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First Bite: Politicians Chow Down | TPM Photo Galleries

First Bite: Politicians Chow Down | TPM Photo Galleries

Culture: Unlikely host Dallas grabbed the spotlight for the Texas centennial | Historical News Events in The Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

Culture: Unlikely host Dallas grabbed the spotlight for the Texas centennial

01:18 PM CDT on Friday, June 25, 2010

By MICHAEL V. HAZEL/Special Contributor

By the late 1930s, Dallas — not Detroit or

Denver — was becoming known as "Big D," a modern city with a can-do spirit.

Dallas Historical Society

Crowds fill the plaza in front of the Federal Building during the Texas Centennial Exposition. An estimated six million people visited Dallas during the six-month spectacle.

Former governor John Connally died on June 15, 1993

Hello fellow Texans and friends of Texas. Today is Tuesday, June 15,  2010.
On June 15, 1993, John Bowden Connally Jr., former governor of Texas who was seriously wounded while riding in President Kennedy's car in Dealey Plaza of Dallas when the president was assassinated, died of pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive scarring of the lungs.
After funeral services at the First United Methodist Church in Austin, he was buried at the Texas State Cemetery.
Connally recovered from wounds in his chest, wrist and thigh. The 10-month investigation of the Warren Commission of 1963-1964, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) of 1977-1978, and other government investigations concluded that the President was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Connally particularly disputed the single bullet theory to the time of his death.

insidethearrb

RETHINKING the Question: "Why Was the First Draft of JFK's Autopsy Report Destroyed?"

insidethearrb

June 13th, 20:41

In Volume III of my book "Inside the Assassination Records Review Board," in Chapter 11, I wrote in the text on page 866, and summarized in a data table on page 872, that the proximate cause, or stimulus, for why the unsigned, draft version of the JFK autopsy report (reviewed on Saturday, 11/23/63 at Bethesda Naval Hospital by CDR Humes, CDR Boswell, and CAPT Canada) was abandoned, and subsequently destroyed by Humes in his fireplace on Sunday, 11/24/63, was the fact that James Tague's wounding on Main Street in Dealey Plaza (as a result of the ricochet of a bullet off of the Main Street curb) was evidence of a missed shot. BACKGROUND FOLLOWS: The three shot scenario---the conclusion that there was only one assassin, and that he was above and behind the limousine, and that he fired only three shots---was adopted by the Dallas police department and the U.S. government on Friday afternoon; Richard Lipsey, the Aide to General Wehle (Commandant of the Military District of Washington), recounted to the HSCA staff with great certainty that he heard the pathologists discussing a three-hit scenario---that is, three hits on JFK without any discussion of what had happened to Connally---in the autopsy morgue; and yet the version of the autopsy report entered into evidence by the Warren Commission (CE 387) concluded that there were only two hits on President Kennedy. Clearly, at least one change to the autopsy conclusions had taken place between the time Lipsey heard the pathologists discuss three hits on JFK, and the time CE 387 was entered into evidence during the testimony of James J. Humes before Arlen Specter in March of 1964.

At the time I drafted this chapter it seemed obvious to me that public knowledge of James Tague's wounding, and therefore of a missed shot which had struck the curb on Main Street, had forced Humes, et. al. to abandon the 3-shot, 3-hit scenario arrived at inside the Bethesda morgue in front of Richard Lipsey late Friday evening (after the FBI agents had departed at 11:00 PM).

It is now apparent, as a result of an astute question asked of me by a friend, that the James Tague wounding could NOT have been the proximate cause, or stimulus, for junking the first draft of the JFK autopsy report. WHY? Because as James Tague clearly stated in his own book, published in 2003, there was no widely available public mention of his wounding until newspaper journalist Jim Lehrer published the results of his interview with Tague in the Dallas Times-Herald on June 5, 1964. This was followed by an FBI interview and subsequent Warren Commission testimony. While it is true that Deputy Sheriff Buddy Walthers spoke to Tague about the wounding on the very afternoon of the assassination, and photographer Tom Dillard photographed the curb strike (and Tague himself) the afternoon of the assassination, there is no evidence that this information was publicly available on November 23rd, or that it was known within the confines of Bethesda Naval Hospital by Humes, Boswell, or Canada.

James K. Galbraith: Exit Strategy

The existence of a taping system in JFK’s oval office had become known over the years, particularly through the release of partial transcripts of the historic meeting of the “ExComm” during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. But the full extent of Kennedy’s taping was not known. And, according to McNamara, access to particular tapes was tightly controlled by representatives of the Kennedy family. When McNamara spoke in Austin, only he and his coauthor, Brian VanDeMark, had been granted the privilege of listening to the actual tape recordings of Kennedy’s White House meetings on Vietnam.

In 1997, however, this situation changed. The Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB), an independent civilian body established under the 1992 JFK Records Act that has already been responsible for the release of millions of pages of official records deemed relevant to Kennedy’s assassination, ruled that his tapes relating to Vietnam decision-making should be released. In July the JFK Library began releasing key tapes, including those of the withdrawal meetings on October 2 and 5, 1963.⁷

A careful review of the October 2 meeting makes clear that McNamara’s account is essentially accurate and even to some degree understated. One can hear McNamara—the voice is unmistakable—arguing for a firm timetable to withdraw all U.S. forces from Vietnam, whether the war can be won in 1964, which he doubts, or not. McNamara is emphatic: “We need a way to get out of Vietnam, and this is a way of doing it.”

In Retrospect’s discussion of Kennedy’s decision to withdraw ends at this point. McNamara makes no mention of NSAM 263. However, on the tape of the meeting of October 5, 1963, one can clearly hear a voice—it may be Robert McNamara or McGeorge Bundy—asking President John F. Kennedy for “formal approval” of “items one, two, and three” on a paper evidently in front of them. It is clear that one of these items is the recommendation to withdraw 1,000 men by the end of 1963, the rationale being that they are no longer needed. This short exchange is thus unmistakably a request for a formal presidential decision concerning the McNamara-Taylor recommendations. After a short discussion of the possible political effect in Vietnam of announcing this decision, the voice of JFK can be clearly heard: “Let’s go on ahead and do it,” followed by a few words deciphered by historian George Eliades as “without making a public statement about it.”

Marilyn's Pink Dress Is Sold | CocoPerez.com

Marilyn's Pink Dress Is Sold

As we mentioned earlier this year, the iconic pink dress Marilyn Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes went up for auction.

And although they estimated the dress would bring in around $200,000, it sold for much more.

In fact, the size 14 dress sold for over $260,000!!!

Other items which were up for sale, but didn't bring in as much money, included the hat worn by Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. The hat sold for over $167,000.

And that bag used by Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins sold for $80,000.

As for Marilyn's dress, do U think it was worth so much money???

Tags: auction, dress, for sale, marilyn monroe, pink dress

Posted: June 14, 2010 at 3:45 pm

40th Anniversary of John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza @ The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza | www.pegasusnews.com | Dallas/Fort Worth

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this landmark, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza will host a free program with Frank Welch, award-winning architect and author of Philip Johnson & Texas, and Dale Sellers of Phoenix I Restoration & Construction, Ltd., the firm that provided pro bono restoration services on the memorial in 2000.

The program will be moderated by Veletta Lill, Executive Director of the Dallas Arts District.

Free and open to the public, the program begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Museum’s seventh floor south gallery. Following the discussion are a reception and a book signing by Mr. Welch and an optional walk to the Kennedy Memorial (weather permitting) where Phoenix I will unveil its most recent contribution to the site: new gold leaf applied to the letters in the name John Fitzgerald Kennedy on the black granite slab in the middle of the memorial.

Complimentary parking will be available at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza parking lot, immediately adjacent to the Museum.

This evening is presented by the American Institute of Architects of Dallas, the Dallas Architecture Forum and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

Robert Kennedy’s Assassination – 42 Years Ago Today, Hope Died �

Robert Kennedy’s Assassination – 42 Years Ago Today, Hope Died �

Martin London: Smash That Infomercial!: The Omissions and Lies in HBO's Film About Ron Galella

Martin London: Smash That Infomercial!: The Omissions and Lies in HBO's Film About Ron Galella

Robert Chapman Has Passed Away

A dear friend and fellow researcher has left us. Robert Chapman was a close friend and research partner for the late Mary Ferrell. I met them both at the ASK Symposium in 1995 and they welcomed me into the JFK assassination community. He and Mary were with me continually as JFK Lancer grew. Robert would tell wonderful stories about his time with Mary, especially how back in 1977 they were sitting a table in her home going over stacks of documents when Robert found one from CIA that was about a French assassin, Jean Soutre, who had been arrested in Dallas by the FBI and deported the same day. He slid the paper across the table to Mary saying, "You might find this interesting." Kerry McCarthy 1997 His quick eye for details was a great talent, one he put to use in the JFK research community where he was speaker and host at the Lancer "November In Dallas" conferences. One of his proudest moments was in 1997 when he introduced Kennedy family member Kerry McCarthy to our Banquet audience saying, "We have with us tonight, as a special guest speaker, a very distinguished individual from a very distinguished family. Kerry McCarthy is the first member of the Kennedy Family to come forward to an event of this nature: to embrace our aims, our goals, our efforts and to endorse the research and the effort that we are all doing on behalf of the memory of a member of her family." Kerry thanked Robert by answering, "And if that means I have embraced the research community, what the heck has taken the Kennedy's so long to do it?" Robert at Lancer's Memorial Banquet for Mary Ferrell Robert oversaw new research being offered, particularly regarding document releases by the ARRB in his tenure as Editor of "Assassination Chronicles" published by JFK Lancer and shared his finds liberally. He also spent years with writers helping with their research, offering his knowledge and encouraging their writing. Robert was a crucial negotiator in the purchase of Mary Ferrell's collection by businessman Ollie Curme and oversaw the creation of millions of pages of JFK assassination documents now online as the Mary Ferrell Foundation. In 1997, Robert was awarded the JFK Lancer "New Frontier" Award, which are "In appreciation for your contribution of new evidence and furthering the study of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy." In 1999 when Robert accepted the role of Editor for KAC, he sent me the following bio: Robert Chapman was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1949. His parents moved shortly thereafter to Houston, Texas where he spent his childhood and early teen years. He finished high school in Memphis, Tennessee, and then entered the University of Memphis. He graduated from the U of M in 1972, earning a BA in art history. In 1975, he attended a researcher's conference in New York City held at NYU. There he met Penn Jones, Jr.. Penn was very kind to him and invited him to call anytime to discuss the assassination, and to come and visit in Texas should Chapman ever find himself headed to Dallas. A subsequent telephone conversation resulted in an invitation to come in November of 1975 ("You can't understand this case until you take the tour, Penn drawled). Once there Penn did indeed take him on the tour, and equally important, to a party at Mary Ferrell's house. Mrs. Ferrell, who needs no introduction to any student of this subject, encouraged Chapman's research and offered to host him should he care to return sometime and see her archives. It was not necessary to repeat the offer. A friendship developed which led to an association that has lasted to the present day. From 1975 until 1982 Mrs. Ferrell would periodically call and announce the pending arrival of a large batch of recently de-classified documents. Usually these were documents pried from CIA or whomever under FOIA by the late Bud Fensterwald and sent directly (and often only) to Mrs. Ferrell. Chapman would drive or fly to Dallas on the agreed upon day and he and Mrs. Ferrell would spend three or four (nearly non-stop) days reading, analyzing, and indexing the documents. Sleep, when it occurred, consisted of maybe a four-hour nap. While from time to time he did contribute essays to Penn Jones' "Continuing Inquiry," Chapman's primary focus as a researcher has been document analysis. Years of kind mentoring by Mrs. Ferrell, and exposure to her tens of thousands of pages of documents, aided immeasurably in that pursuit. In 1982 Chapman was presented with an opportunity to enter the restaurant business by purchasing an existing business and expanding it. He has remained in the restaurant business to this day. His interest in the JFK assassination research never waned, however, and his relationship with Mrs. Ferrell and other researchers continued as well. Chapman attended all of the ASK conferences, as well as the JFK Lancer conferences working with and assisting Mrs. Ferrell. He also spoke at many of the conferences, or assisted the organizers in some official capacity. Chapman is married to the former Jamie Goree, and they have one daughter, Amanda. He writes fiction and is an inveterate reader of not only JFK material, but of many subjects far afield from that. Finally, I'd like to share with you what Robert wrote to his fellow researchers upon his acceptance as Editor: Taking over a project that has been ably and intelligently run for years by someone like George Michael Evica is a daunting task. George Michael is a friend of mine, and I have long respected his work, his passion, and his abilities. I hope that I can continue this work in a manner that approaches his standard. When Debra Conway first asked me about taking this position I was not sure how to answer. After all, I had never edited any magazine, and now was being offered the position in a magazine that is sent not only across America but also around the world. Debra and I talked about it, and I soon realized it was a project that I would enjoy. I was right. I have recently read through the back issues of this magazine and am very impressed with the steady growth in scope and quality over the years. The hard work of Debra, George Michael, and Tom Jones has paid off. This magazine is a first rate journal of research into the single most important crime (or political event) in the history of our country. This magazine, and others like it, is concerned with the free discussion and presentation of ideas and data that advances the cause of all Americans who care about our history, our justice, and our freedom. This magazine exists because of the failure of the national and local news media to allow independent investigative journalists to actively (much less aggressively) pursue the obvious mountain of evidence demonstrating that a conspiracy killed John F. Kennedy. This failure is a heavy burden that the media now bears, and I believe it is the primary reason for their continued promotion of nonsense published by those who would apologize for the Warren Report and its defenders. The result of this abnegation of responsibility by the media is that thousands of ordinary citizens, led by such first generation researchers as Mary Ferrell, Harold Weisberg, Penn Jones, Jr., and David Lifton (to name just a few) have taken it upon themselves to investigate this heinous crime and remarkable cover-up. We have in this issue a great group of researchers, and future issues will see even more. From its inception this magazine has been a forum for researchers to exchange ideas and information in the hopes of one day understanding the truth about what really happened in Dallas and how it was covered up. That is truly the bottom line: how it was covered up. We may never know who really pulled the trigger on the gun that murdered John Kennedy, but there can be little doubt that we are very, very close to having proof about those responsible for the most obvious of the conspiracy - the cover-up. Rest in peace dear friend, Debra Conway

Service for Robert Chapman ROBERT ANDERSON CHAPMAN, 60, owner of Molly's La Casita Restaurant since 1982, died peacefully on May 30, 2010. Robert is survived by his loving wife of 26 years, Jamie Goree Chapman, daughter Amanda Bailey Bogart (Alan), his mother Betty Wells Chapman, sisters, Susan Wilson (Clayton), Debbie Trimble (Jerry), brothers, Hal Chapman (Linda) and Charles Chapman. He was preceded in death by his father Arthur Robert Chapman and an infant sister, Rebecca. Robert was a graduate of Whitehaven High School and Memphis State University. He was also a board member emeritus of the University of Memphis Art Museum and a member of The Memphis Restaurant Association. He was a loving, kind and spiritual soul. Before his stroke, Robert was an avid golfer and a gifted artist. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and loving family. Visitation will be Tuesday, June 1 from 5-7 pm., and funeral service will be Wednesday, June 2 at 1 pm., both at Memorial Park Funeral Home. Interment will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials may be made to The Church Health Center or the American Stroke Association . Published in The Commercial Appeal on June 1, 2010 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."   - Matthew 5:3-9   Read more about Robert Chapman: Article about Robert's restaurant, "Molly's" in Memphis, Tenn. Leave a message for Robert's loved ones online here. Leave your thoughts and memories about Robert on the Lancer forum. Sincerely,   Debra Conway