Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

Isn't it interesting that on November 24, 1963, J. Edgar Hoover referred to Nicholas Katzenbach, who was the Assistant Attorney General. But wait. That was the 24th, and the famous Katzenbach memo wasn't sent until the 25th. So, what was Hoover referring to? Isn't it apparent that he was in touch with Katzenbach almost immediately? But,  there was an Attorney General. His name was Robert Kennedy. And there was no mention of him. It goes to show that as soon as JFK got shot, RFK got eviscerated as Attorney General. Katzenbach became the go-to person at the Justice Department, for both LBJ and Hoover. And when Katzenbach wrote his famous memo the next day, it was written to Bill Moyers, who was as high up in LBJ's Texas Mafia as it got.  

"The public must be satisfied that Oswald was the assassin; that he did not have confederates who are still at large; and that evidence was such that he would have been convicted at trial."

Now, why would Katzenbach need to say that to Bill Moyers? Bill Moyers? The guy who on Friday afternoon was pressuring Will Fritz to shut down the investigation because he had his man? He certainly didn't need to hear that from Katzenbach. He just needed to Katzenbach to repeat it back to him. That was Katzenbach's way of saying,"Yes, I hear you. I'm one of you. I'm on your team. I can do this." 

And, I don't assume that Katzenbach was part of the conspiracy. I don't assume that someone tapped him on the shoulder beforehand and said, "Hey, you know, we're killing Kennedy on Friday." But, what I do surmise from it is that after the assassination, someone tapped him on the shoulder, either someone high up in Johnson's circle or even Hoover himself or both and said, 

"We've got our eyes on you to be the next Attorney General. In fact, you are now our go-to person at the Justice Department, since Robert Kennedy is busy grieving and all.  But, we need your complete cooperation in support of the official story because the survival and stability of this country depends on it. We are counting on your patriotism at this critical juncture."

And, I'm sure Katz got the message. And, he did go on to become the next Attorney General. But, think about it: he worked for RFK and indirectly for JFK. And, he was probably well aware of the conflict and tension and strong personal dislike between Kennedy and Johnson. So, shouldn't he have put off Johnson's people and gone to RFK and asked, "What do YOU think?" before committing to anything? By what right did he act independently? He was the Assistant Attorney General, and he was supposed to serve his boss, the Attorney General. 

"The thing I am concerned about, and so is Mr. Katzenbach, is having something issued so we can convince the public that Oswald is the real assassin."  

Hoover wrote that on November 24, and from the sound of it, the implication is that he spoke to Katzenbach. So, he and the LBJ team were both talking to Katzenbach, and maybe LBJ himself talked to him. They had to find out where his allegiance was. I'm sure they waved carrots at him and heaped praises on him. They may have even told him that he was already their point man at Justice, not RFK. And that became the defacto reality.  

Anyone who thinks they did it out of respect for Robert Kennedy is out of touch. Robert Kennedy was someone they had to manage; not trust. He wasn't on their team. Their only concern about him was that he not go rogue. And he didn't. He may have thought about it, but he didn't.