18-04-2019, 07:51 PM
The quote from the FBI memo cited earlier (#176) has an insignificant date error. More important is that Benavides gave a statement to the FBI on the date of the assassination. Recall Leavelle's report of 11/22/63 that says Benavides also gave an affidavit to DPD on the date of the assassination. That makes two missing items from someone routinely considered a major eye witness following the WR publication.
Doubly important is Benavides' reference to the "red Ford" in the FBI statement made well before it popped up at the tail end of his WC testimony. It's not much of a stretch to sense the presence of a red Ford in the DPD affidavit.
So why would the FBI want to squelch this item? There would have been no reason to keep Tatum's presence at the scene concealed, a far more effective eye witness than Markham, and no reason at all to suppress an adventitious vehicle of any description driven by a non-entity. Much more likely the purpose was to conceal the presence of someone whose identity if it were revealed would have caused grave problems for the scenario being worked out immediately after Tippit's murder.
Two distinct possibilities:
1. Vaganov
2. LHO double seen at El Chico by T.F. White
Both drove red Fords, notwithstanding Vaganov's white roof. The Ford was a wild card in Benavides' hand, therefore variable, until Moriarty converted it into a joker named Tatum.
Here's the whole text with date correction:
TO: SAC, DALLAS (89-43) DATE: 3/1/67
FROM: DONALD J. HODGENS
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT
JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY,
DALLAS, TEXAS, 11/22/63
MISCELLANEOUS - INFO CONCERNING
OO-DALLAS
On 2/27/67, DOMINGO BENAVIDES, 910 East Hobson, Dallas, telephone FR4-4500, telephonically contacted the writer and advised that he had been interviewed by the FBI on a prior occasion, during the assassination investigation because he was a witness to the OSWALD - TIPPIT killing.
BENAVIDES said that on or about 2/10/1967, he received a long distance phone call from a man who identified himself as JOHN BERENDT, a reporter, for Esquire Magazine in New York. BERENDT stated that he wanted to speak with BENAVIDES about a man called IGOR VAGANOV. During the conversation BERENDT stated that he wanted to show a photograph of VAGANOV to BENAVIDES in an effort to determine if BENAVIDES had seen VAGANOV in the area of the OSWALD - TIPPIT killing on the date of the assassination.
BENAVIDES stated he agreed to view the photograph if and when it was shown to him. Shortly thereafter BERENDT visited BENAVIDES atthis [sic] place of business and in his company was VAGANOV. BENAVIDES stated that he did not identify VAGANOV as being in the area of the assassination scene, and so stated to BERENDT.
BENAVIDES furnished the above information to the FBI indicating that he had a photograph of VAGANOV which had been left with him by BERENDT. BENAVIDES stated if the FBI desired the photograph they could have it at any time they wanted to pick it up. In conclusion, BENAVIDES stated that VAGANOV appeared familiar to him for some reason, but he can not state now where he has seen him in the past. It was BENAVIDES belief that BERENDT was trying to place VAGANOV at the scene possibly as the mand [sic] in the "red Ford" which he (BENAVIDES) had eluded [sic] to in his statement to the FBI on the date of the assassination.
ACTION
Route this memorandum to supervisor ROBERT P. GEMBERLING for action deemed appropriate by him.
http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%...m%2001.pdf
Doubly important is Benavides' reference to the "red Ford" in the FBI statement made well before it popped up at the tail end of his WC testimony. It's not much of a stretch to sense the presence of a red Ford in the DPD affidavit.
So why would the FBI want to squelch this item? There would have been no reason to keep Tatum's presence at the scene concealed, a far more effective eye witness than Markham, and no reason at all to suppress an adventitious vehicle of any description driven by a non-entity. Much more likely the purpose was to conceal the presence of someone whose identity if it were revealed would have caused grave problems for the scenario being worked out immediately after Tippit's murder.
Two distinct possibilities:
1. Vaganov
2. LHO double seen at El Chico by T.F. White
Both drove red Fords, notwithstanding Vaganov's white roof. The Ford was a wild card in Benavides' hand, therefore variable, until Moriarty converted it into a joker named Tatum.
Here's the whole text with date correction:
TO: SAC, DALLAS (89-43) DATE: 3/1/67
FROM: DONALD J. HODGENS
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT
JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY,
DALLAS, TEXAS, 11/22/63
MISCELLANEOUS - INFO CONCERNING
OO-DALLAS
On 2/27/67, DOMINGO BENAVIDES, 910 East Hobson, Dallas, telephone FR4-4500, telephonically contacted the writer and advised that he had been interviewed by the FBI on a prior occasion, during the assassination investigation because he was a witness to the OSWALD - TIPPIT killing.
BENAVIDES said that on or about 2/10/1967, he received a long distance phone call from a man who identified himself as JOHN BERENDT, a reporter, for Esquire Magazine in New York. BERENDT stated that he wanted to speak with BENAVIDES about a man called IGOR VAGANOV. During the conversation BERENDT stated that he wanted to show a photograph of VAGANOV to BENAVIDES in an effort to determine if BENAVIDES had seen VAGANOV in the area of the OSWALD - TIPPIT killing on the date of the assassination.
BENAVIDES stated he agreed to view the photograph if and when it was shown to him. Shortly thereafter BERENDT visited BENAVIDES atthis [sic] place of business and in his company was VAGANOV. BENAVIDES stated that he did not identify VAGANOV as being in the area of the assassination scene, and so stated to BERENDT.
BENAVIDES furnished the above information to the FBI indicating that he had a photograph of VAGANOV which had been left with him by BERENDT. BENAVIDES stated if the FBI desired the photograph they could have it at any time they wanted to pick it up. In conclusion, BENAVIDES stated that VAGANOV appeared familiar to him for some reason, but he can not state now where he has seen him in the past. It was BENAVIDES belief that BERENDT was trying to place VAGANOV at the scene possibly as the mand [sic] in the "red Ford" which he (BENAVIDES) had eluded [sic] to in his statement to the FBI on the date of the assassination.
ACTION
Route this memorandum to supervisor ROBERT P. GEMBERLING for action deemed appropriate by him.
http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%...m%2001.pdf