On page 94 in the Kindle edition of Cyril Wecht's book, he writes: "In 1963, Victor L. Marchetti, Jr., was a CIA agent specializing in Cold War espionage but would later quit and write books that were critical of the U.S. intelligence community. Marchetti described how the Office of Naval Intelligence established a program where several dozen young American men were assigned to appear disenchanted about the United States and would be sent into Russia or Eastern Europe. Their goals was to be recruited as KGB agents, but they'd actually function as "double agents," since their true loyalties would remain with America. The men were trained in U.S. Naval installations abroad. At the Marine base in Atsugi, one of Oswald's case officers was Gerry Patrick Hemming, who had worked for Fidel Castro as a CIA double agent, then turned virulently anti-Castro once he left Cuba. Was Oswald part of the ONI program Marchetti described, and was Hemming his handler?" I have seen no evidence anywhere that Gerry Patrick Hemming was Oswald's handler. He's long been known as a loose cannon in the JFK assassination world and most people do not take him seriously. There is also no evidence that Hemming had any association with the CIA. By the way, there are no footnotes for Wecht's book. I discussed Hemming in my book, I Was a Teenage JFK Conspiracy Freak , in a section about a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary on the JFK assassination: (pages 181 - 184) The most sensational part of Dallas and After is when Adrienne Clarkson talks to Gerry Patrick Hemming, an ex-Marine soldier of fortune who was involved in the fight to overthrow Castro. He told The Fifth Estate a wonderful story indicative of a healthy imagination. Here’s the complete discussion: Hemming : I’d been to the White House earlier that year [1963] in March. I was in the east wing of the White House having an interview with the military aide to the President, General Clifton. I’d been to the Pentagon, the State department, what have you earlier in 1963. I’d done quite a bit of travelling. Had new contacts, dealt with very prominent people and in travelling I heard constant comments as to a solution to the Kennedy problem. It got very serious as to why uh waste time in Cuba. Why risk lives. The whole problem is in the White House. That should be taken care of.” Adrienne Clarkson : Did someone walk in with a case of money and ask you to kill John Kennedy?” Hemming : Well only one time was there money on the table. All other times we got out of the conversation and out of the meeting gracefully enough to avoid discussing any figures. Obviously these people had uh they’d been recommended to us and we’d been recommended to them and now suddenly we were discovering why these recommendations had been made and why these introductions had been made. Clarkson : What kinds of techniques were discussed? Hemming : Just proper standard techniques. Clarkson : Such as? Hemming : Sniper’s techniques, explosive techniques. Remote control explosive devices. Shooters. Clarkson : Do you think number of different groups were putting out a contract on Kennedy’s Life? Hemming : That was the feeling we had before Dealey Plaza. My name was thrown into the mill and into the Warren Commission right off the bat. I was prime shooter. My crew was the only capable team in the whole United States of America. This was from day one this was pushed. And it upset me to a great degree and I’ve made it a point to find out who did what who didn’t do what in the last 14 years. I’ve answered a lot of questions myself. Clarkson : Answer me one. Who did it. Who did the job? Hemming : I know personally of more than one group of individual that collected money and they ripped them off. They didn’t do the job. They took credit for it. Well they only, they’d taken money beforehand. Stroke of luck for them. Does any of this make any sense? Tantalizing clues about absolutely nothing. Less than six months later, Hemming testified before the HSCA . His first-hand story morphed into “offhand remarks” at a meeting in Dallas sometime in 1962 which Hemming characterized as “loose conversation.” It took up less than a page in a deposition of 200 pages, and Hemming wasn’t even mentioned in the HSCA Final Report. Over the years, Hemming’s spiel has included more and more characters from the assassination saga (Oswald, Ruby and others), he was willing to tell stories to any researcher and any JFK conspiracy group with the time to listen. The 1996 JFK Lancer conference convened a panel discussion with him, and researcher John Kelin wrote that “as far I could tell, [he] provided little more than a measure of comic relief.” He elaborated that “we were not, however, treated to many serious answers during the hour or so the panel lasted. In fact, many of his answers were couched in sarcasm, and somewhat condescending irony.” Hemming went on to charge that Oswald was following him around at an anti-Castro training camp near Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans. The moderator asked Hemming, “What would you perceive to be the purpose, or function of Oswald being on your tail?” He answered, “They [the anti-Castro Cubans] pegged him as a Soviet agent. Who knows what’s in these peoples’ heads, what they had him doing. I want you to penetrate these exile groups, kid, and I’ll give you an extra Snickers bar.” Hemming also hung out on JFK assassination bulletin boards on the Internet. He was asked about his interview in Dallas and After in 2006 and he disputed the accuracy of the transcript. He wrote that “The CBC lady who was doing the interviewing…she didn’t know sxxx-from-Shinola, and I quickly became aggravated that she hadn’t a clue about the subject matter.” Hemming died in 2008 and will forever remain a small footnote in the JFK assassination.

One of the major problems of Rob Reiner's podcast series is that it accepts the stories of fabulists like Richard Case Nagell  and Tosh Plumlee . See also here  for Plumlee. Here is an excerpt from a transcript of Episode 4, The Patsy : (15:15) Rob Reiner : And then there's Tosh Plumlee. Soledad O'Brien : Tosh Plumlee worked for the US Army and military intelligence in the 1950s. In the 60s, he became a CIA operative. He was a mercenary pilot. Tosh Plumlee : In 1959 was the beginning of Nags Head, North Carolina. That was propaganda training, special operations, illusionary warfare training. And the object there was training us to take over communication sites and spread propaganda. Rob Reine r: Was that the first time you met Oswald? Tosh Plumlee : Yeah, that's when I first run into Lee. Rob Reiner : And at that point, you knew that you were an operative for the CIA. Tosh Plumlee : I knew I was in Special Ops, but I wasn't sure. I knew something, something funny was going on. Of course, in those days, you got, you got to take into account that we figured whatever the government told us, and whatever military told us, whatever that was printed in a media was gospel truth. Rob Reiner : Was Oswald part of that? Tosh Plumlee : I was under the impression that Lee, he was an operative, and he was being trained for a specific operation. I was under the impression, at that point, that this man, this kid that I met my age, was part of the old original recruitment of young teenagers getting in trouble. Dick Russell : Now, it wasn't only Plumlee who said this. Victor Marchetti, who was a CIA official, who then wrote a very well-known book in the 1970s that exposed a lot of things the CIA didn't want out. Soledad O'Brien : The book is called The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence . It refers to itself as "the first book the U.S. government ever went to court to censor before publication." Rob Reiner : The program in North Carolina was designed to leave the impression that these young, troubled men had become communist sympathizers. To make them appear to be disenchanted with the American system. Soledad O'Brien : Marchetti's book alleges that in 1959, the U.S. was struggling to get information out of the Soviet Union. So, they ran this operation out of Nags Head on about 40 young men. Rob Reiner : The CIA was trying to gain an advantage against the Soviets. They wanted to have a group of young men, under their control, to be thought of as red. So, they cultivated these young men to look like legitimate communist sympathizers for potential use and covert operations. And Lee Harvey Oswald was there. Tosh Plumlee : Primarily he was recruited, I think, at that point in time, to be a defector, disgruntled person, to go to Russia and I think that U-2 assignment was a cover in order to get him into Russia. Was there a secret facility in Nags Head, North Carolina? Did the U.S. government have a program to turn troubled young men into communist sympathizers? Was Lee Harvey Oswald part of this program in North Carolina? Location of Nags Head, North Carolina There is no evidence for any of this. So, where does all of this come from? I searched Victor Marchetti's book, The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence , and could find no reference to anything in Nags Head, North Carolina. However, Anthony Summers quoted Marchetti in his book, Conspiracy : (page 145) At the time, in 1959, the United States was having real difficulty in acquiring information out of the Soviet Union; the technical systems we had, of course, not developed to the point that they are at today, and we were resorting to all sorts of activities. One of these activities was an ONI program which involved three dozen, maybe forty, young men who were made to appear disenchanted, poor American youths who had become turned off and wanted to see what communism was all about. They were sent into the Soviet Union, or into eastern Europe, with the specific intention that the Soviets would pick them up and "double" them if they suspected them of being US. agents. They are trained at various naval installations both here and abroad, but the operation was being run out of Nag's [sic] Head, NC. The story gets better since Tosh Plumlee was not only at Nags Head, but he was there with Lee Harvey Oswald. Here is an excerpt from a Tosh Plumlee affidavit: In another statement, Tosh Plumlee wrote the following: When I later learned that Oswald had been arrested as the lone assassin, I remembered having met him on a number of previous occasions which were connected with intelligence training matters, first at Illusionary Warfare Training in Nagshead [sic], North Carolina, then in Honolulu at a radar installation and at Oahu's Wheeler Air Force Base, then in Dallas at an Oak Cliff safe house on North Beckley Street run by Alpha 66's Hernandez group, who had worked out of Miami prior to the assassination. The allegation that Oswald was stationed, for a period, at Nags Head, was investigated by the PBS Frontline team in the early 1990s. Here is their report: This is important -- Marchetti said that he based his statement on Nags Head on "speculation." Marchetti had no direct knowledge of such a program. Marchetti associated Nags Head and the "spy business" because a former CIA agent, Edwin Moore, had testified that he bought a hotel in Nags Head to use as a safe haven for Cuban defectors. A private detective said there was never a safe house there and did not know of any ONI activities in Nags Head. The memo also touches upon the allegations that Lee Harvey Oswald called John Hurt in North Carolina from the Dallas jail. Here is another view of that supposed phone call . Even the John Hurt angle is stretching it. Hurt lived in Raleigh, not Nags Head. The whole John Hurt story doesn't make sense. He spent most of his life after World War II working as an insurance claims adjustor. There is no evidence of any "spook involvement" after World War II. The memo notes that "Marchetti told me, however, that he has never had any specific knowledge that ONI operated a fake defector program. In the interview with Tony, he said, he was 'repeating what he was picking up from other journalists.'" They also called Otto Otepka and he also did not know of any ONI fake defector program. There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegation that Oswald was at a military training camp at Nags Head. Rob Reiner and Soledad O'Brien should have known better. Were there no fact checkers on their podcast? Paul Hoch points out that the Office of Naval Intelligence files do exist. An Army intelligence file was destroyed, however. Previous Relevant Blog Post Rob Reiner's Podcast Series, Part One Flimsy evidence is cited that originated in Hustler Magazine . Rob Reiner on the Two Oswalds Reiner believes the two-Oswald theory. Jefferson Morley: Able to Leap Intellectual Chasms in a Single Bound This blog post also covers the concluding episode of Reiner's podcast.

Headline from Variety after the 1929 stock market crash. Chad Nagle and Dan Storper published an article this week on Jefferson Morley's Substack claiming that CIA records detailing contacts with Lee Harvey Oswald were destroyed: A  short memo  from the ARRB’s  chief counsel  refers to a “phone mail” from historian Michael Kurtz concerning CIA officer Hunter Leake, deputy chief of the agency’s New Orleans office in 1963. Kurtz, a professor of history at Southeastern Louisiana University, is author of the 2006 book, “ The JFK Assassination Debates: Lone Gunman versus Conspiracy .” Leake was a key contact for assets of the CIA’s  Domestic Contacts Service , which had (and has) offices in many U.S. cities. The memo’s author writes: “We should get Leake records.” But in its final report, the ARRB never mentions any New Orleans-based CIA personnel. What Kurtz wanted to tell the JFK Review Board in 1995 was this: Leake had told him the CIA destroyed evidence of contacts with Oswald within days of the president’s murder. Nagle and Storper misrepresent what is in the ARRB memo. First, Kurtz told the ARRB that he got the information about Leake from Dale Oriole, and not from Leake. In addition, while the memo's author did write, "we should get Leake records," the memo was just quoting Kurtz: The other problem with Nagle and Storper's article is their reliance on Michael Kurtz as a source. Over the years, Michael Kurtz has made a variety of claims in his books and articles that he has never backed up with any evidence, and many of which contradict each other. A fellow critic, Pat Speer, has written an article about Kurtz's credibility.  Here is what Speer had to say about Kurtz's supposed interviews with Hunter Leake: Throughout the JFK Assassination Debates Kurtz repeatedly relies on interviews with men such as Hunter Leake (a little-known CIA agent who'd been stationed in New Orleans), William George Gaudet, (an anti-communist operative in New Orleans), and Richard Helms (a former head of the Central Intelligence Agency). These men purportedly told Kurtz things they never told anyone else. Both Leake and Gaudet, for that matter, were supposedly interviewed in the 1980's, well before Kurtz's 1993 update of Crime of the Century . And yet they were never mentioned in the book. An overview of the information purportedly gained from Leake, for that matter, proves most illuminating. Leake was purportedly interviewed over the telephone on 3-15-81. No other interview is listed. And yet, on page 158 of the JFK Assassination Debates Kurtz relates that  "In several interviews...Leake stated that Oswald came to New Orleans in April 1963 because the CIA office there intended to use him for certain operations. His job at the Reilly Coffee Company merely served as a front for his actual role."  And that is just the beginning. On page 162, Kurtz relates that  "Leake stated that on the day of the assassination, he was ordered to collect all of the CIA's files on Oswald from the New Orleans office and transport them to the agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia...They proved so voluminous that Leake had to rent a trailer to transport them to Langley...Leake later learned that many of these files were, in the term made infamous by John Ehrlichman during the Watergate crisis, 'deep-sixed.'"  And that's not all. On page 178, Kurtz further reveals that  "Leake told me that on one of his several visits to that city  (New Orleans) , Robert Kennedy ordered them  (the CIA)  to focus on 'getting rid of Castro' and specifically declared that he did not care how that objective was accomplished."  It goes on. On pages 184-185, Kurtz reveals that Hunter Leake told him that Guy Banister worked for the CIA, and that he sometimes reported to...Hunter Leake.   And that is just a sample of the things Leake purportedly told Kurtz, but no one else. On page 189, to continue, Kurtz claims  "In reality, Lee Oswald had made several trips to Mexico City in 1963 to carry out missions for Guy Banister and Hunter Leake."  His source? Hunter Leake, of course. But wait, there's more. On page 213, Kurtz puts the usual suspects in Kennedy's killing in the same room...in New Orleans, naturally. He relates that  "Hunter Leake recalled  (mafia-fixer-heavily-involved-in-the-CIA's-assassination-plots-on-Castro Johnny)  Roselli meeting with Guy Banister and David Ferrie in Banister's office on Camp Street." It's perfect. A little too perfect. From what can be gathered, Hunter Leake was unknown to JFK assassination researchers until the late 1990's, when documents and testimony from the 1960's and 1970's were released that indicated he'd been a member of the CIA's Domestic Contact Service in New Orleans, and had frequent contacts with the man Jim Garrison ultimately brought charges against, Clay Shaw. With the release of The JFK Assassination Debates in 2006, Kurtz stepped up and said he'd interviewed Leake in 1981, and that Leake had told him just about everything. Wherever there is confusion in the record--Did Oswald work for the CIA? Did Robert Kennedy order Castro's assassination? Was there any connection between the CIA's assassination attempts on Castro and the activities of Banister and Ferrie in New Orleans?--Leake pops up in Kurtz's book to show us the way. It's incredible. Nearly as incredible as Kurtz's supposedly sitting on this stuff for 25 years. Speer notes the dates of Kurtz's supposed interviews with a variety of people. One "interview" of Hunter Leake occurred on March 15, 1981. Speer comments: By 1982, Kurtz had supposedly already interviewed both Robert Canada and Hunter Leake, two of the most revelatory interviews ever conducted, or at least claimed to have been conducted, regarding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. And yet these interviews were not only not mentioned in Kurtz's 1982 book based on the  "most exhaustive research carried out to date on John Kennedy's murder" , they were not mentioned in a blurb put out by his publisher pushing the greatness of his research. No interviews, in fact, are mentioned anywhere in the blurb. Hmmm... Which seems more likely? That Kurtz's publisher forgot to add in that "Oh yeah, by the way, the good professor has been conducting his own investigation into the assassination, and has conducted some interviews that will change the way we look at Kennedy's autopsy and Oswald's possible connections to the CIA"? Or that Kurtz kept these interviews a secret from his own publisher? Or that, by golly, these interviews were never actually conducted? Speer also notes that on page 246 of The JFK Assassination Debates , Kurtz lists the subjects of his interviews, and assures:  "Notes, tapes, and transcripts of all interviews will be deposited at a later date in the John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection, Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies, Linus A. Sims Memorial Library, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana. Interviews were conducted in person, and by telephone, e-mail, and letter." Here is the link to Kurtz's papers and there is no mention of Hunter Leake anywhere. And Kurtz also interviewed many people who were actually dead. Here are the dates of his supposed interviews and the date of their death: 3-18-84 Jesse Curry (DOD 6-22-80, age 66) 7-17-85 William George Gaudet (DOD 1-19-81, age 72) 11-12-85 William Hawk Daniels (DOD 1-22-83, age 68) 6-6-86 William Hawk Daniels (DOD 1-22-83, age 68) 9-14-86 Abe Fortas (DOD 4-5-82, age 71) 9-16-86 Leon Jaworski (DOD 12-9-82, age 77) 8-23-87 Manuel Artime (DOD 11-18-77, age 45) The rest of the Nagle/Storper article is full of allegations that I have previously debunked on this blog. Oswald and 544 Camp Street It's nice to see that finally conspiracy theorists have admitted that Oswald did not stamp 544 Camp Street on his handouts. He only stamped that address on a few Corliss Lamont pamphlets. I wonder if Nagle and Storper would now also admit that Oliver Stone used a fake handout in his film JFK and in his documentary series, J FK: Destiny Betrayed. Paul Bleau and the Fake Oswald Handbill   Conspiracy theorist Paul Bleau featured a fake Oswald handbill in a podcast. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills   An analysis of the handbill used in Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK: Destiny Betrayed . "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills, Part Two   An examination of where the fake handbill came from. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills, Part Three   A look at James DiEugenio's use of the fake handbill. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills, Part Four   Jefferson Morley is the latest researcher to use a fake Oswald handbill. Why did Oswald stamp 544 Camp Street on a few pamphlets? Perhaps he saw the "for rent" signs outside the building and for a few days thought it might make a good office for his Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Perhaps he saw the address on some old CRC pamphlets that were in Carlos Bringuier's store and thought that using the address on his pamphlets would piss off Bringuier. 2. Guy Banister and Lee Harvey Oswald Nagle and Storper make the claim that Guy Banister was seen with Lee Harvey Oswald by several witnesses. None of them have any credibility. Here are some other relevant links on Guy Banister: The Decline of Guy Banister Banister's mental health was in decline in 1964. Was Guy Banister's Office at 544 Camp Street?   Guy Banister's office was at 531 Lafayette and his office was not connected to the office at 544 Camp Street. Was Guy Banister a CIA/FBI Mastermind? Guy Banister couldn't pay his rent in 1964 and was evicted. Mancuso's Restaurant   Some pictures of Camp and Lafayette streets. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on Guy Banister   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass , makes the claim that Guy Banister gave Lee Harvey Oswald an office at 544 Camp Street in New Orleans. Did Delphine Roberts see Oswald in Banister's Office?   Roberts was interviewed by Garrison's office in 1967 and she said nothing about seeing Oswald in Banister's office. Did Delphine Roberts See Lee Harvey Oswald in Banister's Office? (Part Two) Mary Brengel worked for Banister for a few months, and she also did not see Oswald in the office. Did David Ferrie Speak to Clay Shaw on the Telephone from Guy Banister's Office? Joseph Newbrough, who worked for Banister, told PBS Frontline that Banister's office was not connected to 544 Camp Street. Did David Ferrie Introduce Jack Martin to Lee Harvey Oswald in Banister's office?   Jack Martin loved to tell stories. He said nothing about Oswald being in Banister's office when he blabbing to the FBI and the Secret Service in 1963 and 1964. Exclusive: Garrison Tells the HSCA about Guy Banister   Garrison told the HSCA some ridiculous stories about Banister. Why did Guy Banister Pistol-Whip Jack Martin?   The film JFK  explanation is not right. Exclusive: Jim Garrison Talks to Jack Martin   Jim Garrison interviewed Jack Martin in his office on December 14, 1966. Here is a link to a tape recording of that interview and a transcript. Martin talks about seeing Oswald in Banister's office with Sergio Arcacha Smith. But there are problems with his story. 3. Carlos Bringuier Nagle and Storper seem upset that Carlos Bringuier's ties to the CIA were not disclosed to the Warren Commission. But he was only a domestic contact of the CIA during the Garrison investigation , and thus, there was nothing to disclose to the Warren Commission. Have a look at this document : And Carlos Bringuier in his book Crime Without Punishment , denies that he received any money from the DRE in Miami: (page 425) I was just a Delegate in New Orleans of the DRE. I was not receiving instructions or orders from the CIA, I never received any money from the CIA, if others in the DRE at the Miami office were receiving money from the CIA that was not my case. I was working very hard as a salesman as comanager of "Casa Roca" to bring food for my family, I never received any money from the Miami DRE office or any other office of the DRE, on the contrary my delegation was sending small amounts of money to Miami headquarters. That is the historical truth. 4. Clay Shaw Once again, Clay Shaw is accused of being a "contract agent" for the CIA. The document used to prove this allegation says he was a "contract source," which is not a term used by the CIA. Clay Shaw was only a contact source for the CIA, and nothing more. Here are a couple of relevant links: Was Clay Shaw a "Contract Agent" for the CIA? Shaw was just a contact source from 1948 - 1956. Two Reasons why Clay Shaw Never Admitted to being a Domestic Contact of the CIA Shaw had good reasons to deny an association to the CIA. When will Oliver Stone Admit he was Wrong about Clay Shaw?   It's time for Oliver Stone to admit he made a big mistake in making Clay Shaw the villain in his movie JFK. Clay Shaw's Unjustly Damaged Reputation   Shaw couldn't escape from suspicion. 5. David Ferrie Nagle and Storper make the claim that Ferrie was a CIA contract agent. Their main sources are Michael Kurtz (see above) and Victor Marchetti. The Marchetti allegation probably comes from Anthony Summers' 1998 book, The Kennedy Conspiracy? : In his later 2013 book, Not in Your Lifetime , Summers did not include the Marchetti allegation. Summers listed a variety of stuff that he had eliminated from his book in a JFK newsgroup post : The emphasis on Ferrie has changed, retaining Ferrie's early association with Oswald in the Civil Air Patrol but reducing the suggestion of his involvement at the time of the assassination. This because of the excellent, focused research on Ferrie by David Blackburst - who has worked just that seam over recent years, demolishing much of the shaky stuff propagated since the Garrison circus. Stephen Roy, aka Blackburst, is acknowledged as the expert on David Ferrie. He found no evidence that Ferrie was associated with the CIA. In fact, David Ferrie stopped his anti-Castro activity in October 1961 because he was so focused on morals charges and the losing of his job at Eastern Airlines. In addition, Victor Marchetti is not reliable. He has weaved all sorts of stories that just aren't true. Miami Herald, February 2, 1985 And, of course, there are no CIA documents that reference David Ferrie as a contract agent, in fact, just the opposite : Nagle and Storper also claim that Ferrie knew Oswald. This is also not true. And Ferrie did not commit suicide. He died of natural causes . Yes, there were two notes found in his apartment, but they were not suicide notes. Ferrie was very ill at the time, and he thought he was dying. 6. Joan Mellen Surely, Nagle and Storper must realize that Joan Mellen is an unreliable commentator on the Garrison investigation. She actually believed Thomas Beckham - an incredible con man - was involved in the assassination. Even James DiEugenio had issues with her book . I could write a lot more about this article, I strongly urge Nagle and Storper to read my book, On the Trail of Delusion -- Jim Garrison: The Great Accuser . Update Robert Reynolds emailed me with some additional information on the CIA office in New Orleans: The NO field office material was sent to Langley through regular channels, monthly, weekly, or even more frequently when DCS was relying on NO for news clippings. DCD then passed these reports onto Paul Hartman in CI, who had a standing request for Garrison news. CI and DCD occasionally sent queries to NO, and these were answered, often by Ray or Leake, via regular channels as well. Filing cabinets full of material that was never sent to DC or Langley until years later are simply fantasy. Field offices (or lowly resident agencies in the early days, like Dallas, for example, are not stations and do not conduct projects or operations. They engage in intelligence collection. (The Foreign Resource Division is a different story.)  They are not big places. One source I found says 10 people under direct supervision of the office head in NO.  Here is a subject file on Jim Garrison from the New Orleans office. Here is the OP file of William Burke, who was head of the New Orleans office from 1947 to 1962. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Jefferson Morley Jefferson Morley is Wrong on William Harvey, Again! Only one word is redacted in Harvey's deposition. Jefferson Morley is Wrong about Operation Northwoods, Again! There are no redactions in the Operation Northwoods document. Did Dorothy Kilgallen Have any Special Knowledge about the JFK Assassination? Kilgallen had nothing to tell. Morley's Interview of Marina Oswald Porter Fizzles! An underwhelming interview of Marina Oswald. Jefferson Morley: Able to Leap Intellectual Chasms in a Single Bound Morley often repeats stories and changes their meanings. There was NO Assassination Plot in Chicago Chad Nagle claims there was an assassination plot against JFK in Chicago in November 1963. One problem: There is no evidence of such a plot. Fred Litwin, CIA Apologist? A response to Morley's Substack post alleging that I am a CIA apologist. Is Jefferson Morley Seeing Double?   Morley thinks there are two redacted memos on CIA reorganization, but there is only one. A Reply to Jefferson Morley on Bill Harvey   A rebuttal to Morley's response to my post Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963? Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963?   There is no credible evidence Harvey was in Dallas in November of 1963. Does it Matter Where Allen Dulles was on November 22, 1963?   Morley repeats the claim that Dulles was at a CIA training center during the weekend of the JFK assassination. He wasn't. Jefferson Morley's Claims about Reuben Efron   Morley's claims about Efron are all wrong. A Reply to Jefferson Morley regarding Operation Northwoods   Morley responded to my article "The Truth about Operation Northwoods." Here is my reply. W. Tracy Parnell on Jefferson Morley   W. Tracy Parnell is one of the best JFK assassination researchers out there. Here is his look at Jefferson Morley with several important articles. The Truth about Operation Northwoods   Operation Northwoods can only understood as being part of the Kennedys' war against Cuba and Operation Mongoose. Jefferson Morley Responds to my Post on MK-Ultra and Jack Ruby   And a response from me. Did Dr. Louis Jolyon West Ask to Examine Jack Ruby in November 1963?   There is no evidence that Dr. West petitioned the court to examine Jack Ruby before his trial. Did the CIA use a MK-Ultra Psychiatrist to Interfere with Jack Ruby's Case?   There is absolutely no evidence that Dr. Louis Jolyon West interfered with Jack Ruby's case. Jefferson Morley is wrong about "Who Shot John?"   The phrase 'who shot John' does not refer to the JFK assassination. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills, Part Four   Jefferson Morley used a fake Oswald handbill in his press conference for the Mary Ferrell Foundation. Redactions, Redactions, Redactions...   An examination of redactions in the JFK collection of documents.

Boston Globe, June 21, 1981 In June 1981, the Boston Globe ran a major feature by Ben Bradlee Jr. on the Parkland witnesses and the controversy over the location of the wound on the back of JFK's head. So let's have a look at what the Parkland witnesses said in this article. What is quite clear is that they were not unanimous. First, Ben Bradlee's notes clearly show the range of opinions expressed about the controversy : Diana Bowron, a nurse, and Dr. Kemp Clark are included in the chart but they were not interviewed by the Boston Globe. Here are the highlights from the interviews of the witnesses: Dr. Adolph Giesecke You can listen to Dr. Giesecke's interview for the Boston Globe here . Right at the start, Dr. Giesecke maintains he just there for a brief period" Dr. Giesecke did not examine JFK's wounds: Bradlee and his assistant, Nils Bruzelius, then had Giesecke mark a skull to illustrate the location of the head wound: Dr. Giesecke was only in the Emergency room for five minutes: The wound was obscured by a pool of blood: Dr. Giesecke then tells Bradlee that the tracing of the autopsy photograph is compatible with what he saw: Dr. Giesecke then says that the McClelland drawing is not what he remembered: Bradlee wonders why there is all this confusion: It turns out that Dr. Geisecke is a fan of Dr. John Lattimer: Dr. Charles Baxter You can listen to Dr. Baxter's interview with the Boston Globe here . Dr. Baxter immediately tells Bradlee how difficult it was to see the actual wound: Dr. Baxter drew on the skull where he thought the wound was located: He says he "no idea whether that's accurate of not." And then Dr. Baxter says that he thinks part of the wound might be occipital but "I never saw that," and that it was on "the lower right side/temporal region." Dr. Baxter then quotes Dr. Kemp Clark: He says that Clark said that Kennedy's temporal plate was destroyed. That does not sound like McClelland's occipital wound. Dr. Baxter then says that the autopsy tracing does not conflict with what he saw: Bradlee then shows Baxter a drawing by Dr. John Lattimer: Dr. Baxter likes the Lattimer diagram but then says that he just has no idea if the wound extended to the occipital area. Dr. Baxter then says the lower parts of the head was hidden because of the position of JFK's body: Dr. Charles Carrico Dr. Charles Carrico was not interviewed for the Boston Globe article but he did send two letters answering questions. Here is a summary from Bradlee's notes: Carrico wrote that the autopsy photograph showed "nothing ... incompatible" with what he remembered. Here is a drawing by Dr. Charles Carrico provided with his letter: As you can see, the wound is on the right side of JFK's head. Dr. Malcolm Perry Dr. Malcolm Perry was also not interviewed for the Boston Globe article but he did answer questions via two letters. Here is the summary from Bradlee's notes: Dr. Perry wrote that he only gave a "cursory glance at the head wound," and that the autopsy photograph "seems to be consistent with what I saw." Dr. Marion Jenkins Here is a link to the Boston Globe interview with Dr. Jenkins . Right off the bat, Dr. Jenkins said he didn't get a good look: It was hard to see the wound because of JFK's hair: Dr. Jenkins says only the autopsy pathologists knew the full extent of the head wound: Dr. Jenkins then tells Bradlee where the wound was and that it was not on the back of the head: Bradlee doesn't give up: Dr. Jenkins is then shown the McClelland drawing, and he did not think that it properly represented the head wound: During the discussion Bradlee had asked Dr. Jenkins to mark up a skull with where he thought the wound was located. He refused. Here is an excerpt from Bradlee's notes: Dr. Robert Grossman You can listen to Dr. Grossman's interview with the Boston Globe here . There is a lot of controversy about Dr. Grossman. It is unclear if he was even in the Emergency room, and if he was, it was only for a very brief period. David Lifton wrote an article about Dr. Grossman which makes one skeptical about his detailed descriptions of the wounds. Here is the summary from Bradlee's notes about Dr. Grossman. And so, even though Dr. Grossman supports the autopsy photographs, I have decided that we can ignore what he told the Boston Globe . Dr. Gene Akin You can listen to Dr. Gene Akin's interview with the Boston Globe here . Dr. Akin (now known as Solomon Ben Israel) calls the wound an exit wound and says it was on the right side. Dr. Akin says it was located in the parietal part of the skull: The wound was "so covered with blood" that Akin couldn't really draw it on a skull. Akin couldn't really tell how big the wound was: The wound was more parietal than occipital: Dr. Akin did not lift JFK"s head: Dr. Akin is shown the McClelland drawing and defers to it: Dr. Richard Dulany You can listen to Dr. Dulany's interview with the Boston Globe here . Dr. Dulany did not have much of a role in the Emergency room and he wasn't there very long: Dr. Dulaney says someone lifted JFK's head: But Dr. Dulaney did not look closely: Dr. Dulany is reluctant to mark up a skull: Dr Dulany insists it would be diffiult to draw the wound: Dr. Dulany was unsure of the exact location of the wound: Dr. Dulany tries to show Bradlee where the wound was on a skull: But his memory is hazy: Dulany just can't be sure: They showed Dr. Dulany the McClelland drawing: They then showed Dulany a sketch made by Dr. Lattimer: While Dulany has some issues with the Lattimer drawing, he pauses and emphasizes the issue of hair, clotted blood, etc. Dr. Paul Peters You can listen to Dr. Paul Peters' interview by the Boston Globe here . They ask Dr. Peters to mark the wound on a skull: Dr. Peters says that he doesn't believe anybody moved the head: Dr. Peters is then shown the tracing of an autopsy photograph: Dr. Peters says that wound of entry is "important." Dr. Peters does not think the autopsy tracing is consistent with what he saw, but he does say that the head wound was on the right: Peters then says that autopsy tracing is accurate in terms of depicting the wound of entry: Dr. Peters is asked about an interview he did with David Lifton: Dr. Peters is then shown the McClelland drawing: Peters placed the wound higher and to the right of the McClelland drawing. Dr. Ron Jones You can listen to Dr. Ron Jones interview with the Boston Globe here . They show Dr. Jones the McClelland drawing: Dr. Jones is reluctant to mark up a skull: Like many other doctors, Jones noted that JFK's head was a mess of hair blood and scalp: Dr. Jones is asked if he agrees with the Warren Report: Interestingly, Dr. Jones refused to mark up a skull. Here is an exceprt from Bradlee's notes: Patricia Gustafson Gustafson was a nurse at Parkland Hospital. You can listen to her interview with the Boston Globe here . Gustafson describes the head wound: Gustafson is asked to mark up a skull: Gustafson's memory is an important factor: Gustafon did not raise JFK's head: Gustafson could not be definite: They show Gustafson the tracing of an autopsy photograph: Gustafson is then show the McClelland drawing: Doris Nelson Doris Nelson was a nurse in the Emergency department. You can listen to her interview with the Boston Globe here . Memory is an issue for Nelson: Nelson marks up a skull and they are amazed at the small size of the wound: Nelson is shown the McClelland drawing: Bradlee's notes discuss Nelson's drawing: Here is a photo of Doris Nelson from the November 1983 issue of Life Magazine: Margaret Hood Margaret Hood was interviewed by was not taped. Here are the notes of Ben Bradlee: She told Bradlee that because of the position of Kennedy, "you couldn't see much of the wound." Discussion It's pretty clear that these witnesses are not unanimous in anything. Some leaned toward the autopsy tracing, and some leaned toward the McClelland drawing. A lot of them indicated that it was hard to tell the precise location of the wound because of JFK's hair and large amount of clotted blood. Nobody picked up the head and so the position of Kennedy on the cart might have played a role in how people interpreted the wound. It's instructive to read Pat Speer's analysis of the Boston Globe interviews, in particular his conclusion : Let's reflect. Ben Bradlee and the Boston Globe interviewed 14 Parkland witnesses in 1981. Of these 14, 8 strongly questioned or rejected the accuracy of the autopsy photo showing the back of Kennedy's head, and 6 supported or failed to question the accuracy of the photo. This is indeed interesting. But what's just as interesting, and just as telling in the long run, is that NINE of these 14 rejected the accuracy of the McClelland drawing, which those focusing on this issue nevertheless propped up as a depiction of the one true wound. Feel free to scream. And let's reflect that when ultimately reporting on these interviews, in his 1989 best seller High Treason , Livingstone and his co-author Robert Groden claimed that the "McClelland" drawing "was verified by every doctor, nurse, and eyewitness as accurate." So, I ask again, were we conned? Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Medical Evidence The Parkland Doctors, Part Two A look at what the Parkland doctors wrote and what they said. The Parkland Doctors, Part One Attending physicians often make mistakes in determining the nature of gunshot wounds. Should we care what the Parkland doctors think? Why Autopsies are Needed The attending physician in the John Lennon murder was proved wrong about his wounds. Dr. Cyril Wecht Complains Wecht complains about the HSCA's forensic pathology panel. Dr. Cyril Wecht writes to Dr. Michael Baden Wecht has a suggestion for Dr. Baden. The Wecht Conclusion that Dare Not Speak Its Name, Part Two Wecht's memoir mentions his examination of the autopsy materials in 1972 but neglects to talk about his conclusion that the fatal head shot came from behind. The Wecht Conclusion that Dare Not Speak its Name James DiEugenio's obituary of Dr. Wecht leaves out his conclusion that the fatal head shot came from behind. Dr. Cyril Wecht (1931 - 2024) זיכ רונו לברכה My obituary for Dr. Cyril Wecht. Dr. Cyril Wecht Rules Out a Head Shot From the Front A letter from Dr. Wecht to Thomas Stamm on the head shot. Sylvia Meagher and Dr. Cyril Wecht Discuss the Head Shot   A letter from Dr. Wecht to Sylvia Meagher on the head shot. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on JFK's Throat Wound Dr. Wecht believes that JFK's throat wound was one of exit. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on JFK's Brain, Again...   Dr. Robert Kirschner's consultation with the ARRB explains a mystery in the documentary. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on the Weight of JFK's Brain   JFK Revisited makes a big deal about the weight of JFK's brain and ignores a non-conspiratorial explanation. JFK Revisited Distorts John Stringer's Testimony   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary makes it sound like the autopsy photographer said that he did not take the photos of JFK's brain that are in the current inventory, "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on Dr. Charles Crenshaw   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed , features Dr. Charles Crenshaw to bolster its claim that President Kennedy was shot from the front. Viewers are not informed of Dr. Crenshaw's credibility problems. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on JFK's Head Wound, Part Three   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK: Destiny Betrayed , misleads viewers on the opinions of Parkland Hospital doctors and Bethesda witnesses regarding JFK's head wound. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on the Harper Fragment   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed , misleads viewers into thinking the Harper fragment was occipital bone that came from the back of Kennedy's head. Dr. Joseph Dolce: Another Problematic Witness from "JFK: Destiny Betrayed"   Have a look at Dr. Joseph Dolce's bad judgment. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on JFK's Head Wound, Part One   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series JFK: Destiny Betrayed uses a variety of supposed witnesses to allege that the wound in the back of Kennedy's head was one of exit. Audrey Bell is one such witness and she doesn't have much credibility. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on JFK's Head Wound, Part Two   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed , tries to make the case that because Parkland Hospital doctors saw cerebellum extruding from Kennedy's head wound, that it indicated an exit wound. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on Kennedy's Back Wound    While Gerald Ford edited some language in the Warren Report, he did not change the location of the back wound. Autopsy photographs show exactly the location of the back wound. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on JFK's Autopsy   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series,  JFK: Destiny Betrayed , alleges that autopsy pathologists were told to fit the wounds to a presupposed conclusion. On the Trail of Delusion, Episode 2 with Robert A. Wagner A podcast with Robert Wagner who has written an important book on the medical evidence.

It was a pleasure talking with Daniel Evans, a tour guide in Dallas, about the JFK assassination. You can learn more about his tours here. Previous Episodes of On the Trail of Delusion : Episode 1 My first guest was Robert Reynolds who is an expert on the JFK assassination files . Episode 2 Robert A. Wagner discusses his new book, JFK Assassinated . Episode 3 Gerald Posner discusses the JFK assassination and conspiracy theories. Episode 4 Dr. Martin Kelly, Jr., discusses conspiracy theories and the medical evidence in the JFK assassination. Episode 5 Steve Roe discusses the life of General Edwin Walker and Oswald's attempt to kill him. Episode 6 Gus Russo discusses his participation in the PBS Frontline documentary on Lee Harvey Oswald. Episode 7 Dave Perry tells some great stories about debunking JFK conspiracy nonsense. Episode 8 Nick Nalli explains some of the science behind the assassination. Episode 9 Alecia Long discusses Jim Garrison and his non-existent case against Clay Shaw. Episode 10 Don Carpenter discusses the life of Clay Shaw. Episode 11 Bill Brown discusses the murder of Officer J. D. Tippit. Episode 12 Eric Dezenhall discusses the relationship between the mob and JFK. Episode 13 Nick Nalli discusses the acoustics evidence and the Zapruder Film. Episode 14 Scott Maudsley discusses Lee Harvey Oswald's antisocial personality disorder. Episode 15 Document expert Robert Reynolds discusses what to expect in the upcoming JFK assassination file releases. Episode 16 A panel discussion on the document releases with Fred Litwin, Gus Russo, Robert Reynolds, Larry Haapanen, Mark Allen, and Steve Roe. Episode 17 An interview with author Michel Gagné about conspiracy theories. Episode 18 An interview with Phil Tinline about his book, Ghosts of Iron Mountain . Episode 19 An interview with Janet Banister, grand-niece of Guy Banister. Episode 20 The Marina Oswald Tapes . Episode 21 Dr. Chad Zimmerman discusses JFK's autopsy X-rays and photographs.

Right after his Substack article that went after Ruth Paine, Jefferson Morley's Substack provided a platform to Max Good , producer of a tendentious documentary on Ruth. Ruth, according to Good, was "always telling the same story," Funny, how the truth remains consistent. But Good was suspicious: Everything I learned led me to a conclusion that Ruth was withholding important information. There were a few specific instances where Ruth was cagey or unclear, particularly regarding her sister’s employment with CIA, her role in the discovery of the “Kostin Letter,” and how many times she met with George de Mohrenschildt. But her story was remarkably consistent and she was clearly very knowledgable, articulate, and extremely intelligent. Some of her statements were almost lawyerly in their precision and forethought. I wasn’t surprised to learn that she sent a letter to the Warren Commission with detailed corrections on specific areas where she felt they had made errors. Once again, Ruth's story was "remarkably consistent." But still, Good believes that "Ruth was withholding important information." And Ruth was "cagey." But Good doesn't really say why he comes to these conclusions. He spoke to her fifty years after the assassination -- one would expect that some details would be lost over time. Was Ruth perhaps too precise? And who cares about Ruth's sister's employment with the CIA? Can somebody just tell me why this is relevant. Good doesn't understand the evidence in the JFK assassination. If he did, he could not write this: That simplistic conclusion[a lone gunman], which was handed down from on high by the Dallas Police, FBI, Warren Commission, and then by the establishment media, historians, and academia, cannot withstand the light of honest scrutiny. Nothing was handed down from on high. The Dallas police just followed the evidence and it all led to Oswald. Honest scrutiny? Does Good really believe that he is capable of "honest scrutiny" in this case? If that were the case, he would have made a very different documentary on Ruth Paine. Just have a look at Tracy Parnell's rebuttal of allegations in Max Good's supposed documentary. And he completely mischaracterizes people who believe that there was no conspiracy: In fact, defenders of the official story seemed eager to utilize Ruth’s character as a virtuous elderly Quaker woman to show the ridiculous and delusional nature of those who could suspect her. Who's eager? The truth is very simple. Ruth Paine was a virtuous elderly Quaker woman who did a lot of good in her life. It's the continual malignment of her actions and her character that have led many people to see conspiracy theorists for what they are -- purveyors of malicious lies. And Good believes that "most Americans" understand there was a conspiracy: Most Americans, whether intellectually or just in their gut, understand that the JFK assassination is not what we’ve been told by the “authorities.” Populism can be co-opted by demagogues but democracy cannot survive if elites and authorities dictate the truth. But opinion polls tell us all sorts of things . Once you delve deeper into opinions on the JFK assassination, you find that the belief that Oswald was the lone gunman is certainly "mainstream." Just look at some of the results from a survey from late 2022 that was promoted at a press conference with Jefferson Morley. When you combine the numbers together you come up with this: Lee Harvey Oswald was responsible: 38.0% Conspiracy but don't know who: 19.5% The CIA: 15.5% Don't know if conspiracy or not: 12.0% The Mafia 6.5% Cuba 3.5% USSR 3.0% Someone else 2.0%     TOTAL 100.0% Oswald as the lone gunman is the single most popular theory in the assassination. But it's not opinions that count but the evidence. And the evidence is overwhelming that Oswald was the lone gunman. And just who has been dictating truth in the JFK assassination? For decades, our culture has been captured by the left (the counter-culture won), and our cultural elites have been clear that there was a conspiracy in the JFK assassination. The college campuses, the newspapers, the TV shows all gave prominent attention to people like Mark Lane, Jim Garrison, and Oliver Stone. Their views dominated the culture and so yes, it's no surprise that many people believe there was a conspiracy. That's why people like Wesley Liebeler and David Belin were so frustrated -- they were droplets against the tide of conspiracy nonsense that washed over the United States. When I went to my college library to research the JFK assassination in 1975, there were no non-conspiracy books. And while today there are a number of very good non-conspiracy books, they are vastly outnumbered by the books claiming there was a conspiracy. And how many lone gunman believers get invited to talk at the annual JFK assassination conferences? I was invited last year to JFK Lancer to present on the Stasi files on Richard Case Nagell. The conspiracy community was apoplectic. I was invited back this year to talk about Rose Cherami, until my invitation was rescinded. Lastly, Max Good can't see that Ruth was telling the truth: If Ruth was keeping secrets, could she be doing it out of loyalty to an oath of service, threats of retribution, personal values, or protectiveness over the legitimacy of the government? Protectiveness over the legitimacy of the government? Wow! Does Good really think the American government is not legitimate? Or that Ruth Paine might have thought that? The conspiracy community has this belief that the United States can not fully realize the promise of democracy unless it unravels the JFK assassination conspiracy. Here is author David Talbot in JFK: Destiny Betrayed : (54:11 in Episode 4) I think there's a direct thread between the events of 1963, and the kind of horror show that America is having to endure right now. And I think once you kill a president in broad daylight on the streets of an American city, and everyone knows that powerful forces did it, and it can never be solved, that crime, that sends a signal, not only to the American people, but to the American media, to American future leaders. And if American really wants a democratic society, then we should get to the bottom of this traumatic crime that continues to reverberate throughout American history. What kind of message is this? Telling people that their actions are useless unless the supposed JFK conspiracy and cover-up are revealed? Is this not a nihilist recipe for inaction? I hope at some point Max tries to answer Burt Griffin's question. And unfortunately there is more to come : Some say Ruth Paine was mind controlled? Who says this? Who would even believe this? Truth matters. It shouldn't be a battle between people who believe in conspiracy and people who don't. It should be about the truth. Unfortunately, all too often, it all comes down to a Castro slogan , adapted by Paul Hoch: Within Conspiracism, everything; against Conspiracism, nothing Expect some horrible books coming out about Ruth Paine. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Ruth Paine Morley's Substack Goes After Ruth Paine My response to Peter Voskamp, author of the article on Morley's Substack. Ruth Paine, R.I.P. (1932 - 2025) Ruth Paine lived a meaningful life helping people. A Question for Max Good from Burt Griffin Here is a letter from Burt Griffin, counsel for the Warren Commission, to Max Good, producer of a film about Ruth Paine. The CIA's Dinner in Dallas Guess who sponsored our dinner in Dallas? Previous Relevant Blogs Posts on Jefferson Morley's Congressional Testimony Jefferson Morley's Congressional NothingBurger An analysis of Congresswoman Luna's Congressional Hearings In Search of the Oswald Operation, Part One An FBI memo that quoted James Angleton is used by Morley to reach an unwarranted conclusion. In Search of the Oswald Operation, Part Two Morley misreads Angleton's testimony before the HSCA. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Three Morley believes a document proves the CIA did not believe that a lone gunman killed JFK. Update on the Heath Memo Additional documents relevant to Part Three. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Four Morley claims that there is some connection between the suicides of Gary Underhill, Charles Thomas, George de Mohrenschildt, and the overdose death of Dorothy Kilgallen. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Five Morley believes that Agustin Guitart was spying on pro-Castro forces in New Orleans Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Jefferson Morley I Am Now a Pro Bono Lawyer for the CIA! I don't even have law degree! Yet Another Morley Nothingburger A new CIA file on Herminio Diaz does not sustain allegations that he was a grassy knoll gunman. Richard Russell and the Warren Report Richard Russell always believed that Oswald was the lone gunman. Was Hoover's Warren Commission Testimony Altered? An article by Chad Nagle, on Morley's Substack, gets it wrong on Hoover's testimony. My Quillette Article on Morley's Nothingburger My latest article for Quillette.com CBS Practices Stenography The recent segment on CBS about Morley and JFK documents was not journalism. Lee Harvey Oswald was not under Surveillance Morley's list of six CIA operations do not prove that Oswald was under surveillance. The CIA's Pro Bono Lawyers Morley claims the SpyTalk authors are working as pro bono lawyers for the CIA. Did the CIA Know Oswald's State of Mind? The CIA was just quoting from a State Department memo. SpyTalk on the Joannides' File, Part Two SpyTalks replies to Jefferson Morley. The Illusion of a Smoking Gun Gerald Posner on the Joannides' file. Fact Checking Morley's Fact Check Morley's Fact Check on SpyTalk needs a fact check. SpyTalk on Morley's Nothingburger Gus Russo and Michael Isikoff on the Joannides' personnel file. Jefferson Morley's Unbearable Lightness of Being Now that the entire personnel file of George Joannides has been released, Jefferson Morley has now published his unified theory of nothingness. More Morley Nothingburgers on the way Morley is requesting more documents -- they will reveal nothing about the assassination. Morley's Non-Story Hits the Press Morley got the headlines he wanted to a complete non-story. George Joannides and the HSCA Joannides did not come out of retirement to work with the HSCA. There Was No "Oswald Operation" There is no mention of an "Oswald Operation" in the Joannides' personnel file. The Parkland Doctors, Part Six Morley believes that Dr. Robert McClelland's recollections provides proof of a shot from the front. Here is the truth about McClelland. On the Loss of Occam’s Razor in the JFK Case A reply by Nicholas Nalli to Jefferson Morley. A Case Study in Redaction: The CIA's LIFEAT File Morley suspected a redacted file would reveal major secrets. It didn't. The Schlesinger Memo Unredacted! Several months ago, I posted an article, in association with several researchers, that showed what was contained in the redacted section of Schlesinger's memo. Jefferson Morley's Clairvoyance Morley somehow knows what is in the supposed 2,400 recently-discovered FBI files. Was Israel Behind the JFK Assassination? Morley discusses Israel with Tucker Carlson. Morley's Bad History Lesson Morley believes that the United States can never be great unless it solves the JFK assassination. Morley's List of 13 Documents Will Tell Us Little An analysis of the 13 documents Morley wants to see. The Schlesinger Memo, Again! Morley claims I am a CIA apologist and then misquotes me. For The Sake of Our Sanity - Release the Joannides File It would be worthwhile for the CIA to release the Joannides file just to stop the incessant posts from Jefferson Morley. Did Oswald Stay at a Luxury Hotel in Helsinki? Actually, Oswald stayed at two budget-priced hotels in Helsinki. Morley Keeps Asking the Same Questions He keeps asking the same questions, and we keep posting the same answers. The JFK Assassination and Truth Conspiracy authors are playing fast and loose with the facts. Was Herminio Diaz a Grassy Knoll Assassin? There is no evidence that Diaz was involved in the JFK assassination. Morley Misleads on Arthur Schlesinger's Memo on the CIA There are clues as to what is in a redacted section of Schlesinger's memo. Jefferson Morley's Podcast on New Orleans Lays an Egg Chad Nagle and Dan Storper's article on New Orleans gets everything wrong. Chad Nagle and Dan Storper Lay an Egg Believing Michael Kurtz is problematic. Is Jefferson Morley Seeing Double? Morley wrote that there are two redacted memos on CIA reorganization, but there is only one. He wrote about Goodwin's copy as if it was a different memo, rather than a copy of the Schlesinger memo. Jefferson Morley is wrong about "Who Shot John?" The phrase 'who shot John' does not refer to the JFK assassination. Jefferson Morley is Wrong on William Harvey, Again! Only one word is redacted in Harvey's deposition. Jefferson Morley is Wrong about Operation Northwoods, Again! There are no redactions in the Operation Northwoods document. Did Dorothy Kilgallen Have any Special Knowledge about the JFK Assassination? Kilgallen had nothing to tell. Morley's Interview of Marina Oswald Porter Fizzles! An underwhelming interview of Marina Oswald. Jefferson Morley: Able to Leap Intellectual Chasms in a Single Bound Morley often repeats stories and changes their meanings. There was NO Assassination Plot in Chicago Chad Nagle claims there was an assassination plot against JFK in Chicago in November 1963. One problem: There is no evidence of such a plot. Fred Litwin, CIA Apologist? A response to Morley's Substack post alleging that I am a CIA apologist. A Reply to Jefferson Morley on Bill Harvey   A rebuttal to Morley's response to my post Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963? Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963?   There is no credible evidence Harvey was in Dallas in November of 1963. Does it Matter Where Allen Dulles was on November 22, 1963?   Morley repeats the claim that Dulles was at a CIA training center during the weekend of the JFK assassination. He wasn't. Jefferson Morley's Claims about Reuben Efron   Morley's claims about Efron are all wrong. A Reply to Jefferson Morley regarding Operation Northwoods   Morley responded to my article "The Truth about Operation Northwoods." Here is my reply. W. Tracy Parnell on Jefferson Morley   W. Tracy Parnell is one of the best JFK assassination researchers out there. Here is his look at Jefferson Morley with several important articles. The Truth about Operation Northwoods   Operation Northwoods can only be understood as part of the Kennedys' war against Cuba and Operation Mongoose. Jefferson Morley Responds to my Post on MK-Ultra and Jack Ruby   And a response from me. Did Dr. Louis Jolyon West Ask to Examine Jack Ruby in November 1963?   There is no evidence that Dr. West petitioned the court to examine Jack Ruby before his trial. Did the CIA use a MK-Ultra Psychiatrist to Interfere with Jack Ruby's Case?   There is absolutely no evidence that Dr. Louis Jolyon West interfered with Jack Ruby's case. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills, Part Four   Jefferson Morley used a fake Oswald handbill in his press conference for the Mary Ferrell Foundation. Redactions, Redactions, Redactions...   An examination of redactions in the JFK collection of documents. Jefferson Morley Doesn't Understand Jim Garrison's Homophobic Prosecution of Clay Shaw Morley doesn't understand Alecia Long's arguments about homophobia and Jim Garrison. Jefferson Morley asks why "what the CIA knew about Herminio Diaz is still off limits." Morley misses that a lot of redactions are actually available. Belief in a JFK Conspiracy Drops! Jefferson Morley's press conference presents evidence that belief in a conspiracy has dropped.

One of the great chroniclers of the Vietnam War wrote a short piece on Oliver Stone's JFK , for the book Past imperfect : history according to the movies : Money Quote: In one of JFK 's most pivotal scenes, a secret agent tells Garrison about a late 1963 White House reception at which Johnson told the joint chiefs of staff, "Just get me elected, and then you can have your war." Stone, by his own admission, borrowed the anecdote from my book, and I am convinced of its accuracy, having heard it from Gen. Harold K. Johnson, then the army chief of staff and a guest at the party. I used the story to illustrate Lyndon Johnson's practice of making different promises to different factions. In this instance, he estimated that by placating the brass he could rally their conservative allies on Capitol Hill behind his liberal social agenda. At the same time, as I wrote, he confided to members of Congress who had qualms about Vietnam that he had no intention of getting immersed in that "damn pissant little country." However, Stone, to depict Johnson as a warmonger, lifted the story out of context. Update Here is the excerpt from Karnow's book with the anecdote : (pages 342 - 343) Hat tip: Hideji Okina. And Oliver Stone discussed this anecdote in an article in Premiere Magazine: (page 356 in JFK: The Book of the Film ) Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Oliver Stone's JFK Chicago Tribune on Oliver Stone's JFK A particularly good review that notices the homosexual angle of JFK . The New Yorker Reviews Oliver Stone's "JFK" Another excellent review. Oliver Stone Gets Away with Nonsense At an event in Dallas, Stone says that someone gave orders to Allen Dulles and James Angleton to kill JFK. Is this the Oliver Stone Contract for the Ricky White Story? Stone was interested in the White story. Daniel Patrick Moynihan on Oliver Stone's 'JFK' A very good opinion piece published in the Washington Post . The Second Coming of Jim Garrison An important article from The Atlantic  by Edward Jay Epstein on Oliver Stone's JFK . David Wrone on Oliver Stone's "JFK" Wrone was a friend of Harold Weisberg's and was also very critical of JFK . Oliver Stone says his "battles continue with the truth" More inane comments on the JFK assassination. Oliver Stone Claims He is Not a Conspiracy Theorist An excerpt from an interview with Chris Wallace. Oliver Stone's Hijacking of History   A good opinion piece from the Boston Globe . Harold Weisberg writes Oliver Stone   Two letters from Weisberg to Stone. Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In Reviews "JFK"   A good review of Stone's JFK . Paul Hoch and Josiah Thompson on Oliver Stone's "JFK"   Two JFK researchers watch Stone's JFK . Washington Post on the 30th Anniversary of Oliver Stone's "JFK"   An interesting look back. Harold Weisberg and Tom Wicker   Wicker reviews JFK  for the New York Times  and Weisberg responds. Boston Phoenix  said Oliver Stone's JFK was "sadly homophobic"   Even this counterculture newspaper knew the truth about JFK. David Lifton Writes to Oliver Stone   David Lifton gave me permission to post this letter. Gary Cornwell on Jim Garrison and Oliver Stone   The Deputy Chief Counsel of the HSCA offers up some opinions. When Tommy Lee Jones met Jim Garrison...   Garrison instructed Tommy Lee Jones on how to play Clay Shaw. Is Oliver Stone's film, JFK , Homophobic?   The Advocate  writes about Oliver Stone and Jim Garrison. I've Been Blocked by Oliver Stone!   This post has a large Robert Sam Anson article on the film JFK  from Esquire  magazine. A New Orleans Look at Oliver Stone's JFK   Pershing Gervais, Garrison's first chief investigator, and reporter Rosemary James report back on the film JFK . George Lardner's internal Washington Post  Memo about Oliver Stone   Lardner writes a memo to his editors about Oliver Stone.

It's quite unfortunate to see Jefferson Morley's Substack slander Ruth Paine with a variety of conspiracy allegations. Right off the bat, the headline is completely misleading -- Ruth Paine was hardly enigmatic, in fact, she's been quite open about her life. But does Ruth have "CIA Ties"? Only if you play the six degrees of separation game. Here is the salient paragraph from Voskamp's article: In his 2022 film, “The Assassination & Mrs. Paine,” documentarian Max Good reported that Ruth’s sister Sylvia was a CIA employee; her USAID-employed brother-in-law applied to work for the agency; her father also worked for USAID and interacted often with the CIA; Michael’s mother, Ruth Forbes Paine, knew CIA Director Allen Dulles’ mistress Mary Bancroft and once had the couple to the Forbes family’s private island, Naushon, near Martha’s Vineyard. But who cares if Ruth's sister worked for the CIA? And the fact that her "USAID-employed brother-in-law applied to work for the agency." Why is that salient? Ruth's father "interacted often with the CIA." So what? And so what if Ruth knew the mistress of Allen Dulles. That means nothing. Voskamp then presents the allegations against Ruth: Ruth had long been suspected in some quarters of having been a quiet cog in an intelligence agency scheme to set Oswald up as a patsy in the assassination — acting as a sort of “babysitter” of Oswald, something de Mohrenschildt had also been suspected of. Indeed, de Mohrenschildt left the Dallas area for Haiti just as the Oswalds were safely under the care of the Paines. In which quarters has she been long suspected? Only in the crazy world of JFK assassination conspiracy theorists was Ruth a "quiet cog in an intelligence agency scheme to set Oswald up as a patsy." Was that "scheme" like the Oswald operation that George Joannides oversaw? Is it really necessary for Morley's Substack to repeat some of the more lurid accusations made over the years? Yes, Voskamp does say that "Ruth vehemently denied playing any such role," but why can't he say that there is no evidence to sustain the allegations and thus that they are all completely baseless. I guess it's much better to leave people with suspicions. Voskamp totally doesn't understand Marina's testimony before the Garrison grand jury. Here is an excerpt : Right at the top Marina says that Ruth "was sympathizing with the CIA. She wrote letters over there, and they [the Secret Service] told me, for my own reputation, to stay away." Ruth was writing letters to the ACLU, not the CIA. Andrew Sciambra then asks Marina "Did they explain to you why it would be bad for you to associate with her if she was associated with the CIA? And Marina answers that they were talking about the "Civil Liberties Union." The ACLU, not the CIA. A few seconds later, Marina actually asks a grand juror, "what is CIA?" Here is an excerpt from the diary of Tom Bethell : (February 8, 1968) Marina made one remark that pleased Garrison. She said the Secret Service had told her to beware of Ruth Paine "because she was a member of the CIA." However, Alcock told me later that by the way she answered -- "that organization you join..." it was evident she meant something other than the CIA, namely the ACLU. As far as the substance of our case was concerned, Alcock said that she contributed nothing of value, and could only be a defense witness when it came to the trial. Oswald did not stay away at night, neither he nor she drove a car, she had never been to Clinton, nor had he, as far as she knew. Greg Doudna has written this up for the Education Forum and notes that Marguerite Oswald talked about Ruth Paine and the ACLU when she was questioned by the Secret Service right after the assassination. The Secret Service knew that Ruth was associated with the ACLU, and they didn't want the ACLU to interfere with their investigation. It's interesting that when Voskamp quotes Marina's testimony he footnotes it to James Douglass's book, JFK and the Unspeakable . Is that where he gets his JFK assassination information? Voskamp quotes from several conspiracy theorists to demonize Paine. First up is James DiEugenio who wrote that " ... the fact that the Paines were part of finding evidence that incriminated Oswald -- in events that perhaps did not occur -- this should merit some notice." Actually, Oswald did that all by himself (no pun intended). He left evidence that incriminated himself, but I guess if think most evidence is planted or forged, then you have to find a villain somewhere. Voskamp then quotes DiEugenio quoting Sylvia Meagher: ( Accessories After the Fact , p. 217) Ruth Paine … is a complex personality, despite her rather passive façade … Some examples from her testimony show a predisposition against Oswald and a real or pretended friendliness toward the FBI and other Establishment institutions, which should not be overlooked in evaluating her role in the case. … Mrs. Paine is sometimes a devious person, and her testimony must be evaluated in that light. This is Sylvia Meagher at her worst. Judging Ruth Paine by "friendliness towards the FBI and other Establishment institutions." Is this the simple rule for JFK Facts? If you show any "friendliness" to the CIA, or other establishment institutions, then you will be judged negatively? And what evidence is there that Ruth Paine was "a devious person." And was there any reason for Voskamp to quote Vince Salandria with some of his more outlandish opinions? “Without the Paines having carried out their crucial assignments in the conspiracy the Dallas assassination of Kennedy simply could not have occurred. … The work of the Paines regarding Oswald was essential to the closing of the circle of events that were required to kill Kennedy and to frame Oswald as the patsy,” Salandria argued (remarks are made in the first three minutes). The Paines had an assignment in the conspiracy? Salandria actually wanted Garrison to charge Marina Oswald, Allen Dulles, and the Paines. Here is an excerpt from Tom Bethell's diary from January 28, 1968, describing a meeting at the New Orleans Athletic Club with the various people from Garrison's office who were working on the assassination : He [Salandria] then started to urge us that the only trouble was we weren't going far enough, and he then started to work himself up into a harangue about Michael and Ruth Paine. "They're agents," he said, "I know they're agents. I've got the proof." He went on at some length about how he had met the Paines, and he produced some quasi-evidence suggesting they were agents etc. Then he told us to go ahead and charge the Paines -- "You've got all the evidence you need." He exhorted us to charge some others too, Marina Oswald, and Allan Dulles. Don't worry about anything, just go ahead and charge them, "the evidence is THERE!" Salandria would go on to accuse people like Josiah Thompson of being a CIA agent, here , and here . Tracy Parnell has written an excellent article on Salandria's strange beliefs . You'd think that Voskamp would actually want some proof that the Paines had an assignment in the conspiracy. But, hey why spoil a good quote? If you thought the article could not get any worse, well Voskamp then quotes Roger Craig: And then there is the Warren Commission testimony of Deputy Sheriff Roger Craig. Craig was in Dealey Plaza at the time of the assassination. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, he said he saw a man run from the same side of the street as the Texas School Book Depository to a Nash Rambler station wagon, driven by someone else along Elm Street. Later that day when Craig learned that Dallas Police had a man in custody, he contacted Capt. Will Fritz, who asked him to come to the station. Once there, he identified the suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald, as the man he’d seen running to the car earlier that day. When Fritz then asked about the car, Craig testified that Oswald reacted angrily: “That station wagon belongs to Mrs. Paine. … Don’t try to tie her into this. She’s got nothing to do with it,” Oswald said, per Craig. Voskamp doesn't discuss the credibility of Roger Craig . There is firm evidence that Oswald left the Depository in a bus and then a taxi. None of the officers present in Fritz's office back up Craig's story. Craig initially said the station wagon was a white  Rambler but Ruth Pained owned a green Chevrolet. Voskamp mentions none of this. Check out these links on Roger Craig: Paul Bleau Chokes, Part 17 The book Chokeholds quotes Roger Craig without mentioning his poor credibility. Mary Ferrell and Sylvia Meagher on Roger Craig Both Ferrell and Meagher didn't think much of Roger Craig. Mark Lane Interviews Roger Craig   Craig told Lane some really crazy stuff. Marina Oswald's Doctor was a Homosexual!   Roger Craig wrote a memo to Jim Garrison about Marina Oswald's doctor. Jim Garrison Finds Another JFK Assassination Conspirator!   Garrison charges Edgar Eugene Bradley with conspiracy to kill JFK, and Roger Craig says that Bradley was the Secret Service man he encountered outside the TSBD. Was Edgar Eugene Bradley One of the Three Tramps?   Some conspiracy theorists believe that Bradley was one of the three tramps. A few letters in this post mention Roger Craig. I also want to discuss J. Walton Moore and some of the accusations made in Voskamp's article: Ostensibly they [the Paines] were good Christians with an abiding interest in world peace and charity. But they were both also lousy with family intelligence connections, and Ruth became a den mother to Lee and Marina Oswald after being introduced to them by a CIA-connected Russian emigre [George de Mohrenschildt], who had been asked by a CIA agent [J. Walton Moore] to keep an eye on Lee. The CIA had nothing to do with any of this. J. Walton Moore, who was a domestic contact officer for the CIA in Dallas. It is quite true that George de Mohrenschildt told Edward Jay Epstein that "I would never have contacted Oswald in a million years if Moore had not sanctioned it." But de Mohrenschildt was delusional at the time and was probably suffering from dementia. Dallas Morning News, April 1, 1977 And de Mohrenschildt was not a CIA agent; he was a domestic contact from time to time. Moore never had any contact with Oswald. But his wife had contact with Jeanne de Mohrenschildt who was concerned about Oswald beating up Marina. Here is Moore's Outside Contact Report with the HSCA: Gus Russo also talked to Moore for his Frontline PBS documentary on Lee Harvey Oswald. Moore said that Jeanne de Mohrenschildt talked about Marina being black and blue from the beatings she received from her husband. Jeanne asked the Moores if she should help Marina out and they said yes. Towards the end of his article, Voskamp discusses the "defense" of Ruth Paine. But she wouldn't need any defenses if people would stop giving credence to the ridiculous allegations. And despite the limited defense, Voskamp is "still left wondering just what was afoot during the spring and fall of 1963 ..." Mr. Voskamp, the answer is good will. There was a lot of good will afoot in the Paine household back then. Ruth Paine was always there to help. She spent her life in service helping others. She deserves our thanks and appreciation. I wish there was some sort of good will amongst conspiracy theorists. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Ruth Paine Ruth Paine, R.I.P. (1932 - 2025) Ruth Paine lived a meaningful life helping people. A Question for Max Good from Burt Griffin Here is a letter from Burt Griffin, counsel for the Warren Commission, to Max Good, producer of a film about Ruth Paine. The CIA's Dinner in Dallas Guess who sponsored our dinner in Dallas? Previous Relevant Blogs Posts on Jefferson Morley's Congressional Testimony Jefferson Morley's Congressional NothingBurger An analysis of Congresswoman Luna's Congressional Hearings In Search of the Oswald Operation, Part One An FBI memo that quoted James Angleton is used by Morley to reach an unwarranted conclusion. In Search of the Oswald Operation, Part Two Morley misreads Angleton's testimony before the HSCA. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Three Morley believes a document proves the CIA did not believe that a lone gunman killed JFK. Update on the Heath Memo Additional documents relevant to Part Three. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Four Morley claims that there is some connection between the suicides of Gary Underhill, Charles Thomas, George de Mohrenschildt, and the overdose death of Dorothy Kilgallen. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Five Morley believes that Agustin Guitart was spying on pro-Castro forces in New Orleans Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Jefferson Morley I Am Now a Pro Bono Lawyer for the CIA! I don't even have law degree! Yet Another Morley Nothingburger A new CIA file on Herminio Diaz does not sustain allegations that he was a grassy knoll gunman. Richard Russell and the Warren Report Richard Russell always believed that Oswald was the lone gunman. Was Hoover's Warren Commission Testimony Altered? An article by Chad Nagle, on Morley's Substack, gets it wrong on Hoover's testimony. My Quillette Article on Morley's Nothingburger My latest article for Quillette.com CBS Practices Stenography The recent segment on CBS about Morley and JFK documents was not journalism. Lee Harvey Oswald was not under Surveillance Morley's list of six CIA operations do not prove that Oswald was under surveillance. The CIA's Pro Bono Lawyers Morley claims the SpyTalk authors are working as pro bono lawyers for the CIA. Did the CIA Know Oswald's State of Mind? The CIA was just quoting from a State Department memo. SpyTalk on the Joannides' File, Part Two SpyTalks replies to Jefferson Morley. The Illusion of a Smoking Gun Gerald Posner on the Joannides' file. Fact Checking Morley's Fact Check Morley's Fact Check on SpyTalk needs a fact check. SpyTalk on Morley's Nothingburger Gus Russo and Michael Isikoff on the Joannides' personnel file. Jefferson Morley's Unbearable Lightness of Being Now that the entire personnel file of George Joannides has been released, Jefferson Morley has now published his unified theory of nothingness. More Morley Nothingburgers on the way Morley is requesting more documents -- they will reveal nothing about the assassination. Morley's Non-Story Hits the Press Morley got the headlines he wanted to a complete non-story. George Joannides and the HSCA Joannides did not come out of retirement to work with the HSCA. There Was No "Oswald Operation" There is no mention of an "Oswald Operation" in the Joannides' personnel file. The Parkland Doctors, Part Six Morley believes that Dr. Robert McClelland's recollections provides proof of a shot from the front. Here is the truth about McClelland. On the Loss of Occam’s Razor in the JFK Case A reply by Nicholas Nalli to Jefferson Morley. A Case Study in Redaction: The CIA's LIFEAT File Morley suspected a redacted file would reveal major secrets. It didn't. The Schlesinger Memo Unredacted! Several months ago, I posted an article, in association with several researchers, that showed what was contained in the redacted section of Schlesinger's memo. Jefferson Morley's Clairvoyance Morley somehow knows what is in the supposed 2,400 recently-discovered FBI files. Was Israel Behind the JFK Assassination? Morley discusses Israel with Tucker Carlson. Morley's Bad History Lesson Morley believes that the United States can never be great unless it solves the JFK assassination. Morley's List of 13 Documents Will Tell Us Little An analysis of the 13 documents Morley wants to see. The Schlesinger Memo, Again! Morley claims I am a CIA apologist and then misquotes me. For The Sake of Our Sanity - Release the Joannides File It would be worthwhile for the CIA to release the Joannides file just to stop the incessant posts from Jefferson Morley. Did Oswald Stay at a Luxury Hotel in Helsinki? Actually, Oswald stayed at two budget-priced hotels in Helsinki. Morley Keeps Asking the Same Questions He keeps asking the same questions, and we keep posting the same answers. The JFK Assassination and Truth Conspiracy authors are playing fast and loose with the facts. Was Herminio Diaz a Grassy Knoll Assassin? There is no evidence that Diaz was involved in the JFK assassination. Morley Misleads on Arthur Schlesinger's Memo on the CIA There are clues as to what is in a redacted section of Schlesinger's memo. Jefferson Morley's Podcast on New Orleans Lays an Egg Chad Nagle and Dan Storper's article on New Orleans gets everything wrong. Chad Nagle and Dan Storper Lay an Egg Believing Michael Kurtz is problematic. Is Jefferson Morley Seeing Double? Morley wrote that there are two redacted memos on CIA reorganization, but there is only one. He wrote about Goodwin's copy as if it was a different memo, rather than a copy of the Schlesinger memo. Jefferson Morley is wrong about "Who Shot John?" The phrase 'who shot John' does not refer to the JFK assassination. Jefferson Morley is Wrong on William Harvey, Again! Only one word is redacted in Harvey's deposition. Jefferson Morley is Wrong about Operation Northwoods, Again! There are no redactions in the Operation Northwoods document. Did Dorothy Kilgallen Have any Special Knowledge about the JFK Assassination? Kilgallen had nothing to tell. Morley's Interview of Marina Oswald Porter Fizzles! An underwhelming interview of Marina Oswald. Jefferson Morley: Able to Leap Intellectual Chasms in a Single Bound Morley often repeats stories and changes their meanings. There was NO Assassination Plot in Chicago Chad Nagle claims there was an assassination plot against JFK in Chicago in November 1963. One problem: There is no evidence of such a plot. Fred Litwin, CIA Apologist? A response to Morley's Substack post alleging that I am a CIA apologist. A Reply to Jefferson Morley on Bill Harvey   A rebuttal to Morley's response to my post Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963? Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963?   There is no credible evidence Harvey was in Dallas in November of 1963. Does it Matter Where Allen Dulles was on November 22, 1963?   Morley repeats the claim that Dulles was at a CIA training center during the weekend of the JFK assassination. He wasn't. Jefferson Morley's Claims about Reuben Efron   Morley's claims about Efron are all wrong. A Reply to Jefferson Morley regarding Operation Northwoods   Morley responded to my article "The Truth about Operation Northwoods." Here is my reply. W. Tracy Parnell on Jefferson Morley   W. Tracy Parnell is one of the best JFK assassination researchers out there. Here is his look at Jefferson Morley with several important articles. The Truth about Operation Northwoods   Operation Northwoods can only be understood as part of the Kennedys' war against Cuba and Operation Mongoose. Jefferson Morley Responds to my Post on MK-Ultra and Jack Ruby   And a response from me. Did Dr. Louis Jolyon West Ask to Examine Jack Ruby in November 1963?   There is no evidence that Dr. West petitioned the court to examine Jack Ruby before his trial. Did the CIA use a MK-Ultra Psychiatrist to Interfere with Jack Ruby's Case?   There is absolutely no evidence that Dr. Louis Jolyon West interfered with Jack Ruby's case. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills, Part Four   Jefferson Morley used a fake Oswald handbill in his press conference for the Mary Ferrell Foundation. Redactions, Redactions, Redactions...   An examination of redactions in the JFK collection of documents. Jefferson Morley Doesn't Understand Jim Garrison's Homophobic Prosecution of Clay Shaw Morley doesn't understand Alecia Long's arguments about homophobia and Jim Garrison. Jefferson Morley asks why "what the CIA knew about Herminio Diaz is still off limits." Morley misses that a lot of redactions are actually available. Belief in a JFK Conspiracy Drops! Jefferson Morley's press conference presents evidence that belief in a conspiracy has dropped.

It was a pleasure to talk with Dr. Chad Zimmerman who reviewed JFK"s autopsy X-Rays and photographs with Larry Sturdivan in 2004. You can click here for Dr. Zimmerman's research page. You can read some of Larry Sturdivan's observations here. Chad is the proprietor of The Footsteps in the Dark podcast. Here are Dr. Zimmerman's notes from his examination of the autopsy materials: Original Dictation September 27, 2004 This tape was dictated on September 27 th , 2004, and pertains to my observations at the National Archives at College Park, MD on September 23, 2004. I awoke early at approximately 6:00am on the 23 rd  to begin preparation for my trip to College Park. I was staying with a college classmate who lives in Germantown, MD. I was told about an hour and a half of traffic would be forthcoming. I arrived early at the archives at about 8:15 in the morning. I was to meet Mr. Larry Sturdivan from Santa Fe, New Mexico at about 9:00 in the morning. I arrived and gathered my equipment, took a photo of the archives building. I went through the security checkpoint. I then obtained my researcher pass and was told to stow away my carry along items which included my scanner, laptop, stereoscope and various notes in the lockers on the basement floor. After doing so, I returned to the lobby area where I obtained information that I was to head to the second floor. I entered the second floor and was given the number to reach Martha Murphy at the archives. I called her and she told me she would meet me in about 15 minutes on the main floor. I proceeded to the main floor and waited for Mr. Sturdivan to arrive. He did promptly at approximately 9:00 or 9:05 in the morning. He obtained his researcher’s pass. We then met Martha Murphy at which time we were escorted to the second floor for our private viewing  of the autopsy materials. We entered the room which was a small, elongated rectangular room that was approximately 10 by 20 feet long. We were asked which materials that we would prefer to view first. We were in the company of Martha Murphy, a man with the first name of James and Marty McGann. Larry and I decided that we would like to view the x-ray materials to begin with. We proceeded to view the AP and lateral x-rays. The AP and lateral x-rays were much clearer than the available scans to the public. There are two lateral films. One is a left lateral and one is a right lateral film. We initially spent quite a bit of time looking at the AP film. I wanted to try and ascertain a little bit of the position of the teeth, particularly in the maxilla to try and orient the film’s presentation period. It is obvious on the film that there is some extension to the President’s head. His front teeth overlap the top tip of the odontoid process. We noticed about a 9mm tilt to the dentition. I think Larry took a little bit better notes as far as how that was measured. That was more of his measurement than mine. The width of the skull was measured to be 17cm at its greatest width, which was across the top one-third of the orbit. The measurement is closely correlated on the enhanced AP at about 17.5cm at its greatest width in the same locale. I did sketch a little bit of the AP. I did not look too closely at fracture patterns as there was extensive disruption to the cortex in the posterior fossa period. I did try to sketch a little bit of the fragment patterns. We did notice the two small areas of heat damage to the films. One of them was located at approximately between a one and two o’clock position as it relates to the right orbit and is seen superior and lateral to that margin. There appears to be four white fragments consistent with metal densities located roughly equally spaced in the burn area. We did not measure that particular area although it was quite small and approximated the size of a nickel or so. The other area was a little bit further and more lateral to the upper quarter of the orbit. This one did seem to show a couple of areas that would be consistent with metallic densities. The 6.5mm fragment density does certainly appear to be metallic in origin. There is a differential density pattern noted to that density. It is a little bit more well-defined on this film and is not quite perfectly circular as it shows on the enhanced view that we look at. There are several fragments inferior to that as well as one that is just about- just left of the midpoint of the right orbit. Other larger fragments were seen into the right superior hemisphere. This cavity would had to have contained some brain matter and likely those fragments were a part of that tissue. We observed on the lateral film- noted a density near the posterior cowlick area. There were no grid lines associated with this and this was originally thought to be due to some discoloration or damage on the film. However, other areas of known metallic density did not show these and this would be because no photons are reaching the screen and illuminating in that area. We noticed approximately a 5degree downward tilt using the known measurements of the external acoustic meatus to the inferior orbital rim. This would be on the lateral film. There is a horizontal line visualized on the lateral film. This line is parallel to the bottom film edge at about 126mm from that bottom film edge. There was a brown pencil mark within the margins of the odontoid process. There was also an oblique line noted which intersects posteriorly with the horizontal film plane line. We measured the forward tilt on the lateral film- the enhanced version- and again measured 4.5-5 degrees of forward head flexion based upon the EAM and the inferior orbital rim. Looking at the AP view it was obvious there were no fragment densities anywhere in the left hemisphere of the brain. I did have a chance to sketch just a little bit of the teeth. Total width from left to right was 82mm. The width of the front teeth was 24mm and there was an 8mm from the inferior margin of the front teeth and a horizontal line connecting the inferior margins of the molars. The two front teeth were 8mm above that line, indicating a small degree of extension to the President’s head. We did look at the lateral enhanced x-ray that was done for the HSCA.  This was on normal x-ray film. It was easily seen that this image was brightened to lighten up some of the darker areas. There did appear to be an area in the posterior fossa that would be close to the Warren Commission entry point that showed what appeared to be a little bit of a lucency on the film consistent with what could be a little bit of beveling to the interior table margin. In addition, there is a little bit of anterior displacement to the superior margin of that area. The thickness of posterior fossa on that point on the x-ray is about 13-14mm. I have a notation here in my notes that says, “the inferior EOP to the superior margin of the inferior orbital rim is parallel to drawn in horizontal line”. Looking at the lateral enhanced HSCA x-ray, the posterior fragment that would be close to the cowlick area is not metal. In fact, there is one little tiny area of it that does extend beyond the posterior table of the skull. This could place the fragment somewhat to the outside. There are no grid lines within the fragment and it is just a little bit lighter than the bone area, which would be consistent with a piece of bone overlapping another area of bone density. The #3 lateral x-ray is pretty cut off, estimating about 15% of the dimension of the skull being removed from the posterior aspect of that film. This makes reading of the posterior area useless. Next on te #3 lateral, the radiodensity that appeared to be within the cortex on the #2 lateral shows itself to be outside of the cortex margins just above the supraorbital rim. I did sketch this into my notes. We had an opportunity to look at the x-ray of the recovered bone fragments. There wre 3 bone fragments in all. We specifically looked at the #6 film, which was very good. The #4 film was very dark. Of interest was the larger of the fragments which was a triangular shaped fragment with a curved edge on one side. The fragment measured 9.3 cm at its largest length and 6.2cm and its largest width. One margin of the fragment did show obvious suture markings. There was also a lot of lead depositing to one corner of this fragment. Again I sketched this fragment into my notes. We looked at the photographs. We noted on the right superior photograph that the area of the neck wound is actually much smaller than is seen and described in the photographs that we have to look at. The black and white #5 photograph. Of these photographs that we’ve looked at, especially the color films, the #26 was the first to be taken as evidenced by the amount of blood drops on the cloth that is laid beneath his head. The wound itself was a little bit smaller than I had anticipated and was demarcated with a small, light-colored area on the superior margin. Otherwise, the wound itself is very dark and such characteristics are a little bit hard to determine. On the right superior view, it is evident that the flap area visualized is scalp only and does not contain bone. There were no signs of any frontal entries- soft tissue cratering, anything such as that that could be seen on those photographs. It was evident that the top of the head photographs were taken after the right superior profile, which shows the neck wound. This is due to the blood drops on the drop cloth beneath the head. Next, we looked at what has become known in the research lore as the ‘back of the head views’. These would be the F8 series of photographs, or the 44, 45 pictures. These also include black and white and color. There were 2 or 3 colors that we visualized and 3,4 or 5 black and whites. The #44 photograph is in color and had a little bit clearer anterior surface of the forehead while the #45 was a little bit blurrier. The color photographs, first of all, were extremely clear. My first impression after viewing the color photographs was just that- in how clear and how much detail is visualized in the color films. That which needs to be seen is pretty fairly sharply focused and you can really see the individual hairs and things such as that in the photographs. In these color photographs, of the close-ups, it was quite clear and evident that the photograph was taken from the front. I could see the President’s cheekbone configuration, as well as part of the upper back, trapezius musculature. Between the lower jar, near the mid jaw or angle of the jaw, there was a large piece of adipose tissue that was beneath the cheek and jaw structuring. This would’ve been from the neck area after it had been dissected. There is the large flap of bone that we see on the other films and then there is another secondary piece of bone which would be just lower to the right of it as relative to the President. This would be lower and to the left as seen on the photograph. The scalp is pulled down across the forehead and in our public views, it is cut off before we see the bifurcation of the laceration. The laceration extends further to the President’s right and beneath the large flap fragment seen on the public films. There is some, what appears to be, temporalis musculature that lies superior and medial to the large flap fragment. Looking at it from this orientation, there is a little bit of the President’s ear is noted, and what appears to be a fuzzy area that looked to be consistent with possible sideburn hair. The top right portion of the photograph does also give some additional detail. You can see the doctor’s hand in the upper right corner. Just lateral to that and towards the right edge of the photograph you can see the drop cloth with some  blood smeared onto it that was laying on the table period. Just inferior to that drop cloth is kind of a gray or bluish-gray area that is probably, or likely just the surface of the table. On Kennedy’s left lateral skull, on the area that is typically seen on the public view as being where the neck would be, or some such thing like that, is an area of very reflected dark, congealed blood material. Previous Episodes of On the Trail of Delusion : Episode 1 My first guest was Robert Reynolds who is an expert on the JFK assassination files . Episode 2 Robert A. Wagner discusses his new book, JFK Assassinated . Episode 3 Gerald Posner discusses the JFK assassination and conspiracy theories. Episode 4 Dr. Martin Kelly, Jr., discusses conspiracy theories and the medical evidence in the JFK assassination. Episode 5 Steve Roe discusses the life of General Edwin Walker and Oswald's attempt to kill him. Episode 6 Gus Russo discusses his participation in the PBS Frontline documentary on Lee Harvey Oswald. Episode 7 Dave Perry tells some great stories about debunking JFK conspiracy nonsense. Episode 8 Nick Nalli explains some of the science behind the assassination. Episode 9 Alecia Long discusses Jim Garrison and his non-existent case against Clay Shaw. Episode 10 Don Carpenter discusses the life of Clay Shaw. Episode 11 Bill Brown discusses the murder of Officer J. D. Tippit. Episode 12 Eric Dezenhall discusses the relationship between the mob and JFK. Episode 13 Nick Nalli discusses the acoustics evidence and the Zapruder Film. Episode 14 Scott Maudsley discusses Lee Harvey Oswald's antisocial personality disorder. Episode 15 Document expert Robert Reynolds discusses what to expect in the upcoming JFK assassination file releases. Episode 16 A panel discussion on the document releases with Fred Litwin, Gus Russo, Robert Reynolds, Larry Haapanen, Mark Allen, and Steve Roe. Episode 17 An interview with author Michel Gagné about conspiracy theories. Episode 18 An interview with Phil Tinline about his book, Ghosts of Iron Mountain . Episode 19 An interview with Janet Banister, grand-niece of Guy Banister. Episode 20 The Marina Oswald Tapes . Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Medical Evidence Was Hoover's Warren Commission Testimony Altered? Was Hoover's testimony altered to hide the medical evidence? The Parkland Doctors, Part Six A look at Dr. McClelland's recollections over the years. Marilyn Sitzman on JFK's Head Wound Sitzman, who was standing right behind Abraham Zapruder, thoughts the shots came from the TSBD and that she clearly saw Kennedy's head wound over the right ear. John Stringer on JFK's Wounds and his Autopsy Photographs Stringer was very clear that he took the photographs of JFK's brain. The Parkland Doctors, Part One Attending physicians often make mistakes in determining the nature of gunshot wounds. Should we care what the Parkland doctors think? The Parkland Doctors, Part Two A look at what the Parkland doctors wrote and what they said. The Parkland Doctors, Part Three The Boston Globe  interviewed some of the Parkland doctors in 1981. The Parkland Doctors, Part Four A 1992 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association  has some interesting comments from a few of the Parkland doctors. The Parkland Doctors, Part Five An interesting interview with Dr. Robert McClelland. Why Autopsies are Needed The doctor treating John Lennon was mistaken about his wounds. Dr. Cyril Wecht Complains Wecht complains about the HSCA's forensic pathology panel. Dr. Cyril Wecht writes to Dr. Michael Baden Wecht has a suggestion for Dr. Baden. The Wecht Conclusion that Dare Not Speak Its Name, Part Two Wecht's memoir mentions his examination of the autopsy materials in 1972 but neglects to talk about his conclusion that the fatal head shot came from behind. The Wecht Conclusion that Dare Not Speak its Name James DiEugenio's obituary of Dr. Wecht leaves out his conclusion that the fatal head shot came from behind. Dr. Cyril Wecht (1931 - 2024) זיכ רונו לברכה My obituary for Dr. Cyril Wecht. Dr. Cyril Wecht Rules Out a Head Shot From the Front A letter from Dr. Wecht to Thomas Stamm on the head shot. Sylvia Meagher and Dr. Cyril Wecht Discuss the Head Shot   A letter from Dr. Wecht to Sylvia Meagher on the head shot. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on JFK's Throat Wound Dr. Wecht believes that JFK's throat wound was one of exit. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on JFK's Brain, Again...   Dr. Robert Kirschner's consultation with the ARRB explains a mystery in the documentary. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on the Weight of JFK's Brain   JFK Revisited makes a big deal about the weight of JFK's brain and ignores a non-conspiratorial explanation. JFK Revisited Distorts John Stringer's Testimony   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary makes it sound like the autopsy photographer said that he did not take the photos of JFK's brain that are in the current inventory, "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on Dr. Charles Crenshaw   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed , features Dr. Charles Crenshaw to bolster its claim that President Kennedy was shot from the front. Viewers are not informed of Dr. Crenshaw's credibility problems. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on JFK's Head Wound, Part Three   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK: Destiny Betrayed , misleads viewers on the opinions of Parkland Hospital doctors and Bethesda witnesses regarding JFK's head wound. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on the Harper Fragment   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed , misleads viewers into thinking the Harper fragment was occipital bone that came from the back of Kennedy's head. Dr. Joseph Dolce: Another Problematic Witness from "JFK: Destiny Betrayed"   Have a look at Dr. Joseph Dolce's bad judgment "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on JFK's Head Wound, Part One   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series JFK: Destiny Betrayed uses a variety of supposed witnesses to allege that the wound in the back of Kennedy's head was one of exit. Audrey Bell is one such witness and she doesn't have much credibility. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on JFK's Head Wound, Part Two   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed , tries to make the case that because Parkland Hospital doctors saw cerebellum extruding from Kennedy's head wound, that it indicated an exit wound. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on Kennedy's Back Wound    While Gerald Ford edited some language in the Warren Report, he did not change the location of the back wound. Autopsy photographs show exactly the location of the back wound. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on JFK's Autopsy   Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series,  JFK: Destiny Betrayed , alleges that autopsy pathologists were told to fit the wounds to a presupposed conclusion. On the Trail of Delusion, Episode 2 with Robert A. Wagner A podcast with Robert Wagner who has written an important book on the medical evidence.

Garry Wills was an author, historian and philosopher who won a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1993. The Capital Times, April 30, 1975 Money Quotes: Most doubts are caused by two classes of men -- those who have not really read what the Warren Commission said and those whose doubts would not be resolved by the Second Coming (which they would treat as a CIA plot). Wills also has some good advice: Here is a simple rule of thumb for dealing with conspiratorialists: If they question the integrity of the Warren Commission yet quote Mark Lane with approval, they are intellectually very ill-equipped or intellectually dishonest. The evidentiary focus of Wills' opinion piece is Nancy Perrin Rich. A fair example is Mark Lane's use of testimony by Nancy Perrin Rich. He devoted a whole chapter of his book to this woman's bizarre tale. He neglected to tell the readers that the same woman appeared two other times, in two different places, to volunteer evidence to the commission. The investigators listened politely, though she told three totally different stories. At one of these appearances, deliberately omitted from Lane's chapter, she took (and flunked) a polygraph test. Here is an excerpt about Rich from Garry Wills and Ovid Demaris' book, Jack Ruby : You can read Nancy Perrin Rich's testimony here . It's well worth reading for the comedic value. She can hardly answer any questions. Some of the exhibits on Nancy Perrin Rich are here. I strongly recommend his book The Kennedy Imprisonment: A Meditation on Power . Previous Relevant Blog Post Jim Garrison Pins the JFK Assassination on the Aerospace Industry! Garrison talks about Nancy Perrin Rich at a conference of investigators. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Mark Lane Victor Navasky Reviews Mark Lane's "A Citizen's Dissent" Navasky tests Lane's book and finds it wanting. Mark Lane and Jonestown A New York Times profile of Lane and his involvement with Jonestown. New York Times Profile of Mark Lane An apt profile. Nightmare Brought to Life An opinion piece by Anthony Lewis in the New York Times  on Mark Lane and Jonestown. Mark Lane, Again An opinion piece from the Washington Post Mark Lane: A Bent for the Macabre Side A good opinion piece from the Philadelphia Bulletin . Sylvia Meagher Corresponds with Philippe Labro Meagher tells Labro a story about Mark Lane. Mark Lane and The Progressive Even a left-wing magazine like The Progressive  found Mark Lane hard to take. Mark Lane on Clay Shaw Mark Lane's addition to the 1992 edition of Rush to Judgment is eye opening. Mark Lane on the Joe Dolan Show Lane tells Dolan about Garrison's amazing evidence. Did the CIA Try to Kill Mark Lane?   Lane makes a startling allegation. Mark Lane: The Left's Leading Hearse-Chaser   A profile from Mother Jones  magazine. Mark Lane vs. Sylvia Meagher   Lane and Meagher feuded about a blurb for her book. The Case Against Mark Lane   A profile from Esquire Magazine . Mark Lane saw a conspiracy - as usual   An article from the Tampa Bay Times . The Mark of Zorro   An Anthony Lewis column on Mark Lane from 1978. Mark Lane's Scholarship!   Howard Roffman finds that Mark Lane's scholarship is lacking. Mark Lane, Conspiracy Addict   A profile of Mark Lane in Newsweek . Mark Lane offers to introduce Jim Garrison to "Mr. Candy"   Mark Lane offers to introduce Jim Garrison to a witness that, for $25,000, would tie Jack Ruby with Clay Shaw. Redactions, Redactions, Redactions...   This post has a good case study of how Mark Lane exploited a redaction in a document.

Here is a posting on X from Jefferson Morley in response to my blog post about Herminio Daz. I now join the SpyTalk folks as pro bono lawyers for the CIA. Will I now have to register as a foreign agent in Canada? Here is a link to a post about our CIA dinner in Dallas. And the CIA wants you to read my book. And here is a variety of accusations that I work for the CIA. Previous Relevant Blog Posts "Guilt by Orientation" - The CIA Strikes Again! Lisa Pease is not happy with James Kirchick's excellent article on Oliver Stone. "Guilt by Orientation" - The CIA Strikes Again, Part Two More of Lisa Pease's greatest hits. Is Josiah Thompson a CIA Agent? Vincent Salandria once accused Josiah Thompson of being a CIA agent. Is Josiah Thompson a CIA agent? Part Two Vincent Salandria sends a letter to Raymond Marcus about Josiah Thompson. Previous Relevant Blogs Posts on Jefferson Morley's Congressional Testimony Jefferson Morley's Congressional NothingBurger An analysis of Congresswoman Luna's Congressional Hearings In Search of the Oswald Operation, Part One An FBI memo that quoted James Angleton is used by Morley to reach an unwarranted conclusion. In Search of the Oswald Operation, Part Two Morley misreads Angleton's testimony before the HSCA. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Three Morley believes a document proves the CIA did not believe that a lone gunman killed JFK. Update on the Heath Memo Additional documents relevant to Part Three. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Four Morley claims that there is some connection between the suicides of Gary Underhill, Charles Thomas, George de Mohrenschildt, and the overdose death of Dorothy Kilgallen. In Search of an Oswald Operation, Part Five Morley believes that Agustin Guitart was spying on pro-Castro forces in New Orleans Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Jefferson Morley Yet Another Morley Nothingburger A new CIA file on Herminio Diaz does not sustain allegations that he was a grassy knoll gunman. Richard Russell and the Warren Report Richard Russell always believed that Oswald was the lone gunman. Was Hoover's Warren Commission Testimony Altered? An article by Chad Nagle, on Morley's Substack, gets it wrong on Hoover's testimony. My Quillette Article on Morley's Nothingburger My latest article for Quillette.com CBS Practices Stenography The recent segment on CBS about Morley and JFK documents was not journalism. Lee Harvey Oswald was not under Surveillance Morley's list of six CIA operations do not prove that Oswald was under surveillance. The CIA's Pro Bono Lawyers Morley claims the SpyTalk authors are working as pro bono lawyers for the CIA. Did the CIA Know Oswald's State of Mind? The CIA was just quoting from a State Department memo. SpyTalk on the Joannides' File, Part Two SpyTalks replies to Jefferson Morley. The Illusion of a Smoking Gun Gerald Posner on the Joannides' file. Fact Checking Morley's Fact Check Morley's Fact Check on SpyTalk needs a fact check. SpyTalk on Morley's Nothingburger Gus Russo and Michael Isikoff on the Joannides' personnel file. Jefferson Morley's Unbearable Lightness of Being Now that the entire personnel file of George Joannides has been released, Jefferson Morley has now published his unified theory of nothingness. More Morley Nothingburgers on the way Morley is requesting more documents -- they will reveal nothing about the assassination. Morley's Non-Story Hits the Press Morley got the headlines he wanted to a complete non-story. George Joannides and the HSCA Joannides did not come out of retirement to work with the HSCA. There Was No "Oswald Operation" There is no mention of an "Oswald Operation" in the Joannides' personnel file. The Parkland Doctors, Part Six Morley believes that Dr. Robert McClelland's recollections provides proof of a shot from the front. Here is the truth about McClelland. On the Loss of Occam’s Razor in the JFK Case A reply by Nicholas Nalli to Jefferson Morley. A Case Study in Redaction: The CIA's LIFEAT File Morley suspected a redacted file would reveal major secrets. It didn't. The Schlesinger Memo Unredacted! Several months ago, I posted an article, in association with several researchers, that showed what was contained in the redacted section of Schlesinger's memo. Jefferson Morley's Clairvoyance Morley somehow knows what is in the supposed 2,400 recently-discovered FBI files. Was Israel Behind the JFK Assassination? Morley discusses Israel with Tucker Carlson. Morley's Bad History Lesson Morley believes that the United States can never be great unless it solves the JFK assassination. Morley's List of 13 Documents Will Tell Us Little An analysis of the 13 documents Morley wants to see. The Schlesinger Memo, Again! Morley claims I am a CIA apologist and then misquotes me. For The Sake of Our Sanity - Release the Joannides File It would be worthwhile for the CIA to release the Joannides file just to stop the incessant posts from Jefferson Morley. Did Oswald Stay at a Luxury Hotel in Helsinki? Actually, Oswald stayed at two budget-priced hotels in Helsinki. Morley Keeps Asking the Same Questions He keeps asking the same questions, and we keep posting the same answers. The JFK Assassination and Truth Conspiracy authors are playing fast and loose with the facts. Was Herminio Diaz a Grassy Knoll Assassin? There is no evidence that Diaz was involved in the JFK assassination. Morley Misleads on Arthur Schlesinger's Memo on the CIA There are clues as to what is in a redacted section of Schlesinger's memo. Jefferson Morley's Podcast on New Orleans Lays an Egg Chad Nagle and Dan Storper's article on New Orleans gets everything wrong. Chad Nagle and Dan Storper Lay an Egg Believing Michael Kurtz is problematic. Is Jefferson Morley Seeing Double? Morley wrote that there are two redacted memos on CIA reorganization, but there is only one. He wrote about Goodwin's copy as if it was a different memo, rather than a copy of the Schlesinger memo. Jefferson Morley is wrong about "Who Shot John?" The phrase 'who shot John' does not refer to the JFK assassination. Jefferson Morley is Wrong on William Harvey, Again! Only one word is redacted in Harvey's deposition. Jefferson Morley is Wrong about Operation Northwoods, Again! There are no redactions in the Operation Northwoods document. Did Dorothy Kilgallen Have any Special Knowledge about the JFK Assassination? Kilgallen had nothing to tell. Morley's Interview of Marina Oswald Porter Fizzles! An underwhelming interview of Marina Oswald. Jefferson Morley: Able to Leap Intellectual Chasms in a Single Bound Morley often repeats stories and changes their meanings. There was NO Assassination Plot in Chicago Chad Nagle claims there was an assassination plot against JFK in Chicago in November 1963. One problem: There is no evidence of such a plot. Fred Litwin, CIA Apologist? A response to Morley's Substack post alleging that I am a CIA apologist. A Reply to Jefferson Morley on Bill Harvey   A rebuttal to Morley's response to my post Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963? Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963?   There is no credible evidence Harvey was in Dallas in November of 1963. Does it Matter Where Allen Dulles was on November 22, 1963?   Morley repeats the claim that Dulles was at a CIA training center during the weekend of the JFK assassination. He wasn't. Jefferson Morley's Claims about Reuben Efron   Morley's claims about Efron are all wrong. A Reply to Jefferson Morley regarding Operation Northwoods   Morley responded to my article "The Truth about Operation Northwoods." Here is my reply. W. Tracy Parnell on Jefferson Morley   W. Tracy Parnell is one of the best JFK assassination researchers out there. Here is his look at Jefferson Morley with several important articles. The Truth about Operation Northwoods   Operation Northwoods can only be understood as part of the Kennedys' war against Cuba and Operation Mongoose. Jefferson Morley Responds to my Post on MK-Ultra and Jack Ruby   And a response from me. Did Dr. Louis Jolyon West Ask to Examine Jack Ruby in November 1963?   There is no evidence that Dr. West petitioned the court to examine Jack Ruby before his trial. Did the CIA use a MK-Ultra Psychiatrist to Interfere with Jack Ruby's Case?   There is absolutely no evidence that Dr. Louis Jolyon West interfered with Jack Ruby's case. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills, Part Four   Jefferson Morley used a fake Oswald handbill in his press conference for the Mary Ferrell Foundation. Redactions, Redactions, Redactions...   An examination of redactions in the JFK collection of documents. Jefferson Morley Doesn't Understand Jim Garrison's Homophobic Prosecution of Clay Shaw Morley doesn't understand Alecia Long's arguments about homophobia and Jim Garrison. Jefferson Morley asks why "what the CIA knew about Herminio Diaz is still off limits." Morley misses that a lot of redactions are actually available. Belief in a JFK Conspiracy Drops! Jefferson Morley's press conference presents evidence that belief in a conspiracy has dropped.

After her Warren Commission testimony in 1964, J. Lee Rankin requested that the FBI wiretap Marina Oswald's phone in an attempt to discover any new information about her late husbands assassination of President Kennedy. Attorney General Robert Kennedy approved the wiretaps. This podcast contains some excerpts of rare audio recordings from these wiretaps. Guests Paul Gregory, Denis Morissette , Steve Roe and Marianna Yarovskaya discuss the implications of what Marina Oswald thought about conspiracy theories. Here is Hoover's request for a wiretap : The results were not encouraging and the wiretaps were stopped : Here is a good summary of the wiretaps : You can see Hoover's message below in which he says, "I agree reluctantly ..." The FBI did send the Warren Commission memos with information from the wiretaps : Here is a 1975 FBI document about the wiretapping . Here is the article from the New York Times : New York Times, October 30, 1975 A note on the Paul Gregory segment Paul brings up the questioning of Marina Oswald by the Secret Service at the Six Flags Inn after the assassination. He thinks there was an attempt to link Oswald's gun to the Soviet Union. Peter Dale Scott discussed this at a critic's conference with the HSCA. Here is the Mamantov deposition that Scott mentions - he was the translator for Marina Oswald when she was at police headquarters right after the assassination. Previous Episodes of On the Trail of Delusion : Episode 1 My first guest was Robert Reynolds who is an expert on the JFK assassination files . Episode 2 Robert A. Wagner discusses his new book, JFK Assassinated. Episode 3 Gerald Posner discusses the JFK assassination and conspiracy theories. Episode 4 Dr. Martin Kelly, Jr., discusses conspiracy theories and the medical evidence in the JFK assassination. Episode 5 Steve Roe discusses the life of General Edwin Walker and Oswald's attempt to kill him. Episode 6 Gus Russo discusses his participation in the PBS Frontline documentary on Lee Harvey Oswald. Episode 7 Dave Perry tells some great stories about debunking JFK conspiracy nonsense. Episode 8 Nick Nalli explains some of the science behind the assassination. Episode 9 Alecia Long discusses Jim Garrison and his non-existent case against Clay Shaw. Episode 10 Don Carpenter discusses the life of Clay Shaw. Episode 11 Bill Brown discusses the murder of Officer J. D. Tippit. Episode 12 Eric Dezenhall discusses the relationship between the mob and JFK. Episode 13 Nick Nalli discusses the acoustics evidence and the Zapruder Film. Episode 14 Scott Maudsley discusses Lee Harvey Oswald's antisocial personality disorder. Episode 15 Document expert Robert Reynolds discusses what to expect in the upcoming JFK assassination file releases. Episode 16 A panel discussion on the document releases with Fred Litwin, Gus Russo, Robert Reynolds, Larry Haapanen, Mark Allen, and Steve Roe. Episode 17 An interview with author Michel Gagné about conspiracy theories. Episode 18 An interview with Phil Tinline about his book, Ghosts of Iron Mountain . Episode 19 An interview with Janet Banister, grand-niece of Guy Banister. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Marina Oswald Why Marina Was Interested in her Husband's Innocence Marina was interested in any development that would absolve her former husband of Kennedy's murder "for the sake of the kids." Morley's Interview of Marina Oswald Porter Fizzles! Morley forgets to ask Marina the important questions. Was Marina Oswald Involved in the JFK Assassination? Fletcher Prouty writes that Marina Oswald might have been involved. Jim Garrison Claims Lee Harvey Oswald was a Victim Garrison writes to Marina Oswald. Marina Oswald's Doctor was a Homosexual! Here is a memo written to Jim Garrison by Roger Craig. Jim Garrison's Grand Juries... Marina Oswald was fearful of Garrison's subpoena.