Man Says Father Was CIA Operative Who Helped Kill J.F.K.

DALLAS - A 29-year-old unemployed oil-equipment salesman said today his father was one of three men who fired the shots that killed President John F. Kennedy on CIA orders.

During a news conference, Ricky White said his late father, Roscoe White, joined the Dallas Police Department two months before the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination so he could carry out the assassination.

White said his father went by the code name ``Mandarin,'' and was stationed at the grassy knoll.

Two other CIA operatives with code names ``Lebanon'' and ``Saul'' were stationed in the Texas School Book Depository and the County Records Building overlooking Dealey Plaza, the assassination site, he said.

``He was told by the government to do something,'' White said. ``You don't question the government.''

White said that Lee Harvey Oswald was a part of the plot, but did not fire shots. He described Oswald and police officer J.D. Tippit as ``patsies.''

The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald, acting alone, fired the shots that killed Kennedy and wounded John Connally, then the Texas governor. Despite the commission's findings, conspiracy theories have abounded since the assassination.

Woody Specht, an FBI agent in Dallas who spent nine years assigned to the Kennedy assassination case, refused to comment on the claims other than to say: ``You really need to evaluate the source on these types of things.

``There's been so many claims like this in the last 27 years,'' Specht said. ``You have to use good judgment here, especially from somebody who was, what, 2 years old at the time?''

White said today that his father and Tippit picked up Oswald following the assassination, although Tippit apparently had no knowledge of the assassination or the plot. White said the plan was to drive Oswald to Red Bird Airport but somewhere along the way, Oswald panicked and got out of the car. At that point Tippit apparently became suspicious and told Roscoe White that they would have to go to police headquarters for questioning.

At that point, White shot Tippit, Ricky White said.

``I know he had to live with this the rest of his life because J.D. Tippit was a close friend of the family,'' White said.

Roscoe White's pastor at the time of the assassination, the Rev. Jack Shaw, was also at today's press conference held in the JFK Assassination Information Center, which has examined various conspiracy theories over the years.

Shaw said Roscoe White discussed the assassination with him on several agonizing occasions, including a last conversation on his deathbed.

Shaw said he believes Roscoe White, who died in a 1971 fire, was killed by a witness-elimination team activated after Kennedy's death. White had resigned from the Dallas Police Department in 1965.

Roscoe White's wife, Geneva, told Shaw of overhearing her husband and Jack Ruby discuss the assassination plot, Shaw said. She also overheard them discuss how White would kill Tippit and Ruby would kill Oswald at police headquarters.

Ruby fatally shot Oswald two days after Kennedy was assassinated.

Shaw said Mrs. White overheard Ruby say ``I will take care of Oswald.'' White responded, ``I will take care of the president and I will take care of Tippit.''

Ricky White and several others today characterized Roscoe White as a CIA operative who had committed several other killings at the government's behest.

White said he learned of his father's involvement in the plot 12 years ago and struggled to come to terms with that knowledge.

White showed reporters documents Monday that he said buttress his claims that his father killed Kennedy including three faded messages he believes were sent by U.S. intelligence officials ordering Kennedy's assassination. Bobby Inman, the former deputy CIA director, viewed the messages and said they were not genuine.