Vince Palamara
Vince Palamara is the world's leading civilian authority on the United States Secret Service, especially with regards to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Palamara's work has appeared in over 50 books by other authors, numerous articles, countless internet articles, radio, and even on The History Channel. Palamara is currently in the process of having his book entitled Survivor's Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President published.
This biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Categories: People stubs
Vince Palamara is an American author who focuses on the United States Secret Service, especially with regard to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. [1][2] He is a notable alumni of Duquesne University,[3] and a native of Bethel Park and South Park, Pennsylvania[4]
References
^ Vince Palamara booksSee, for examples, "Murder in Dealey Plaza" (2000)by Prof. James H. Fetzer, numerous, but especially page 159Murder In Dealey Plaza Publisher's Weekly wrote: "A compendium of recent thought and discovery about the Kennedy assassination, this volume makes a case for official malfeasance and against the "lone gunman" explanation...Vincent Palamara names several Secret Service agents who he believes may have been compromised...This coolly angry dismantling of the theories of the Warren commission and lone-gunman supporters like Gerald Posner will be fodder for conspiracy theorists. (Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.) ; "The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency" (2002; updated 2005)by Philip Melanson, pages 80, 87, and Bibliography Secret Service Melanson; The Final Report of the Assassination Records Review Board, pages xvii & 138 Final Report ARRB; "Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years" (2007) by David Talbot, pages 14, 22, and Bibliography Brothers ; "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" (2007) by Vincent Bugliosi, pages XV [page 3, endnotes disc], 146 [source notes disc], 347 [endnotes disc], 403, 404, 408, 691 [endnotes disc], 711 [endnotes disc], 998, 1242-1243, 1276, 1529 (Bibliography), 1592 (index), 1603 (index), & 1604 (index)Bugliosi JFK book, and even "Four Days in November: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" by the aforementioned Vincent Bugliosi (2008) Four Days by Bugliosi
^ See also episode seven of the A & E/ History Channel series "The Men Who Killed Kennedy" (TMWKK) titled "The Smoking Guns" (aired four times in November 2003; available on VHS and DVD from 11/03-4/04; still shown in the UK and on YouTube). Palamara appears in the first segment of the program and is referred to by the British narrator as "A Secret Service expert" with an accompanying title at the bottom of the picture saying the same thing Palamara on History Channel. Vincent Bugliosi refers to Palamara as a "Secret Service expert" in his 2008 book "Four Days In November", as well as on his website:Bugliosi official book website In addition, former Secret Service agent Abraham Bolden favorably mentioned Palamara's research during his November 2007 ABC News interview, as well as on his book's website:Agent Bolden official book website
^ PDF Palamara-Duquesne University alumniNotable Duquesne University Alumni
^ UK website on Palamara Palamara official MySpace page Palamara official MySpace page two
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Palamara
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Vince-Palamara
Encyclopedia > Vince Palamara
Vince Palamara is a civilian authority on the United States Secret Service, especially with regards to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Palamara's work has appeared in over 32 books by other authors, numerous articles, countless internet articles, radio, and The History Channel. Palamara is currently in the process of having his book entitled Survivor's Guilt published. USSS redirects here. ... President Kennedy, with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Texas Governor John Connally in the Presidential limousine shortly before the assassination. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 รข€“ November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... History Channel logo. ...
Category: United States writer stubs
http://www.duq.edu/frontpages/aboutdu/magazines/DUMagWinter2004.pdf
-------------------
Vincent Palamara was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from Duquesne University with a degree in Sociology.
Although not even born when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Vince brings fresh eyes to an old case. In fact, Vince would go on to study the largely overlooked actions - and inactions - of the United States Secret Service in unprecedented detail, as well as achieving a world's record in the process, having interviewed and corresponded with over seventy former agents (the House Select Committee on Assassinations had the old record of 46 with a 6 million dollar budget and supboena power from Congress), not to mention many surviving family members, White House aides, and even quite a few Parkland and Bethesda medical witnesses for a corresponding project. The result was Survivor's Guilt; The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President, a very successful self-published book that sold thousands of copies in the 1990's before becoming a free online e-book in 2006.
In addition, the aforementioned corresponding project on the John F. Kennedy assassination medical evidence, JFK: The Medical Evidence Reference, Vince's second book, although almost an afterthought to Vince's main area of research, still sold hundreds of copies and was favorably mentioned in books by William Law, R. Andrew Kiel, James Fetzer, and even Vince Bugliosi. Like his first book, Vince's medical evidence tome became a free online e-book in 2006.
All told, Vince has been favorably mentioned in over 50 JFK and Secret Service related books to date (including two whole chapters in Murder in Dealey Plaza, The Secret Service: The Hidden History Of An Enigmatic Agency by Philip Melanson, and the Final Report of the Assassination Records Review Board, among many others), often at length, in the bibliographies, and in the Secret Service - and even medical evidence - areas of these works.
Vince has appeared on the History Channel, local cable access television, YouTube, radio, newspapers, print journals, at national conferences, and all over the internet. Also, Vince's original research materials, or copies of said materials, are stored in the National Archives (by request under Deed Of Gift by the ARRB), the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Harvard University, the Assassination Archives and Research Center, and the Dallas Public Library.
Vince Palamara has become known (as he was dubbed by the History Channel in 2003) "the Secret Service expert." As former JFK Secret Service agent Joe Paolella proclaimed: "You seem to know a lot about the Secret Service, maybe even more than I do," while fellow JFK Secret Service agent Chuck Zboril stated: "You might be helpful to the official Secret Service historian who works out of Washington!"
http://lads.myspace.com/slides/slideshow_random.swf?u=58490370
-------------
Vince Palamara Biography (extended/ part two)
Vince Palamara is the leading civilian authority on the United States Secret Service, especially with regard to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He is a graduate of Duquesne University, and a native of Bethel Park and South Park, Pennsylvania.
Writing
Palamara's work has appeared in over 50 books by other authors, in print articles,and internet articles,YouTube, newspapers, radio, at national conferences, and The History Channel.
Palamara is currently in the process of having his book entitled Survivor's Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President published, as well as continuing his role as international consultant on the actions---and inactions---of the United States Secret Service on November 22, 1963, during the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy [note: Vince Palamara is also consulted, from time to time, regarding the Secret Service's interaction with other U.S. Presidents such as Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon Johnson, to name but a few, although the agents that protected President John F. Kennedy are his primary focus.
Palamara is also the author of JFK: The Medical Evidence Reference.
Music
Palamara is also an accomplished guitarist, performing in the original, progressive hard rock bands Seance, Entourage, Diamond Haze, and now Silent Choir (featured on college and foreign radio, in international fanzines and magazines, on cable access television, on the internet, and on YouTube).
http://www.youtube.com/user/VincePalamara
http://www.myspace.com/vincepalamara
http://twitter.com/vincepalamara
http://www.facebook.com/vince.palamara
http://vincepalamara.blogspot.com/
http://vincepalamarasecretservicejfk.blogspot.com/
I am in over 50 other author's books to date, including:
"RECLAIMING HISTORY: THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY" (2007) BY VINCE BUGLIOSI: 16 pages, inc. the disc, biblio., index, & text
"FOUR DAYS IN NOVEMBER" by Vincent Bugliosi (2008)
Vince Bugliosi letter to Vince Palamara dated 7/14/07:"I want you to know that I am very impressed with your research abilities and the enormous amount of work you put into your investigation of the Secret Service regarding the assassination. You are, unquestionably, the main authority on the Secret Service with regard to the assassination. I agree with you that they did not do a good job protecting the president (e.g. see p. 1443 of my book)..."
"FINAL REPORT OF THE ASSASSINATION RECORDS REVIEW BOARD" (1998) [ALSO ONLINE] [Given to President Clinton, Trent Lott, & Newt Gingrich!]
"BROTHERS" (2007) by David Talbot
In all versions of "THE SECRET SERVICE: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AN ENIGMATIC AGENCY" (2005) BY PHILLIP H. MELANSON WITH PETER F. STEVENS--- see especially *updated and revised version with different cover*
"MURDER IN DEALEY PLAZA" (2000) BY JAMES FETZER [2 whole chapters+; favorable mention by Publisher's Weekly; Amazon.Com "best-seller"] Publisher's Weekly, 8/28/00: "A compendium of recent thought and discovery about the Kennedy assassination, this volume makes a case for official malfeasance and against the "lone gunman" explanation...Vincent Palamara names several Secret Service agents who he believes may have been compromised...This coolly angry dismantling of the theories of the Warren commission and lone-gunman supporters like Gerald Posner will be fodder for conspiracy theorists. "
Sample of my research:
Special Agent In Charge (SAIC) of White House Detail (WHD), later known as the Presidential Protective Division (PPD)---***compiled*** by Vince Palamara
The Associated Press, 7/18/98: "[Larry] Cockell is one of only 24 special agents to be in charge of the presidential protective division since it started in 1901 and is the first black to hold the job."--- SAIC's [24 from 1901 to 1999]:
1 Joseph E. Murphy (Teddy Roosevelt [1901]-Taft; became Asst. Chief in 1919 under Wilson)
2 Dick Jervis Wilson; his asst.: Col. Edmund W. Starling)
3 Col. Edmund W. Starling (1935; ASAIC: Michael F. Reilly; his own book "Starling of the White House")
4 Michael F. Reilly (1943-1946/47; had been ASAIC 1941-1943, along with Guy H. Spaman and Thomas J. Qualters; his own book "Reilly of the White House")
5 George C. Drescher (joined the Secret Service in 1919; worked in the Philadelphia, and Washington field offices; SAIC 4/12/45-5/3/46 when replaced by Rowley; 5/46: SAIC of Baltimore office; retired in 1953; Herbert Hoover Library 6/1/67; mentioned by Boring and Rowley during their Truman Library Oral Histories in 1988; deceased; nephew Earl L. Drescher became the deputy chief of the Executive Protective Service in the late 1970's)
6 James J. Rowley (1946-Sept. 1961; during late Ike into early JFK era: Behn & Campion: ASAIC; Boring, Kellerman, Stout & Roberts: ATSAIC) ; became Director 1961-1973; Secret Service training facility in Beltsville, MD named after Rowley
7 Gerald A. Behn (Sept. 1961-Jan. 1965; ASAIC's: Boring, Campion [replaced by Kellerman 10/62], and Kellerman; after 11/22/63, ASAIC's inc. Youngblood; ATSAIC's: Roberts, Godfrey, & Stout)
8 Rufus W. Youngblood (Jan. 1965; ASAIC's: Kellerman [2] + Johns & Taylor); later, became an Asst. Director
9 Thomas "Lem" Johns (Fall 1965; ASAIC: Robert H. Taylor); son later served on PPD
10 Clinton J. Hill (Approx. 1966-1968; Became SAIC of V.P. Agnew's Detail in 1969); later, bnecame an Asst. Director; on "60 Minutes" 12/75 and 11/93; "The Secret Service", 1995; "Inside The Secret Service", 1995; "Inside The U.S. Secret Service", 2004; Larry King, 2006
11 Robert H. Taylor (LBJ & NIXON: 1969-Feb. 1973/Nixon; ASAIC: William L. Duncan)
12Richard E. Keiser (Feb. 1973-1978; Nixon, Ford [Keiser bore a resemblance to Ford], Carter; ASAIC: Warren "Woody" Taylor; ASAIC of V.P. Detail: David B. Grant; Ronald M. Pontius; Robert L. Kollar: was ASAIC of Ford Detail in 1978)
13John R. Simpson (Carter) later, became Director; "Inside The Secret Service", 1995
14Gerald S. Parr (Carter-Reagan; ATSAIC: Ray Shaddick; ASAIC: Robert DeProspero; SAIC of Nancy Reagan's Detail: George Opfer); "The Secret Service", 1995; "Inside The Secret Service", 1995; Larry King 1998; "Inside The U.S. Secret Service", 2004; etc.
15Robert DeProspero (Reagan, Jan. 1982-approx. April 1985; pictured on pages 110, 111, 114, 122, 123, 126, & 127 of AFAUSSS book from 1991; later, became the Assistant to the Director [Simpson]; ASAIC: Joe Petro) see this wikipedia which I created: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_DeProspero
16Ray Shaddick (Reagan/ Bush)
17John W. Magaw (Bush) later, became Director
18Rich "Skip" Miller (Bush/ Clinton); later, became an Assistant Director; pictured in Petro's book and President Bill Clinton's book
19David Carpenter (Clinton) ; "Inside The U.S. Secret Service", 2004; pictured in President Bill Clinton's book
20Don Flynn (Clinton); "Inside The U.S. Secret Service", 2004; pictured in President Bill Clinton's book
21Pat Miller (Clinton; "The Secret Service" video 1995); pictured in President Bill Clinton's book
22Lewis C. Merletti (Clinton; appears in "The Secret Service" video 1995[un-credited]); later, became Director; pictured in President Bill Clinton's book
23Brian L. Stafford (Clinton); later, became Director; "Inside The U.S. Secret Service", 2004; pictured in President Bill Clinton's book
24Larry Cockell (Clinton; testified before Kenneth Starr's investigation into the Monica Lewinsky matter); later, became an Assistant Director; "Inside The U.S. Secret Service", 2004; ; pictured in President Bill Clinton's book
Reginald Moore (Clinton)
Nick Trotta (at least since 2004 to the present [2007]; George W. Bush)
----------------------
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Secret Service agents Dale Wunderlich & Jim Jeffries
http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=14293
Ex-Secret Service agent talks at Rotary Club about JFK assassination
By Scott Rochat
Longmont Times-Call
LONGMONT — No grassy knolls. No mob conspiracies. Just one man, one
rifle and three shots.
That was and is the conclusion of Dale Wunderlich, a retired Secret
Service agent who helped investigate the death of President John F.
Kennedy as part of the Warren Commission. Wunderlich spoke about the
assassination Thursday at the Twin Peaks Rotary Club.
“There’s a lot of theories about what happened,” said Wunderlich, who
lives in Parker. “At some point, you have to wonder — if it had been a
conspiracy, do any of you really believe that anyone in Washington can
keep a secret for 46 years?”
Wunderlich helped protect five presidents, from Kennedy through Jimmy
Carter. On Nov. 22, 1963, he looked after Kennedy during a rally in
Fort Worth, Texas, but was off duty when the president went on to
Dallas.
Wunderlich was at the airport when he heard the motorcade had been
shot at. An early report said a Secret Service agent had been hit, and
Wunderlich hurried back.
As he arrived, he realized that all the agents were accounted for.
“Who got killed?” he asked agent Roy Kellerman.
“The president,” Kellerman said.
The sight of Kennedy’s body, face down in the hospital, is still
engraved on Wunderlich’s mind. So is the funeral ceremony, when even
the agents themselves were in mourning.
“I had such tears in my eyes that I couldn’t see anything,” Wunderlich
said. “If someone had wanted to kill President (Lyndon) Johnson, that
would have been the best time to do it. Everyone had tears in their
eyes. No one could see.”
Since then, he said, there have been a lot of stories and myths about
the assassination. Among them:
The Secret Service was drunk. Not true, Wunderlich said. Several
agents did go to a place called the Cellar Bar the night before, but
despite the name, the Cellar didn’t sell liquor. “We had sandwiches
and near-beer,” he said.
There was a fourth shot. Not likely, Wunderlich said. Researchers at
California Polytechnic State University analyzed the Zapruder film — a
home movie that captured the assassination — a few years back, he
said, and concluded the sound of the “fourth shot” was actually a
police Harley-Davidson backfiring.
Oswald couldn’t have shot so fast, so accurately. The range wasn’t
very far, especially for the rifle used, Wunderlich said — 192 feet
for the closest shot and 292 feet for the longest one. Moreover, he
said, Lee Harvey Oswald had spent hours practicing rapid-fire shots.
Fast enough to fire three shots in 8.5 seconds? As a test, Wunderlich
said, investigators sent a truck filled with hay bales down the street
at the same speed while the FBI armorer and the Secret Service armorer
took shots at it. In 8.5 seconds, each put five shots in the kill
zone.
Oswald was trying to kill Texas Gov. John Connally. That may never be
known, Wunderlich said. He said Oswald is believed to have had a
grudge against Connally, who as secretary of the Navy wouldn’t change
his “hardship” discharge to an “honorable” one. The field of fire
would have allowed a good shot at Connally, who was wounded by a
bullet that clipped Kennedy’s shoulder first. And Kennedy may not have
even been in the sights when the second shot was fired — his head was
in his wife’s lap after the first shot hit; the second hit his head as
she pulled him up.
“Sam Donaldson is the biggest supporter of this theory,” Wunderlich
said. “I love to watch people’s eyes when I describe it. It’s another
thing that could be logical.”
Jack Ruby, who shot Oswald, was on the mob payroll. Actually,
Wunderlich said, Ruby was a big admirer of Jacqueline Kennedy and
closed himself in his club after the Kennedy assassination, drinking
heavily. He knew several police officers and had a permit to carry a
gun because he frequently carried bank deposits with him.
He was on his way with a deposit and had made up a slip to put $20 in
an employee’s account when he saw the crowd of media around the police
station. After finding out it was Oswald on his way to be arraigned,
Wunderlich said, Ruby worked his way close and shot Oswald — a gun in
one hand and a bank bag in the other.
“If you plan to kill someone, are you going to be prepared to also
make a deposit?” Wunderlich asked. “I think it was a spur-of-the-
moment thing.”
To this day, he said, America remains fascinated with the case,
conspiracy or no.
“Hardly a day goes by when I don’t see something related to Kennedy,”
Wunderlich said. “It’s a topic I don’t think will ever go away.”
--------------
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1011370.html
Tribute: James Gordon Jeffries protected presidents as Secret Service
agent
By RUTH BAUM BIGUS
Special to The Star
Associated Press file photo
Secret Service agent James Gordon Jeffries was the personal bodyguard
for first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. He held an umbrella for her while
it rained.More News
Rally for U.S. workers attracts nearly 1,000 in KCLeavenworth carousel
museum adds a sideshowWoman charged in 7-year-old son?s deathCritics
oppose term limits for KC school boardKansas Guard discharges first
gay soldierCalendar | Monday, Feb. 9Nuns in need of someone to fix up
bikes for the poorPeltier movement goes beyond one man?s caseThe
Watchdog | Filling Sprint Center?s seats not always easyTribute |
Every day was a good day for Herbert RempelPublic safety | KCK
shooting death investigated as a homicideOn the air | How to find a
job and build a resumeWinning lottery numbers | Sunday, Feb.
8Competition is stiff, but some of the bridges aren?t in student
engineering contestFamily wanted: Mishellay, 16Black Heritage
Organization to honor CleaverDump trucker trade show offers lesson in
how an economy crumblesAcross the yard ? or the world ? mortal
contests elicit aversionKC Parks and Recreation Department faces
budget cutsLottery numbers for Saturday, Feb. 7Who: James Gordon
“Jeff” Jeffries, 83, a Kansas City, Kan., native most recently of
Iowa.
When and how he died: Jan. 18, of pneumonia. He had suffered a stroke
more than 10 years ago.
An active beginning: Known as Jeff to some family members and Jimmie
by others, the boy born in Kansas City, Kan., in 1925 led an
adventurous life. He attended Argentine High School until he moved in
his sophomore year with his mother, Mildred Hamilton, to Washington.
Jeffries enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943 and served in World War
II. After leaving the service, Jeffries attended Benjamin Franklin
University, which later merged with George Washington University.
Jeffries went to work for the embezzlement division of the U.S.
Treasury Department and thus began a long career in the federal
government.
Presidential proximity: Jeffries then worked for the Secret Service,
serving presidents from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon. He traveled
extensively with them but did find time to marry Thelma Thompson in
1955. They had no children.
Jeffries seldom spoke about his Secret Service experiences.
“Jeff was the consummate Secret Service agent: He never shared much,”
said niece Beth Hanna of Iowa, who helped care for her uncle in his
final years.
“He was very secretive about what he did,” said nephew Dave Horseman
of Kansas City. “He did have Christmas cards on the wall from various
presidents (he served), and he hunted with (Dwight) Eisenhower.”
When John Kennedy was elected president, Jeffries was assigned to be
Jacqueline Kennedy’s personal bodyguard.
Hanna recently found a letter that the first lady had written to her
Uncle Jeff in April 1962, just after he was assigned to another
detail.
“The letter said, ‘I will miss you so much. … I will never meet anyone
who has been as loyal and faithful as you, patient and understanding
with me, so sweet and kind with my children. … The President is as
grateful as I am for all you did to make easy my adjustment to being
guarded all the time. I will always remember you. My deepest
appreciation and affection and all good wishes. Your friend,
Jacqueline Kennedy.’ ”
Other interests: In 1972, Jeffries retired from the Secret Service on
disability from an injury aggravated by the performance of his duties.
He sold real estate in Northern Virginia and pursued other interests.
He enjoyed spending time at the couple’s cabin at Lake Anna, Va., as
well as fishing and playing tennis.
“His ideal home would have been where he could have gone out the front
door and play tennis and out the back door to fish,” Horseman said.
In the mid-1990s, Jeffries and his wife moved back to the Kansas City
area. As the years passed, they developed health problems. Hanna moved
her aunt and uncle to Hiawatha Care Center near her home in west-
central Iowa so she could help care for them. Thelma died in 2005.
“I had a relationship that was very dear with my uncle,” Hanna said.
“My aunt and uncle were incredibly unassuming and humble about their
experiences.”
Survivors include: Four sisters, two brothers, several nieces and
nephews.
The last word: “Family and friends were very important to him,” Beth
Hanna of her uncle. “He never acted as though what he did was
special.”
Ex-Secret Service agent talks at Rotary Club about JFK assassination
By Scott Rochat
Longmont Times-Call
LONGMONT — No grassy knolls. No mob conspiracies. Just one man, one
rifle and three shots.
That was and is the conclusion of Dale Wunderlich, a retired Secret
Service agent who helped investigate the death of President John F.
Kennedy as part of the Warren Commission. Wunderlich spoke about the
assassination Thursday at the Twin Peaks Rotary Club.
“There’s a lot of theories about what happened,” said Wunderlich, who
lives in Parker. “At some point, you have to wonder — if it had been a
conspiracy, do any of you really believe that anyone in Washington can
keep a secret for 46 years?”
Wunderlich helped protect five presidents, from Kennedy through Jimmy
Carter. On Nov. 22, 1963, he looked after Kennedy during a rally in
Fort Worth, Texas, but was off duty when the president went on to
Dallas.
Wunderlich was at the airport when he heard the motorcade had been
shot at. An early report said a Secret Service agent had been hit, and
Wunderlich hurried back.
As he arrived, he realized that all the agents were accounted for.
“Who got killed?” he asked agent Roy Kellerman.
“The president,” Kellerman said.
The sight of Kennedy’s body, face down in the hospital, is still
engraved on Wunderlich’s mind. So is the funeral ceremony, when even
the agents themselves were in mourning.
“I had such tears in my eyes that I couldn’t see anything,” Wunderlich
said. “If someone had wanted to kill President (Lyndon) Johnson, that
would have been the best time to do it. Everyone had tears in their
eyes. No one could see.”
Since then, he said, there have been a lot of stories and myths about
the assassination. Among them:
The Secret Service was drunk. Not true, Wunderlich said. Several
agents did go to a place called the Cellar Bar the night before, but
despite the name, the Cellar didn’t sell liquor. “We had sandwiches
and near-beer,” he said.
There was a fourth shot. Not likely, Wunderlich said. Researchers at
California Polytechnic State University analyzed the Zapruder film — a
home movie that captured the assassination — a few years back, he
said, and concluded the sound of the “fourth shot” was actually a
police Harley-Davidson backfiring.
Oswald couldn’t have shot so fast, so accurately. The range wasn’t
very far, especially for the rifle used, Wunderlich said — 192 feet
for the closest shot and 292 feet for the longest one. Moreover, he
said, Lee Harvey Oswald had spent hours practicing rapid-fire shots.
Fast enough to fire three shots in 8.5 seconds? As a test, Wunderlich
said, investigators sent a truck filled with hay bales down the street
at the same speed while the FBI armorer and the Secret Service armorer
took shots at it. In 8.5 seconds, each put five shots in the kill
zone.
Oswald was trying to kill Texas Gov. John Connally. That may never be
known, Wunderlich said. He said Oswald is believed to have had a
grudge against Connally, who as secretary of the Navy wouldn’t change
his “hardship” discharge to an “honorable” one. The field of fire
would have allowed a good shot at Connally, who was wounded by a
bullet that clipped Kennedy’s shoulder first. And Kennedy may not have
even been in the sights when the second shot was fired — his head was
in his wife’s lap after the first shot hit; the second hit his head as
she pulled him up.
“Sam Donaldson is the biggest supporter of this theory,” Wunderlich
said. “I love to watch people’s eyes when I describe it. It’s another
thing that could be logical.”
Jack Ruby, who shot Oswald, was on the mob payroll. Actually,
Wunderlich said, Ruby was a big admirer of Jacqueline Kennedy and
closed himself in his club after the Kennedy assassination, drinking
heavily. He knew several police officers and had a permit to carry a
gun because he frequently carried bank deposits with him.
He was on his way with a deposit and had made up a slip to put $20 in
an employee’s account when he saw the crowd of media around the police
station. After finding out it was Oswald on his way to be arraigned,
Wunderlich said, Ruby worked his way close and shot Oswald — a gun in
one hand and a bank bag in the other.
“If you plan to kill someone, are you going to be prepared to also
make a deposit?” Wunderlich asked. “I think it was a spur-of-the-
moment thing.”
To this day, he said, America remains fascinated with the case,
conspiracy or no.
“Hardly a day goes by when I don’t see something related to Kennedy,”
Wunderlich said. “It’s a topic I don’t think will ever go away.”
--------------
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1011370.html
Tribute: James Gordon Jeffries protected presidents as Secret Service
agent
By RUTH BAUM BIGUS
Special to The Star
Associated Press file photo
Secret Service agent James Gordon Jeffries was the personal bodyguard
for first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. He held an umbrella for her while
it rained.More News
Rally for U.S. workers attracts nearly 1,000 in KCLeavenworth carousel
museum adds a sideshowWoman charged in 7-year-old son?s deathCritics
oppose term limits for KC school boardKansas Guard discharges first
gay soldierCalendar | Monday, Feb. 9Nuns in need of someone to fix up
bikes for the poorPeltier movement goes beyond one man?s caseThe
Watchdog | Filling Sprint Center?s seats not always easyTribute |
Every day was a good day for Herbert RempelPublic safety | KCK
shooting death investigated as a homicideOn the air | How to find a
job and build a resumeWinning lottery numbers | Sunday, Feb.
8Competition is stiff, but some of the bridges aren?t in student
engineering contestFamily wanted: Mishellay, 16Black Heritage
Organization to honor CleaverDump trucker trade show offers lesson in
how an economy crumblesAcross the yard ? or the world ? mortal
contests elicit aversionKC Parks and Recreation Department faces
budget cutsLottery numbers for Saturday, Feb. 7Who: James Gordon
“Jeff” Jeffries, 83, a Kansas City, Kan., native most recently of
Iowa.
When and how he died: Jan. 18, of pneumonia. He had suffered a stroke
more than 10 years ago.
An active beginning: Known as Jeff to some family members and Jimmie
by others, the boy born in Kansas City, Kan., in 1925 led an
adventurous life. He attended Argentine High School until he moved in
his sophomore year with his mother, Mildred Hamilton, to Washington.
Jeffries enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943 and served in World War
II. After leaving the service, Jeffries attended Benjamin Franklin
University, which later merged with George Washington University.
Jeffries went to work for the embezzlement division of the U.S.
Treasury Department and thus began a long career in the federal
government.
Presidential proximity: Jeffries then worked for the Secret Service,
serving presidents from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon. He traveled
extensively with them but did find time to marry Thelma Thompson in
1955. They had no children.
Jeffries seldom spoke about his Secret Service experiences.
“Jeff was the consummate Secret Service agent: He never shared much,”
said niece Beth Hanna of Iowa, who helped care for her uncle in his
final years.
“He was very secretive about what he did,” said nephew Dave Horseman
of Kansas City. “He did have Christmas cards on the wall from various
presidents (he served), and he hunted with (Dwight) Eisenhower.”
When John Kennedy was elected president, Jeffries was assigned to be
Jacqueline Kennedy’s personal bodyguard.
Hanna recently found a letter that the first lady had written to her
Uncle Jeff in April 1962, just after he was assigned to another
detail.
“The letter said, ‘I will miss you so much. … I will never meet anyone
who has been as loyal and faithful as you, patient and understanding
with me, so sweet and kind with my children. … The President is as
grateful as I am for all you did to make easy my adjustment to being
guarded all the time. I will always remember you. My deepest
appreciation and affection and all good wishes. Your friend,
Jacqueline Kennedy.’ ”
Other interests: In 1972, Jeffries retired from the Secret Service on
disability from an injury aggravated by the performance of his duties.
He sold real estate in Northern Virginia and pursued other interests.
He enjoyed spending time at the couple’s cabin at Lake Anna, Va., as
well as fishing and playing tennis.
“His ideal home would have been where he could have gone out the front
door and play tennis and out the back door to fish,” Horseman said.
In the mid-1990s, Jeffries and his wife moved back to the Kansas City
area. As the years passed, they developed health problems. Hanna moved
her aunt and uncle to Hiawatha Care Center near her home in west-
central Iowa so she could help care for them. Thelma died in 2005.
“I had a relationship that was very dear with my uncle,” Hanna said.
“My aunt and uncle were incredibly unassuming and humble about their
experiences.”
Survivors include: Four sisters, two brothers, several nieces and
nephews.
The last word: “Family and friends were very important to him,” Beth
Hanna of her uncle. “He never acted as though what he did was
special.”
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Updates: Death of FBI Agent Frank O'Neill; Secret Service Agent Dale Wunderlich writes
I wrote to Mr O'Neill, although he never responded (his partner James Sibert did write back to me in 1998 and, as of this writing [2/7/09], is still living at the age of 90). However, Mr. O'Neill does mention me in William Law's excellent book "In The Eye Of History."
Francis X. O'Neill; FBI agent witnessed JFK's autopsy
By J.M. Lawrence Globe Correspondent / February 6, 2009 |
Retired FBI agent Francis X. O'Neill Jr., who was one of the last surviving investigators who observed President John F. Kennedy's autopsy in 1963, has died.
Mr. O'Neill, who lived in Brewster, died of a stroke Tuesday in Cape Cod Hospital, according to his family. He was 85.
For decades, Mr. O'Neill battled conspiracy theorists about the JFK assassination. He later became a Connecticut state legislator and recently finished his autobiography, entitled "A Fox Among Wolves."
"The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable that Oswald alone shot and killed President Kennedy," Mr. O'Neill wrote, according to galleys of his book, which is scheduled for publication this year.
Mr. O'Neill and senior agent James W. Sibert were sent by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to meet the president's body at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and to begin the bureau's investigation.
"Frank was a hard-working fellow; he would tackle anything," said Sibert, who is 90 and lives in Fort Myers, Fla.
After the assassination in Dallas and the arrival of the body in Maryland, the agents joined the motorcade to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where they kept track of who entered the autopsy room.
Mr. O'Neill confiscated and exposed the film of a Navy service member who began taking pictures at the autopsy but did not have security clearance, according to author Gerald Posner, who interviewed Mr. O'Neill for his book "Case Closed."
Conspiracy theorists often point to the lost film to bolster their theories, Posner noted.
Mr. O'Neill appeared before several investigative panels over the years. He adamantly rejected theories claiming the president's body had been switched.
In an interview with Posner, he lamented a minor mistake in his FBI report, in which he wrongly used the word "surgery" and fueled speculation that somehow Kennedy's body had been altered between Dallas and Maryland. "We weren't doctors," he told Posner.
He retired from the FBI in 1978, after serving as assistant special agent in charge of the Connecticut office for four years.
He worked as chief of investigations for the Recording Industry Association of America's antipiracy division before going into state politics in 1980.
He lost his first bid for the Connecticut House of Representatives and was elected in 1982 in the 98th District. He held office until 1990 and was a staunch opponent of the state's income tax, which narrowly passed the House after he left office.
Born in Elmhurst in Queens, N.Y., he was the oldest of six. He fought in World War II as a paratrooper with the 503d Regimental Combat Team in the South Pacific and made jumps on Corregidor, an island in the Philippines.
After the war, he returned to New York and received a bachelor's degree in economics from Fordham University. He enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War and later joined the New York City Police Department. He became an FBI agent in 1955.
He and his wife Elizabeth were married for 57 years.
"Dad was the strongest advocate you would ever want on your side," said one of his sons, Frank III of Madison, Conn.
He said his father visited the Philippines to see the graves of his Word War II buddies.
In addition to his son and wife, Mr. O'Neill leaves six other sons, Brian of Medford, Andrew of Killingworth, Conn., Colin of Nanuet, N.Y., Owen of Guilford, Conn., Damian of Okinawa, Japan, and Regis of Middletown, Conn.; a daughter, Sheila Baker of Southington, Conn.; two brothers, Joseph of Vero Beach, Fla., and Vincent of Glen Rock, N.J.; a sister, Rita Black of Indian Land, S.C.; and 18 grand- children.
A funeral Mass will be said Monday in St. George Church in Guilford, Conn. Burial will be in Massachusetts National Veterans Cemetery in Bourne.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
---------------
> From: ADWunderlichInc [...]
> Subject: JFK Assassination
> To: vincebethel@yahoo.com
> Date: Friday, February 6, 2009, 12:42 AM
> Dear Vince;
>
> I was reading through some of your information on the
> Internet and in one
> location where you mention me doing a Intelligence advance
> in Fort Worth, you
> indicate that there is no record of me being on that trip.
> I can assure you
> that I prepared a report that would have been submitted to
> SAIC Robert I.
> Bouck when I returned from Texas. I traveled to Fort Worth
> from Washington where
> I jointed Bill Duncan and Ned Hall. The advance man for
> the Vice President
> was Jerry Kivett. I was the only person from Protective
> Research Division
> and I coordinated the electronic, technical and explosives
> sweeps with local
> military agencies at Carswell AFB, the Hotel Texas and for
> the speech in front
> of the Hotel Texas the morning of November 22, 1963. I
> also gathered the
> names of the people that worked at the Hotel Texas and had
> them run through
> Texas state criminal records and NCIC. In addition, it
> was my job to issue id
> pins for the employees at the hotel. Although Ned is no
> longer with us, Bill
> Duncan, Jerry Kivett and Mike Howard (Dallas FO) and
> myself have often
> discussed our advance in Fort Worth. I might comment that
> Bill Duncan (Lead PPD
> advance) and I remain very good friends and in fact worked
> together for several
> years after leaving the Secret Service. The local DNC
> advance man from Texas
> that we worked with was Bedford Winn. He was a lawyer
> from Dallas.
>
> On the day after the funeral, I drove from WDC to Dallas
> and transported a
> car load of technical equipment for screening mail that was
> being sent to
> Marina Oswald and the Dallas Field Office. I assisted
> with the investigation in
> various capacities and also served on Marina Oswalds'
> protective detail. I
> returned to WDC with Marina Oswald on Sunday February 2,
> 1964 and I believe
> she testified before the Warren Commission on the following
> day.
>
> If you still have any question about my presence on the
> advance team in Fort
> Worth, I still have my daily activity reports from that
> trip.
>
> Regards,
> Dale Wunderlich
Vince Palamara
Francis X. O'Neill; FBI agent witnessed JFK's autopsy
By J.M. Lawrence Globe Correspondent / February 6, 2009 |
Retired FBI agent Francis X. O'Neill Jr., who was one of the last surviving investigators who observed President John F. Kennedy's autopsy in 1963, has died.
Mr. O'Neill, who lived in Brewster, died of a stroke Tuesday in Cape Cod Hospital, according to his family. He was 85.
For decades, Mr. O'Neill battled conspiracy theorists about the JFK assassination. He later became a Connecticut state legislator and recently finished his autobiography, entitled "A Fox Among Wolves."
"The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable that Oswald alone shot and killed President Kennedy," Mr. O'Neill wrote, according to galleys of his book, which is scheduled for publication this year.
Mr. O'Neill and senior agent James W. Sibert were sent by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to meet the president's body at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and to begin the bureau's investigation.
"Frank was a hard-working fellow; he would tackle anything," said Sibert, who is 90 and lives in Fort Myers, Fla.
After the assassination in Dallas and the arrival of the body in Maryland, the agents joined the motorcade to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where they kept track of who entered the autopsy room.
Mr. O'Neill confiscated and exposed the film of a Navy service member who began taking pictures at the autopsy but did not have security clearance, according to author Gerald Posner, who interviewed Mr. O'Neill for his book "Case Closed."
Conspiracy theorists often point to the lost film to bolster their theories, Posner noted.
Mr. O'Neill appeared before several investigative panels over the years. He adamantly rejected theories claiming the president's body had been switched.
In an interview with Posner, he lamented a minor mistake in his FBI report, in which he wrongly used the word "surgery" and fueled speculation that somehow Kennedy's body had been altered between Dallas and Maryland. "We weren't doctors," he told Posner.
He retired from the FBI in 1978, after serving as assistant special agent in charge of the Connecticut office for four years.
He worked as chief of investigations for the Recording Industry Association of America's antipiracy division before going into state politics in 1980.
He lost his first bid for the Connecticut House of Representatives and was elected in 1982 in the 98th District. He held office until 1990 and was a staunch opponent of the state's income tax, which narrowly passed the House after he left office.
Born in Elmhurst in Queens, N.Y., he was the oldest of six. He fought in World War II as a paratrooper with the 503d Regimental Combat Team in the South Pacific and made jumps on Corregidor, an island in the Philippines.
After the war, he returned to New York and received a bachelor's degree in economics from Fordham University. He enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War and later joined the New York City Police Department. He became an FBI agent in 1955.
He and his wife Elizabeth were married for 57 years.
"Dad was the strongest advocate you would ever want on your side," said one of his sons, Frank III of Madison, Conn.
He said his father visited the Philippines to see the graves of his Word War II buddies.
In addition to his son and wife, Mr. O'Neill leaves six other sons, Brian of Medford, Andrew of Killingworth, Conn., Colin of Nanuet, N.Y., Owen of Guilford, Conn., Damian of Okinawa, Japan, and Regis of Middletown, Conn.; a daughter, Sheila Baker of Southington, Conn.; two brothers, Joseph of Vero Beach, Fla., and Vincent of Glen Rock, N.J.; a sister, Rita Black of Indian Land, S.C.; and 18 grand- children.
A funeral Mass will be said Monday in St. George Church in Guilford, Conn. Burial will be in Massachusetts National Veterans Cemetery in Bourne.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
---------------
> From: ADWunderlichInc [...]
> Subject: JFK Assassination
> To: vincebethel@yahoo.com
> Date: Friday, February 6, 2009, 12:42 AM
> Dear Vince;
>
> I was reading through some of your information on the
> Internet and in one
> location where you mention me doing a Intelligence advance
> in Fort Worth, you
> indicate that there is no record of me being on that trip.
> I can assure you
> that I prepared a report that would have been submitted to
> SAIC Robert I.
> Bouck when I returned from Texas. I traveled to Fort Worth
> from Washington where
> I jointed Bill Duncan and Ned Hall. The advance man for
> the Vice President
> was Jerry Kivett. I was the only person from Protective
> Research Division
> and I coordinated the electronic, technical and explosives
> sweeps with local
> military agencies at Carswell AFB, the Hotel Texas and for
> the speech in front
> of the Hotel Texas the morning of November 22, 1963. I
> also gathered the
> names of the people that worked at the Hotel Texas and had
> them run through
> Texas state criminal records and NCIC. In addition, it
> was my job to issue id
> pins for the employees at the hotel. Although Ned is no
> longer with us, Bill
> Duncan, Jerry Kivett and Mike Howard (Dallas FO) and
> myself have often
> discussed our advance in Fort Worth. I might comment that
> Bill Duncan (Lead PPD
> advance) and I remain very good friends and in fact worked
> together for several
> years after leaving the Secret Service. The local DNC
> advance man from Texas
> that we worked with was Bedford Winn. He was a lawyer
> from Dallas.
>
> On the day after the funeral, I drove from WDC to Dallas
> and transported a
> car load of technical equipment for screening mail that was
> being sent to
> Marina Oswald and the Dallas Field Office. I assisted
> with the investigation in
> various capacities and also served on Marina Oswalds'
> protective detail. I
> returned to WDC with Marina Oswald on Sunday February 2,
> 1964 and I believe
> she testified before the Warren Commission on the following
> day.
>
> If you still have any question about my presence on the
> advance team in Fort
> Worth, I still have my daily activity reports from that
> trip.
>
> Regards,
> Dale Wunderlich
Vince Palamara
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)