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From the November-December, 1995 issue (Vol. 3 No. 1) |
The death of Richard Case Nagell is a melancholy reverberation for those of us who pursue the American assassinations of the 1960's. First, it reminds us that this strange man, this valuable eyewitness, never got to testify in any legal investigation of the JFK case. When one surveys the peripheral and trivial witnesses who paraded before both the Warren Commission and the HSCA, the reader can see how this case has not only been mishandled but never really opened by either body. Secondly, fitting with the other side's delay tactics, witness after valuable witness has now shifted off this mortal coil. In the space of a bit more than three months, both Perry Russo and Nagell have died. This is before the ARRB has shifted into its sworn testimony phase, a stage which, our sources tell us, the Board eagerly looks forward to.
In other Board-related stories, Peter Scott explores the potential connection between the DFS and CIA bugging of Mexico City embassies in the 60's. Could there be another copy of these audio tapes? The Board should explore this possibility. We give the reader a look at the Board's administrative and day-to-day structure and staff with the chart on page 4. We also bring the reader up to speed on the latest Board releases and its first cut at the HSCA documents.
In complementary pieces by Carol Hewett and Milicent Cranor, Probe explores the possibility of silenced rifles in Dealey Plaza to explain the puzzling acoustics in the JFK case. This possibility was first mentioned by Jim Hougan in his 1978 book Spooks. To our knowledge, this is the first sustained examination of that issue. In a special section on another neglected aspect of the case, Probe looks at the use of potentially compromised "experts" to examine the medical evidence. John McCarthy gives us firsthand info on the curious case of Pierre Finck. Lisa Pease takes a startling look at the people behind the formation of Ramsey Clark's 1968 review panel.
Except for Jerry Policoff, few of us have looked at the effect of media conglomerates on the coverage of the assassinations. We do in Probe's second "Media Watch". We also recommend the best documentary ever made on the CIA and tell you how to get it. And more about the curious Oliver "Buck" Revell, FBI point man to the public in the JFK case, is filled in here.
Finally, we should thank two unbilled sources for material. Milicent Cranor supplied the info in the Finck sidebar on page 11. Nagell's stunning letter was given to us by a former investigator for Jim Garrison. Except for interviews with his biographer, Dick Russell, this was the only time the man was able to speak openly about his experience on this case. We are glad we have the opportunity to print it intact. We are sad we live in a society in which Nagell could speak candidly only from the grave.
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