Oswald did it...and JFK helped, too?
As the leading civilian authority on the Secret Service, especially regarding the JFK/ LBJ era, and as someone who interviewed and/ or corresponded with close to 80 former agents between 1990-2006 (roughly double the number of former agents interviewed for this book), I was, needless to say, very much interested in what former agent and author Gerald Blaine (a nice gentleman I spoke to twice and corresponded with several times via e-mail), along with co-author Lisa McCubbin and fellow former agent Clint Hill (a very close friend of Blaine's to whom I had sent a 22-page letter to and spoke to very briefly and who also wrote the Foreword), had to say about President Kennedy and the tragic events of November 22, 1963, when the Secret Service failed in the worst way, costing the nation the life of our President. As a total stranger and an outsider, my contacts with the former agents were very much in the "cross examination" mode (often eliciting begrudging, not-too-friendly responses), while, as a trusted insider, it is fair to say that Blaine's contacts would be of the "direct/ friendly examination" variety. This dichotomy will become important for a number of reasons.
I am as certain as a human being can be that it was my lengthy letter to Clint Hill that led to the genesis of this book----I sent it in June of 2005 and received a very cantankerous "non-reply" when I phoned the gentleman this same time period. Also, during this very same time period, as Blaine admitted to the Daily Sentinel's Bob Silbernagel for his 5/23/10 article, Blaine began contacting as many living former agents who served President Kennedy for his book as he could (it is important to note that I also made contacts with Mr. Blaine during this time period, as well). Why am I so certain that my letter was a catalyst? As an ardent critic of the Secret Service's performance in Dallas (going much further than the two government "investigations", the Warren Commission and the HSCA), I sent Mr. Hill, in effect, a "Cliff Notes" version of my research for my own book ("Survivor's Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect The President"), spelling out why I came to be certain that fellow former agents Floyd Boring (the number two agent on the Kennedy Detail and the Secret Service planner of the Texas trip), Shift Leader Emory Roberts (the commander of the agents in the follow-up car in Dallas), and William Greer (the driver of JFK's limousine on 11/22/63) were grossly negligent before, during, and after JFK was assassinated. Judging by Mr. Hill's "response" (or lack thereof), my attempt to address my concerns did not go over very well, to put it mildly.
As it bears directly on "The Kennedy Detail" , just what specifically are my concerns? Simply put: many of these former agents (and several White House aides), including several who passed away years before this book was even a thought, such as the number one agent on the Kennedy Detail, Gerald Behn; one of the three Shift Leaders, Arthur Godfrey; the number two agent on LBJ's detail (who ALSO had protected JFK), Rufus Youngblood; Sam Kinney, the driver of the follow-up car in Dallas; Robert Bouck, the Special-Agent-In-Charge of the Protective Research Section; Frank Stoner of the Protective Research Section; Maurice Martineau, the Acting-Special- Agent- In- Charge of the Chicago Office who protected JFK from '61-'63 whenever he came to the area; John Norris of the Uniformed Division; Dave Powers, the former curator of the JFK Library who rode in the follow-up car many times, including on 11/22/63; author Helen O'Donnell, daughter of the late Ken O'Donnell, JFK's Chief of Staff (based on her memory and her father's many audio tapes); and many others, told me, in no uncertain terms, that President Kennedy was a very nice man, NEVER interfered with the actions of the Secret Service, and, most importantly, DID NOT ORDER THE AGENTS OFF HIS CAR (nor did O'Donnell, as verified by the aforementioned Helen O'Donnell, Art Godfrey, and Sam Kinney and, by extension, Dave Powers)! With regard to the Tampa, FL trip of 11/18/63, not only do many existing films and photos all along the long motorcade route depict agents on the rear of JFK's car, Congressman Sam Gibbons, who RODE IN THE CAR WITH JFK, told me that he heard no such order from JFK for the agents to be removed in the first place AND that the agents rode the rear bumper all the way. Surprisingly, the number two agent, Floyd Boring (who passed away 2/1/08 and to whom I spoke to twice and corresponded with once), told me the same thing: namely, that the "Get-The-Ivy-League-Charlatans-Off-The-Limo" tale (first told by the late author William Manchester, who had interviewed Gerald Blaine, Clint Hill, and Emory Roberts, but not Boring) is false---Boring never said that to him, never spoke to Manchester in any case, the tale is not true, and that, once again, JFK was a very nice man, very cooperative with the Secret Service, and never interfered with their actions at all! Agents of the Kennedy Detail who conveyed similar knowledge to myself---that JFK never interfered with their actions--- were Walt Coughlin, Winston Lawson (the lead advance agent for Dallas), Don Lawton (who rode on the rear of the car 11/18/63), Abe Bolden, Robert Lilley, Frank Yeager, Gerald O'Rourke, Sam Sulliman, Vince Mroz (now deceased), Larry Newman, and, quite surprisingly, Gerald Blaine himself, a little over a year before he began writing his book!
Although very well written, along with some nice photographs, as well, "The Kennedy Detail" is really a thinly veiled attempt to rewrite history (a la Gerald Posner and Vince Bugliosi, who believe 11/22/63 was the act of a single lone man) and absolve the agents of their collective survivor's guilt (and to counter the prolific writings of a certain reviewer). In the eyes of those from "The Kennedy Detail", the assassination was the act of TWO "lone men": Oswald, who pulled the trigger, and JFK, who set himself up as the target. Simply put: President Kennedy WAS indeed a very nice man, did not interfere with the actions of the Secret Service, did not order the agents off his limousine (in Tampa, in Dallas, or elsewhere), and did not have his staff convey any anti-security sentiments, either. The sheer force and power of what these men all told me, a complete stranger, in correspondence and on the phone, is all the more strong because, not only did they have a vested interest to protect themselves, the vast majority believe that Oswald acted alone and that all official "stories" are correct. Floyd Boring, as agency planner of the fateful trip, in spite of what he forcefully stated to me, did indeed convey the exaggerated---some would say false--notion that JFK had asked that the agents remove themselves from the car 4 short days before Dallas, taking it upon himself to tell several Dallas agents, depending on who you choose to believe, either as an "anecdote" of alleged presidential kindness and consideration in not wanting to have the agents "over exert" themselves (what Boring told the ARRB's Doug Horne in 1996) or a strict "presidential admonition" to stay off the car (as Clint Hill conveyed to the Warren Commission's Arlen Specter, under oath, in 1964). In addition, the motorcycle escort was reduced to (as the HSCA put it) a "uniquely insecure" smaller formation for Dallas, allegedly because, as Boring told the ARRB (and as Win Lawson, assigned to the Dallas trip by Boring [and who would have been merely following orders], told the Warren Commission under oath), JFK allegedly didn't like alot of noise from motorcycles, although he had no problem in countless prior motorcades, including that very same morning in Fort Worth and the day before in San Antonio and Houston. Emory Roberts ordered an agent back from JFK's limo at Love Field (as this reviewer discovered back in 1991 and had popularized for the first time back in 1995 and, again, in 2003 on The History Channel, long before this clip became something of an internet sensation), recalled an agent during the shooting and, as Sam Kinney told me, ordered the men on the follow-up car not to move! For his part, Bill Greer slowed the President's car down during the shooting, twice looked back at JFK, and disobeyed Roy Kellerman's order to get out line (and denied all of this to the Warren Commission). Coupled with several---many?---of the agent's stated anger about JFK's private life (as stated to author Seymour Hersh, among others), these actions, inactions, and feelings are cause for concern.
That said, the vast majority of these men (Blaine included) are honorable former government employees that were merely following orders on that fateful day in Dallas. In light of the work of this reviewer, future pensions, professional and personal reputations, and so forth, "The Kennedy Detail" makes perfect sense. After the reviewer's letter to Clint Hill, it truly WAS "a book that HAD to be written".
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
MAJOR BREAKING NEWS...AND IT IS BAD NEWS FOR THE KENNEDY DETAIL
(and I am loving it!)
HELEN O'DONNELL, THE DAUGHTER OF THE LATE KENNETH O'DONNELL, CONFIRMS VINCE PALAMARA'S RESEARCH!
Helen O'Donnell October 11 at 2:25pm
Dear Vince, Thank you for your friend request and your note; I am crashing on a deadline for an article I hope to get out in time for the 50th anniversary and will give you a more thoughtful answer later today or tomorrow.
Suffice to say that you are correct; JFK did not order anybody off the car, he never interfered with my Dad's direction on the Secret Service and this is much backed up by my Dad's tapes;
I think and know from the tapes Dallas always haunted him becuase of the might have beens - but they involved the motorcade route, he constantly questioned his own decision to take the motorcade in that direction; but he never blamed the Secret Serice. He believed to a man they did everything they were trained and he always maintained his defense of their actions and took all blame upon himself. He and Bobby would have done anything to change that outcome; and as we know they never got over it. Thank you for standing up for my Dad. KPOD would be very proud of you, as am I.
I will have more for you shortly, but back to writing; I wanted to just send you my very good wishes, my appreciation of behalf of my Dad and a good Irish hug! Ever, Helen
---------------
(My initial message to her)
Vince Palamara October 10 at 1:28pm
Dear Helen:
Hello! As I said in my friend request, I am a big admirer of your father and I love your book very much. I interviewed and/ or corresponded with many former JFK-era Secret Service agents and Kennedy White House aides (I've been on The History Channel, in over 55 other author's book, all over the net, etc.). In this regard, I have come to one major conclusion from my research: President Kennedy was a very nice man, never interfered with the actions of the Secret Service and, specifically, did NOT order the agents off his limousine. While JFK has often been unfairly blamed for ordering the agents off his car (4 days before Dallas and even IN Dallas), there has also been a movement afoot to try to pin the blame on your father, in his role as Chief of Staff. Going through your fine book, your dad's book, my correspondence with the late Dave Powers, your dad's Warren Commission testimony, and the statements/ testimony of many former agents, I have come to the firm conclusion that your dad did NOT order (or convey a desire from President Kennedy to order) the agents off the rear of the car. Conspiracy or no conspiracy (Oswald acting 100% alone), this had dire consequences for what happened on 11/22/63, as JFK did not have good protection on his side of the car. As I told Patrick, the 64 million dollar question I am asking of you is this: AM I WRONG on this matter? DID your father order the agents off the car (even if merely expressing the wishes of President Kennedy)? NOTHING whatsoever in the documentary record confirms this belief...but he was your father and you have a treasure trove of audio statements from him.
I have pictures of your father riding right behind JFK in Italy (7/2/63), in Berlin (June 1963), and in Tampa (11/18/63), among other stops---the agents rode on (or very near) the rear of the limousine and your dad is smiling (with Dave Powers), as is JFK, seemingly not "in the mix" on the issue whatsoever (for the record, Dave Powers wrote me in December 1993 and said that the agents NEVER had to be told to get off the limo).
ANOTHER reason why this issue is important---former agent Gerald Blaine, whom I interviewed twice and corresponded with a few times, is coming out with a major book (brought on by a 22-page letter I sent to his best friend Clint Hill, who is writing the Foreward, that angered the former agent very much) that is going totally AGAINST what he himself---and many of his colleagues---told me (often in writing and audio): namely, that President Kennedy did NOT interfere with the actions of the Secret Service...his book is going to state that JFK, quote, "banned the agents from his car" AND that your father may have played a role in "fate's hand", as it were (which, at this juncture, I totally do NOT believe).
PLEASE let me know your feelings and beliefs on this matter. If I am wrong, I am man enough to admit it, despite what many agents already conveyed to me for the record (including the Special Agent In Charge of Kennedy's White House Detail, Gerald Behn, who worked hand-in-glove with your father on all of JFK's trips: Behn told me "I don't remember Kennedy ever saying anything about not having agents on the back of his car" [!!], thus agreeing with many of his assistants and "buck privates", like Gerald Blaine, the author of the forthcoming book alleging otherwise).
Sincerely,
Vince Palamara :O)
Pittsburgh, PA
P.S. The reason Hill was angry with me was because, by inference, my research puts the onus BACK on the Secret Service for lax security in Dallas, NOT on JFK (or your father, for that matter). The power of what they had to say/ write to me is that much stronger because a) I was a total stranger and b) the vast majority of them believe Oswald acted alone.
HELEN O'DONNELL, THE DAUGHTER OF THE LATE KENNETH O'DONNELL, CONFIRMS VINCE PALAMARA'S RESEARCH!
Helen O'Donnell October 11 at 2:25pm
Dear Vince, Thank you for your friend request and your note; I am crashing on a deadline for an article I hope to get out in time for the 50th anniversary and will give you a more thoughtful answer later today or tomorrow.
Suffice to say that you are correct; JFK did not order anybody off the car, he never interfered with my Dad's direction on the Secret Service and this is much backed up by my Dad's tapes;
I think and know from the tapes Dallas always haunted him becuase of the might have beens - but they involved the motorcade route, he constantly questioned his own decision to take the motorcade in that direction; but he never blamed the Secret Serice. He believed to a man they did everything they were trained and he always maintained his defense of their actions and took all blame upon himself. He and Bobby would have done anything to change that outcome; and as we know they never got over it. Thank you for standing up for my Dad. KPOD would be very proud of you, as am I.
I will have more for you shortly, but back to writing; I wanted to just send you my very good wishes, my appreciation of behalf of my Dad and a good Irish hug! Ever, Helen
---------------
(My initial message to her)
Vince Palamara October 10 at 1:28pm
Dear Helen:
Hello! As I said in my friend request, I am a big admirer of your father and I love your book very much. I interviewed and/ or corresponded with many former JFK-era Secret Service agents and Kennedy White House aides (I've been on The History Channel, in over 55 other author's book, all over the net, etc.). In this regard, I have come to one major conclusion from my research: President Kennedy was a very nice man, never interfered with the actions of the Secret Service and, specifically, did NOT order the agents off his limousine. While JFK has often been unfairly blamed for ordering the agents off his car (4 days before Dallas and even IN Dallas), there has also been a movement afoot to try to pin the blame on your father, in his role as Chief of Staff. Going through your fine book, your dad's book, my correspondence with the late Dave Powers, your dad's Warren Commission testimony, and the statements/ testimony of many former agents, I have come to the firm conclusion that your dad did NOT order (or convey a desire from President Kennedy to order) the agents off the rear of the car. Conspiracy or no conspiracy (Oswald acting 100% alone), this had dire consequences for what happened on 11/22/63, as JFK did not have good protection on his side of the car. As I told Patrick, the 64 million dollar question I am asking of you is this: AM I WRONG on this matter? DID your father order the agents off the car (even if merely expressing the wishes of President Kennedy)? NOTHING whatsoever in the documentary record confirms this belief...but he was your father and you have a treasure trove of audio statements from him.
I have pictures of your father riding right behind JFK in Italy (7/2/63), in Berlin (June 1963), and in Tampa (11/18/63), among other stops---the agents rode on (or very near) the rear of the limousine and your dad is smiling (with Dave Powers), as is JFK, seemingly not "in the mix" on the issue whatsoever (for the record, Dave Powers wrote me in December 1993 and said that the agents NEVER had to be told to get off the limo).
ANOTHER reason why this issue is important---former agent Gerald Blaine, whom I interviewed twice and corresponded with a few times, is coming out with a major book (brought on by a 22-page letter I sent to his best friend Clint Hill, who is writing the Foreward, that angered the former agent very much) that is going totally AGAINST what he himself---and many of his colleagues---told me (often in writing and audio): namely, that President Kennedy did NOT interfere with the actions of the Secret Service...his book is going to state that JFK, quote, "banned the agents from his car" AND that your father may have played a role in "fate's hand", as it were (which, at this juncture, I totally do NOT believe).
PLEASE let me know your feelings and beliefs on this matter. If I am wrong, I am man enough to admit it, despite what many agents already conveyed to me for the record (including the Special Agent In Charge of Kennedy's White House Detail, Gerald Behn, who worked hand-in-glove with your father on all of JFK's trips: Behn told me "I don't remember Kennedy ever saying anything about not having agents on the back of his car" [!!], thus agreeing with many of his assistants and "buck privates", like Gerald Blaine, the author of the forthcoming book alleging otherwise).
Sincerely,
Vince Palamara :O)
Pittsburgh, PA
P.S. The reason Hill was angry with me was because, by inference, my research puts the onus BACK on the Secret Service for lax security in Dallas, NOT on JFK (or your father, for that matter). The power of what they had to say/ write to me is that much stronger because a) I was a total stranger and b) the vast majority of them believe Oswald acted alone.
Vince Palamara, JFK Secret Service expert
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 55 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://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Vince-Palamara
Encyclopedia > Vince PalamaraVince 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.
WritingPalamara'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.
MusicPalamara 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.palamarahttp://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. "
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 55 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://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Vince-Palamara
Encyclopedia > Vince PalamaraVince 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!"
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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.
WritingPalamara'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.
MusicPalamara 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.palamarahttp://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. "
JFK did NOT order the Kennedy detail off his limousine!
Special Agent In Charge (SAIC) of White House Detail (WHD) Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn:
"I don't remember Kennedy ever saying that he didn't want anybody on the back of his car."
Special Agent Clinton J Hill:
"I...never personally was requested by President John F. Kennedy not to ride on the rear of the Presidential automobile. I did receive information passed verbally from the administrative offices of the White House Detail of the Secret Service to Agents assigned to that Detail that President Kennedy had made such requests. I do not know from whom I received this information...No written instructions regarding this were ever distributed...(I) received this information after the Presidents return to Washington, D. C. This would have been between November 19,1963 and November 21, 1963 [note the time frame!]. I do not know specifically who advised me of this request by the President (emphasis added)."
Specter: "And Special Agent Boring informed you of that instruction by President Kennedy?
Hill: "Yes sir, he did."
Specter: "Did he make it a point to inform other special agents of that same instruction?"
Hill: "I believe that he did, sir."
Specter: "And, as a result of what President Kennedy said to him, did he instruct you to observe that Presidential admonition?"
Hill: "Yes, sir."
Specter: "How, if at all, did that instruction of President Kennedy affect your action and - your action in safeguarding him on this trip to Dallas?"
Hill: "We did not ride on the rear portions of the automobile.
On 6/2/05, the author mailed a lengthy, 22-page letter to former WHD agent Clinton J. Hill (Certified, Return Receipt Requested with a S.A.S.E. to boot) summarizing this entire chapter in great detail. On 6/13/05, after not receiving a reply, the author phoned Mr. Hill, who was quite apparently angry---he first pretended not to know about the lengthy letter he had to sign for (of which the author received his signed receipt): “About what?,” Hill exclaimed in response to the author’s inquiry. Then, forcefully, Hill added: “I’m just not interested in talking to you.”
Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAIC) Floyd M. Boring:
“No, no, no-that's not true...[JFK] was a very easy-going guy...he didn't interfere with our actions at all… He was very cooperative with the Secret Service "; MR BORING AFFIRMED THAT HE DID MAKE THESE STATEMENTS TO CLINT HILL, BUT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT RELAYING A POLICY CHANGE, BUT RATHER SIMPLY TELLING AN ANECDOTE ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S KINDNESS AND CONSIDERATION IN TAMPA IN NOT WANTING AGENTS TO HAVE TO RIDE ON THE REAR OF THE LINCOLN LIMOUSINE WHEN IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO DO SO BECAUSE OF A LACK OF CROWDS ALONG THE STREET (Emphasis added).”
Rufus W. Youngblood, ASAIC of LBJ Detail:
"There was not a standing order" from JFK to restrict agents from the back of the limousine - the agents had "assigned posts and positions" on the back of the President's car. On 2/8/94, Youngblood added: "President Kennedy wasn't a hard ass...he never said anything like that [re: removing agents from limo and the like]. As a historian, he [Manchester] flunked the course---don't read Manchester."
Robert I. Bouck, SAIC of PRS:
Bouck confirmed to the author that having agents on the back of the limousine depended on factors independent of any alleged Presidential "requests": “Many times there were agents on his car.” On 4/30/96, the ARRB’s Doug Horne questioned Bouck: “Did you ever hear the President personally say that he didn’t want agents to stand on the running boards on his car?” Bouck: “I never heard the President say that personally.”
Aide David F. Powers (rode in the follow-up car on 11/22/63):
"Unless they were ‘running’ along beside the limo, the Secret Service rode in a car behind the President, so, no, they never had to be told to "get off" the limousine"
Winston G. Lawson, WHD (lead) advance agent for the Dallas trip (rode in the lead car on 11/22/63):
“I do not know of any standing orders for the agents to stay off the back of the car. After all, foot holds and handholds were built into that particular vehicle. I am sure it would have been on a “case by case” basis depending on event, intelligence, threats, etc. Jerry Behn as Special Agent in Charge of the White House Detail…would have been privy to that type of info more than I [see above]. However, it never came to my attention as such. I am certain agents were on the back on certain occasions [emphasis added].”
Robert E. Lilley, WHD agent with JFK from election night until Oct. 1963: transferred to Boston Office:
"Oh, I'm sure he [JFK] didn't [order agents off his car, agreeing with Behn]. He was very cooperative with us once he became President. He was extremely cooperative. Basically, 'whatever you guys want is the way it will be'."
Abraham W. Bolden, Sr:
In reference to Kennedy's alleged "requests", Mr. Bolden told the author on numerous occasions in 1993-1996 that he "didn't hear anything about that...I never believed that Kennedy said that [ordering removal of agents]”. Bolden, an ardent critic of the agency’s lax protection since 1963, also wrote the author: “No-one could have killed our President without the shots of omission fired by the Secret Service. Observe the feet of [four] Secret Service agents glued to the running boards of the follow-up car as bullets [sic?] pierce the brain of our President!!!"
Arthur L. Godfrey, ATSAIC of WHD:
"That's a bunch of baloney; that's not true. He never ordered us to do anything. He was a very nice man...cooperative.”; “When I was working [with] President Kennedy he never ask [ed] me to have my shift leave the limo when we [were] working it"
Samuel A. Kinney, WHD:
"That is absolutely, positively false...no, no, no: he had nothing to do with that [ordering agents off the rear of the limousine]...No, never-the agents say, 'O.K., men, fall back on your posts'...President Kennedy was one of the easiest presidents to ever protect; Harry S. Truman was a jewel just like John F. Kennedy was...99% of the agents would agree...(JFK) was one of the best presidents ever to control-he trusted every one of us [Emphasis added]." In regard to the infamous quote from William Manchester, Kinney said, "That is false. I talked to William Manchester; he called me on the book...for the record of history that is false - Kennedy never ordered us to do anything. I am aware of what is being said but that is false". Finally, just to nail down this issue, the author asked Kinney if an exception was made on 11/22/63: "Not this particular time, no. Not in this case". Kinney also told the author that Ken O'Donnell did not interfere with the agents: "Nobody ordered anyone around.”
Donald J. Lawton, WHD:
"It's the way Sam said, yes" (Meaning, he agrees with Kinney, it happened the way Kinney said). Asked to explain how he dismounted the rear of the limousine in Tampa, Lawton said: " I didn't hear the President say it, no. The word was relayed to us---I forget who told us now---you know, 'come back to the follow-up car. '“; Asked about the tragedy in Dallas, Lawton said, "Everyone felt bad. It was our job to protect the President. You still have regrets, remorse. Who knows, if they had left guys on the back of the car...you can hindsight yourself to death (emphasis added).”
Secret Service Chief James J. Rowley:
Rowley told the Warren Commission: "No President will tell the Secret Service what they can or cannot do.” [5 H 470]
Former Chief Urbanus E. “U.E.” Baughman:
“I can’t understand why Mrs. Kennedy had to climb over the back of the car, as she did, to get help…[this matter] should be resolved.” [US News & World report, 12/23/63]
June Kellerman, the widow of Roy H. Kellerman, ASAIC WHD:
"Roy did not say that JFK was difficult to protect” (For his part, Kellerman did not mention JFK's alleged desires even once during his very lengthy, two-session interview with the Warren Commission, not to mention his reports and his later HSCA and private researcher contacts)
Press Secretary Pierre Salinger:
JFK had a good relationship with the Secret Service and, more importantly, did NOT argue with their security measures. This was based on the author's correspondence with noted journalist Roger Peterson from 2/99 (from Peterson's very recent conversations with Salinger)
Cecil Stoughton, WH photographer:
I did see a lot of the activity surrounding the various trips of the President, and in many cases I did see the agents in question riding on the rear of the President's car. In fact, I have ridden there a number of times myself during trips...I would jump on the step on the rear of the [Lincoln] Continental until the next stop. I have made photos while hanging on with one hand...in Tampa [11/18/63], for example. As for the [alleged] edict of not riding there by order of the President- I can't give you any proof of first hand knowledge." Stoughton went on to write: "I am bothered by your interest in these matters".
Lynn S. Meredith (WHD, “Kiddie Detail”/ Kennedy Children; served in the Secret Service from 1951 to 1983):
To elaborate a little more on the assassination in Dallas, I have always believed that the following adverse situations all contributed to the unnecessary and unfortunate death of President Kennedy: (1) No Secret Service agents riding on the rear of the limousine…[Emphasis added]”
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to President Lyndon B. Johnson:
"You see, there was no Secret Service man standing on the back of the car. Usually the presidential car in the past has had steps on the back, next to the bumpers, and there's usually been one [agent] on either side standing on these steps...[ellipsis in text]...Whether the President asked that that not be done, we don't know (emphasis added).”
Samuel E. Sulliman, WHD:
Sulliman told the author on 2/11/04 that agents were on the back of the limousine a lot; in fact, he remembered riding there on the trips to Ireland and Germany. When told of Art Godfrey’s comments on the matter (see above), the former agent agreed with his colleague. Regarding the notion that JFK ordered the agents off the car, Sulliman told the author twice: “I don’t think so.” Sulliman also said that JFK was “easy to get along with.” As for who exactly was responsible for the decision to remove the agents from the rear area of the limousine, Sulliman told the author: “I can’t tell you who made the decision.” The author took this to mean that he honestly did not know, rather than the notion that he was hiding the true answer.
James R. “Jim” Goodenough, V.P./ LBJ Detail:
“President Kennedy was a pleasant and cooperative person to work for [Emphasis added].”
Frank G. Stoner, PRS:
Stoner, who served in the Secret Service from January 1945 until 1969, said that Manchester was “probably trying to sell books” when he suggested that Kennedy ordered the agents off the back of the limousine. In fact, the 84-year-old former agent laughed at the mere suggestion. Stoner also agreed with several of his colleagues that JFK was “very personable”: “He was an old Navy man. He understood security. He wouldn’t have ordered them off the car.”
Gerald W. “Jerry” O’Rourke, WHD:
“Did President Kennedy order us (agents) off the steps of the limo? To my knowledge President Kennedy never ordered us to leave the limo. ” (Emphasis added) The agent added: “President Kennedy was easy to protect as he completely trusted the agents of the Secret Service. We always had to be entirely honest with him and up front so we did not lose his trust.”
Vincent P. Mroz, WHD:
the former agent said that President Kennedy was “friendly, congenial---he was really easy to get along with…just like Truman.” When asked, point blank, if JFK had ever ordered the agents off the car, Mroz said forcefully: “No, no---that’s not true.” When asked a second time, the former agent responded with equal conviction: “He did not order anybody off the car.”
J. Walter Coughlin, WHD:
“In almost all parade situations that I was involved w [ith] we rode or walked the limo [Emphasis added].” Coughlin later wrote: “We often rode on the back of the car .”
Gerald S. Blaine, WHD:
Blaine told the author on 2/7/04 that President Kennedy was “very cooperative. He didn’t interfere with our actions. President Kennedy was very likeable---he never had a harsh word for anyone. He never interfered with our actions [emphasis added].” When the author asked Blaine how often the agents rode on the back of JFK’s limousine, the former agent said it was a “fairly common” occurrence that depended on the crowd and the speed of the cars. In fact, just as one example, Blaine rode on the rear of JFK’s limousine in Germany in June 1963, along with fellow Texas trip veterans Paul A. Burns and Samuel E. Sulliman. Blaine added, in specific reference to the agents on the follow-up car in Dallas: “You have to remember, they were fairly young agents,” seeming to imply that their youth was a disadvantage, or perhaps this was seen as an excuse for their poor performance on 11/22/63. Surprisingly, Blaine, the WHD advance agent for the Tampa trip of 11/18/63, said that JFK did make the comment “I don’t need Ivy League charlatans back there,” but emphasized this was a “low-key remark” said “kiddingly” and demonstrating Kennedy’s “Irish sense of humor.” However, according to the “official” story, President Kennedy allegedly made these remarks only to Boring while traveling in the presidential limousine in Tampa: Blaine was nowhere near the vehicle at the time, so Boring had to be HIS source for this story! In addition to Emory Roberts, one now wonders if Blaine was a source (or perhaps the source) for Manchester’s exaggerated ‘quote’ attributed to Boring, as Agent Blaine was also interviewed by Manchester (see above). Blaine would not respond to a follow-up letter on this subject.
However, when the author phoned Blaine on 6/10/05, the former agent said the remark “Ivy League charlatans” came “from the guys…I can’t remember who [said it]…I can’t remember (emphasis added).” Thus, Blaine confirms that he did not hear the remark from JFK (When asked if agents rode on the rear of the limousine on the Italy trip in 1963, Blaine said forcefully: “Oh yeah, oh yeah.” It turns out he was one of the agents) Blaine also added that the lack of agents on the rear of the car “had no impact,” adding: “Well, maybe a hesitation.” That is all it took. The former agent also said: “Don’t be too hard on Emory Roberts. He was a double, even a triple checker. He probably took Jack Ready’s life into consideration.” If only he would have taken Jack Kennedy’s life with the same degree of concern.
Larry Newman, WHD:
“there was not a directive, per se” from President Kennedy to remove the agents from their positions on the back of his limousine. Newman also told the author that there was “no policy” regarding the use of agents on the rear of Kennedy’s car, further adding that the question was “hard to answer: it depends on the crowd, the threat assessment, and so forth. There was not a consistent rule of thumb [emphasis added].”
J. Frank Yeager, WHD:
I did not think that President Kennedy was particularly “difficult” to protect. In fact, I thought that his personality made it easier than some because he was easy to get along with…” With regard to the author’s question, “Did President Kennedy ever order the agents off the rear of his limousine,” Yeager responded: “I know of no “order” directly from President Kennedy. I think that after we got back from Tampa, Florida where I did the advance for the President, a few days before Dallas…[it was]requested that the Secret Service agents not ride the rear running board of the Presidential car during parades involving political events so that the president would not be screened by an agent. I don’t know what form or detail that this request was made to the Secret Service… I also do not know who actually made the final decision, but we did not have agents on the rear of the President’s car in Dallas [emphasis added].” Like Hill’s report mentioned above, please note the timing.
The deathblow to the Tampa tale
The author wrote to former Florida Congressman Samuel Melville Gibbons on 1/7/04 and asked him if he had heard President Kennedy order the agents off the rear of the limousine. Gibbons rode in the rear seat with JFK and Senator George Smathers on the Tampa trip of 11/18/63. Gibbons response in full, 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.”
Furthermore, an amazing document was released in the 1990’s concerning, among many other related topics, the issue of the agents’ presence (or lack thereof) on the limousine. This is a 28-page “Sensitive” memorandum from Belford Lawson, the attorney in charge of the Secret Service area for the HSCA, addressed to Gary Cornwell & Ken Klein dated 5/31/77 and revised 8/15/77. Apparently, Attorney Lawson was suspicious of Mr. Boring, for he wrote on the final page of this lengthy memorandum: “Subject: Florida Motorcades in November 1963…Was Floyd Boring, the Senior SS Agent on the White House detail, lying to SS Agent Hill when he told Hill that JFK had said in Tampa…that he wanted no agents riding upright on the rear bumper step of the JFK limousine? Did JFK actually say this? Did Boring know when he told this to Hill that Hill would be riding outboard on the JFK follow-up car in Dallas on November 22, 1963? Did Boring say this to Ready or Roberts? [Lawson’s emphasis]” On page 27 of the same memo, Lawson wrote: “Why did only one Agent, Hill, run forward to the JFK limousine?”
"I don't remember Kennedy ever saying that he didn't want anybody on the back of his car."
Special Agent Clinton J Hill:
"I...never personally was requested by President John F. Kennedy not to ride on the rear of the Presidential automobile. I did receive information passed verbally from the administrative offices of the White House Detail of the Secret Service to Agents assigned to that Detail that President Kennedy had made such requests. I do not know from whom I received this information...No written instructions regarding this were ever distributed...(I) received this information after the Presidents return to Washington, D. C. This would have been between November 19,1963 and November 21, 1963 [note the time frame!]. I do not know specifically who advised me of this request by the President (emphasis added)."
Specter: "And Special Agent Boring informed you of that instruction by President Kennedy?
Hill: "Yes sir, he did."
Specter: "Did he make it a point to inform other special agents of that same instruction?"
Hill: "I believe that he did, sir."
Specter: "And, as a result of what President Kennedy said to him, did he instruct you to observe that Presidential admonition?"
Hill: "Yes, sir."
Specter: "How, if at all, did that instruction of President Kennedy affect your action and - your action in safeguarding him on this trip to Dallas?"
Hill: "We did not ride on the rear portions of the automobile.
On 6/2/05, the author mailed a lengthy, 22-page letter to former WHD agent Clinton J. Hill (Certified, Return Receipt Requested with a S.A.S.E. to boot) summarizing this entire chapter in great detail. On 6/13/05, after not receiving a reply, the author phoned Mr. Hill, who was quite apparently angry---he first pretended not to know about the lengthy letter he had to sign for (of which the author received his signed receipt): “About what?,” Hill exclaimed in response to the author’s inquiry. Then, forcefully, Hill added: “I’m just not interested in talking to you.”
Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAIC) Floyd M. Boring:
“No, no, no-that's not true...[JFK] was a very easy-going guy...he didn't interfere with our actions at all… He was very cooperative with the Secret Service "; MR BORING AFFIRMED THAT HE DID MAKE THESE STATEMENTS TO CLINT HILL, BUT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT RELAYING A POLICY CHANGE, BUT RATHER SIMPLY TELLING AN ANECDOTE ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S KINDNESS AND CONSIDERATION IN TAMPA IN NOT WANTING AGENTS TO HAVE TO RIDE ON THE REAR OF THE LINCOLN LIMOUSINE WHEN IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO DO SO BECAUSE OF A LACK OF CROWDS ALONG THE STREET (Emphasis added).”
Rufus W. Youngblood, ASAIC of LBJ Detail:
"There was not a standing order" from JFK to restrict agents from the back of the limousine - the agents had "assigned posts and positions" on the back of the President's car. On 2/8/94, Youngblood added: "President Kennedy wasn't a hard ass...he never said anything like that [re: removing agents from limo and the like]. As a historian, he [Manchester] flunked the course---don't read Manchester."
Robert I. Bouck, SAIC of PRS:
Bouck confirmed to the author that having agents on the back of the limousine depended on factors independent of any alleged Presidential "requests": “Many times there were agents on his car.” On 4/30/96, the ARRB’s Doug Horne questioned Bouck: “Did you ever hear the President personally say that he didn’t want agents to stand on the running boards on his car?” Bouck: “I never heard the President say that personally.”
Aide David F. Powers (rode in the follow-up car on 11/22/63):
"Unless they were ‘running’ along beside the limo, the Secret Service rode in a car behind the President, so, no, they never had to be told to "get off" the limousine"
Winston G. Lawson, WHD (lead) advance agent for the Dallas trip (rode in the lead car on 11/22/63):
“I do not know of any standing orders for the agents to stay off the back of the car. After all, foot holds and handholds were built into that particular vehicle. I am sure it would have been on a “case by case” basis depending on event, intelligence, threats, etc. Jerry Behn as Special Agent in Charge of the White House Detail…would have been privy to that type of info more than I [see above]. However, it never came to my attention as such. I am certain agents were on the back on certain occasions [emphasis added].”
Robert E. Lilley, WHD agent with JFK from election night until Oct. 1963: transferred to Boston Office:
"Oh, I'm sure he [JFK] didn't [order agents off his car, agreeing with Behn]. He was very cooperative with us once he became President. He was extremely cooperative. Basically, 'whatever you guys want is the way it will be'."
Abraham W. Bolden, Sr:
In reference to Kennedy's alleged "requests", Mr. Bolden told the author on numerous occasions in 1993-1996 that he "didn't hear anything about that...I never believed that Kennedy said that [ordering removal of agents]”. Bolden, an ardent critic of the agency’s lax protection since 1963, also wrote the author: “No-one could have killed our President without the shots of omission fired by the Secret Service. Observe the feet of [four] Secret Service agents glued to the running boards of the follow-up car as bullets [sic?] pierce the brain of our President!!!"
Arthur L. Godfrey, ATSAIC of WHD:
"That's a bunch of baloney; that's not true. He never ordered us to do anything. He was a very nice man...cooperative.”; “When I was working [with] President Kennedy he never ask [ed] me to have my shift leave the limo when we [were] working it"
Samuel A. Kinney, WHD:
"That is absolutely, positively false...no, no, no: he had nothing to do with that [ordering agents off the rear of the limousine]...No, never-the agents say, 'O.K., men, fall back on your posts'...President Kennedy was one of the easiest presidents to ever protect; Harry S. Truman was a jewel just like John F. Kennedy was...99% of the agents would agree...(JFK) was one of the best presidents ever to control-he trusted every one of us [Emphasis added]." In regard to the infamous quote from William Manchester, Kinney said, "That is false. I talked to William Manchester; he called me on the book...for the record of history that is false - Kennedy never ordered us to do anything. I am aware of what is being said but that is false". Finally, just to nail down this issue, the author asked Kinney if an exception was made on 11/22/63: "Not this particular time, no. Not in this case". Kinney also told the author that Ken O'Donnell did not interfere with the agents: "Nobody ordered anyone around.”
Donald J. Lawton, WHD:
"It's the way Sam said, yes" (Meaning, he agrees with Kinney, it happened the way Kinney said). Asked to explain how he dismounted the rear of the limousine in Tampa, Lawton said: " I didn't hear the President say it, no. The word was relayed to us---I forget who told us now---you know, 'come back to the follow-up car. '“; Asked about the tragedy in Dallas, Lawton said, "Everyone felt bad. It was our job to protect the President. You still have regrets, remorse. Who knows, if they had left guys on the back of the car...you can hindsight yourself to death (emphasis added).”
Secret Service Chief James J. Rowley:
Rowley told the Warren Commission: "No President will tell the Secret Service what they can or cannot do.” [5 H 470]
Former Chief Urbanus E. “U.E.” Baughman:
“I can’t understand why Mrs. Kennedy had to climb over the back of the car, as she did, to get help…[this matter] should be resolved.” [US News & World report, 12/23/63]
June Kellerman, the widow of Roy H. Kellerman, ASAIC WHD:
"Roy did not say that JFK was difficult to protect” (For his part, Kellerman did not mention JFK's alleged desires even once during his very lengthy, two-session interview with the Warren Commission, not to mention his reports and his later HSCA and private researcher contacts)
Press Secretary Pierre Salinger:
JFK had a good relationship with the Secret Service and, more importantly, did NOT argue with their security measures. This was based on the author's correspondence with noted journalist Roger Peterson from 2/99 (from Peterson's very recent conversations with Salinger)
Cecil Stoughton, WH photographer:
I did see a lot of the activity surrounding the various trips of the President, and in many cases I did see the agents in question riding on the rear of the President's car. In fact, I have ridden there a number of times myself during trips...I would jump on the step on the rear of the [Lincoln] Continental until the next stop. I have made photos while hanging on with one hand...in Tampa [11/18/63], for example. As for the [alleged] edict of not riding there by order of the President- I can't give you any proof of first hand knowledge." Stoughton went on to write: "I am bothered by your interest in these matters".
Lynn S. Meredith (WHD, “Kiddie Detail”/ Kennedy Children; served in the Secret Service from 1951 to 1983):
To elaborate a little more on the assassination in Dallas, I have always believed that the following adverse situations all contributed to the unnecessary and unfortunate death of President Kennedy: (1) No Secret Service agents riding on the rear of the limousine…[Emphasis added]”
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to President Lyndon B. Johnson:
"You see, there was no Secret Service man standing on the back of the car. Usually the presidential car in the past has had steps on the back, next to the bumpers, and there's usually been one [agent] on either side standing on these steps...[ellipsis in text]...Whether the President asked that that not be done, we don't know (emphasis added).”
Samuel E. Sulliman, WHD:
Sulliman told the author on 2/11/04 that agents were on the back of the limousine a lot; in fact, he remembered riding there on the trips to Ireland and Germany. When told of Art Godfrey’s comments on the matter (see above), the former agent agreed with his colleague. Regarding the notion that JFK ordered the agents off the car, Sulliman told the author twice: “I don’t think so.” Sulliman also said that JFK was “easy to get along with.” As for who exactly was responsible for the decision to remove the agents from the rear area of the limousine, Sulliman told the author: “I can’t tell you who made the decision.” The author took this to mean that he honestly did not know, rather than the notion that he was hiding the true answer.
James R. “Jim” Goodenough, V.P./ LBJ Detail:
“President Kennedy was a pleasant and cooperative person to work for [Emphasis added].”
Frank G. Stoner, PRS:
Stoner, who served in the Secret Service from January 1945 until 1969, said that Manchester was “probably trying to sell books” when he suggested that Kennedy ordered the agents off the back of the limousine. In fact, the 84-year-old former agent laughed at the mere suggestion. Stoner also agreed with several of his colleagues that JFK was “very personable”: “He was an old Navy man. He understood security. He wouldn’t have ordered them off the car.”
Gerald W. “Jerry” O’Rourke, WHD:
“Did President Kennedy order us (agents) off the steps of the limo? To my knowledge President Kennedy never ordered us to leave the limo. ” (Emphasis added) The agent added: “President Kennedy was easy to protect as he completely trusted the agents of the Secret Service. We always had to be entirely honest with him and up front so we did not lose his trust.”
Vincent P. Mroz, WHD:
the former agent said that President Kennedy was “friendly, congenial---he was really easy to get along with…just like Truman.” When asked, point blank, if JFK had ever ordered the agents off the car, Mroz said forcefully: “No, no---that’s not true.” When asked a second time, the former agent responded with equal conviction: “He did not order anybody off the car.”
J. Walter Coughlin, WHD:
“In almost all parade situations that I was involved w [ith] we rode or walked the limo [Emphasis added].” Coughlin later wrote: “We often rode on the back of the car .”
Gerald S. Blaine, WHD:
Blaine told the author on 2/7/04 that President Kennedy was “very cooperative. He didn’t interfere with our actions. President Kennedy was very likeable---he never had a harsh word for anyone. He never interfered with our actions [emphasis added].” When the author asked Blaine how often the agents rode on the back of JFK’s limousine, the former agent said it was a “fairly common” occurrence that depended on the crowd and the speed of the cars. In fact, just as one example, Blaine rode on the rear of JFK’s limousine in Germany in June 1963, along with fellow Texas trip veterans Paul A. Burns and Samuel E. Sulliman. Blaine added, in specific reference to the agents on the follow-up car in Dallas: “You have to remember, they were fairly young agents,” seeming to imply that their youth was a disadvantage, or perhaps this was seen as an excuse for their poor performance on 11/22/63. Surprisingly, Blaine, the WHD advance agent for the Tampa trip of 11/18/63, said that JFK did make the comment “I don’t need Ivy League charlatans back there,” but emphasized this was a “low-key remark” said “kiddingly” and demonstrating Kennedy’s “Irish sense of humor.” However, according to the “official” story, President Kennedy allegedly made these remarks only to Boring while traveling in the presidential limousine in Tampa: Blaine was nowhere near the vehicle at the time, so Boring had to be HIS source for this story! In addition to Emory Roberts, one now wonders if Blaine was a source (or perhaps the source) for Manchester’s exaggerated ‘quote’ attributed to Boring, as Agent Blaine was also interviewed by Manchester (see above). Blaine would not respond to a follow-up letter on this subject.
However, when the author phoned Blaine on 6/10/05, the former agent said the remark “Ivy League charlatans” came “from the guys…I can’t remember who [said it]…I can’t remember (emphasis added).” Thus, Blaine confirms that he did not hear the remark from JFK (When asked if agents rode on the rear of the limousine on the Italy trip in 1963, Blaine said forcefully: “Oh yeah, oh yeah.” It turns out he was one of the agents) Blaine also added that the lack of agents on the rear of the car “had no impact,” adding: “Well, maybe a hesitation.” That is all it took. The former agent also said: “Don’t be too hard on Emory Roberts. He was a double, even a triple checker. He probably took Jack Ready’s life into consideration.” If only he would have taken Jack Kennedy’s life with the same degree of concern.
Larry Newman, WHD:
“there was not a directive, per se” from President Kennedy to remove the agents from their positions on the back of his limousine. Newman also told the author that there was “no policy” regarding the use of agents on the rear of Kennedy’s car, further adding that the question was “hard to answer: it depends on the crowd, the threat assessment, and so forth. There was not a consistent rule of thumb [emphasis added].”
J. Frank Yeager, WHD:
I did not think that President Kennedy was particularly “difficult” to protect. In fact, I thought that his personality made it easier than some because he was easy to get along with…” With regard to the author’s question, “Did President Kennedy ever order the agents off the rear of his limousine,” Yeager responded: “I know of no “order” directly from President Kennedy. I think that after we got back from Tampa, Florida where I did the advance for the President, a few days before Dallas…[it was]requested that the Secret Service agents not ride the rear running board of the Presidential car during parades involving political events so that the president would not be screened by an agent. I don’t know what form or detail that this request was made to the Secret Service… I also do not know who actually made the final decision, but we did not have agents on the rear of the President’s car in Dallas [emphasis added].” Like Hill’s report mentioned above, please note the timing.
The deathblow to the Tampa tale
The author wrote to former Florida Congressman Samuel Melville Gibbons on 1/7/04 and asked him if he had heard President Kennedy order the agents off the rear of the limousine. Gibbons rode in the rear seat with JFK and Senator George Smathers on the Tampa trip of 11/18/63. Gibbons response in full, 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.”
Furthermore, an amazing document was released in the 1990’s concerning, among many other related topics, the issue of the agents’ presence (or lack thereof) on the limousine. This is a 28-page “Sensitive” memorandum from Belford Lawson, the attorney in charge of the Secret Service area for the HSCA, addressed to Gary Cornwell & Ken Klein dated 5/31/77 and revised 8/15/77. Apparently, Attorney Lawson was suspicious of Mr. Boring, for he wrote on the final page of this lengthy memorandum: “Subject: Florida Motorcades in November 1963…Was Floyd Boring, the Senior SS Agent on the White House detail, lying to SS Agent Hill when he told Hill that JFK had said in Tampa…that he wanted no agents riding upright on the rear bumper step of the JFK limousine? Did JFK actually say this? Did Boring know when he told this to Hill that Hill would be riding outboard on the JFK follow-up car in Dallas on November 22, 1963? Did Boring say this to Ready or Roberts? [Lawson’s emphasis]” On page 27 of the same memo, Lawson wrote: “Why did only one Agent, Hill, run forward to the JFK limousine?”
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