MY BEST BOOK! MANY CALL IT THE BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK! CLICK ON THE IMAGE!

MY BEST BOOK! MANY CALL IT THE BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK! CLICK ON THE IMAGE!
MY BEST BOOK! MANY CALL IT THE BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK! CLICK ON THE IMAGE!

JFK ASSASSINATION SECRET SERVICE DOCUMENTARY

MAJOR SECRET SERVICE RELATED BOOKS/DVDs/BLU RAYS I AM REFERENCED IN

MAJOR SECRET SERVICE RELATED BOOKS/DVDs/BLU RAYS I AM REFERENCED IN
Zero Fail (quotes from my fourth book), The updated version of The Secret Service-The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency (several pages), The Secrets of the Secret Service (the former agent quotes from my third book), The Kennedy Detail (the former agent refers to me on a few pages- he wrote his book as a reaction to my research), Guardians of Democracy (the former agent refers to this blog), Within Arm’s Length (the former agent has my blurb on the cover), C-SPAN November 2010 DVD with former agents Gerald Blaine and Clint Hill (they show a You Tube video of me and discuss my research), C-SPAN May 2012 DVD with former agent Clint Hill (he discusses my letter about his first book), the original edition of The Secret Service-The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency (several pages), My History Channel appearance on The Men Who Killed Kennedy (DVD), My NEWSMAX TV appearance on The Men Who Killed Kennedy (2019-2020), The Final Report of the Assassinations Records Review Board (images of the excerpt about my Secret Service interviews donation, President Clinton receiving the report, and an image of the cover), Last Word (several pages and my blurb on the cover of the paperback), A Coup in Camelot DVD/ Blu Ray, They Killed Our President (16 pages refer to my work), an image of myself on C-SPAN, A Coup in Camelot via Amazon Prime television, The Man Behind the Suit DVD (I am Associate Producer on this documentary about former agent Robert DeProspero), JFK REVISITED: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (I am credited at the end), Vanity Fair article 10/17/14 (refers to my first book a couple times), JFK: The Final Hours DVD (program credits-in background slightly above), Murder in Dealey Plaza (I have two chapters), The Kennedy Half Century (refers to this blog), Coinage Magazine February 2010 (several quotes from myself), Publishers Weekly 8/28/2000 (refers to my contribution to Murder in Dealey Plaza, above), JFK: DESTINY BETRAYED (thanked at the end of all four episodes), and 2 images from THE ASSASSINATION OF JFK SBS UK DOCUMENTARY 2021

ALL MY BOOKS AVAILABLE HERE:

ALL MY BOOKS AVAILABLE HERE:
ALL MY BOOKS AVAILABLE HERE:

MY 6 BOOKS + DVD/BLU RAY

MY 6 BOOKS + DVD/BLU RAY
MY 6 BOOKS + DVD/BLU RAY. I AM ALSO ON NEWSMAX TELEVISION (OCT-DEC 2019; JANUARY 2020 and beyond). They are rebroadcasting my episode of THE MEN WHO KILLED KENNEDY, a massive ratings and DVD bonanza for the History Channel back in 2003

Secret Service JFK

Secret Service, JFK, President Kennedy, James Rowley, Gerald Behn, Floyd Boring, Roy Kellerman, John Campion, William Greer, Forest Sorrels, Clint Hill, Winston Lawson, Emory Roberts, Sam Kinney, Paul Landis, John "Jack" Ready, William "Tim" McIntyre, Glenn Bennett, George Hickey, Rufus Youngblood, Warren "Woody" Taylor, Jerry Kivett, Lem Johns, John "Muggsy" O'Leary, Sam Sulliman, Ernest Olsson, Robert Steuart, Richard Johnsen, Stewart "Stu" Stout, Roger Warner, Henry "Hank" Rybka, Donald Lawton, Dennis Halterman, Walt Coughlin, Andy Berger, Ron Pontius, Bert de Freese, Jim Goodenough, Bill Duncan, Ned Hall II, Mike Howard, Art Godfrey, Gerald Blaine, Ken Giannoules, Paul Burns, Gerald O'Rourke, Robert Faison, David Grant, John Joe Howlett, Bill Payne, Robert Burke, Frank Yeager, Donald Bendickson, Gerald Bechtle, Howard Norton, Hamilton Brown, Toby Chandler, Chuck Zboril, Joe Paolella, Wade Rodham, Bob Foster, Lynn Meredith, Rad Jones, Thomas Wells, Charlie Kunkel, Stu Knight, Paul Rundle, Glen Weaver, Arnie Lau, Forrest Guthrie, Eve Dempsher, Bob Lilley, Ken Wiesman, Mike Mastrovito, Tony Sherman, Larry Newman, Morgan Gies, Tom Shipman, Ed Tucker, Harvey Henderson, Abe Bolden, Robert Kollar, Ed Mougin, Mac Sweazey, Horace "Harry" Gibbs, Tom Behl, Jim Cantrell, Bill Straughn, Tom Fridley, Mike Kelly, Joe Noonan, Gayle Dobish, Earl Moore, Arthur Blake, John Lardner, Milt Wilhite, Bill Skiles, Louis Mayo, Thomas Wooge, Milt Scheuerman, Talmadge Bailey, Bob Lapham, Bob Newbrand, Bernie Mullady, Jerry Dolan, Vince Mroz, William Bacherman, Howard Anderson, U.E. Baughman, Walt Blaschak, Robert Bouck, George Chaney, William Davis, Paul Doster, Dick Flohr, Jack Fox, John Giuffre, Jim Griffith, Jack Holtzhauer, Andy Hutch, Jim Jeffries, John Paul Jones, Kent Jordan, Dale Keaner, Brooks Keller, Thomas Kelley, Clarence Knetsch, Jackson Krill, Elmer Lawrence, Bill Livingood, J. Leroy Lewis, Dick Metzinger, Jerry McCann, John McCarthy, Ed Morey, Chester Miller, Roy "Gene" Nunn, Jack Parker, Paul Paterni, Burrill Peterson, Max Phillips, Walter Pine, Michael Shannon, Frank Stoner, Cecil Taylor, Charles Taylor, Bob Taylor, Elliot Thacker, Ken Thompson, Mike Torina, Jack Walsh, Jack Warner, Thomas White, Ed Wildy, Carroll Winslow, Dale Wunderlich, Walter Young, Winston Gintz, Bill Carter, C. Douglas Dillon, James Johnson, Larry Hess, Frank Farnsworth, Jim Giovanneti,Bob Gaugh,Don Brett, Jack Gleason, Bob Jamison, Gary Seale, Bill Sherlock, Bob Till, Doc Walters...

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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Blaine's "cottage industry": getting rich from his book+MORE changing syntax for what JFK allegedly said [which he did not]

Barnidge: Secret Service agent dispels JFK conspiracy theories
By Tom Barnidge
Contra Costa Times columnist
 12/20/2010
ONE OF THE recurring questions that Gerald Blaine hears as he talks about President John F. Kennedy's assassination is why he now, 47 years later, chose to write a book about the tragedy.
The former Secret Service agent, who served throughout Kennedy's presidency, said someone needed to set the record straight.
"Unfortunately, since the assassination, history has been dominated by a cottage industry called conspiracy theory," he said. "When it finally reached the point where people started accusing the agents of being part of it, well "..."
No event in American history has been more thoroughly debated or dissected than the death of our 35th president. Conspiracy theorists have linked the assassination to organized crime, Fidel Castro and every alphabet organization from the KGB to the FBI to the CIA.
If you Google "JFK assassination," you will get 882,000 hits and dozens of far-flung theories.
Judging by the crowd at the Pleasanton Library on Sunday, when Blaine talked about his book, "Kennedy Detail," interest has not waned. About 250 people crammed into a room where a sign read: "Maximum Occupancy: 139." Dozens more were turned away.
Blaine, 84, said he went years without talking about JFK's death -- not even to his family.
"I didn't want to bother the family," he said, "and I didn't know how to deal with it. I found out that was consistent with every agent who worked for President
Kennedy. Not one of them talked about it."
Blaine is certain that Lee Harvey Oswald worked alone. His marksmanship skills were more than adequate, and he perfectly fit an assassin's profile.
"He had psychiatric problems when he was a young man," Blaine said. "He had problems in military service and problems holding down a job. He even had a problem when he tried to defect, and he had a marriage that failed.
"Also, about a month or two before taking a shot at the president, he took a shot at a general in Texas. The bullet just missed, but it was traced back to Oswald's rifle."
Kennedy was shot while riding in an open-top car -- a president rides only in bulletproof vehicles today, Blaine said -- but that was in keeping with his personality. He wanted to see and be seen by the people.
The fateful Dallas appearance marked the last of several southern stops, including Tampa, Fla., San Antonio and Houston. Earlier in the trip, Secret Service agents rode on the back of the presidential limousine, which likely would have obstructed Oswald's aim. Kennedy stopped that.
"The president told us, 'I've got to use my political style, and my political style is to be among the people, to greet them and have them be able to see me,' " Blaine said.
The assassination still torments the former agent, but what makes matters worse is what he regards as misrepresentation of what he knows to be true.
"How many of you saw the movie 'JFK'?" he asked, referencing a film that reinforced conspiracy theories. "Unfortunately for our youth, that seems to be their history book.
"An article last month in USA Today said 82 percent of young people between 18 and 29 believe that President Kennedy's assassination was a conspiracy. "
He said he has no illusions of transforming the doubters, but he hopes his book, which includes input from fellow agents, will at least put facts on the table.
"If we make history out of the wild stories," he said, "you'll never trust history again." Blaine said he knows the truth about what happened in Dallas. He's had to live with it for 47 years.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Secret Service MANUAL

You won't find any Secret Service manual anywhere from any era: they are classified. And, yes: I am 1000000000000% sure there was and is and always has been a manual. Periodically, I get people randomly questioning the late Col Fletcher Prouty's "contention" that there was a manual...on THAT score, he was correct.

Beyond my absolute certainty, think about it this way: every major employer has an employee handbook---why wouldn't the Secret Service ("no,that's fine, boys; just go out there and fly blind: no written procedures or precedent needed" LOL)

Vince
For the proof there is/was a pre-assassination manual, see the only two over-the counter sources:

http://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh18/html/WH_Vol18_0340a.htm

and

Bowen and Neal, "The United States Secret Service" , 1960, p. 209


Vince Palamara

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Slick Propaganda: The Discovery Channel documentary “The Kennedy Detail” (based on the 2010 Gerald Blaine book of the same name)- A Review by Vince Palamara

Slick Propaganda: The Discovery Channel documentary “The Kennedy Detail” (based on the 2010 Gerald Blaine book of the same name)- A Review by Vince Palamara

Before I even begin to discuss this two-hour program, it is necessary for one to have read my lengthy review of the book of the same name, “The Kennedy Detail.” This Discovery Channel documentary originally aired---twice---on 12/2/10 and, again, on 12/4/10 (It was originally supposed to debut on the 47th anniversary of the assassination on 11/22/10 but, for some reason or reasons unknown, the show aired a week and a half later. Like the release of the book on 11/2/10, Election Day, the marketing strategy of Blaine’s work was a tad suspect, in my opinion, but I digress). As one who has interviewed and corresponded with most of the Secret Service agents who served under JFK , I was most looking forward to this documentary, as there can be an appeal to an audio/ visual format of one’s point-of-view that can get lost in translation in strict black and white writings. That said, as with the book of the same name, there are some things to commend in “The Kennedy Detail” television special, while there are also several noteworthy items to condemn or, at the very least, tread cautiously on.
I must give credit where credit is due: I was most impressed with many of the visuals—the many sundry films and photographs used--- in this documentary. In addition, I was also heartened to see then-and –now photographs of the agents and some of their wives, as well. For the record, the JFK Secret Service agents involved in the production were (naturally) Gerald Blaine (in Austin on 11/22/63), Clint Hill (in Dallas on 11/22/63), Paul Landis (same), Winston Lawson (same), David Grant (same, albeit at the Trade Mart), Ron Pontius (the 11/21/63 Houston lead advance agent), and, oddly enough, Toby Chandler (attending Secret Service school in Washington, D.C. on 11/22/63). The non-assassination aspects of this program where, by and large, entertaining and somewhat riveting at times; in this regard, I don’t have much of a problem with these areas of the production, per se, except with the almost too saccharine “Camelot” portrayal of the Kennedys and the “choir-boy”, near angelic image that was portrayed of the agents themselves, traits also to be found in the book, as well. Then again, regarding the latter image portrayal, one would think it would be in Blaine’s best interest to put the best foot forward, so to speak, and present the agents in the finest light possible, especially in light of their miserable failings on 11/22/63, the day President Kennedy was assassinated under their watch.
There is an old saying: “The devil is in the details.” It is with this in mind that a look at some of those details, mentioned in the program or avoided, as they pertain to the Secret Service and the assassination of JFK, is in order now.
In a curious and ironic program note, the 2009 Discovery Channel documentary “Secrets of the Secret Service” aired right before both initial airings of “The Kennedy Detail” program and, in this show, an official Secret Service documentary, the narrator, as well as a couple former agents, Joseph Funk and Joe Petro, briefly mention the mistakes the agents made with regard to the assassination that go directly against what is being espoused in the Blaine production; quite a noticeable contrast, to say the least, and one many people, myself included, noticed immediately ! In general, the “blame-the-victim” (JFK) notion that is such part and parcel of both the Blaine book and the documentary is largely replaced by rightfully noting the mistakes made by the agency (taking the president through Dealey Plaza, in particular), as well as the equally false “blame-the-staff” idea, a notion Blaine does not even MENTION in his book and is, for the record, like blaming JFK for the security deficiencies, false. Specifically, the most alarming contrast with “The Kennedy Detail” program is what “The Secrets of the Secret Service” decided TO deal with that the Blaine show strangely avoided (although it is mentioned in his book ): the infamous WFAA/ ABC black and white video of an agent being recalled at Love Field during the start of the motorcade in Dallas. This program “buys into” my notion of what is being depicted hook, line, and sinker, which is quite an endorsement, considering that, once again, this is an official Secret Service documentary, made with agency input (as mentioned in my review of the book, many other people “bought into” my notion of what is being shown in this footage, including, notably, former JFK agent Larry Newman, the Rybka family, and countless authors and researchers who have viewed the video, not to mention the 3 million plus people who have viewed this controversial video, popularized by myself, on You Tube). It is strange that Blaine chose not to show this footage, even to debunk it. Equally disturbing is the aforementioned contrast between his views, as espoused only in his book, and my views, as displayed on the very same network on the very same night of Blaine’s documentary!

To his “credit”, Blaine and Hill both endorse their book point-of-view regarding the Love Field agent recall video during their joint appearance on C-SPAN on 11/28/10 . Ironically, I was discussed by the agents and host Brian Lamb on the show (I was also noted in a major review of the book in the Vancouver Sun but, again, I digress)! For her part, co-author Lisa McCubbin posted the following on 11/24/10 on the official Facebook edition of “The Kennedy Detail” : “Contrary to Vince Palamara's claims, the book was absolutely NOT written to counteract his letter to Clint Hill. Mr. Hill never read Palamara's letter--it went straight into the trash. Gerald Blaine wrote this book on his volition, and Mr. Hill contributed after much deliberation (emphasis added).” For his part, Hill told Brian Lamb on the aforementioned C-SPAN program four days later: “I recall receiving a letter which I sent back to him. I didn’t bother with it…he called me and I said ”Hello” but that was about it. But he alleges that because he sent me a letter 22 pages in length apparently, and that I discussed that with Jerry. I forgot that I ever got a 22-page letter from this particular individual until I heard him say it on TV and I never discussed it with Jerry or anybody else because it wasn’t important to me (emphasis added).” Yet, in the biggest contradiction of all, Blaine QUOTED FROM MY LETTER TO HILL when I spoke to him on 6/10/05 and mentioned his deep friendship with Hill, as well, extending back to the late 1950’s! For the record, I received Hill’s signed receipt for the letter and it was NEVER returned to me, either. For his part, Blaine stated on the very same C-SPAN program: “I have never talked to any author of a book,” another blatant falsehood that went unchallenged---Blaine was interviewed on 5/12/65 for Manchester’s massive best-selling “The Death of a President” (Blaine is also thanked in Manchester’s “One Brief Shining Moment”, to boot) AND he was interviewed 2/7/04 and 6/10/05, not to mention e-mail correspondence, by myself for MY book “Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President.”
Bear with this seeming digression just a tad more, for it does indeed bear directly on both Blaine’s book and on the documentary under specific discussion herein. On the C-SPAN appearance with Hill, regarding myself, Blaine stated: “I am familiar with him, I don’t know him… My assessment of Mr. Palamara is that he called probably all of the agents [true], and what agent who answers a phone is going to answer a question ”Was President Kennedy easy to protect?” [many of them did, and, like Blaine, told me that JFK was a very nice man, never interfered with the actions of the Secret Service at all, nor did President Kennedy ever order the agents off his limousine] Well, probably he was too easy to protect because he was assassinated [what?]. But the fact that the agents aren’t going to tell him anything [many told me information of much value, Blaine included]and he alludes to the fact that when I wrote the book, most of these people were dead. Well, I worked with these people, I knew them like brothers and I knew exactly what was going on and always respected Jim Rowley because he stood up to the issue and said ”Look, we can’t say the President invited himself to be killed so let’s squash this.” So that was the word throughout the Secret Service and he – Mr. Palamara is – there are a number of things that had happened [sic] that he has no credibility [your opinion, Mr. Blaine], he is a self-described expert in his area which I don’t know what it is, he was born after the assassination [as was your co-author, Lisa McCubbin!]and he keeps creating solutions to the assassination until they are proven wrong [again, your opinion, Mr. Blaine].” But Blaine wasn’t finished with me just yet: “The Zapruder film, when the Zapruder film was run at normal speed, another theme that Palamara throws out is that Bill Greer stopped the car, when it’s run at its normal speed, you will notice the car absolutely does not stop at all. This happened in less than six seconds after the President was hit in the throat and moving along (emphasis added).” Oh, so you agree with my “solutions” that JFK was shot in the neck from the FRONT, do you, Mr. Blaine? And there were close to SIXTY WITNESSES to the limousine slowing or stopping, including SEVEN SECRET SERVICE AGENTS AND JACQUELINE KENNEDY---not my “theme” or theory, just the facts. Returning directly to “The Kennedy Detail” documentary, Ron Pontius specifically refers to one of my articles (also a part of a chapter in my book ) without naming me . As the narrator, Martin Sheen, notes: “The most painful theories point fingers at the agents themselves.” To his credit, Pontius mentioned earlier in the program how the threats to Kennedy’s life increased dramatically over those directed toward Eisenhower when JFK took office. That said, the same narrator later mentioned that “Dallas worried the men on the detail,” a notion seemingly not made manifest in the security preparations for the fateful Dallas trip.
Keeping all of these points into focus, as with the book itself, it is the fraudulent allegations that JFK ordered the agents off the limousine in Tampa, Florida on 11/18/63, which allegedly were made into standing orders for Kennedy’s trip to Texas four days later, that is given a spotlight herein. Blaine’s words are simply incredible (literally, NOT credible) and deserve to be quoted, verbatim, here: “President Kennedy made a decision, and he politely told everybody, ‘You know, we’re starting the campaign now, and the people are my asset,’" said agent Jerry Blaine. "And so, we all of a sudden understood. It left a firm command to stay off the back of the car." Huh? “Everybody”? THAT alleged statement “left a firm command”? As I stated in the review for Blaine’s book, not only do many films and photos depict the agents (still) riding on (or walking/ jogging very near) the rear of the limousine in Tampa , INCLUDING A FEW SHOWN IN THIS DOCUMENTARY, Congressman Sam Gibbons, who actually rode a mere foot away IN the car with JFK, wrote to me in a letter dated 1/15/04: ““I rode with Kennedy every time he rode. I heard no such order. As I remember it the agents rode on the rear bumper all the way. Kennedy was very happy during his visit to Tampa. Sam Gibbons.” Also, photographer Tony Zappone, then a 16-year-old witness to the motorcade in Tampa (one of whose photos for this motorcade was ironically used in The Kennedy Detail!), told me that the agents were “definitely on the back of the car for most of the day until they started back for MacDill AFB at the end of the day.” Agent Hill fibs and blames the entering of the freeway via Dealey Plaza as the reason agents weren’t on the back of the car during the shooting , neglecting to mention the fact that, during prior trips, the agents rode on the rear of the car at fast highway speeds, including IN TAMPA four days before, as well as in Berlin and Bogota, Columbia, to name just a couple others. Again, please see my detailed review of “The Kennedy Detail” book for much more on this.

While it is nice to see Toby Chandler and David Grant talk about JFK, they add little or nothing to the assassination debate itself (and neither Grant nor Hill mention the fact that Grant is Clint Hill’s brother in law, a fact revealed to myself when I spoke to Gerald Blaine on 6/10/05). For his part, Paul Landis lambastes researchers for “having a field day” with conspiracy theories, yet doesn’t mention that HE himself tremendously helped these “theorists” via his reports (plural) describing a shot to JFK from the FRONT. Hill further confirms that the back of JFK’s head was gone. Finally, Agent Lawson says that there were only three shots, yet fails to mention that, around the very same time as the filming of this documentary, he also stated that he “saw a huge hole in the back of the president’s head.”
Is it any wonder, then, why I refer to “The Kennedy Detail” Discovery Channel documentary as being slick propaganda, designed to blame President Kennedy for his own assassination by falsely stating that he ordered the agents off his limousine, as well as propagating the whole Oswald-acted-alone mantra?

Viewer beware.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

VERY funny re: Amazon reviews of "The Kennedy Detail"

VERY funny re: Amazon reviews of "The Kennedy Detail"

It is VERY obvious that the grand majority of the 5-star, glowing reviews are from family and friends---one is from former agent Andy Berger's daughter, a few are from Colorado (where Blaine lives), and one is from a friend of former agent Win Lawson. One review even states "Read the book-not the REVIEWS" ...could it be because the reviews are mixed to awful, perhaps?

Expect years---decades---of my rebuttal and response to this stuff. I don't take too kindly to certified letters. To quote Rambo: "Let it go! Let it go or I'll give you a war you won't believe." He didn't "let it go" (C-Span lies, etc.)...so you know the rest.

Vince Palamara
Like Lisa McCubbin, born AFTER 11/22/63---and you point is???

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Excellent comments on "The Kennedy Detail" Discovery Channel special by Randy Gunter & Randy Owen

"The Warren Omission Channel Strikes Again!"
Sat Dec-04-10 12:57 AM by Randy Gunter


think it is very easy to see this presentation from the “Warren Omission Channel” aka Discovery Channel, for what it is; An attempt by these remaining USSS agents to do a self-cleansing of their souls before they check out to meet their maker. These agents have waited 47 years to return to Dallas and basically address or disclose nothing? Why? Because they are still tormented by the Dealey Plaza Demons and Ghosts of November 22, 1963. Did you notice Win Lawson in his hospital room or convalescent home? He's on his deathbed and trying to exorcise the demons.

Like many others have said, they addressed none of the plethora of USSS issues that occurred during the Dallas Debacle but yet had the nerve to complain about “their workload”, “their long hours” and “their low pay” of 1963. Jerry Blaine made the comment “I was on poverty level, had I lived in Chicago.” I think this is a gross lie, his current day annual salary comes in around $65K.

Sorry fellows, if you’re looking for sympathy from me, it isn’t happening. You chose your job, and you failed miserably at it. If you didn’t like it, quit and move on to something else (Like Jerry “Complain” Blaine did after JFK was killed). He said he "walked out and later had regrets".

As a veteran of numerous USSS missions, I can speak personally to the life of a USSS agent. You have the prestige of protecting the most important person in the world and his family, and other heads of state. You travel to some of the most exotic and exciting places in the world. You stay in some of the best hotels, resorts, and eat some of the finest cuisine known to mankind. You have the US Government provide you with PERDIEM for travel and a clothing allowance to purchase business suits and wardrobe on top of your regular pay. You meet famous persons from all types of venues. You draw a federal retirement when you're eligible. How is this so bad again?

The USSS detail had a full day on November 21, 1963; Houston, San Antonio, and a return to Fort Worth at Midnight. So, what did they do? Go to sleep? No. They decided to make a long day the longest day by going out and staying out drinking and carousing until 5 or 6 in the a.m. on November 22nd. Then report for duty within 1-2 hours to protect the President. This ladies and gentlemen was “Dereliction of Duty” in it’s highest regard.

They were sworn to protect the President and his family, and prohibited from drinking alcohol while serving in this capacity. Whenever, I was performing a USSS mission, I was cautioned, counseled, whatever you wish to call it, that I if I was found to be drinking alcohol or drunk during a USSS mission (either by being caught in the act or the smell of alcohol on my breath), I would be court-martialed by the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice).

Total Dereliction of Duty by these agents, but yet was anyone ever punished or reprimanded for their actions? No. They are viewed by some as “Heros”. Since when are the actions I have described, one of a “Hero”?

Clint Hill said the only way he came to understand and accept what happened in DP that fateful day was by admitting “That the shooter had the advantage that day.”

Oh really, Mr. Hill? If that isn’t the biggest copout I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is. So you and your fellow USSS agents were doing all you could by staying out all night drinking, and by compromising the security and integrity of the parade route (i.e. By not posting agents or security in high threat and vulnerable areas such as the slow turns where open windows were prevalent and where cover and concealment were obvious threats (i.e. Grassy Knoll, Storm Drains, Open Building Windows), and by ordering agents not to react even when JFK was under attack?

Wow, I guess when you give all of those advantages away without a fight and saying that “The shooter had all the advantage that day”, you are correct Mr. Hill.

Randy



"A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not likely to have what it takes to make a living." - John F. Kennedy
---------------
After a delay in the U.S., “The Kennedy Detail” documentary aired last night on the Canadian Discovery Channel. The two-hour special, with former Secret Service agents, has its highlights and lowlights.

For those interested in seeing rare family films and photos of the Kennedys, the show aired several I have never seen before. There is some remarkable footage and fascinating anecdotes by some of the agents. Recently, documentary filmmakers have been using an interesting technique to make still photographs come alive. It's a simulated 3-D effect in which the subjects in the photo appear closer to the camera than the rest of the picture, and in some cases, there is a slow zoom-in on the subjects making it appear they are slowly moving. Unfortunately, the producers and edits picked the wrong picture to use this technique on. I'll explain later.

In the lead-up to the assassination, the documentary did an excellent job of showing what the Secret Service agents went through during the course of their duties...the low pay, the days and weeks of being away from their own families, and their attachment to the subjects they were supposed to protect. The agents' memories of the death of infant Patrick Kennedy is just one of the very moving segments of the show.

There are some rare views of JFK's visit to Florida in the days before his death. However, there is no discussion of possible plots to kill him, as alleged in some recent books.

As for the assassination, there is a lot of rarely seen footage. For longtime researchers, they won't find anything new, however. There is a cool animation showing the location of some of the agents in the motorcade.

It's heartbreaking to see interview subjects break down and cry, like several did in the 1988 series “The Men Who Killed Kennedy.” That was 25 years after the assassination. Now, nearly 50 years later, it's probably even more heartbreaking to see some of the agents come to tears during parts of their narrative after all these years.

Some of the issues not addressed in the show include:
-JFK's infidelities (I'd like to know what they knew and how it made them feel—this was addressed in the 2003 book “The Dark Side of Camelot” and the ABC-TV special back then “Dangerous World,” but I would have liked to have heard these particular agents' versions),
-the late night in Fort Worth the night before (not one word was mentioned about this),
-the stand-down footage at Love Field (not only was it not addressed, it wasn't even shown),
-reports of a dead SS agent (I would have liked to have seen how the agents thought this story got started—there has been some coverage elsewhere of the agents' wives who thought the worst when they heard these reports),
-the confrontation with the FBI at Parkland (an FBI agent was reportedly “decked” by a SS agent when the G-man entered the emergency area of Parkland),
-the cleaning of the limo at Parkland (any ideas on who did it and why),
-preparations for the WC investigation (I'd like to know if they received instructions, like James Hosty of the FBI--”I was told not to volunteer any information, just to answer their questions”),
-reactions to the deaths of RFK, and JFK Jr.,
-and the destruction of documents that were supposed to have been turned over to the Assassination Records Review Board in the 1990's.

No surprise that the agents believe Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin. I may disagree, but still respect their opinions. However, Gerald Blaine, co-author of the book that inspired this program, says Oswald fit the profile of an assassin. Really? First, there have been reports over the years that a CIA pyschological profile of Oswald showed he did not fit the profile of an assassin. Also, unlike most lone assassins, Oswald had a wife and two daughters and never claimed responsibility for his act. Hardly the profile of an assassin. While Oswald may fit some characteristics of an assassin, he just as easily as he fits some of the characteristics of a patsy.

Oh, the problem with the 3-D effect? One of the controversial photos taken during LBJ's swearing-in is the one of the “wink.” I was surprised to see it on the show. However, the 3-D effect makes the foreground subjects look larger than they really were in the photo and because of this Lady Bird Johnson's hair covered up the wink! For the producers and editors, it was a bad choice and a bad effect to use on that particular photo.



Three of the agents, Hill, Landis and Lawson, returned to Dealey Plaza and while inside the former Texas School Book Depository remarked how easy the shots were to make. I'm sure Jesse Ventura, a former Navy Seal and sharpshooter, and other marksmen would disagree.

Nearly 50 years after the murder in Dallas, it is still fascinating to see the event still resonates emotionally with the agents. One agent in particular still shows a high degree of anger when discussing Oswald's demeanor during his interrogations.

While there is very little discussion of conspiracy theories (or even conspiracy evidence), it seems the agents fail to realize one reason the theories have proliferated is because of their silence over the years. The agents also seem to not know that some conspiracy theorists or researchers have actually helped debunk some of the wilder accusations made against the Secret Service. Robert Groden has been very effective in disputing the theory that agent Bill Greer, the driver of the limousine, fatally shot JFK. Other researchers have also helped to counter the myth JFK was accidentally shot by an agent in the followup car.

Evidence aside, the show does put a human face on the agents whose service required them to be secret while carrying out their public duties. Even with a lack of counselling, the fact these agents survived an event that took a such a heavily emotional and destructive toll speaks volumes. It's unfortunate that their silence over the years, sometimes self-imposed, caused them long-suffering depression. It's also obvious that the scars of this event will not go away even after all these years.

I applaud the agents for coming forward now with their stories. I only wish they had done it sooner. One lesson to be learned from this sad chapter in history: when government officials hold back on revealing the truth at the time, it will be almost impossible to reveal it later and have people believe it.

Randy

Thursday, December 2, 2010

"Secrets of the Secret Service" AND "The Kennedy Detail" on Discovery Channel tonight: HUGE CONTRADICTORY IRONIES

"Secrets of the Secret Service" AND "The Kennedy Detail" on Discovery Channel tonight: HUGE CONTRADICTORY IRONIES

IMPORTANT:

The DISCOVERY Channel will ALSO be airing an official Secret Service documentary from Dec 2009 (repeat) at 8 pm (right before THE KENNEDY DETAIL) called "Secrets of the Secret Service" which AGREES WITH MY TAKE ON THE LOVE FIELD RECALL FOOTAGE! ( I have videos on You Tube dissecting this, as well as several blogs)

HOW IS THAT FOR SOME CONTRADICTORY IRONY? :o)

Vince Palamara
PLEASE SEE
http://www.ctka.net/reviews/kennedydetailreview.html

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

MAJOR REVIEW: "The Kennedy Detail" by Gerald Blaine & Clint Hill

http://www.ctka.net/reviews/kennedydetailreview.html


Vince Palamara

Jim DiEugenio re: Vince Palamara in Vince Bugliosi's book :)

Jim DiEugenio re: Vince Palamara in Vince Bugliosi's book :)


Jim writes---
"Bugliosi’s next chapter deals with the Secret Service. Again, I can hardly recall any notable book saying that the Secret Service was the main plotter in the JFK case. The only one I can think of is the 1974 self-published effort entitled Murder from Within. It is a book that few people even know about, let alone use. Bugliosi seems to understand this, as he did not with the FBI. So he writes that “One other U.S. intelligence agency has had the suggestion of complicity in the assassination leveled against it by the conspiracy theorists, the Secret Service, but nowhere near as much as the CIA and FBI.” (p. 1239, italics added) But in his continual efforts to have it both ways, he later changes this to the Secret Service being behind the assassination. (p. 1241) Why does he do this, when in fact, there is virtually no one who says this? Probably so he can land another of his straw man broadsides: “... the notion that the Secret Service was behind the assassination is, like virtually all the conspiracy theories, ridiculous on its face.” (p. 1241) Yep, especially when virtually no one is saying it.

Now what does Bugliosi do with his two classifications of the Secret Service as being both “complicit” and/or “being behind” the assassination? As is his usual bent, he severely limits the discussion of both. How does he do that? Consider the following: “With respect to the Secret Service, for all intents and purposes, the inquiry about complicity in the assassination begins and ends with the motorcade route.” (ibid) This is a shocking statement. Even for someone as agenda-driven as this author is. Let me drop just one name to show how Bugliosi’s self-imposed limits are nothing but solipsistic: Abraham Bolden. Secret Service agent Bolden has described an assassination plot on Kennedy in Chicago in early November that is very similar in design to what happened in Dallas. But as I demonstrated in Part 3 of this series, since Bugliosi does all he can to curtail any discussion of the plot to kill Kennedy in Chicago, he can ignore that vitally important episode.

Let me drop another name to show how solipsistic Bugliosi’s take on the subject of the Secret Service is: Elmer Moore. As I wrote in Part 4 of this series, Moore has become one of the most important discoveries of the ARRB. As Pat Speer, Doug Horne, Gary Aguilar, and myself have noted, it is not unjustified to say that Moore was one of the most important players in the cover-up. The Secret Service agent eventually became a personal valet to Earl Warren. Again, Bugliosi does not have to deal with the very important figure of Moore. Why? For the simple reason that he does not mention him in the nearly 2,700 pages of his book.

Surprisingly, the author glosses over the name of Pat Kirkwood in this chapter. Kirkwood ran an after-hours club called The Cellar located in Fort Worth. Within days of the assassination, it became fairly well known that Secret Service agents had been at the Fort Worth club well into the early hours of the morning. Drew Pearson mentioned it this way, “Obviously, men who have been drinking until nearly 3 AM are in no condition to be trigger-alert or in the best physical shape to protect anyone.” (Jim Marrs, Crossfire, p. 246) As Marrs notes, this was a clear violation of the Secret Service rules and regulations as expressed in their manual. But James Rowley decided not to discipline any of the agents involved, even though four of them rode on the car behind the presidential limousine. Why? Because if he did, it “might have given rise to an inference that the violation of the regulation had contributed to the tragic events of November 22.” (ibid, p. 247) Which some people have said was the case. Both Ken O’Donnell and Ralph Yarborough noted the slow reaction time by the Secret Service to the fusillade.

Pat Kirkwood later elucidated what had happened. At about midnight the evening before the murder, some reporters called him and said they were out with about 17 Secret Service agents. They asked him if they could bring the agents over. According to Kirkwood, they were still there at 3:30 AM, joking about how local firemen had to replace them in guarding the president at the Fort Worth hotel. After the episode got in the papers, the White House called and told Kirkwood not to talk to anyone because the Secret Service had taken a beating in the press already. So Kirkwood and his manager didn’t say anything for years. But later manager Jim Hill said that the agents were clearly drunk since they were drinking nothing but alcohol. (ibid, p. 248) It’s incredible that Bugliosi deals with all this in one paragraph. In fact, I have told you more about what actually happened than he does. Further, the man, who has all kinds of boilerplate condemnation of the critical community, does not condemn this unprofessional and irresponsible behavior. Which actually borders on negligence.

The man who has done the best work on the Secret Service failure in Dealey Plaza is Vince Palamara. Bugliosi mentions his book called Survivor’s Guilt and briefly discusses it. (See p. 1243) What the author leaves out from Palamara is rather interesting. Thankfully, Doug Horne put it in Vol. 5 of his series Inside the ARRB.

As Horne notes, in the original security design, there was included motorcycle escorts traveling to the side of the limo. At a meeting on November 21st, Secret Service agent Winston Lawson did two things: he cut the number of guarding escort motorcycles in half—from four to two—and he then placed them to the rear of the car, not to the side. (Horne, p. 1402) Further, Horne notes that Lawson then lied about this by saying that it was Kennedy who wanted the motorcycles to the rear. (ibid, p. 1403) Palamara has also proven that it was standard practice to have motorcycles ride to the side of the limousine. Therefore, what happened in Dallas appears to be a deliberate anomaly. (ibid) As Horne writes, “If motorcycle patrolmen had been riding abreast of the limousine on Elm Street, their positioning may have obscured the President from shooters firing in front of the limousine.” (Horne, p. 1404)

This weird formation of the motorcycles is backed up by B. J. Martin, one of the cyclists. He said he was given instructions at Love Field to ride to the rear of the limousine. He said he had never heard of such a formation. (ibid, p. 1404) The HSCA investigated these charges and found them soundly based. They called the formation around the president, “uniquely insecure.” (ibid, p. 1405) In addition, Palamara found out that Floyd Boring had told Clint Hill that JFK did not want agents riding on the rear steps of the presidential limousine in Dallas. (ibid, p. 1406) As Horne writes, this assignment of agents may have obscured the aim of an assassin firing from the rear of the car. Again, the failure to do this was falsely attributed to President Kennedy. (ibid, p. 1409) Even though Bugliosi has read Palamara, there is not a word about any of this in Reclaiming History.

Just like there is not a mention of the name of Henry Rybka. Rybka is a Secret Service agent who has become famous due to a YouTube film clip. This film was shot by local television in black and white. It depicts both the presidential limo and the follow up car leaving Love Field. Agent Henry Rybka is running along the rear fender of the presidential limo as the car pulls out of the airport. As Rybka is doing this, agent Emory Roberts calls him back away from the car. Rybka is surprised by the Roberts order. He turns, shrugs his shoulders, and stretches out his arms—three times. Rybka apparently thought he was going to be on the rear steps of the limo. That is, obstructing any shots from the rear of the car. Apparently, he can’t believe he is being called off.

Palamara calls what happened in Dallas—the altering of the motorcycle formation and cutting it in half, and the removal of agents from standing on the rear of the car—“security stripping”. This clearly resulted in the assassins having a much better opportunity to hit their target than if the proper procedures had been followed. No surprise, Bugliosi apparently did not think any of this was important in discussing Secret Service complicity in the assassination."
. . . . .

Secret Service Agent John Lardner passes away-yet ANOTHER agent who didn't participate in "The Kennedy Detail"

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/12/01/john_joseph_lardner_former_secret_service_agent/
John Joseph Lardner, former Secret Service agent
John Joseph Lardner guarded President Kennedy on a winter day, with his right hand — and his trigger finger — exposed.

By J.M. Lawrence
Globe Correspondent / December 1, 2010
E-mail this article To: Invalid E-mail address Add a personal message:(80 character limit) Your E-mail: Invalid E-mail address
Sending your articleYour article has been sent. E-mail| Print| Reprints| Text size – + When John F. Kennedy was inaugurated in 1961, Secret Service agent John Joseph Lardner rode behind him on Pennsylvania Avenue. He was proud to be a kid from Lowell who grew up to guard the president, he told his family.

Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!Submit to DiggdiggsdiggYahoo! Buzz ShareThis There was little else he ever shared about those Kennedy years. “There’s a reason we’re called the Secret Service,’’ Mr. Lardner would often tell his nephew, Michael Walsh of Bedford, N.H.

Mr. Lardner, a US Marine Corps captain who was a Secret Service agent from 1959 to his retirement in 1983 as special agent in charge of Rhode Island and Bristol County, died of a heart attack at his home in Easton Nov. 19.

He was 80.

“My dad lived his life by the Marine Corps code,’’ God, corps, and country, said his oldest daughter, Kristin M. Brown of East Sandwich.

“It was just the way his life was.’’

Mr. Lardner would never discuss his assignment on the day Kennedy was shot or say whether he was in Dallas.

“He would never tell,’’ his daughter said.

“He had strong opinions about the assassination, but it was very difficult for him to talk about. He was never a man at a loss for words, but it was the one subject you just couldn’t approach him about.’’

Following the assassination, Mr. Lardner was assigned to the detail guarding Jacqueline Kennedy and her children. His family said they believe Mrs. Kennedy personally requested him.

After his sudden death, his daughter began sorting through his personal papers and found thank you notes from Mrs. Kennedy and jokes in the agent’s old spiral bound notebook jotted by a young Caroline Kennedy.

In one old photo, Mr. Lardner walks behind the president as he leaves a hospital pushing Mrs. Kennedy in a wheelchair. A nurse carries newborn John Jr.

In another photo, Mr. Lardner stands next to President Kennedy on a winter day. The agent wears one glove on his left hand, leaving his right hand — and his trigger finger — exposed.

Born in the Bronx, Mr. Lardner was the only son of a brick mason John and a nurse, Mary (Corcoran), who emigrated from County Kerry, Ireland. His sister Eileen died in 2009.

Mr. Lardner graduated in 1949 from Lowell High, where he played football.

He became an apprentice brick mason under his father and grandfather while going to Northeastern University. He graduated with a degree in business in 1954 and joined the Marines.

He was married more than 35 years to Karen M. (Buchwald). They met at a pub in Boston in the 1970s when she was a nurse. They had three children. His daughter Kristin recalled reveling at the sight of her father’s dress uniform.

“He would have me lead the charge through the house with my brothers and sisters in marching cadence. ‘Over hill over dale, we will hit the dusty trail . . .’ I can sing the entire song to his day,’’ said Kristin, who is a paramedic.

Mr. Lardner started out in the forgery and counterfeit department of the Secret Service before he was assigned to presidential details.

Mr. Lardner, who was known as Jack, showed little interest in his former colleague Gerald Blaine’s just published book, “The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence,’’ according to his family.

“I said, Jack you’re not going to buy the book? He said, ‘Mike, there’s a reason why we were called the Secret Service,’ ’’ his nephew said.

“I said man, oh, man, that’s old school talking.’’

Mr. Lardner also was a life-long Republican and supported Republican candidates in Massachusetts, including Senator Scott Brown.

“The only time I saw him cry in the 33 years I knew him was the day President Reagan died,’’ said his daughter. “He adored him.’’

Mr. Lardner was active in local government in Easton, where he was on the Finance Committee for several years. He was an avid tennis player and an expert skier.

In recent years, he enjoyed investing in the stock market and sharing stock tips with his family. However, he would never talk about substantial topics over cordless phones, his nephew said.

“He would always say, ‘Are you hardwired?’ He was very careful of what he would say on a telephone,’’ Michael said.

In addition to his oldest daughter and wife, Mr. Lardner leaves his son, J. Adam of Easton; another daughter, Kerry A. of Truro; and five grandchildren.

Services have been held.