Let's make a list of JFK "people of interest" that are still alive?

[Drew Phipps]

It's been 51 years and I'm wondering how many of the witnesses/law enforcement people/potential conspirators are still alive. I am not meaning by this list to impugn anyone's character, just to place these names in context.

I changed my mind and am not going to assign these names to a potential role, feeling that the discussion of potential role of each person might sidetrack the discussion. I think I'd like to restrict the names here to people who were alive in 1963 and had some sort of connection to the actual assassination. I'm ordering the list as I think of people, not for any perceived order of importance.

I'll need lots of assistance and input, I'm sure. I am periodically going to edit this OP to add the names others are contributing.

For ease of use, I am going to order the names in alphabetical order, so subsequent contributors can easily see if the names they are thinking of have already been listed.

A
Bradley Ayers

B
Judyth V. Baker
Marrion L. Baker
Thomas Beckham
Abraham Bolden
Elmer "Sonny" Boyd
Barbara Bush
George H.W. Bush

C
Posada Carrilles
William T. Coleman

D
James "Red" Duke

E
Amos Euins

F
Wesley Buell Frazier
James Earl Files

G

H
Clint Hill

I

J
Bill Johnson


K

L
Jim Leavelle
Marita Lorenz and her children

M
John Masen
Paul McCaghren
Dr. Robert McClelland
Mary Moorman


N
Bill and Gayle Newman

O
Sylvia Odio
Robert Oswald

P
Michael Paine
Ruth Paine
Patsy Paschall
John Pic
Marina Oswald-Porter
Tosh Plumlee

Q

R
Dan Rather

S

T
Tina Towner

U

V
Tony Veciana


W
Howard Willens


X

Y

Z

[Drew Phipps]

People that I can't tell if they are still alive or not

John Carl Day
Kenneth J. Porter
Jimmy Hoffa
Charles Rogers
Dr. Robert R. Shaw
Dr. Ronald C. Jones

[Don Jeffries]

Both Michael and Ruth Paine are still alive, to the best of my knowledge.

Bill and Gayle Newman
Patsy Paschall
Tina Towner
Howard Willens
Jim Leavelle
Bill Johnson (Dallas Police officer, was J.D. Tippit's partner, still alive as of 2013)
Elmer "Sonny" Boyd (DPD officer, escorted Oswald back and forth to interrogations- alive as of 2013)
Paul McCaghren (Officer who was part of the DPD team to "investigate" how Ruby got into the basement- alive as of 2013)

[Peter Lemkin]

This will be a very long list.....several hundred, if done well...just a few off the top of my head....

Thomas Beckham
All from AARB
All from HSCA
Bradley Ayers
Tony Veciana
Marita Lorenz and her children
Posada Carrilles
All of the Anti-Castro Cubans connected with CIA at the time.
All from the Garrison Investigation
All DPD
Family members and friends of primary persons who have died....or been murdered to silence them.
...and on and on and on....

I know some too I don't feel free to name....for their safety...or mine.

But what is your idea?...as there is not to be any investigation other than by the private research community on an ad hoc basis, one piece of the puzzle at a time....missing most of them and many missing the big picture.

[Drew Phipps]

My idea is to list the folks that might be available as sources of first hand information. Whether or not they would willingly cooperate is of course another question entirely. It seems valuable to me to "take inventory" (to use a gross de-personalization) of who might still be around to pose questions to. Family members of those who have passed certainly have their own memories, which are valuable in their own right to researchers, but not specifically what I am looking for here.

For instance, "All of DPD" doesn't really help pinpoint specific persons. The most key individuals, Curry, Fritz, then Decker (DSO), and Craig (DSO), aren't with us any more.

[Dawn Meredith]

Abraham Bolden.

John Pic

Robert Oswald

June Oswald and Rachel Oswald - although they will not talk with anyone connected to this case. They were both betrayed long ago by another researcher and sadly no longer trust the research community. Of course both now also have different last names. I think Rachel's is Buttermann. She married a Doctor. I attempted to talk with her when she worked here in Austin while getting her RN at UT, in 1995, but I knew what had happened to both she and June. So I was unsuccessful. I did speak briefly to June in 1988 but she was also not interested. (Both had gone on record as to wanting to help clear their father's name).

Dawn

[Peter Lemkin]

My idea is to list the folks that might be available as sources of first hand information. Whether or not they would willingly cooperate is of course another question entirely. It seems valuable to me to "take inventory" (to use a gross de-personalization) of who might still be around to pose questions to. Family members of those who have passed certainly have their own memories, which are valuable in their own right to researchers, but not specifically what I am looking for here.

For instance, "All of DPD" doesn't really help pinpoint specific persons. The most key individuals, Curry, Fritz, then Decker (DSO), and Craig (DSO), aren't with us any more.

On the 'first hand' I think you 1] miss the point and 2] have had the 'point' missed by the cover up. For example, a direct relative of Plumlee worked in the DPD, starting shortly after the events of Dallas, but his position put him in a direct position to know what records of which cases and DPD members were missing. I know, because I discussed this some with them - and some were quite 'telling' and significant. Other members not well known in the DPD at the time are still alive and likely know much more than you assume the Big Hitters only knew. Just one example.

I was just looking at a fairly comprehensive list of all eyewitnesses during the day [incomplete, I'm SURE]...most were never called by the WC nor HSCA - and those NOT called would likely be the more important - but any still alive from those called would also be. But, again, the 'first hand' to me is only logical when there isn't/wasn't a cover-up - and there was/is an immense one. Family members know about how their family members were ignored, what they told, or how they were threatened/pressured/thwarted and or silenced, etc.

..add all living SS members
all living hospital and autopsy staff
all incidental casket[s] transport staff
Dan Rather
..the list is huge...

here is a very partial list...just of some of those on the street or in TSBD...leaving out SO many other important groups.....then you need to find out who's still alive and IMHO find out who their close kith and kin who know and are alive are....

[Drew Phipps]

Peter: I can't name them if you don't, and the only law enforcement people whose names I have heard are either listed witnesses at some hearing, or folks that have already been written about. I'm not interested in "outing" someone who doesn't want to be known. In fact it would have been far better for you not to mention anything at all about them, as your connection to them might be exploited to their detriment.

Dawn: I'm going to pass on listing June and Rachel, not because they won't talk to researchers, but because they were so young it seems highly unlikely that they have any first hand knowledge. Of course the stories Marina (and others) told them as children are pertinent, but second- (or third-) hand.

Thanks for the list.

[Scott Kaiser]

There are a slew of names in my book that folks never heard of, those who have heard of the following I have interviewed and come to known for years now. Luis Posada, Felix Rodriquez, Jose Pujol, Mr. Junco, Nino Diaz and so many other's.

Just thought I'd share.