The Warren Commission Decided 5 (Vol. 1): McCloy

Fourth Reich Archaeology

If anyone has a resumé befitting a Horseman of the Fourth Reich, it’s the subject of this episode–John J. McCloy. Just look at some of these highlights:

• Boarding school for high school;

• Harvard Law;

• Multiple Wall Street firms (Cadwalader; Cravath; Milbank);

• U.S. Department of War under Henry L. Stimson;

• President of the World Bank;

• U.S. High Commissioner for Germany;

• Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations;

• Chairman of the Ford Foundation;

• Chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank;

• Trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation;

• Bilderberg attendee;

• Bohemian Grove member;

And, the reason why he’s got his own series-within-a-series-within-a-series:

• Member of the Warren Commission.

Without further examination, McCloy’s curriculum vitae makes his service on the Warren Commission seem like a foregone conclusion. Remember, McCloy was one of the Commission’s two “private citizen” members, the other being Dulles, so it would be easy to assume without more than the above info that McCloy was just another cleanup man. But this is Fourth Reich Archaeology, and you already know that we had to dig deeper on the guy. Donning (and dicking) our patented 4RA lenses, hard-hats, and shovels, we introduce you to the real McCloy. The man was so much more than what initially meets the eye.

We start our McCloy excavation in 1963 and learn that in fact, he was the driving force behind transforming the Warren Commision from a toothless review committee meant to rubber-stamp the FBI’s report into a real investigative body. For example, McCloy is the reason the Warren Commission was given subpoena powers, and with it, the authority to conduct its own investigation. He also lobbied to hire a staff of lawyers to work under the Commissioners. Now, to be clear, we aren’t saying that the Commission used that power effectively; we’re just pointing out that–at least at the outset–McCloy was more of a squeaky wheel than a rubber stamp. But that changes sometime in Spring 1964, and we’ll discuss why we think that is. Not for nothing did McCloy enjoy a sterling relation among the power elite as a master strategist, a straight shooter, and THE man to call in a national crisis.

We then turn back the clocks to McCloy’s childhood and early years, and follow him as he goes from “the wrong side of the tracks” in North Philadelphia, to Amherst college, where he spent his free time as any young patriot would, participating in voluntary military preparedness drills as tensions in Europe flared in the lead-up to WWI. He spent two summers in a Teddy Roosevelt-endorsed summer bootcamp in Plattsburgh, NY, where he learned lessons from Teddy’s rough riders and met other members of the patriotic elite at what became known as the “millionaire’s camp.” Throughout all of these educational experiences, McCloy is rubbing elbows with the rich kids, not because he is one himself, but because his mom is their mom’s hairdresser.

Then WWI breaks out, and McCloy answers the call. And, like any true ascending Reichsman, McCloy was on that grindset tip, and caught the eye of his commander, Brigadier General Guy H. Preston, who picked McCloy to be his aide de camp. And this is where we will leave off, but not without painting what may well be one of the funniest factual vignettes to date.

Sit back, relax, and put on that PPE–because this dig qualifies for hazard pay. McCloy’s story is a long one, and so it is going to be a two parter - STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!!