Gems from the 26 Volumes: by Vince Palamara
SETH KANTOR ON THE "DEAD" SECRET SERVICE AGENT
20 H 410:
"A Western Union man who had been with us since we came down from
Andrews Air Force Base came into the [Parkland Hospital] office.A nurse
asked him about a report that a Secret Service agent had been killed out
on the street. HE SAID THAT IT WAS TRUE. This was one of the immediate
rumors which sprung up. It took several days for this particular rumor
not to be believed in Dallas itself (FELLOW IN JAGGARS-CHILES-STOVALL
who got it from a friend who got it from a POSTMAN* supposed to have
been at the death scene that the shot and bleeding SS man was in on the
plot to kill the President.)" [emphasis added]
*the 1/22/77 issue of "The Continuing Inquiry" contains an article
written by Penn Jones and Gary Shaw re: the "dead" agent incident as
reported in a letter sent to Jim Garrison during the Clay Shaw trial:
"A Mr. Robertson, Assistant Director of the Dallas or Fort Worth
Secret Service office, confided to [friend of writer who requested
anonymity] in 1963 that a plot to kill President Kennedy was planned and
he did not want any part of it. On November 22, 1963, my friend was in
the office of Mr. Robertson when all phones began to ring, about the
time Kennedy was arriving at Carswell Air Force Base [in Fort Worth],
Mr. Robertson then said, 'Well, this is it' and left the office. Sinc
that time Mr. Robertson's family of seven children and wife have not
seen or heard from him, yet his paychecks continue to be mailed to his
home."
Jones/ Shaw: "Our 1965 investigation lead us to believe Robertson
was in Dallas but was posing as a POSTAL INSPECTOR, but it was reported
to us that he had left Dallas. We also learned from newsmen that
something unusual did happen on Harwood [street] shortly before the turn
to Main Street. No one wanted credit for this, but we were told by
reliable newsmen that a man jumped in front of Kennedy's car on Harwood
shouting, "Stop, I must tell you." The man, according to ther report,
was promptly wresteled to the ground and hustled away." [emphasis added]
-----
To my great surprise, there are FOUR reports that corroborate the above
article, in conjunction with the overlooked Kantor report:
The first is the actual LETTER sent to Garrison from an "Amy Britvar"
dated 2/21/68 and originating from Turtle Creek Blvd. in Dallas, TX.
[thanks go to John Armstrong and Jack White for the copy of this
letter]! An internet people search for Britvar drew a blank, although
there ARE other Britvars in Texas (further work will be done on locating
this person).
The second is a Treasury Department (U.S. Customs Service) document,
dated 1/17/80, from Joseph G. Forrester, U.S. Customs, to Attorney
General Benjamin R. Civiletti [thanks go to John Armstrong and Ed Sherry
for this document]. The letter reads in part:
"My interest in the Kennedy murder started in 1966 when I met ab Air
Force Master Sergeant at St. Albans Naval Hospital, Queens, New York.
This sergeant, an elderly man, was suffering from terminal cancer. He
stated that on November 22,1963 he was attached to Air Force One as an
electronics technician. He further stated that after the President was
shot a message was received over a military frequency that multiple
assassins had attacked the President...a Secret Service agent, Mr.
Robertson, stationed in the Dallas-Fort Worth area disappeared on
November 22,1963 yet his family still receives his paychecks. The
disappearance of an individual is not unusual except that it has been
said that Mr. Robertson became aware of an assassins plot against the
president. An assassin plot had been unearthed in Chicago a short time
before President Kennedy's Dallas trip. Please do not misconstrue this
letter. I am not a crank; but I am sincerely interested in this crucial
investigation. I am willing to join an investigative team and if that is
not possible, will make myself available for an interview by
investigative officers."
The third is a lengthy memorandum written by Vince Salandria, dated
1/31/67, regarding an interview with Rita Rollins, a Navy Nurse with an
interesting story to tell.---the crucial part in question reads as
follows:
"The name of the person in Dallas...is Inez Robertson. CHUCK
ROBERTSON, HER HUSBAND, WORKS AT THE POST OFFICE...Inez Robertson,
actually saw them [men with guns] make a breakdown of the rifles. This
tall man with long grey or white hair[-]he was in the station wagon.
There is a luggage rack on the station wagon. It was a Rambler station
wagon. This fellow with the mixed grey hair carried them [the armed men]
to the airport...This tall man had been around Dallas the day before the
assassination...THIS EPISODE HAS CAUSED FRICTION BETWEEN CHUCK ROBERTSON
AND INEZ ROBERTSON. HE IS NOT IN DALLAS NOW." [emphasis added]
The fourth can be found in the WC volumes: 17 H 749 (CE 705: the DPD
Channel 2 transcripts)---
"One of the SECRET SERVICE MEN ON THE FIELD---ELM AND HOUSTON; said it
came over the teletype that one of the Secret Service men had been
killed." [emphasis added]
-----
Finally, here are excerpts from my article about the "dead" agent:
In the July, 1997 JFK Deep Politics Quarterly article "Jim Fox and the
Dead Secret Service Agent Story," Mark Crouch
raised some fascinating possibilities. In fact, I was so inspired by
that article that I finally decided to do something I
should have done a long time ago: namely, detail every scrap of data
concerning this mystery, as well as the one
concerning the "agent(s)" of unknown repute spotted in Dealey Plaza
immediately after the assassination.
First things first, however -- here is every known reference to the dead
agent I could find as reported in the media on
November 22, 1963.
Eddie Barker, KRLD-TV, a CBS affiliate, noted, "The
word is that the President was killed, one of his
agents is dead, and Governor Connally was wounded."
ABC News in
Washington reported, "A Secret Service agent
apparently was shot by one of the assassin's bullets."
ABC's Bill Lord
report included, "Did confirm the death of the secret
service agent... one of the Secret Service agents was killed...Secret
Service agents usually walk right beside the car."
ABC Washington also noted, "One of the Secret Service agents traveling
with the President was killed today."
The Associated Press (AP) was quoted on WFAA (ABC):"A Secret Service
agent and a Dallas policeman were shot and
killed some distance from where the President was shot."
At 12:45 p.m.
CST, KRLD-TV, a CBS affiliate, reported that a
Secret Service agent had been killed along with the President.
At 1:23 pm, CST, CBS's Walter Cronkite reported, "A Secret Service man
was also killed in the fusillade of shots."
Seth
Kantor, a reporter for Scripps-Howard, would write in his notebook,
which was published by the Warren Commission
[20H 410] "They even have to die in secret."
At 2:14, the AP again made
note: "A Secret Service Agent and a Dallas
policeman were shot and killed today.
The Dallas Police radio, channel
two, also carried the story: (2:40 p.m.) "One of
the Secret Service men on the field--Elm and Houston, said that it came
over his Teletype that one of the Secret Service
men had been killed."
The Dallas Times Herald , dateline November 22,
1963, added, "From the Secret Service office in
Dallas--a spokesman could neither confirm or deny the report: 'All I've
heard is the same reports you've heard [sic]'."
At
3:40 p.m. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Robert A. Wallace
reported, "No Secret Service man was injured in the
attack on President Kennedy," a denial of sorts, but it does not
indicate if one was killed, or if there was violence away
from "the attack on President Kennedy."
Beyond this, several authors, this one included, have come upon
information that, in one way or another, appears to
corroborate the story to a certain extent. What follows is a listing of
these findings.
In High Treason 2 (p. 439), DNC
advance man Marty Underwood said to Harry Livingstone-- "There were a
couple of suicides in the thing, with the Secret
Service and everything..." Livingstone: "Do you remember who committed
suicide?" Underwood: "I don't remember. I
think there were a couple...." [He is then cut off by Livingstone.]
Secondly, in this author's book The Third Alternative (p. 36): "While all
three major television networks reported that "A
Secret Service agent and a Dallas policeman were shot and killed' on
11/22/63, only to be officially corrected later by
Secret Service officials, this author learned from Crouch, [Mark
Crouch,friend and confidante of PRS agent/photographer
James K. "Jack" Fox] that Agent Fox stated that the story was true!!
According to Crouch, Fox was working in
theExecutive Office Building on 11/ 22/63 (where
the PRS office was), when he was asked by SAIC of PRS Robert Bouck to
get ready a detail of four to six agents to assist
in retrieving the body and casket of the unnamed Secret Service agent.
Fox told Crouch, "We lost a man that day- our
man ,' and qualified his remarks by stating that he was not referring to
JFK! This was a deathbed confession of sorts, --
Fox died not long after telling Crouch this in the early 1980's [ed.
note: Fox died in 1987]. (Interestingly, although having
heard the news reports that stated that the President's limousine raced
to Parkland Hospital after the shooting, Mrs. Bill
Greer thought for several hours that her husband had perished that day!
Since she knew that Greer was the driver of
JFK's car, this appears to be a strange admission. See Death of a
President, p. 354, 1988 edition; interview of Richard
Greer, 10/7/91)";
Third, from Richard Trask's Pictures of the Pain, (p. 50): Mrs. Cecil
Stoughton had similar concerns about her husband to
those of Mrs. Greer cited above, no doubt due to these same reports...
RE: MOTORCYCLES---
20 H 489:
DPD Captain Perdue Lawrence (rode in the advance car) Exhibit re:
motorcycle distribution DATED NOVEMBER 21, 1963, the day before the
assassination [handwritten comments from 7/24/64]:
In addition to DPD motorcycles officers B.W. Hargis and B.J. Martin,
H.B. MCLAIN AND J.W. COURSON WERE SLATED TO RIDE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF
JFK'S LIMOUSINE. Also, in addition to DPD motorcycl officers D.L.Jackson
and J.M. Chaney, C.A. HAYGOOD AND M.L. BAKER WERE SLATED TO RIDE ON THE
RIGHT SIDE OF JFK'S LIMOUSINE!
3 H 244:
DPD motorcycle officer M.L. Baker testified that there was a last minute
change made at Love Field-told to stay to the rear of limousine [Baker
evidently interpreted this as WAY back];
6 H 293:
DPD motorcycle officer B.J. Martin testified that they were instructed
to stay to the rear of the limousine;
7 H 580-581:
DPD Captain Perdue Lawrence testified that the Secret Service told them
to stay to the rear on the evening of 11/21/63 [based off JFK's alleged
"desires", debunked by my Secret Service interviews and previous
motorcades, inc. in Texas and Florida in November 1963: how
convenient---JFK's "desires" coincided with his assassination!];
21 H 571:
DPD Asst. Chief Charles Batchelor----"[DPD Captain Perdue] Lawrence then
said there would be four (4) motorcycles on either side of the motorcade
immediately to the rear of the President's vehicle [as borne out by his
11/21/63 report]. MR. LAWSON [OF THE SECRET SERVICE] STATED THAT THIS
WAS TOO MANY, that HE thought two (2) motorcycles on either side would
be sufficient, about even with the rear fender of the President's car."
[emphasis added];
4 H 338:
Secret Service agent Winston G. Lawson---
DULLES: "...do you recall that any orders were given by or on behalf of
the President with regard to the location of those motorcycles that were
particularly attached to his car?'
LAWSON: "NOT SPECIFICALLY AT THIS INSTANCE ORDERS FROM HIM." [emphasis
added---Lawson would go on to say that "it was my understanding that he
did not like a lot of motorcycles surrounding the car", something not
borne out by very recent prior motorcades!!!];
20 H 453; 463-465:
DPD Captain Glen King---stated that the Secret Service was PRIMARILY
responsible for the President's security, while the role of the DPD was
a SUPPORTIVE one [in keeping with all prior motorcades in 1963]
--------
WILL FRITZ'S MEN OUT OF THE MOTORCADE:
20 H 391: Seth Kantor's notes----"Will Fritz's men called off nite
before by SS. Had planned to ride closed car w/ machine guns in car
behind Pres." [which could mean someplace behind JFK's car, as was the
case in New York on 11/15/63];
---------
PRESS OUT OF THE PICTURE:
6 H 163:
DMN reporter Tom Dillard---"We lost our position at the airport. I
understood we were to have been quite a bit closer. We were assigned as
the prime photographic car which, as you probably know, NORMALLY A TRUCK
PRECEDS THE PRESIDENT ON THESE THINGS [MOTORCADES] AND CERTAIN
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRESS RIDE WITH THE TRUCK. In this
case, as you know, we didn't have any and this car That I was in was to
take photographs which was of spot-news nature." [emphasis added].
Dillard forcefully said the same thing on C-Span on 11/20/93, telling
the tv audience that the flatbed truck was "cancelled at the last
minute" and they were put in Chevrolet convertibles "which totally put
us out of the picture." [all previous trips, inc. Florida, has press/
photographers very close in front and behind JFk's limousine, inc. WH
photographer Cecil Stoughton, who rode in the SS follow-up car from July
1963 until 11/21/63---he was relegated to one of the aforementioned
convertibles and would NOT tell me who placed him away from the limo! In
addition, Godfrey McHugh was told, for the first time, to please not
ride in the limousine, as he and/ or Ted Clifton often did; however,
bith the Secret Service and (recently) Ken O'Donnell have been blamed
for this, although McHugh earlier had mentioned only the SS to CFTR
radio in 1976, years before the Ralph Martin book!];
---------
MOTORCADE ROUTE:
4 H 169:
DPD Chief Jesse Curry---testified that he was not consulted about the
motorcade route!;
>From WC document-Griffin to Rankin re: Dallas PD:
"From an administrative standpoint, (DPD's Charles) Batchelor believed
that the failure of the Secret Service to inform the police adequately
in advance of the exact route to be taken by the president prevented
them from adequately organizing their men and taking the necessary
security precautions.";
--------
OVERPASSES (AND THE UMBRELLA MAN)-DISTRACTIONS?:
21 H 564:
DPD Asst. Chief Charles Batchelor---"He [Lawson of the SECRET SERVICE]
also stated that we should have men on each railroad and traffic
overpass that the presidential party would go under, and that these
people should be instructed NOT TO LET ANYONE STAND OVER THE IMMEDIATE
PATH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PARTY." [emphasisi added---not adhered to in
Dealey Plaza!];
4 H 327:
Secret Service agent Winston G. Lawson himself testifies that "any
citizen", no exceptions, were to be kept off overpasses. In fact,
4 H 351:
Lawson testified: "I recall thinking we were coming to an overpass now,
so I glanced up to see if it was clear, the way most of them had been,
THE WAY ALL OF THEM HAD BEEN UP UNTIL THAT TIME ON THE WAY DOWNTOWN, AND
IT WAS NOT...And I was looking for the officer WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN
THERE, HAD BEEN REQUESTED TO BE THERE...and I made a kind of motion
through the windshield trying to get his attention to move the people
from over our path THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN...we were just
approaching this overpass when I heard a shot." [emphasis added---was
this a visual distraction, as the umbrella man was? In the new Z-film
video---the sprocket area---Secret Service agent Clint Hill, in
particular, is seemingly transfixed on the umbrella man DURING the
initial shooting!];
2 H 119:
Fellow Secret Service agent William R. Greer, the driver of the limo,
conveniently didn't really remember anyone (except MAYBE one police
officer) on the overpass!;
-------------
"SECRET SERVICE AGENT(S)" IN DEALEY PLAZA/ KNOLL/ TSBD:
6 H 312:
D.V. Harkness;
7 H 535:
DPD officer Joe M. Smith;
7 H 107:
Seymour Weitzman;
6 H 196:
Ronald Fischer;
20 H 443:
SS Inspector Kelley re: LHO!
18 H 887:
"Gen. C.A. Willoughby" on the Young Americans for Freedom National
Board!;
5 H 454-455;457-458:
Secret Service Chief James J. Rowley---testifies about Secret Service
agent Abraham W. Bolden, Sr. re: Bolden's allegations of laxity and his
legal troubles [Bolden was shocked that he was mentioned at all in the
26 volumes---he never knew he was in them, let alone testimony from the
Chief!];
1 H 399:
Robert Oswald---Marguerite shown Ruby's photo NOVEMBER 23, the day
BEFORE Ruby shoots LHO! Who showed her the photo? SECRET SERVICE AGENT
MIKE HOWARD!
18 H 795:
Secret Service agent Andy Berger---writes in his SS report that "AN
UNIDENTIFIED CIA AGENT" who had "CREDENTIALS" made himself available at
Parkland while JFK was there (this is seperate from FBI agent Vincent
Drain, who identified himself and was sent via Hoover, and an
"unidentified FBI agent" who did NOT have credentials!;
17 H 566:
THE SOURCE FOR FBI MAN WILLIAM WALTHER'S TELETYPE?
17 H 574:
a bomb threat in El Paso, TX on 6/5/63---JFK, Connally, and LBJ were
there (although LBJ was not in the motorcade) to start the planning of
the upcoming Texas trip for NOVEMBER 21-23, 1963!!!;
18 H 692:
Confirmation that Godfrey McHugh did indeed come from Fort Worth, as
Harry Livingstone wrote in "High Treason 2", pp. 567-568;
17 H 870-895:
the Secret Service's 12/5/63 re-enactment photo album [A.K.A. "WHY THE
B&$%# DIDN'T THE TSBD SHOOTER SHOOT AT JFK WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS
TRAVELLING DOWN HOUSTON STREET?!?!);
19 H 42:
BEVERLY OLIVER? [in dispute];
19 H 148:
"R.A. WHITE";
20 H 784---THE FIRST ALTERATIONIST?:
from transcript of a speech by Revilo P. Oliver from 1964:
"Oswald, as we all know, killed Kennedy. There is only one uncertainty,
whether another Communist sharpshooter participated in the
assassination. There is a good deal of evidence, INCLUDING THAT OF
PERSONS WHO SAY THEY SAW THE NEWSREEL FILM BEFORE IT WAS TAMPERED WITH,
and the reported opinions of the physicians who examined the body in
Dallas, that four shots were fired---not three--and that at least one of
them came from a different location. That, of course, is the kind of
evidence that Earl Warren will probably do his best to suppress
[emphasis added]".;
20 H 510:
Photo of General Walker's backyard---this time the license plate is
allowed to remain intact!!!!;
20 H 356 and 411:
San Antonio Congressman Henry Gonzalez obtained Connally's clothing/
effects, but
6 H 118:
they first went to LBJ aide Cliff Carter! (?);
20 H 445:
SECRET SERVICE AGENT ROGER WARNER in Parkland Hospital with LHO [more
corronboration for Dr. Crenshaw];
20 H 161, 163:
photos of Dealey Plaza---see Stemmons Sign...;
19 H 690:
UNDERSECRETARY OF THE NAVY PAUL "RED" FAY, A VERY CLOSE FRIEND OF
PRESIDENT KENNEDY FROM WWII DAYS, REVIEWED AND APPROVED THE NO-CHANGE
DECISION RE: LHO'S UNDESIRABLE DISCHARGE!!!;
19 H 711, 713:
LHO/ Connally letters [Korth];
19 H 656, 717:
LHO's "13-inch head", as per Jack White :-);
18 H 96:
Arlen Specter way off trajectory (photo)!;
17 H 485:
DPD Channel 2 transcript---DPD wanted to hold the two Secret Service
cars (the limo and the follow-up)at parkland to PRINT THEM!!!;
16 H 950-951:
V.P. Detail of SS Shift Report for 11/22/63---
SAIC H. STUART KNIGHT
ASAIC RUFUS W. YOUNGBLOOD
ATSAIC THOMAS LEM JOHNS
(18 H 814: "ATSAIC [PAUL] RUNDLE")
18 H 14, 31:
Re: David Ferrie!;
13 H 214, 352:
"Rocco took pictures"---is this Larry Ronco, Oliver's friend?;
16 H 721:
recorded interview (transcript) of Marguerite Oswald by Secret Service
agent Mike Howard---"Harvey Lee Oswald": first time corrected, second
time not corrected;
6 H PLUS 17 H 1-48:
Parkland Hospital medical reports/ testimony;
9 H 179, 199, 273:
George De Mohrenschildt's friendship with Jackie Kennedy and the
Auchincloss family;
9 H 235:
De Mohrenschildt's friendship plus with the CIA's J. Walter Moore;
11 H 330-331:
Dean Andrews---testified that LHO couldn't have killed JFK;
21 H 150-269: Price Exhibits
22 H 710-712: Palmer McBride
22 H 931-932: Shari Angel Weston
23 H 817: 11/22/63 FBI report---interview of Roger Craig
24 H 23: 11/25/63 FBI report---second interview of Roger Craig
24 H 765: transcript of Chief Curry's comments on WFAA/ ABC for 11/23/63 re: Craig's negro in a car
25 H 171: Earlene Roberts re: police car blowing horn
25 H 378-380: re: Ruby in Houston 11/21/63!
25 H 721-722, 725, 844-850: re: Secret Service agent Mike Howard and brother Pat and the allegation that they deliberately planted story that a janitor saw LHO pull trigger
25 H 769: Douglas Jones/ Jones Printing Co.---did not believe LHO ordered Hands Off Cuba handbills
26 H 63: re: John Thomas Masen
26 H 79-84: re: Joachim Joesten
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