The Lincoln Conspiracy Still Is a Learning Tool

[L Verge]

Surratt House had an interesting group tour today as 24 members of the DC battalion of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division visited as part of a training program. Forum member Bill Binzel led one of the groups, and his vast knowledge of the history and also legal aspects (a retired lawyer) led to rave reviews.

I wish that the late-James O. Hall could have been there. He didn't like to talk much about his personal background, but in the 1970s, he told me that he had received training in investigations during his Army days of WWII. As part of that training, he was assigned the Lincoln conspiracy to research, report on the goods and bads of the investigation, etc. He immediately realized that the assassination investigation left a lot to be desired. From that point on, he was hooked on the subject and went on to be one of the foremost authorities in the field.

After the war, he worked for the Labor Department and eventually moved to the DC area, where he was assigned as head of an investigative division within the Department of Labor. He had begun his professional life as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse and kept that teacher instinct all his life. He would have loved to join in with these Army folks today.