General Patton was assassinated to silence his criticism of allied war leaders claims new book

The Telegraph ^ | 12/20/2008 | Tim Shipman in Washington

[bruinbirdman]

The newly unearthed diaries of a colourful assassin for the wartime Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the CIA, reveal that American spy chiefs wanted Patton dead because he was threatening to expose allied collusion with Russians that cost American lives.

'We've got a terrible situation with this great patriot, he's out of control and we must save him from himself'.
The OSS head General did not trust Patton

The death of General Patton in December 1945, is one of the enduring mysteries of the war era. Although he had suffered serious injuries in a car crash in Manheim, he was thought to be recovering and was on the verge of flying home.

But after a decade-long investigation, military historian Robert Wilcox claims that OSS head General "Wild Bill" Donovan ordered a highly decorated marksman called Douglas Bazata to silence Patton, who gloried in the nickname "Old Blood and Guts".

His book, "Target Patton", contains interviews with Mr Bazata, who died in 1999, and extracts from his diaries, detailing how he staged the car crash by getting a troop truck to plough into Patton's Cadillac and then shot the general with a low-velocity projectile, which broke his neck while his fellow passengers escaped without a scratch.

Mr Bazata also suggested that when Patton began to recover from his injuries, US officials turned a blind eye as agents of the NKVD, the forerunner of the KGB, poisoned the general.

Mr Wilcox told The Sunday Telegraph that when he spoke to Mr Bazata: "He was struggling with himself, all these killings he had done. He confessed to me that he had caused the accident, that he was ordered to do so by Wild Bill Donovan.

"Donovan told him: 'We've got a terrible situation with

[NormsRevenge]

iNteresting, hadn’t heard the truck sidewhack & low-velocity projectile theory before.

Sad too, regardless, Patton was a great man. He deserved to die on a battlefield, not in a “road mishap”.

[TheOgre]

Where is my tinfoil hat?

[Texas Fossil]

I do not believe a word of this.

Patton was a great warrior, and a great American. “Wild Bill” would not have done this, nor condoned it.

Total Bunk.

[NormsRevenge]

Ahhh, but the poison delivered by a Russky had to nail the deal for this one. Ol’ Patton would not have gone quietly. ;-)

[familyop]

"Mr Bazata also suggested that when Patton began to recover from his injuries, US officials turned a blind eye as agents of the NKVD, the forerunner of the KGB, poisoned the general."

That certainly fits a common modus operandi for Russian assassinations. The circumstances also fit the situation and people.

[genefromjersey]

[M Kehoe]

Great plot for a spy novel.

5.56mm

[kb2614]

The JOOOOOSSSSS did it!!!!! sarcasm, of course

As conspiracies go, this is a new one. Eh, I'll take it with a grain of salt.

[Leisler]

Low velocity means big drop over distance.
Further, some ‘bullet’ the size of a .45, would have to leave the barrel, not too slow, or it would drop at your feet, but not too fast to hit the spine and not tear the skin, or puncture.

There is no way, out in the field, on a moving target, on a near elderly man that this would work.

Bunk.

[familyop]

"The newly unearthed diaries of a colourful assassin for the wartime Office of Strategic Services (OSS),..."

That's quite a documentation source, too.

[tired1]

Not possible: FDR wouldn’t allow such a thing.

[Cicero]

Well, it’s true that our alliance with Stalin had some very unfortunate consequences. I’m not sure I believe this, but it’s possible.

Didn’t Ike stop Patten so the Soviet army could take Berlin? That adds some credibility to this story.

And Ike was presumably leaned on by the Commies in the White House.

[Leisler]

I like the old mountain ice pick to the skull drill.

[dljordan]

The author was on Coast to Coast last week. It was pretty interesting.

[GSP.FAN]

I am a big GSP.FAN hence my name this is a load of Bu*****t..

What next A Oliver Stone movie????

[Road Warrior ‘04]

YITBOS & Merry CHRISTmas!

[yarddog]

I don’t believe the story although it was odd that Patton suffered so serious an injury from what was apparently a minor accident.

I think Patton thought God had created him just to play his part in the war. After the was ended so did Patton’s role.

I do remember in one of the books they mentioned how they brought in a Scottish specialist who ordered hooks to be placed in Patton’s face to pull his neck back straight. It worked and he seemed to be getting better then suddenly took a turn for the worse.

Like I said, I don’t believe the story about the assassination but would like to see it investigated a little more.

[buwaya]

This whole scenario is out of a 1970’s movie.

No, really. The whole account, arranged accident, “low-velocity projectile” and all, came from a screenwriters pen.

“Brass Target”, 1978, with Robert Vaughn, Max Von Sydow, Sophia Loren and Patrick McGoohan among many others - this was a star-studded cast.

I suspect that fellow telling the tall tales in his 80’s just gave a summary of a movie he once saw, and the writer fell for it.

[PackerBoy]

...George Patton, a dynamic controversialist who wore pearl handled revolvers ...

I seem to recall that he corrected a journalist in the movie, Patton, saying that they were ivory handled.

Am I right about this?