Post by Rob Caprio on Nov 10, 2018 10:28:16 GMT -5
All portions ©️ Robert Caprio 2006-2024
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The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) would hear from many different types of witnesses and the Warren Commission (WC) never questioned some of these in 1964. In the years between the WC’s final report and the formation of the HSCA many had heard that the Mafia was involved in the murder of President John F. Kennedy (JFK). The most consistent names were of New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, Miami crime boss Santos Trafficante and Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana, but some have put Los Angeles mobster Johnny Rosselli in the mix too. This post will look at one witnesses’ claim regarding Santos Trafficante and what he told him in regards to JFK’s assassination.
The HSCA says…Jose Aleman.
*************************************************
Jose Aleman had been an active member of a group that was trying to overthrow Fidel Castro and his communist regime, but with no results to show for it. After he had been arrested quite a few times Aleman finally came to the Unites States (U.S.) in 1960. Aleman had also tried to overthrow Batista before Castro. The HSCA would write the following about Aleman and his comments regarding Santos Trafficante.
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www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/pages/HSCA_Report_0102a.gif
During the course of its investigation of Santos Trafficante, the committee examined an allegation that Trafficante had told a prominent Cuban exile, Jose Aleman, that President Kennedy was going to be assassinated. According to Aleman, Trafficante made the statement in a private conversation with him that took place sometime in September 1962. In an account of the alleged conversation published by the Washington Post in 1976, Aleman was quoted as stating that Trafficante had told him that President Kennedy was "going to be hit." Aleman further stated, however, that it was his impression that Trafficante was not the specific individual who was allegedly planning the murder. Aleman was quoted as having noted that Trafficante had spoken of Teamsters Union President James Hoffa during the same conversation, indicating that the President would "get what is coming to him" as a result of his administration's intense efforts to prosecute Hoffa. (HSCA Report (HSCAR), pp. 173-174)
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/html/HSCA_Report_0102a.htm
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Aleman would also give testimony before the HSCA and he of course would be asked about this alleged conversation he had with Trafficante.
Mr. CORNWELL. During approximately that period of time did you have occasion to meet Santos Trafficante?
Mr. ALEMAN. Yes, I did.
Mr. CORNWELL. So you have told us that when the suggestion was first made that you should meet with Trafficante, you were reluctant to do do, the reason being that you had previously testified against associates of his in a trial, is that correct?
Mr. ALEMAN. Correct.
Mr. CORNWELL….In spite of your reluctance, however, did you ultimately go to one or more meetings with Trafficante.
Mr. ALEMAN. Yes, I did. I had various meetings with Santos Trafficante.
Mr. CORNWELL. And roughly during what period of time did the meetings take place?
Mr. ALEMAN. July, June, 1963, around that time.
Mr. CORNWELL. Now, it has been reported that at one of these meetings, or on one of these occasions on which you met and spoke with Trafficante, you and he engaged in a political discussion or a discussion of the Kennedy administration.
Mr. ALEMAN. He did most of the talking. I mean, he was talking about President Kennedy….He talked various things. One of the things he said Hoffa could not secure the loan so far because he had a lot of troubles with the brothers Kennedy.
Mr. CORNWELL. Mr. Aleman, that is an excerpt from a report of an investigator of ours, Gaeton Fonzi, dated March 12, 1977, and I would like to specifically direct your attention to the first paragraph which reads as follows: "Aleman said in more than one way that Trafficante did specifically tell him that Kennedy is "going to get hit." He also specifically confirmed the quote that Crile printed in the Washington Post on this point: "Aleman says that he argued that Kennedy would get reelected and Trafficante replied, 'no, Jose he is going to be hit." Let me ask you, did you meet with Mr. Fonzi on that occasion?
Mr. ALEMAN. I met with Mr. Fonzi on that occasion….
Mr. CORNWELL. And may we show a a copy of it to the witness, please? Mr. Aleman, on the front page of the exhibit there is a paragraph which is titled "Summary" and reads as follows: Aleman confirms reports that Santos Trafficante personally told him that President Kennedy was going to be hit. Aleman indicates that Santos Trafficante made clear to him implicitly that he was not guessing about the killing. Rather, he was giving the impression that he knew Kennedy was going to be killed.
Mr. ALEMAN. Rather than he was giving the impression that he knew Kennedy was going to be killed.
Mr. CORNWELL. That's what Santos Trafficante---
Mr. ALEMAN. That he was not guessing about the killing.
Mr. CORNWELL. That Trafficante was----
Mr. ALEMAN. Aleman confirms the report that Santos personally told him that President Kennedy was going to be hit.
Mr. CORNWELL. The comments that were made to you by Trafficante worried you, is that correct?
Mr. ALEMAN. After all the years that have passed by after seeing all the things, it worried me.
Mr. CORNWELL. In fact, immediately after the assassination, the FBI came to you and asked you again about the previous comments you had overheard, didn't they?
Mr. ALEMAN. Whatever transpired during that period of time, I informed the FBI about it.
Mr. CORNWELL. They came to you after the assassination and asked you again to tell in more detail the nature of the comments; is that correct?
Mr. ALEMAN. They asked something in that concern.
Mr. CORNWELL. In the previous reports of your recollections of this event, as in your testimony today, the phrase has occurred that "Kennedy will be hit." Today you offered, for the first time, an explanation that that might have been a reference to the fact he will be hit'-
Mr. ALEMAN. No, no, no, no, because when that happened, I had informed the FBI about it. So later on they told me, Jose, he was a loner, you must not be concerned about anything, no problem whatsoever.
Mr. CORNWELL. The FBI said, don't worry about these comments, Lee Harvey Oswald was a loner.
Mr. ALEMAN. Yes; after the Warren Committee.
So we are asked to believe that Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) saved Santos Trafficante from his false bravado about JFK being hit, huh? Why did the FBI show no interest in this soon after the assassination? Because they had their man and were not interested in looking into anything else despite their claims of tracking down leads no matter where they led. The HSCA would further write this in their report.
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www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/pages/HSCA_Report_0102b.gif
During an interview with the committee in March 1977, Aleman provided further details of his alleged discussion with Trafficante in September 1962. Aleman stated that during the course of the discussion, Trafficante had made clear to him that he was not guessing that the President was going to be killed. Rather he did in fact know that such a crime was being planned. In his committee interview, Aleman further stated that Trafficante had given him the distinct impression that Hoffa was to be principally involved in planning the Presidential murder.
In September 1978, prior to his appearance before the committee in public session. Aleman reaffirmed his earlier account of the alleged September 1962 meeting with Trafficante. Nevertheless, shortly before his appearance in public session, Aleman informed the committee staff that he feared for his physical safety and was afraid of possible reprisal from Trafficante or his organization. In this testimony, Aleman changed his professed understanding of Trafficante's comments. Aleman repeated under oath that Trafficante had said Kennedy was "going to be hit, but he then stated it was his impression that Trafficante may have only meant the President was going to be hit by "a lot of Republican votes" in the 1964 election, not that he was going to be assassinated. (HSCAR, p. 174)
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/html/HSCA_Report_0102b.htm
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Aleman became afraid for his safety (why is that since LHO had been dead since 1963?) and tried to change the comment to mean that JFK would be “hit with a lot of Republican votes” in 1964! Who reading this believes that one? Even the HSCA had trouble believing it as they wrote this next.
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The committee found it difficult to understand how Aleman could have misunderstood Trafficante during such a conversation, or why he would have fabricated such an account. Aleman appeared to be a reputable person, who did not seek to publicize his allegations, and he was well aware of the potential danger of making such allegations against a leader of La Costa Nostra. The committee noted, however, that Aleman's prior allegations and testimony before the committee had made him understandably fearful for his life.
The committee also did not fully understand why Aleman waited so many years before publicly disclosing the alleged incident. While he stated in 1976 that he had reported Trafficante's alleged remarks about the President to FBI agents in 1962 and 1963, the committee's review of Bureau reports on his contacts with FBI agents did not reveal a record of any such disclosure or comments at the time. Additionally, the FBI agent who served as Aleman's contact during that period denied ever being told such information by Aleman. (HSCAR, pp. 174-175)
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It is not surprising to me that the FBI would NOT document something this serious or have any memory of it since it would lead to questions of why they did NOT do anything with it. The HSCA would say this about Aleman’s claim.
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www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/pages/HSCA_Report_0103a.gif
Further, the committee found it difficult to comprehend why Traficante, if-he was planning or had personal knowledge of an assassination plot, would have revealed or hinted at such a sensitive matter to Aleman. It is possible that Trafficante may have been expressing a personal opinion, "The President ought to be hit," but it is unlikely in the context of their relationship that Trafficante would have revealed to Aleman the existence of a current plot to kill the president. As previously noted with respect to Carlos Marcello, to have attained his stature as the recognized organized crime leader of Florida for a number of years. Trafficante necessarily had to operate in a characteristically calculating and discreet manner. The relationship between Trafficante and Aleman, a business acquaintance, does not seem to have been close enou for Trafficante to have mentioned or alluded to such a murder plot. The committee thus doubted that Trafficante would have inadvertently mentioned such a plot. In sum, the committee believed there were substantial factors that called into question the validity of Aleman's account. (HSCAR, p. 175)
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/html/HSCA_Report_0103a.htm
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While on the surface it may seem odd that someone like Trafficante would just up and tell Aleman about this plan to “hit” JFK as the HSCA says, it may not be so odd if you remember Aleman’s past. Aleman was active in attempting to OVERTHROW two different leaders in Cuba—Batista and Castro. Could he have been providing some consultative advice to Trafficante? What wouldn’t surprise me one bit is for Aleman to reduce what HE SAID during this conversation and make it more about what Trafficante said alone. While I can’t say it is not possible that Aleman exaggerated what was said by Trafficante as the HSCA said, it doesn’t make sense that he would come forward and testify to this exaggerated conversation that would place him in personal danger. Why would you make-up or exaggerate something against the Mafia that could get you in serious trouble or killed? What would be the upside for Aleman doing this? I don’t see one, thus, I tend to believe what he said was said to him by Trafficante. We also have to remember that Carlos Marcello also talked of a hit against JFK too.
Finally, after testifying to this before the HSCA his life did take a severe downturn. This was written in the magazine Spotlight about Aleman’s life after testifying.
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Aleman's fortunes took a turn for the worse in 1978 when he testified [before the HSCA] about the alleged role of the Mafia and the CIA in the plot to kill JFK. He fingered Florida mob boss Santos Trafficante…By July of 1983, Aleman was almost penniless and hiding in Miami. Suddenly-for no apparent reason-he went berserk, shooting and killing one relative and wounding three others. Police were called to the scene and a shoot-out ensued. During the exchange of gunfire, Aleman allegedly put his weapon to his head and blew his brains out.
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Even though we only have his word for it I just don’t see what Aleman would have gotten out of claiming Trafficante told him this IF he did not. What do you think? Also, if this was a one-off situation we could just say it was not true and move on, but we have seen the same type of comments made by Joseph Milteer and Carlos Marcello as well as a pattern of foreknowledge of the assassination running all through this case. Furthermore, we can’t forget about the attempts that were uncovered in Chicago and Tampa either and these went beyond LHO’s capability.
What do you think of Jose Aleman’s claim?
i.pinimg.com/originals/f6/e1/9f/f6e19ff3f8011e91a2d0b95ca2b3a4b0.jpg
The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) would hear from many different types of witnesses and the Warren Commission (WC) never questioned some of these in 1964. In the years between the WC’s final report and the formation of the HSCA many had heard that the Mafia was involved in the murder of President John F. Kennedy (JFK). The most consistent names were of New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, Miami crime boss Santos Trafficante and Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana, but some have put Los Angeles mobster Johnny Rosselli in the mix too. This post will look at one witnesses’ claim regarding Santos Trafficante and what he told him in regards to JFK’s assassination.
The HSCA says…Jose Aleman.
*************************************************
Jose Aleman had been an active member of a group that was trying to overthrow Fidel Castro and his communist regime, but with no results to show for it. After he had been arrested quite a few times Aleman finally came to the Unites States (U.S.) in 1960. Aleman had also tried to overthrow Batista before Castro. The HSCA would write the following about Aleman and his comments regarding Santos Trafficante.
Quote on
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/pages/HSCA_Report_0102a.gif
During the course of its investigation of Santos Trafficante, the committee examined an allegation that Trafficante had told a prominent Cuban exile, Jose Aleman, that President Kennedy was going to be assassinated. According to Aleman, Trafficante made the statement in a private conversation with him that took place sometime in September 1962. In an account of the alleged conversation published by the Washington Post in 1976, Aleman was quoted as stating that Trafficante had told him that President Kennedy was "going to be hit." Aleman further stated, however, that it was his impression that Trafficante was not the specific individual who was allegedly planning the murder. Aleman was quoted as having noted that Trafficante had spoken of Teamsters Union President James Hoffa during the same conversation, indicating that the President would "get what is coming to him" as a result of his administration's intense efforts to prosecute Hoffa. (HSCA Report (HSCAR), pp. 173-174)
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/html/HSCA_Report_0102a.htm
Quote off
Aleman would also give testimony before the HSCA and he of course would be asked about this alleged conversation he had with Trafficante.
Mr. CORNWELL. During approximately that period of time did you have occasion to meet Santos Trafficante?
Mr. ALEMAN. Yes, I did.
Mr. CORNWELL. So you have told us that when the suggestion was first made that you should meet with Trafficante, you were reluctant to do do, the reason being that you had previously testified against associates of his in a trial, is that correct?
Mr. ALEMAN. Correct.
Mr. CORNWELL….In spite of your reluctance, however, did you ultimately go to one or more meetings with Trafficante.
Mr. ALEMAN. Yes, I did. I had various meetings with Santos Trafficante.
Mr. CORNWELL. And roughly during what period of time did the meetings take place?
Mr. ALEMAN. July, June, 1963, around that time.
Mr. CORNWELL. Now, it has been reported that at one of these meetings, or on one of these occasions on which you met and spoke with Trafficante, you and he engaged in a political discussion or a discussion of the Kennedy administration.
Mr. ALEMAN. He did most of the talking. I mean, he was talking about President Kennedy….He talked various things. One of the things he said Hoffa could not secure the loan so far because he had a lot of troubles with the brothers Kennedy.
Mr. CORNWELL. Mr. Aleman, that is an excerpt from a report of an investigator of ours, Gaeton Fonzi, dated March 12, 1977, and I would like to specifically direct your attention to the first paragraph which reads as follows: "Aleman said in more than one way that Trafficante did specifically tell him that Kennedy is "going to get hit." He also specifically confirmed the quote that Crile printed in the Washington Post on this point: "Aleman says that he argued that Kennedy would get reelected and Trafficante replied, 'no, Jose he is going to be hit." Let me ask you, did you meet with Mr. Fonzi on that occasion?
Mr. ALEMAN. I met with Mr. Fonzi on that occasion….
Mr. CORNWELL. And may we show a a copy of it to the witness, please? Mr. Aleman, on the front page of the exhibit there is a paragraph which is titled "Summary" and reads as follows: Aleman confirms reports that Santos Trafficante personally told him that President Kennedy was going to be hit. Aleman indicates that Santos Trafficante made clear to him implicitly that he was not guessing about the killing. Rather, he was giving the impression that he knew Kennedy was going to be killed.
Mr. ALEMAN. Rather than he was giving the impression that he knew Kennedy was going to be killed.
Mr. CORNWELL. That's what Santos Trafficante---
Mr. ALEMAN. That he was not guessing about the killing.
Mr. CORNWELL. That Trafficante was----
Mr. ALEMAN. Aleman confirms the report that Santos personally told him that President Kennedy was going to be hit.
Mr. CORNWELL. The comments that were made to you by Trafficante worried you, is that correct?
Mr. ALEMAN. After all the years that have passed by after seeing all the things, it worried me.
Mr. CORNWELL. In fact, immediately after the assassination, the FBI came to you and asked you again about the previous comments you had overheard, didn't they?
Mr. ALEMAN. Whatever transpired during that period of time, I informed the FBI about it.
Mr. CORNWELL. They came to you after the assassination and asked you again to tell in more detail the nature of the comments; is that correct?
Mr. ALEMAN. They asked something in that concern.
Mr. CORNWELL. In the previous reports of your recollections of this event, as in your testimony today, the phrase has occurred that "Kennedy will be hit." Today you offered, for the first time, an explanation that that might have been a reference to the fact he will be hit'-
Mr. ALEMAN. No, no, no, no, because when that happened, I had informed the FBI about it. So later on they told me, Jose, he was a loner, you must not be concerned about anything, no problem whatsoever.
Mr. CORNWELL. The FBI said, don't worry about these comments, Lee Harvey Oswald was a loner.
Mr. ALEMAN. Yes; after the Warren Committee.
So we are asked to believe that Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) saved Santos Trafficante from his false bravado about JFK being hit, huh? Why did the FBI show no interest in this soon after the assassination? Because they had their man and were not interested in looking into anything else despite their claims of tracking down leads no matter where they led. The HSCA would further write this in their report.
Quote on
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/pages/HSCA_Report_0102b.gif
During an interview with the committee in March 1977, Aleman provided further details of his alleged discussion with Trafficante in September 1962. Aleman stated that during the course of the discussion, Trafficante had made clear to him that he was not guessing that the President was going to be killed. Rather he did in fact know that such a crime was being planned. In his committee interview, Aleman further stated that Trafficante had given him the distinct impression that Hoffa was to be principally involved in planning the Presidential murder.
In September 1978, prior to his appearance before the committee in public session. Aleman reaffirmed his earlier account of the alleged September 1962 meeting with Trafficante. Nevertheless, shortly before his appearance in public session, Aleman informed the committee staff that he feared for his physical safety and was afraid of possible reprisal from Trafficante or his organization. In this testimony, Aleman changed his professed understanding of Trafficante's comments. Aleman repeated under oath that Trafficante had said Kennedy was "going to be hit, but he then stated it was his impression that Trafficante may have only meant the President was going to be hit by "a lot of Republican votes" in the 1964 election, not that he was going to be assassinated. (HSCAR, p. 174)
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/html/HSCA_Report_0102b.htm
Quote off
Aleman became afraid for his safety (why is that since LHO had been dead since 1963?) and tried to change the comment to mean that JFK would be “hit with a lot of Republican votes” in 1964! Who reading this believes that one? Even the HSCA had trouble believing it as they wrote this next.
Quote on
The committee found it difficult to understand how Aleman could have misunderstood Trafficante during such a conversation, or why he would have fabricated such an account. Aleman appeared to be a reputable person, who did not seek to publicize his allegations, and he was well aware of the potential danger of making such allegations against a leader of La Costa Nostra. The committee noted, however, that Aleman's prior allegations and testimony before the committee had made him understandably fearful for his life.
The committee also did not fully understand why Aleman waited so many years before publicly disclosing the alleged incident. While he stated in 1976 that he had reported Trafficante's alleged remarks about the President to FBI agents in 1962 and 1963, the committee's review of Bureau reports on his contacts with FBI agents did not reveal a record of any such disclosure or comments at the time. Additionally, the FBI agent who served as Aleman's contact during that period denied ever being told such information by Aleman. (HSCAR, pp. 174-175)
Quote off
It is not surprising to me that the FBI would NOT document something this serious or have any memory of it since it would lead to questions of why they did NOT do anything with it. The HSCA would say this about Aleman’s claim.
Quote on
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/pages/HSCA_Report_0103a.gif
Further, the committee found it difficult to comprehend why Traficante, if-he was planning or had personal knowledge of an assassination plot, would have revealed or hinted at such a sensitive matter to Aleman. It is possible that Trafficante may have been expressing a personal opinion, "The President ought to be hit," but it is unlikely in the context of their relationship that Trafficante would have revealed to Aleman the existence of a current plot to kill the president. As previously noted with respect to Carlos Marcello, to have attained his stature as the recognized organized crime leader of Florida for a number of years. Trafficante necessarily had to operate in a characteristically calculating and discreet manner. The relationship between Trafficante and Aleman, a business acquaintance, does not seem to have been close enou for Trafficante to have mentioned or alluded to such a murder plot. The committee thus doubted that Trafficante would have inadvertently mentioned such a plot. In sum, the committee believed there were substantial factors that called into question the validity of Aleman's account. (HSCAR, p. 175)
www.historymatters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/report/html/HSCA_Report_0103a.htm
Quote off
While on the surface it may seem odd that someone like Trafficante would just up and tell Aleman about this plan to “hit” JFK as the HSCA says, it may not be so odd if you remember Aleman’s past. Aleman was active in attempting to OVERTHROW two different leaders in Cuba—Batista and Castro. Could he have been providing some consultative advice to Trafficante? What wouldn’t surprise me one bit is for Aleman to reduce what HE SAID during this conversation and make it more about what Trafficante said alone. While I can’t say it is not possible that Aleman exaggerated what was said by Trafficante as the HSCA said, it doesn’t make sense that he would come forward and testify to this exaggerated conversation that would place him in personal danger. Why would you make-up or exaggerate something against the Mafia that could get you in serious trouble or killed? What would be the upside for Aleman doing this? I don’t see one, thus, I tend to believe what he said was said to him by Trafficante. We also have to remember that Carlos Marcello also talked of a hit against JFK too.
Finally, after testifying to this before the HSCA his life did take a severe downturn. This was written in the magazine Spotlight about Aleman’s life after testifying.
Quote on
Aleman's fortunes took a turn for the worse in 1978 when he testified [before the HSCA] about the alleged role of the Mafia and the CIA in the plot to kill JFK. He fingered Florida mob boss Santos Trafficante…By July of 1983, Aleman was almost penniless and hiding in Miami. Suddenly-for no apparent reason-he went berserk, shooting and killing one relative and wounding three others. Police were called to the scene and a shoot-out ensued. During the exchange of gunfire, Aleman allegedly put his weapon to his head and blew his brains out.
Quote off
Even though we only have his word for it I just don’t see what Aleman would have gotten out of claiming Trafficante told him this IF he did not. What do you think? Also, if this was a one-off situation we could just say it was not true and move on, but we have seen the same type of comments made by Joseph Milteer and Carlos Marcello as well as a pattern of foreknowledge of the assassination running all through this case. Furthermore, we can’t forget about the attempts that were uncovered in Chicago and Tampa either and these went beyond LHO’s capability.
What do you think of Jose Aleman’s claim?