatty used the same phrasing in letters introducing Rutledge Irvine of CAMCO to the air stations at Norfolk, Pensacola, Opa Locka, and Jacksonville, and Corpus Christi, and to the Marine Barracks at Quantico. Perhaps because of resistance to these early visits, he was more emphatic when it came to Pearl Harbor:] August 4, 1941 MEMORANDUM FOR Captain James M. Shoemaker, USN, Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 1. This letter introduces Lt. C. B. Adair, who has the permission of the Navy Department to visit your station. He will explain the purpose of his visit. 2. It has been the policy of our Government for some time to facilitate the hiring by the Chinese Government of pilots and mechanics from our Services. The above-mentioned officer is a representative of the Intercontinent Company, which company is doing the hiring for the Chinese Government. The cooperation of the Commanding Officer is requested in permitting this representativde to interview pilots on your Station, to see if they are interested in being hired by the Intercontinent Company for service in China. FRANK K. BEATTY Captain, U.S. Navy Aide to the Secretary (By direction) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Cox Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 Which hijacking do you know, Tom? I've been following your aviation threads --interesting and somewhat familiar to me-- family members were early pilots and southern-AL, GA, etc Particularly interested in this current nexus you've presented. Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas H. Purvis Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668029/bio Biography for William D. Pawley Trivia He was an executive at the Curtis-Wright Aircraft Co. and a founder and former member of the "Flying Tigers." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668029/ William D. Pawley Miscellaneous Crew - filmography Flying Tigers (1942) (thanks) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034742/ Flying Tigers Tagline: STRONG Brave Men Flying In The Face Of Death That We May LIVE (more) Plot Outline: The Flying Tigers are a band of American Mercenaries called upon by China to help fight the Japanese two years before Pearl Harbour (more) Cast overview, first billed only John Wayne Trivia: This movie broke all boxoffice records for Republic Pictures by a large margin and was one of the top grossing movies of the year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas H. Purvis Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 http://www.cnac.org/allison01.htm ERNEST M. ALLISON (1894-1976) "Allie" (CNAC 1929-193?, 1940 and 1947-1949) (Captain - 1929) (Hump Flights - XXX) December 1937 and January 1938 flight-tested Vultee V-11 bombers for William D. Pawley. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.libs.uga.edu/flyers/ Flyers of Fortune: American Airmen in the Spanish Civil War Some would serve again in China as "Flying Tigers --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.warbirdforum.com/ch3.htm Bill Pawley's order book was brimming: sixty Hawk III biplanes, thirty Mohawk fighters, thirty Vultee attack planes. Mercenary pilots flocked to China with claims of combat experience on the Western Front. At Madame Chiang's request, Chennault organized them into the 14th Volunteer Squadron, to be equipped with the Vultee attack planes Bill Pawley was assembling in Hengyang ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.libs.uga.edu/flyers/ Flyers of Fortune: American Airmen in the Spanish Civil War Some would serve again in China as "Flying Tigers ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.afa.org/magazine/June1999/0699tiger.asp Throughout the 1930s, American airmen fought the Imperial Japanese Army in China. Before the Flying Tigers With the exception of the Italian and Russian contingents, which were officially sanctioned by their governments, the pilots who trained the Chinese and who fought for them were adventurers, soldiers of fortune, and out-of-work military professionals. Most of them were Americans. The hard core of the 14th VBS pilot cadre consisted of James W.M. Allison, a veteran of fighter operations in the Spanish Civil War, Billy MacDonald, Luke Williamson, and George Weigle all of whom were handpicked by Chennault http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlere...i?artid=1305831 They were full of kids, offspring of people working in the Fort Worth Consolidated Vultee bomber plant making B-24s. There was an influx of people into west Fort Worth when they built that bomber plant. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.dmairfield.com/people/vultee_je/index.htm The Vultee planes built in Downey flew in the Spanish Civil War, and in defense of the Chinese Nationalist government. They were purchased by both Russia and Germany, and in 1937 the Downey plant was renamed the Vultee Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation. In 1941 Vultee Aircraft purchased controlling interest in the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in San Diego. The company became Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, or "Convair," and produced more than 13,500 aircraft during the allied war effort in World War II. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://warbirdsofww2.tripod.com/famousplanes.htm http://warbirdsofww2.tripod.com/famousplanes.htm Approximately 10,000 Liberators were produced by Consolidated Vultee at San Diego and Fort Worth, ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William D. Pawley--- Formed Inter-Continent Aircraft Corporation. William D. Pawley---President of Intercontinent Aircraft Corporation, formed in Miami, FL in 1945 with headquarters in Rockefeller Plaza, New York City. Intercontinent (Inter-Continent) Aircraft Corporation was a subsidary of the Consolidated-Vultee Corporation. The Consolidated-Vultee Corporation was formed in 1943 with the merger of Consolidated Aircraft Corporation and Vultee Aircraft Corporation. The "commonly" accepted name for the "Consolidated-Vultee" Corporation was CONVAIR. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/w...Vol22_0147b.htm (page 264) and one will find: "Records of the West Side Bank reveal the following information:" "On December 3, 1956, an account was opened in the name of Mr. or Mrs. Robert L. Oswald, 4910 West Lancaster, Fort Worth, Texas, with a deposit of $376.13. At the tilme the account was opened, Robert L. Oswald indicated employment at "Convair"." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Ae...ltee/Aero33.htm Convair interested Floyd B. Odlum, a multimillionaire aviation investor, and in 1946 through his Atlas Corporation, Odlum began buying Avco Manufacturing Corporation (the renamed Aviation Corporation) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pawley, William Douglas (1896-1977) — also known as William D. Pawley — of Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Fla. Born in Florence, Florence County, S.C., September 7, 1896. Republican. U.S. Ambassador to Peru, 1945-46; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://home.planet.nl/~reijd050/organisati...embers_list.htm Odlum, Floyd Bostwick 1892-1976 Law school, assistant librarian, husband of aviatrix Jackie Cochran, founder and chairman Atlas Corporation 1923-1960, chairman Federal Resources Corporation 1961-1969, owner and chairman RKO Radio Pictures 1937-1948, chairman Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation 1947-1953, owner Hidden Splendor (Uranium) Mining Company before 1955, director Office of Production Management 1941-1942, special adviser to the chairman of the War Production Board 1943-44, special adviser to the chairman of the Office of Price Administration 1940-44, owner Convair, Bonwit Taylor & Northeast Airlines, founder and chairman Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation, president Hertz Foundation, trustee Lovelace Foundation, among the 10 richest men in the United States (and the world) in 1932 (billionaire). His Atlas Corporation purchased Paramount Pictures in 1933 at "basement" prices. Odlum was also chairman of RKO Studios, another filmmaker. Atlas Corporation was once known as Atlas Utilities & Investors Company. Odlum was also a heavy owner, through his Atlas Corporation, of Greyhound Bus Lines; Northeast Airlines (nearly 90%); Bonwit Teller (department stores); Convair Aviation; United Fruit Company; and Madison Square Garden. In 1937 it was said that Atlas Corporation was probably the biggest investment trust in the world ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 You have now posted hundred of snippets of information about William Pawley. However, I find it very difficult to follow. Is it possible to turn this information into an understandable narrative? I am sure the JFK research community would benefit from this kind of approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas H. Purvis Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 You have now posted hundred of snippets of information about William Pawley. However, I find it very difficult to follow. Is it possible to turn this information into an understandable narrative? I am sure the JFK research community would benefit from this kind of approach. Perhaps a "re-write" of the "SPARTACUS" background on Mr. Pawley would serve the purpose, as the current information provided neither demonstrates the personal character nor is it even close to complete as to the background history and associations of William D. Pawley. As they often say: "The Buck Stops Here", and does not extend to all of the other characters whom have been dragged in as "potential" conspirators. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...9/pg_9#continue After the war, when Pawley sent a $ 10,000 check to the Flying Tiger Association with a request to join, it was refused. Mr. Hemming undoubtedly holds in memory, many other items which would place Mr. Pawley into his proper place in history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Turner Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 There is always someone who is willing to talk, whether out of vanity or a change of heart. In 1972 I interviewed Ambassador William Pawley in Miami. When I called to seek an interview he issued a flat no since he had been involved up to his ears in the CIA secret war against Castro. I appealed to his vanity by telling him how important he was in the contemporary history of the Caribbean. He said okay, come over and I'll at least shake hands with you. A non-interview went on for close to two hours, and I came away with the information I wanted. I always try to double-source key information, and also rely on what I deem the person's credibility to be. I look for inconsistencies that indicate the person is not telling the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas H. Purvis Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 There is always someone who is willing to talk, whether out of vanity or a change of heart. In 1972 I interviewed Ambassador William Pawley in Miami. When I called to seek an interview he issued a flat no since he had been involved up to his ears in the CIA secret war against Castro. I appealed to his vanity by telling him how important he was in the contemporary history of the Caribbean. He said okay, come over and I'll at least shake hands with you. A non-interview went on for close to two hours, and I came away with the information I wanted. I always try to double-source key information, and also rely on what I deem the person's credibility to be. I look for inconsistencies that indicate the person is not telling the truth. Perhaps! Were we to have access to the letter which Annie Hahr Dobbs Pawley wrote to the President in regards to the actions of her husband, William D. Pawley, in which the SS response was that Mrs. Pawley "was not crazy", then we would no doubt have additional insight into the character and behind-the-scenes activities of Mr. Pawley. The "indicators" are that this letter, which was written as a result of William D. Pawley's "Cuban" divorce actions against Mrs. Pawley, was somewhat of a TELL ALL type letter. At one period, Pawley & Claire Chennault were flying together in the same aircraft, which came quite close to crashing. Later, Chennault made comments to the extent that had they actually crashed and been killed, that it would have been somewhat of an embarassment to have been found dead in the same plane as William D. Pawley and thus have it known that they had any personal associations. Might I ask, have you discovered any factual information relative to the death of William D. Pawley, Jr.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Seagrave Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I first met Bill Pawley when I was 4 years old at my father's hospital in Namhkam, Burma, which was just across the Shweli River Valley from the AVG airbase at Loiwing on the Chinese side of the river. I got to know all Pawley's people in CAMCO, and all the AVG pilos and mechanics, because having Americans so nearby was a rare thing for my mother and father, and they partied together a lot. The AVG guys gave me and my brother a baby tiger (which we let go into the jungle when it reached three months age). When the Japs flew up from Hanoi to bomb Loiwing, they always saved some bombs for our hospital, so I have vivid memories of being bombed and strafed and running to trenches in the jungle. I later renewed my acquaintance with a lot of the AVG and CAMCO guys as an adult, particularly when I was doing some books for Time-Life in which the Flying Tigers, Chennault, Stilwell, and the CBI Theatre figure heavily. The last time I was in touch with Pawley was in 1961 after he'd fled Cuba with his crony Meyer Lansky, and Pawley was living in Miami as owner of the Transit Company. Pawley was always one of the key links of Tommy the Cork, Donovan, the Dulles brothers, and that whole bunch of nutbags, between the OSS/CIA, Meyer Lansky, and the KMT underworld, as represented by General Tai Li in Chungking, the Ku brothers, and the Chen brothers (all top Green Gang cadres of Du Yueh-sheng). One Ku brother became chief of staff of the KMT armies, while the other ran the Green Gang in Shanghai and the Yangtze Valley during the Jap occupation. One Chen brother controlled the KMT bureaucracy while the other controlled the secret police. Chennault was immersed in all this, Tai Li supplying him with Anna as a sleeping dictionary. That penultimate scumbag joe Alsop was Chennault's flack in Chungking. I have seen the evidence that Alsop was paid by TV Soong and May-ling Soong to draft the poison pen letter to FDR signed by Chiang Kai-shek, which resulted in Stilwell's recall and humiliation. As an officer in the US Army under Stilwell, Alsop should have been court martialed for treason. The evidence is in Alsop's own diary, part of the papers he left to a guy in the Agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas H. Purvis Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I first met Bill Pawley when I was 4 years old at my father's hospital in Namhkam, Burma, which was just across the Shweli River Valley from the AVG airbase at Loiwing on the Chinese side of the river. I got to know all Pawley's people in CAMCO, and all the AVG pilos and mechanics, because having Americans so nearby was a rare thing for my mother and father, and they partied together a lot. The AVG guys gave me and my brother a baby tiger (which we let go into the jungle when it reached three months age). When the Japs flew up from Hanoi to bomb Loiwing, they always saved some bombs for our hospital, so I have vivid memories of being bombed and strafed and running to trenches in the jungle. I later renewed my acquaintance with a lot of the AVG and CAMCO guys as an adult, particularly when I was doing some books for Time-Life in which the Flying Tigers, Chennault, Stilwell, and the CBI Theatre figure heavily.The last time I was in touch with Pawley was in 1961 after he'd fled Cuba with his crony Meyer Lansky, and Pawley was living in Miami as owner of the Transit Company. Pawley was always one of the key links of Tommy the Cork, Donovan, the Dulles brothers, and that whole bunch of nutbags, between the OSS/CIA, Meyer Lansky, and the KMT underworld, as represented by General Tai Li in Chungking, the Ku brothers, and the Chen brothers (all top Green Gang cadres of Du Yueh-sheng). One Ku brother became chief of staff of the KMT armies, while the other ran the Green Gang in Shanghai and the Yangtze Valley during the Jap occupation. One Chen brother controlled the KMT bureaucracy while the other controlled the secret police. Chennault was immersed in all this, Tai Li supplying him with Anna as a sleeping dictionary. That penultimate scumbag joe Alsop was Chennault's flack in Chungking. I have seen the evidence that Alsop was paid by TV Soong and May-ling Soong to draft the poison pen letter to FDR signed by Chiang Kai-shek, which resulted in Stilwell's recall and humiliation. As an officer in the US Army under Stilwell, Alsop should have been court martialed for treason. The evidence is in Alsop's own diary, part of the papers he left to a guy in the Agency. My personal appreciation for this additional input. Gerry Hemming is one of the few who came to know of Pawley's actions later on in life, and I for one personally hope that he will get over his feelings towards certain members of this forum, and thereafter share for ultimate history, what he may know. Although it is recognized that you were young then, might I ask if there was then (or later) any scuttlebutt which you may have heard in regards to John Birch and the fact that he was a distant cousin to Annie Hahr Dobbs Pawley (wife of William D. Pawley) Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted January 17, 2007 Author Share Posted January 17, 2007 The last time I was in touch with Pawley was in 1961 after he'd fled Cuba with his crony Meyer Lansky, and Pawley was living in Miami as owner of the Transit Company. Pawley was always one of the key links of Tommy the Cork, Donovan, the Dulles brothers, and that whole bunch of nutbags, between the OSS/CIA, Meyer Lansky, and the KMT underworld, as represented by General Tai Li in Chungking, the Ku brothers, and the Chen brothers (all top Green Gang cadres of Du Yueh-sheng). One Ku brother became chief of staff of the KMT armies, while the other ran the Green Gang in Shanghai and the Yangtze Valley during the Jap occupation. One Chen brother controlled the KMT bureaucracy while the other controlled the secret police. Chennault was immersed in all this, Tai Li supplying him with Anna as a sleeping dictionary. That penultimate scumbag joe Alsop was Chennault's flack in Chungking. I have seen the evidence that Alsop was paid by TV Soong and May-ling Soong to draft the poison pen letter to FDR signed by Chiang Kai-shek, which resulted in Stilwell's recall and humiliation. As an officer in the US Army under Stilwell, Alsop should have been court martialed for treason. The evidence is in Alsop's own diary, part of the papers he left to a guy in the Agency. Welcome to the forum Sterling. It seems you have been investigating this gang of crooks for a long time. Did you know Alsop was a key figure in Operation Mockingbird? This was a CIA operation to control the media that was initially run by Frank Wisner and Phil Graham. Alsop was later to work for Graham at the Washington Post. I suspect it was CIA money that was used by Graham to expand his media empire. Do you thing that some of this "Japanese Gold" was used for this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas H. Purvis Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Despite what they advertise, living in Florida can be quite un-conducive to one's health. Perhaps it's something in the water that causes these problems? Maybe too much sunshine? http://www.windowsonhaiti.com/forum/viewto...17373eadc415f79 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Seagrave Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Bill Pawley did not found the AVG. The sequence was that Mme. Chiang wanted to create an air force for KMT China, not because she knew anything about air forces, but because she wanted to play a glamorous role in the “defense” of China against the Japanese, who had been encroaching on China for decades - long before America became involved. Her husband, Generalissimo Chiang, “gave” Mme. Chiang the fledgeling KMT air force as her toy, partly to placate her and keep her off his back. She made inquiries in America, looking for somebody who could train her air force. The KMT military attache took her to an air show where Chennault (forced out of the US Army Air Corps for being a blowhard) and his group were performing, she was impressed, asked to meet Chennault, charmed him, and made him an offer on the spot. Chennault accepted so eagerly that he left for China without bothering to inform his wife and family, whom he abandoned. His initial effort to create a KMT air force and train its pilots was a fiasco when they bombed their own people instead of the Japanese. Chennault and Mme. Chiang asked Henry Luce and Tommy Corcoran to help, and Corcoran asked FDR to make fighter aircraft available, and experienced American pilots to fly them. P-40s already destined for Britain were diverted to Burma by FDR’s intercession. FDR then approved the creation of a pseudo “mercenary” air force by taking a number of pilots out of active service and sending them to Burma. To increase their number, trouble-making pilots who were in military stockades were freed on the condition that they go to Burma to fly in China against the Japanese. This was all sub rosa, because America was then not at war with Japan. The so-called “American Volunteer Group” was portrayed as freelance or “mercenary”, but they were actually on a covert mission. Pawley was brought in by Tommy Corcoran to head CAMCO, the engineering company that would assemble the crated airplanes to be flown by the AVG pilots. Since the OSS did not exist at that time, all this was done under the aegis of the intelligence service of the Department of State, supported by the Office of Naval Intelligence which was active on the China coast, and Secretary of War Stimson (who had previously been governor-general of the Philippines and was a friend of Corcoran, Luce, Pawley, United Fruit and Dole Pineapple, and an admirer of Mme. Chiang). Eventually the AVG got its act together and evolved into the Flying Tigers. When the US declared war on Japan, Chennault was reinstated to the Army Air Corps responsible to General Stilwell. All but a handful of the Flying Tigers refused to re-join the Air Corps and mutinied. The mutiny was kept secret until the late 1970s. They were disbanded, many returning to America to get on with their lives, others drifting into Chennault’s airlift over the Hump from India to China, during which gold, drugs and diamonds were carried aboard some of the planes. Among those who were eyewitnesses was John D. McDonald, who later became famous as a novelist. There was a mob of British and American spooks in Chungking and Kunming, where Alsop (given a commission in the US Army) served as Chennault’s mouth-piece to hype the image of the Flying Tigers. The famous name was adopted for all Chennault’s fighter pilots, and was implicit in his choosing the name China Air Transport (CAT) for the OSS subsidized cargo airline Chennault used to smuggle heroin out and wepons in to KMT controlled areas. After the Chiangs fled to Taiwan, CAT became Air America. Pawley didn’t pay for the JFK assassination. That’s an oversimplification. You could just as well say that H.L.Hunt and the Murchisons paid for it. Or that Pawley’s pals Meyer Lansky and Santo Trafficante (those intimate friends and backroom financiers of Richard Nixon) financed it. Or that it was financed by Edward Lansdale’s friends Nelson Rockefeller and the Rothschilds. Or Paul Helliwell’s off-the-books black banking network. You’ve done a superlative job of laying out many of the people who colluded, so who paid for it is not especially relevant. The real irony is that when Governor Connelly was hit by a ricochet he yelped, “They’re going to kill ALL of us.” (Meaning: “They’re not just going to kill Jack, as we planned.”) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas H. Purvis Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Bill Pawley did not found the AVG. The sequence was that Mme. Chiang wanted to create an air force for KMT China, not because she knew anything about air forces, but because she wanted to play a glamorous role in the “defense” of China against the Japanese, who had been encroaching on China for decades - long before America became involved. Her husband, Generalissimo Chiang, “gave” Mme. Chiang the fledgeling KMT air force as her toy, partly to placate her and keep her off his back. She made inquiries in America, looking for somebody who could train her air force. The KMT military attache took her to an air show where Chennault (forced out of the US Army Air Corps for being a blowhard) and his group were performing, she was impressed, asked to meet Chennault, charmed him, and made him an offer on the spot. Chennault accepted so eagerly that he left for China without bothering to inform his wife and family, whom he abandoned. His initial effort to create a KMT air force and train its pilots was a fiasco when they bombed their own people instead of the Japanese. Chennault and Mme. Chiang asked Henry Luce and Tommy Corcoran to help, and Corcoran asked FDR to make fighter aircraft available, and experienced American pilots to fly them. P-40s already destined for Britain were diverted to Burma by FDR’s intercession. FDR then approved the creation of a pseudo “mercenary” air force by taking a number of pilots out of active service and sending them to Burma. To increase their number, trouble-making pilots who were in military stockades were freed on the condition that they go to Burma to fly in China against the Japanese. This was all sub rosa, because America was then not at war with Japan. The so-called “American Volunteer Group” was portrayed as freelance or “mercenary”, but they were actually on a covert mission. Pawley was brought in by Tommy Corcoran to head CAMCO, the engineering company that would assemble the crated airplanes to be flown by the AVG pilots. Since the OSS did not exist at that time, all this was done under the aegis of the intelligence service of the Department of State, supported by the Office of Naval Intelligence which was active on the China coast, and Secretary of War Stimson (who had previously been governor-general of the Philippines and was a friend of Corcoran, Luce, Pawley, United Fruit and Dole Pineapple, and an admirer of Mme. Chiang). Eventually the AVG got its act together and evolved into the Flying Tigers. When the US declared war on Japan, Chennault was reinstated to the Army Air Corps responsible to General Stilwell. All but a handful of the Flying Tigers refused to re-join the Air Corps and mutinied. The mutiny was kept secret until the late 1970s. They were disbanded, many returning to America to get on with their lives, others drifting into Chennault’s airlift over the Hump from India to China, during which gold, drugs and diamonds were carried aboard some of the planes. Among those who were eyewitnesses was John D. McDonald, who later became famous as a novelist. There was a mob of British and American spooks in Chungking and Kunming, where Alsop (given a commission in the US Army) served as Chennault’s mouth-piece to hype the image of the Flying Tigers. The famous name was adopted for all Chennault’s fighter pilots, and was implicit in his choosing the name China Air Transport (CAT) for the OSS subsidized cargo airline Chennault used to smuggle heroin out and wepons in to KMT controlled areas. After the Chiangs fled to Taiwan, CAT became Air America.Pawley didn’t pay for the JFK assassination. That’s an oversimplification. You could just as well say that H.L.Hunt and the Murchisons paid for it. Or that Pawley’s pals Meyer Lansky and Santo Trafficante (those intimate friends and backroom financiers of Richard Nixon) financed it. Or that it was financed by Edward Lansdale’s friends Nelson Rockefeller and the Rothschilds. Or Paul Helliwell’s off-the-books black banking network. You’ve done a superlative job of laying out many of the people who colluded, so who paid for it is not especially relevant. The real irony is that when Governor Connelly was hit by a ricochet he yelped, “They’re going to kill ALL of us.” (Meaning: “They’re not just going to kill Jack, as we planned.”) With all things considered, it was entirely possible that LHO/?? was designated to attempt to take out both of them. This is of course supported by LHO's failure to obtain a correction to his USMC discharge as well as his supposedly visit to Austin, TX. Lastly, this becomes even more of a possiblility when it is considered: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...,896085,00.html Talking in Texas The eventual winner will face Jack Cox, 41, an oil-equipment executive and a leading Democrat himself until he was defeated by Daniel in the 1960 primary. With that, Cox jumped the party to become a Republican and run for Governor this year. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Connally in November 1962, turning back a determined bid by the Republican Jack Cox of Houston. Cox had run two years earlier in the Democratic primary against then Governor Marion Price Daniel, Sr ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00085/cah-00085.html A Guide to the Jack Cox papers, 1950-1964 Biographical Note Jack Cox (1921-1990) was born in Stephens County, Texas, and graduated from North Texas State University. A veteran of the Second World War, he worked in the oil business. He served in the Texas State Legislature as a Democrat from 1946-1952. During the middle 1950s, Cox became active in conservative politics*. He changed his party affiliation and ran as a Republican for governor, the U. S. Senate and the U. S. House of Representatives. *(highlighted area my emphasis) Personal and political before 1960: Pawley, 1953-1954 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I see no need to reiterate as to exactly what William D. Pawley was up to during the 1953/1954 period. However, it is always best to put all things into perspective. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.jfk-online.com/jpsgatguat.html After leaving the FBI offices, BARRIOS and GATLIN met with a Mr. DUNBAR, who occasionally represents the United Fruit Co. in New Orleans. They asked for one million dollars from the United Fruit Co., in support of BARRIOS' intended revolutionary movement in Guatemala, but they were unsuccessful in obtaining any commitment. On June 25, 1953, the FBI was contacted by a retired Army officer, whose name has been withheld for privacy reasons (referred to here as P-1). P-1 said that Gatlin had approached him with a shopping list of armaments which included three P-38 fighters and three P-51 fighters, along with ammunition. Gatlin said he was acting on behalf of an unnamed Colonel (undoubtedly, Barrios y Pena) who was planning an anti-Communist revolution in Guatemala. Gatlin asked P-1 if he knew General Claire Chennault. P-1 replied that he did, and concluded that Gatlin assumed that P-1 could obtain the weapons through Chennault. P-1 was inclined to throw Gatlin out of his office, but decided to play along to learn what Gatlin was up to. Gatlin offered P-1 oil and mineral concessions in Guatemala after the revolution. Gatlin proposed to introduce P-1 to the Colonel, and P-1 asked the FBI whether he should go ahead with the meeting. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Customs had jurisdiction over Neutrality Act cases. NO had to contact the Bureau in Washington to get permission to hand P-1 over to Customs. The permission was obtained, but nothing substantial came of the Customs investigation, possibly because of the clumsiness of the hand over of P-1 to Customs. One person, name withheld, mentioned in connection with the scheme, was described by Customs as a known gun-runner who had taken weapons to Cuba. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: FOR AMERICA Type Entity: Non-Profit Corporation or Co-op (Non-Louisiana) Status: Not Active (Action by Secretary of State) 2006 Annual Report/Reinstatement form is required in order to reinstate Print Annual Report/Reinstatement Form For Filing Mailing Address: 208 S LASALLE ST, CHICAGO, IL 60604 Domicile Address: 208 S LASALLE ST, CHICAGO, IL 60604 Principal Office: 208 S LASALLE ST, CHICAGO, IL 60604 Principal Bus. Est. in Louisiana: Qualified: 07/14/1954 Registered Agent (Appointed 7/14/1954): CHARLES E. DUNBAR, JR., 321 ST. CHARLES, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 Registered Agent (Appointed 7/14/1954): SUMTER D. MARKS, JR., 321 ST CHARLES, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 Registered Agent (Appointed 7/14/1954): LOUIS B. CLAVERIE, 321 ST. CHARLES, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hopefully that is "conservative" enough for most! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas H. Purvis Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Just post something on the William Pawley thread and I suspect he will return. -------------------- John Simkin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Fruit_Company In 1933, concerned that the company was mismanaged and that its market value had plunged, he staged a hostile takeover. Zemurray moved the company's headquarters to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was based. United Fruit went on to prosper under Zemurray's management; Zemurray resigned as president of the company in 1951. In 1969 Zapata Corporation acquired a controlling interest in United Fruit. The president of Zapata was Robert Gow, a friend of the Bush family. Robert's father, Ralph Gow, was on United Fruit's board of directors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapata_Corporation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Zemurray http://aolsearcht11.search.aol.com/aol/sea...er&ie=UTF-8 Zemurray expanded into other parts of Central America and in 1922 acquired the Bluefields Fruit & Steamship Company in Nicaragua from his father-in-law, Jake Weinberger of New Orleans. Zemurray was still influential within UFCO during the company's involvement with the CIA-backed 1954 overthrow of the Guatemalan government. He was a leading figure in the campaign to alarm the U.S. government and public of the "communist" threat in Guatemala, although he was never publicly identified with the CIA plot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/19799.htm Max Holland Miller Center of Public Affairs University of Virginia “Private Sources of U.S. Foreign Policy: William D. Pawley and the 1954 Guatemala coup d’etat” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.memorialchurch.harvard.edu/history/wwII.shtml Samuel Zemurray, Jr http://www.som.tulane.edu/cancer/images/bu...s/zemurray.html http://www2.tulane.edu/article_news_detail...?ArticleID=7199 Zemurray Hall, named for Doris Zemurray Stone's brother, Sam Zemurray Jr., who died in World War II, http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/zem.htm http://usanorthamerica.net/la/hammond/tang...ay_gardens.html He also donated the land and funds to build a park in Hammond, Louisiana, Zemurray Memorial Park, in honor of his son Samuel Zemurray, Jr., a World War II casualty http://www.accident-report.com/Crew_Names/namegole-gy.html http://www.accident-report.com/Crew_Names/namez.html SAMUEL ZEMURRAY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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