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A Word About Larrie Schmidt

I was fortunate to interview Larrie Schmidt in the summer of 2012. Larrie gave me several months of his time over telephone, snail mail and email. Larrie gave me some extra insights into the politics of Dallas in 1963, inIn addition to the scenario presented by LOOK magazine in 1965, which one can read at these URLs:

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First, let me orient the reader to Larrie's role in the JFK saga. Larrie was not one of the WC witnesses, although his name does appear in the WC volumes in numerous places, especially in the testimony of Bernie Weissman, the man who signed the infamous DMN black-bordered ad, "WELCOME, MISTER KENNEDY, TO DALLAS". Larry and his brother, Robbie Schmidt, two German-Americans, did not come from money, but the opposite. Yet they were hard-working and Larrie was talented. Larrie had some college, and studied Public Relations. When they joined the Army together in the late 1950's, Larrie went into a department of the Army in Germany where he could develop his skills by marketing for the former Nazi HQ at Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps -- now converted to a tourist park for US Army Recreation Centers.

This was a relaxing place to stay, but also a historical site, and also a symbol of the ultimate victory of the Allies over the Nazi Party in 1945. Larrie slept in every famous bunker in the resort -- where Hitler slept, where Goebbels slept, where Goering slept, and so on. As international host to guests, Larrie wore expensive clothes, had his own chauffeur and a limousine in which to transport celebrities from the Pentagon and from Hollywood. Larry had a great time.

I would note here that most biographies of Larrie Schmidt get the major facts wrong. This includes the so-called Spartacus JFK site online. They tend to say that Larrie served under General Walker. That's not even close. Larrie served on the other side of Germany, and never met or communicated with General Walker while in Germany. They tend to say that Larrie learned John Birch Society doctrine from General Walker. Again, not even close. The JBS was already very well known in the early 1960's, world-wide, and nobody really needed General Walker to read all about it.

The only other things I'd like to note here about Larrie Schmidt is that after he moved to Dallas, he became a close, personal friend of Robert Alan Surrey -- who was a secret member of the American Nazi Party. It was Surrey who helped Larrie's brother, Robbie, get a job as chauffeur for General Walker. Robbie then lived there at Walker's home as Walker's chauffeur. According to Dick Russell (TMWKTM, 1993), however, General Walker didn't like Larrie Schmidt coming over to visit Robbie, interfering with work. So, Larrie didn't visit much, evidently.

Finally, I confirmed from Larrie Schmidt that the humiliation of UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson in Dallas one month before the JFK Assassination was indeed plotted and planned by General Walker and his people -- including Larrie. It's also documented by scholar Chris Cravens (1996), so it's US history 101.

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