Presidential security

[L Verge]

Roger - I agree with you. Even Pendel's and Crook's statements in their books could be interpreted either way. Also, Mr. Hall's research states that Ward Hill Lamon asked for policemen at the White House because he feared for Lincoln's life. That would indicate to me that those assigned to the Executive Mansion were there to protect the President - not just the furniture, carpets, and drapes!

Gene - Again, if I recall correctly, Elizabeth Keckly's book (again, mainly ghost-written) says that Mrs. Lincoln tore into "the new messenger" for allowing Booth to get past him. That would seem to imply that she berated Charles Forbes. Forbes evidently then placed the blame on Parker and Crook's book reiterated it.

A longtime member of the Surratt Society is a retired Secret Service agent (Johnson through Clinton, I believe). Years ago, he said that, if Allan Pinkerton had still been involved with guarding the President, the assassination would not have happened. There would have been a guard on duty -- and maybe we could even speculate that Pinkerton's detectives would have fleshed out Booth's gang and the activities at the H Street boardinghouse ahead of time. We'll never know.