Secret
Service Agents who believed there was
a conspiracy
in the assassination of JFK
02
Mar 1998
Vincent M. Palamara
The
following agents believed that there was a conspiracy
involved in JFK's death (I use past tense only because
most of them are now deceased):
1) Samuel
A. Kinney- Sam told me this three times
(he also stated that he found the notion of conspiracy "plausible" to
the HSCA, based off the recently-released contact
reports available thru the ARRB/ Archives). He
thought Oswald was the lone shooter, although he
stated emphatically that there were no missed shots
(!)- he spoke to Connally about this and THE GOVERNOR
AGREED WITH SAM! Sam also told me that the "right
rear" of JFK's head was missing[he later recovered
THE piece of the president's head on the C-130],
and that his windshield (of the follow-up car)
and left arm were splattered with blood and brain
matter. Finally, whether hyperbole or not, Sam
said "He had no brains left". Sam passed
away 7/21/97 while vacationing in Iowa. His wife
Hazel told me she regretted that Sam is now forever
unable to tell more...;
2) Roy
H. Kellerman- According to his widow June,
Roy "accepted that there was a conspiracy"-
this was based on June overhearing Roy's telephone
conversation with someone from the HSCA in approx.
1977 or 1978. As we all know, Roy stated to the
WC that "there has to be more than three shots,
gentleman" and that a "flurry of shells" came
into the car. Like Bill Greer, Roy is often added
to the list of those witnesses who reported that
the right rear of JFK's head was blasted. The above
information was reported to author Anthony Summers
for the Dec. 1994 "VANITY FAIR", p. 88
[uncredited]; you'll also find it in my book. Finally,
Kellerman's daughter told Harold Weisberg in the
1970's that "I hope the day will come when
these men [Kellerman and Greer*]will be able to
say what they've told their families";
3) Abraham
W. Bolden, Sr,- Abe is a firm believer
in a conspiracy AND in Secret Service negligence.
Also, Abe is adamant that there was a plot to kill
JFK in Chicago in early November, 1963. I spoke
to Bolden twice and corresponded at length with
him between 1993 and the present. Bolden is currently
working on his own book with his wife:)
;4) Maurice
G. Martineau- Abe's boss in the Chicago
office, Martineau was equally adamant to me that
a conspiracy took the life of President Kennedy.
He also told me he finds the work of the HSCA much
more valid than that of the WC. However, when it
comes to info. on the Chicago plot, Martineau is
afraid to give me details to this day...;
5) John
Norris- a member of the uniformed division
of the Secret Service, Norris is a fervent believer
in a conspiracy, although one gets the impression
this is more based on his beliefs than actual knowledge,
but I could be mistaken. Still, his views and beliefs
are important for obvious reasons;
6)
*Bill Greer- despite many suspicions
I have about Greer's conduct on 11/22-11/23/63, he
is a "default" addition to this list. In
addition to Kellerman's daughter's comments mentioned
above, he is also among those witnesses who, at least
indirectly, gave testimony that the right rear of JFK's
head was missing. Also, to the HSCA, he had much misgivings
about the "Single Bullet Theory". Still,
this could just be guilty conscience- he expressed
much guilt to Jackie Kennedy concerning his awful performance
on Elm Street (which he would later deny to the FBI
and the WC; even Greer's son Richard was adamant to
me that his father had absolutely no survivor's guilt,
despite these documented, very early guilt feelings.
Even Dave
Powers and Ken O'Donnell document
Greer's early remorse ["Johnny, We Hardly
Knew Ye'; see also Powers interview by Charles
Kuralt, 11/22/88 on video];
Also, Paul
E. Landis, Jr., an agent in the follow-up
car who, like agent Hill, was assigned to Jackie,
stated twice that shots came from the front [18H755;
18H759];
In
addition, agent Thomas "Lem" Johns,
who rode in the V.P. follow-up car, told the HSCA that "the
first two [shots] sounded like they were on the side
of me towards the grassy knoll"
[RIF 180-10074-10079]; Finally, SAIC of the Dallas office,
Forrest V. Sorrels, riding in the lead car, believed
the shots came from the front [Mark Lane's "Rush
to Judgement" film- interview with Orville Nix,
a good friend of Sorrels' who worked in the Dallas office
as a maintenance worker]. I spoke very briefly to Sorrels
on two occasions in 1992, a year before he died- he would
not clarify anything...
Vince
Palamara