The author of the Private Eye article John Ashton was happy to be described as the "deputy" of the charlatan Alan Francovich. Ashton co-authored with Ian Ferguson "Cover-up of Convenience" which described itself as "the alternative version of events" purporting to "prove" the primary suitcase was introduced at Frankfurt by drug smugglers in a ludicrous scenario alleging one of the victims of Lockerbie was a drug courier. The Criminal Case Review Commission wasted months investigating these claims.
In 1996, the year Francovich's fraudulent documentary "The Maltese Double Cross" was broadcast, (with the participation of Jim Swire) I pointed out to the authorities and to Mr Megrahi's Solicitor that the Police had made a colossal blunder in "eliminating" Heathrow. As I describe in my article "Lockerbie - The Heathrow Evidence" at part I of The Masonic Verses(http://e-zeecon.blogspot.com) it is irrefutable that the primary suitcase was introduced at Heathrow.
The most disturbing aspect of the 1990 Fatal Accident Inquiry was that "evidence" that the suitcase had arrived on flight PA103A from Frankfurt was given by the Lord Advocate's Deputy and successor Andrew Hardie QC who had no personal knowledge of what transpired but simply repeated the flawed logic on which Heathrow had been eliminated, (an argument repudiated in the Camp Zeist Judgement), therefore committing the Crown Office and perhaps the Judiciary to the fraudulent "Malta" scenario.
I think Baz is a little harsh on Messrs Ashton and Ferguson. Their book, Cover up of Convenience, is clearly too pro Libya to be taken absolutekly at face value, but the amount of information it contains about the incident far outstrips any other book on the subject. The Ashton Ferguson book has many errors and flaws but it is still a vital store of information on the case.
Whether or not DEA/CIA contolled drug smoggling caused the disaster is highly questionable, but it is undeniable that Pan Am flights from Frankfurt through London to the USA WERE used for this purpose. In order for this to happen the arrangement would have required the agreement and active cooperation of authorities in the UK as well as in Frankfurt. This would involve UK airline and airport security operations allowing cetain bags through the system unchecked. If the IED was placed at heathrow, then this arrangement would have facilitated the bombing.
I haven't read "Cover-up of Convenience" having got a full refund from the publisher. The chapter on the muddled provenance of the MST-13 timer was quite good as was the coverage of the trial and the "big three".
Unfortunately they ruined the book by advancing a version of events even more preposterous than the offficial version supported by the most ludicrous "witnesses" two of whom didn't even exist!
The most ludicrous part was the claim that a suitcase of drugs had actually been recovered at Tundergarth! Their "witness" for this Jim Wilson never made this claim. Why anybody would take the trouble to smuggle drugs onto a plane they knew was going to explode escapes me completely.
This version of the "drug conspiracy theory" was based on the fabricated evidence of Francovich's house conman Oswald Le Winter. My favourite bit of "Cover-up of Convenience" was when the authors noted, without a hint of self-awareness that Le Winter had "made a good living from duping journalists."
If "Cover-up of Convenience" was the "altertative version of events" then Megrahi was guilty.
Fir the time being, the most important thing is that those of us who believe Abdel Basset is innocent concentrate on collecting and presenting all relevant evidence and constantly remind ourselves that we are on the same side. Baz has done a great deal of research and has written far more than most (certainly more than me). I would urge him to read the Ashton and Ferguson book.
Fir the time being, the most important thing is that those of us who believe Abdel Basset is innocent concentrate on collecting and presenting all relevant evidence and constantly remind ourselves that we are on the same side. Baz has done a great deal of research and has written far more than most (certainly more than me). I would urge him to read the Ashton and Ferguson book.
My apologies. I meant I haven't read the book for some time. I studied it closely when it was published and thought the "alternative version of events" advanced by the authors was nonsensical, essentially a rehash of Alan Francovich's hoax documentary "The Maltese Double Cross." (On which John Ashton was credited as researcher.)
Indeed the authors' admitted that Francovich's primary source "Major General" Oswald Le Winter was "a known fabricator" then expected you to take this dingbat seriously! Indeed they presented as fact another of his scams the "October Surprise".
The point I was making was threefold. Firstly as Private Eye articles are anonymous (and have featured other ludicrous claims such as the assertion the Libyans were indicted in order to build the Gulf War coalition!)I thought people reading these articles which advanced the claim the bomb was introduced at Heathrow should know that the writer had published a book claiming the bomb was introduced at Frankfurt!
Secondly when in 1996 I pointed out what actually transpired I had not only to challenge the official "Libyan solution" but other versions of events notably the various versions of the "drug conspiracy theory" which dominated the media at the time. I believe that has now been discredited.
There is only one correct or true version of events as to why flight PA103 was destroyed, how and by whom and that is what actually happened. It is not a question of "collecting and presenting all relevant evidence" if you are not going to submit this evidence to the same standard of scrutiny as the official version of events.
The author of the Private Eye article John Ashton was happy to be described as the "deputy" of the charlatan Alan Francovich. Ashton co-authored with Ian Ferguson "Cover-up of Convenience" which described itself as "the alternative version of events" purporting to "prove" the primary suitcase was introduced at Frankfurt by drug smugglers in a ludicrous scenario alleging one of the victims of Lockerbie was a drug courier. The Criminal Case Review Commission wasted months investigating these claims.
ReplyDeleteIn 1996, the year Francovich's fraudulent documentary "The Maltese Double Cross" was broadcast, (with the participation of Jim Swire) I pointed out to the authorities and to Mr Megrahi's Solicitor that the Police had made a colossal blunder in "eliminating" Heathrow. As I describe in my article "Lockerbie - The Heathrow Evidence" at part I of The Masonic Verses(http://e-zeecon.blogspot.com) it is irrefutable that the primary suitcase was introduced at Heathrow.
The most disturbing aspect of the 1990 Fatal Accident Inquiry was that "evidence" that the suitcase had arrived on flight PA103A from Frankfurt was given by the Lord Advocate's Deputy and successor Andrew Hardie QC who had no personal knowledge of what transpired but simply repeated the flawed logic on which Heathrow had been eliminated, (an argument repudiated in the Camp Zeist Judgement), therefore committing the Crown Office and perhaps the Judiciary to the fraudulent "Malta" scenario.
I think Baz is a little harsh on Messrs Ashton and Ferguson. Their book, Cover up of Convenience, is clearly too pro Libya to be taken absolutekly at face value, but the amount of information it contains about the incident far outstrips any other book on the subject. The Ashton Ferguson book has many errors and flaws but it is still a vital store of information on the case.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not DEA/CIA contolled drug smoggling caused the disaster is highly questionable, but it is undeniable that Pan Am flights from Frankfurt through London to the USA WERE used for this purpose. In order for this to happen the arrangement would have required the agreement and active cooperation of authorities in the UK as well as in Frankfurt. This would involve UK airline and airport security operations allowing cetain bags through the system unchecked. If the IED was placed at heathrow, then this arrangement would have facilitated the bombing.
I haven't read "Cover-up of Convenience" having got a full refund from the publisher. The chapter on the muddled provenance of the MST-13 timer was quite good as was the coverage of the trial and the "big three".
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately they ruined the book by advancing a version of events even more preposterous than the offficial version supported by the most ludicrous "witnesses" two of whom didn't even exist!
The most ludicrous part was the claim that a suitcase of drugs had actually been recovered at Tundergarth! Their "witness" for this Jim Wilson never made this claim. Why anybody would take the trouble to smuggle drugs onto a plane they knew was going to explode escapes me completely.
This version of the "drug conspiracy theory" was based on the fabricated evidence of Francovich's house conman Oswald Le Winter. My favourite bit of "Cover-up of Convenience" was when the authors noted, without a hint of self-awareness that Le Winter had "made a good living from duping journalists."
If "Cover-up of Convenience" was the "altertative version of events" then Megrahi was guilty.
Fir the time being, the most important thing is that those of us who believe Abdel Basset is innocent concentrate on collecting and presenting all relevant evidence and constantly remind ourselves that we are on the same side. Baz has done a great deal of research and has written far more than most (certainly more than me). I would urge him to read the Ashton and Ferguson book.
ReplyDeleteFir the time being, the most important thing is that those of us who believe Abdel Basset is innocent concentrate on collecting and presenting all relevant evidence and constantly remind ourselves that we are on the same side. Baz has done a great deal of research and has written far more than most (certainly more than me). I would urge him to read the Ashton and Ferguson book.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies. I meant I haven't read the book for some time. I studied it closely when it was published and thought the "alternative version of events" advanced by the authors was nonsensical, essentially a rehash of Alan Francovich's hoax documentary "The Maltese Double Cross." (On which John Ashton was credited as researcher.)
ReplyDeleteIndeed the authors' admitted that Francovich's primary source "Major General" Oswald Le Winter was "a known fabricator" then expected you to take this dingbat seriously! Indeed they presented as fact another of his scams the "October Surprise".
The point I was making was threefold. Firstly as Private Eye articles are anonymous (and have featured other ludicrous claims such as the assertion the Libyans were indicted in order to build the Gulf War coalition!)I thought people reading these articles which advanced the claim the bomb was introduced at Heathrow should know that the writer had published a book claiming the bomb was introduced at Frankfurt!
Secondly when in 1996 I pointed out what actually transpired I had not only to challenge the official "Libyan solution" but other versions of events notably the various versions of the "drug conspiracy theory" which dominated the media at the time. I believe that has now been discredited.
There is only one correct or true version of events as to why flight PA103 was destroyed, how and by whom and that is what actually happened. It is not a question of "collecting and presenting all relevant evidence" if you are not going to submit this evidence to the same standard of scrutiny as the official version of events.