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Post by Michael on May 11, 2006 16:46:28 GMT -5
A Talent to Deceive Who REALLY killed the Lindberg baby? by William Norris The print version of A Talent to Deceive is finally available!!! The book is available from Amazon, price $19.99. However, you can also get it direct from the publisher at www.SynergEbooks.com. If you order here you can take full advantage of their offering free postage and packing within the U.S. In two weeks time A Talent to Deceive will also be published simultaneously in the U.K., Canada, and Japan. Of course as previously posted its also available in e-book and cd-rom formats here: www.writeronlinebooks.com/book/talenttodeceive.htm
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Post by rick3 on May 11, 2006 17:01:27 GMT -5
Hi Michael.....I bought the e-version. Does the real print/ real price version have an Index, Photos/ and Figs? If so I suppose we will need to buy it twice?
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Post by Michael on May 11, 2006 20:09:39 GMT -5
Rick,
I am looking into this and will get back to you when I find out.
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Post by Michael on May 12, 2006 5:18:25 GMT -5
Rick,
I was just informed this morning that it does indeed have an index.
I can't wait for my copy to get here! Personally I think a book is a much better way to go then all of these pages I have printed out.
I have found a few new items since this book was published. It will be fun to re-read and compare it to what I have found so I can see if anything new can be developed.
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Post by Michael on Jun 14, 2012 16:08:40 GMT -5
I found this on my most recent trip to the Archives and wanted to post it to compliment Bill's theory by showing what some people were writing to the Governor about it: Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2012 20:28:12 GMT -5
Michael, thanks for posting this letter. I ordered A Talent To Deceive and it will be here next week. This letter mentions a blacksheep Morrow son. I am not familar with this angle. Was he ever investigated by NJSP as a possible kidnapper?
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Post by Michael on Jun 15, 2012 16:33:34 GMT -5
The FBI asked if he had been investigated, and the NJSP answered "yes thoroughly." However, there is no Report that reflects this investigation. Just references to them saying it.
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Post by jdanniel on Aug 9, 2012 10:03:46 GMT -5
It's absolutely amazing to me how many coincidences there are in this case. Of course, the more you observe and study something, the more things you can find…which often mean absolutely nothing.
Here's an example. Toward the end of A Talent to Deceive, author William Norris discusses a possible motive for the kidnapping, other than Dwight Morrow, Jr.'s jealousy.
It has to do with the German airline, Lufthansa. Norris claims a private investigator working for Governor Hoffman discovered evidence that Lindbergh got hold of a memo from Lufthansa, in which the company was trying to do business with China in exchange for political favors.
The private investigator claimed the source for this information was a man who was a "spiritualist." If you think that was a coincidence, wait.
The PI told Hoffman he had worries about the man's spiritualism. But what he ALSO said is what's ironic. After voicing his concerns, the PI then said, "…some people collect stamps."
Anyone familiar with Robert Zorn's new book knows John Knoll was a stamp collector.
This coincidence means absolutely nothing. Not a damned thing. But the more research one does, the more coincidences appear. I wonder how long it will be before yet another author comes up with a theory, but tries to connect what the PI said to what Knoll did. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…it could plant a seed in a future author's mind.
Jd
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Post by Michael on Aug 9, 2012 16:19:38 GMT -5
JD,
I am sure I know who both the PI and the Spiritualist were. If you're interested let me know. The stamp collecting has come up before..... I remember somewhere it was surmised the "Secret Symbol" derived from it, or at least was considered as a possible source.
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Post by jdanniel on Aug 9, 2012 17:04:34 GMT -5
Michael,
The PI and the spiritualist are both mentioned by name in Norris' book. I deliberately didn't mention their names in my post, so as not to confuse people, since there have been more than one PI involved in the case, and there were other spiritualists enmeshed in it, as well.
The PI's comment about stamp collecting was just a figure of speech. He could have said ANYTHING. I do not believe he was dropping a hint about any guilty party. It was just something he said arbitrarily, and it's just another incredible coincidence that the subject of the latest LKC book was an avid stamp collector.
Just a coincidence. As far as a stamp being the source of the signature, well....let's see the stamp. Jd
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Post by Michael on Aug 9, 2012 20:07:17 GMT -5
Okay.... its been a while since I've read it. I do recognize the story and have that report.
Unforntunately there isn't a picture of the stamp. I recall a book was referenced where there was supposed to be a picture.
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Post by xjd on Feb 9, 2015 21:09:13 GMT -5
hello all! it's been a while since i've been on this board, have been trying to catch up to that end, i have just recently (finally!) purchased and read "A Talent to Deceive". very interesting, as it of course looks at Dwight Jr. (who is my favorite dark-horse Boo Radley-type character) &/or an illegitimate offspring of Dwight Sr. my question regards that John W. Morrow who kept writing Mrs. Morrow and that Springer guy. obviously sometimes seriously mentally ill people will invent vibrant fantasies and make connections where there are none. but i seem to sense a whiff of threatening language in his letters. he sure knows a lot about the Morrow's comings and goings, and his salutations to "Jonnie" seem very weird. and why on earth did the morrows keep the letters and not chuck 'em into the fire? also, this is probably me wanting things to be weirder than they really are, but what if John W. and Dwight Jr. were one and the same?
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Post by Michael on Feb 10, 2015 11:37:49 GMT -5
my question regards that John W. Morrow who kept writing Mrs. Morrow and that Springer guy. obviously sometimes seriously mentally ill people will invent vibrant fantasies and make connections where there are none. This is one of the angles most often scoffed at. Before I found Elizabeth's will, most people were pointing at Dwight Morrow's Sr.'s as "proof" not to waste any time on it. But here is where I've chosen the road less traveled - I didn't listen and wanted to find out for myself. And once Bill and I started to correspond, I knew it was something better served in his book. So here is yet another example of what I try to impress upon everyone who reads whatever I happen to ramble on about... Don't listen to anyone who tells you to "stop" because they somehow know better. Believe me when I say they do not, because if I had that document would still be waiting to be found, and Bill wouldn't have uncovered "John." Who was John is a question best asked of Bill. I only know anything about him because of Bill's discoveries, because we traded material, and due to whatever is written about him in his book. It was something that had to be written and now we have reference to what we need if any of us decide to research this theory. Since you've read it then you can see what I am talking about.
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Post by lightningjew on Feb 10, 2015 18:45:00 GMT -5
Not knowing how to contact Bill Norris directly, can you shed at least a little light on who this John was? Do you mean Cemetery John?
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Post by Michael on Feb 10, 2015 19:16:18 GMT -5
Not knowing how to contact Bill Norris directly, can you shed at least a little light on who this John was? Do you mean Cemetery John? The whole idea was to make sense of the "illegitimate son" rumor, and Bill discovered letters from a John W. Morrow, which is mentioned in his book (1st Edition) spanning from pages 189 thru 213. If you'd like to contact Bill you can try the link on his Biography pages below:
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Post by Michael on Feb 10, 2015 19:27:57 GMT -5
BTW: For anyone who doesn't own his book, you can buy a copy of the .pdf for around $5.
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Post by lightningjew on Feb 10, 2015 21:32:19 GMT -5
Okay, I see. Thank you Michael. I thought you were hinting that Cemetery John himself was mentioned in a Morrow will or something...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2015 23:33:49 GMT -5
I have Bill Norris book and it is very interesting and I learned things from it that I did not know. In the chapter where he mentions Elizabeth Morrow's will he talks about a bequeath made by Mrs. Morrow to Dwight Jr. of $50,000. I read in a 1955 newspaper that she also made this same special bequeath to her daughters Anne and Constance. They also received $50,000 dollars each. This is the same amount as the ransom paid for Charlie. It is hard not to wonder if there was a special meaning to this. Here is a link to the newspaper article: news.google.com/newspapers?id=w1caAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SiUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7379%2C643048
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2015 9:40:42 GMT -5
In Chapter 3 of the Norris book, page 42 in my copy, Norris says that Breckinridge discloses to an FBI agent that contact with the kidnappers has been established and that a 'representative of the Lindberghs' had recently met with the kidnappers in a graveyard. So what does one take from this? Didn't the ransom notes say they would select someone to be the go between? Lindbergh and Breckinridge only agreed to use Condon, they never selected him. Maybe I am misunderstanding this?! If what the ransom notes say can't be relied upon as true then who really selected Condon to begin with?
I thought that Lamphier was dropped from the 'inner circle' because he was leaking information to the BOI. Then you read that Breckinridge was doing it, even if in a limited way. Was Lamphier really a leak or was he getting blamed for something Breck did?
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Post by Michael on Feb 11, 2015 17:47:05 GMT -5
I have Bill Norris book and it is very interesting and I learned things from it that I did not know. In the chapter where he mentions Elizabeth Morrow's will he talks about a bequeath made by Mrs. Morrow to Dwight Jr. of $50,000. I read in a 1955 newspaper that she also made this same special bequeath to her daughters Anne and Constance. They also received $50,000 dollars each. This is the same amount as the ransom paid for Charlie. It is hard not to wonder if there was a special meaning to this. Here is a link to the newspaper article: news.google.com/newspapers?id=w1caAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SiUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7379%2C643048According to the Will only DMJr. got the extra 50K. The original inventory of assets consisted of (4) trusts: DMJr., Anne, and Constance each got $1,108,250.90 (original value), and DMJr. got an extra trust for $50,000 (original value).
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Post by Michael on Feb 11, 2015 18:14:25 GMT -5
In Chapter 3 of the Norris book, page 42 in my copy, Norris says that Breckinridge discloses to an FBI agent that contact with the kidnappers has been established and that a 'representative of the Lindberghs' had recently met with the kidnappers in a graveyard. So what does one take from this? Didn't the ransom notes say they would select someone to be the go between? Lindbergh and Breckinridge only agreed to use Condon, they never selected him. Maybe I am misunderstanding this?! If what the ransom notes say can't be relied upon as true then who really selected Condon to begin with? I think this has to do with the Lindbergh's "authorizing" the go-between: I thought that Lamphier was dropped from the 'inner circle' because he was leaking information to the BOI. Then you read that Breckinridge was doing it, even if in a limited way. Was Lamphier really a leak or was he getting blamed for something Breck did? I am not sure there is a source for Lindbergh ever knowing Lanphier was sharing any details. From my memory, Lanphier left for Chicago but not because he was kicked out. Am I forgetting something? I have the report that Bill is relying on here. Breck was listening to Connelley go over information about Charles W. Sellick. For my money, he knew this was a complete waste of time so he decided to share some information (loosely because some of what he told him wasn't true) I think because he could see these men were burning up valuable time. Honestly, it was obstruction if you ask me because they were asking this Agency to conduct investigations without telling them the facts they needed and in some cases were allowing their resources to be thrown away by ignoring them while they were, in good faith, tracking down old and invalid leads. SAC Keith bests sums up his conclusions here: He has no accurate information as to the manner in which Col. Breckenridge established contact with the alleged kidnappers. He does not have the details as to the meetings which have occurred. He has been given no coherent information as to what actually occurred at the Lindbergh home on the night of the kidnapping. In other words, our New York office has been running out blind leads without any knowledge as to the reason therefor or the importance thereof. We have not been taken into confidence by Col. Breckenridge, who, according to my information, is the directing force in the case.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2015 17:30:03 GMT -5
I have Bill Norris book and it is very interesting and I learned things from it that I did not know. In the chapter where he mentions Elizabeth Morrow's will he talks about a bequeath made by Mrs. Morrow to Dwight Jr. of $50,000. I read in a 1955 newspaper that she also made this same special bequeath to her daughters Anne and Constance. They also received $50,000 dollars each. This is the same amount as the ransom paid for Charlie. It is hard not to wonder if there was a special meaning to this. Here is a link to the newspaper article: news.google.com/newspapers?id=w1caAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SiUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7379%2C643048According to the Will only DMJr. got the extra 50K. The original inventory of assets consisted of (4) trusts: DMJr., Anne, and Constance each got $1,108,250.90 (original value), and DMJr. got an extra trust for $50,000 (original value). Thank you for clarifying this!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2015 17:41:19 GMT -5
I don't recall seeing that written authorization printed before. Thanks for posting it. So Condon is chosen by the kidnappers and after passing muster with Lindbergh and Breckinridge he becomes an authorized go-between for the Lindbergh camp. Sometimes the way things are phased in books cause confusion. Thanks for your help.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2015 0:36:33 GMT -5
Michael,
On pages 97 and 98 of A Talent to Deceive, Norris talks about Gov. Hoffman suspecting that Dwight Morrow Jr. might have been responsible for Charlie's death. He quotes Gov. Hoffman's Liberty magazine article dated January 29, 1938 as follows: "I do have a theory, but it is only a theory, unsupported by convincing evidence, and made up of irregular little pieces of fact, testimony, and conjecture fitted into sort of an incomplete mental jigsaw puzzle. I would not dare to display that incomplete picture to the public." Norris then goes on to say that Hoffman did discuss his theory with his family, namely his daughter Mrs. Hope Nelson, who is quite definite that her father's prime suspect was Dwight Morrow Jr.
Norris then adds that according to Hoffman's son James, Dr Joshua Slocum, the psychiatrist who treated Dwight Morrow Jr. at the Craig House, shared the same opinion as his father did about Dwight Morrow Jr. This is serious stuff, Michael. I am surprised that the Doctor would say something like that to anyone.
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Post by romeo12 on Feb 13, 2015 11:37:19 GMT -5
but amy theres no evidence that jr had anything to do with it. we know he went nuts and was in a ward upstate new York I think the beacon or something
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Post by Michael on Feb 13, 2015 16:56:53 GMT -5
On pages 97 and 98 of A Talent to Deceive, Norris talks about Gov. Hoffman suspecting that Dwight Morrow Jr. might have been responsible for Charlie's death. He quotes Gov. Hoffman's Liberty magazine article dated January 29, 1938 as follows: "I do have a theory, but it is only a theory, unsupported by convincing evidence, and made up of irregular little pieces of fact, testimony, and conjecture fitted into sort of an incomplete mental jigsaw puzzle. I would not dare to display that incomplete picture to the public." Norris then goes on to say that Hoffman did discuss his theory with his family, namely his daughter Mrs. Hope Nelson, who is quite definite that her father's prime suspect was Dwight Morrow Jr. While I've never spoken to her, those who have all tell me the same thing. And frankly, the documentation at the Archives back her up. That's not to say his mind didn't change from an earlier position (or a later one) though. So it doesn't necessarily neutralize what Behn says because his position could have been Hoffman's theory at a specific but different point in time. Norris then adds that according to Hoffman's son James, Dr Joshua Slocum, the psychiatrist who treated Dwight Morrow Jr. at the Craig House, shared the same opinion as his father did about Dwight Morrow Jr. This is serious stuff, Michael. I am surprised that the Doctor would say something like that to anyone. This is the only source for this, however, there's no reason to doubt it. Health care professionals would disclose information to Authorities. Sometimes they were selective about "who" they told. So they may have played dumb to Police but opened up to the Governor - or vice versa. So that isn't unusual. But IF they let out negative information pertaining to or concerning the Lindbergh's or Morrow's they knew they were risking their career in doing so. Since Hoffman met personally with many people it could be this information was imparted under the strictest confidence.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2015 19:09:34 GMT -5
Michael,
That letter you posted is mentioned in Bill Norris's book on pages 103 and 104. Wilentz mentions enclosing copies of reports made on the investigation by authorities of the rumors about Dwight Morrow having an illegimate son named William. Norris goes on to say the reports Wilentz mentions in this letter are not in the files, if they really existed at all. Does Norris mean the NJSP files, Hoffman's file collection or is there a Wilentz collection about the Lindbergh case existing somewhere?
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Post by Michael on Feb 13, 2015 19:29:53 GMT -5
Wilentz mentions enclosing copies of reports made on the investigation by authorities of the rumors about Dwight Morrow having an illegimate son named William. Norris goes on to say the reports Wilentz mentions in this letter are not in the files, if they really existed at all. Does Norris mean the NJSP files, Hoffman's file collection or is there a Wilentz collection about the Lindbergh case existing somewhere? Bill is right about them not being attached to this letter but they can be found elsewhere. Although there is a Wilentz Collection this specific material is found in the Hoffman Collection. Also, copies of the FBI, and NJSP Reports can be found in the NJSP Collection too. Everything that's down there I have, and what Wilentz is claiming is bogus (and I think this is Bill's point), because they did not thoroughly investigate this angle.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2015 20:20:38 GMT -5
So Norris is right in stating that he sees Wilentz's letter as actually threatening Gov. Hoffman instead of providing "proof" that this angle was thoroughly investigated by his office. Do you know if Wilentz ever looked into Dwight Morrow Jr.'s medical history and was seeking to keep this information from coming out?
Is there anything you can post from the material that wasn't attached with the letter? If it is all being saved for your book, I understand.
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Post by Michael on Feb 13, 2015 21:07:47 GMT -5
I think he's doing both Amy. He knows the Governor hasn't seen everything so he's positioned it in a way as if there this had been thoroughly investigated which is meant to make him feel stupid about his request while at the same time implying a penalty could be forth coming because of their status.
There are various reports that I know are mentioned in Bill's book. Let's do this, if you stumble onto a footnote you're interested in let me know and I will see if I can find it in which case I will scan and upload it. They're all kind of half-assed, where something is said, and we are left with a supposed "follow-up" - that never happens. It appears to me they really didn't want to look into this stuff because they didn't want to offend Lindbergh or the Morrow Family. There was a Report by Agent Seery investigating information from Rosalind Russell, in '34, and he was told by the NJSP this had been investigated and disproven, yet, there is no investigation into this matter by the NJSP in their files. It's a major factor that because Seery was told the NJSP disproved it that he didn't bother to follow up after his initial investigation.
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