Was Lyndon Johnson behind the JFK assassination? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

MSD · 06-10-2005, 06:46 PM

Quote:

GULFPORT, Miss. - (KRT) - The father of the White House press secretary claims in his upcoming book, "Blood, Money & Power: How L.B.J. Killed J.F.K.," that former President Lyndon B. Johnson was behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Barr McClellan, father of White House press secretary Scott McClellan and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Mark McClellan, is preparing for a Sept. 30 release of a 480-page book by Hannover House that offers photographs, copies of letters, insider interviews and details of fingerprints as proof that Edward A. Clark, the powerful head of Johnson's private and business legal team and a former ambassador to Australia, led the plan and cover-up for the 1963 assassination in Dallas.

Kennedy was shot and killed while throngs watched his motorcade travel through Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Vice President Johnson was sworn in as president shortly after on Air Force One.

"(Johnson) had the motive, opportunity and means," said McClellan, 63, who was a partner in an Austin law firm that served Johnson. The book, McClellan said in an exclusive interview at his Orange Grove home, is about "(Johnson's) role in the assassination. He was behind the assassination, how he was and how it all developed."

McClellan and his wife have lived in Gulfport since 1998, where his wife's family lives. McClellan consults for some businesses on the Coast and writes books.

McClellan said he includes information in the book that alludes to Johnson's role in the assassination. An example is a story that was told to him by the late Martin Harris, former managing partner at the law firm, as told to Harris by Clark.

McClellan writes in his book that in a 1961 meeting on Johnson's ranch outside Johnson City, Texas, Johnson gave Clark a document that may have helped the assassin:

"Johnson suddenly let Clark go. `That envelope in the car,' he said quietly, almost an afterthought, `is yours.' Stepping toward the car, he muttered, `Put it to good use.' He turned, putting his arms across Clark's shoulders, pulling him along, (and) the two walked toward the convertible.

"As they drove back to the ranch, Clark opened the envelope. It contained the policy manual for protection of the president."

Barry Bishop, senior shareholder of Clark's former law firm, defended the attorney.

McClellan's theory is "absurd," Bishop said over the phone. "Mr. Clark was a big supporter of Mr. Kennedy. The day that President Kennedy was assassinated, there was going to a be a dinner that evening in Texas. Mr. Clark was a co-sponsor of that dinner."

McClellan's book is just one of numerous conspiracy theory books that criticize the conclusion of the FBI's investigation of the assassination, that found that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman.

According to the Warren Commission's 1964 report, "Examination of the facts of the assassination itself revealed no indication that Oswald was aided in the planning or execution of his scheme."

But that hasn't stopped people from writing books that challenge the Warren Commission's findings. Other ideas about who was behind the assassination include U.S. intelligence agents, the Mafia, Nikita Khrushchev, the military-industrial complex and Cuban exiles.

So why should people believe McClellan? What makes his book different?

"The big beauty is, (readers) don't have to believe a word I say," McClellan said. "They can believe the fingerprint examiner. They can believe the exchange of memos and letters."

"The book is the evidence," said Cecile McClellan, McClellan's wife, who has edited much of the book. "When you read that book and look at those exhibits, and say, `Do I believe this?' There it is It's like (McClellan is) a lawyer presenting this book to the jury. You make your own decision. He's putting it all out there."

The theory that Johnson was involved is "exceedingly unlikely," said John C. McAdams, who is an outspoken supporter of the Warren Commission's findings and teaches a course on the JFK assassination at Marquette University in Milwaukee. "What did he (McClellan) find in the documents, and what does it, in fact, indicate? If he's looking at all the documents everyone else is looking at, I would want to know which documents he's interpreting as L.B.J."

Eric Parkinson, president of Truman Press Inc., the parent company of Hannover House, said the book comes out at a good time.

"Now, 40 years later, it's appropriate that this additional information be brought to light. It (the book) will provide closure for a lot of people."

McClellan began working with Clark in 1966 and said he had no role in the conspiracy. But he did hear rumors about it.

"When I first started work there and was told that Clark was behind the assassination, I didn't believe it. It was, `This guy you really liked, John Kennedy - he was killed by the guy you're working for now.' I think I went into a bad case of denial."

McClellan said he learned of Clark's role several times, from Clark and others in the law firm, including while he was acting as Clark's lawyer. The case involved the 1969 application for Clark to drill an oil well and name it after himself.

At the time, McClellan said he asked Clark about the rumors he had been hearing. He said Clark talked in code, but he said, "He wanted the payoff for it. When you mention Dallas, you were talking about the assassination. We had a discussion about it. That's in the book, pretty much verbatim."

But why didn't McClellan go public with the information back then?

"When you get inside the attorney-client privilege, you find out a whole lot," McClellan said. "At the time I thought everything I learned was privileged. I've since found out that there's no privilege for lawyers who plan crimes," he said, referring to Clark.

McClellan said he left the law firm in 1982 because Clark wanted him to represent a company that would conflict with interests of McClellan's other clients. Then, he said, Clark sued him over a personal loan. McClellan counter-sued. Then the bank holding the loan sued.

"When I found out what they were going to do to me, I got mad. The gloves came off. I said, `Forget it. They're not going to get away with this anymore.'"

But it took years before McClellan was able to publish the book that he said supports his assassination theory.

Finally in 1994, the 14-year legal battle with the lawsuits ended with dismissals. By that time, Clark had been dead for two years.

McClellan said he was trying to get a book out in 1984, while Clark was alive. "He knew I was going public - from the affidavits in one of those three lawsuits," McClellan said. And he said a book agent he approached in 1984 told him to "do an investigation."

So he began.

"I wanted to be comfortable with what I knew," McClellan said. He said it took a long time to verify fingerprints with several experts and to find a publisher.

"A lot of it wouldn't have been available except that old Clark's records" were bequeathed to Southwestern University, McClellan said, making them available for research. Previously "they were stored in his private records. I'm sure if he had thought about it before he died, he would have probably thrown away a few."

McClellan had been writing bits and pieces of the book since he left the law firm. He logged numerous hours of research and 10 researchers helped him, he said.

Supporters and detractors have talked to McClellan about possible repercussions from the book, McClellan said, but he's not losing any sleep.

McClellan said he hasn't had any overt threats. He said people imply retributions, like suggesting that "I'm not going to make it in Austin. `You're going to be out of here.'"

McClellan said at least some in his family accept his work on the book.

"They said, `OK, I guess that's what Dad's doing now,'" McClellan said.

But he said he has not had the chance to ask sons Scott and Mark for their reactions.

"I assume that they know about it," McClellan said. "They know what I'm doing. They're not going to comment on it. The oldest, Mark, was then maybe 15 when I left the law firm."

When asked if he was concerned for the safety of his twin sons, Dudley, an Austin lawyer in private practice, and Bradley, a Texas state associate attorney general, McClellan said: "The Democrats are pretty much out of power, really, in the state of Texas. So as far as Republicans go, they're in good shape. My ex-wife (Carole Keeton Strayhorn) - she's the comptroller of the state of Texas. There's really none of this influence or anything like that."

© 2003, The Sun Herald - Biloxi, Miss.
Visit The Sun Herald Online at http://www.sunherald.com
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

I don't think that this one needs discussion. It's not as far out as some others, but when you see where it came from, you'll understand why I'm laughing.

www.rense.com is a the website of radio personality Jeff Rense. His site is the most absurd collection of conspiracies you'll ever find. He seems to put up whatever crackpot theory is popular at the time, apparently going by the theory that if it wasn' tcovered in the mainstream media, it must be true. He has articles on the Zionist conspiracy, Israel's nuclear blackmail of the US, and the anti-Israel conspiracy all on the front page. His advertisers include the distributer of a chemtrail-exposure-detox "medicine," and a new-age group that appears to be associated wit the Church of Scientology.

I hope, for the sake of my faith in humanity, that when he dies his will will lead us to a sealed envelope with a letter saying, "I sure had some gullible idiot believing some wacky shit, didn't I?"

What's your favorite ridiculous conspiracy theory?

Mephisto2 · 06-10-2005, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSelfDestruct

What's your favorite ridiculous conspiracy theory?

I don't have any favorites per se. But I have several emotions depending upon the "theory" in question.

Appalled
The Scrolls of the Elders of Zion.
I can't believe this is still making the rounds.

Incredulous
UFO's
Why people still believe this nonesense is beyond me.

Amused
The "Government" is tracking people using metal strips in money.

Dismissive
A plane did not crash into the Pentagon

SIGH

I could go on.

There's so many stupid stupid people out there...

Mr Mephisto

Ustwo · 06-10-2005, 09:04 PM

Any of the more fun 9/11 'theories' come to mind.

The CIA set it up.

The Jews set it up.

The buildings were destroyed by bombs.

No plane hit the pentagon.

I'm sure others could name a great many more.

Willravel · 06-11-2005, 09:30 AM

My favorite outrageous conspiracy theory is either the one about the Rothschild's connection to Satan or the 'Bush being a cyborg' story. Those always make me laugh. That being said...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

There's so many stupid stupid people out there...

When I write something in a thread called "Mystery of the disapearing 757", I expect plenty of those who are with me, plenty of those who don 't care, and plenty of those who hate me or think I'm nuts. That's fine, as it is the nature of such discussions. Is it really necessary to bring the bashing to new threads?

I understand that there are those who not only disagree, but probably hate the 9/11 conspiracy theories. You ar welcome to your opinions, and I totally support your right to your own opinions. Can we please refrain from calling people stupid?

Also, in the spirit of grammer nazis everywhere (and to let out some of my anger), it should have been "There are so many stupid stupid people out there...".

Martian · 06-11-2005, 03:48 PM

When it comes to the whole 9/11 conspiracy thing, what really pops into my mind is an interview in Popular Science with a strucutral engineer on the scene at the Pentagon who said "I held parts of uniforms from crew members in my hands, including body parts." That had to be a very hard thing to deal with and reading the article really brought it home to me.

In terms of incredulous stories, I always liked the grassy knoll theory. It's a classic.

Mephisto2 · 06-11-2005, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willravel

I understand that there are those who not only disagree, but probably hate the 9/11 conspiracy theories. You ar welcome to your opinions, and I totally support your right to your own opinions. Can we please refrain from calling people stupid?

I retain the right to call someone stupid if they believe in such nonesense as
"The Elder Scrolls of Zion", or that the Earth is flat. Have we gone down the path of Political Correctness so much that it is unnacceptable to describe someone as stupid when, in fact, they are?

However, in the spirit of open debate, and in surprised reaction to your response, how about I say "silly" instead of "stupid"? Or maybe you would prefer logically challenged or some other nonesensical term such as cognitively dissonant?

Quote:

Also, in the spirit of grammer nazis everywhere (and to let out some of my anger), it should have been "There are so many stupid stupid people out there...".

True. You're absolutely correct. I pride myself on my command of English and I let myself down here. Please accept my apologies.

Also, in the spirit of spelling nazis everywhere (and to let out some of my amused observation), it should have been "in the spirit of grammAr nazis..."

Hello pot! Hello kettle!

We all make mistakes. Mine was spelling based upon the vernacular of spoken English, as found in Ireland. Yours was spelling based upon bad spelling.

Mr Mephisto

Willravel · 06-11-2005, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

I retain the right to call someone stupid if they believe in such nonesense as
"The Elder Scrolls of Zion", or that the Earth is flat. Have we gone down the path of Political Correctness so much that it is unnacceptable to describe someone as stupid when, in fact, they are?

I totally agree that those are some of the most outrageous, silly, and out there theories. Does that make those who consider them stupid?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

However, in the spirit of open debate, and in surprised reaction to your response, how about I say "silly" instead of "stupid"? Or maybe you would prefer logically challenged or some other nonesensical term such as cognitively dissonant?

Stupid has a certian and sure meaning. Stupid means of low intelligence. There is very little room for semantic argument over the meaning of 'stupid'. When you said there were so many stupid people out there immediatally after mentioning a group of people that includes yours truely, I took offence (was I wrong in taking it as less than a compliment?). I'm many things, but stupid isn't one of them. I'm happy to be called silly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

True. You're absolutely correct. I pride myself on my command of English and I let myself down here. Please accept my apologies.

No need to apologize, and I hope you saw the little joke in my calling you on your grammEr. Heh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

Also, in the spirit of spelling nazis everywhere (and to let out some of my amused observation), it should have been "in the spirit of grammAr nazis..."

Oh comon. Of course I'm kidding. You call me stupid once and I take a serious shot at your grammar? Nah. I still respect you too much to be a dick like that. To be clear, I know how to spell grammar correctly, and often spell it incorrectly on purpous because of it's light irony.

Bustello · 06-11-2005, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ustwo

Any of the more fun 9/11 'theories' come to mind.

The CIA set it up.

The Jews set it up.

The buildings were destroyed by bombs.

No plane hit the pentagon.

I'm sure others could name a great many more.

I can understand that the CIA could be behind it, but Why would the jews would plan the 9/11?

Anyways, i've learned that Johnson established the Warren commission to study the Kennedy assassinations, but Nixon finished it saying: "It was the greatest hoax that has ever been perpetuated." So, this must tell something...

samcol · 06-12-2005, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

Incredulous
UFO's
Why people still believe this nonesense is beyond me.
Mr Mephisto

UFO's, How can anyone not believe in UFOs. Unidentified flying object. Governments have been test flying strange aircraft for ages, and don't tell the population till years later.

Now to correlate UFO's to life forms from another planet would be something that I would consider pretty bogus.

Mephisto2 · 06-12-2005, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samcol

Now to correlate UFO's to life forms from another planet would be something that I would consider pretty bogus.

Fair enough

Mr Mephisto

Mephisto2 · 06-12-2005, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willravel

Oh comon. Of course I'm kidding. You call me stupid once and I take a serious shot at your grammar? Nah. I still respect you too much to be a dick like that.

The feeling is mutual actually.

Having said that, I hope you don't believe the world is flat!

Mr Mephisto

paid4 · 06-16-2005, 12:29 PM

Life is too short and better yet, too complicated to be believing in conspiracy theories. Human being will always find an explanation to everything unknown, no matter how ridiculous it may be.

Mephisto2 · 06-16-2005, 01:56 PM

It's only too short because (tick as appropriate)

[ ] the government already has a cure of cancer, but won't release it so as to ensure population control

[ ] water companies are slowly poisoning us by putting florine in the water

[ ] the aliens that created homo sapiens genetically preprogrammed us with a limited lifespan

[ ] people don't die, they go to heaven

Mr Mephisto

06-10-2005, 09:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ustwo Pissing in the cornflakes	Any of the more fun 9/11 'theories' come to mind. The CIA set it up. The Jews set it up. The buildings were destroyed by bombs. No plane hit the pentagon. I'm sure others could name a great many more. __________________ Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

06-11-2005, 03:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	When it comes to the whole 9/11 conspiracy thing, what really pops into my mind is an interview in Popular Science with a strucutral engineer on the scene at the Pentagon who said "I held parts of uniforms from crew members in my hands, including body parts." That had to be a very hard thing to deal with and reading the article really brought it home to me. In terms of incredulous stories, I always liked the grassy knoll theory. It's a classic.

06-16-2005, 12:29 PM	#12 (permalink)
paid4 Upright	Life is too short and better yet, too complicated to be believing in conspiracy theories. Human being will always find an explanation to everything unknown, no matter how ridiculous it may be.

06-16-2005, 01:56 PM	#13 (permalink)
Mephisto2 Junkie	It's only too short because (tick as appropriate) [ ] the government already has a cure of cancer, but won't release it so as to ensure population control [ ] water companies are slowly poisoning us by putting florine in the water [ ] the aliens that created homo sapiens genetically preprogrammed us with a limited lifespan [ ] people don't die, they go to heaven Mr Mephisto