A Reader's Heartfelt Response to The Kennedy Detail

Hi Jerry.........

Frank Badalson here from Richmond VA.  I want to express how much I enjoyed and valued reading this book!  I could just send a quick email and say....."hey man, i really enjoyed this new book-thanks" ...that seems the easy way out.....too cold and insincere to me ! I wanted to take the time to express a little more than that! .....from my heart.....as I see this book was from yours!  And Clint's..............  I sincerely hope you don't mind.

It's a little difficult for me to find a place to begin here.  I was in 4th grade at St Thomas More Catholic School in SE Washington DC at the moment of President Kennedy's assassination.  Mother Superior  burst into our class and stated "say a prayer for President Kennedy-he has been shot".  Of course our teacher led us in a prayer after which us 9 year old kids got back to school work.

At that time my family (Mother's side) owned a restaurant in the Eastover Shopping Center (Eastover Restaurant & Delicatessen).....considered SE DC but actually was just over the line in Eastover/Glassmanor MD.  It was a family affair and everyone in the family worked at the Restaurant including  us kids for whatever it was we could do. 

This was an extremely sad time for my family (all Catholic)......my Granny cried and cried all weekend.  We were not allowed to go out and play or be with any of our friends or even go to the Restaurant that weekend.  We all just watched tv.  We saw Oswald murdered on live TV.

My father, Frank Badalson Sr. was a tailor/haberdasher and considered very good at his trade at that time......he made suits for many Congressmen and had a Marine Uniform Shop in Quantico, VA.  The Summer of 1971 my Father got me a job working for Congressman William R. Anderson from TN.  I got to be quite close to the Congressman and his staff that Summer.  Mr Anderson called me in and said he wanted to appoint me as a US House Page for my senior year of high school.  Of course I said "yes sir" !  Long story short.....I quickly made it to "No 1 Page".....as they called it......I mainly catered to Congressmen  on the Republican side because they were short of Pages.  I did a lot for Gerald R. Ford who was Minority Whip at that time.  He came to know me by name....and I ran a lot of "errands" for him.  Of course he was the only original member of the Warren Commission that I ever knew and I was aware of that at the time......but honestly it didnt mean much to me then......too young!   Girls and cars....thats about it !

I went to college, The University of Richmond, VA and graduated in 1976.  One week later I started my career in Law Enforcement.  That lasted for 15 years. Mostly a regular beat cop.....in a very busy area.....quickly got into investigating  murders, shootings, rapes, robberies and of course alot of automobile crashes...physical fights and manhandling people......among the shoplifting cases, domestic calls, smashed mailbox and loud barking dog calls....etc......all the things a busy "beat" cop gets into.   I also watched many autopsies (maybe  about a dozen or so, a lot for a beat cop)....actually right there in the room  with Dr Marcella Fiero (Patricia Cornwells-leading lady--Dr Fiero was an associate Medical Examiner, not Chief during my time) and she was quite a character!!.  I learned about ballistics from our forensic guys and just good solid police work in general.  We were a close knit Department at that time....full of honorable.....trustworthy guys.  We had to count on each other and had to have full confidence in one another.  My point here is......much like you all  in the Secret Service.......although I understand not the same.........very similar in that "I get it"...throughout your book. 

The average citizen just can't comprehend what you all had to do.....no way.......not even me....til I read your book!

No Lawyer.....Physicist.....Journalist.....etc would have any conception what it takes......what it is to investigate a homicide, understand what bullets do, what wounds should look like and above all the "physical evidence " of a case in it's entirety.  I have read  no less than 40 books since 79/80 on the Assassination.  I have read the Warren Commission report........I conducted my own analysis and investigation.......I was in Dealey Plaza in October of 1994 and spent all day  in the Book Depository and the "tour".  I went to Oswalds rooming house............to 10th St near Patton St where Officer J. D. Tippit was slain, and to the Texas Theater.  Looking out of the Sixth Floor windows (the actual window was caged off at that time) but I looked out adjacent windows and was immediately struck  by how the distances seemed  so "short" to the street.......no problem at all for a .223 rifle with a scope.  Heck during my first years we had to qualify from the 50 yard line....using barricades......but nevertheless it was 150 feet of distance with a 4 inch barrel .38...6 shot revolver !   And I shot expert my entire career.  Of course the 50 yard line is no longer used in standard Police  qualifications.

Jerry....I can"t tell how how valuable your book is in every way.  Personally  this book fills in voids that I have always wondered about.............sure Posners book and Bugliosis 2 books are somewhat factual and I agree with most of it.....their conclusions and all.  However...........to me your book finally brings it all together.........you don't  yet again try to convince everyone about all the physical evidence and what it shows....how to interpret it...........YOU don't need to.   This perspective.....from You and Clint ............just ties it all together..........I can finally say after all these years....."Case Closed"   

    (............I always wondered about the true Secret Service role.....but nothing was ever written  from a factual perspective.........I did not believe these BS stories about the  guys all drinking/partying the early morning before......and changing the route.....none of that made sense to me......but I never heard it refuted from a factual basis.)

 From an investigative standpoint there is no doubt that Oswald acted alone..........the essence of the Warren commission findings and the findings of the Dallas PD ( including what Det. Jim Leavelle says...a true homicide detective) are correct and absolutely accurate. One might fault the Warren Comm. for not having at least 1 actual police officer skilled in actual homicide investigations....evaluating evidence and putting it all together.  They did ultimately end up with an accurate assessment.  By the way.....I wonder if most people out there know the real reason Oswald was handcuffed to Leavelle for transport on Sunday??  It was because Leavelle had  responded to the scene and was assigned to Officer J. D. Tippits murder and that was the first charge lodged against Oswald. So Chief Curry and Capt. Fritz agreed Leavelle should do it.  During my "time" .....I traveled out of State twice to transport criminals, by airplane. Chief assigned those who were directly involved in the case-always.

I have debated this subject for many....many.. years....with family....friends....my other Law Enforcement friends.......most of them think I am nuts......"why do you care"..........well I tell them  they should care......my cop friends all think I am a little eccentric to say the least.....but ....such a controversial subject.......warrants interest for History sake.....at least that is what I think.   I wasn't there......You all were....well I know you personally were not in Dallas........but......well.....you know what I mean !

One of the biggest debates I consistently have is this............Do you really believe  that this immense fraud and cover up you all talk about could possibly have taken place among all these Law Enforcement personnel?  really? Do you realize how many men would  have decided.....well....I'm just going to lie....and forgo my sworn oath....personal values......honesty...integrity , come on! .......I was awfully proud of my Department and every minute I served as a Police Officer.............there is no way anyone could possibly convince me or any of the men I worked with to "cover-up" anything............its hard to get this point across to lay people Jerry....very hard.

I think I will be giving away a bunch of your books as Christmas presents this year..............I know a good number of folks that really.....really need to read this book.  And it is the best Christmas present I can think of this year!!  I am mostly going to give it to those friends who have always doubted me !!! They will understand!

I want You and Clint to know that I appreciate your service......and the tremendous sacrifice and hardship (physically and emotionally) you all have endured (I also can appreciate the 48 hour days with no sleep-and certainly no overtime pay-it was expected)  during those days.......from the bottom of my heart...thank you Jerry.

 Sorry for rambling on......this is just a subject I feel very strongly about ......and I have never been remotely interested in writing any author about this subject......when I completed your book.....today......I felt compelled and after I saw the website.....I knew I had to write you !

Take Care, Your Friend in Virginia, Frank Badalson