Larry Hancock: Someone Would Have Talked

[Larry Hancock]

Lee, as per a "last ditch" plan the only evidence we have is anocdotal plus the fact that we do know that car bombs were a common MO for later attacks against Castro in Latin America - as described by Veciana. By anocdotal I mean Hargraves remarks, Hemmings remarks and general third party gossip. However another alternative used by some of these folks were bazookas and in one case in Latin America they even equipped a DC3 with heavy weapons for an attack on Castro at an airport.

As to what it would have/could have been in Dallas. Pure speculation but I'm inclined to think car bomb, I don't know that we have any photos showing cars parked immediately beyond the overpass but I think there are pictures showing cars pulled off Stemmins further on. The guys in DP might simply have used a radio to let the back up team be ready with the car bomb if JFK was not clearly killed by the rifle attack. Given the lack of preparation and training for the SS at the time it probably would have worked.

Your point on the acceleration of the limo, I think that occured where Greer slowed or stopped to have an exchange with the DPD car and then hit the gas afterwards taking the lead.

--Larry

[Antti Hynonen]

Larry, Lee,

Below is a link to a set of photos that I used on another thread today. So far this photo is the best I've seen from the area immediately under the overpass right after the shots were fired. I don't know if this helps greatly.

I've tried enlarging the photo, and do not see any cars under the Elm section of the underpass.

Antti

http://dsc.discovery.com/anthology/unsolve...lery_zoom6.html

[Larry Hancock]

Hi Antti, I'd agree that there are certainly no cars parked under or

immediately beyond the overpass....although it's interesting to note that

there was a "stalled" pickup on Elm just inside DP until only a short while

before the motorcade arrived, the DPD did monitor it and the owners

got it towed away - probably just a coincidence but if the DPD had let it stay

there it would have been in a perfect position.

There are photos looking back from Stimmins to the underpass as the

motorcade is emerging and those should be checked throughly - I have not

yet seen a car parked immediately beyond the underpass though.

I suspect that the most interesting areas to examine would be the

Stemmins freeway access ramp and then the areas immediately

adjacent to Stemmins. There are also local press and newspaper

photos of some of that area, I don't know that anyone has done a good

job of searching that out but I think you will find some cars parked adjacent to the freeway with people waiting for the motorcade. Another possiblity would have been the road leading into the trade center, off Stemmins. I doubt there are

any photos of that exit ramp or of the Trade Center entrance but that

would have been a back up in case the entire DP attack had to abort.

And nobody had ever really researched the train coming over

the overpass a few minutes after the motorcade passed - that is an option

albeit a tricky one due to timing but susipicious in that there were concrete orders from the SS to stop all train traffic over bridges on the route for 30 min before and 30 min after the planned transit time. Finally, one area that is totally open to

speculation is the road beneath the overpass itself. There were sidewalks

passing under there but very little foot traffic. A bomb concealed under there

would have been terribly effective....interestingly it appears that the dark complected man walked on down that way after the attack and may have gone

down that sidewalk. Unfortunately it's about 39 years too late to really

investigate the backup I'm afraid, which leaves it pure speculation.

P.S. Which leaves us also the report from Love field that a group of men with guns were seen there after the assassination - nothing more and no follow up radio traffic, as big a loose end as the man walking west down the railroad track with a gun, the suspicious car found out that direction and towed etc.

-- Larry

[Lee Forman]

I found James Tague and invited him to the forum. It looks like he's chosen not to post a reply, but he sent me an email stating:

"I did not see what went on in the triple underpass as I had ducked under Commerce St and the Limo went under Elm."

Probably a better subject would be to put this question to is Ed Hoffman, who would have been in a much better position to view any parked cars along the stretch before the Freeway.

- lee

[Bernice Moore]

Hi All,

Antti here are a couple of photos for you....

In the first, a McIntyre..coming out from under the Overpass....

The second in the Volkand,as you will see there were cars, etc and people waiting to see them.You shall notice in the 2nd photo, in the SS Queen Mary limo..the large automatic weapon being held up....too late, but they were armed, with heavy weapons..

Larry some good thoughts there...

Regards........B

[Bernice Moore]

Number 2, the Volkand..

I had to crop it some, so you cannot see very well. the automatic

in the Queen Mary, just a stick standing up on the right...B

[Larry Hancock]

Thanks Bernice, indeed the roadway right beyond the overpass is clear

of everything but people....certainly no security in that long stretch there

though. But more importantly as you show, once the limo moved on to

Stemmens itself there were cars right beside the roadway.

A shaped charge in one or more of those vehicles would have been

terribly effective if operted by radio and there could even have been more than one -- the motorcade cars would have still been going relatively slowly at that point. Hemming has always said the car bomb was just

beyond the overpass but of course that could describe the ramp or

right on Stemmens itself.

P.S. the AR15 you described was the only weapon beyond a pistol

in the whole motorcade and as I recall it was set for single shot not

even semi-automatic. Interestingly enough that weapon is the subject of one of the major problems with Cliff Carter's testimony - he claims to have seen the SS man holding it up immediately after the first shot and scanning the TSBD, claims Hickey simply could not get a clear shot at Oswald. All of which is patently untrue and proven so by many photographs....

... Larry

[Ron Ecker]

Larry,

The Cabana Motel, where I believe Braden and some other shady characters stayed on the night of 11/21 and where I believe Ruby visited, was near Stemmons, was it not? As I recall it was near where Continental Ave/St met Stemmons.

Did the motel have more than one floor? I'm wondering if it might not have been a perfect location for some motel guest(s) to be watching the freeway and set off a car bomb by remote control as the limo went by.

I'm also reminded of the report that some men were seen sighting with rifles on Continental on the night of 11/20. I wonder how close to Stemmons and the motel they were.

[Lee Forman]

From Bernice's photo [thanks Bernice!]

I don't care so much about whether or not a weapon can be seen in the 'volkland' photo, I'd like to know what the heck it is that is going on in the background. It's not often you see someone pulled off on a major highway, facing the wrong direction with their gate down.

Reverse on a highway is 5 points in New Jersey. Other than leaving the scene of a personal injury [8 pts], 5 is as high as it gets [Reckless driving, racing on a highway, etc.].

I've enlarged and enhanced that piece.

- lee

[Larry Hancock]

Ron, you've got the location correct I think....I recall seeing pictures

and I'm sure it was at least two story. Whether or not it had a good

view of Stemmens is a fascinating question....I bet someone on the Lancer

Forum would know.

And Lee, there should be a high enough quality photo of that vehicle

off Stemmens to answer your question, I had always thought it was

a semi Tractor but now that you mention it I'm no longer sure.

Whatever it is it certainly is in a fine position. Larry

[Chris Newton]

Jim Braden stayed in room 301 which might imply at least three stories.

Edited May 28, 2004 by Chris Newton

[Larry Hancock]

From some initial feedback and a Dallas historical link it appears the

Cabana was right off Stemmons - in fact the locals talk about it

being "on Stemmeos".

It was quite the place circa 63/64...reportedly the Beatles stayed there while on tour in 1964. Much later it became - for a time - the "Bill Decker Jail" for

minor offense prisoners...hmmm....

No specifics yet but it seems likely some rooms did have a good view

of the freeway.

--Larry

[Ron Ecker]

Larry,

In the link below on the Cabana (later the Bill Decker Jail), it talks about the prisoners on the Stemmons side having "great downtown views." That would certainly suggest a good view of the freeway.

http://www.dallashistory.org/cgi-bin/webbb...ig.pl?read=8163

Ron

[Ron Ecker]

From some initial feedback and a Dallas historical link it appears the Cabana was right off Stemmons - in fact the locals talk about it being "on Stemmeos".

The exact address was 899 Stemmons Freeway.

http://www.dallashistory.org/cgi-bin/webbb...ig.pl?read=7860

[Larry Hancock]

Ron, do a yahoo map search with that street address and you wil

find the Cabana was immediately ajacent to Stemmons - off the

south side of the access road and probably not too far from where

the "Volkand" photo was taken on Stemmons. Undobutedly it had a

wonderful view of the highway and downtown Dallas.

There's no way to ever prove it but certainly it would have been an ideal

place to monitor and control the car bomb...with zero risk.

-- Larry