Hung-Over Hickey?
Some critics of the Donahue theory think that Donahue was accusing a “hung-over Secret Service agent” of shooting the President (e.g., “Did a hungover Secret Service agent accidentally shoot JFK?”)
In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
It is true that columnist Drew Pearson published an article reporting the drinking activities of the Secret Service agents in Fort Worth of drinking at the Press Club bar, including one agent who appeared to be inebriated. Pearson’s article reported six agents, three of whom went to an “all night beatnik rendezvous” called The Cellar, which had no liquor license. A letter from Secret Service Chief James J. Rowley to J. Lee Rankin (part of the Warren Commission documents) downplayed Pearson’s article by stating that no Secret Service agent consumed more than one or two drinks, and The Cellar had no liquor license to serve alcoholic drinks.
Dissemblance may have been at work here.
While true that The Cellar had no liquor license, the club’s owner Pat Kirkwood (a “close acquaintance of Jack Ruby”) had a reputation for “giving away drinks to lawyers, politicians, policemen—anyone the owner thought to be important or useful in a time of need.” Ten agents of Kennedy’s protection detail took advantage of The Cellar’s hospitality until about 3:30 a.m. Four of these agents would be in the follow-up car behind the President during the assassination.
The Secret Service position, as agent memos and Rowley’s letter indicate, was that the other agents who went to The Press Club and/or The Cellar, only drank moderate amounts. However, those amounts only apply to what was drunk at The Press Club and do not include anything drunk at The Cellar, only a statement that The Cellar did not have a liquor license, with the implication that the agents therefore could not have drunk anything there. This statement is misleading. No mention was made that The Cellar had a reputation for serving free alcohol to law enforcement officials despite its lack of a liquor license.
Chieff Rowley listed the four agents in the follow-up car in his Warren Commission testimony: Landis, Hill, Ready, and Bennett. George Hickey was not among these agents. He wasn’t even in Fort Worth. He was already in Dallas, per his dubiously authored memo, having secured the presidential limousine, and then retiring to his hotel room.
Hickey was not hung-over. It may be that some of the other agents, however, were.
Glen Bennett, the agent who sat next to Hickey with the AR-15 between them, was one of agents who did go to the Press Club and then to the Cellar. Bennett admitted to having two beers at the Press Club and staying at the Cellar until 3:00 am.
Bennett’s admitted staying out late may have been what prompted ATSAIC Emory Roberts to assign Hickey, only four months as a member of the Secret Service and fairly new to motorcade duty, to man the AR-15. However, regardless of Hickey’s newbie status in the Service, he reacted earlier than the other agents in responding to the shots that were fired. He was alert, not hung-over.
Some critics of the Donahue theory think that Donahue was accusing a “hung-over Secret Service agent” of shooting the President (e.g., “Did a hungover Secret Service agent accidentally shoot JFK?”)
In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
It is true that columnist Drew Pearson published an article reporting the drinking activities of the Secret Service agents in Fort Worth of drinking at the Press Club bar, including one agent who appeared to be inebriated. Pearson’s article reported six agents, three of whom went to an “all night beatnik rendezvous” called The Cellar, which had no liquor license. A letter from Secret Service Chief James J. Rowley to J. Lee Rankin (part of the Warren Commission documents) downplayed Pearson’s article by stating that no Secret Service agent consumed more than one or two drinks, and The Cellar had no liquor license to serve alcoholic drinks.
Dissemblance may have been at work here.
While true that The Cellar had no liquor license, the club’s owner Pat Kirkwood (a “close acquaintance of Jack Ruby”) had a reputation for “giving away drinks to lawyers, politicians, policemen—anyone the owner thought to be important or useful in a time of need.” Ten agents of Kennedy’s protection detail took advantage of The Cellar’s hospitality until about 3:30 a.m. Four of these agents would be in the follow-up car behind the President during the assassination.
The Secret Service position, as agent memos and Rowley’s letter indicate, was that the other agents who went to The Press Club and/or The Cellar, only drank moderate amounts. However, those amounts only apply to what was drunk at The Press Club and do not include anything drunk at The Cellar, only a statement that The Cellar did not have a liquor license, with the implication that the agents therefore could not have drunk anything there. This statement is misleading. No mention was made that The Cellar had a reputation for serving free alcohol to law enforcement officials despite its lack of a liquor license.
Chieff Rowley listed the four agents in the follow-up car in his Warren Commission testimony: Landis, Hill, Ready, and Bennett. George Hickey was not among these agents. He wasn’t even in Fort Worth. He was already in Dallas, per his dubiously authored memo, having secured the presidential limousine, and then retiring to his hotel room.
Hickey was not hung-over. It may be that some of the other agents, however, were.
Glen Bennett, the agent who sat next to Hickey with the AR-15 between them, was one of agents who did go to the Press Club and then to the Cellar. Bennett admitted to having two beers at the Press Club and staying at the Cellar until 3:00 am.
Bennett’s admitted staying out late may have been what prompted ATSAIC Emory Roberts to assign Hickey, only four months as a member of the Secret Service and fairly new to motorcade duty, to man the AR-15. However, regardless of Hickey’s newbie status in the Service, he reacted earlier than the other agents in responding to the shots that were fired. He was alert, not hung-over.
