Vince Palamara's new book, The Plot to Kill President Kennedy in Chicago and other Traces of Conspiracy Leading to the Assassination of JFK, is an epic failure. Despite the enticing title, Palamara does not provide any evidence of a plot in Chicago in November 1963.
In Chapter Three, "Not a Random of Fate -- Prior Precedent," Palamara brings up Richard Case Nagell: (pages 92 - 93 of the Kindle edition)
Richard Case Nagell was one of the most important witnesses there was in the JFK case. The following is merely a detailed summary from Dick Russell’s book The Man Who Knew Too Much:
Palamara just accepts that Russell's book is accurate. Rather than doing his own research into Nagell, Palamara buys into the Nagell story, hook, line and sinker.
And then he writes this: (page 93 in the Kindle edition)
A most compelling piece of evidence that Nagell had at the time of his arrest in September of 1963 was this near duplicate of Oswald’s Uniformed Services Identification and Privileges Card. In the card seized by the Dallas Police, there is an overstamp that appears which says “October 1963.” In the version that Nagell had, the imprint does not appear. Why?
But did Nagell have this in his possession when he was arrested in El Paso?
There is no evidence that this was found in Nagell's possessions when he was arrested. Here is an excerpt from Russell's book: (page xvii)
It was 1976. Richard Case Nagell had provided written authorization granting my access to files about him being maintained by his then-attorney, Bernard Fensterwald, Jr., in Washington D.C. Poring through a thick sheaf of correspondence and other documents in the lawyer's office, I came across a poor photocopy of a "Uniformed Services Identification and Privileges Card." It bore the picture and apparent signature of Lee Harvey Oswald. Although it appeared in the Nagell file, no other notation accompanied it.
First, it was a photocopy. Second, it was found in 1976 in the Nagell file in Bernard Fensterwald's office in Washington D.C.
Conspiracy authors go crazy when discussing chain of custody. Just where is the chain of custody for this photocopy? We can't even be sure that it came from Nagell. He never mentioned the card. Surely it must have been fairly easy for someone to make.
There is no evidence that any such card was in Nagell's personal effects when he was arrested. Here is a list of his personal effects:
Here is another list: (at page 188)
It is quite comical to see conspiracy theorists like Vince Palamara believe that a poor photocopy, found in 1976, is proof that Nagell possessed the card when he was arrested in 1963.
In addition, Palamara writes: (page 93 in the Kindle edition)
After his arrest, on the way to the El Paso Federal Building, Nagell issued a statement to the FBI: “I would rather be arrested than commit murder and treason.”
This supposed statement by Nagell comes from Russell's book: (page 2 in the second edition of his book)
"On the way to the El Paso Federal Building for further questioning, Richard Case Nagell issued only one statement to the FBI: "I would rather be arrested than commit murder and treason."
However, Russell's footnote for this statement indicates that it comes from a Nagell draft of a memo in support of his petition for habeas corpus written in 1967. There is no contemporaneous source for this statement.
Palamara continues: (page 93 - 94 in the Kindle edition
At a preliminary hearing for Nagell, the defendant related to the officer the obvious: that he wanted to be caught. To which Bundren replied that he knew Nagell was not out to rob the bank. The following exchange then occurred: Nagell: Well, I’m glad you caught me. I really don’t want to be in Dallas. Bundren: What do you mean by that? Nagell: You’ll see soon enough. After the assassination and the murder of Oswald by Jack Ruby, Officer Bundren was hit with the ramifications of Nagell’s prediction. Bundren stated: “How the hell would he have previous knowledge of it? How would he know what was coming down in Dallas? Nagell knew a lot more about the assassination than he let on, or that the government let on. It’s bothered me ever since.”
But did Nagell really have any foreknowledge of the assassination? This blog post covers that issue.
The quote from police officer Jim Bundren, who arrested Nagell in September 1963, comes from page 45 in the first edition of The Man Who Knew Too Much:
"Many years later, Jim Bundren, retired from the police force and teaching a course in criminal justice at an El Paso college, would look back and remember: "I was sitting next to Nagell at one of the preliminary hearings. I don't remember the exact date, but I know it was before the Kennedy assassination. Nagell looked over at me and said, 'You're a pretty good cop, aren't you? You know, if I didn't want you to, you'd never have caught me.'
"I said, 'You really didn't want to rob that bank, did you?'
"He just looked at me for a minute. He's got that look that's unusual, the penetrating eyes, that scar down one side of his face. And he said, 'What makes you say that?'
"I said, 'I saw the shots you fired in the bank. With your Army training and everything, I just felt like maybe it was some kind of a diversionary tactic.'
"Nagell just smiled and said, 'Well, I'm glad you caught me. I really don't want to be in Dallas.'
"I said, 'What do you mean by that?'
"'You'll see soon enough,' he said."
Russell's interview with Bundren was on May 11, 1990, almost twenty-seven years after the arrest. That was Russell's second interview with Bundren. He first interviewed him on October 25, 1975, and during that interview Bundren said nothing about Dallas. Here is what Bundren said in his first interview: (page 64 in the first edition of The Man Who Knew Too Much)
"Yeah, okay, Oswald's name came up. I can't tell you whether Oswald was mentioned before or after the assassination. I remember Nagell saying something to me about that, and also about General Walker that Oswald was supposed to have shot at. Nagell mentioned Cuba. He mentioned a lot of things. That's about all I can say."
Bundren isn't that confident as to whether Nagell brought up Oswald before or after the assassination.
So, can we be that sure as well about the Dallas comment - particularly since in 1975 Bundren said nothing about Dallas, despite the fact he later said that Nagell's comment "bothered me ever since." (page 45)
Bundren told Russell that "when the assassination happened, I didn't think about it right away, because that was a pretty hectic time." He didn't go the Warren Commission. He added, "I talked to an FBI agent here about it, but a lot of this was just QT -- 'Not at liberty to discuss it.' I was just a young cop, there was nothing I could do."
Nothing he could do? He couldn't go to anybody in the police force? The FBI?
And no one else in El Paso claims that Nagell had any foreknowledge of the assassination. Edward J. Murphy, one of the FBI agents who questioned Nagell, did not remember any connection between Nagell and the assassination (page 65 in the first edition of The Man Who Knew Too Much). Juan L. Medina, a jailor in 1963, told Russell that "I think there was something in his mind he never did tell anybody." (page 65) Fred Morton, the assistant U.S. attorney, told Russell that "as long as I was in the case, I don't recall any statement by Nagell in any way concerning the assassination." (page 65) And Russell asked Nagell's court-appointed attorney, Joseph Calamia, if there was any evidence that Nagell knew Oswald. He said no. (page 66)
Additional Posts on Richard Case Nagell
The Importance of Richard Case Nagell to Some Conspiracy Theorists
Jim Garrison and a few conspiracy theorists think Nagell is a very important witness. But is he really?
Genesis of the Richard Case Nagell story
David Kroman met Richard Case Nagell at the Springfield Medical Center for Federal Prisoners. Stephen Jaffe, a Garrison volunteer, wrote a memo, relating Nagell's story through the eyes and ears of David Kroman.
Nagell was convicted of armed robbery and was sentenced to ten years, but his conviction was overturned because of startling new evidence.
Richard Case Nagell and the JFK Assassination
There is no credible evidence that Nagell had any foreknowledge of either Lee Harvey Oswald or the JFK assassination.
Nagell claims he met Oswald in Japan, Texas, Mexico City, and New Orleans. There is no credible evidence that he ever met Oswald.
Nagell went to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro and even played ping-pong with the man.
Insane Conspiracy Theories about Richard Case Nagell
Richard Case Nagell said that he knew the two Oswalds - Lee Harvey and Leon. Some conspiracy theorists believe this madness.
Combine one part crazy and one part ridiculous and what do you come up with? An early attempt at a unified conspiracy theory of the JFK assassination.
Was there a plot in Los Angeles against JFK?
Two Smoking Guns of the Richard Case Nagell Story
Nagell sent conspiracy theorist Dick Russell one page of a military intelligence file which seemed to indicate that he was monitoring Oswald and his wife on behalf of the CIA. But does the whole document really show that?
Did Richard Case Nagell have an Oswald Military ID in his possession when he was arrested in September 1963?
Richard Case Nagell and Jim Garrison
Richard Case Nagell believes that he wasn't called to testify at Clay Shaw's trial because his testimony would have blown up Jim Garrison's case.
At a conference in September 1968, Garrison and his investigators discuss his face-to-face meeting with Nagell in New York City.
William Martin, an Assistant District Attorney working for Jim Garrison, tried to retrieve a tape that Nagell said contained the voices of three JFK assassination conspirators.
Richard Popkin, author of "The Second Oswald," writes Jim Garrison about Richard Case Nagell. Garrison staffer Tom Bethell thought the Nagell lead was useless.
Richard Case Nagell's Mental Health
A lawsuit by Nagell proves his mental issues.
Nagell won a full disability pension in 1982 and the 60+ page court case provides complete details on his mental problems.
Richard Case Nagell told a psychiatrist why he shot up the bank in El Paso in 1963.
The FBI spoke to Nagell's ex-wife, his mother, his sister, and one of his friends. They all agreed that Nagell had significant mental health problems.
Nagell visited the American consulates in Zurich and Barcelona in 1969. He was a deeply disturbed man.
More shenanigans in Europe in 1970.
His mental issues were apparent during this visit.
Richard Case Nagell's Evidence
None of the so-called evidence that Nagell promised would materialize on his death has shown up. Did this evidence ever exist?
Samoluk was Deputy Director of the ARRB and he doesn't think much of the Nagell story.