Aspects of U.S. Post Office history

[John Dolva]

I think the purpose here was to see what bridges exist between the military po and the civilian. There must be crossovers of relevance. I think I had some data on it at tjhe time but got a bit sidetracked onto other matters. Just a bump for (imo) topical reasons.

[David Andrews]

Worth investigating whether a military-postal relationship may have begun with the anti-war movement during the Wilson administration, and the Red Scare after the war. Certainly a postal-DOJ-Bureau of Investigations relationship began then.

[John Dolva]

Yeah. And the 'formal' entry by the CIA in 53 (tho some references seem to indicate 1948, but that's as far as has been revealed since then. Particularly the investigation into it as part of the ? Buchanan committee. So given the nature (as actually outlined in the report) of the CIA to kind of shape shift its operations, burying them and bringing them out in a new guise when all's clear, a stretch to all military complex (communication is absolutely essential and therefore it's absolutely essential to control it (and use it to control)) orgs. It seems reasonable and with some recent posts it seems worth looking at.

[John Dolva]

Tom, as we recognise we are talking of the USPO (I re-emphasise this as research readily leads one to believe the USPS*** was the department in question in '63) then the question of patronage is particularly important.

During the Civil War, Confederate President Davis formed the Confederate Post Office and appointed a most able PMG in John Henninger Reagan* (who, BTW was the last of Davis's Cabinet to be captured by the Union, as well as being captured with Davis. Where's the Gold?)

In setting up the Confederate PO, he garnered staff from the Union USPO^, as well as appointing new staff.

His department was recognised as the most economically viable of all the Confederate Gov. Dep's.. After surrendering he spent some time in jail but was eventually rehabilitated into society**, as well as ex-Confederate PO staff. So the USPO after the Civil War was already set up as the PO that allowed the patronaged PO as you describe with deep infiltration of non-Union elements particularly in the southen states. So that was in place pre assassination.

Like wise, the FBI was seeded with segregationists, and people like Zack Van Landringham, chief investigator for the MSC, was an ex-Hoover assistant. Then there are ex-FBI's like Bannister, a committed and prominent segregationist.

Who's the master to serve?

For some of these elements, the answer is highly likely not the Union.

J. E. Day, Kennedy's first PMG, resigned in mid '63 over a Civil Rights issue where he, by his actions, showed himself to be not a person suitable for Kennedy. He was Harry's Boss's Boss until he resigned. He also participated (according to Helms, with full briefing) in the CIA mail opening ops. This was as a result of a visit by Helms and Dulles a couple of weeks after being appointed by Kennedy, so for a couple of years he was an almost daily attendant of Kennedy gov. Cabinet meetings AND was covertly involved with the heads of the CIA. While officially he resigned for personal reasons, those personal reasone were of a nature that neither endeared him to Kennedy nor one can assume endeared Kennedy to him. His replacement was regarded by the people who recruited Day into the covert ops as unsuitable. One can assume that Holmes' loyalties lay in the camp of Day's and the other infil. elements.

That doesn't prove that Holmes was involved in the assassination. You're quite right to question that. Hence, with regards to Holmes, personally I see questions that need answering. The fact that they are hard to answer is at least interesting.

One question would be that, as the Limo disappeared behind the trees, from Holme's perspective, he was pointing his binoculars almost directly at the TSBD sixth floor. Four or so unidentified (Why? Holmes was most proud of his near photographic memory, describing it in minute detail at one point) and Holmes, when the first shot rang out, with no objects blocking sound transmission and with the sun shining into the sixth floor window directly opposite, neither Holmes, nor any of the 'I can't rmember who' persons with him reported seeing anything, neither then nor for the later shots, after Holmes had reacquired the Limo in his oculars after it reemerged from behind the foliage. At least there are things there that are 'odd'.

Another matter is the last interview that Oswald had prior to his transfer (and 'timely' murder). Holmes, as was his practice, drove with his wife to Church. Once there, he suddenly decides to leave his wife there and go to the DPD to see if he could be of assisstance.

When appearing there (in his words) Fritz waved him over and whispered an invitation to attend te interview. Ruby meanwhile meandered about ending up at the DPD.

Harry, personally, was responsible for the interview being prolonged and some 'coincidences' occurred:

Ruby was in place,

Harry had kept the interview going with minutae re post boxes etc,

someone banged on the interview room door and the interview ends,

Oswald goes to his death, which would not have happened if Harry had stayed in Church.

There are numerous other peculiarities regarding Holmes, outlined in many other posts, that a general view point that "the complete impression that (one is) wasting (ones) time in chasing Postmaster Holmes in regards to any part of the assassination" has persisted for 44 years that ensures that the time indeed is wasted.

____________________

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blmailus2b.htm

* "The Post Office Department of the Confederate States of America was established on February 21, 1861, by an Act of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States. On March 6, 1861, the day after Montgomery Blair's appointment by President Abraham Lincoln as Postmaster General of the United States, John Henninger Reagan, a former U. S. Congressman, was appointed Postmaster General of the Confederate States of America by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States.

Reagan instructed southern postmasters to continue to render their accounts to the United States as before until the Confederate postal system was organized. Meanwhile, he^ sent job offers to southern men in the Post Office Department in Washington. Many accepted and brought along their expertise, as well as copies of postal reports, forms in use, postal maps, etc.

In May 1861, Reagan issued a proclamation stating that he would officially assume control of the postal service of the Confederate States on June 1, 1861. Postmaster General Blair responded by ordering the cessation of United States mail service throughout the South on May 31, 1861.

The resumption of federal mail service in the southern states took place gradually as the war came to an end. By November 15, 1865, 241 mail routes had been restored in southern states; by November 1, 1866, 3,234 post offices out of 8,902 were returned to federal control in the South.

**Postmaster General Reagan was arrested at the end of the war but later was pardoned and eventually made it back to Congress, where he became chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads."

http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/postmaster/postmaster.html

"The supervision and management of the financial business of the Department, embracing accounts with the draft offices, the issuing of warrants and drafts in payment of balances reported by the Auditor, the superintendence of the rendition by the Post Masters of their quarterly returns, is under the control of the Finance Bureau. It has also charge of the dead letters, of the issuing of postage stamps and stamped envelopes, and the accounts connected therewith."

"To the Inspection Office is assigned the duty of receiving and examining the registers of the arrivals and departures of the mails, certificates of the service of Route Agents and report of mail failures, noticing the delinquencies of contractors, attending to all mail depredations, furnishing blanks for mail registers and mail failures, furnishing and sending out of mail bags, mail locks and keys."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmaster_Ge...e_United_States

***"The United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress as the first Postmaster General, serving slightly longer than 15 months.

Until 1971, the Postmaster General was the head of the Post Office Department. During most of that period, he was a member of the President's Cabinet and the postmaster was last in the presidential line of succession. The Cabinet post of Postmaster General was often given to a new President's campaign manager or other key political supporter, and was considered something of a sinecure.

In 1971, the Post Office Department (under Nixon) was re-organized into the United States Postal Service, a special agency independent of the executive branch. Thus, the Postmaster General is no longer a member of the Cabinet and is no longer in line to be President. During the Civil War, the Confederate States of America also had a Confederate Post-Office Department, headed by a Postmaster General, John Henninger Reagan.

The current Postmaster General (who is also CEO of the U.S. Postal Service) is John E. Potter"

I got tired of reading this topic at this post 14. Just bringing it back for consideration re Dulles involvement.

edit typo

Edited December 16, 2013 by John Dolva

[Paul Brancato]

John - can't say I blame you for bumping this. There was so little interaction previously, yet the subject deserves closer inspection.

Do you know any biographical details about Inspector Holmes?

Key parts of the Oswald 'conviction' involve his purchase of mail order weapons. If memory serves, PD Scott suggested years ago that Oswald may have ordered the weapons as part of a covert investigation. Sorry I am fuzzy about this. Since there is so little direct evidence of Oswald having shot a rifle on Nov 22, but better evidence that he brought a rifle to work, there is an unsolved mystery. Did he shoot at Walker, and if so was it with the rifle he ordered by mail? The evidence is skimpy, relying mostly on Marina. If Oswald is innocent of both the Walker shooting and the JFK hit, why did he order a rifle? He supposedly used the name Hidell when doing so, and as far as I understand the only other time he used that name was when he was running his FPCC operation in New Orleans. To me that implies that ordering the rifle was part of some other intelligence operation. All of this might have nothing to do with Holmes. But still, anything that anyone here knows about Holmes would be of interest.

[John Dolva]

From memory there is a questioned origin from Oklahoma, I tend to go with that but it has been suggested otherwise. He moved to Kansas then on to Dallas in '48 . Where he settled. Part of his work as a USPO-PI was to be on the road. Where he went at these times I don't know. That's geographical. Someone should write a comprehensive biography on this guy.

It's very reasonably surmised he was a registered FBI informant. The CIA is reasonably suggested from the CIA - USPO mail interception programs. It has been suggested variously that he was MilIntel, ONI. He was very pally with the DPD and treated very nicely by the Presidential Comission. He did retire a couple of years before Nixon did away with the USPO (and seemingly its internal documentation). A number of other PI's also retired pre dissolution. There is a statement that some did so in order to 'cleanse' the system of potential embarrasments.

He does indeed appear to have many faces. The real one is somewhere.

.

[John Dolva]

To get back tom the intent of this topic. It does lead to Holmes but it's meant to serve as a way of considering a coup d'etat that always has a component of information control. I've previously expressed that I think there are good reasons to take it seriously that the assassination of JFK was a conspiracy and further that there is a conspiracy to cover that up. The complexity lies in unravelling the opportunistic elements which in a sense widens the co-conspiracists to a large group of individuals through varying degrees of association. All who covered up are not part of the conspiracy to kill JFK except in so far as direct after the fact participation in keeping silent. re information control : this is what a look at a major info conduit tales in a coup. Gronowski who replaced Day wouldn't play with the CIA, the USPO was fundamentaly restructured and renamed as the USPS, and its files appear to have disappeared. A centuries old department disappeared a few years after the assassination. When one looks at Day's relationship with the CIA and considers the role of Holmes it's not hard to seriously consider CIA involvement. Others for other reasons consider it likely the CIA was involved. I brought this back at this time to argue (from this segmented logistic aspect re a coup) that Dulles is reasonably to be considered as part of the conspiraciy/ies.

[John Dolva]

I just doodled a rough timeline which I'll try to summarise here:

BF founds the USPO with the PMG a permanent patronaged cabinet member

BF founds the PI department of the USPO

.

.

.

the USPO splits into north and south and after the Civil War regroups.

.

.

Day resigns or is booted and shortly the USPO node is shifted from Kansas City to WDC

2 months later JFK is dead.

7 years later the USPO is no more and a PMG no more has a cabinet position. Holmes and other PI's vacate their positions up to a couple of years previously.

The obviously assumed connection between the CIA and the USPO is well documented.

(Ditto today CIA connections to data purveyors masquerading as social media, search engines and other means of data conveyancing is clear today. This dictatorial control follows seamlessy on from various state apparatus' from the time of the assaassintion. In replacing Day with a non cia compliant PMG was also a break with the growth of the congressional intelligence military industrial complex agenda mirrored in the vigorous expansionism NATO continues today.)

[Robert Howard]

Commission Document 296 - Post Office Dept. Summary of 17 Jan 1964 re: Postal Inspection Assistance
page 2
also CE 1797
In accordance with the request of the Honorable Earl Warren, Chairman, President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, there are attached two
copies of an summary setting forth the assistance rendered by the Postal Inspection Service in the investigation of the assassination.
There are also attached for the confidential information of the Commission two copies of the front and back of POD form 2153x dated September 18, 1963,
covering a publication called “OGONEK” addressed to Mr. Lee H. Oswald, Box 2915, Dallas, Texas. The pen and ink notations on the card were evidently made by Oswald, as they constitute his reply, and his name has been signed to the reply. Form 2153x is used in connection with incoming mail matter suspected of containing Communist propaganda. It will be appreciated, therefore, if this feature is treated as confidential. The original card was turned over to the FBI.
We shall be happy, of course to furnish any additional information desired by the Commission.
Sincerely Yours,
[signature ]Henry Montague
H. B. Montague
Chief Inspector
end
page 3
ASSISTANCE RENDERED BY THE POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE
IN INVESTIGATION OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S ASSASSINATION
Immediately upon learning of the assassination of President Kennedy, the cooperation of the Postal Inspection Service
dated 17 Jan 1964 ...A postal employee of the........
Mr and Mrs Tobias LHO landlords at 602 Elsbeth
Mrs Tobias also stated that an information form re the Oswalds was in the possession of Mrs. Martin Jurek
page 4
On the morning of November 24, in accordance with a request of the FBI, postal inspectors obtained and furnished the address of Mrs. Ruth Willis, a Terminal Annex box
patron, who worked on the fourth floor of the Texas School Book Depository on November 22, and heard footsteps overhead just after shots were fired
page 5
A postal inspector took part in the interrogation session of Oswald for about two hours just prior to the shooting of Oswald on November 24. A memorandum
covering the interview was furnished by him to the FBI at their request. On December 2, the Secret Service advised that they had a letter from Oswald to his wife,
written in Russian prior to the assassination, indicating there might be a sudden, permanent separation between him and his wife. Because the Secret Service surmised
that Mrs. Oswald would receive further word through a post office on Ervay Street, postal inspector gave the matter attention but could not locate the letter.
At New Orleans, Louisiana.
On the evening of November 22, postal inspectors determined from records
page 6
At Irving, Texas
Mrs. Ed Roberts
At Fort Worth, Texas
At the request of the Secret Service.
On November 25, 1963, it was determined that a postage due parcel had been on hand in the Irving post office earlier in the week of the assassination for Mrs. or Mr. Oswald
and was delivered on about November 20 or 21.
page 7
10009 Sienna Drive, Denton, Texas. They also determined there was no criminal record for him in the Tarrant County Sherrif’s office or the Fort Worth Police Department in the motel an unidentified man remarked that "Benedict Arnold is coming to town.” The identity of the person making this remark was not established.

At midnight on November 22 postal inspectors......
Peter Gregory and that his son was friendly with Oswald
page 8
MEMORANDUM OF INTERVIEW
I got the impression that he had disciplined his mind and reflexes to a state where
page 11
“Just give me one of those sweaters
slipover-sweaters with some jagged holes in it
Signed
H. D. Holmes
Postal Inspector
Dallas 22, Texas
http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=10697

John, I thought you might be interested in this document, if you were not already aware,

or had read it. I found it pretty interesting.

[John Dolva]

Hey, Robert, thanks. Yes I'm interested and no I haven't read that. I can only read page 3, everything else is null. Sounds interesting though. For example Page 5. The teasers there are enough to want to read and ponder that (and I suppose 4 and 6 as well to round out any missing bits). I'm pretty familiar about those events from other readings except for the letter. And page 7 : at midnight...what.

Anyway, thanks.