A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination
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In February, he wrote: Letter from Rankin to McCone, February 12, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
The commission received: Memo from Willens to Rankin, March 9, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
If the CIA had nothing: Slawson memo for the record, “Conference with the CIA,” March 12, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
Slawson read them: Memo from Coleman and Slawson for the record, “Mexico: Questions Raised by Ambassador Mann,” April 2, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
Stern was handed: Stern interviews; memo from Stern to Rankin, “CIA file on Oswald,” March 27, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“They let it be known”: Slawson interviews.
Yuri Ivanovich Nosenko: For background on Nosenko, see New York Times obituary on August 28, 2008. See also Martin, Wilderness.
Nosenko’s defection: New York Times, February 15, 1964.
He worried, especially: Martin, Wilderness, passim.
Rocca insisted to Slawson: Slawson interviews.
He was given nothing: Washington Post, September 1, 2008.
The request would have to go: Testimony of W. David Slawson, HSCA, November 15, 1977, passim.
CHAPTER 22
It was sometime early that month: Testimony of Norman Redlich, HSCA, November 8, 1977.
“Of course we thought”: Slawson interviews.
“It was self-protection”: Specter, Passion, p. 93; Specter interviews.
Griffin saw it: Griffin interviews. Also see Griffin testimony to the HSCA, November 17, 1977.
“Needless to say”: Letter from Rankin to Hoover, February 20, 1964.
As Hosty described it: Hosty interviews; Hosty, Assignment: Oswald, p. 234.
In December, he: Letter from Hoover to Hosty, December 13, 1963, as reprinted in Hosty, Assignment: Oswald, p. 101.
“You’re going to be”: Hosty, Assignment: Oswald, p. 118.
“I didn’t know”: Ibid., p. 36.
In the months after: Ibid., p. 83.
Hosty interviewed Odio: Ibid., pp. 132–34.
As Odio described: Testimony of Silvia Odio, July 9, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 11, p. 367 and passim.
During the interview with Hosty: Memo from Griffin to Slawson, July 12, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA. Also see Hosty, Assignment: Oswald, p.132 and passim.
He contacted Odio’s psychiatrist: Testimony of Dr. Burton Einspruch, HSCA, July 11, 1978, passim.
In the weeks after: Hosty, Assignment: Oswald, p. 133.
CHAPTER 23
The reports were not: Slawson interviews.
In the United States, a more serious: Memo from Redlich to Rankin, February 11, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
On February 12: See photocopy of Tocsin front page found in congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
Within days, Congressman: Letter from Baldwin to Ford, February 12, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
He contacted the House Un-American Activities: See letter from Francis J. McNamara of the House Un-American Affairs Committee to Ford, February 27, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
Asked by reporters: New York Times, February 5, 1964; Associated Press, February 4, 1964. See also Newton, Justice for All, p. 434.
Arlen Specter said: Specter interviews; Specter, Passion, p. 59.
The Columbus Enquirer: Attached to a letter from Harold Callaway to Ford, February 10, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
The chief justice was: See transcript of Johansen remarks, February 6, 1964, found in congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
A senior editor at Newsweek: Letter from Graham to Warren, February 18, 1964, and Bernstein letter to Warren, February 14, 1964, correspondence files, Warren papers, LOC.
On Monday, February 17: Letter from Hoover to Rankin, February 17, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
Rankin reacted instantly: Letter from Rankin to Hoover, February 18, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
As Rankin watched: See memo from Charles N. Shaffer, “Memorandum for the Record,” February 17, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“I took a bath”: Statement of Marina Oswald to the FBI, February 19, 1964, as reprinted in Aynesworth, JFK: Breaking. See also letter from Hoover to Rankin, February 20, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“Could it be possible”: Ford, Portrait, p. 511.
Robert testified: Testimony of Robert Oswald, February 20, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 1, pp. 264–502.
“Mr. Rankin said”: Memo from Hoover to Tolson et al., February 24, 1964, FBI.
Within days, eight: Memo from FBI Dallas field office to FBI headquarters, “Recommendations for Installation of Telephone and Microphone Surveillance,” March 2, 1964, FBI.
The next witness before the commission: Testimony of James Herbert Martin, February 27, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 1, pp. 469–502.
“As Martin’s testimony”: Memo from Redlich to Rankin, February 28, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
Two days later: Memo from DeLoach to Ford, February 14, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
CHAPTER 24
As the commission’s chief: Stern interviews.
It was darkly: For the history of the Secret Service, see Kessler, In the President’s Secret Service, passim. Also, Blaine, McCubbin, and Hill, The Kennedy Detail, passim.
The limousine used: For background on the Kennedy limousine, see the Web site of the Henry Ford Museum, www.thehenryford.org/research/kennedylimo.aspx.
“It was not designed”: Stern interviews; memo from Stern to Rankin, “Report on Security Measures to Protect the President,” February 17, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“It was horrible”: Stern interviews.
Within the agency: Warren Report, p. 430; memo from Stern for the record, February, 17, 1964, and Stern’s “Memorandum of Interview,” March 20, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
Stern felt sorry: Stern interviews.
Stern had a sense: Stern interviews. A description of the Metropolitan Club party is found in Peppers and Ward, In Chambers: Stories of the Supreme Court Law Clerks and Their Justices.
CHAPTER 25
In March, Ford wrote: Letter from Ford to Rankin, March 28, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
The chief justice was never: Specter, Passion, p. 56.
John Stiles: For background on Stiles, see obituary in the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Press, April 15, 1970.
In March, Ford was: “Checklist of Questions Raised by Mark Lane,” March 6, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
Representative James D. Weaver: Letter from Weaver to Ford, April 23, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
A memo to Ford: Unsigned memo to Ford, “Memorandum for Honorable Gerald R. Ford,” March 17, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
“How did it happen”: Letter from Poff to Ford, April 20, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
A Texas doctor: Note from George H. Kakaska, MD, to Ford, April 23, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
On April 3, Rankin wrote to Ford: Letter from Rankin to Ford, April 3, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
Ford wrote Rankin: Letter from Ford to Rankin, April 7, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
In a separate letter to Rankin: Letter from Ford to Rankin, April 24, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
He prepared a handwritten: Undated memo from Ray to Ford, undated, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
An unsigned staff memo to Ford: “Observations: Re: Mr. R,” April 7, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
In January, Ford’s Washington: Letter from H. L. Hunt to F
ord, January 25, 1964, congressional correspondence files, Ford Library.
“When I heard about this”: Goldberg interviews.
In his hard work: See background material about Ford’s book, Portrait of the Assassin, in Ford’s correspondence files, Ford Library. A copy of Ford’s book contract is also in the files.
CHAPTER 26
“I have had to somewhat”: Letter from Belin to colleagues at Herrick, Langdon, Sandblom & Belin, January 27, 1964, Belin’s Warren Commission files, Ford Library.
Raised in a music-loving: Des Moines Register, June 15, 2000.
Another letter to Des Moines: Letter from Belin to colleagues at Herrick, Langdon, Sandblom & Belin, February 11, 1964, Belin’s Warren Commission files, Ford Library.
“When there are”: Belin, You Are the Jury, p. 175.
Asked how Oswald dressed: Ibid., pp. 4–5.
There were far more: Ibid., pp. 5–8.
“I really was not”: Letter from Belin to colleagues at Herrick, Langdon, Sandblom & Belin, March 26, 1964, Belin’s Warren Commission files, Ford Library.
Friends on the police force: See New York Times, November 25, 1963, as well as extensive biographical material on a Tippit family memorial Web site: www.jdtippit.com.
For the test, Belin: Belin, You Are the Jury, pp. 139–40.
Belin conducted another: Ibid., pp. 261–63.
“I could hardly believe”: Ibid., p. 42.
“I heard this crack”: Testimony of Howard Brennan, March 24, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 3, pp. 140–211.
At about the time: Belin, You Are the Jury, p. 136.
Holland’s testimony was: Stern interviews. Also see testimony of S. M. Holland, April 8, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 6, pp. 239–48.
If Howard Brennan was: Belin, You Are the Jury, p. 69.
Warren passed a handwritten: The undated, handwritten note is found in Ford’s congressional correspondence files, identified as having been written by the chief justice and handed to Ford during Markham’s testimony.
Markham admitted that she: Testimony of Helen Markham, March 26, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 3, pp. 304–22.
Could Lane have impersonated: Belin, You Are the Jury, pp. 340–42.
In late February, Life: Ibid., pp. 302–5.
CHAPTER 27
Of the ninety-three: Specter interviews; Specter, Passion, p. 107.
He divided them into: Memo from Specter to Rankin, “Outline of Suggested Questions for Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy,” March 31, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“The Chief Justice had taken”: Specter interviews. Also see Specter, Passion, passim.
Kellerman struck Specter: Specter interviews; Specter, Passion, pp. 66–69.
When Jacqueline Kennedy learned: Gallagher, My Life with Jacqueline Kennedy, p. 341. Mary Barelli Gallagher had been Mrs. Kennedy’s personal secretary in the White House.
Later, when William: Manchester, Death, p. 290.
Specter thought: Specter, Passion, pp. 63, 69. Also see Hill, Clint, and McCubbin, Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir, p. 281.
Hill offered Specter a convincing: Testimony of Clint Hill, March 9, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 2, pp. 132–43.
An alarmed reporter from: Manchester, Death, p. 222.
No news organization: Ibid., pp. 165, 345.
“He was very suspicious”: Specter, Passion, p. 77.
An FBI report issued in December: The initial FBI report on the autopsy, the source of the essential information republished in the reports in December and January, was prepared by agents Francis X. O’Neill and James W. Sibert, who observed the autopsy. The full report, dated November 26, 1963, was released by the ARRB and is available online at http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/arrb/master_med_set/md44/html/Image0.htm.
It was then, Specter: Specter, Passion, p. 78. Also see Humes Testimony, Humes interview.
Specter later remembered: Specter, Passion, p. 80.
“I see that Governor Connally”: Testimony of James J. Humes, March 16, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 2, pp. 347–76.
“It was dangerous”: Belin, You Are the Jury, pp. 345–46.
The Kennedy family: Specter, Passion, p. 84.
CHAPTER 28
“The Chief Justice did not”: Specter interviews; Specter, Passion, pp. 90–99.
The error had been: Testimony of Dr. Ronald Coy Jones, March 24, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 6, pp. 51–57.
The key testimony: Testimony of Darrell Tomlinson, March 20, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 6, pp. 128–34.
One strong possibility: Warren Report, pp. 111–112.
The clothes were: Specter interviews; Specter, Passion, pp. 69–75.
“I couldn’t bear”: Nellie Connally, From Love Field, p. 119.
Nellie Connally found it: Ibid., pp. 120–21.
Specter recalled that: Specter interviews; Specter, Passion, p. 72.
Mrs. Connally had the film: Belin, You Are the Jury, pp. 308–9.
“Even ‘magic’ bullets”: Connally, From Love Field, p. 120.
“Russell was immaculately dressed”: Specter interviews.
“I heard a noise”: Testimony of Governor John Connally, March 16, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 4, pp. 131–46.
The scene produced: Specter interviews.
Connally, Warren decided: Warren interview with Alfred Goldberg, March 26, 1974, as found in Warren Commission files, Warren papers, LOC.
CHAPTER 29
“I must have watched”: Pollak interviews.
“There he was”: Goldberg interviews.
“The Chief Justice was”: Pollak interviews.
Mosk’s first assignment: Mosk interviews.
In late April, Mosk wrote a memo: Memo from Mosk to Slawson, April 23, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
Two years earlier: See obituary of Ely in New York Times, October 27, 2003.
Ely had been assigned: Memo from Ely to Jenner and Liebeler, “Lee Harvey Oswald’s Marine Career,” April 22, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
The seemingly prudish: Memo from Ely to Rankin, May 5, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
CHAPTER 30
Dean had told a number of seemingly: Testimony of Patrick T. Dean, March 24, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 12, pp. 415–49. Also see Dallas Morning News, March 25, 1979.
Griffin was not the only: Aynesworth, JFK: Breaking, pp. 176–79. Also see Huffaker, When the News Went Live, passim.
When Griffin took Dean’s: Testimony of Patrick T. Dean, March 24, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 12, pp. 415–49.
Dean said later: Dallas Morning News, March 25, 1979.
“No member of our staff”: Testimony of Patrick T. Dean, June 8, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 5, pp. 254–58.
Immediately after a staff: Memo from Griffin to Willens, April 4, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“We do not think”: Ibid.
“We should proceed as”: Memo from Willens to Rankin, April 6, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“We believe that”: Memo from Hubert and Griffin to Rankin, “Adequacy of Ruby Investigation,” May 14, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
The memo essentially: Memo from Willens to Griffin, “Re: Adequacy of Ruby Investigation,” June 1, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
He told Rankin he needed: Memo from Hubert to Rankin, June 1, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
According to David Belin: Belin, Final Disclosure, p. 46.
On April 26: Letter from Dr. Louis West to Henry Wade, May 7, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
Ruby readily acknowledged: Letter from Dr. Robert Stubblefield to Judge Joe B. Brown, May 15, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
CHAPTER 31
“Duran could be”: Slawson interviews.
The day before their departure: Memo from Slawson for the record, “Trip to Mexico City,” April 22, 1964, staff files, Warren Commissi
on, NARA.
“The CIA told me”: Slawson interviews. Also see testimony of W. David Slawson, HSCA, November 15, 1977.
The commission lawyers: Memo from Slawson for the record, “Trip to Mexico City,” April 22, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“We still have the”: Slawson interviews.
Coleman added to the confusion: Coleman interviews.
On Saturday night: Slawson interviews.
CHAPTER 32
“Mr. Manchester”: Manchester, Controversy, pp. 11–15.
Four days after: Manchester, Death, pp. x–xiii.
The chief justice raised: Statement of President Lyndon B. Johnson, July 10, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 5, pp. 561–64.
“I think it would have been”: Oral history of Chief Justice Earl Warren, September 21, 1971, LBJ Library, p. 12.
“I cast one last”: Statement of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, July 16, 1964, Warren Appendix, Vol. 5, pp. 564–65.
Warren agreed to be interviewed: Manchester, Death, pp. x–xi.
Manchester was given a tour: Manchester, Controversy, p. 10.
“Jackie has been reigning”: Pearson diaries, November and December 1963, Pearson papers, LBJ Library.
“TV viewers of the Kennedy”: Washington Merry-Go-Round, December 10, 1963, available in the Drew Pearson archives maintained by American University. The actual column can be found at http://dspace.wrlc.org/doc/bitstream/2041/50094/b18f09–1210zdisplay.pdf#search=”.
The column produced: Pearson diaries, November and December 1963, Pearson papers, LBJ Library.
Under his contract: Manchester, Controversy, p. 8.
Warren always felt: Goldberg interviews.
Much of the report: Memo from Goldberg to Rankin, “Proposed Outline of Report,” April 13, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
On March 16: Memo from Goldberg to Rankin, March 16, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
“They had all been”: Goldberg interviews.
“From an overall standpoint”: Letter from Belin to Willens, March 19, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
On April 24, he: Memo from Goldberg to Rankin, April 28, 1964, staff files, Warren Commission, NARA.
CHAPTER 33
He heard that: Slawson interviews.
Warren, for his part: Warren interview with Alfred Goldberg, March 26, 1974, as found in Warren Commission files, Warren papers, LOC.