Question for Hemming on Conein

[Ron Ecker]

Gerry,

I thought my question about the following nugget might deserve its own thread, lest the subject remain lost in the thread ("Gerry P. Hemming") where you wrote it. You stated:

Check my federal trial (Miami - 1977) transcript and study where, after subpoenaing Lucien Conein, and conducting my own defense, put my last question to him on the witness stand: "...Colonel Conein...Did you receive any monies from Madame Nhu during November of 1963..?"!! Of course, the government objected, and Judge Hoeveler sustained.

But this does NOT, and did NOT THEN, mean to infer Conein's culpability in the JFK assassination, but was a further attempt at exposing the fact that: Revenge money had been PUT ON THE TABLE by the "Nhu Clan" because of JFK having permitted the murder of the Nhu brothers, Diem & Ngo !!

This clearly suggests that Conein accepted money from Madame Nhu for the assassination of JFK. Since plans for the assassination would have already been well underway, Conein would have to have known this, else he would not have readily accepted the money, Madame Nhu not knowing she was being taken.

Do you suspect or believe that this could have happened, that Conein simply pocketed money from the vengeful Madame Nhu, knowing that what she wanted was already being taken care of? Are you aware of evidence to support this?

This intrigues me as a possible explanation for the "lookalikes" at Main and Houston. I know that you disparage all this lookalike business, but it struck me that if Conein took Madame Nhu's money, he would want to be able to prove to Madame Nhu that he actually had a hand in the assassination, that it wasn't something that had been previously planned by others. What better way to prove this than to have him and some cohorts in photos or on film right there at the scene of the crime? This could explain why Conein and others were quite willing to be photographed in Dealey Plaza, Conein in clear view with a smile on his face.

Ron