textfiles-politics/pythonCode/personTestingOutput/deaths.xml

<xml><p>From "CROSSFIRE" by <ent type='PERSON'>Jim Marrs</ent>
ISBN 0-88184-524-8
Copyright (c) 1989 by <ent type='PERSON'>Jim Marrs</ent>
First published by Carroll &amp; Graf 1989</p>

<p>Reprinted without permission</p>

<p> CONVENIENT DEATHS</p>

<p> In the three-year period which followed the murder of President
<ent type='PERSON'>Kennedy</ent> and <ent type='PERSON'>Lee Harvey Oswald</ent>, 18 material witnesses died - six by
gunfire, three in motor accidents, two by suicide, one from a cut
throat, one from a karate chop to the neck, five from natural causes.
An actuary, engaged by <ent type='ORG'>the London</ent> <ent type='LOC'>Sunday</ent> Times, concluded that on
November 22, 1963m the odds against these witnesses being dead by
February 1967, were one hundred thousand trillion to one.</p>

<p> The above comment on the deaths of assassination witnesses was published in
a tabloid companion piece to the movie _Execution Action_, released in 1973.
By that time, part of the mythology of the <ent type='PERSON'>Kennedy</ent> assassination included the
mysterious deaths of people who were connected with it.
By the mid-1960s, people in <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> already were whispering about the
number of persons who died under strange or questionable circumstances. Well
into the 1980s, witnesses and others were hesitant to come forward with
information because of the stories of strange and sudden death that seemed to
visit some people with information about the assassination.
Finally, in the late 1970s, <ent type='ORG'>the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> Select <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent></ent> on Assassinations
felt compelled to look into the matter.
But aside from discrediting <ent type='ORG'>the London</ent> <ent type='LOC'>Sunday</ent> Times actuarial study, the
<ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent> was unable to come to any conclusions regarding the growing number
of deaths. The <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent> said it could not make a valid actuarial study due
to the broad number and types of persons that had to be included in such a
study.
In response to a letter from the <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent>, London <ent type='LOC'>Sunday</ent> Times legal
manager <ent type='PERSON'>Anthony Whitaker</ent> stated:</p>

<p> Our piece about the odds against the deaths of the <ent type='PERSON'>Kennedy</ent> witnesses
was, I regret to say, based on a careless journalistic mistake and
should not have been published. This was realized by The <ent type='LOC'>Sunday</ent> Times
editorial staff after the first edition - the one which goes to the
United States... - had gone out, and later editions were amended.
There was no question of our actuary having got his answer wrong: it
was simply that we asked him the wrong question. He was asked what
were the odds against 15 named people out of the population of the
United States dying within a short period of time, to which he replied
- correctly - that they were very high. However, if one asks what are
the odds against 15 of those included in the <ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent> Index
dying within a given period, the answer is, of course, that they are
much lower. Our mistake was to treat the reply to the former question
as if it dealt with the latter - hence the fundamental error in our
first edition report, for which we apologize.</p>

<p> This settled the matter for the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent>, which apparently made
little or no attempt to seriously study the number of deaths that followed
the <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> assassination.
<ent type='PERSON'>Jacqueline Hess</ent>, the Committee's chief of research for the <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent>
investigation, reported:</p>

<p> Our final conclusion on the issue is that the available evidence does
not establish anything about the nature of these deaths which would
indicate that the deaths were in some manner, either direct or
peripheral, caused by the assassination of President <ent type='PERSON'>Kennedy</ent> or by
any aspect of the subsequent investigation.</p>

<p> However, an objective look at both the number and the causes of death
balanced against the importance of the person's connection to the case, still
causes raised eyebrows among those who study such a list.
In this section, people who were connected - no matter how tenuously -
with the assassination and who are now dead are listed according to date of
death.
This is dealing only with deaths, not with the numerous persons - such as
<ent type='PERSON'>Warren</ent> <ent type='PERSON'>Reynolds</ent>, <ent type='PERSON'>Roger Craig</ent>, and <ent type='PERSON'>Richard Carr</ent> - who claim to have been shot
at or attacked.
This chapter has been entitled "Convenient Deaths" because these deaths
certainly would have been convenient for anyone not wishing the truth of the
<ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> assassination to become public.
The <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> has gone to some lengths to discredit the idea of mysterious
deaths plaguing assassination witnesses.
A 1967 memo from <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> headquarters to station chiefs advised:</p>

<p> Such vague accusations as that "more than 10 people have died
mysteriously" can always be explained in some rational way: e.g., the
individuals concerned have for the most part died of natural causes;
the [<ent type='PERSON'>Warren</ent>] Commission staff questioned 418 witnesses - the <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent>
interviewed far more people, conducting 25000 interviews and
reinterviews - and in such a large group, a certain number of deaths
are to be expected.</p>

<p> Testifying before the Church <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent> in 1975, <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> technicians told of a
variety of <ent type='ORG'>TWEP</ent> technology - Terminate With Extreme Prejudice - that cannot
be detected in a postmortem examination.
One recently declassified <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> document, a letter from an <ent type='ORG'>Agency</ent> consultant
to a <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> officer, states:</p>

<p> You will recall that I mentioned that the local circumstances under
which a given means might be used might suggest the technique to be
used in that case. I think the gross divisions in presenting this
subject might be:
(1) bodies left with no hope of the cause of death being determined by
the most complete autopsy and chemical examinations
(2) bodies left in such circumstances as to simulate accidental death
(3) bodies left in such circumstances as to simulate suicidal death
(4) bodies left with residue that simulates those caused by natural
diseases.</p>

<p> The letter goes on to show that undetected murders do not have to be the
result of sophisticated chemicals. It states:</p>

<p> There are two techniques which I believe should be mentioned since
they require no special equipment besides a strong arm and the will to
do such a job. These would be either to smother the victim with a
pillow or to strangle him with a wide piece of cloth such as a bath
towel. In such cases, there are no specific anatomic changes to
indicate the cause of death...</p>

<p> While it is obvious that the <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> - and hence the mob through operatives who
work for both - has the capability of killing, it is less well known that the
<ent type='ORG'>Agency</ent> has developed drugs to induce cancer.
Recall that <ent type='PERSON'>Jack Ruby</ent> died of sudden lung cancer just as he had been granted
a new trial.
A 1952 <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> memo reported on the cancer-causing effects of beryllium:
"This is certainly the most toxic inorganic element and it produces a
peculiar fibrotic tumor at the site of local application. The amount
necessary to produce these tumors is a few micrograms."
Local law-enforcement officers and coroners are not equipped, either by
training or by inclination, to detect deaths induced by such sophisticated
means. They look for signs of a struggle, evidence of a break-in, bruises,
or marks on the victim.
With no evidence to the contrary, many deaths are ruled suicide or accident.
Others are ruled due to natural causes, such as heart attack.
It is interesting to note how the deaths are grouped. Many of the
earliest deaths came during the time of the <ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent> investigation
or just afterwards.
More deaths took place in the late 1960s as <ent type='GPE'>New Orleans District</ent> Attorney
<ent type='PERSON'>Jim Garrison</ent> was launching his investigation. Other suspicious deaths
occurred during the mid-1970s, as the Senate Intelligence <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent> was
looking into assassinations by U.S. intelligence agencies. And finally,
another spate of deaths came around 1977, just as <ent type='ORG'>the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> Select <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent></ent>
on Assassinations was gearing up its investigation.
These deaths are listed below in chronological order. An asterisk means
the death is a particularly suspicious one. They are also grouped according
to which investigation was being conducted at the time.
The possibility of convenient deaths leads one into a well of paranoia, yet
this long list cannot be summarily dismissed.
Obviously, many of these deaths - particularly in recent years - can be
ascribed to the passage of time. But others cannot - especially when viewed
in the context of the assassination inquiries taking place at the time.
Read for yourself and consider... When does coincidence end and conspiracy
begin?</p>

<p> List of Deaths</p>

<p>Date Name Connection with Case Cause of Death</p>

<p>11/63 <ent type='PERSON'>Karyn Kupcinet</ent>* TV host's daughter who was Murdered
overheard telling of JFK's
death prior to 11/22/63</p>

<p> The <ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent> Investigation</p>

<p>12/63 <ent type='PERSON'>Jack Zangretti</ent>* Expressed foreknowledge of Gunshot victim
<ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> shooting <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent></p>

<p>2/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Eddy Benavides</ent>* Look-alike brother to <ent type='PERSON'>Tippit</ent> Gunshot to head
shooting witness, Domingo
Benavides</p>

<p>3/64 <ent type='ORG'>Betty</ent> <ent type='PERSON'>McDonald</ent>* Former <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> employee who Suicide by hanging
alibied <ent type='PERSON'>Warren</ent> <ent type='PERSON'>Reynolds</ent> in <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> jail
shooting suspect</p>

<p>3/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Bill Chesher</ent> Thought to have information Heart attack
linking <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> and <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent></p>

<p>3/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Hank Killam</ent>* Husband of <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> employee, Throat cut
knew <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> acquaintance</p>

<p>4/64 Bill Hunter* Reporter who was in Ruby's Accidental shooting
apartment on 11/24/63 by policeman</p>

<p>5/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Gary Underhill</ent>* <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> agent who claimed Gunshot in head,
<ent type='ORG'>Agency</ent> was involved Ruled suicide</p>

<p>5/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Hugh Ward</ent>* Private investigator working Plane crash in
with <ent type='PERSON'>Guy Banister</ent> and David Mexico
<ent type='PERSON'>Ferrie</ent></p>

<p>5/64 DeLesseps Morrison* <ent type='GPE'>New Orleans</ent> mayor Passenger in Ward's
plane</p>

<p>8/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Teresa Norton</ent>* <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> employee Fatally shot</p>

<p>6/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Guy Banister</ent>* Ex-<ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> agent in <ent type='GPE'>New Orleans</ent> Heart attack
connected to <ent type='PERSON'>Ferrie</ent>, <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent>,
<ent type='PERSON'>Carlos Marcello</ent> and <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent></p>

<p>9/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Jim Koethe</ent>* Reporter who was in Ruby's Blow to neck
apartment on 11/24/63</p>

<p>9/64 C.D. <ent type='ORG'>Jackson Life Magazine</ent> senior vice Unknown
president who bought <ent type='PERSON'>Zapruder</ent>
film and locked it away</p>

<p>10/64 <ent type='PERSON'>Mary Pinchot Meyer</ent>* <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> mistress whose diary was Murdered
taken by <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> chief James
Angleton after her death</p>

<p>1/65 <ent type='PERSON'>Paul Mandal Life</ent> writer who told of <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> Cancer
turning to rear when shot in
throat</p>

<p>3/65 <ent type='PERSON'>Tom Howard</ent>* Ruby's first lawyer, was in Heart attack
Ruby's apartment on 11/24/63</p>

<p>5/65 <ent type='PERSON'>Maurice Gatlin</ent>* Pilot for <ent type='PERSON'>Guy Banister</ent> Fatal Fall</p>

<p>8/65 Mona B. Saenz* Texas Employment clerk who Hit by <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> bus
interviewed <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent></p>

<p>?/65 David Goldstein <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent>ite who helped <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
trace Oswald's pistol</p>

<p>9/65 <ent type='PERSON'>Rose Cheramie</ent>* Knew of assassination in Hit/run victim
advance, told of riding to
<ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> with <ent type='NORP'>Cubans</ent></p>

<p>11/65 <ent type='PERSON'>Dorothy Kilgallen</ent>* Columnist who had private Drug overdose
interview with <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent>, pledged
to "break" <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> case</p>

<p>11/65 Mrs. <ent type='PERSON'>Earl Smith</ent>* Close friend to Dorothy Unknown
<ent type='PERSON'>Kilgallen</ent>, died two days
after columnist, may have
kept Kilgallen's notes</p>

<p>12/65 <ent type='PERSON'>William Whaley</ent>* Cabdriver who reportedly Motor Collision
drove <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> to <ent type='PERSON'>Oak Cliff</ent> (the only <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent>
taxi driver to
die on duty)</p>

<p>1966 Judge <ent type='PERSON'>Joe Brown</ent> Presided over Ruby's trial Heart attack</p>

<p>1966 Karen "Little Lynn" <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> employee who last talked Gunshot victim
<ent type='PERSON'>Carlin</ent>* with <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> before <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> shooting</p>

<p>1/66 <ent type='ORG'>Earline</ent> Roberts Oswald's landlady Heart attack</p>

<p>2/66 <ent type='PERSON'>Albert Bogard</ent>* Car salesman who said <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> Suicide
test drove new car</p>

<p>6/66 Capt. <ent type='PERSON'>Frank Martin</ent> <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> police captain who Cancer
witnessed <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> slaying,
told <ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent>,
"There's a lot to be said,
but probably be better if I
don't say it."</p>

<p>8/66 <ent type='PERSON'>Lee Bowers</ent>, Jr.* Witnessed men behind picket Motor accident
fence on Grassy Knoll</p>

<p>9/66 Marilyn "Delilah" <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> dancer Shot by husband
<ent type='PERSON'>Walle</ent>* after one month
of marriage</p>

<p>10/66 <ent type='PERSON'>William Pitzer</ent>* <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> autopsy photographer Gunshot, ruled
who described his duty as suicide
"horrifying experience"</p>

<p>11/66 <ent type='PERSON'>Jimmy Levens</ent> <ent type='GPE'>Fort Worth</ent> nightclub owner <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
who hired <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> employee</p>

<p>11/66 <ent type='PERSON'>James Worrell</ent>, Jr.* Saw man flee rear of Texas Motor accident
School Book Depository</p>

<p>1966 <ent type='PERSON'>Clarence Oliver</ent> D.A. investigator who Unknown
worked <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> case</p>

<p>12/66 <ent type='PERSON'>Hank Suydam Life</ent> magazine official in Heart attack
charge of <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> stories</p>

<p> The <ent type='PERSON'>Garrison</ent> Inquiry</p>

<p>Date Name Connection with Case Cause of Death</p>

<p>1967 Leonard Pullin Civilian Navy employee who One-car crash
helped film _Last Two Days_
about assassination</p>

<p>1/67 <ent type='PERSON'>Jack Ruby</ent> Oswald's slayer Lung cancer (He
told family he
was injected with
cancer cells.)</p>

<p>2/67 <ent type='PERSON'>Harold Russell</ent>* Saw escape of <ent type='PERSON'>Tippit</ent> killer Killed by cop in
bar brawl</p>

<p>2/67 David <ent type='PERSON'>Ferrie</ent>* Acquaintance of <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent>, Blow to neck,
<ent type='PERSON'>Garrison</ent> suspect, and ruled accidental
employee of <ent type='PERSON'>Guy Banister</ent></p>

<p>2/67 Eladio Del Valle* Anti-<ent type='PERSON'>Castro</ent> <ent type='NORP'>Cuban</ent> associate Gunshot wound,
of David <ent type='PERSON'>Ferrie</ent> being sought ax wound to head
by <ent type='PERSON'>Garrison</ent></p>

<p>3/67 Dr. <ent type='PERSON'>Mary Sherman</ent>* <ent type='PERSON'>Ferrie</ent> associate working on Died in fire
cancer research (possibly shot)</p>

<p>1/68 A.D. Bowie Assistant <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> D.A. Cancer
prosecuting <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent></p>

<p>4/68 <ent type='PERSON'>Hiram Ingram</ent> <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> deputy sheriff, close Cancer
friend to <ent type='PERSON'>Roger Craig</ent></p>

<p>5/68 Dr. <ent type='PERSON'>Nicholas Chetta</ent> <ent type='GPE'>New Orleans</ent> coroner who ruled Heart attack
on death of <ent type='PERSON'>Ferrie</ent></p>

<p>8/68 Phillip Geraci* Friend of Perry Russo, told of Electrocution
<ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent>/Shaw connection</p>

<p>1/69 <ent type='PERSON'>Henry Delaune</ent>* Brother-in-law to coroner Murdered
<ent type='ORG'>Chetta</ent></p>

<p>1/69 E.R. Walthers* <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> deputy sheriff who Shot by felon
was involved in Depository
search, claimed to have found
.45-cal slug</p>

<p>1969 <ent type='PERSON'>Charles Mentesana Filmed</ent> rifle other than Heart attack
Mannlicher-Carcano being taken
from Depository</p>

<p>4/69 <ent type='PERSON'>Mary Bledsoe</ent> neighbor to <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent>, also <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
knew David <ent type='PERSON'>Ferrie</ent></p>

<p>4/69 <ent type='PERSON'>John Crawford</ent>* Close friend to both <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> and Crash of private
<ent type='PERSON'>Wesley Frazier</ent>, who gave ride plane
to <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> on 11/22/63</p>

<p>7/69 Rev. <ent type='PERSON'>Clyde Johnson</ent>* Scheduled to testify about Fatally shot
<ent type='PERSON'>Clay Shaw</ent>/<ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> connection</p>

<p>1970 George McGann* Underworld figure, connected Murdered
to <ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> friends; wife, <ent type='GPE'>Beverly</ent>,
took film in Dealey Plaza</p>

<p>1/70 Darrell W. Garner Arrested for shooting <ent type='PERSON'>Warren</ent> Drug overdose
<ent type='PERSON'>Reynolds</ent>, released after
alibi from <ent type='ORG'>Betty</ent> <ent type='PERSON'>McDonald</ent></p>

<p>8/70 <ent type='PERSON'>Bill Decker</ent> <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> sheriff who saw bullet <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
hit street in front of <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent></p>

<p>8/70 Abraham <ent type='PERSON'>Zapruder</ent> Took famous film of <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
assassination</p>

<p>12/70 <ent type='PERSON'>Salvatore Granello</ent>* Mobster linked to <ent type='PERSON'>Hoffa</ent>, Murdered
Trafficante, and <ent type='PERSON'>Castro</ent>
assassination plots</p>

<p>1971 <ent type='PERSON'>James Plumeri</ent>* Mobster tied to mob-<ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> Murdered
assassination plots</p>

<p>3/71 Clayton Fowler Ruby's chief defense attorney Unknown</p>

<p>4/71 Gen. <ent type='PERSON'>Charles Cabell</ent>* <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> deputy director connected Collapsed and
to anti-<ent type='PERSON'>Castro</ent> <ent type='NORP'>Cubans</ent> died after
physical at Ft.
Myers</p>

<p> The Church <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent> Investigation</p>

<p>Date Name Connection with Case Cause of Death</p>

<p>1972 <ent type='PERSON'>Hale Boggs</ent>* <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> majority leader, member Disappeared on
of <ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent> who began <ent type='NORP'>Alaskan</ent> plane
to publicly express doubts flight
doubts about findings</p>

<p>5/72 J. <ent type='PERSON'>Edgar Hoover</ent>* <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> director who pushed "Lone Heart attack (no
assassin" theory in <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> autopsy)
assassination</p>

<p>9/73 Thomas E. Davis* Gun runner connected to both Electrocuted
<ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> and <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> trying to steal
wire</p>

<p>2/74 J.A. <ent type='ORG'>Milteer</ent>* <ent type='GPE'>Miami</ent> right-winger who Heater explosion
predicted JFK's death and
capture of scapegoat</p>

<p>1974 <ent type='PERSON'>Dave Yaras</ent>* Close friend to both <ent type='PERSON'>Hoffa</ent> Murdered
and <ent type='PERSON'>Jack Ruby</ent></p>

<p>7/74 Earl <ent type='PERSON'>Warren</ent> Chief justice who reluctantly Heart failure
chaired <ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent></p>

<p>8/74 <ent type='PERSON'>Clay Shaw</ent>* Prime suspect in <ent type='PERSON'>Garrison</ent> Possible cancer
case, reportedly a <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent>
contact with <ent type='PERSON'>Ferrie</ent> and E.
Howard Hunt</p>

<p>1974 <ent type='PERSON'>Earle Cabell</ent> Mayor of <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> on 11/22/63, <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
whose brother, Gen. Charles
Cabell, was fired from <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> by
<ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent></p>

<p>6/75 <ent type='PERSON'>Sam Giancana</ent>* <ent type='ORG'><ent type='GPE'>Chicago</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Mafia</ent></ent> boss slated to Murdered
tell about <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent>-mob death plots
to Senate <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent></p>

<p>1975 <ent type='PERSON'>Clyde Tolson</ent> J. <ent type='PERSON'>Edgar Hoover</ent>'s assistant <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
and roommate</p>

<p>7/75 <ent type='PERSON'>Allan Sweatt</ent> <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> deputy sheriff involved <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
in investigation</p>

<p>12/75 Gen. Earl Wheeler Contact between <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> and <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> Unknown</p>

<p>1976 Ralph Paul Ruby's business partner Heart attack
connected with crime figures</p>

<p>4/76 <ent type='PERSON'>James Chaney</ent> <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> motorcycle officer Heart attack
to JFK's right rear who said
<ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> "struck in the face" with
bullet</p>

<p>4/76 Dr. <ent type='PERSON'>Charles Gregory</ent> Governor <ent type='PERSON'>John</ent> Connally's Heart attack
physician</p>

<p>6/76 <ent type='PERSON'>William Harvey</ent>* <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> coordinator for <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent>-mob Complications of
assassination plans against heart surgery
<ent type='PERSON'>Castro</ent></p>

<p>7/76 <ent type='PERSON'>John</ent> Roselli* Mobster who testified to Stabbed and
Senate committee, was to stuffed in metal
appear again drum</p>

<p> 1977 - A Terrible Year for Many</p>

<p> The year 1977 produced a bumper crop of candidates for listing under
convenient deaths connected with the <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> assassination - including the deaths
of six top <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> officials all of whom were scheduled to testify before the
<ent type='ORG'>House</ent> Select <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent> on Assassinations.
Topping this list was former number-three man in the <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent>, William C.
<ent type='PERSON'>Sullivan</ent>, who had already had a preliminary meeting with the investigators
for the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent>. <ent type='PERSON'>Sullivan</ent> was shot with a high-powered rifle near
his <ent type='GPE'>New Hampshire</ent> home by a man who claimed to have mistaken him for a deer.
The man was charged with a misdemeanor - "shooting a human being by
accident" - and released to the custody of his father, a state policeman.
There was no further investigation of Sullivan's death.
<ent type='PERSON'>Louis Nichols</ent> was a special assistant to J. <ent type='PERSON'>Edgar Hoover</ent> as well as
Hoover's liaison with the <ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent>. Alan H. <ent type='GPE'>Belmont</ent> also was a
special assistant to <ent type='PERSON'>Hoover</ent>. James Cadigan was a document expert with access
to many classified assassination documents, while J.M. English headed the <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent>
laboratory where Oswald's rifle and pistol were tested. <ent type='PERSON'>Donald Kaylor</ent> was
the <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> fingerprint expert who examined prints found at the assassination
scene. None of these six <ent type='ORG'>Bureau</ent> officials lived to tell what they knew to
the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent>.
Other key assassination witnesses, such as George DeMohrenschildt and
former <ent type='NORP'>Cuban</ent> president <ent type='PERSON'><ent type='PERSON'>Carlos Prio</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Soccaras</ent></ent>, died within weeks of each other
in 1977, just as they, too, were being sought by the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent>.
The ranks of both organized crime and U.S. intelligence agencies were
thinned by deaths beginning in 1975, the time of the Senate Intelligence
Hearings, and 1978, the closing months of the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent>.
<ent type='PERSON'>Charles Nicoletti</ent>, a mobster connected with the <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent>-<ent type='ORG'>Mafia</ent> assassination
plots, was murdered in <ent type='GPE'>Chicago</ent>, while <ent type='PERSON'>William Pawley</ent>, a former diplomat
connected with both organized crime and <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> figures, reportedly committed
suicide.
Adding to rumors that "hit teams" may have been at work, a Time magazine
article reported that federal agents had initiated a nationwide investigation
into more than 20 gangland assassinations constituting what agents believed
was an "open underworld challenge to governmental infiltration of <ent type='ORG'>Mafia</ent>
activities."
One <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> source was quoted as saying: "Our main concern is that we may be
facing a revival of the old 'Murder, Inc.' days."
A <ent type='GPE'>New York</ent> News story concerning this official fear of roving
assassination squads even mentions the death of <ent type='PERSON'>Sam Giancana</ent>, who was killed
one day before he was scheduled to testify about mob-<ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> connections and
while under government protection.
Prior to the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Committee</ent> investigation into the <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> assassination,
the news media reported the following deaths:</p>

<p>Date Name Connection with Case Cause of Death</p>

<p>1/77 <ent type='PERSON'>William Pawley</ent>* Former <ent type='NORP'>Brazilian</ent> ambassador Gunshot, ruled
connected to anti-<ent type='PERSON'>Castro</ent> suicide
<ent type='NORP'>Cubans</ent>, crime figures</p>

<p>3/77 <ent type='PERSON'>George Close</ent> friend to both <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> Gunshot wound,
DeMohrenschildt* and <ent type='PERSON'>Bouvier</ent> family (<ent type='PERSON'>Jackie</ent> ruled suicide
Kennedy's parents), <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent>
contract agent</p>

<p>3/77 <ent type='PERSON'>Carlos Prio</ent> Former <ent type='NORP'>Cuban</ent> president, Gunshot wound,
<ent type='ORG'>Soccaras</ent>* money man for anti-<ent type='PERSON'>Castro</ent> ruled suicide
<ent type='NORP'>Cubans</ent></p>

<p>3/77 <ent type='PERSON'>Paul Raigorodsky</ent> Business friend of George <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
DeMohrenschildt and wealthy
oilmen</p>

<p>5/77 <ent type='PERSON'>Lou Staples</ent>* <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> radio talk show host Gunshot to head,
who told friends he would ruled suicide
break case</p>

<p>6/77 <ent type='PERSON'>Louis Nichols</ent> Former number-three man in Heart attack
<ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent>, worked on <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent>
investigation</p>

<p>8/77 Alan <ent type='GPE'>Belmont</ent> <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> official who testified to "Long illness"
<ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent></p>

<p>8/77 James Cadigan <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> document expert who Fall in home
testified to <ent type='ORG'>Warren Commission</ent></p>

<p>8/77 Joseph C. <ent type='ORG'>Ayres</ent>* Chief steward on JFK's Shooting accident
Air Force One</p>

<p>8/77 Francis G. Powers* U-2 pilot downed over <ent type='GPE'>Russia</ent> Helicopter crash
in 1960 (he reportedly
ran out of fuel)</p>

<p>9/77 Kenneth O'Donnell JFK's closest aide <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes</p>

<p>10/77 <ent type='PERSON'>Donald Kaylor</ent> <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> fingerprint chemist Heart attack</p>

<p>10/77 J.M. English Former head of <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> Forensic Heart attack
<ent type='ORG'>Sciences Laboratory</ent></p>

<p>11/77 William <ent type='PERSON'>Sullivan</ent>* Former number-three man in Hunting accident
<ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent>, headed <ent type='ORG'>Division</ent> 5,
counterespionage and
domestic intelligence</p>

<p>1978 C.L. "Lummie" <ent type='GPE'>Lewis</ent> <ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> deputy sheriff who <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
arrested <ent type='ORG'>Mafia</ent> man <ent type='PERSON'>Braden</ent> in
Dealey Plaza</p>

<p>9/78 Garland Slack Man who said his target was Unknown
fired at by <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> at rifle
range</p>

<p>1/79 <ent type='ORG'>Billy Lovelady</ent> Depository employee said to be Complications
the man in the doorway in AP from heart attack
photograph</p>

<p>6/80 Dr. <ent type='PERSON'>John</ent> Holbrook Psychiatrist who testified Heart attack, but
<ent type='PERSON'>Ruby</ent> was not insane pills, notes found</p>

<p>1/81 Marguerite <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> Mother of accused assassin Cancer</p>

<p>10/81 <ent type='PERSON'>Frank Watts</ent> Chief felony prosecutor for <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
<ent type='GPE'>Dallas</ent> D.A.</p>

<p>1/82 <ent type='PERSON'>Peter Gregory</ent> original translator for <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
Marina <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> and Secret
Service</p>

<p>5/82 Dr. <ent type='PERSON'>James Weston</ent> Pathologist allowed to see Died while
<ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> autopsy material for jogging, ruled
HSCA natural causes</p>

<p>8/82 Will H. Griffin <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> agent who reportedly Cancer
said <ent type='PERSON'>Oswald</ent> was "definitely"
an <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> informant</p>

<p>10/82 W. Marvin Gheesling <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> official who helped <ent type='ORG'>Natural</ent> causes
supervise <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> investigation</p>

<p>3/84 <ent type='ORG'>Roy Kellerman</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Secret Service</ent> agent in charge Unknown
if <ent type='PERSON'>JFK</ent> limousine

--- end
</p></xml>