Burt Griffin
Paul Bleau's first chokehold is that "the official record impeaches the Warren Commission." He believes that: (page 38 in the Kindle edition of his book Chokeholds)
U.S. investigations into the assassination, statements made by investigation insiders and foreign government conclusions about the assassination prove that there is a strong consensus by the independent investigative authorities that there was a conspiracy in the murder of President John F. Kennedy.
Bleau's chapter then lists out a variety of statements that seemingly prove conspiracy. Of course, Bleau doesn't tell readers the full truth about these viewpoints.
Burt Griffin and Leon Hubert
Bleau Assertion: (pages 51 - 52)
Burt Griffin and Leon Hubert were charged with investigating Jack Ruby and while they had not concluded that Ruby was involved in a conspiracy, they were clearly not satisfied with the investigation and information transferred to them by the FBI or CIA. This is made clear by memos written by them and answers Judge Griffin gave in his HSCA testimony.
In the documentary The Killing of President Kennedy, Griffin is even blunter: “I feel betrayed … the CIA lied to us…” He goes on to state that the CIA concealed their efforts to kill Castro and their links with the mafia, which would have been very important for the investigation. Griffin also is on the record as saying: “In any area where Oswald’s relation to the FBI… We could not trust Hoover.”
What Bleau Doesn't Tell You:
Here is the full quote from Griffin from Anthony Summers' documentary, The J.F.K. Conspiracy: (52:34)
Interviewer: Did you trust J. Edgar Hoover?
Griffin: I don't think any of us trusted J. Edgar Hoover when it came to the question of the image of the FBI.
Interviewer: But do you think that, for one reason or another, the FBI deliberately misled the Warren Commission?
Griffin: I think in any area where Oswald's relationship to the FBI, even as a suspect from the FBI, could have supplied a motive for Oswald. In those areas we could not trust Hoover.
The fact that the Warren Commission didn't always trust Hoover is not a bad thing. It says something about their understanding of where they had to probe more deeply, and that they could not just take Hoover's word.
Despite issues he might have had with the FBI and the CIA, Burt Griffin still believed that Oswald was the lone gunman. Bleau wouldn't dare quote this testimony from Griffin's HSCA appearance:
Mr. Blakey: Let me ask you, then, a general point. As you know the conclusion of the Warren Commission was that Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin of the President. Are you satisfied with that conclusion?
Judge Griffin: Yes, I am. There is no doubt about that.
Mr. Blakey: The central conclusion from many people's point of view was that there was no evidence found of a conspiracy to assassinate the President. Are you satisfied with that conclusion?
Judge Griffin: I am satisfied that that statement is true.
Bleau might have a look at Burt's new book, JFK, Oswald, Ruby: Politics, Prejudice and Truth. Here is a short excerpt: (page 654 in the Kindle edition)
If reasonableness is the standard of history, there should be no reasonable doubt that Lee Oswald killed both President Kennedy and police Officer J.D. Tippit. There can be no doubt that Jack Ruby killed Oswald. The Warren Commission and the House Assassinations Committee conducted their investigations fourteen years apart. They agreed that Oswald fired his rifle from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository and killed Kennedy. Neither of those exhaustive investigations, nor any investigation since, has produced probative evidence linking Lee Oswald to a conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy.
Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Paul Bleau
Bleau leaves out an important paragraph from Alfredda Scobey's article on the Warren Commission.
Bleau misleads readers on the testimony of John Moss Whitten.
Bleau gets it all wrong on Dr. George Burkley.
Bleau doesn't tell the whole story about John Sherman Cooper.
Bleau claims that J. Lee Rankin questioned the findings of the Warren Report. This is just true.
Bleau tries to make it appear that Dallas policeman James Leavelle had doubts that Oswald could be found guilty at a trial.
Bleau gets it all wrong on the FBI Summary Report.
Bleau discusses the conclusions of the HSCA but leaves out it most important finding.
Bleau leaves out some important details about a Warren Commission staffer.
Was Oswald a loner? Bleau says no, and then says yes.
Bleau leaves out some important details about Malcolm Kilduff.
An introduction to Paul Bleau's new book, Chokeholds.
Was David Ferrie Clay Shaw's pimp?
Did Lee Harvey Oswald have an escort?
Edward Girnus was in prison for forgery, and he told a fanciful story about Clay Shaw and Lee Harvey Oswald.
Leander D'Avy told the HSCA he saw Oswald and Ferrie with the three tramps.
Bleau's analysis of Garrison's files is full of errors.
Bleau believes there were seven plots against JFK before Dallas.
Bolden's allegation that there was a plot against JFK in Chicago has changed over the years.
There is no evidence that there was a plot against JFK in Tampa.
There is no evidence that there was a plot against JFK in Chicago.