AGENCY: HSCA
ORIGINATOR: HSCA
FROM: RICHARD SPRAGUE
TO: FILE
MEMORANDUM
March 18, 1977
TO : FILE
FROM : RICHARD A. SPRAGUE
William F. Illig, an attorney from Erie, Pa., contacted me in Philadelphia
this
date, advising me that he represents Dr. George G. Burkley, Vice Admiral,
U.S.
Navy retired, who had been the personal physician for presidents Kennedy
and
Johnson.
Mr. Illig stated that he had a luncheon meeting with his client, Dr.
Burkley,
this date to take up some tax matters. Dr. Burkley advised him that although
he,
Burkley, had signed the death certificate of President Kennedy in Dallas,
he had
never been interviewed and that he has information in the Kennedy
assassination
indicating that others besides Oswald must have participated.
Illig advised me that his client is a very quiet, unassuming person,
not wanting
any publicity whatsoever, but he, Illig, was calling me with his client's
consent and that his client would talk to me in Washington.
Quote off.
Gary Aguilar writes:
"Can you think of a single, good explanation for the suppression of this document, other than it confounds the myths the HSCA was putting forward at V7:37-39 - that ALL the Bethesda witnesses ( whose contradictory statements were likewise suppressed), "refuted" Parkland witnesses' claims JFK had a rear skull defect, including, presumably George Burkley's?!
What kinds of honest investigations 'overlook' leads like the above from perhaps the most important medical witness to the events in Dealy Plaza,Parkland, Bethesda, the White House, etc., etc., etc? Only "responsible, official" investigations, of course, that's what kind!
This memo is discouraging not only because no follow-up action was apparently ever taken, but also because it was suppressed. As with the suppression of Bethesda witnesses' statements describing JFK's rear scalp/skull defect to D. Andy Purdy, JD (admissions flatly and falsely denied in the HSCA's summary), the suppression of the Burkley memo had the effect of painting a false portrait of the HSCA's medical evidence, one which Purdy summarized in 1994 at COPA, when he claimed: "We wanted to find medical evidence Oswald didn't do it, but it just wasn't there." Of course it WAS there, only supposedly hidden for 50 years, probably, in this specific instance, even from Purdy. But its release encourages the view that the HSCA suppressed it and the others not to protect national security, but to protect the public from evidence confounding the HSCA's "Oswald-probably-did-it" medical conclusions.
One wonders what other suppressed documents have yet to reveal to all but "responsible" officials."
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