Rafael Cruz Was NOT Oswald’s Buddy

by GUS RUSSO

Typically, when the National Enquirer runs a political exposé, most professional journalists yawn and move on to the next tabloid in the airport kiosk, if they see it at all. Disturbingly, a recent article by the rag that is famous for front pages that blare out “Hillary’s Brain Cancer Drama!,” “Michael Douglas Gay Shocker!,” “Michael Jackson Murdered!,” “Bigfoot Found!,” “Adam and Eve Were Astronauts!,” and “Cosby Had Son Murdered!” has actually gotten traction both in the mainstream press, and with at least one presumptive major party presidential candidate. This time the subject is that go-to conspiracy magnet, the Kennedy assassination.

I suppose that the Lantana brain trust has reversed its previous conclusions that “JFK Was Killed by a Russian Agent!” or “CIA Boss Planned JFK Assassination!” or “LBJ Arranged JFK’s Assassination!” and “Nixon Linked to JFK’s Assassination!,” because now they’ve solved the case still again: “Ted Cruz Father Linked To JFK Assassination!” Welcome to the club, Rafael Cruz.

One would assume that the Fourth Estate would make mincemeat out of what Vince Bugliosi used to call “sublime silliness.” A due diligence approach would, of course, include contacting Pastor Rafael for his opinion, as well as reputable photo forensic experts. But the recent coverage in syndicated dailies and national cable networks defy all journalistic logic, informing their audiences that there are actually two sides to this story—there aren’t (unless, of course, one is of the school that there are two sides the earth-is-round story, or the gravity-is-real story). Instead of employing methods taught in Journalism 101, the articles are middle-of-the-road, referring readers, with absolutely no critique, to the Enquirer’s sources and corroborators, one such piece actually giving the final word to that unimpeachable historian Donald Trump (whom the cited article fails to point out is very chummy with the Enquirer), who bloviates in a “declaration”: “ ‘In this instance, we believe American voters have a right to know the truth about the Cruz family,’ it says.” End of story. For those who smell a rat, please read on.

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” the great Carl Sagan used to say. How extraordinary is the evidence? About the same as the Astronaut Adam bombshell. The source of the story is none other than Wayne Madsen, who likely never read Carl Sagan. (Full disclosure: Wayne is a friendly acquaintance of mine whom I see twice a year at a Washington authors group dinner. He’s always been nice to me and supportive, and I have always told him that I’m open to anything he’s got if he has proof.) What did the mainstream news not tell its readers about Wayne’s other scoops? Here are some of them:

• The Israelis torpedoed the USS Cole.

• 9/11 was orchestrated by the Israeli Mossad.

• The Mossad also set up New York Governor Elliott Spitzer.

• The US military created swine flu.

• President Obama is gay.

But, keeping an open mind, let’s read on. The whole rat’s nest rests on Wayne’s opinion, and those of the Enquirer’s two “experts,” that an August 16, 1963 photo shows assassin Lee Harvey Oswald handing out pro-Castro fliers with Rafael Cruz in New Orleans. Casting aside for a moment the logical inconsistency of an anti-Castroite handing out pro-Castro fliers—Cruz, like all Cuban ex-pats, had turned anti-Castro when Fidel revealed that he was a Communist in 1961—and assuming Wayne and the Enquirer have hard evidence for Cruz even being in NOLA in 1963, let’s see if basic math backs up these loopy allegations.

Since human adult skull size and the range of skull-to-body size ratios were first deduced almost 3000 years ago (and used by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci) it has been accepted science that the normal human adult skull varies in length, chin to crown, by only one inch (8.4 to 9.4 inches), with actual body height differences determined by spine and leg length. Thus, if one has a full-length photo of an individual, his skull can be used as a measuring stick to determine height, with only slight variation (due to the one-inch variation in skull lengths). In this case, if Oswald’s fellow leaflet-er is well over/under Rafael’s known height, it’s case closed.

A quick Internet search turns up Rafael Cruz’s Selective Service Registration, which listed him as 6’ 0” in 1967.

Rafael Cruz's 1967 Selective Service card showing height of six feet

When the known skull ratios are applied to “Oswald’s buddy,” we can see (below) that he stands seven heads high, or 5’4” max (7 x 9.4 ÷12). Since we know that Oswald was 5’9”, he should appear about five inches taller than his buddy when standing alongside him. Well, guess what?

Graphic by Dale K. Myers

Keep in mind that skull variations might make measurements off by an inch at most. So the “buddy” is 5’4”, give or take, and assuming Rafael did not grow eight inches to 6’0” (as listed on his Selective Service Card) between the ages 24 and 27, it can’t be the same guy.

Or we could just look at the friggin’ photo!

That’s supposedly Cruz with Oswald in 1963 (left) with his hairline, temples, shoulder droop and mouth presumably altered by a CIA plastic surgeon working for the Trilateral Commission at Area 51; and the real Rafael Cruz (right) in Cuba in 1959.

Casting aside the amazing height disparity, does anyone really think these two images are of the same person? If so, please get in touch— I have a rare Picasso to sell you. Actually, there are two people who see a resemblance: The Enquirer’s photo experts! And just who are the experts? One is Dr. Carol Lieberman, a Beverly Hills psychiatrist and a member of SAG, whose website denotes zero accreditation in photo forensics. To her, the photos “seem to match.” The other corroborator is Mitch Goldstone, who runs a successful bulk photo scanning operation out of Irvine, CA, and who has “a high degree of confidence” that they are one and the same. Similarly, there is no hint on his site that he knows a whit about anthropological photo forensics.

To get a sense of how much skill is needed to determine a facial photographic match, just look at how the real experts approached an alleged photo of Lee Harvey Oswald for the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). Using complex mathematical equations such as the Penrose size coefficient, the HSCA was able to make truly dispositive conclusions regarding the photos.

I’ll go out on a limb here and conclude that that Dr. Lieberman and Mr. Goldstone have spent zero time considering Penrose, and that the tabloid that informed us of how “Japanese Spacecraft Attacks Hawaii With Earthquake Weapons” should not be confused with real news.

Apparently the Miami Herald disagrees.

[Author’s note: I have an email out to Rafael Cruz (don’t bet the farm on a confession), and if he replies, I’ll update. Additionally, please be aware that this article in no way represents an endorsement of Ted Cruz for President or Pastor Rafael Cruz’s religious beliefs.]

[Editor's note: Gus Russo is the author or co-author of eight non-fiction books, two of which deal with JFK's death. He has reported, written, produced or consulted on numerous major network documentaries both in the US and abroad.]