Mistaken Identity

[Richard Gilbride]

The book Mistaken Identity: What the Warren Commission Did Not Want You to Know is now available on Amazon. If you are interested at all in Harvey & Lee, you want the new information in this book. The author is recuperating from recent open-heart surgery, which prompted his decision to make this available. We had corresponded privately for a couple of years while we were members of Lancer, and with access to the recently-released 1940 census, and the Mormon database, it looks to me that he's hit a genealogical bull's-eye.

I was privileged to receive an advance copy last February, gave him critical feedback, and urged him to publish it as soon as possible. What follows is my book review at Amazon.

****************************

Breakthrough Research

This is an indispensable follow-up to John Armstrong's massive Harvey & Lee theory, and the reader should be familiar with that Oswald doppelganger research. The author- drawing on untapped genealogical sources- makes an impressive case that the doppelganger was born to a blood cousin of the historic Lee Harvey Oswald's mother. This information alone- which is breakthrough research- makes this book worth your time.

As a military veteran well-versed in its documentation, and an artist's inductive eye, the author found numerous anomalies that were overlooked by Armstrong and many other researchers- retyped enlistment forms, erasures in the dental records, two distinctive "Oswald" signatures, dates on forms that do not make sense unless- and these led him to conclude that numerous episodes assigned by Armstrong to "Harvey" were actually experienced by "Lee", and vice versa. And that the documentary record indicates enlistments both in Fort Worth and in Florida. And that these lookalike second cousins switched places once one of them had temporarily defected to Russia.

He uses the pen name William Torbitt II and discloses the previously-unknown identity of his predecessor, a lawyer who began circulating an underground conspirators' roster by photocopier in 1970. And that postulated assassination cabal is dispersed sufficiently throughout this work. Along with a detailed knowledge of rifles and ammunition. Along with a detailed knowledge of the controversial coffin-switch theory. But these tangents give the book an uber-conspiratorial tone, tending to complicate the presentation, and detracting from the author's own discoveries.

There are minor mistakes. Some police are misidentified in photos, leading to errors in their possible roles in the larger conspiracy. The case made for yet a 3rd Oswald while over in Russia is not very convincing. And the text has dozens of spelling and grammatical errors- but these are not unmanageable for the reader. It is my understanding that these errors are the result of a learning disorder. Outstanding writing is no guarantee of outstanding research. And the writing here is still quite clear.

Not only is this 500+ page book thick with things to think about, it is filled with photographs & documents- more than 250 of them. My congratulations on some diligent detective work. The author has made some impressive discoveries that are on solid ground and will stand up over time.

[Anthony Thorne]

Good work, and thank you for the review. If possible, the author should add or activate the 'look inside the book' feature on Amazon, so that readers can browse the contents listing and check a brief sample of the book. With volumes like this, it always helps.

[Peter Lemkin]

Pricey book. Interesting if true. Someone should notify Armstrong if he is not already aware of this. Putting the two theories together might lead to something of interest. Also a kind of 'peer review'.

[Dawn Meredith]

Pricey book. Interesting if true. Someone should notify Amstrong if he is not already aware of this. Putting the two theories together might lead to something of interest. Also a kind of 'peer review'.

I don't think he is aware. He called me yesterday to discuss his latest writing...I will ask him abut this. Does the author make any reference to Armstrong's work?

[Richard Gilbride]

Does he mention Armstrong? Um, does he ever stop mentioning him? Whatever comes of this, it doesn't diminish John Armstrong's revolutionary contribution to our knowledge of the accused assassin. Not one iota. It seems to me that "William Torbitt II's" background information on the family origins of the doppelganger is correct. Which is an improvement on John's hypothesis that one of the LHOs was of Eastern European lineage.

The major revision I see to Armstrong's placement of the two LHOs, in sorting out the military documentation, is that the historic LHO ("Harvey") was the one stationed at Atsugi, Japan- not "Lee". They're referred to as Oswald A and Oswald B. There are minor revisions as to which LHO was at Keesler and Santa Ana. The postulated switch in Russia is interesting, a good case is made, but not stringent enough to certify. The argument made for a 3rd Oswald there is flimsy.

It is pricey and a thick read. I got through the first 1/3 quickly but bogged down after that, too many uber-conspiratorial complications that don't quite connect. But there are several remarkable items in that first 1/3.

I will contact him about getting "a look inside" through Amazon. And also encourage him to join a forum and speak for himself. I have plenty enough on my own plate to contend with.

[LR Trotter]

Does he mention Armstrong? Um, does he ever stop mentioning him? Whatever comes of this, it doesn't diminish John Armstrong's revolutionary contribution to our knowledge of the accused assassin. Not one iota. It seems to me that "William Torbitt II's" background information on the family origins of the doppelganger is correct. Which is an improvement on John's hypothesis that one of the LHOs was of Eastern European lineage.

The major revision I see to Armstrong's placement of the two LHOs, in sorting out the military documentation, is that the historic LHO ("Harvey") was the one stationed at Atsugi, Japan- not "Lee". They're referred to as Oswald A and Oswald B. There are minor revisions as to which LHO was at Keesler and Santa Ana. The postulated switch in Russia is interesting, a good case is made, but not stringent enough to certify. The argument made for a 3rd Oswald there is flimsy.

It is pricey and a thick read. I got through the first 1/3 quickly but bogged down after that, too many uber-conspiratorial complications that don't quite connect. But there are several remarkable items in that first 1/3.

I will contact him about getting "a look inside" through Amazon. And also encourage him to join a forum and speak for himself. I have plenty enough on my own plate to contend with.

[size=12]Strictly for clarification, I have yet to embrace the Harvey and Lee scenario, and continue to believe it to be a theory. However, I have not concluded it to be an impossibility, and certainly do not wish to, and will not, discuss/debate the issue.

Maybe relevant, maybe not, but in part of Texas, at least, during the 1950s and 1960s, at least, the public school year began in late January, and/or in late August or early September, dependent upon date of birth. In the case of LeeHarveyOswald, due to an October date of birth, a possibility exists, repeat,a possibility exists,that at least some of his public school grade levels could have had a school year/grade level beginning in January, with a mid-grade level, low versus high, summer break.
[/SIZE]