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Date: 21 Sep 2008 10:11:26
From: samsloan
Subject: The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means foreword by
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The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 Foreword The cover photo to this book is one of the last ever taken of President Harding and his wife, Florence, before their untimely deaths. It was taken in July, 1923 on board the U.S.S. Henderson during their trip by ship to Alaska. Behind them is a lifeboat on the deck of the ship. Harding appears to be healthy, yet he died only a few days later. This plus a variety of other circumstances created suspicion that Harding had been murdered, especially since his wife, Florence, refused to agree to an autopsy. Then, Florence herself died only one year later. There is renewed interest in Harding during the current presidential election campaign, for several reasons. One is that Harding was a United States Senator when elected president and only he and John F. Kennedy were elected president while they were senators. This year, both of the candidates, McCain and Obama, are US Senators, so one of them will be elected. Another reason is the long standing rumor that President Harding was part Black. This rumor is based primarily on the book entitled =93WARREN GAMALIEL HARDING: PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES=94 by William Estabrook Chancellor, published by The Sentinal Press in 1922. However, shortly after publication, the plates and the bulk of books stored by the Sentinal Press were taken away by agents and destroyed. It is rumored that the plates were dumped into the Ohio river. The book thus became one of the rarest bibliographical items in twentieth-century American history. Only five copies are known to exist, one of which is on sale on the Internet for $2550.00 !! The destruction of that book did not stop the rumor that Harding was part-Black from spreading and indeed may have enhanced it. Thus, if Barak Obama is elected President, it will be said that he was the SECOND Black president. A more important reason for renewed interest in President Harding is that it is becoming increasingly apparent that Harding got a =93bum rap=94 when he was called the worst president that America ever had. When I was in high school, my American History teacher taught me that the two worst presidents America ever had were Grant and Harding. Grant has still not been rehabilitated. (My next project?) However, there is a strong case to be made that Harding was one of the best if not the very best president America ever had. Largely on the strength of this book, =93The Strange Death of President Harding=94 and on the so-called =93Teapot Dome Scandal=94, Harding became known as the worst president the United States ever had. Of late, there has been a re-examination of President Harding, who was president from 1921 to 1923. A recent book by John W. Dean, who, as the cover blurb notes in a massive understatement, is =93no stranger to presidential controversy=94 makes a strong case that not only was President Harding not the worst, but he was perhaps the best president the US ever had. The Fall Guy in the Teapot Dome Scandal had been Albert Fall. However, Fall had served as Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court and had been for many years a United States Senator before joining the Harding Administration, so it seems difficult to understand why Harding had to take the fall for Fall. Harding had many accomplishments as president, far more than most presidents. For example, President Harding was the first to require all departments of the government to have a budget. Harding cut government expenditures by one billion dollars. Harding brought about the economic reforms that started =93The Roaring Twenties=94, a period of unequaled economic prosperity in America. Strangely, Woodrow Wilson is regarded by the general public as being one of the best presidents America ever had, but in reality he was one of the worst. When Wilson left office, the government was in a state of chaotic disarray. Harding managed to clean up most of it during his only two years as president. There seem to be only three reasons why Warren G. Harding is regarded as the worst president, or at least one of the worst: 1. The Teapot Dome Scandal 2. The book =93The President's Daughter=94 by Nan Britton 3. This book, =93The Strange Death of President Harding=94 I have now published or reprinted four different books by people who knew President Harding personally. All but this last one have expressed favorable views about President Harding. The other three books are: 1. My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks ISBN 092389196X 2. The President's Daughter by Nan Britton ISBN 0923891234 3. Dolly Gann's Book by Dolly Gann ISBN 0923891080 The first book above was by two domestic servants who worked in the White House for a total of 50 years, including the years when Harding was president. They personally liked both President Harding and his wife, Florence, saying that Florence was plagued by =93bad luck=94. It was this book that caused me to re-think my views about President Harding. The second book was by President Harding's mistress, Nan Britton. She definitely liked, loved and admired President Harding. There is absolutely no doubt that she really was the President's Mistress. However, the book did a lot of harm to the president's reputation, especially the part about how she used to have sex with the President in the White House while the wife was away. In view of what we now know about other presidents who did the same thing, including Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy and, to some extent, Clinton, this hardly seems shocking any more. The third book, by the sister of Charles Curtis, the Vice-President under Herbert Hoover, was also by someone who knew and liked Harding. A book I am in the process of reprinting right now and will be out soon is =93A Dead President Makes Answer to The President's Daughter=94 ISBN 0923891013 This is a rare book. Very few copies were sold, but I have been able to obtain one in mint condition. Finally, I will reprint the book =93WARREN GAMALIEL HARDING: PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES=94 by William Estabrook Chancellor, if I can ever find one, but, no, I am not willing to pay the $2550.00 demanded for the only copy available for sale. Returning to this book, =93The Strange Death of President Harding=94 by Gaston B. Means, I have a special reason for interest in it which has to do with the game of chess. This will seem surprising, but most of the main characters in =93The Strange Death of President Harding=94 had an impact on the world of chess. This was because of an International Chess Master named Norman T. Whitaker who was, at one time, one of the top two or three chess players in America. Whitaker lived in Washington DC on M Street, near the White House and was a close associate of Gaston B. Means. Whitaker also knew Evalyn Walsh McLean, who was a close personal friend of Florence Harding and whose name is frequently mentioned in this book. Evalyn Walsh McLean later wrote a book entitled =93Father Struck it Rich=94, which is still popular. I do not know whether Whitaker knew Harding personally, but I believe that Whitaker probably did know him, as he lived nearby and both Whitaker and Harding tended to know people like each other and to frequent similar places. Norman T. Whitaker and Gaston B. Means later became involved in a side con related to the Lindbergh Kidnapping. The Lindbergh Kidnapping was =93the crime of the century=94. On March 1, 1932, the 20 month old baby of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped and held for ransom. Evalyn Walsh McLean knew that Gaston B. Means was a former FBI agent who also often associated with criminals (like Whitaker) and she asked Means if he was in contact with the kidnappers and knew how to get the baby back. Means, realizing that Evalyn Walsh McLean was a =93mark=94, replied that yes, indeed, he was in contact with the kidnappers and could arrange the return of the baby if the ransom was paid. Evalyn Walsh McLean agreed to pay. In fact, she agreed to pay, and did pay $104,000, even more than the real kidnappers were demanding. However, Gaston B. Means was not really in contact with the kidnappers and had no idea who they were. He just wanted the ransom money. Therefore, he called in his friend, chess master Norman T. Whitaker, to impersonate one of the kidnappers and to collect the ransom money. Here, there are at least two different versions of what happened. According to the 1955 book =93The FBI Story=94 by Don Whitehead, pages 94-96, Whitaker was the bag man. Means gave Whitaker the code name =93The Fox=94 and, as =93The Fox=94, Whitaker went to the home of Mrs. McLe= an and collected the ransom money. However, Means then got greedy. He told Mrs. McLean that the kidnappers were demanding even more money. Mrs. McLean had no cash left independent of her husband, but she owned a lot of jewels and had even once been the owner of The Hope Diamond. When she went to pawn the jewels to raise the ransom money to give to Means, her husband found out and called in the FBI who arrested Means and Whitaker. Means and Whitaker were both convicted. Means died in prison. Whitaker got out after only serving a few months. The Lindbergh baby was found dead, having been killed only a few hours after being kidnapped. The body was immediately cremated, which contributes to many current conspiracy theories. The money was never recovered. However, a relatively recent book, Shady Side: The Life and Crimes of Norman Tweed Whitaker, Chess Master, by John Samuel Hilbert, published in 2000, pages 114-128, tells an entirely different story: Hilbert had access to the complete papers of Norman Tweed Whitaker, who died in 1975. According to his account, Whitaker may not have been guilty. The first ransom money of $104,000 that had been paid had been in marked money. The kidnappers had realized it (and indeed this part was true, as the first money that had been paid to the real kidnappers had been marked which is how they were caught). Also, unlike the account in =93The FBI Story=94, Whitaker had not been the one who had picked up the money. In fact, Whitaker had a perfect alibi, because at the time of the Lindbergh Kidnapping and the payment of the $104,000 a few days later, Whitaker had been on trial in Florida for Grand Theft Auto and thus could not have been involved. Whitaker thereafter for the rest of his life made his living by suing and winning judgments against newspapers, every time they reported that he had collected the Lindbergh Kidnapping ransom money. According to Hilbert's book and other sources, Evalyn Walsh McLean had a summer home in Aiken, South Carolina. Whitaker went there to see her. He told her that the Lindbergh baby was in Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas. He then proceeded to drive Mrs. McLean in his (possibly stolen) car from Aiken South Carolina to El Paso, Texas, a distance of 1586 miles. There, he told her that the kidnappers, who were safely across the border in Mexico, had offered that if Mrs. McLean provided $35,000 in new ransom money, they would exchange it for $49,500 of the old ransom money plus the baby. The kidnappers did not want the money they had previously received because they knew it was marked. According to Shady Side: The Life and Crimes of Norman Tweed Whitaker, Chess Master, by John Samuel Hilbert, page 121, what Whitaker was really convicted of was =93attempted=94 extortion. He or Means had claimed that the Lindbergh kidnappers had refused $49,500 of the ransom money paid by Mrs. McLean because the serial numbers on the money had been published. Therefore, they demanded replacement money in the amount of $35,000, in exchange for which he promised to return the original $49,500 plus the baby. This exchange was supposed to take place in Juarez, Mexico. However, Mrs. McLean did not have any more money, so she returned to Washington DC to pawn her jewels. That was when her husband, who was the owner and publisher of The Washington Post, found out and called in the FBI. Also, according to another source, =93The Fox=94 was not a code name for Whitaker. Rather, Mrs. McLean mistakenly believed that Whitaker's name was Fox. Albert Fox was a well-known chess master and a friend of Whitaker, and he or a person with the same name had also been a reporter for the Washington Post. Perhaps due to a mistake or confusion, Mrs. McLean thought that Whitaker was Fox. Albert Fox was also the name of her attorney who was representing her in her divorce case against her husband, who was the owner of the Washington Post. Later, the newspapers, including The New York Times, picked up the story and mistakenly reported =93The Fox=94 as a code name for Whitaker. The book by Hilbert also found a noteworthy coincidence. Albert Fox, the attorney, later sued Mrs. McLean for $35,000 in attorney's fees. However, $35,000 was the same amount of money that Mrs. McLean was trying to raise as ransom money to pay the Lindbergh kidnappers. Was this just a coincidence? Now, here is the killing point: Once, when I was researching chess history, I spent many days in the San Francisco Public Library looking for tournament newspaper reports of the 1923 Western States Chess Championship in San Francisco, which had been won by Whitaker. Looking at an aging issue of the San Francisco Call, I saw the headline =93HARDING DEAD=94. I discovered that at the very moment that Warren G. Harding had died in San Francisco, Norman T. Whitaker, chess master and notorious international criminal, had been virtually at the scene of the crime. Harding had died in a private hotel room in the Palace Hotel on Market Street in San Francisco, which is now the Sheraton Palace Hotel. Whitaker had been, at that very moment, right across the street on the 4th floor of the Mechanics Institute at 57 Post Street playing his game for what was regarded as the US Open Chess Championship, which he won. Therefore, having discovered this coincidence, I wrote a spoof or joke newspaper story that Whitaker, who was in fact a notorious womanizer in addition to being a criminal, had been the lover of Florence Harding and, while playing his chess game against Samuel D. Factor, in between moves, while his opponent's clock was ticking, he had walked across the street to the Palace Hotel, where, by prior arrangement, Florence Harding had let him into the private hotel room where Florence and President Harding were staying. They had planned to make love but, when President Harding discovered this, Whitaker had killed Harding, and then had gotten back to the chess game before his opponent, Samuel Factor, had yet moved, and therefore Whitaker had been able to kill Harding with such a perfect alibi that nobody had even suspected this, until I, the super-sleuth Sam Sloan, had discovered this 70 years later. Of course, this was a joke, or at least was intended as such, but all of the basic facts were true. Harding really did die on August 2, 1923 in a private hotel room in the San Francisco Palace Hotel while Whitaker was across the street in the Mechanics Institute at 57 Post Street playing his game for the US Chess Championship against Samuel D. Factor. All of these facts were completely true. Now, all I had to do was make up a few invented facts, which were that Whitaker knew both Florence Harding and President Harding, which I believe was probably true based on what we know about Whitaker and Harding, since Harding was known to frequent gambling dens and illegal drinking parlors on K Street, only two blocks from where Whitaker lived on M Street. So, the only really invented fact was that Whitaker had been the lover of Florence Harding, and even that was not impossible as Florence had been a woman whose virtue was suspect. So, now I had it all. I even added that Whitaker had actually lost the chess game to Samuel D. Factor. This was explained by the fact that he had been distracted from the chess game by the break he had taken to go across the street to kill the President of the United States, and he had become flustered, which had caused to him to lose to Factor, but he had won the rest of his games and had won the championship anyway. Now, of course, you will want to see the chess game that proves all of this. So, here it is: [Event "Western Association Championship"] [Site "San Francisco, Cal."] [Date "1923.08.02"] [White "Factor,Samuel D"] [Black "Whitaker,Norman Tweed"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D64"] 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nc3 Be7 6.e3 O-O 7.Rc1 Re8 8.a3 c6 9.Qc2 a6 10.Bd3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 b5 12.Bd3 c5 13.Bxf6 Nxf6 14.dxc5 Bxc5 15.Ne4 Be7 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 18.Be4 Rb8 19.O-O b4 20.Bc6 bxa3 21.Bxe8 axb2 22.Bxf7 bxc1=3DQ 23.Rxc1 Qd7 24.Qg6 Rb5 25.Be8 Rc5 26.Re1 Qd8 27.Ba4 Bb7 28.Bc2 Kg8 29.Qh7+ Kf8 30.Rd1 Rd5 31.Nd4 Bxd4 32.exd4 Qg5 33.f4 Qg4 34.h3 Qg3 35.Rd3 Qe1+ 36.Kh2 Qf2 37.Rg3 Qxd4 38.Qh8+ Ke7 39.Rxg7+ Kd6 40.Qb8+ Kc5 41.Rxb7 1-0 It can clearly be seen from this chess game that Whitaker was playing below his normal strength and thus proves that Whitaker killed Harding while the game was being played. Needless to say, I knew Whitaker. The last time I met Whitaker (before he died) was in 1962 and he had given me a ride in his VW bug from a chess tournament in Raleigh North Carolina to Virginia where I lived. I finally got up the nerve to ask Whitaker about Gaston B. Means and about the Lindbergh Kidnapping. I had never had the courage to do this before. One does not just say, =93By the way, Norman, how did the old Lindbergh Kidnapping go?=94 Whitaker answered my question by talking about all the dirty tricks Means had done to Whitaker. I am so sorry that I did not write down his exact words. All of us chess players knew Whitaker and knew about his side involvement in the Lindbergh Kidnapping, but I know of no other chess player who ever asked him about this. I did not write it down and do not remember what he said, except he started talking about all the dirty tricks Means had done. Whitaker was driving his VW at the time and I really wish I had taken notes on what he said, but alas I did not. I now believe that Whitaker may not have been in on the scam and possibly really believed that the Lindbergh Baby was being held in Juarez, and thus was not guilty. Why would he drive 1586 miles, a trip of three or four days, with a fabulously wealthy woman, if he knew that it was all just a scam? One person who obviously must have asked Whitaker about this was Al Horowitz, owner of Chess Review magazine. The often told joke is that whenever Whitaker came to see Horowitz in his office, Horowitz would say, =93Hello Norman. Pull up an electric chair!=94 Now as you read this book, The Strange Death of President Harding, you will see how this all comes together. Means apparently wrote this book while serving time in prison for perjury. He passed the sheets to an accomplice, May Dixon Thacker. I believe that few of the facts in this book are true. However, I believe that Means constructed this story in much the same way that I created the story proving that Whitaker killed Harding. Means knew all the people in this book. Means certainly knew Florence Harding and her husband, President Warren G. Harding. Almost without doubt, he knew everybody or almost everybody whose name is mentioned in this book. Conveniently, by the time this book was published in 1930, almost everybody whose name is mentioned in this book was dead and no longer available to refute Means' accounts. Now, you will ask: Since I obviously do not believe what is written in this book, why do I publish it? The answer is that although this book is not about history, it is history. At the time of this book, two years before the Lindbergh Kidnapping scam, Gaston B. Means, a former FBI agent, had every appearance of being a respectable, honest and credible person. Thus, this book was widely believed and is one of the prime reasons why Warren G. Harding is widely considered to be the worst president America ever had. Secondly, as Means really did know all the people mentioned in this book, and since this book describes events that could possibly have happened, it tells us something about those people, even though the events it describes were often not true. To me, the tip-off that reveals that the book is not true is that it contains long dialogs of conversations that supposedly took place. Few men would be able to remember conversations in such detail years later, especially since Means was in prison in 1930 when this book was written. Therefore, with these caveats, I present it to you: Sam Sloan Bronx New York September 20, 2008
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Date: 30 Sep 2008 12:04:42
From:
Subject: Re: The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means
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On Sep 21, 1:11=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote: > The Strange Death of President Harding > by Gaston B. Means > > http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 > > A more important reason for renewed interest in President Harding is > that it is becoming increasingly apparent that Harding got a =93bum rap= =94 > when he was called the worst president that America ever had. When I > was in high school, my American History teacher taught me that the two > worst presidents America ever had were Grant and Harding. Grant has > still not been rehabilitated. (My next project?) However, there is a > strong case to be made that Harding was one of the best if not the > very best president America ever had. > > Largely on the strength of this book, =93The Strange Death of President > Harding=94 and on the so-called =93Teapot Dome Scandal=94, Harding became > known as the worst president the United States ever had. > > Of late, there has been a re-examination of President Harding, who was > president from 1921 to 1923. A recent book by John W. Dean, who, as > the cover blurb notes in a massive understatement, is =93no stranger to > presidential controversy=94 makes a strong case that not only was > President Harding not the worst, but he was perhaps the best president > the US ever had. An interesting comment about the Harding administration, which also pertains to the "OT: Russian History" thread going on here recently, is found on pages 206-207 of George F. Kennan's "Russia and the West Under Lenin and Stalin." Discussing the question of diplomatic recognition of the new Bolshevik regime in the 1920s, Kennan first quotes the position of Bainbridge Colby, US Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson: "...there cannot be any ground upon which [the United States] can stand with a Power whose conceptions of international relations are so entirely alien to its own, so utterly repugnant to its moral sense." Kennan then comments: "This was a harsh position, and a negative one. But it was one squarely based on principle ... As such, I believe that the Soviet leaders understood it and respected it more than any other ... But this position was overtaken, soon after its enunciation, by the fall of the Wilson administration and the assumption of power in Washington by the administration of Warren Gamaliel Harding, an administration noted neither for its interest in principle or for its resistance to pressures from wealthy private interests. "The Harding administration lost no time in supplementing Colby's clear position with a resounding demand for satisfaction in the matter of debts and claims. On this now corrupted and dubious foundation, the United States policy of nonrecognition continued to rest through the Republican era ..."
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Date: 30 Sep 2008 10:09:56
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means
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Ishi Press Proudly announces the reprinting of the book "The Strange Death of President Harding" by Gaston B. Means. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 Next, we will be reprinting "Father Struck It Rich" by Evalyn Walsh McLean at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891048 Evalyn Walsh McLean was a link between President Warren G. Harding Harding and International Chess Master Norman T. Whitaker, and Gaston B. Means and the Lindbergh Kidnapping Sam Sloan On Sep 21, 1:11=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote: > TheStrangeDeathofPresidentHarding > by Gaston B. Means > > http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 > > Foreword > > The cover photo to this book is one of the last ever taken ofPresidentHar= dingand his wife, Florence, before their untimely > deaths. It was taken in July, 1923 on board the U.S.S. Henderson > during their trip by ship to Alaska. Behind them is a lifeboat on the > deck of the ship.Hardingappears to be healthy, yet he died only a > few days later. > > This plus a variety of other circumstances created suspicion thatHardingh= ad been murdered, especially since his wife, Florence, > refused to agree to an autopsy. Then, Florence herself died only one > year later. > > There is renewed interest inHardingduring the current presidential > election campaign, for several reasons. One is thatHardingwas a > United States Senator when electedpresidentand only he and John F. > Kennedy were electedpresidentwhile they were senators. This year, > both of the candidates, McCain and Obama, are US Senators, so one of > them will be elected. > > Another reason is the long standing rumor thatPresidentHardingwas > part Black. This rumor is based primarily on the book entitled =93WARREN > GAMALIELHARDING:PRESIDENTOF THE UNITED STATES=94 by William Estabrook > Chancellor, published by The Sentinal Press in 1922. However, shortly > after publication, the plates and the bulk of books stored by the > Sentinal Press were taken away by agents and destroyed. It is rumored > that the plates were dumped into the Ohio river. The book thus became > one of the rarest bibliographical items in twentieth-century American > history. Only five copies are known to exist, one of which is on sale > on the Internet for $2550.00 !! > > The destruction of that book did not stop the rumor thatHardingwas > part-Black from spreading and indeed may have enhanced it. Thus, if > Barak Obama is electedPresident, it will be said that he was the > SECOND Blackpresident. > > A more important reason for renewed interest inPresidentHardingis > that it is becoming increasingly apparent thatHardinggot a =93bum rap=94 > when he was called the worstpresidentthat America ever had. When I > was in high school, my American History teacher taught me that the two > worst presidents America ever had were Grant andHarding. Grant has > still not been rehabilitated. (My next project?) However, there is a > strong case to be made thatHardingwas one of the best if not the > very bestpresidentAmerica ever had. > > Largely on the strength of this book, =93TheStrangeDeathofPresidentHardin= g=94 and on the so-called =93Teapot Dome Scandal=94,Hardingbecame > known as the worstpresidentthe United States ever had. > > Of late, there has been a re-examination ofPresidentHarding, who waspresi= dentfrom 1921 to 1923. A recent book by John W. Dean, who, as > the cover blurb notes in a massive understatement, is =93no stranger to > presidential controversy=94 makes a strong case that not only wasPresiden= tHardingnot the worst, but he was perhaps the bestpresident > the US ever had. > > The Fall Guy in the Teapot Dome Scandal had been Albert Fall. However, > Fall had served as Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court and had > been for many years a United States Senator before joining theHarding > Administration, so it seems difficult to understand whyHardinghad to > take the fall for Fall. > > Hardinghad many accomplishments aspresident, far more than most > presidents. For example,PresidentHardingwas the first to require > all departments of the government to have a budget.Hardingcut > government expenditures by one billion dollars.Hardingbrought about > the economic reforms that started =93The Roaring Twenties=94, a period of > unequaled economic prosperity in America. > > Strangely, Woodrow Wilson is regarded by the general public as being > one of the best presidents America ever had, but in reality he was one > of the worst. When Wilson left office, the government was in a state > of chaotic disarray.Hardingmanaged to clean up most of it during his > only two years aspresident. > > There seem to be only three reasons why Warren G.Hardingis regarded > as the worstpresident, or at least one of the worst: > > 1. The Teapot Dome Scandal > > 2. The book =93ThePresident'sDaughter=94 by Nan Britton > > 3. This book, =93TheStrangeDeathofPresidentHarding=94 > > I have now published or reprinted four different books by people who > knewPresidentHardingpersonally. All but this last one have > expressed favorable views aboutPresidentHarding. The other three > books are: > > 1. My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers > Parks ISBN 092389196X > > 2. ThePresident'sDaughter by Nan Britton ISBN 0923891234 > > 3. Dolly Gann's Book by Dolly Gann ISBN 0923891080 > > The first book above was by two domestic servants who worked in the > White House for a total of 50 years, including the years whenHarding > waspresident. They personally liked bothPresidentHardingand his > wife, Florence, saying that Florence was plagued by =93bad luck=94. It wa= s > this book that caused me to re-think my views aboutPresidentHarding. > > The second book was byPresidentHarding'smistress, Nan Britton. She > definitely liked, loved and admiredPresidentHarding. There is > absolutely no doubt that she really was thePresident'sMistress. > However, the book did a lot of harm to thepresident'sreputation, > especially the part about how she used to have sex with thePresident > in the White House while the wife was away. In view of what we now > know about other presidents who did the same thing, including > Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy and, to some extent, Clinton, this > hardly seems shocking any more. > > The third book, by the sister of Charles Curtis, the Vice-President > under Herbert Hoover, was also by someone who knew and likedHarding. > > A book I am in the process of reprinting right now and will be out > soon is =93A DeadPresidentMakes Answer to ThePresident'sDaughter=94 > ISBN 0923891013 > > This is a rare book. Very few copies were sold, but I have been able > to obtain one in mint condition. > > Finally, I will reprint the book =93WARREN GAMALIELHARDING:PRESIDENT > OF THE UNITED STATES=94 by William Estabrook Chancellor, if I can ever > find one, but, no, I am not willing to pay the $2550.00 demanded for > the only copy available for sale. > > Returning to this book, =93TheStrangeDeathofPresidentHarding=94 by > Gaston B. Means, I have a special reason for interest in it which has > to do with the game of chess. This will seem surprising, but most of > the main characters in =93TheStrangeDeathofPresidentHarding=94 had an > impact on the world of chess. > > This was because of an International Chess Master named Norman T. > Whitaker who was, at one time, one of the top two or three chess > players in America. Whitaker lived in Washington DC on M Street, near > the White House and was a close associate of Gaston B. Means. Whitaker > also knew Evalyn Walsh McLean, who was a close personal friend of > FlorenceHardingand whose name is frequently mentioned in this book. > Evalyn Walsh McLean later wrote a book entitled =93Father Struck it > Rich=94, which is still popular. > > I do not know whether Whitaker knewHardingpersonally, but I believe > that Whitaker probably did know him, as he lived nearby and both > Whitaker andHardingtended to know people like each other and to > frequent similar places. > > Norman T. Whitaker and Gaston B. Means later became involved in a side > con related to the Lindbergh Kidnapping. The Lindbergh Kidnapping was > =93the crime of the century=94. On March 1, 1932, the 20 month old baby o= f > famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped and held for ransom. > Evalyn Walsh McLean knew that Gaston B. Means was a former FBI agent > who also often associated with criminals (like Whitaker) and she asked > Means if he was in contact with the kidnappers and knew how to get the > baby back. > > Means, realizing that Evalyn Walsh McLean was a =93mark=94, replied that > yes, indeed, he was in contact with the kidnappers and could arrange > the return of the baby if the ransom was paid. > > Evalyn Walsh McLean agreed to pay. In fact, she agreed to pay, and did > pay $104,000, even more than the real kidnappers were demanding. > > However, Gaston B. Means was not really in contact with the kidnappers > and had no idea who they were. He just wanted the ransom money. > > Therefore, he called in his friend, chess master Norman T. Whitaker, > to impersonate one of the kidnappers and to collect the ransom money. > > Here, there are at least two different versions of what happened. > According to the 1955 book =93The FBI Story=94 by Don Whitehead, pages > 94-96, Whitaker was the bag man. Means gave Whitaker the code name > =93The Fox=94 and, as =93The Fox=94, Whitaker went to the home of Mrs. Mc= Lean > and collected the ransom money. > > However, Means then got greedy. He told Mrs. McLean that the > kidnappers were demanding even more money. Mrs. McLean had no cash > left independent of her husband, but she owned a lot of jewels and had > even once been the owner of The Hope Diamond. When she went to pawn > the jewels to raise the ransom money to give to Means, her husband > found out and called in the FBI who arrested Means and Whitaker. Means > and Whitaker were both convicted. Means died in prison. Whitaker got > out after only serving a few months. The Lindbergh baby was found > dead, having been killed only a few hours after being kidnapped. The > body was immediately cremated, which contributes to many current > conspiracy theories. The money was never recovered. > > However, a relatively recent book, Shady Side: The Life and Crimes of > Norman Tweed Whitaker, Chess Master, by John Samuel Hilbert, published > in 2000, pages 114-128, tells an entirely different story: > > Hilbert had access to the complete papers of Norman Tweed Whitaker, > who died in 1975. According to his account, Whitaker may not have been > guilty. The first ransom money of $104,000 that had been paid had been > in marked money. The kidnappers had realized it (and indeed this part > was true, as the first money that had been paid to ...
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Date: 21 Sep 2008 18:31:26
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means
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On Sep 21, 7:52=A0pm, Taylor Kingston <[email protected] > wrote: > On Sep 21, 7:25=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means > > > With a new foreword by Sam Sloan > > > The cover picture to this book is one of the last ever taken of > > President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence, before their > > untimely deaths. It was taken in July, 1923 on board the U.S.S. > > Henderson during their trip to Alaska. Harding appears to be healthy, > > yet he died only a few days later. > > > This plus a variety of other circumstances created suspicion that > > Harding had been murdered, especially since his wife, Florence, > > refused to agree to an autopsy. Then, Florence herself died only one > > year later. > > > As to who would murder Harding and why, at the time of this photo > > Harding was tremendously popular, one of the most popular presidents > > ever had. Only a few years later, he came to be regarded as the worst > > president America ever had. The Teapot Dome Scandal was looming in the > > far distance, but troubles were starting to appear. Harding had at > > least two active mistresses, plus an illegitimate child. The General > > Public did not know about this but his wife probably did. > > > Did all this add up to a recipe for murder, or did the robust, young > > and healthy President of the United States simply drop dead for no > > reason at all? > > > =A0 =A0 =A0 ISBN =A0 0-923891-39-0 > > >http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 > > =A0 You know, Sam, you're really having trouble with links these days. > This one takes you to a page that says: > > =A0 "We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page > on our site." Actually, you are right. I have been mixing up my book pages. My Best Games of Chess 1908-1923 by Alekhine is here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891498 Masters of the Chess Board by Richard Reti is here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/092389148X Proof that Trotsky was not Guilty is here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891315 Who Killed Harding is here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 Chessmen by Donald M. Liddell will be here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891420 Sam Sloan
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Date: 21 Sep 2008 17:37:31
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means
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On Sep 21, 7:52=A0pm, Taylor Kingston <[email protected] > wrote: > On Sep 21, 7:25=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means > > > With a new foreword by Sam Sloan > > > The cover picture to this book is one of the last ever taken of > > President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence, before their > > untimely deaths. It was taken in July, 1923 on board the U.S.S. > > Henderson during their trip to Alaska. Harding appears to be healthy, > > yet he died only a few days later. > > > This plus a variety of other circumstances created suspicion that > > Harding had been murdered, especially since his wife, Florence, > > refused to agree to an autopsy. Then, Florence herself died only one > > year later. > > > As to who would murder Harding and why, at the time of this photo > > Harding was tremendously popular, one of the most popular presidents > > ever had. Only a few years later, he came to be regarded as the worst > > president America ever had. The Teapot Dome Scandal was looming in the > > far distance, but troubles were starting to appear. Harding had at > > least two active mistresses, plus an illegitimate child. The General > > Public did not know about this but his wife probably did. > > > Did all this add up to a recipe for murder, or did the robust, young > > and healthy President of the United States simply drop dead for no > > reason at all? > > > =A0 =A0 =A0 ISBN =A0 0-923891-39-0 > > >http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 > > =A0 You know, Sam, you're really having trouble with links these days. > This one takes you to a page that says: > > =A0 "We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page > on our site." Do not worry. That page will start functioning in about 6 or 7 days and that will tell you that the book has been printed. Sam Sloan
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Date: 21 Sep 2008 16:52:35
From: Taylor Kingston
Subject: Re: The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means
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On Sep 21, 7:25=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote: > The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means > > With a new foreword by Sam Sloan > > The cover picture to this book is one of the last ever taken of > President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence, before their > untimely deaths. It was taken in July, 1923 on board the U.S.S. > Henderson during their trip to Alaska. Harding appears to be healthy, > yet he died only a few days later. > > This plus a variety of other circumstances created suspicion that > Harding had been murdered, especially since his wife, Florence, > refused to agree to an autopsy. Then, Florence herself died only one > year later. > > As to who would murder Harding and why, at the time of this photo > Harding was tremendously popular, one of the most popular presidents > ever had. Only a few years later, he came to be regarded as the worst > president America ever had. The Teapot Dome Scandal was looming in the > far distance, but troubles were starting to appear. Harding had at > least two active mistresses, plus an illegitimate child. The General > Public did not know about this but his wife probably did. > > Did all this add up to a recipe for murder, or did the robust, young > and healthy President of the United States simply drop dead for no > reason at all? > > =A0 =A0 =A0 ISBN =A0 0-923891-39-0 > > http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 You know, Sam, you're really having trouble with links these days. This one takes you to a page that says: "We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site."
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Date: 21 Sep 2008 16:25:24
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means
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The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means With a new foreword by Sam Sloan The cover picture to this book is one of the last ever taken of President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence, before their untimely deaths. It was taken in July, 1923 on board the U.S.S. Henderson during their trip to Alaska. Harding appears to be healthy, yet he died only a few days later. This plus a variety of other circumstances created suspicion that Harding had been murdered, especially since his wife, Florence, refused to agree to an autopsy. Then, Florence herself died only one year later. As to who would murder Harding and why, at the time of this photo Harding was tremendously popular, one of the most popular presidents ever had. Only a few years later, he came to be regarded as the worst president America ever had. The Teapot Dome Scandal was looming in the far distance, but troubles were starting to appear. Harding had at least two active mistresses, plus an illegitimate child. The General Public did not know about this but his wife probably did. Did all this add up to a recipe for murder, or did the robust, young and healthy President of the United States simply drop dead for no reason at all? ISBN 0-923891-39-0 http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390
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Date: 21 Sep 2008 15:22:42
From: Taylor Kingston
Subject: Re: The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means
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On Sep 21, 1:11=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote: > The Strange Death of President Harding > by Gaston B. Means > > http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891390 > > Foreword > > The cover photo to this book is one of the last ever taken of > President Harding and his wife, Florence, before their untimely > deaths. It was taken in July, 1923 on board the U.S.S. Henderson > during their trip by ship to Alaska. Behind them is a lifeboat on the > deck of the ship. Harding appears to be healthy, yet he died only a > few days later. > > This plus a variety of other circumstances created suspicion that > Harding had been murdered, especially since his wife, Florence, > refused to agree to an autopsy. Then, Florence herself died only one > year later. > > There is renewed interest in Harding during the current presidential > election campaign, Really? On what do you base this dubious assertion? I would say interest in Harding is about at its usual very low level. > for several reasons. One is that Harding was a > United States Senator when elected president and only he and John F. > Kennedy were elected president while they were senators. This is the sort of trivia that interests only trivia buffs, on a par with, say, the fact that Franklin Pierce is the only President from New Hampshire, or that the first three Presidents to be assassinated were all Republicans. > This year, > both of the candidates, McCain and Obama, are US Senators, so one of > them will be elected. You have a firm grasp of the obvious, Sam. > Another reason is the long standing rumor that President Harding was > part Black. I doubt that even 10% percent of the US population today could even tell you who Warren G. Harding was, let alone what silly rumors circulated about him. > This rumor is based primarily on the book entitled =93WARREN > GAMALIEL HARDING: PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES=94 by William Estabrook > Chancellor, published by The Sentinal Press in 1922. However, shortly > after publication, the plates and the bulk of books stored by the > Sentinal Press were taken away by agents and destroyed. It is rumored > that the plates were dumped into the Ohio river. The book thus became > one of the rarest bibliographical items in twentieth-century American > history. Only five copies are known to exist, one of which is on sale > on the Internet for $2550.00 !! > > The destruction of that book did not stop the rumor that Harding was > part-Black from spreading and indeed may have enhanced it. Thus, if > Barak Obama is elected President, it will be said that he was the > SECOND Black president. It will be said by whom? I doubt that anyone but you would, Sam. > A more important reason for renewed interest in President Harding is > that it is becoming increasingly apparent that Harding got a =93bum rap= =94 > when he was called the worst president that America ever had. When I > was in high school, my American History teacher taught me that the two > worst presidents America ever had were Grant and Harding. Grant has > still not been rehabilitated. (My next project?) However, there is a > strong case to be made that Harding was one of the best if not the > very best president America ever had. You and Kasparov should team up. He will prove that America was discovered by Russians in the Middle Ages, while you can rate Presidents based on their sex lives. > Largely on the strength of this book, =93The Strange Death of President > Harding=94 and on the so-called =93Teapot Dome Scandal=94, Harding became > known as the worst president the United States ever had. > > Of late, there has been a re-examination of President Harding, who was > president from 1921 to 1923. A recent book by John W. Dean, who, as > the cover blurb notes in a massive understatement, is =93no stranger to > presidential controversy=94 makes a strong case that not only was > President Harding not the worst, but he was perhaps the best president > the US ever had. People will write books about almost anything, Sam. > The Fall Guy in the Teapot Dome Scandal had been Albert Fall. However, > Fall had served as Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court and had > been for many years a United States Senator before joining the Harding > Administration, so it seems difficult to understand why Harding had to > take the fall for Fall. No, it's quite easy. The President is in charge. He is responsible for supervising his subordinates. Harding was a lousy supervisor. He appointed and trusted some men he should not have. As Harry Truman said, the President can't pass the buck.
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