VIDEO - AMBUSH! - How the Secret Service set up JFK

[Gil Jesus]

Chronicles the Secret Service's reduction of President Kennedy's protection and its last-minute changes for the Dallas motorcade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QAWiIRgx0g

[Guest Mark Valenti]

Excerpts from a speech Lyndon Johnson gave about the Secret Service in a special presentation to James J. Rowley at the White House on November 23rd, 1968.

"As long as I live I am going to have a very special memory of this extraordinary group of men and a sentimental, affectionate feeling for each of them.

This may be a surprise to most of you because I don't express that sentiment through the days. I know that sometimes you are surprised at the way I react to your orders and sometimes I am surprised at the way you react to mine.

I will never forget that day in Dallas when a great big, husky roughneck from Georgia threw 185 pounds of human weight on me, and said, "down." And there wasn't any place to go but down because he was on top of me. His life was being offered to protect mine. At least he thought so.

I will never forget the daily knowledge that my wife and my family--no matter how frequently they are drawn into public--were protected by the finest professionals in the world. And if there is anyone that we love outside of our family, it is the Secret Service.

A lot of things you have had to live through with me. If I could rewrite them, I would change a lot of them because I have abused you, I have criticized you, I have been inconsiderate of you, and all of those things that you know better than I do.

I have spent more of my time telling you what you did wrong than what you have done right. But Luci, Lynda, and Mrs. Johnson remind me every day of how blessed you have been to them.

You hear a lot about the FBI. I admire them and I applaud them. But I don't yield to them a bit in integrity and competency when you talk about the Secret Service. We are thankful that we have both of these services.

Well, I have a lot to say about Director Rowley because he symbolizes all of them. And what I say about him applies to each of them. We have a little surprise for Director Rowley this morning. At least I hope it is a surprise. Most of the surprises I plan don't turn out that way, because I learned a long, long time ago it is hard to keep a secret from the Secret Service.

To you, and Emory Roberts, who I am sorry can't be here today--he greets me every morning and tells me goodby every night-to all the members of your family, I want to say that I believe of all the employees that I have known in the Federal Government in 38 years that I have worked, from a doorkeeper, to secretary, to Congressman, Senator, and Vice President, I don't believe that I have ever seen any collective group that is possessed with as much integrity, as much character, as much selflessness, and as much courage as your men.

To honor James J. Rowley is to honor the United States Secret Service, which he directs with unsurpassed skill and devotion.

In more than 30 years of distinguished duty, he has come to personify the Service's noble tradition of courage and loyalty.

The Secret Service protected America's electoral process itself in the recent political campaign, when violence and controversy were stronger than in any Presidential election of our time. Despite the tides of turbulence and tension, the Service enabled all the major candidates for the Presidency and Vice Presidency to meet safely with the American people, in every part of our land.

But Director Rowley has left his mark on more than the Secret Service.

He symbolizes the strength of the American government.

I am proud to commend him, in the name of all our people, as the guardian of our democracy.

I did say, though, to President Nixon the other day: "You will have many problems. Of course, you will have a lot of friends when you come in. But the best friend you will have when you come in and when you go out will be an organization--that will be the Secret Service of the United States."

[Thomas Graves]

Chronicles the Secret Service's reduction of President Kennedy's protection and its last-minute changes for the Dallas motorcade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QAWiIRgx0g

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Good one Gil. Thanks!

--Thomas

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[Myra Bronstein]

Chronicles the Secret Service's reduction of President Kennedy's protection and its last-minute changes for the Dallas motorcade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QAWiIRgx0g

Excellent work Gil! I mean excellent.

You're focusing on areas that need more attention paid: bullet hole in windshield, complicit SS.

This is one of your best videos. Very powerful stuff.

Glad you included the notorious Rybka stand down order from Roberts.

And footage of Palamara; I've never seen that before. Read his online book of course.

Yeah, Boring and Roberts; I know he suspects them strongly.

I'd add Kellerman and Greer.

Stealing the body from Parkland at gunpoint... how suspicious is that?

And that's just the SS agents who were (IMO) in on the plot.

Every one of the Cellar drinkers was, at the very least, an unwitting accessory.

You packed a lot of info into this video.

Boffo stuff.

These must be a ton of work for you but please keep 'em coming.

Edited April 25, 2007 by Myra Bronstein

[Myra Bronstein]

Excerpts from a speech Lyndon Johnson gave about the Secret Service in a special presentation to James J. Rowley at the White House on November 23rd, 1968.

"As long as I live I am going to have a very special memory of this extraordinary group of men and a sentimental, affectionate feeling for each of them.

...

No doubt. Without their help he never would have been promoted.