In het spoor van Willem Oltmans

Op 30 september 2023 kwamen Lammert de Bruin en Babs Assink van AVROTROS op bezoek voor een interview. Ze maakten een nieuwe podcastserie over de moord op Kennedy, in aanloop naar de zestigste herdenking van die gebeurtenis acht weken later. Voor de gelegenheid had ik een deel van mijn archief beneden op tafel gelegd; de verzameling boeken en tijdschriften, mijn eigen onderzoek en nog veel meer. Een leuke middag volgde. De zes afleveringen verschenen op 6 november op alle kanalen waar podcasts … [Lees meer...]

New document Oswald on SS Maasdam

I did years of research into the trip Oswald made from Minsk to Texas through my own country, the Netherlands, and on the days aboard the ship SS Maasdam, from Rotterdam to Hoboken, New Jersey. Saw photos and documents, came in contact with people who were on this ship with Lee Harvey Oswald. by PERRY VERMEULEN I always claim that no element in the whole Kennedy investigation has been treated this undervalued. The investigation on this trip in may and june 1962 was poor and minimal. I … [Lees meer...]

11/22/2013: 50 years after the JFK assassination

November 22, 2013. The assassination of John F. Kennedy was exactly 50 years ago. What happened in Kennedy's final hours? This is a liveblog on the events, from his departure in Fort Worth until the take off of Air Force One 3,5 hours later - now with a new President.  by PERRY VERMEULEN, STAN BOS and MIKE BOESCHOTEN Timeline of the assassination of John F. Kennedy 11:17 AM Air Force One takes off from Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth. During the flight to Dallas, John F. Kennedy … [Lees meer...]

Oswald-related places to visit when hungry and thirsty

This september I visited New Orleans and Dallas. Walking around in these city's makes a man hungry and thirsty. This is an enumeration of places to visit when in need for a beer or a burger. All places have a relation to key players of the events in November, 1963. Did you know The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge, Lee Harvey's, Campisi's, Henry's Uptown Bar and Le Bon Temps Roule? by PERRY VERMEULEN The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge, Fort Worth Near Shannon Rose Hill Memorial Park, where Oswald was buried November … [Lees meer...]

Visiting Marina

"Get out of my property," hissed the 75-year-old Kenneth Porter with restrained anger. He was clearly not enamored of this unannounced visit from the Netherlands. The second husband of Marina Oswald Porter was assisted by a loud barking, medium-sized dog. "Get out of my property, didn't you see the warning sign at the beginning of the driveway?" The hope for a little conversation was soon gone, let alone a picture and a short, unique interview with his wife Marina. "No, you do not have to call … [Lees meer...]

Ruth Paine House Museum opens

I visited the Ruth Paine house in Iriving, Dallas, last september. It was empty inside. Well, empty... A table, some chairs and a painting were left by the last occupants. Two months after my quick visit, the house is a home again. The Ruth Paine House Museum opens to public on November 6. by PERRY VERMEULEN The home that once belonged to Ruth Paine, the woman who befriended Marina Oswald and let her live there with her two young daughters, has been restored. The 1,250-square-foot house allows … [Lees meer...]

Oswald on SS Maasdam IV

Received a mail from someone who was interested in information I shared in the period 2007-2010, on the trip Lee Harvey Oswald made from Rotterdam (the Netherlands, my country) to the United States. Oswald travelled with his wife Marina and their baby, June. They left Minsk and travelled by train through Moscow, Poland and Germany, spending a night in a boarding house (in an expensive neighbourhood!) in Rotterdam. On June 4, the SS Maasdam, a Holland America Line ship, took off, bound for … [Lees meer...]

1026 N. Beckley Avenue: visiting Pat Hall

I rang the bell of 1026 North Beckley Avenue in the afternoon of September 10, last month, while visiting Dallas. After a while a middle-aged woman looked through the glass. She wasn't feeling well, but if I wanted to wait for 20 minutes, she was willing to dress up for a short interview. Great news: off course I wanted to talk with Patricia Puckett Hall (61). After all - it was her grandmother who rented a room to Lee Harvey Oswald in the last weeks of his life. Worth the wait. by PERRY … [Lees meer...]

Magazine St, New Orleans: where Oswald lived

I visited New Orleans in 2009 and was confused: the address of Lee Harvey Oswald was 4905 Magazine Street, but I couldn't find a house with that number. Walking from the corner of Magazine and Upperline Street, you'll find the odd numbers 4901 (uninhabited for years), 4903, 4907 and 4911 easily on your right. Where was 4905? I took several photo's like this one, of 4907 Magazine. Was this the house where Oswald lived from may to september 1963? Back home I soon learned that it wasn't. And in … [Lees meer...]

The famous backyard photos

This month 50 years ago, the famous backyard photographs were made by Marina Oswald. The photos show her husband Lee Harvey Oswald standing in his backyard, with a holstered pistol strapped to his waist, holding a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle and two communist newspapers, The Militant and The Worker. The authenticity of the pictures have always been the subject of discussion. by PERRY VERMEULEN After police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald on suspicion of assassinating President Kennedy, they … [Lees meer...]

Make up your mind, Marina

Through the years after the tragedy there were lots of times when Marina Oswald-Porter unleashed things from her past. She gave interviews, wrote to relatives and gave testimonies to authorities like the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assasinations. When talking about the journey from Minsk to the US, in June, 1962, her statements differ a lot. Let's, for instance, focus on the city she said she visited in Holland, and how long they stayed before the ship took them to the … [Lees meer...]

Lee Oswald in Berlin

The most remarkable note in Oswald's address book, in my opinion, is the above on. Yes: this book, found among Oswald's belongings after the assassination of JFK, was much more than just a list of names and addresses. What do we see here? Lee Harvey Oswald wrote down 'West Berlin - F.R.G. Tempelhofer Damm. Lee H.' He made a little doodle too, an innocent scribble, at first sight. F.R.G. means Federal Republic of Germany: the official name of West Germany. The Tempelhofer Damm is an important … [Lees meer...]

Oswald in Bus 1213

You can always wake me up for remarkable details on the Kennedy case. Like this one - I found the image above in one of Robert Groden's books. by PERRY VERMEULEN John F. Kennedy was killed at 12:30 pm. Ten minutes later, Oswald took city bus 1213, driven by Cecil McWatters, aiming for Marsalis Street. Oswald stepped in at the intersection of Elm Street and Griffin Street. The bus continued its way on Elm, towards the Texas School Book Depository that Oswald just left. Photographer Stuart … [Lees meer...]

250 Mathenesserlaan

250 Mathenesserlaan is an address that not many researchers will recognize immediately. Its an interesting place, though, the house with the yellow stripes behind me, on the picture made in 2008. I was interviewed here after the publication of my first book, where I focussed mainly on the weekend Lee Harvey Oswald spent in Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands. He was in Rotterdam with Marina and baby June, waiting for the departure of the ship that took them back to the US after … [Lees meer...]