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http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/peter-worth...ird%20News

Here we go again!

Another conspiracy theory -- this time by a woman who has written a 600-page book (Me and Lee) claiming she and Lee Harvey Oswald were lovers and that instead of assassinating John Kennedy in 1963, he was trying to save him.

That might seem a stretch to some, but Judyth Vary Baker, now pushing 70-years-old, was in Toronto yesterday to push her book and attend what would have been Oswald's 72nd birthday party, held appropriately at the Conspiracy Culture Shop on Queen St. West.

For some, it's hard to take Ms Baker seriously.

Then again, it is likely true that she knew and worked with Oswald in New Orleans (the Reily Coffee Company) in the months prior to his (alleged) assassination of JFK on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. May even have been his lover. She was married then -- and was divorced in 1987, the mother of five kids, now all adults.

Because I was the only Canadian journalist in the underground garage of the Dallas police station who witnessed Jack Ruby gun down Oswald on Nov. 24, some assume I have special knowledge of the Kennedy slaying.

I don't, although I've followed the case and periodically remarked on various inconsistencies and unanswered questions that abound in the shooting.


Ms Baker's contention that Oswald's earlier defection to the Soviet Union, where he married the niece of a high ranking military officer, was really a CIA-penetration, is patently silly. The mystery of Oswald's defection to the USSR is that he was allowed to return to America with a Russian wife.

Why did the Soviets let him return; why did America accept him? Dunno. It didn't happen with others -- why only Oswald? This reality has always been fuel for conspiracy buffs.

The "they" Ms. Baker says Oswald was trying to save the president from, are ether mafia types who wanted Kennedy dead, the CIA and/or Vice President Lyndon Johnson and people around him who felt Kennedy was betraying the nation.

This makes no sense whatsoever.

As someone who was there that weekend, I've always felt that if there had been a conspiracy to kill the president, in the 48 years since that infamous day, someone would have talked, or written, or revealed involvement.

A conspiracy would include many people, but nothing has ever emerged -- no diary, deathbed confessions, no authentic documentation of planned murder.

Still, valid questions prevail.

What I find interesting is how some of the witnesses of JFK's murder that November noon who were quoted extensively at the time, have changed their stories as years have passed. This isn't sinister, but human memory at work. As time passes and more details are learned, stories tend to change or adapt without the person realizing it.

And so it is with the Kennedy slaying -- as seen in memories of the "grassy knoll" where supposedly gunshots were heard, not necessarily at the time, but in later recollections.

Why has Judyth Baker waited so long before telling her story?

She says she feared for her life, as many who were connected with the case began dying -- if not mysteriously, at least before their time. Judyth became something of a recluse (do recluses usually have five children, one wonders?) until conscience and a desire for truth and justice persuaded her to write this book to clear Oswald's name.

I suspect it's a bit late for that, but give her marks for trying.

I remember talking to Jim Garrison, former New Orleans District Attorney who unearthed conspirators who supposedly killed JFK.

Garrison's prime suspect was businessman Clay Shaw who was acquitted and it became apparent (to some) that Garrison was a conspiracy nutbar. At least that was my impression -- if not Oliver Stone's, who make the film JFK, in which Kevin Costner played Garrison as if he had credibility.

At the very least, Judyth Baker is controversial, with believers and disbelievers in her contention that Lee Harvey Oswald was really a patriot who was railroaded into being a scapegoat for a CIA/mafia conspiracy.

While it's plausible that the mafia might want JFK snuffed, it taxes credulity as to why the CIA would want him terminated -- as improbable as Lee Harvey Oswald being a CIA operative going to Russia, and later trying to save the president's life.
Stardust Wrote:http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/peter-worth...ird%20News

Here we go again!

Another conspiracy theory -- this time by a woman who has written a 600-page book (Me and Lee) claiming she and Lee Harvey Oswald were lovers and that instead of assassinating John Kennedy in 1963, he was trying to save him.

That might seem a stretch to some, but Judyth Vary Baker, now pushing 70-years-old, was in Toronto yesterday to push her book and attend what would have been Oswald's 72nd birthday party, held appropriately at the Conspiracy Culture Shop on Queen St. West.

For some, it's hard to take Ms Baker seriously.

Then again, it is likely true that she knew and worked with Oswald in New Orleans (the Reily Coffee Company) in the months prior to his (alleged) assassination of JFK on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. May even have been his lover. She was married then -- and was divorced in 1987, the mother of five kids, now all adults.

Because I was the only Canadian journalist in the underground garage of the Dallas police station who witnessed Jack Ruby gun down Oswald on Nov. 24, some assume I have special knowledge of the Kennedy slaying.

I don't, although I've followed the case and periodically remarked on various inconsistencies and unanswered questions that abound in the shooting.


Ms Baker's contention that Oswald's earlier defection to the Soviet Union, where he married the niece of a high ranking military officer, was really a CIA-penetration, is patently silly. The mystery of Oswald's defection to the USSR is that he was allowed to return to America with a Russian wife.

Why did the Soviets let him return; why did America accept him? Dunno. It didn't happen with others -- why only Oswald? This reality has always been fuel for conspiracy buffs.

The "they" Ms. Baker says Oswald was trying to save the president from, are ether mafia types who wanted Kennedy dead, the CIA and/or Vice President Lyndon Johnson and people around him who felt Kennedy was betraying the nation.

This makes no sense whatsoever.

As someone who was there that weekend, I've always felt that if there had been a conspiracy to kill the president, in the 48 years since that infamous day, someone would have talked, or written, or revealed involvement.

A conspiracy would include many people, but nothing has ever emerged -- no diary, deathbed confessions, no authentic documentation of planned murder.

Still, valid questions prevail.

What I find interesting is how some of the witnesses of JFK's murder that November noon who were quoted extensively at the time, have changed their stories as years have passed. This isn't sinister, but human memory at work. As time passes and more details are learned, stories tend to change or adapt without the person realizing it.

And so it is with the Kennedy slaying -- as seen in memories of the "grassy knoll" where supposedly gunshots were heard, not necessarily at the time, but in later recollections.

Why has Judyth Baker waited so long before telling her story?

She says she feared for her life, as many who were connected with the case began dying -- if not mysteriously, at least before their time. Judyth became something of a recluse (do recluses usually have five children, one wonders?) until conscience and a desire for truth and justice persuaded her to write this book to clear Oswald's name.

I suspect it's a bit late for that, but give her marks for trying.

I remember talking to Jim Garrison, former New Orleans District Attorney who unearthed conspirators who supposedly killed JFK.

Garrison's prime suspect was businessman Clay Shaw who was acquitted and it became apparent (to some) that Garrison was a conspiracy nutbar. At least that was my impression -- if not Oliver Stone's, who make the film JFK, in which Kevin Costner played Garrison as if he had credibility.

At the very least, Judyth Baker is controversial, with believers and disbelievers in her contention that Lee Harvey Oswald was really a patriot who was railroaded into being a scapegoat for a CIA/mafia conspiracy.

While it's plausible that the mafia might want JFK snuffed, it taxes credulity as to why the CIA would want him terminated -- as improbable as Lee Harvey Oswald being a CIA operative going to Russia, and later trying to save the president's life.


<cough> (Lee and I) <cough*cough>...


lol, anyway...interesting. I'm going to look into this book and then come back to post my opinion on yet another conspiracy theory.
Lee Harvey acted alone
Never thought he acted alone.
There's never been a doubt in my mind the Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. In my opinion there's never been one shred of credible evidence to convince me to think otherwise. To remove all doubt from your mind, if you are one that feels there was a conspiracy, read Vincent Bugliosi's 1,600 page book (which took 20 years of research) titled "Reclaiming History". Another well researched book is Gerald Posner's "Case Closed". Posner was a person who believed in a conspiracy and that theme was what his original book was suppose to be about, but once he started his research it didn't take him very long to see that he had no story because there obviously had not been a conspiracy. So he reversed gears and wrote the accurate account: a lone gunman assassination book.

There will always be conspiracy books and magazines and lecture tours, or whatever, about conspiracies in the JFK assassination. Why? Because it sells and that means money to the conspiracy pushers. So they will bend any truth, conjure up all kinds of wild stories, and spend endless hours chasing silly leads that really go nowhere but they will word it in a way to attempt to convince the reader that there more to it that there actually was. For instance, that Jack Ruby was a mob hit man sent to silence Oswald so he couldn't rat them out. Totally ludricous. Those that new Ruby said he was the biggest blabber mouth in Texas, couldn't keep a secret. And he was very emotionally unstable. Yep, the mafia's idea man for a major hit job. The truth is that the day that he killed Oswald was just a case of an angry, hurt man being in the right place at the right time. He had actually been in line at Western Union waiting to wire money to one of his strippers at the time that Oswald was suppose to have exited the police station. But because Oswald wanted to change his shirt and had asked to go back and do that, the time it took to do that allowed Ruby to be in the area where the shooting eventually took place. He had easy access to the police station areas because he knew all the officers since he had a habit of taking them sandwiches and drinks at various times. He was a strip club owner he felt it was in his own best interest to keep on their good side. He didn't draw much attention when he entered the area of Oswald's exit. When he saw Oswald, his brother later stated that Ruby told him that he felt Oswald had a smirk on his face, so he got all excited, drew his gun and shot him. Simple as that. All this while his beloved dog was in his car waiting for his return. What kind of man takes his pet to the scene of his hit?

I like the answer that was quoted on the Peter Jennings ABC special about 10 years ago about why so many people still believe there was a conspiracy in the assassination. I may not get the quote verbatim but it was something like this: "Some people just can't bring themselves to believe that some nobody like Oswald was able to kill the most powerful man in the world. It's like the Halocaust, a gigantic crime of cruelty and murder, on one end of a balance scale, and the Nazis, the most evil regime the world had ever seen, on the other end of the scale, they balance each other: most evil regime and the worst mass murder in history. But if you put the insignificant nobody Oswald on one end of the scale and the assassination of the President on the other end, it doesn't balance. But a conspiracy does the job nicely and makes the scale balance."


I remember very vividly the day that the assassination happened. I was in 4th grade and we had just returned to our room at school from lunch. So, I went through the next few days as stunned as a 9 year old could be from watching the murder of Oswald by Ruby, seeing the funeral, and all the other news on the two stations that we were able to get at that time. But even at that young age I didn't think there was a conspiracy and I still don't. They discovered his sniper's nest on the sixth floor that day. His finger prints were on the rifle. The boy that he rode to work with that morning siad he had an long object wrapped in brown paper that he said was curtain rods. The brown paper was later identified by the driver as the same that Oswald had that morning. The pistol they took from Oswald at the theater where he was arrested was the same gun used to Kill a Dallas police officer shortly after the Kennedy assassination. Oswald was the olny worker missing on roll call at the Book Depository following the assassination. And on and on. The evidence just kept piling up.

The conspiracy pushers got a little bump from a House Select Committee investigating a second shooter in 1978 when a team of acoustics scholars convinced the committee that they had proof of a second shooter by using the sound recording on a police officer's dictabelt while he was on his motorcycle. But their researched was later proved that the motorcycle was not even in the area were they claimed it to be. So, their research and conclusions were flawed and inaccurate and has now been discredited.

But the conspiracies will always live on because it's human nature. And it sell books, lectures, and movies. The insignificance of the scum of a creature like Oswald ending Camelot, it just isn't suppose to end that way. So, conspiracy advocates keep the presses hot and the rumors hotter. I saw a magazine at Walmart a few weeks ago that pointed the finger at LBJ. It will get even crazier as the 50th anniversary of the assassination is next month. Be prepared. Be objective and realistic.
It was all CIA
I don't know; this is my favorite conspiracy. As far as no "death bed confessions, authentic documentations, diaries, etc", are concerned; I can point to Jimmy Hoffa. No, he hasn't been dead as long as JFK, but half of Detroit has been dug up looking for his body and at the direction of those who are "in the know"; all to no avail.

Jackie Kennedy Onasis was firmly convinced that LBJ was ultimately responsible. The fact that Lady Bird's family was a huge stock holder in the Bell helicopters that were used in Viet Nam and JFK's role in trying to reduce and ultimately end that action lends some credibility to that theory, IMO.

Lots and lots of information there, and valid questions. I'm not saying that Oswald did or did not act alone but I like keeping an open mind.
RunItUpTheGut Wrote:It was all CIA

That's a definitive statement. I'm sure you have all kinds if credible proof. And I want to emphasize "credible". Not some hearsay, assumptions, story fabrications,or witness recreating events from decades ago from faded memories. Most are attention seekers wanting to keep the myth alive for monetary reasons.....you know, selling books and magazine articles or making movies and documentaries.
Granny Bear Wrote:I don't know; this is my favorite conspiracy. As far as no "death bed confessions, authentic documentations, diaries, etc", are concerned; I can point to Jimmy Hoffa. No, he hasn't been dead as long as JFK, but half of Detroit has been dug up looking for his body and at the direction of those who are "in the know"; all to no avail.

Jackie Kennedy Onasis was firmly convinced that LBJ was ultimately responsible. The fact that Lady Bird's family was a huge stock holder in the Bell helicopters that were used in Viet Nam and JFK's role in trying to reduce and ultimately end that action lends some credibility to that theory, IMO.

Lots and lots of information there, and valid questions. I'm not saying that Oswald did or did not act alone but I like keeping an open mind.

I can't see the LBJ/Lady Bell Helicopter angle. LBJ was already wealthy. He wouldn't have been crazy enough to set up a plan for the assassination of JFK for that reason. And it would have taken quite a few other people's involvement in the conspiracy to pull it off. How could that many people keep a secret like that for 50 years? They couldn't and there's been no credible proof of LBJ's involvement. In addition, if he was going to do something as crazy as that he darn sure wouldn't have allowed it to have happened in his home state with himself in the parade possession.
I'm not trying to prove it, just fodder for thought. Jackie was certainly convinced of it, and there's always the theory of hiding in plain sight...

By the way LOOKAYANNER, the last time we had this discussion, I had just ordered Jackie's book with the CDs that had her interview on it. I anticipated this book and CDs for days before I finally got it. Waited til I was completely alone, and started listening. I was so disappointed!!

To be perfectly honest, I had always deeply respected Jackie for her discretion and loyalty in the face of obvious betrayal on JFK's part. After the read, and listening to all the CDs, I've got to wonder if she had the sense to know what was going on. It was, to be kind, a little pathetic.
One of the biggest media sources that keeps fanning the flames for the conspiracy theories is the History Channel. I'm very disappointed that they choose to sell their soul for the all mighty dollar and increased audiences. Programs such as the documentary series titled "The Men Who Shot JFK" are so full of inaccuracies and misinformation they would make Oliver Stone blush. The least they could do if they want to keep the label "History Channel" is follow each of those programs with several repeats of the CBS/Dan Rather documentary on the assassination, or the ABC/ Peter Jennings documentary that aired about 10 years ago. Those are both credible media sources that really don't have any reason or agenda to air misleading information. And both concluded that there was no credible evidence of any conspiracy to assassinate the President. Wouldn't you think if there was just a thread of evidence of a conspiracy that CBS or ABC would want to be the first to break the news. That would be MAJOR news. That's what they strive for.
LOOKAYANNER Wrote:One of the biggest media sources that keeps fanning the flames for the conspiracy theories is the History Channel. I'm very disappointed that they choose to sell their soul for the all mighty dollar and increased audiences. Programs such as the documentary series titled "The Men Who Shot JFK" are so full of inaccuracies and misinformation they would make Oliver Stone blush. The least they could do if they want to keep the label "History Channel" is follow each of those programs with several repeats of the CBS/Dan Rather documentary on the assassination, or the ABC/ Peter Jennings documentary that aired about 10 years ago. Those are both credible media sources that really don't have any reason or agenda to air misleading information. And both concluded that there was no credible evidence of any conspiracy to assassinate the President. Wouldn't you think if there was just a thread of evidence of a conspiracy that CBS or ABC would want to be the first to break the news. That would be MAJOR news. That's what they strive for.

First bold.....inaccuracies and misinformation according to whom?
Second bold.....CBS/Dan Rather and ABC/Peter Jennings are the measuring stick for credibility?????
Third bold.....credible and media are two words that should never be used in the same sentence, IMO
Fourth bold.....They strive for major news?? I don't agree. They strive for popularity, political correctness and making money more so than even the History Channel.
Granny Bear Wrote:First bold.....inaccuracies and misinformation according to whom?
Second bold.....CBS/Dan Rather and ABC/Peter Jennings are the measuring stick for credibility?????
Third bold.....credible and media are two words that should never be used in the same sentence, IMO
Fourth bold.....They strive for major news?? I don't agree. They strive for popularity, political correctness and making money more so than even the History Channel.

I understand what you're saying about the news media, and I agree, it has certainly changed over the last couple of decades. But still, it would be the biggest news story on any of the major news networks if they could be the first to prove without a doubt that there was a conspiracy to assassinate the President. It would be the lead news story on every news program for weeks. They've covered all the bases and they can't do it. So they move on to the next most logical choice, that there was not a conspiracy. Oswald acted alone that day. He had the opportunity because he worked in a building that the motorcade was going to be passing by, and he seized the moment to commit his terrible crime. All the evidence suggest that he did it. His finger prints were on the gun and the snipers nest of boxes. The brown paper wrapping found in the room with the gun on the sixth floor match the brown paper that the boy who drove Oswald to work that morning said he saw wrapped around what Oswald said was curtain rods. Laser test from the sixth floor prove that the shots that struck Kennedy and Connelly trace directly from that floor to where they struck their targets. Oswald was missing from the building after the murder. I could go on and on. But all the lead investigators conclude that Oswald acted alone and that the Warren Commission got it right. Oswald was the only one who knew his plans on that fateful day.
Bugliosi's book took 1,600 pages but it covered every detail, including debunking all the conspiracy theories. It's a long but excellent read.
Also, Bugliosi's "Reclaiming History" is suppose to eventually be a 12 part documentary on HBO produced by Tom Hanks. It was to be ready for the 50th anniversary of the assassination but I heard it was running behind schedule.
I want to see that! And I read his book, at your recommendation...remember??

I can agree with most everything you posted, until the sentence that begins with..."Laser tests.....

I'm not saying there was a conspiracy but we now know that the media is so biased I don't believe anything just because they report it. I also have no faith in the politicians that made up the Warren Commission.

Yes, the lead investigators concluded that Oswald acted alone. I don't because I don't "conclude" anything.

Ever visit that place?? It's surreal.
Yes, I've been there. I agree, it's an unbelievable feeling to be in the very vicinity of the assassination. All kinds of emotions.
What did you think of the book? It took me quite a while to read it. I usually only read after I go to bed. I was several weeks getting through it, but it was worth it.

Granny I agree that everyone should keep an open mind about this tragedy. Maybe something someday will come out that will convince me that there was a conspiracy, but as of right now that hasn't happened. I just don't think that the Mafia, Cuba, Soviet Union, LBJ, CIA, FBI, the military/industrial complex, etc, had anything to do with the assassination, based on the evidence that I've read and researched. A good website to go to for tons of information is: JFK/ The Kennedy Assassination Home Page. It's run by John McAdams. It is divided into categories titled "Dealey Plaza", The Single Bullet Theory", "Lee Harvey Oswald", "Jim Garrison and New Orleans", "Medical Evidence", Bogus Evidence", "Jack Ruby", "Oliver Stone's Movie JFK", "Assassination Witnesses ", etc.
McAdam's has done a massive amount of research and keeps it updated.
Granny Bear Wrote:I want to see that! And I read his book, at your recommendation...remember??

I can agree with most everything you posted, until the sentence that begins with..."Laser tests.....

I'm not saying there was a conspiracy but we now know that the media is so biased I don't believe anything just because they report it. I also have no faith in the politicians that made up the Warren Commission.

Yes, the lead investigators concluded that Oswald acted alone. I don't because I don't "conclude" anything.

Ever visit that place?? It's surreal.

On the bolded, Dale Meyers was the individual that did the research. He is an award winning specialist in computer animation.He built a 3-D model of Dealey Plaza, the limo,and Kennedy and Connally, to prove that the shots that struck the President and the Governor came from the sixth floor of the Book Depository Building. His research also was the work that disproved the scientist conclusion at the House Select Committee meeting in 1978 that said they had evidence of more than one shooter due to the audio sound from a dictabelt on a motorcycle police officer. After his reports were made available in the mid 1990's the 1978 conclusions have been rendered invalid, a big blow to conspiracy theorist.
Google Dale Meyers name and there should be some video of his conclusions. It aired on the ABC News special hosted by Peter Jennings called "Beyond Conspiracy".
I liked the book, but swear had to re-read passages so often that I probably ended up reading the danged thing 4 times!! I thought it difficult to understand and keep straight, but like you said, worth the time.
Granny Bear Wrote:I liked the book, but swear had to re-read passages so often that I probably ended up reading the danged thing 4 times!! I thought it difficult to understand and keep straight, but like you said, worth the time.

I agree. It's really a giant reference book. I went back last night and read some on the section about LBJ. You got my interest on the conspiracies about him with your discussion in one of the above post. Bugliosi devoted several pages to debunking the claims against Johnson. One thing is for certain, though, according to Bugliosi there was always a dislike between RFK and LBJ. That was well known.
I watched the National Geographic movie "Killing Kennedy" last night. It's based on the book by Bill O'Rilley and guy named Dugan. It was very refreshing to see a movie about the JFK assassination show the story from the evidence that was collected after the crime, unlike Oliver Stone's movie "JFK" which was full of conspiracy oriented material.

Stone needs to make movies about Big Foot, aliens at Roswell, Bush and Cheney were behind 9/11, or the moon landings were a hoax........he seems to be good at those kind of things.
If he did make them, I would watch them! LOL

I have that movie DVRd, so I can watch it alone.

See the documentary......I can't remember who/what/where......aired this weekend about whether or not Oswald acted alone? I can't believe I don't remember this guy's name...he's from Australia and has done cold cases.......if I remember his name I'll post it later.

He has proven (to himself anyway) that there was a second gunman and that it was an accidental shooting from the secret service vehicle directly behind the Presidential car.

You know, I like to "think" about conspiracies and what all "might have been", but even I draw the line "somewhere"!!

Wink
LOOKAYANNER Wrote:That's a definitive statement. I'm sure you have all kinds if credible proof. And I want to emphasize "credible". Not some hearsay, assumptions, story fabrications,or witness recreating events from decades ago from faded memories. Most are attention seekers wanting to keep the myth alive for monetary reasons.....you know, selling books and magazine articles or making movies and documentaries.

Im sorry. You must have missed the point where i dont give a crap.
You must've misunderstood and thought someone was pulling YOUR chain.
RunItUpTheGut Wrote:Im sorry. You must have missed the point where i dont give a crap.

You posted that, "It was all CIA."
I was only asking what leads you to believe that angle?
Didn't mean to upset you. I was only discussing things on a discussion board.
I've always been highly interested in the JFK assassination. I rememeber the day it happened just like it was yesterday, and the days that followed. I was 9 years old but those were sad days following the assassination of the President, a police officer, and then the killing of the assassin two day later, followed by the grief striken funeral.
I've followed any news about the assassination ever since, and with it being the 50th anniversary I knew there would be a lot of conspiracy talk pop up. Your CIA belief is just one of many, with others being the FBI, Secret Service, LBJ, Mafia, Cuba, Soviets, military industrial complex, etc.
I have never believed any of the conspiracies but will always be open to the fact that a conspiracy could have been possible. It's just that it's never been any credible proof IMO.
That's why I asked you to list some reasons you thought it was the CIA.
^^
I doubt he was being serious.
^ we're all serious around here. This is a very serious place
Granny Bear Wrote:^^
I doubt he was being serious.

I guess I misunderstood the post.
Okay, all you naysayers!! I impulsively went to the Final Four in Dallas this past weekend, and visited Dealey Plaza. I ran into a gentleman who was there the day JFK was shot. I am now more convinced than EVER that a conspiracy existed and believe I know what really happened!!! Confusednicker:

So I'm re-armed and ready to fight again!

Wink
did you go though the book depository museum? I did that about 4 years ago, it was pretty interesting
Yes, we did as well as the old police headquarters museum. We loved it!!
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