Passing of Former HSCA Chief Counsel G. Robert Blakey

[Michael T. Griffith]

As you listen to Blakey's interview with Rosenberg, you will hear how passionate he was about the case for conspiracy. He was certain that JFK was killed by a conspiracy, that there was a grassy knoll gunman, that Ruby shot Oswald on orders from the Mafia, and that the lone-gunman theory was untenable. However, you would never know this to read the scathing, draconian attacks on Blakey made by ultra-liberal conspiracy theorists, such as Joan Mellen and Len Osanic.

In his interview with Rosenberg, Blakey said that it was "a possibility" that some CIA-trained anti-Castro Cubans and some of their CIA handlers were involved in the assassination and that there were some "deeply suspicious circumstances" involving those individuals. But, Blakey did not believe the evidence established this scenario beyond the point of suspicion.

Blakey believed that the only scenario that was established beyond the point of suspicion was the Mafia scenario, and for this he was excoriated by both ultra-liberal conspiracy theorists and Warren Commission apologists.

Thankfully, there have been and still are plenty of pro-conspiracy JFKA researchers who are not ultra-liberal and/or who do not buy into the 9/11 Truther craziness and who do not rely on L. Fletcher Prouty's crackpot claims. These researchers include Jeff Sundberg, David Scheim, Anthony Summers, David Mantik, Harold Weisberg, Greg Doudna, Mark Shaw, Richard Mahoney, John H. Davis, Seth Kantor, Gary Cornwell, Stewart Galanor, Gaeton Fonzi, and Lamar Waldron, to name a few.

Once again, here are the links to Blakey's two-part interview with Rosenberg:

(part 1)

(part 2)

[John Corbett]

As you listen to Blakey's interview with Rosenberg, you will hear how passionate he was about the case for conspiracy.

Passion does not equate to correctness. There are people who are passionately wrong about many things. I see examples of that every day on this forum.

What I don't ever see from these passionate CTs is credible evidence to support their beliefs.

[Michael T. Griffith]

Another thing that Blakey's pro-conspiracy critics overlook is that Blakey could only go as far as the committee would let him go. The committee members were the ones who had the final say on the conduct of the investigation, on the wording of the final report, and on which documents were sealed and which were not.

For example, the Final Draft Report, which Blakey approved, then underwent revision, including by the CIA. The final published version watered down many valid statements in the Final Draft Report. For instance, the Final Draft Report said the following about the evidence of Mafia involvement:

There is solid evidence that Hoffa, Marcello, and Trafficante — three of the most important targets for criminal prosecution by the Kennedy administration — had discussions with their subordinates about murdering President Kennedy. Associates of Hoffa, Trafficante, and Marcello were in direct contact with Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner who killed the "lone assassin" of the president. (Final Draft Report, HSCA, p. 274)

This was a perfectly valid, factual statement, as many scholars have proved (e.g., Dr. Richard Mahoney, Dr. David Kaiser, Dr. David Scheim, and Lamar Waldron). But, this blunt statement did not make it into the published report.

Because the committee members could not stomach a fifth shot and a third gunman, Blakey insisted that the apparent gunshot impulse pattern at 140.3 on the dictabelt be ruled a false alarm, even though it passed the echo-delay matching test, and even though 8 of its 10 impulses matched the impulses of one of the Dealey Plaza test shots.

The problem was that this impulse pattern occurs 1.05 seconds after the 139.27 impulse pattern, and the alleged murder weapon simply could not have been fired that quickly. Thus, this shot would have had to be fired by another gunman shooting from behind (possibly from the nearby Dal-Tex Building or from another window on the sixth floor, keeping in mind that several witnesses reported seeing two men on the sixth floor shortly before the shooting).

[Kevin Balch]

Another thing that Blakey's pro-conspiracy critics overlook is that Blakey could only go as far as the committee would let him go. The committee members were the ones who had the final say on the conduct of the investigation, on the wording of the final report, and on which documents were sealed and which were not.

For example, the Final Draft Report, which Blakey approved, then underwent revision, including by the CIA. The final published version watered down many valid statements in the Final Draft Report. For instance, the Final Draft Report said the following about the evidence of Mafia involvement:

There is solid evidence that Hoffa, Marcello, and Trafficante — three of the most important targets for criminal prosecution by the Kennedy administration — had discussions with their subordinates about murdering President Kennedy. Associates of Hoffa, Trafficante, and Marcello were in direct contact with Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner who killed the "lone assassin" of the president. (Final Draft Report, HSCA, p. 274)

This was a perfectly valid, factual statement, as many scholars have proved (e.g., Dr. Richard Mahoney, Dr. David Kaiser, Dr. David Scheim, and Lamar Waldron). But, this blunt statement did not make it into the published report.

Because the committee members could not stomach a fifth shot and a third gunman, Blakey insisted that the apparent gunshot impulse pattern at 140.3 on the dictabelt be ruled a false alarm, even though it passed the echo-delay matching test, and even though 8 of its 10 impulses matched the impulses of one of the Dealey Plaza test shots.

The problem was that this impulse pattern occurs 1.05 seconds after the 139.27 impulse pattern, and the alleged murder weapon simply could not have been fired that quickly. Thus, this shot would have had to be fired by another gunman shooting from behind (possibly from the nearby Dal-Tex Building or from another window on the sixth floor, keeping in mind that several witnesses reported seeing two men on the sixth floor shortly before the shooting).

If the motorcycle with the stuck open mike was not at the required location at the time required, the timing of impulses or cross talk is irrelevant. The photographic evidence shows no motorcycle as required by the acoustics evidence. And if you go on to claim the photographic evidence was altered,  then acoustic evidence is still meaningless because the impulses were matched to the Zapruder film.

[Michael T. Griffith]

If the motorcycle with the stuck open mike was not at the required location at the time required, the timing of impulses or cross talk is irrelevant. The photographic evidence shows no motorcycle as required by the acoustics evidence.

Not true. I would refer you to Dr. Donald Thomas's extensive research on this issue. The photographic evidence is not a complete, second-by-second record of the events in Dealey Plaza, but Dr. Thomas makes a strong case that McClain was in the right position to have been in position to record the sounds on the dictabelt.

The Dealey Plaza site test done by the BBN scientists proved that the dictabelt was recorded during the assassination. Even the NRC/NAS panel concluded there was a 93% chance that the timing-movement correlations identified by the BBN scientists between the dictabelt impulses and the test-firing impulses occurred because the dictabelt was recorded during the assassination.

Have you read the HSCA materials on the acoustical evidence? How about Dr. Josiah Thompson's extensive discussion on the new developments from new research into the acoustical evidence done at BBN in 2019-2020 in his 2021 book Last Second in Dallas? His two chapters and appendices on the acoustical evidence total 114 pages. Dr. Thompson also spends considerable time on the issue of which patrol bike's mic recorded the impulse patterns on the dictabelt--he, too, makes a strong case that McClain's mic recorded those sounds.

And if you go on to claim the photographic evidence was altered, then acoustic evidence is still meaningless because the impulses were matched to the Zapruder film.

This is an overstatement and an oversimplification. There was disagreement among the HSCA experts about matching the gunshot impulses with events in the Zapruder film. Furthermore, as I have explained in other threads, the dictabelt did not necessarily record all of the shots fired in Dealey Plaza for two possible reasons: shots could have been fired several feet away from a window and/or a silencer could have been used. The acoustical scientists noted that if a gunman fired 6-8 feet back from a window, the dictabelt probably would not have recorded the sound.

Also, we need to keep in mind that because of restrictions imposed by the committee, the BBN test firing in Dealey Plaza was limited to the sixth-floor window and the grassy knoll. If shots had been fired from one or two of the lower floors of the Dal-Tex Building or the County Records Building, more dictabelt impulse patterns may have been matched with test-firing impulse patterns.

If anyone is interested in an extensive introduction to the acoustical evidence, here's the link to my article "The HSCA's Acoustical Evidence: Proof of a Second Gunman":

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KvdvH8gTqFgMn-2vTI5ppg_egWxRKg9U/view.

[Benjamin Cole]

MTG--

But what are the links between LHO and the Mob?

Senator Schweiker was correct when he said "the fingerprints of intelligence" are all around LHO.

LHO in Atsugi, then considered an asset by the KGB chief in Minsk, then meeting with KGB'ers in MC, possibly with G-2'ers in MC, and in N.O. In N.O., LHO appeared to be under CIA surveillance.

On the Mob side, Lee Harvey Oswald’s uncle in New Orleans was Charles "Dutz" Murret. But there is no indication LHO became "mobbed up."

There is no history of LHO running Mob errands, smuggling for the Mob, etc.

Blakey was a smart guy, but he was also a lifelong mob-hunter, the author of the RICO act.

Do you think that biased Blakey?

[Michael T. Griffith]

MTG--

But what are the links between LHO and the Mob?

David Ferrie was a Marcello operative. Oswald had relatives who were in the Mafia. There is decent evidence Oswald and Ruby knew each other, and Ruby had all kinds of Mafia ties. However, I don't think the Mafia was controlling Oswald. I think the Mafia's main role was killing Oswald and aiding in the cover-up in Dallas, New Orleans, and Miami.

Senator Schweiker was correct when he said "the fingerprints of intelligence" are all around LHO.

LHO in Atsugi, then considered an asset by the KGB chief in Minsk, then meeting with KGB'ers in MC, possibly with G-2'ers in MC, and in N.O. In N.O., LHO appeared to be under CIA surveillance.

Oswald was an intelligence operative, at the very least. He was definitely working in intelligence in the Marine Corps. I think it's obvious he was a false defector. 

On the Mob side, Lee Harvey Oswald’s uncle in New Orleans was Charles "Dutz" Murret. But there is no indication LHO became "mobbed up." There is no history of LHO running Mob errands, smuggling for the Mob, etc.

Murret, plus Ferrie and Ruby. But, yes, I agree that he was not a Mafia asset.

Blakey was a smart guy, but he was also a lifelong mob-hunter, the author of the RICO act. Do you think that biased Blakey?

But remember that Blakey completely changed his mind about possible CIA involvement in 2014, after he learned how badly the CIA had misled the HSCA. See his 2014 statement “The HSCA and the CIA: The View from the Top."

Quote from: Lance Payette:
But wait, Ruby didn't get the job done until Oswald had been in custody and under intense interrogation for hours and hours. If Ruby had shot Oswald on Friday night, when he had an opportunity, we might at least have something to talk about. But he didn't.

This is what happens when you deign to try to engage on the evidence.

Ruby started stalking Oswald on Friday night. Gee, why do you suppose he did that? He was supposed to shoot Oswald on Friday night when Oswald was talking with reporters. He was in the room and had a gun on him, but he backed out. Later, he tried to warn the DPD that Oswald would be killed, but they ignored him. The HSCA concluded that Ruby lied about his whereabouts that weekend, lied about how he entered the basement, and lied about why he killed Oswald. The HSCA's polygraph experts found indications that Ruby was lying on his polygraph when he denied aiding Oswald in the assassination:

In fact, the reactions to the preceding question--(Did you assist Oswald in the assassination?)--showed the largest valid GSR [galvanic skin response] reaction in test series No. 1. In addition, there is a constant suppression of breathing and a rise in blood pressure at the time of this crucial relevant question. From this test, it appeared to the panel that Ruby was possibly lying when answering "no" to the question, "Did you assist Oswald in the assassination?" This is contrary to Herndon's opinion that Ruby was truthful when answering that question. (8 HSCA 217-218)

Ruby was a nervous wreck before he heard that Oswald had died. He was visibly relieved when he heard the news of Oswald's death. Clearly, Ruby was worried about the consequences if Oswald lived.

Two documents released in 2017 reveal that Ruby knew about the assassination in advance and that he was in Dealey Plaza during the shooting. The documents reveal that shortly before the shooting, Ruby invited a man named Bob Vanderslice to watch JFK’s motorcade with him and to “watch the fireworks.” Ruby did not know that Vanderslice was an informant for the Intelligence Division of the Dallas office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). When Vanderslice saw news reports in early 1977 that the HSCA was going to reinvestigate the JFK assassination, he decided he should tell his IRS contact about the incident, and he did so in February.

The following month, March 1977, the chief of the Dallas IRS Intelligence Division sent a memo about Vanderslice’s account to the Dallas FBI office. An FBI agent from the Dallas FBI office interviewed the IRS agent who had spoken with Vanderslice. The Dallas FBI office then sent a detailed report on the matter to FBI HQ. Here is part of the Dallas FBI report on the incident:

Vanderslice told him [Vanderslice’s Intelligence Division contact] that on the morning of the assassination, Jack Ruby called him on the telephone and asked him if he would like to go to the Presidential Parade with him, and if he would like to “watch the fireworks.” Vanderslice said that he was with Jack Ruby and standing at the corner of the Postal Annex Building facing the Texas School Book Depository building at the time of the shooting. Immediately after the shooting, Ruby left and headed toward the area of the Dallas Morning News building, without saying anything to him.

The Dallas FBI report noted that the IRS agent said Vanderslice was a reliable informant. The report also noted that Vanderslice’s undercover work involved gathering info on the “criminal element” in Dallas, and that he had known one of Jack Ruby’s nightclub strippers.