Posted by:
steve benson
(
)
Date: August 28, 2015 05:41PM
I've heard some loony stories about my granddfather ETB's supposed actions, experiences and ideas over the years, but this one takes "the conspiracy cake."
Got this email correspondence last week:
"Hi Steve:
"I think we communicated once before about 10-12 years ago. I am writing to ask you a question about your grandfather.
"PREFACE
"There is a new book being published at the end of next month (link below) which contains information which I wanted to ask you about.
http://jeffreycaufield.com/"I know from reading your various articles, that you are a major critic of your grandfather and I think you once wrote to me that you considered him to be a racist.
z'I have obtained copies of your grandfather's FBI files (HQ and Salt Lake City) so I am generally familiar with his political beliefs and, in particularly, his support of Robert Welch and the John Birch Society -- which he wrote letters about to J. Edgar Hoover.
"CURRENT DEBATE:
"I have participated in a website forum for several years which discusses various aspects of the assassination of JFK -- and one message thread on that website is devoted to Caufield's new book (mentioned above).
"One of the persons who assisted with research on that new book recently made the following comment which refers to assertions made by Harry J. Dean. If you are not familiar with Harry Dean, he has (for 50 years) claimed that he was an 'undercover agent' for the FBI and that he provided the FBI with information regarding various right-wing and left-wing individuals and groups. He also claims he was intimately familiar with a group of Birch Society members who planned to murder JFK---and whom actually implemented that murder plot.
"The comment which was posted recently is this:
"'One example of this is Dean’s claim that Mormon Ezra Taft Benson was a part of the conspiracy. That is not too hard to believe when you consider that Joseph Milteer, a General Walker associate, met with Benson a month before the murder in Utah. Milteer also had a bank account set up in Provo under an assumed name with considerable amounts of money for no honest reason. A massive amount of new evidence is presented on Milteer, who we know had pretty dead-on accurate foreknowledge of the JFK murder. There are more examples like this about Dean’s unique knowledge in the book.'
"MY QUESTIONS:
"1. Do you have any knowledge regarding ETB's alleged meeting(s) with Joseph Milteer? Do you know if they engaged in any correspondence?
"2. Obviously, you are not afraid to criticize what you think was morally objectionable with respect to ETB --- but do you believe it was within his character to accept the notion of (and become a co-conspirator in) a criminal plot to murder anybody -- including the President of the United States?
"3. In short, do you think his internal moral compass was so warped that ETB would actually condone or endorse or do anything to facilitate the murder of any politician -- much less the President of the U.S. -- just because of his political objections to that person?
"Thanks very much! . . .
"BTW -- I forgot to give you the link to the Google excerpts from Caufield's book
https://books.google.com/books?id=M7JYCgAAQBAJ&authuser=0&source=gbs_navlinks_s"If you enter 'Benson' into the 'search inside' field, you will see one comment which alleges that ETB helped finance and back the assassination of JFK.
"Just wondering what you think about that accusation?"
[Additional link to the book excerpts:
https://books.google.com/books?id=M7JYCgAAQBAJ&q=benson#v=snippet&q=benson&f=false]
*****
My reply:
"That is a ridiculous, unfounded, spurious and outlandish claim."
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2015 07:39PM by steve benson.