Thomas F. Harney

[L Verge]

I knew the White House historian/author William Seale years ago when he consulted on the furnishings of several of the historic properties owned by the same government agency as Surratt House. He also visited our museum. When Tidwell et al. heard that, they asked me to contact Mr. Seale about any point of entry that could have been used in 1865 to get such an action team into the WH. He quickly replied that the large sewer drains that ran into the building would have been the perfect spot. He described them as being large enough for a grown man to stand up in.

5-6 years ago, there was a program on either History Channel, A&E, or Nat Geo that devoted the hour to this theme via graphics, diagrams, etc. I believe the concept was that the strike would come during a meeting or event in one particular part of the house and would cause the floor to collapse, etc. It sure looked like it would work.

John Stanton - One of our hometown boys, E. Pliny Bryan, was a master of torpedoes also and was sent to Charleston and Mobile Bay (? on the latter) to mine the harbors. Any evidence to indicate that Bryan and Harney ever served together? Bryan was dead by this time, of course, having succumbed to yellow fever while in Charleston.

I have to admit that I have only skimmed Jane Singer's book on Confederate Dirty Tricks, but she has worked with Stanton after the Tidwell triumvirate broke up and probably knows more about covert actions - and Harney - than anyone else. BTW: The title of her book was not of her choosing. Her publisher made it the title. Jane's roots are in Virginia, even though she writes and works as a voice-over near Hollywood.