Oct
01
Rob Clark & Joe Borelli of the Lone Gunman Podcast have been doing video book reviews recently and yesterday it was Prayer Man – More Than a Fuzzy Picture turn.
It is just over fifteen minutes long and I cannot thank these guys enough for this review.
Sep
28
Anna Paulina Luna’s Letter to NBC to request the JFK Assasination films
In case you are not too familiar with this subject: this article is about the films that NBC is holding that were taken during and right after the assassination of JFK in Dallas, Texas. The large majority of this post is due to Ed Ledoux’s dilligent work and his perserverance in trying to get hold of these films since they are so pivotal for Prayer Man.
NBC has been anything but cooperative from day one, they have stuck with the Warren Commission side of events of the JFK Assassination. Richard E. Sprague while trying to get hold of the JFK Assassination films, decades ago already reported in 1968 he had no luck getting access to any of the footage the network had taken. It was only through affiliates that Sprague managed to get hold of some of them. He got a copy of the Wiegman film through UCLA. Alec Baldwin also made mention of this when working on a JFK 50th anniversary show for MSNBC that was never aired.
In my book, Prayer Man – More Than a Fuzzy Picture, I mention Ledoux’s earlier work from a decade ago. He was in direct contact with NBC trying to obtain digital copies of the original films.
Not much came out of that other than the acknowledgement that they admitted to having the films. I quote from a reply on June 3rd, 2015 by Meg Nakahara to Ed Ledoux:
Thank you so much for your patience. Unfortunately, I have some bad news. I just received a call from the powers that be and sadly they do not want to authorize any film transfers from the original footage. They are pretty protective of the original and hence the reason we have the dubs that we are able to license from.
And by dubs they mean old U-matic 3/4 inch vhs tape transfer copies that are, in this digital age, of inferior quality.
A decade later and Ledoux has been a busy trying to contact the NBC offices and Anna Paulina’s office and I am more than happy to share his recents efforts, which took a fair bit of effort.
After the first hearing on April 1st, which I wrote about shortly after, some of us were wondering aloud what was being done by the committee in trying to get the original Darnell and Wiegman films. And Ed started to email shortly after to enquire whether he could get a copy of the letter that was meant to be sent out to NBC, and this proved to be quite a task.
I spoke with him earlier this week and from that conversation it transpired that he had been trying get hold of Anna Paulina’s letter to NBC requesting the films that were taken during the assassination. And in our case to be more precise the Dave Wiegman and James Darnell films.
He emailed and tried to call numerous times to get hold of this letter and after months of perservering he got it! Ledoux eventually managed to get in touch with Chief Legal Counsel William Christian at Anna Luna’s office, who passed him on to Chief of Staff Sam Luna (no relation) and he forwarded the letter to Ledoux.
Click photo to enlarge. With thanks to Ed Ledoux.
At the same time Ledoux tried to call and email NBC, especially the licensing office, to get an update about the request and the films. However no one would answer or reply to his emails. He left messages, but they were not returned either. I quote from his entry at The Education Forum. Because I wanted to make contact with the same people to get their opinion on the testimony before congress and what was going on in the office to satisfy what may become a subpoena.The same staff I’d spoke to before without any delay and strangely their phones went to voicemail. You could leave a message. But they wouldn’t call back. So I got the staff directory and I started calling everybody in the office, management etc. Everyone’s phone went to voicemail. No one would return a message. no matter how detailed or indiscript I left it.
And in closing if we are so wrong that Prayer Man is Lee Harvey Oswald, which is merely based on a belief if I may add. Why are the films not released? I mean Zapruder, a violent and graphic recording, has been in the public realm for quite some time now. Or could it just be that the films are just the cherry on top of the DPD & FBI evidence that Oswald stated where he was at that time. Out with Bill Shelley in front and Then Went Ouside to watch the P. Parade.
To be continued.
More:
The Search for the Wiegman and Darnell Films.
Jul
13
Dealey Plaza UK Warwickshire Seminar
The leadership of Dealey Plaza UK had decided to hold a special seminar for our 30th anniversary in a completely different location. This was after holding the yearly seminar for about 20 years in Canterbury, and decision was made to move on. The seminar in 2024 at the Abode Hotel in Canterbury was a very enjoyable and informative affair, but boy oh boy was this to be superseeded with the new gaff.
Ashorne Hill. Pic.: Scott Reid.
For this year’s 30th commemorative event something special needed to be done for us to present our recent JFK Assassination research and head honcho Neal Safaty pulled two options out of his hat of which Ashorne Hill in Leamington Spa was voted everyone’s favourite. Looking at the shot above it is more than evident why.
This year was marked as the 30th anniversary of DPUK so it had to be a special event. Especially after we had to cancel our 25th due to the Covid Lockdown. Neale did an amazing job and planned a three day seminar (June 27-29) instead of the usual two and it turned out to be a fantastic event from the beginning to the very end.
L to R: Andrew Iler, Peter Antill, Johnny Cairns, Malcolm Blunt, Bart Kamp, Scott Reid and Paul Bleau. Pic: Scott Reid.
We all gathered the day before on a sunny Thursday afternoon for drinks and a light bite. And this was how it was to be; the sunshine continued all over the weekend. It was meant to be a smart casual event, but the weather dictated shorts so…..
The AV facilities were excellent as we were able to stream. I suggest you go to the DPUK site for a listing of the whole program in case you are interested on who was presenting.
My favourite speakers were our Canadian delegates Andrew Iler and Paul Bleau. Very solid presentations, soon you will be able to see for yourself on YouTube.
I myself did two loose presentations; one on Oswald’s fingerprints and the next day I spoke about the current state of the Darnell & Wiegman films with the latest developments in mind.
Pic.: Scott Reid.
And of course a chat with Malcolm Blunt where the audience was also invited to ask questions.
Pic.: Scott Reid.
A thoroughly enjoyable weekend, my favourite DPUK event by and large and I cannot wait until 2026!
Videos, once sorted, will be posted at some point.
Apr
25
The Pulse – Pelle Neroth Taylor – Prayer Man – NBC JFK Assassination Films
Book / Dallas Police Department / Dealey Plaza / FBI / HSCA / JFK Assassination / Lee Harvey Oswald / Photography & Film / Podcast / Prayer Man / TSBD
The Pulse – Pelle Noreth Taylor – Prayer Man – NBC JFK Assassination Films
I had the pleasure to speak again with Pelle Neroth Taylor of The Pulse.
Apr
09
Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets: the JFK Files – April 1 2025
ARRB / Book / Dealey Plaza / HSCA / JFK Assassination / Lee Harvey Oswald / Photography & Film / Prayer Man / TSBD
Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets: the JFK Files
Amended April 13th 2025.
Well it was happening on April fools day no less and the irony had not escaped me. That it was in part almost hilarious was something I had not expected. I expected a rather sombre, almost sleep inducingly boring listing of what was still missing. Instead……
During this hearing there were a few who asked some rather funny but very inane questions that were about to turn this thing into a circus of conspiracy entertainment. And of course did the bi-partisan politics come into play as well. It was entertainment only the USA could provide!
Photo: Doug Campbell.
What I had expected was that someone from that panel would list what was still missing from a JFK assassination records release perspective. Malcolm Blunt did some of this by emailing me and which I reposted on the DPUK website. Of all people, in this niche, he could have summarised what was missing and what has been detroyed!
I did forward this, but sadly it was not jumped upon. Unless that is still to come…..?
The records releases and the hearing made me decide to meet up with Malcolm Blunt on April 5th and tape our chats. We had not seen eachother since early Dec 2024. Malcolm is semi-retired and kicks back in a warm sunny destination. However his time Malcolm had something extra to say!
To me the whole shebang was about the NBC fillms by Dave Wiegman and Jimmy Darnell. If there is anything that could throw open the case, which certain individuals aren’t too enamoured about.
Jefferson Morley tweeted his opinion (a baseless one if I may add) the day before the hearing. It appears that Morley and Posner are walking hand in hand on the value of the NBC films. No sources, just opinions.
In summary:
- Morley told her it is NOT a definitive piece of evidence. It can be and for that it needs to be investigated.
- Morley said it is NOT important to the JFK community. Not true, if there is anything that could collapse the assumption of Lee Harvey Oswald’s guilt it is this.
- Morley advised her to drop it. On what basis?
- Morley hopes some day NBC will clear the air by making available high-res scans. Some day? How about right now!
- Mortley states that NBC is not hiding anything. I beg to differ based on our experience.
Is this a prime example of kicking the can down the road while attempts are made to get the film out for the public to see for themselves?
Then during the hearing, as I was watching it live, Jefferson Morley was speaking about the NBC films again and I wasn’t really clocking all of it but it sounded like a repeat of that tweet. The overall impression I got was that none of the questioners of that panel were well appraissed. They were briefed. Therefor they were informed what to ask. Watch the video of the hearing for yourself. Tell me I am dead wrong! Greg Parker brought this up before me a week or so ago and he is spot on.
The exchange I refer to above goes as follows:
Mr Garcia (49:35) I want to also just so that note that we should follow of course the facts wherever they go. Mr. Morley, in the run-up to this hearing, I know that there was some public reporting about this video that has been referenced. It’s never before seen video of the shooting. Now that video itself is not a secret. I mean, JFK researchers have known about this video for a few years. Is that correct?
Jefferson Morley (49:55): For decades. Yes.
Mr Garcia (49:56): Okay. And the film is not definitive about Oswald’s whereabouts at the time of the incident?
Jefferson Morley (50:03): No. It is not.
Mr Garcia (50:04): Okay. And it’s not regarded as overly important by serious JFK researchers. Would you agree with that?
Jefferson Morley (50:11): Correct.
Mr Garcia (50:11): Okay. And it has never been a factor in major analysis in the causes of JFK assassination. Is that also correct?
Jefferson Morley (50:18): Not in mine and not in any of the researchers I work with.
Mr Garcia (50:22): Okay. Thank you. And I think it’s important to clarify that because I think there’s a lot of speculation and interest in the video, but I think we should be very clear about what the video actually is. Also, I know as it relates to the rollout of the JFK files, it also included a lot of, I think, personal information. Mr. Davisson, I just want to turn to you for a minute.
You’d start to suspect that this was all agenda driven. Time will tell if Morley voices his opinion again.
Near the end of the hearing Representative Luna asked Oliver Stone if he would recommend that the task force send a letter to NBC requesting the Dave Wiegman & Jimmy Darnell films to which he replied in the affirmative. It’s a start, an attempt at least to get the films out in the public domain.
We shall see where this is going. In the mean time expect to be bored to death by opinionated conspiracy theorists and lone nutters just speculate their rear off of what they think and believe.
If(!) the original films arrive at NARA then we are a step closer to obtaining the cherry on top.
The evidence for Oswald’s innocence and his whereabouts during the JFK Assassination is already there!
Mar
30
I should have posted this a day or so ago, but work and travel prevented me from doing this.
A few days ago James DiEugenio of Kennedys & King contacted me asking whether I could provide him with whatever I had on the Prayer Man films (shot by NBC’s Dave Wiegman and WBAP’s Jimmy Darnell) and which are being kept by NBC under lock and key.
I shared what I knew, but that did not reduce my utter amazement when DiEugenio sent me the link of a Fox News video featuring Jesse Watters interviewing Anna Paulina Luna
View the segment HERE.
Luna mentions tape, but it should be a 16 mm celluloid film. NBC has used low quality tape tranfers for media usage.
Nor were these films unseen or kept secret, the film was shared in 1964.
Plus it was included with the JFK film by Oliver Stone when the documentary Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy was released.
The Wiegman film has been used in many documentaries, it has been freely available. Death in Dealey Plaza being one of them.
The films are not secret, the Sixth Floor Museum released a first genreation copy in August 2024.
That the orginal 16mm films need to stored at NARA instead of at NBC HQ is a given and from there on the best possible high res scans need to be made.
Following that deblurring needs to be pursued. AI could help with that, and until then the lone nutters and conspiracy theorists waste everyone’s time with their beliefs, thoughts and utter speculation. Your opinions are worthless.
This week there will be a hearing, the films may get some more attention then as well.
I am cautiously optimistic about all this.
Will we get the cherry on top?
Nov
15
Recently I had the pleasure to talk with Bill Raider and Sean Kane on the That’s Enough Outta You! podcast.
I had a great time, thank you very much gentlemen.
