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Since 1963 there has been no end to allegations that J.D. Tippit was a part of a conspiracy to kill the President or to murder his alleged assassin. But those who knew the 39-year-old family man best know the allegations are pure fantasy. "The conspiracy stuff is so untrue, so totally unfounded," J.D.'s widow, Marie, said. "That was really difficult for me. Everyone that knew J.D. knew better. That part really made me angry. But we in the family know it's all total lies." [1] "People want sensationalism," J.D.'s youngest son, Curtis, remarked. "Mom's been abused by conspiracy theories and tabloid publications, and as a result wouldn't talk to anybody about it for years. Too many people want to cling to a false history, believing my father was in on something with Jack Ruby, and went to meet him, and all this stuff. Really, it's all kind of silly and funny. If anybody knew the facts, they'd see how false these theories are. But a whole lot of people thrive on it." [2] "J.D. being involved in a conspiracy is laughable to say the least," sister Joyce Debord declared. "It is laughable because that wasn't J.D. in any way, form or fashion." Her husband, brother-in-law Alvie DeBord agrees, "Anybody that knew J.D. knew that he couldn't be involved. His personality just wasn't that way." [3] "It's pathetic to think that anybody could think that a working man like J.D. would be involved in any kind of conspiracy," life long friend and brother-in-law Jack Christopher said firmly. "I knew him his whole life and I know that he was not. So anybody that claims that he was involved in a conspiracy is just guessing, making it up, or writing a book about something that couldn't possibly be proved whatsoever." [4] "I could not fathom J.D. being involved in a conspiracy of any sort," former Dallas police officer Murray Jackson said. "He was a good ol' family man. Did his job. Went to his extra job that he had at Austin's Barbecue for a few years. He and Marie didn't have any money to go anywhere or do anything. They stayed at home. I can not imagine that he would be involved in anything like that, no more than I would. People have even said that I was part of the conspiracy. But, I wasn't. And neither was he." [5] |
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INSIDE THE JFK ASSASSINATION INVESTIGATION by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Robert P. Gemberling © 2004 Robert P. Gemberling / Edited by Dale K. Myers
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A tragic event in our country's history occurred at Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. This event had a major influence on the last forty-one years of my life, and the last thirteen years of my FBI career.
It seems appropriate for me to record some of my thoughts, observations and experiences resulting from my analysis, study and evaluation of the true facts developed during one of the FBI's most closely scrutinized investigations. It was my privilege to work with some of the best trained, extremely dedicated, thorough and meticulous investigators in the law enforcement profession, whose integrity was, and still is, highly respected. Through the teamwork of these investigators and outstanding Support Personnel, I was provided a mass of information by my fellow agents in Dallas and throughout the country, which I coordinated into FBI reports. These reports, as well as those from other government agencies, were utilized by the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy (which became known as the Warren Commission), in their investigation and subsequent report released on September 24, 1964.
Page 22 of the Warren Report contains a significant paragraph: "Because of the difficulty of proving negatives to a certainty the possibility of others being involved with either [Lee Harvey] Oswald or [Jack Leon] Ruby cannot be established categorically, but if there is any such evidence it has been beyond the reach of all the investigative agencies and resources of the United States and has not come to the attention of this Commission."
After forty-one years there has still been no credible evidence to indicate others were involved with either Oswald or Ruby. It is estimated more than 2,000 books have been written about the JFK assassination. The vast majority of them have alleged a conspiracy and/or cover-up was involved. As a result, polls continually indicate that the majority of the American people do not believe Oswald was the lone assassin. It has concerned me that the many books, magazine and news articles, movies and television programming espousing various conspiracy theories have far outnumbered those presenting factual information. Many times these conspiracy theories are reported as if they are supported by facts, with very little research done.
People born after November 22, 1963, and those very young at the time, have been saturated with false and misleading information. Many adults at the time have also accepted various theories not supported by the true facts. A prime example of such contamination of our young people was the Oliver Stone movie JFK in late 1991. This movie grossed 1.4 million dollars the first day and nearly 71 million dollars the first year.
The late David Belin, former counsel for the Warren Commission, addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on March 26, 1992, and commented: "If you want to understand the tools of the trade used by Warner Brothers, Oliver Stone and Kevin Costner in perpetrating their massive fraud, remember the letters M-O-L-D, which form the acronym 'MOLD'. It stands for misrepresentations, omissions, lies and dollars."
A well known journalist in the Dallas area, Hugh Aynesworth, reportedly remarked, "The only thing Oliver Stone got right was the date and victim."
Conspiracy theorists have alleged that anti-Castro Cubans, pro-Castro Cubans, the CIA, communists, the Dallas Police Department, the FBI; members of the military-industrial complex, the Mafia, right-wing forces in Dallas, the White House and even President Lyndon Johnson were involved. One thing should be obvious. All of these groups could not have been responsible for the assassination of JFK. As a wounded Marine Corps veteran from the battle of Iwo Jima, who witnessed the distress, agony and worry of parents, I cannot help but think of the parents of young men who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. They must feel bitter, agonizing anger when they hear such unfounded allegations that President Johnson, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the country their sons were serving, was responsible for the assassination of his predecessor.
Assassination in America
There have been four United States presidents assassinated in the history of our country. Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Lincoln died the next day. Booth was shot while being apprehended and died before trial. Extensive inquiry was conducted by a Congressional Committee into Lincoln's assassination, but no action was taken to provide better protection for the President.
James A. Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at a railroad station in Washington. D.C., on July 2, 1881. Garfield died of his wounds two and a half months later. Guiteau was found guilty of murder and sentenced to be hanged. His sentence was carried out on July 30, 1882.
William McKinley was shot by Leon F. Czolgosz in Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901. McKinley died eight days later on September 14, 1901. Czolgosz was captured immediately, tried, convicted and condemned to death in the electric chair. He was executed 45 days after McKinley's death.
John F. Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald at Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was captured in a theater by the Dallas police officers within 80 minutes of the assassination, and just 35 minutes after he had shot and killed Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit. Oswald himself was shot and killed at 11:21 a.m., Sunday, November 24, 1963, by night club operator Jack Ruby as he was being transferred from the Dallas City Jail to the Dallas County Jail.
We hear very little about the assassins of Garfield and McKinley who were both tried, convicted and their sentences carried out. John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald on the other hand were both killed before trial, and consequently we hear frequent mention of them. This indicates to me that trial, conviction and imposition of sentence places a definitive finality on such cases.
Presidential Protection and Federal Law
In 1902, after the assassination of President McKinley, the United States Secret Service, a division of the U.S. Treasury Department, assumed full time responsibility for the protection of the President. It was about time. Three Presidents had been assassinated in a period of just 36 years.
But it was 1917 before Congress enacted a law making it a Federal crime to threaten the President of the United States. Apparently this Congress did not consider the possibility that someone might go beyond a threat and actually kill him. In fact, it was still not a violation of Federal law to kill the President on November 22, 1963.
The nonexistence of a Federal law prohibiting the killing of the President of the United States on November 22, 1963, resulted in Lee Harvey Oswald remaining in the custody of the Dallas Police Department on a Texas charge of murder. Oswald was never in custody of the Federal government because no Federal agency had jurisdiction. He had not violated any Federal law. Had Oswald only threatened to kill JFK, he would have been in violation of a Federal law and U.S. Secret Service would have had jurisdiction.
It was August, 1965, when our Congress finally passed legislation making the killing of the President a Federal violation. Jurisdiction for the enforcement of this 1965 law was given to the FBI. By then, our country was 189 years old and 4 Presidents had been assassinated.
There is little doubt in my mind that had the 1965 Federal assassination law existed on November 22, 1963, Oswald would have been in the custody of the Federal government as early as Saturday, November 23, 1963, and would not have been murdered by Jack Ruby on Sunday, November 24, 1963.
The overwhelming evidence against Oswald would, undoubtedly, have resulted in his conviction at trial. Perhaps much of the conspiracy hysteria fed to the American public for the past forty-one years would have been substantially reduced. Although not likely, it is even possible Oswald would have confessed.
Investigating the Assassination
Life and experience have shown me we must play the cards we are dealt. In the absence of Federal jurisdiction, it was necessary for President Johnson to issue an Executive Order, immediately after the JFK assassination, ordering the FBI to coordinate the investigation and take custody of the evidence from the Dallas Police Department.
In my estimation, very little credit has been given to the Dallas Police Department for locating and apprehending Oswald so rapidly. Forty-five minutes after the assassination of the president, Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit, while patrolling Oak Cliff, encountered Oswald walking down the sidewalk. Tippit got out of his squad car and confronted Oswald who pulled a revolver and shot Tippit four times. Oswald fled six blocks to the Texas Theater where fellow officers converged. Oswald attempted to shoot yet another officer, but was subdued when the officer grabbed Oswald's revolver and prevented it from firing.
Taken to police headquarters, Oswald was placed in the middle cell of a three cell block in the Dallas City Jail where he did not have access to other prisoners. He was kept under constant observation. Cells on each side were left vacant. Dallas Chief of Police Jesse Curry made the decision to permit Oswald to be observed by the multitude of media representatives converging on Dallas on the evening of November 22, 1963, to preclude claims he was being mistreated by the Dallas Police Department. Chief Curry even announced late Saturday, November 23, 1963, that Oswald would not be transferred to the Dallas County Jail before 10:00 a.m., Sunday, November 24, 1963.
Oswald's transfer to the Dallas County Jail was delayed Sunday morning when the late Postal Inspector Harry Holmes unexpectedly contacted Captain Will Fritz of the Dallas Police Department Homicide Bureau. Fritz offered Holmes an opportunity to question Oswald about his use of postal boxes before he was transferred. Holmes accepted, thus delaying the planned transfer. Had this not occurred, Oswald would have been transferred to the County Jail before Jack Ruby left his apartment that morning.
In fact, Jack Ruby, who had retired in the early morning hours, was watching television that Sunday morning. He received a telephone call at 10:19 a.m. from one of his entertainers, Karen Carlin, at Fort Worth, Texas. She asked Ruby for 25-dollars. Ruby told her he would send the money from the Western Union office downtown. Ruby then took time to bathe and dress, and left his apartment a few minutes before 11:00 a.m. He wired the $25 at 11:17 a.m. from the Western Union office. Attracted by the crowd surrounding the City jail a block away, Ruby then walked unchallenged into the basement of the Dallas Police Headquarters, where he shot Oswald at 11:21 a.m.
Obviously, without the delay in Oswald's transfer, the opportunity for Ruby to shoot Oswald would never have presented itself.
Conspiracy Hysteria Takes Root
Conspiracy hysteria took root early in the investigation. It was alleged almost immediately after Ruby shot Oswald that the two men knew each other, and that Oswald had been seen in Ruby's Carousel Club. Such allegations were thoroughly investigated and disproved. The allegation that Oswald was an FBI informant was also highly publicized shortly after the assassination. Sworn affidavits that Oswald was not an informant, nor had ever been, were given by me and several other Special Agents of the FBI in early 1964. I know Oswald was never an FBI informant, but still the rumor persists even today.
Newspaper and television reporters; magazine and book writers; and politicians all must accept blame for such hysteria. In 1966, the late Texas Governor, John Connally, said a probe should be made of "journalistic scavengers" and "self-appointed experts", who challenge the motives and findings of the Warren Report. He stated: "I suspect that a searching investigation into their credentials will divulge that their views have been given prominence out of proportion to their value."
Unfortunately, the conspiracy hysteria has not been limited to the press. In 1975 the Senate Select Committee (SSC), also known as the Church Committee, examined the relationship of high officials of the various intelligence agencies of out government with the Warren Commission. The Chairman of this SSC was the late Senator Frank Church, a Democrat from Idaho. By its own admission, this SSC did not reexamine the investigation of the assassination or the evidence itself. It was extremely critical of the CIA and the FBI. A member of this SSC was Senator Richard Schweiker, a Republican from Pennsylvania. Senator Schweiker said the Warren Report would collapse like a house of cards. He alleged everything from a Fidel Castro plot to a White House cover-up, but he produced no evidence to support such statements. The report of the SSC said the FBI's investigation was narrow and focused on Lee Harvey Oswald without conducting a broad investigation, which would have revealed conspiracy.
Really? As of April 19, 1965, there were 18 reports, containing 6,378 pages, submitted from the FBI at Dallas, all directly dealing with Oswald and his connection with the assassination. As of August 31, 1965, there were 13 reports, containing 3,070 pages, submitted from the FBI at Dallas that dealt with allegations others were involved, and had nothing to do with Oswald. Such reports contained the results of investigation by Special Agents of the FBI throughout the country.
The intelligence community of the United States was severely damaged in 1975. The following year was a Presidential election year. In 1976 Senator Frank Church sought the Democratic nomination for President, and Senator Richard Schweiker sought the Republican nomination for Vice President. They both had furthered their political ambitions by the exposure they received as Chairman and member, respectively, of the Senate Select Committee.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations Finds a 'Conspiracy'
In 1976 the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA), after considerable financial difficulties, undertook an investigation of the assassinations of JFK and Dr. Martin Luther King. The first Chairman of the HSCA was Congressman Henry Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Antonio, Texas. On November 23, 1976, Congressman Gonzalez was quoted in the now defunct Dallas Times Herald newspaper, telling a television panel: "The Warren Report is by its nature incomplete...The Warren Commission was limited. It was a Presidential commission. It had no power to subpoena."
This is nonsense. The Warren Report (page 473) contains a verbatim copy of the Joint Resolution of the 88th Congress, passed on December 13, 1963, which created the Warren Commission, specifically giving it subpoena power.
Congressman Louis Stokes, a Democrat from Ohio, succeeded Gonzalez as Chairman of the HSCA. I testified before this HSCA in Executive session on November 9, 1977, for most of the day. In 1979, after two plus years and expenditure of more than 5 1/2 million dollars of taxpayer money, this HSCA concluded the JFK assassination "probably involved conspiracy". This conclusion was based, to a large extent, on alleged expert testimony of acoustical experts. From their analysis of Dallas Police Department radio transmission tapes, it was alleged a motorcycle radio, in the Presidential motorcycle in Dealey Plaza, had its radio microphone stuck open. The sounds picked up during a five minute period, during which the assassination shots were fired; allegedly proved more than three shots were fired at the President, with one shot from the grassy knoll area, proving the existence of a second gunman.
Thereafter, the FBI Technical Services Division and the National Academy of Sciences conducted independent examinations of these same Dallas Police Department radio transmission tapes. Their examinations concluded: (1) The tapes did not prove a gun was fired from the grassy knoll; (2) Did not prove the sounds were gunshots; and (3) Did not prove the sounds originated in Dealey Plaza.
James C. Bowles, the Sheriff of Dallas County in 1979, was a former Dallas police motorcycle officer and the Sergeant Supervisor in the Communications Division of the Dallas Police Department on November 22, 1963. Following the HSCA's conclusion that the JFK assassination "probably involved conspiracy", Sheriff Bowles prepared a 130-page journal entitled, The Kennedy Assassination Tapes - A Rebuttal to the Acoustical Evidence. This journal convincingly established that the motorcycle with the open microphone was traveling at a speed of approximately 30 to 35 miles per hour in the vicinity of the Trade Mart, the ultimate destination of the motorcade - not part of the motorcade in Dealey Plaza, two and a half miles away. Sheriff Bowles concluded the expert acoustical evidence of the HSCA was a preposterous deception, and the American people deserved more convincing evidence for their 5 1/2 million dollars.
Chairman Stokes, in recent years, has said a release of HSCA records would not prove a conspiracy. He remarked, "I can assure you we didn't seal up any smoking guns in our files." This remark appears to differ substantially from the HSCA conclusion in 1979 that the JFK assassination "probably involved conspiracy".
Overwhelming Evidence Against Oswald
The physical evidence that proves Oswald was the lone assassin is overwhelming. It establishes that three shots were fired from the southeast corner window of the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Witnesses saw the rifle being fired from that window. The rifle found on the sixth floor was purchased by Oswald, using the name A. Hidell, from Klein's Sporting Goods, Chicago, Illinois, for $21.45, in March, 1963. It was sent to Oswald's Post Office box in Dallas, Texas. Oswald's handwriting was on the order coupon, and the money order used to pay for the rifle. The rifle was brought into the Texas School Book Depository by Oswald on the morning of November 22, 1963. His right palm print was found on the underside of the rifle barrel. The paper bag used to conceal the rifle on that morning was made from paper Oswald had obtained at the Texas School Book Depository. Oswald's left index fingerprint and right palm print were found on the paper bag. Ballistics examinations of a nearly whole bullet found on Texas Governor Connally's stretcher at Parkland Hospital; two bullet fragments found in the Presidential limousine; and three cartridge cases found near the sixth floor window established all were fired from the Oswald rifle to the exclusion of all other weapons.
Over the years considerable controversy was created by conspiracy enthusiasts over the direction of the bullets which struck JFK. It was alleged the shots came from the railroad overpass ahead of the motorcade, and from behind the stockade fence atop the grassy knoll. A 1992 announcement by the American Medical Association (AMA) supported doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where JFK was first taken, and at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland, where an autopsy was performed on his body. The AMA doctors confirmed that JFK was struck by two bullets, fired from above and behind.
The physical evidence to prove Oswald killed Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit was also very convincing. At least two witnesses saw this shooting. Six other witnesses heard the shots and saw Oswald leave the scene with revolver in hand. Five of the witnesses identified Oswald in a series of lineups. Oswald purchased and owned the revolver in his possession at the time of his arrest. Four cartridge cases were recovered near the scene of the Tippit shooting, and four bullets were recovered from Tippit's body. Ballistics examinations established that the cartridge cases were fired from Oswald's revolver to the exclusion of all other weapons. While the condition of the bullets recovered from Tippit's body prevented a definitive conclusion, Oswald's revolver was among those that could have fired them.
Modern technology has made it possible to make additional analyses of evidence not possible in the 1960's. Consequently, some of the physical evidence is even stronger today than it was when the assassination occurred.
Law enforcement people at all levels, inside and outside Dallas, worked long and demanding hours seeking the truth in the JFK assassination, only to be maligned and accused of being part of a great conspiracy for the past forty-one years. The periods from 12:01 a.m., Friday, November 22, 1963 to 11:59 p.m., Saturday, November 30, 1963, constitutes 216 hours, which included 5 work days of 40 hours. During that period I worked 153 1/2 hours, of which 113 1/2 hours were voluntary overtime. Many other FBI employees did the same thing. I recall meeting my wife of 50 years for lunch near the FBI office one day before Christmas of 1963. After a hurried lunch, we went to a nearby music store to purchase a piano for my 9 year old daughter's Christmas gift. On my salary this was a substantial expenditure to be made in such a short time. Do such efforts sound like those of a group of conspirators?
The Conspiracy Agenda
The hype and publicity promoting conspiracy agendas have seriously prevented those of all ages from knowing the truth about the Kennedy assassination. Sadly, the number of colleges offering conspiracy courses today far outnumber those providing factual information.
Like it or not, conspiracy theories are a popular and profitable phenomenon in today's society. The publication of false and misleading information, without any verification for accuracy and veracity, continues to fuel the fire of JFK conspiracy hysteria. Most are full of "It is possible"; "I believe"; "Could have"; "Might have"; etc. Physical evidence is usually non-existent, or will not stand a credibility test. The credibility of "conspiracy" witnesses is subject to question, and many times these witnesses have changed their original stories. Last, but not least, efforts should always be made to determine if there is a profit motive.
Some of the alleged conspiracy theories promoted in print and on television, with complete disregard for known documented factual information, make me wonder if intellectual paralysis has occurred.
An excellent example was the popular Oprah Winfrey Show broadcast on November 22, 1996, in recognition of the 33rd anniversary of the JFK assassination. At the very beginning of this show, Oprah expressed her belief the government was withholding critical evidence. She then provided a forum for Mary LaFontaine to promote a book, Oswald Talked: The New Evidence in the Kennedy Assassination, published in 1994, and written by her and her husband, Ray.
Three months earlier, on August 7, 1994, an article appeared in The Washington Post, written by the LaFontaine's to promote their book. This article quoted a John Elrod as having a brief conversation with Oswald while they were cellmates in the Dallas City Jail late on the afternoon of November 22, 1963. Elrod said Oswald gave him information about some gunrunners, and identified night club owner Jack Ruby as an acquaintance of Oswald. This article indicated Elrod had given this information to the FBI in August, 1964.
FBI records show Elrod was interviewed on August 11, 1964. He told agents he was arrested by the Dallas Police Department shortly after the JFK assassination. He said he was placed in cell #10 with a cellmate, whose name he could not recall. His cellmate saw, and recognized, another jail inmate in the hallway, who was connected with gunrunning. Elrod said he could not identify his cellmate, and did not remember much because of his excessive use of alcohol.
In support of Mary LaFontaine's story, Oprah had a brief conversation with Elrod during the broadcast. He then claimed to have been in the same cell with Oswald. He said he was arrested for his connection with the JFK assassination, without further explanation. Upon his release from jail, he stated he left Dallas immediately, because he was scared for his life.
Mary LaFontaine claimed Elrod's cellmate was Oswald, who had been at a motel meeting with Jack Ruby several days before, where a group of individuals were discussing the sale of stolen guns. She said Oswald was an FBI informant infiltrating Cuban exile groups; that the assassination was a conspiracy; that Oswald had been set up as a "patsy"; and that the rifle found at the scene did not have "fresh prints" of Oswald on it, because such rifle was never in Oswald's hands on the day of the assassination.
Also appearing on this 33rd anniversary show was the widow of Oswald, Marina Oswald Porter. She remarked that on the 25th anniversary, 8 years before, she decided from the evidence, without giving any specifics, that Oswald was not guilty of committing the JFK assassination as she had been saying for many years. She continued that Oswald had nothing to do with it, and she does not know if the rifle found actually belonged to Oswald.
What Oprah didn't know, but should have, was that Elrod could not possibly have been in the same cell with Oswald. Oswald was placed in cell #F-2, of a three-cell block, and was never allowed to speak to the general jail population. It has also been well documented in recent years that Marina Oswald Porter's views have changed due to considerable pressure and influence from conspiracy theorists. She has been quoted on several occasions as saying she has received so much information, she does not know what to believe. I sympathize with her, and I don't doubt this last statement by her to be true.
On December 3, 1996, I sent a detailed letter to Oprah Winfrey, marked for her personal attention. A part of one paragraph of this letter read: "It is my belief that had you been aware of certain facts established several years ago, such unreliable and untrue remarks would not have been allowed by such guests to promote their own agendas. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with certain in formation with supports my concern."
Oprah was furnished detailed information completely refuting the information used on her show. It was done in a courteous, professional manner. I received no acknowledgement from her, and I have doubts Oprah, herself, ever saw the letter. It is my sincere belief some limited research by the staff of the Oprah Winfrey Show would have convincingly established the guests appearing on this show were seeking a forum to promote false and misleading information.
Other conspiracy theories have surfaced in recent years. Some theorize about the tragic death of Princess Diana, or the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Even First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, alleged there was a "vast right-wing conspiracy" out to get her husband, the President of the United States. Where is the credible evidence to prove these alleged conspiracies?
I recall meeting famed defense attorney, F. Lee Bailey in 1977, at a prosecutors' seminar in Wilmington, Delaware, after I had spoken about the JFK assassination investigation. Mr. Bailey told me I should always remember that "Certified rumors are better than facts." I made a note of this remark, and I have often thought of it when I hear obviously false information being portrayed as fact.
The FBI's Exhaustive Efforts
It has been my experience in law enforcement that very few, if any, cases are investigated without error. Perfection is difficult to achieve. I recognize the FBI made mistakes in the JFK assassination investigation. But we strived for perfection. The late FBI Director, Clarence Kelley, once remarked, "They were mistakes of the mind and not of the heart."
Because there was no Federal law in existence prohibiting the killing of the President, the FBI had no established policies and procedures for specifically handling an assassination investigation. There were no computers and word processors in 1963. This became the first investigation of an assassinated President ever conducted by the FBI. We formulated certain administrative procedures as we went along. Almost immediately, the Dallas FBI office started receiving communications, and interview results, from FBI offices throughout the country. A mass of additional information was being received from citizens, as well as local, county, State and other Federal agencies. It was my job to coordinate it all.
The first report was submitted by the Dallas FBI office on November 30, 1963, eight days after the JFK assassination. This report consisted of 515 pages. It contained the basic solution to the case, but the investigation was certainly not finished. Nothing in that first report has ever been disproved. It has stood the test of time.
Far Too Much Fiction
The March 24, 1993, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) quotes Dr. Robert Artwohl, an emergency medical physician at Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, as saying: "If God and Kennedy came down from Heaven and stood on a mountain top and said, 'There was no conspiracy,' the conspiracy theorists' response would be: My Gosh, this conspiracy is bigger than we thought!"
Undoubtedly, future anniversaries marking Kennedy's assassination will feature replays of old theories, and some new ones, with complete disregard for the factual information readily available.
The number of people with firsthand knowledge of the true facts developed during the investigation is dwindling each year. I am proud of my FBI service. I applaud my fellow agents and the Support Personnel, who provided their faithful and devoted service seeking the truth during a very hectic time in the FBI's outstanding history.
As long as my health permits, I will continue to be alert for false and misleading information being publicized about the JFK assassination investigation. I will utilize whatever resources are available to refute such information. Future generations deserve to know the truth. During the past forty-one years there has been far too much fiction. END
Next: Remembering J.D. Tippit...
