| James Files is a criminal whose current residence is | | | | he needed to dump it fast but everyone saw |
| the Stateville Prison in Illinois. He was put there for | | | | through the fraud. Well, perhaps not everyone. |
| the shooting of a police officer in 1991 but his claim | | | | Enter Wim Dankbaar. He bought the rights to |
| to fame, trumpeted across the Internet, by largely | | | | everything Bob Vernon was offering, the story and a |
| one person is that, while in prison, Files confessed to | | | | website devoted to selling it, all for the bargain price |
| President Kennedy's assassination. | | | | of $300,000. Mr. Dankbaar just needed to convince |
| What most common folk as well as conspiracists | | | | the public that it was the truth... ASSUME that Files |
| don't know is that this winding and convoluted | | | | was guilty beyond a reasonable double without any |
| assassination story began long before James Files | | | | concrete supporting evidence. To this day, Bob |
| entered the picture with his magical confession. The | | | | Vernon claims that Wim Dankbaar cheated him out |
| basic story is the same as when it started, but the | | | | of the balance due, $150,00O. |
| names have changed. Money has changed hands | | | | An important question is why does Mr. Dankbaar try |
| over the years and the tale has evolved into what | | | | so hard to disassociate himself from Joe West's |
| some believe is the perpetuation of a unique fraud. | | | | checkered past as an investigator? Perhaps then, he |
| The authorities never bought into it. It's a wonder | | | | would have to admit that many other investigators |
| why others have. | | | | thought that Joe West was "reckless, comically |
| At the 40th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's | | | | secretive, self-aggrandizing and a buffoon". |
| assassination, many theories, facts and figures were | | | | A few years ago, Wim Dankbaar hired me to edit |
| bounced around. There was no mention in the media | | | | the three hour James Files video interview he |
| of James Files or the Dutch blogger, Wim Dankbaar, | | | | conducted. |
| the current promoter of a website devoted to JFK | | | | Here are some of my observations of the James |
| conspiracy theories and the seller of numerous James | | | | Files jail house confession. Please note that some |
| Files-centered books and DVDs. | | | | portions of the actual videotape Mr. Dankbaar is now |
| A Little Background | | | | selling have since been edited out precisely because |
| About 20 years ago, John Rademacher of Granbury, | | | | of my observations: |
| Texas discovered a couple of.222 shell casings with a | | | | #1: Files claims that just before shooting Kennedy he |
| metal detector in Dallas' Dealey Plaza where President | | | | took off the scope so he could use it to look around |
| Kennedy was killed. Rademacher then contacted a | | | | at the people in the area. Then, he says, he put the |
| television network to try to stir up attention, then | | | | scope back on the gun to fire the fatal shot that |
| claiming he had "the gun matched to the.222 bullets | | | | killed Kennedy. |
| and it's a Remington XP 100 long range target pistol." | | | | Mr. Dankbaar and of course, Files himself, assert that |
| The problem was that the gun was never | | | | Files is a military/mob weapons' expert and assassin. |
| chambered for the.222. Additionally, the page in John's | | | | But even a gun novice knows that after calibrating a |
| proof referring to the XP-100 had been altered with | | | | gun with a scope, you do not take the scope off the |
| a pen changing it to.222 from the original.221. | | | | weapon before a hunt, shooting competition or |
| On August 6, 1990, a group which included a | | | | certainly not during the assassination of the President |
| "certified legal investigator" a friend of John's named | | | | of the United States just to "look around". |
| Joe West and another man named Ricky Don White, | | | | #2: Files claims he was recruited for CIA operations in |
| all looking for a fast buck, held a conference where | | | | April 1961 by David Atlee Phillips. |
| they offered a portion of their evidence trying to | | | | In 1961 Phillips was Chief of Covert Action in Mexico |
| convince the crowd that Ricky's father, deceased | | | | City and additionally ran the CIA's "propaganda shop." |
| ex-Dallas police officer, Roscoe White was the | | | | He had nothing to do with CIA recruitment. |
| infamous "Grassy Knoll" assassin. | | | | #3: Files claims responsibility for training some of the |
| In 1991, many researchers found that much of the | | | | Bay of Pigs soldiers at the behest of the CIA and |
| "so called evidence" implicating Officer Roscoe White | | | | David Atlee Phillips. He describes the training as taking |
| was actually made up. When Ricky and the others | | | | place in the Everglades. |
| tried to sell the story to Oliver Stone, he passed on | | | | The preparation of invasion forces for the Bay of |
| it, saying he thought it was "a publicity-seeking hoax." | | | | Pigs took place in Guatemala. |
| At this point, Joe West had absolutely no credibility. | | | | #4: On the morning of November 22, 1963 Files |
| So what did he do? He just dismissed all the evidence | | | | claims he sat at a counter stool in a "pancake house |
| to the contrary and continued on. | | | | just off the major highway", observing a meeting |
| Later West began corresponding with the prisoner | | | | between Jack Ruby and John Roselli during which |
| James Sutton a.k.a. James Files. West also told Files | | | | Ruby passed a "5X9 manila envelope" to Roselli. Later |
| about the two shell casings which Files would | | | | Files supposedly discovers that the envelope contains |
| eventually weave into his assassination story. Shortly | | | | "Secret Service identification and a map of the |
| later Joe died due to heart problems. | | | | motorcade route." Roselli allegedly quips "They only |
| Joe's good friend Bob Vernon rallied to the cause. He | | | | made one change." Files says the alteration was the |
| saw big money in the Files story and in March 1994, | | | | "little zig zag onto Elm they never should have made." |
| Bob set up a videotaped session with Files who again | | | | Stories of last minute changes in the motorcade |
| proclaimed himself to be the true assassin. | | | | route are pure fabrications. The actual route was |
| The media reviewed the video. No one was | | | | approved on Monday, November 18, 1963 and |
| impressed. Richard Johnson wrote on July 27, 1994 | | | | published in both The Dallas Morning News and Dallas |
| on Page 6 of the New York Post: "Call this JFK tale | | | | Times Herald on November 19, 1963 three full days |
| knoll and void...The convict recounted this outlandish | | | | before the alleged meeting between Ruby and Roselli. |
| tale to Bob Vernon, a Houston producer who is trying | | | | There's far more to the James Files fraud story with |
| to sell it for $2 million." | | | | lots of interesting details countering his contention |
| By 1995, Bob Vernon had invested thousands of | | | | that he was the sole assassin that you may wish to |
| dollars promoting the James Files' story. At this point, | | | | explore if you're into the JFK assassination conspiracy. |