1959 Oldsmobile Station Wagon

[Joel Gruhn]

Subsequent to the assassination, my now diseased father, Karl Gruhn, of Mound Minnesota came into contact with a 1959 Oldsmobile Station Wagon, gifted to an employee and friend of his, and shipped in secret from Dallas Texas. He and the car's owner believed that this car was possibly the same as that referred to by Mr. Lee Bowers in his Warren Commission testimony. He claimed that the car had previously been owned by a person known for his dislike of Kennedy and comments that "Kennedy should be shot."

I believe that tracing of the ownership history of this car may lead to further identification of persons or organizations of interest.

My reason for requesting membership in the forum is to bring forth the details of this car's history, if I am able to answer questions regarding it, and additionally to view photos attached to forum postings as jpeg files.

[Guest Stephen Turner]

Joel, welcome. Any information you can provide on this perplexing matter will, I know, be well recieved. Cars play a big part in the assassination,eg A 1957 Chevrolet was being sought on the day by the DPD. Transcripts reveal that wuthun two hours of the assassination, and whilst Oswald was already in custody, Police HQ put out the description of a 1957 Chevrolet sedan, the message went on "Occupants should be checked for concealed weapons." the car was last seen near the scene of JD Tippits murder, There is nothing further on the record....Steve.

[Lee Forman]

Hello Joel!

Welcome to the Forum. Can you upload photos? If not, feel free to shoot them to me as attachments and I will load them for you.

lforman23@comcast.net

BTW - once I find where I put them, I can scan and load the result of the search of the VIN through the Historical Society. We also have a Forum member on board who may be able to confirm Martin's Dallas address. As per my post on the subject - very likely that the car was junked at Carmichaels - that would have been closest to Mound. Carmichaels was razed last year. It's also possible that there may be a photo of Martin someplace.

Was your Father part of ALSOS? Would you happen to know the actual name of the project that he was engaged in while stationed in Munich? Did he take Ray in as a favor to someone do you know?

-lee

[Steve Thomas]

Joel,

Subsequent to the assassination, my now diseased father, Karl Gruhn, of Mound Minnesota came into contact with a 1959 Oldsmobile Station Wagon,

Would it be okay if I posted the Certificate of Title you sent me several years ago?

Steve Thomas

[Joel D. Gruhn]

Thank you for your patience.

This is my synopsis of the story that my late father, Karl Gruhn, of Mound, Minnesota told me regarding a 1959 Oldsmobile station wagon that was surreptitiously sent from Dallas / Oak Cliff after the Kennedy assassination. It may be the same vehicle as that testified to by Lee Bowers, Jr., however until there is a bit more known about this automobile, it’s owners and its circumstances I prefer not to make that conclusion.

The Olds under discussion was covertly sent out of Dallas by flatbed railcar after the assassination as a free gift to my father’s employee, a Mr. Ray Lipski, on condition of anonymity. It was sent by Mr. Lipski’s stepfather, Mr. Stewart R. Martin, a resident of 2736 Canary, Oak Cliff, TX. Martin was a person who frequently expressed anti-Kennedy sentiments prior to the assassination such as “Kennedy should be shot.”

I, Joel Gruhn, have personally seen this automobile in the mid 1960’s, ridden in it, and knew Ray and his wife, Donna, but knew nothing of its history at the time.

-----------------------------

After returning from WWII, my father Karl settled in the small town of Mound, Minnesota, a western suburb of Minneapolis. There he started “Minnetonka Furniture” a small business of retail furniture and carpeting sales. One of his employees, and a friend, in the 1960’s was Ray Lipski, who helped with deliveries and did the carpeting installations.

Karl recalled that approximately 1-2 years after the Kennedy assassination, Ray received a phone call from his father in Dallas, asking Ray to return the call from a public pay phone, i.e. not from Ray’s home, to a specific number in Dallas, at a specific date and time. Ray was assured that he would be reimbursed for the long distance toll.

When Ray returned the call, he was told he would be getting an Oldsmobile station wagon, free of charge, provided he keep quiet as to how he received the car and where it came from. The car was to be shipped from Dallas by rail, and Ray was to receive it in Minneapolis. This was done, and subsequently Ray received $10 by mail to cover the cost of the toll.

Ray was of course pleased to receive a free car so well suited to carrying rolls of carpeting and his installation tools. His employment was occasional, and he was a man of very modest means. When he received the car it would have been substantially newer than Karl’s and cause for comment.

Typical of his profession and time, Ray was paid in cash and no employment records were kept.

Because the car was free, was shipped from Dallas by rail from a Kennedy hater, and arranged for by means presumably intended to counter telephone surveillance, both my father and Ray suspected it had been involved in foul play.

Unbeknownst to Ray, Karl photocopied the title and transfer records, keeping them in his office safe until late in his life when he gave them to me. Karl said his reasons for not letting Ray know and for not bringing this forward earlier was “I didn’t want Ray or Donna to be hassled – people were getting killed.”

The car eventually was sold to a small junkyard west of Mound.

Note: It is unlikely that the junkyard was Carmichael’s Salvage, Excelsior, MN, which was considerably east of Mound.

----------------------------

Subsequent to hearing this story, I have done some minimal investigation, believing that the affiliations of the prior owner, Stewart R. Martin, would possibly point in an interesting direction. The similarity of that name to the alias of Edward Stewart Suggs of New Orleans, Jack Stewart Martin, is at the least curious.

I have called the Dallas Public library, and been told by the reference desk that the name Stuart Martin appears in the 1963 Dallas City Directory at the Oak Cliff address shown, 2736 Canary, occupation vitamin sales as I recall. I would certainly appreciate a copy of this reference to confirm the above, if there is anyone reading this that frequents that library.

I am also intrigued by the coincidence of the address of Stewart Martin, on Canary in Oak Bluff, and the general direction chosen by Oswald to flee after leaving his rooming house on the afternoon of the assassination.

-----------------

In a spirit of full disclosure, I would like to mention that Karl’s service in WWII, which has been referred to in this forum. He was educated as a journalist, and fluent in Prussian accented German, which came from growing up in a Lutheran Minister’s family in Milwaukee – all were forbidden to speak English at home. During the war, he was selected for Army Intelligence, and after training in Colorado was based in England as a photographic technician, staff sergeant, in a photo recon group associated with the 8th Army Air Corps. Subsequent to D-day and the combat loss of two brothers, he was offered a job stateside. He chose more active duty on the continent, typically as an interrogator / analyst. After the fall of Munich, he was among the first group of intelligence staff to enter and inventory the contents of the Nazi party headquarters. In the days following he was an interrogator of German Army and Intelligence officers in that area.

The results of those interrogations disclosed the German files on Soviet Russia, secreted in nearby caves, which were flown directly from Munich to Washington in transport planes fitted with additional fuel tanks to make the trip non-stop.

Karl was offered OCS and a commission if he would stay in Munich and help with the work of integrating the German-US network, but having lost two brothers he held deeply pacifist beliefs, and was anxious to rejoin his wartime bride. To the best of my knowledge, he had no further contact with the people he had contact with in the service, some of whom ultimately formed the nucleus of the CIA.

I am happy to answer questions in this forum to the best of my limited ability.

Joel Gruhn,

Barrington, RI

Edited August 7, 2019 by Joel D. Gruhn
wrong war - typo corrected

[Joel D. Gruhn]

Hello Joel!

Welcome to the Forum. Can you upload photos? If not, feel free to shoot them to me as attachments and I will load them for you.

lforman23@comcast.net

BTW - once I find where I put them, I can scan and load the result of the search of the VIN through the Historical Society. We also have a Forum member on board who may be able to confirm Martin's Dallas address. As per my post on the subject - very likely that the car was junked at Carmichaels - that would have been closest to Mound. Carmichaels was razed last year. It's also possible that there may be a photo of Martin someplace.

Was your Father part of ALSOS? Would you happen to know the actual name of the project that he was engaged in while stationed in Munich? Did he take Ray in as a favor to someone do you know?

-lee

Thank you Lee...

I would be gratefull for any further information you have, to be shared with other forum members, including especially any information on, or photo of. Martin.

I cannot rule out Charmichaels as being the final resting place for the Olds... It was large and convienient, however Karl was explicit that the junkyard was WEST of Mound, and Charmichaels is a few miles east. He also spoke of wanting to go "out there" and look for the car. In that area, out is west and in is east.

I have never heard of Alsos or any other project name. Karl spoke of being driven around Munich, and finding officers at home, who were scared of reprisal or trial, and so were happy to cooperate. I do not believe his WWII service is relevent to the car and Martin however. Interesting it may be, personally I see it as a bit of a diversion.

I am not aware of any particular reason he used Ray, outside of the context of their working relationship.

jdg

Edited January 12, 2007 by Joel D. Gruhn

[Steve Thomas]

All,

The Olds under discussion was covertly sent out of Dallas by flatbed railcar after the assassination as a free gift to my father’s employee, a Mr. Ray Lipski, on condition of anonymity. It was sent by Mr. Lipski’s stepfather, Mr. Stewart R. Martin, a resident of 2736 Canary, Oak Cliff, TX. Martin was a person who frequently expressed anti-Kennedy sentiments prior to the assassination such as “Kennedy should be shot.”

It looks like Stuart Martin bought this car used.

(Budget Auto Sales doesn't sound like a new car dealership)

I wonder who owned the car before Martin. According to the Title application, Martin didn't buy this car until a year after the assassination - in November, 1964.

There still is a Budget Auto Sales in Dallas:

Budget Auto 214-824-9922 2625 Live Oak St Dallas TX 75204

Budget Auto Sales 214-398-5747 1021 S Buckner Blvd Dallas TX 75217

Steve Thomas

[Ron Ecker]

I'm trying to figure out why Martin would buy this car off a used-car lot only to give it away in a surreptitious manner. Two possibilities:

1. He bought the car because he knew it had been used in the assassination plot and thought it would be cool to own it. But then he got cold feet, realizing that having a "hot" car might not be so cool, and gave it away, to someone far from Dallas.

2. It was after he bought the car that he somehow found out that it was related to the assassination. So he gave this "hot" car away to someone far from Dallas.

In any case, the big question seems to be, who was the previous owner?

[Lee Forman]

Hello Joel.

Here is the most significant document. I was told that Heritage did not retain collections on the original invoices as far back as 1963 - one would need to apply to the original car dealership for same.

Perhaps a car collector has the vehicle today - I did call as many as 10 different yards in the area - they all knew what a 59 Olds wagon looked like - none recalled ever having seen one.

So your Father knew Ray quite by coincidence then? Any idea as to whom Ray's biological father may have been?

On Paperclip - there were a lot of projects - your Father does not appear to have been associated with ALSOS - I was only curious. The Paperclip connections to the assassination are intriguing.

For example, Boris Pash led ALSOS. Boris Pash was the man whom Tracy Barnes recommended EH Hunt to when he needed to get rid of a double agent. Pash was head of an assassination organization after his successful work in ALSOS. Lansdale also worked ALSOS. It may not be connected to the car - however, considering some of the folks operating in Dallas at this time - there may be a connection. Some folks believe that Lansdale and Pash were in Dallas on 11/22. Open to debate.

- lee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Pash

After the war, Pash served in various military intelligence positions. He served under Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Japan [1946-47]. He also served in Austria [1952-53], and in Washington DC [1953-57]. From 1948-51, he served as a military representative to the Central Intelligence Agency. During this time, he was in charge of a controversial CIA program PB/7, also known as Operation Bloodstone.

http://www.childrenofthemanhattanproject.o...STORY/H-06f.htm

Alsos III - Germany - The Alsos III mission entered Germany on February 24, 1945. However, now an additional urgency occupied much of their time. None of Germany's nuclear materials and absolutely none of the German scientists must be allowed to fall into Russia's hands. This new element was the source of much intrigue as the Allies advanced toward Berlin. For instance, one key German facility lay square within the planned Russian zone. There was no way that the Americans could reach the facility first so General Groves made a request to General Marshall to have it destroyed. On March 15th, 612 Flying Fortresses of the 8th Air Force dropped close to 2,000 tons of high explosives on the Auergesellschaft Works in Oranienburg just to the north of Berlin. The plant was totally destroyed.

Further intrigue ensued with a little known tactical Alsos mission labeled Operation Harborage. After France fell to the Allies, it was decided to give the French a "zone of occupation" in Germany when they finally surrendered. The zone given to the French was originally designated as an American zone. A few suspected nuclear research facilities, including the research center reputed to be in the Hechingen area was in the planned French zone. General Groves states: " As I saw it, there could be no question but that American troops must be the first to arrive at this vital installation, for it was of the utmost importance to the United States that we control the entire area that contained the German atomic energy activities...I was forced to initiate some drastic measures to accomplish our purpose."

The strategy behind Operation Harborage was to have a sizeable force, perhaps at the Corps level, cut diagonally across in front of the advancing French army and seize the area long enough to capture the people we wanted, seize and remove all available records, and destroy any remaining facilities. The operation was initiated in April 1945 and Hechingen was captured on April 24th. Col. Pash seized a large atomic physics laboratory and took into custody several sought-after scientists including Otto Hahn, Carl von Weizacker, and Max von Laue. It was learned that Heisenberg, Gerlach, and a few others had left Hechingen two weeks prior and were possibly in Munich or at Urfeld in the Bavarian Alps. On the 27th, the German scientists were transferred to Heidelberg for further questioning, where information on the whereabouts of German atomic research records were revealed by von Weizacker. They were sealed in a metal drum which was stored in a cesspool in back of von Weizacker's house.

At about the time that Operation Harborage was under way, the continuing investigations at the Alsos Forward Headquarters at Heidelberg were bearing fruit. It was becoming apparent that there were two groups in Germany working on the uranium pile, the first under Kurt Diebner at Frankfurt and the second under Werner Heisenberg. On April 12th, Diebner's laboratory was seized in Frankfurt. On May 1, 1945, Gerlach was captured and Diebner was picked up on the 3rd. Simultaneously, an operation led by Pash at Urfeld, captured Heisenberg and quickly removed him along with confiscated records to Heidelberg.

One other major accomplishment of Alsos III was an operation headed up by Lansdale into an area near Stassfurt, Germany. After seizing a salt mine known as the WIFO plant, Lansdale and his men discovered an inventory of close to 1100 tons of uranium ore. This discovery prompted the following memo from General Groves, head of the Manhattan Engineer District, to General George Marshall, Chief of Staff: "In 1940 the German army in Belgium confiscated and removed to Germany about 1200 tons of uranium ore. So long as this material remained hidden under the control of the enemy, we could not be sure but that he might be preparing to use atomic weapons. Yesterday I was notified by cable that personnel of my office had located this material near Stassfurt, Germany, and that it was now being removed to a safe place outside Germany where it would be under the complete control of American and British authorities. The capture of this material, which was the bulk of uranium supplies available in Europe, would seem to remove definitely any possibility of the Germans making any use of an atomic bomb in this war."

The three Alsos missions into occupied Europe were a little known yet eminently successful operation of the Manhattan Engineer District. At the end of the war in Europe there were 114 men and women with Alsos comprised of 28 officers, 43 enlisted men, 19 scientists, 5 civilian employees and 19 CIC agents. The mission was officially disbanded on October 15, 1945.

Furthermore, all of the key German scientists captured and interrogated by Alsos were relocated to Farm Hall, a country estate in England where their every word was surreptitiously recorded by the British. One interesting dialogue follows:

Diebner: "I wonder whether there are microphones installed here?"

Heisenberg: "Microphones installed? (Laughter) Oh, no, they're not as cute as all that. I don't think they know the real Gestapo methods; they're a bit old-fashioned in that respect."

- lee

[John Dolva]

Joel, do you know whether your fathers business had dealings/connections with Nassaus Window Furnishings or with Fabricland?

[Joel D. Gruhn]

Joel, do you know whether your fathers business had dealings/connections with Nassaus Window Furnishings or with Fabricland?

Sorry to say neither name is familiar.

/jdg

[John Dolva]

No worries, Joel. Have you got a sample of Lipskis handwriting to post?

[Lee Forman]

I have called the Dallas Public library, and been told by the reference desk that the name Stuart Martin appears in the 1963 Dallas City Directory at the Oak Cliff address shown, 2736 Canary, occupation vitamin sales as I recall. I would certainly appreciate a copy of this reference to confirm the above, if there is anyone reading this that frequents that library.

With many thanks to Phil Hopley - source is the Greater Dallas Telephone Directory.

- lee

[Karl Kinaski]

deleted

Edited July 19, 2010 by Karl Kinaski

[Lee Forman]

I have called the Dallas Public library, and been told by the reference desk that the name Stuart Martin appears in the 1963 Dallas City Directory at the Oak Cliff address shown, 2736 Canary, occupation vitamin sales as I recall. I would certainly appreciate a copy of this reference to confirm the above, if there is anyone reading this that frequents that library.

With many thanks to Phil Hopley - source is the Greater Dallas Telephone Directory.

- lee

See corrected version...

- lee

Edited July 19, 2010 by Lee Forman