Edward Lansdale - JFK Controversy

JFK Controversy

In the 1990s interest in Lansdale was sparked, in part, by the inclusion of a character named "General Y" (portrayed by Dale Dye) in the 1991 Oliver Stone film JFK. It was implied that Lansdale was "General Y", who sent Colonel Fletcher Prouty (Air Force) off on an odd assignment out of country. Prouty specialized in presidential security and Kennedy's death during his absence aroused suspicion that this was part of a plot. This hypothesis is inspired by questions raised about Lansdale's presence in Dealey Plaza by Prouty, who claimed to have recognized Lansdale in a photograph taken that day by a Dallas Morning News photographer immediately after the assassination.

The photo allegedly shows Lansdale walking away from the "three tramps" who were arrested by Dallas police. Prouty worked next door to Lansdale for 9 years and recognized the shape of his head, class ring and the stoop in his walk. Prouty's identification of Lansdale has been corroborated by Lt. General Victor H. Krulak. Daniel Ellsberg, a consultant to Oliver Stone on JFK and former subordinate of Lansdale's, claims to have told Stone not to include this in the script, believing Lansdale to be innocent of the allegations.