The Warren Commission Decided 14: Deep Cover(up)

UPDATE #2: The large technology company where we host our free feed, which shall remain nameless, is cramping our style on this one. So we are unlocking the full episode for our free Patreon subscribers, too. No time like the present to level up to one of our tiers, too, we will do our very damnedest to make it worth your while!!

UPDATE: Without further ado, we've swapped in the full 3-hour series finale EXCLUSIVELY for you, our beloved Patrons. Apologies for the delay, and thank you for your patience and continued support. Fast-forward to about the 1:20 mark if you already listened to Side A and want to skip it.

The time has come to say farewell to our ragtag team of commissioners and to close out our ongoing miniseries, The Warren Commission Decided. We wrap things up much as we started them, with Commissioner Gerald R. Ford as our guide. 

In this episode, with Jerry in the driver's seat, we navigate through the commissioners' executive sessions in roughly chronological order from December 1963 all the way up to when the commissioners presented their report to President Johnson in September 1964. The executive sessions were formal meetings, on the record, in which the commissioners discussed the case, made major decisions, and roadmapped their investigation. It is also where the Commission's chief counsel, J. Lee Rankin, broke the news that Lee Harvey Oswald was an undercover FBI agent.

We use the executive sessions as our final dig site because these sessions really showcase what the Warren Commission was all about – covering up any whiff of conspiracy. The executive sessions also show how little these guys cared about getting to the truth. Goal one was to package up a narrative they could sell to the public. As for our boy Jerry, this episode goes even deeper on his almost supernatural ability to rise to the occasion and serve the powers that be.  It’s also another great lesson of how all is not what it seems when it comes to Gerald Ford.

This episode has it all - sexual blackmail, propaganda, and plenty of primary source clippings, including highlights from Jerry's HSCA testimony.

It has been a wild ride into the depths of the Warren Commission. We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have, and we're so grateful you've joined us on this journey.