William Turner: Rearview Mirror

[William Turner]

Hello Bill Turner, a true Friend of JFK, and one of my personal heros.

I reading Joan Mellon's "Farewll to Justice" I expected her to have an attitude towards some of those who undermined Garrison's investigation, and to pinpoint the press that was bought off and the infiltrators who disrupted justice, but I was kind of surprised at some of her insinuations, especially towards Bill Turner.

In calling attention to Edgar Eugene Bradley, Carl MacIntyre's California assistant, Turner investigaged a legitimate suspect, and Garrison indicted him, but Mellen says, "...Neither Ivon nor Alcock would have been capable of the incompetence volunteers William Turner and 'Bill Boxley' now exhibited...No agreater disservice was done to Jim Garrison's work than Turner's and Boxley's targeting of Edgar Eugene Bradley..."

(p. 264)

There are official documents that reflect the fact and Mellen herself speculates that Edgar Eugene Bradley was mistaken or confused with Eugene Hale Brading - aka Jim Braden - who was taken into custody as a suspicous person at Dealey Plaza, and MacInytre was certainly a major operatior (more on that if requested), and Turner was certainly justified to investigate him.

I'd like to know Bill Turner's response to Mellen's book.

Also, Bill Turner's investigation into the CIA ship "Rex" is really significant and I'd like to call attention to that line of inquiry specifically, and all of the great work he's done in general. One of the first articles I read on the JFK Assassiantion was by Bill Turner in Ramparts, about the New Orleans angles, so I guess I can blame him for sparking my interest in this subject.

Bill Kelly - A friend of Bill Turner.

bkjfk3@yahoo.com

Over the years that Joan Mellen researched "Farewell to Justice," she was in repeated contact with me in person, by phone and e-mail. In addition to interviewing me on a myriad of subjects, she sought my opinion and analysis and introductions to my contacts. Through all this interface she never asked me about my role in the Edgar Eugene Bradley case. Since I have a high regard for Joan, I would prefer to think that this was an inadvertant ommision. When she describes Bill Boxley and myself as incompetent volunteers who did a disservice to Garrison's work, she doesn't know what she is talking about.

The facts are these: On a Sunday morning JG called me at my Mill Valley home. He was staying at an airport hotel in Los Angeles and wanted me to catch a plane so we could "brainstorm" some things. One of them, it turned out, was the variance in height between the "Oswald" in the Soviet Union and the American one. As I was prepasring to fly back to San Francisco, JG asked if I would accompany Boxley, who was with him, on some interviews the ffollowing day. I agreed to go along because it is desirable to have two on interviews and there was no one else available in Los Angeles.

The interviews were of Carole Adylotte and Tom Thornhill, two local right-wingers who had contacted JG's office to level charges against Bradley that he was complicit in the JFK assassination. Boxley had with him the memos memorializing phone contacts with Adylotte and Thornhill, and we proceeded to interview them separately. They added some details to what the memos said, and strongly recommended we talk to Dennis Mower of the paramilitary California Rangers to verify their stories. We went through a screening process and were led to Mower in a motel room in Lancaster, in the desert. Mower tossed his handgun on the bed and demanded that we do the same. Boxley complied, but I was unarmed.

When we returned to JG's hotel suite, Boxley read from his notes of the three interviews (I hadn't taken any notes). Neither Boxley nore I made any recommendation, although I assumed that at a later date additional investigation would be conducted, including an interview of the suspect. Having been gone three days without a change of clothes or razor or toothbrush, with my family probably wondering where the hell I was, I left immediately for the airport. As I was gong out the door JG was on the phone with, I believe, Jim Alcock. It wasn't until I got back home that I heard on TV that JG had filed charges against Bradley in Orleans Parish and would sekk his extradition.

I can assure you, Bill, that JG did not mistake Edgar Eugene Bradley for Jim Braden or anyone else.

[Owen Parsons]

Mr. Parsons, have you read "A Farewell to Justice"? I certainly believe it attacks Mr. Turner quite directly.

Yes, of course I have read it. Have you read my post?

Edit: Thanks for telling your side of the story Mr. Turner.

Edited November 16, 2005 by Owen Parsons

[Tim Gratz]

Owen wrote:

Mellen doesn't really "attack" Bill Turner. . .

When I asked if he had read the book, Owen said he had.

Quote from my copy of book:

"Garrison was particularly bitter about Bill Turner who 'using false statements' and a 'totally false picture' had led him to Edgar Eugene Bradley mistakenly." (Ch. 21.)

Rather strong language, I would say. I could not find a cited source for the supposed Garrison quote. (I do not contend Mellen manufactured it but I saw no citation to support the statement she attributes to Garrison.

Another quote:

Manifesting increasingly dubious judgment, Turner and Bradley met Mower in a hotel room. . .

If you have not used bad judgment but I accuse you of doing so, that is certainly an attack. But I also submit it is an attack to state someone used dubious judgment even if the statement is true. Regardless, I could not figure out from the paragraph why Mellen called it "dubious judgment".

Finally:

No greater disservice was done to Garrison's work than Turner's and Boxley's targeting of Edgar Eugene Bradley.

(Last two quotes from Chapter 16.)

"No greater disservice?" in a book in which she accuses the CIA and Bobby Kennedy of trying to sabotage the Garrison investigation? If that is not an attack, what is it?

Edited November 17, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[John Simkin]

Bill Kelly has posted an article on the Forum about the possibility of obtaining a grand jury in order to investigate the assassination of JFK.

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=5634

I have started a thread where I have asked researchers to put forward evidence that would justify the case being reopened.

As a result of your own research, what evidence is currently available that suggests that Lee Harvey Oswald was not the only one responsible for killing JFK?

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=5659

[John Simkin]

On page 244 of Rearview Mirror you describe Thane Eugene Cesar as being Cuban-American. What do you know of his background? Did he ever work with any of the anti-Castro groups? Is he still alive?

Did Scott Enyart ever get his photographs back? Does he remember what was in those photographs? (page 245)

[William Turner]

On page 244 of Rearview Mirror you describe Thane Eugene Cesar as being Cuban-American. What do you know of his background? Did he ever work with any of the anti-Castro groups? Is he still alive?

I don't know that Cesar worked with any of the anti-Castro groups. At the time of the assassination he was moonlighting at Ace Security and working at the CIA's Skunk Works (the U-2 facility) at Lockheed in Burbank.I have no knowledge that he worked for Hughes Aircraft. As of a year ago, one Thane Cesar had an address of 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village CA 91362. As you may know, Dan Muldea was once his agent.

Did Scott Enyart ever get his photographs back? Does he remember what was in those photographs? (page 245)

Enyart did not get his fotos back. He said his camera was aimed at Kennedy as he entered the pantry and tracked him as he was shot.