1978 Philadelphia Bulletin

1978 Philadelphia Bulletin 

Letters to the editor

Blood on history books

One of the members of the House of Representatives who is “wisely reconsidering” the funding of the House assassinations committee is Rep. Don Edwards (D. Calf.). He claims that it is “wrong, immoral and very likely illegal” for the House investigators to use electronic devices on witnesses and suspects (he calls them “citizens” suspected of lesser crimes.

The House of Representatives does not have the power to prosecute even if the committee identifies co-conspirators. If given the funds, however, the committee would have the power to find out some healthy truths concerning those murky affairs and give future generations a more accurate account of our history, even if we are not so terribly interested.

The committee should not give in to those who want to protect the image of already discredited institutions and agencies. Political interests should not control the direction of the investigation by limiting the budget.

If this committee does not answer all of the questions it is assigned to probe, you won’t be able to read through the blood on the history textbooks.

William E. Kelly, Jr.

Ocean City, N.J.

OpEd
Letters to the Editor

Los Angeles Tgimes

Friday, April 17, 192

Opening Files on Assassination

As an independent free-lance journalist in California to interview material witnesses to the assassination of President Kennedy that the official investigators failed to question, I take exception to Richard M. Mosk’s contention (“Distortions Will Continue No Matter What,” Commentary, April 6) that “few of those who so easily accept conspiracy theories have never bothered to review even the report.”

 When the Warren Report was issued in 1964, the 26 volumes of testimony and exhibits were only published at the insistence of congressional commissioners. Many thousands of students and independent researchers have not only read the report and “supporting evidence,” but continue to follow up on leads and information subsequently released and uncovered over the years. No, we don’t expect the files to contain ay “smoking gun.” But it is the principle of open archives in an open society that matters.

We do not need any government commission or report to tell us the truth. We know basically what happened in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963, and the obstruction of justice that has occurred.

The major distortions regarding the assassination stem from the inadequacy of the official investigations, all of which were compromised and ineffective.

Congressional legislation to release the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) files was first introduced in 1981, but never got out of committee because of the opposition from Louis Stokes and G. Robert Blakey, the third chairman and second chief counsel of the HSCA.

Although two other bills have been introduced in this Congress to release the J.F.K. files, Stokes and Blakey, with the assistance of Mosk and David Belin, have authored their own lengthy bill, the one referred to by Mosk.

So the individuals who have opposed the release of the files for so long have co-authored this bill that, if passed and approved by the President, will create yet another appointed commission to review the files and determine if the public has the right to see them in our lifetime

We don’t need any more commissions or lies, just open the Archives. 

William E. Kelly, Jr.

Co-founder Committee for an Open Archives (COA)