David Reitzes & the Art of Spreading Disinformation

Tue 20 Dec 2011, 2:21 pm

On August 25, 2008, I posted the following message to Dave Reitzes on McAdams' JFK group:

David Reitzes quoting from Albert Newman's book:

"Sometime during Oswald's employment in the factory at Minsk he acquired the portable radio he later brought with him to the United States. In February 1962, when his return to the United States was only four months away, he referred in a letter to his brother Robert (316, XVI, 875) to a Voice of America broadcast he had heard in Minsk -- such sure evidence that the "Tourist" radio had a shortwave capability that I did not bother until mid-1966 to try and confirm it. The answer to my Washington query, from a highly placed contact in the Executive Branch with access to the
innermost recesses of the FBI, took weeks in arriving. It was, as expected, 'Yes.'"
http://www.jfk-online.com/newmanmotive.html

Either Newman was lying, or his contact (Douglas Cater) lied, or the FBI lied in its report on the request from Cater for information about the radio.
http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=772007

Who, in your opinion, lied, Dave?

Whatever your thoughts, I trust you will update your article accordingly.
Another quote you make from the book:
"...on a much later visit to the Archives I turned in a request for it. To my surprise, the radio was there, packed in a cardboard box along with its somewhat battered power-supply pack. Like many portables of a 1950s vintage, it is about the size of a small mantelpiece clock, the case in maroon plastic, with a massive and crudely executed speaker grille of brass. Most prominent in the center of the front edge are
three white buttons, an obvious tipoff to the most casual examiner possessing any radio background that the instrument is multiband.)"

Either Newman was not looking at what he thought he was looking at, or the FBI (and DPD) lied about the description, or Newman got the description wrong:

This evidence list describes the radio as a "brown plastic portable radio with gold trim"
http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=735044

Here it states that the radio had two dials, was not in working condition and could not pick up short wave broadcasts.
http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=735044
Who got the description right in your opinion, Dave?

Was it a maroon plastic radio with a massive brass speaker grille and three buttons per Newman, or a non-working brown plastic radio with gold trim and two dials per the FBI, or was Newman describing something that he only thought was the radio?

Though some responses were received - primarily from WC apologists citing Marina as confirming Oswald owned a short wave radio (yes, that really was the best they could muster) - Dave Reitzes did not make an appearance - though there is no doubt he would have read the post, or had it brought to his attention.

Having just checked Reitzes article again it is evident over 2 years later, he has not changed it. This demonstrates beyond reasonable that Reitzes only purpose is to propagate disinformation.