This post is the 1,000th since I started this blog at the end of September 2020. My initial plan was to post articles and reviews related to my book On the Trail of Delusion. But my blog has grown to become a full-fledged JFK conspiracy debunking site.
There are many people who have helped me in this endeavor, and they deserve my thanks.
Paul Hoch, a first-generation critic of the Warren Report, has provided important feedback on almost all of my posts, and on my books as well. The JFK research community owes a debt of gratitude to Paul Hoch -- his Echoes of Conspiracy newsletter offered important commentary on all the JFK assassination news, and provided an important resource on the latest documents, articles, and books. Paul's speech at the 1993 Chicago Assassination Politics Conference is still relevant today.
One last word about Paul -- he is the most helpful person I know. Anybody who approaches him for help will get it.
Thanks, Paul.
Gus Russo has also been incredibly helpful. His files at Baylor University are a treasure trove of important material. But Gus has also supplied me with a variety of documents over the past several years, and his infectious sense of humor is well appreciated.
Nick Nalli is a first-rate JFK researcher who deserves a lot more attention. His scientific analyses are simply terrific, and I will be the first in line to buy his book, should he decide to write one. Any opportunity to meet with Nick is an opportunity for me to learn something. So, thank you, Nick!
Larry Haapanen actually did volunteer investigative work for Jim Garrison. He has graciously helped me with documents and with several posts. He helped me with the research for the chapter on "Farewell America" in my book, A Heritage of Nonsense: Jim Garrison's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. His insights are always valuable because Larry is a skilled historian.
Steve Roe is a great researcher who is the expert on General Edwin Walker and on the Walker shooting. He's debunked a lot of conspiracy nonsense, and it was a pleasure working with Steve on the chain of custody of CE 399.
Bill Brown is an expert on the Tippit shooting and you will soon see him in one of my podcasts. Always smiling, Bill fights the good battle every single day on Facebook. Frank Badalson is an admin at the Facebook group "JFK: Truth be Told." His knowledge of firearms, how police operate, and the Secret Service allow him to comment intelligently on a variety of topics.
There are way too many people to thank, but here are some of the people who have been very helpful: Scott Maudsley, Dave Perry, Tracy Parnell, Robert Wagner, Don Carpenter, Jerry Dealey, Sean DeGrilla, Michel Gagne, Hideji Okina, Nick Nalli, Alecia Long, Martin Kelly, Jr., Gerald Posner, Robert Reynolds, Patrick Collins, F. J. James, Tony Sarkozi, Steve Kernohan, Freda Dillard, Dennis Morgan, Paul Matthews, Dave Ledbetter, Imad Ali, Eric Dezenhall, David Reitzes, David Von Pein, Anthony Summers, Louis Girdler, Matt Kordelski. Todd Vaughan, David Morley, Barry Ryder, Jimmy Orr, Todd Ehrman, Tim Nickerson. Mark Zaid, Max Holland, Joe Alesi, Mark Wright, Ed Murray, John King, Stephen Fagin (and the Sixth Floor Museum) and the Mary Ferrell Foundation (which everybody should join).
What's coming up: I am in the middle of writing an extensive series on how the FBI, the CIA, and the Department of Justice abandoned Clay Shaw in his time of need. I also have several audio tapes that I will be transcribing and uploading.
Here are some of the blog posts that I am most proud of:
Replies to Jefferson Morley
Jefferson Morley's JFK Facts substack publishes a lot of material that needs debunking, and I've tried (along with Tracy Parnell) to provide a corrective. Here are some of my important posts on Jefferson Morley:
He keeps asking the same questions, and we keep posting the same answers.
Conspiracy authors are playing fast and loose with the facts.
There is no evidence that Diaz was involved in the JFK assassination.
There are clues as to what is in a redacted section of Schlesinger's memo.
Chad Nagle and Dan Storper's article on New Orleans gets everything wrong.
Believing Michael Kurtz is problematic.
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.
The phrase 'who shot John' does not refer to the JFK assassination.
Only one word is redacted in Harvey's deposition.
There are no redactions in the Operation Northwoods document.
A response to Morley's Substack post alleging that I am a CIA apologist.
A rebuttal to Morley's response to my post Was Bill Harvey in Dallas in November of 1963?
There is no credible evidence Harvey was in Dallas in November of 1963.
Morley repeats the claim that Dulles was at a CIA training center during the weekend of the JFK assassination. He wasn't.
Morley's claims about Efron are all wrong.
Morley responded to my article "The Truth about Operation Northwoods." Here is my reply.
W. Tracy Parnell is one of the best JFK assassination researchers out there. Here is his look at Jefferson Morley with several important articles.
Operation Northwoods can only be understood as part of the Kennedys' war against Cuba and Operation Mongoose.
And a response from me.
There is no evidence that Dr. West petitioned the court to examine Jack Ruby before his trial.
There is absolutely no evidence that Dr. Louis Jolyon West interfered with Jack Ruby's case.
Jefferson Morley used a fake Oswald handbill in his press conference for the Mary Ferrell Foundation.
An examination of redactions in the JFK collection of documents.
Rob Reiner's Podcast Series, Who Killed JFK?
Reiner's podcast series was very popular with over eight million downloads. But the entire series is crazy and claims that at least four gunmen killed JFK in a massive ambush.
There is no evidence to support the allegation that Willoughby was the mastermind.
We take apart the second five episodes of Reiner's podcast on the JFK assassination.
We take apart the first five episodes of Reiner's podcast on the JFK assassination.
Was there a fake defector program at Nags Head, North Carolina?
Flimsy evidence is cited that originated in Hustler Magazine.
Reiner believes the two-Oswald theory.
This blog post also covers the concluding episode of Reiner's podcast.
The Richard Case Nagell story
Richard Case Nagell is mentioned in almost every conspiracy book. Not only did I debunk all the major allegations in this story, I also obtained his Stasi file from Germany. Even the East Germans thought that Nagell was crazy. It's a very sad story since Nagell was a decorated war veteran who suffered organic brain damage in a plane crash in 1954. He never got the help or the support that he needed.
Some Important Essays
An essay on the 61st anniversary of the assassination.
Conspiracy books leave out a lot of important information.
In several areas Jim Garrison didn't want to know more.
Just because something is redacted doesn't mean it is important.
The Chain of Custody of CE 399
Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed, claimed that the initials of FBI agent Elmer Todd are not on CE 399. Researcher Steve Roe went out and proved Oliver Stone wrong.
Ultra hi-res photographs prove that Todd's initials were on CE 399.
Dr. Mantik now admits Todd's initials are there.
Fake Handbills
Oliver Stone used a fake Oswald handbill in his film JFK and in his documentary series JFK: Destiny Betrayed.
An analysis of the handbill used in Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK: Destiny Betrayed.
An examination of where the fake handbill came from.
A look at James DiEugenio's use of the fake handbill.
Jefferson Morley is the latest researcher to use a fake Oswald handbill.
The Truth about Permindex/CMC
Permindex was a Swiss company organized by George Mantello to build a World Trade Exhibition in Basel Switzerland. They were unable to raise enough money to open in Basel and so set up an Italian subsidiary, Centro Mondiale Commerciale (CMC). Unfortunately, CMC could not find enough tenants and was closed in 1962. Conspiracy theorists believe that CMC was a CIA conduit to funnel money to right-wing extremist groups. There is no evidence to support it and CMC couldn't even pay its rent right after it opened.
CMC was evicted in 1962 because it couldn't pay its rent.
There is no evidence that Permindex plotted against de Gaulle.
The complete set of State Department documents on Permindex.
Was Montreal lawyer Louis Bloomfield running an assassination bureau?
Louis Bloomfield was a good man who raised a lot of money for Canadian charities. Unfortunately, conspiracy theorists have linked him to the JFK assassination.
Clay Shaw was on the Board of Directors of Permindex. Here is his file.
If Jim Garrison wanted to learn more about Louis Bloomfield, all he had to do was pick up the phone or go to Montreal.
George Mantello was a hero.
Dr. Cyril Wecht and the Medical Evidence
I corresponded with Dr. Wecht in 1975 right after I became interested in the assassination. After examining the autopsy x-rays and photographs in 1972, he was convinced that JFK was shot from behind.
A telling statement by Dr. Wecht in the book The Assassinations: Dallas and Beyond
Wecht complains about the HSCA's forensic pathology panel.
Wecht has a suggestion for Dr. Baden.
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.
James DiEugenio's obituary of Dr. Wecht leaves out his conclusion that the fatal head shot came from behind.
Dr. Cyril Wecht (1931 - 2024) זיכרונו לברכה
My obituary for Dr. Cyril Wecht.
Jim Garrison claimed that Clay Shaw, Lee Harvey Oswald, and David Ferrie went to Clinton, Louisiana in the late summer of 1963. This was KKK country and it's unclear why any of them would want to go there. I wrote a 19-part series on the claims and the evidence and the political environment at the time.
There was no plot against JFK in Chicago
Many conspiracy theorists claim there was a plot against JFK in Chicago in early November 1963. There is no evidence to support this allegation.
JFK canceled his Chicago trip because of the assassination of Diem.
The HSCA did speak to Edwin Black. It was a memorable interview.
There is no evidence of a plot in Chicago against JFK.
Bolden's story about the supposed Chicago plot has changed over the years.
An examination of supposed other plots against JFK.
Bolden didn't say one word about a supposed plot against JFK in Chicago.
A Look at Two Forensic "Experts" in JFK: Destiny Betrayed
Lee was just found liable of fabricating evidence in a case in Connecticut.
Dr. Lee does not deserve his outsized reputation.
There is a reason the Warren Commission and the HSCA rejected his findings.
Eladio del Valle
Eladio del Valle is often mentioned as a conspirator in the JFK assassination. He was murdered in Florida in early 1967 and that allowed people to say all sorts of things about him.
An examination of rumors about Eladio del Valle emanating from the Garrison investigation.
An examination of the allegations that Eladio del Valle was one of the assassins.
A letter from Miami News reporter Bill Barry sets the record straight.
Was Fletcher Prouty an Antisemite?
Some new information on Fletcher Prouty.
A look at Prouty's association with the Liberty Lobby.
A Fletcher Prouty letter has some explicit antisemitism.
Prouty writes a letter to a holocaust-denying journal.
Mark Lane
I have published several good articles on Mark Lane.
A profile of Lane from Mother Jones Magazine.
A profile from Esquire Magazine.
An Anthony Lewis column on Mark Lane from 1978.
Howard Roffman finds that Mark Lane's scholarship is lacking.
A profile of Mark Lane in Newsweek.
Jim Garrison's Propinquity Memos
When I first started writing my book On the Trail of Delusion, I wanted to find Garrison's two memos on propinquity. They were not online anywhere, and I went to every single archive of Garrison material. Ultimately, Paul Hoch found the first memo in his electronic files, but he did not have the second memo. I finally found that memo in the files of Irvin Dymond, Clay Shaw's trial attorney, in New Orleans.
Garrison's first memo on propinquity.
Garrison's second memo on propinquity
The Truth about Dr. George Burkley
Dr. George Burkley was maligned in Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed.
Oliver Stone's so-called documentary puts words in Burkley's mouth.
Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, greatly misleads viewers on Admiral George Burkley and his interactions with the HSCA.
Reckless charges are made against George Burkley with no evidence.
Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, misleads viewers on the context of discussions between Burkley's family and the ARRB regarding supposed papers in the possession of his lawyer.
Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, misleads viewers into believing that JFK's doctor, Admiral George Burkley, said that there were multiple gunmen.
Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed, makes several outrageous allegations about Admiral George Burkley, JFK's personal physician, as well as a slanderous accusation.
Bill Baxley, former Attorney General of Alabama, sent me a letter about Oliver Stone.
The Quick Magazine Article on Jim Garrison
An article, under Jim Garrison's name, appeared in the April 9, 1967, edition of QUICK, a German weekly magazine. Paul Hoch and I translated the article because it was so crazy -- it claims that there was a homosexual conspiracy to kill JFK. But did Garrison actually write the article? Paul Hoch and I examined that question in several blog posts.
This post contains the actual QUICK article and our translation.
There are several quotes in the QUICK article that point to Garrison as the author.
Additional clues that indicate Garrison wrote the QUICK article.
There was a story in the QUICK article that only a few people knew.
Garrison goes into damage control mode once the QUICK article is published.
Garrison keeps on bringing up the issue of homosexuality.
Paul Hoch asks Garrison what evidence he had, when Clay Shaw was arrested, that he conspired to kill JFK.
Several clues point to Lawrence Schiller as the author.
Several clues point to Nerin Gun as the author.
The issue of homosexuality was at the heart of Garrison's investigation.
Rose Cherami
Did Rose Cherami have foreknowledge of the JFK assassination? I did a deep dive into the primary documents and could find absolutely no evidence that she had foreknowledge.
Weiss never said he talked to Cherami before the assassination.
The medical evidence is clear that Cherami was not murdered.
An article from 1957 relates to her credibility.
No. Dr. Owens did not corroborate the Cherami story in any way, shape, form, or manner.
There is no evidence she ever worked for Jack Ruby
Joan Mellen claims Cherami was watching the motorcade on television. This is ridiculous.
He claims she told him she was going to kill JFK.
There is no firm evidence that she predicted the assassination.
No, her information was useless.
Some conspiracy theorists are admitting the Rose Cherami story is nonsense.
It is doubtful Arcacha Smith was with Cherami.