JFK WARNED NOT TO GO TO DALLAS
Gil Jesus
branded a traitor and a coward for his handling of both the Bay of Pigs failure
and the Cuban Missle Crisis. The danger lay with radical conservatives, whose
passions included the love of guns and the regular use of them.
Dallas extremists tended to concentrate more on what they perceived as the
enemy in Washington rather tahn the enemy in the Kremlin. They believed that
the real threat to America was an internal one, with the President the target,
not only because he appeased the Kremlin, but even joined with the Negroes
pressing for equality.
Powerful men, like H.L. Hunt and General Walker were inciting the most deadly
forces. At a dinner party, Hunt was overheard by witnesses to say that "the
only way to get those traitors (the Kennedys) out of the government was to
shoot them out." He made a speech in Houston calling the Kennedy Administration
a "Communist Government." Members of the civic leadership and federal judges
and attorneys, urged the planners of the trip to call it off. The city harbored
too much resentment toward Washington in general and toward the President in
particular. The danger couldn't be exaggerated. The fact was driven home time
and time again.
Senators were prominent among those who urged Kennedy not to go to Texas and
especially not to Dallas. In October 1963, J.William Fulbright (D-Ark) made it
plain that Kennedy should go nowhere near the city, especially after the Dallas
Morning News had attacked the president rather fiercely in an editorial for his
insufficient opposition to communist aggression. The editorial's vehemence
reflected the depths of loathing Kennedy could expect there. "Dallas is a
dangerous place", he told Kennedy, "I wouldn't go there. Don't YOU go there".
Seven weeks earlier, Fulbright had virtually pleaded with the president to skip
Dallas, saying that any political gain was not worth the risk.
Adlai Stevenson had urged a fundamental reconsideration of the trip after
Right-wing extremists spat on him and struck him with a sign on October 24th in
Dallas. This was the second embarrassing attack on a politician from the
extremists in Dallas. Lyndon Johnson and his wife were attacked by a mob of
Nixon supporters in 1960, not the least of which was Congressman Bruce Alger,
the only Republican congressman from Texas, who held a sign that said, "LBJ
sold out to to the Yankee Socialists".
Even Governor Connally tried to talk the President out of a stop in Dallas,
saying that the people might be "too emotional".
Private citizens echoed these warnings throughout October and November.
Anne Brinkley, wife of newscaster David Brinkley, delivered her warning the
evening before the trip to Texas.
A Dallas woman told Kennedy's Press Secretary Pierre Salinger, "Don't let him
come down here...I think something terrible is going to happen to him ".
Stanley Marcus, head of the well-known Neiman Marcus retail company, pled with
Kennedy not to come to Dallas. Marcus was with Stevenson when the U.N.
ambassador was attacked in October. After Marcus shoved Stevenson into the
back seat of the car, the mob started rocking the car side to side. The driver
gunned it and almost killed someone in an attempt to get away. So Marcus knew
the hatred that Dallas had.
On November 4th, Robert Kennedy received a letter from Byron Skelton, a
Democratic Committeeman from Texas, asking that Dallas be dropped from the
President's itinerary because "they" would kill him there. Citing a prominent
Dallas resident's pronouncement that Kennedy was a "liablility to the free
world", Skelton believed that such a man was capable of doing the President
harm, and observing the attitude in preparations for the President's trip, he
simply felt that it was not safe to go there. Skelton felt so passionately
about bypassing Dallas that he flew to Washington to plead his case.
Secret Service files were spilling over with warnings, about a dozen or so
coming from men who thirsted for vengeance and consorted with professional
killers.
Men like H.L. Hunt, who said that "the only way to get the traitors
(referring to the Kennedys) out of govenment was to shoot them out." He
referred to the Kennedy Administration as a "communist government".
On November 20, Robert Kennedy informed Ramsey Clark of his misgivings about
his brother's upcoming trip to Texas. "I don't want him to go", RFK said. He
had good reason to fear for the president's safety. He had received a letter
from an anonymous writer from Texas warning him not to let the president go to
Dallas because "they" would kill him there. It is not clear who "they" were.
According to Gus Russo, about 25,000 threats were reportedly logged during
Kennedy's 34 months in office. Most of them made by crackpots, but some by
potentially real assassins. In 1976, the Secret Service released a report
indicating that its "Security Index" listed one million people as potential
threats to President Kennedy at the time of his death.
Lee Harvey Oswald was not on that list.
John Deaux
If he wouldn't listen to his brother, then who else could
have possibly convinced him NOT to go to Dallas
and right into the hands of the right wing extremists
who hated him and everything he stood for? Was
it hubris or just an honest intention to offer an olive
branch to the Texas voters? I think JFK was more
than just a tad naive, don't you?
Even Earl Warren did not want to raise the ire of
those "Impeach Earl Warren" gun nuts either. Sad,
but true. Even judges are only as safe as the metal
screeners and scanners can make them inside their
own domains. On the streets, I am sure Earl got
his share of hoots, hollers and attempted sideswipes
while he was driving around Dallas. He got the
picture. Ruby thought that Warren did not understand
what Ruby was trying to communicate to him about
"those in power here in Dallas... the ones who are
trying to get you too... Judge Warren...."
But he did. Warren knew exactly what was going
on and did not want ANY part of being a hero, after
he saw what they could do to JFK, the POTUS.
He just wanted to finish the WC and then retire to
bounce his grandchildren off his knee, sorta like
old Ted Gittenger does. No risks, no worries.
Nothing to dodge, nothing to fear. But all cowards
eventually have to live with their choices and with
their decisions. If Earl Warren knew how the country
would shift to the right in the ensuing years, I am sure
he would have done something to stem the flow.
Wonder if old Ted is worried about the same thing?
Doubt it. Arthur Goldberg fought the good fight to
use the UN to hold back the right, but then he had
to retire as well.
"Gil Jesus" <gjj...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20021028104924...@mb-ct.aol.com...
Gil Jesus
after the assassination cuz he thought that his plots to kill Castro had
backfired.
But I think it was because he had been warned not to let his brother go to
Dallas and he did nothing to try to stop him.
I think THAT was his guilt trip.
Vern Pascal
NB Hunt-Robert Surrey( Gen. Walker's Aide)-Bernard Weissman- former
Dallas Cowboys Coach "Bum" Bright and other members of the Citizens
Council?
Gil Jesus
Finding Committee.
It appeared in the Dallas Morning News on November 22, 1963.
It started "Welcome Mr. Kennedy to Dallas".
AnthonyMarsh
You also have to factor in that the first person RFK telephoned was the
CIA's Director and he pointedly asked him if the CIA had anything to do
with his brother's assassination. He thought that he heard of Oswald in
connection with the CIA's anti-Castro plots.
--
Anthony Marsh
The Puzzle Palace http://www.boston.quik.com/amarsh
John Deaux
"Vern Pascal" <lazu...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:12409-3D...@storefull-2316.public.lawson.webtv.net...
Do a Google Groups search because I think it was much more likely
to be the Larrie Schmidt and Robert J. Morris crew as I recall. CLWilkins
is about the best source on these issues. Morris is IN The Manchurian
Candidate by Richard Condon by the way. He was MR. McCarthyite
and MR. John Bircher Number One as well.
>
Ted Gittinger
doofus.
ted
>
>
Ritchie Linton
> Gil Jesus wrote:
> >
> > Yeah John, I know that some people think that RFK was destroyed emotionally
> > after the assassination cuz he thought that his plots to kill Castro had
> > backfired.
> > But I think it was because he had been warned not to let his brother go to
> > Dallas and he did nothing to try to stop him.
> > I think THAT was his guilt trip.
>
> You also have to factor in that the first person RFK telephoned was the
> CIA's Director
+++
You are both wrong.The first person that RFK called on the telephone
was Hoover=and the reason that JFK went to Dallas in spite of the
known looming threats was that JFK agreed with Chuchill="Courage was
the one quality that guranteed all the rest".As JFK said himself in
response to the known looming threat, "I am President of all the
States".Thats according to Manchester the Historian of subject=who
noted that when someone at the party in honour of Earle Warren said
across the room that "Dallas would be tough", the President did not
respond. "His hooded grey eyes looked beyond"=according to Ethel
Kennedy.In spite of warnings that the story got loose(recall here the
Milteer story even though wrong still later suppressed)Kennedy went
anyway to Dallas.No question the next followed"
and he pointedly asked him if the CIA had anything to do
> with his brother's assassination. He thought that he heard of Oswald in
> connection with the CIA's anti-Castro plots.
++++
++++
As we know, the CIA Director at the the time later testified that
Oswald "Was a navy responsibility".
John Deaux
"Ritchie Linton" <rli...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:d0a32e7f.02111...@posting.google.com...
> As we know, the CIA Director at the the time later testified that
> Oswald "Was a navy responsibility".
Ah, yes, Marine Corps as a division of the Navy. And where does
that put Lt. (JG) Robert J. Morris, ONI, MR. McCarthy himself? Do not
forget that the American Security Council also included Ray S. Cline
(#1 WACL Fascist) and James J. Angleton (Mussolini Fascist along
with his father, Hugh) plus Charles Willoughby (Hitler Fascist and #1
Franco Fascist)
AnthonyMarsh
>
> AnthonyMarsh <ama...@quik.com> wrote in message news:<3DBF45D8...@quik.com>...
> > Gil Jesus wrote:
> > >
> > > Yeah John, I know that some people think that RFK was destroyed emotionally
> > > after the assassination cuz he thought that his plots to kill Castro had
> > > backfired.
> > > But I think it was because he had been warned not to let his brother go to
> > > Dallas and he did nothing to try to stop him.
> > > I think THAT was his guilt trip.
> >
> > You also have to factor in that the first person RFK telephoned was the
> > CIA's Director
> +++
> +++
> You are both wrong.The first person that RFK called on the telephone
> was Hoover=and the reason that JFK went to Dallas in spite of the
Good idea, but it was Hoover that called RFK to inform him of his
brother's death.
See the book "Robert Kennedy and His Times."
> known looming threats was that JFK agreed with Chuchill="Courage was
> the one quality that guranteed all the rest".As JFK said himself in
> response to the known looming threat, "I am President of all the
> States".Thats according to Manchester the Historian of subject=who
> noted that when someone at the party in honour of Earle Warren said
> across the room that "Dallas would be tough", the President did not
> respond. "His hooded grey eyes looked beyond"=according to Ethel
> Kennedy.In spite of warnings that the story got loose(recall here the
> Milteer story even though wrong still later suppressed)Kennedy went
> anyway to Dallas.No question the next followed"
>
> and he pointedly asked him if the CIA had anything to do
> > with his brother's assassination. He thought that he heard of Oswald in
> > connection with the CIA's anti-Castro plots.
> ++++
> ++++
> As we know, the CIA Director at the the time later testified that
> Oswald "Was a navy responsibility".
Not the same guy. The CIA Director at the time was John McCone, a friend
of the Kennedys. DDP at the time and later DCI Helms is the guy who said
that Oswald was a Navy responsibility. He may have been implying that
Oswald was ONI.
Gil Jesus
in a smart-alecky way that the President had been shot and RFK responded, "he's
dead "and hung up on him.
Part of the reason Kennedy went to Dallas was to blister the right-wing
extremists in a speech that was to be delivered at the Trade Mart. A speech
that he never gave.
I still think RFK was guilt-ridden over not trying to stop the President from
going.
kvis...@insightbb.com
FWIW my opinion is that RFK felt guilty because he believed some the people
he recruited to kill Castro ended up killing his brother>
viking
kvis...@insightbb.com
On 11-Nov-2002, gjj...@aol.com (Gil Jesus) wrote:
FWIW my opinion is that RFK felt guilty because he believed some the people
Ritchie Linton
>
> FWIW my opinion is that RFK felt guilty because he believed some the people
> he recruited to kill Castro ended up killing his brother>
+++
Interesting opinion=cite any proof?
>
> viking
Ritchie Linton
^^
from NcCone at the time( CIA DS Helms later agrgreeing )=As I said,
Oswald was ONI responsibility at the time of the shooting
kvis...@insightbb.com
Concrete proof, no I don't have any. I said above "FWIW my opinion" and that
what it is, my opinion. We Know from documents that have been released that
RFK was involved in the get Castro plots but more importantly it was he
behavior after the assassination. In his run for the Senate and his run for
the presidency you could see a change in him. He was very subdued and looked
to me as a person battling depression. Just look at the film clip from the
night he assassinated. Does he look like a person who has just pulled off a
great victory? To me he looks like a person who is uncomfortable and doing
something he doesn't want to do. Once again it's just my opinion and the
only way to know for sure would be to interview his wife and family.
viking