1/6/03
SanderHicks.com
Releases of The Jim Hatfield Suicide Note
Handwriting
Samples May Open Up New Questions About
Bush Bio Writer's Cause of Death
this is a press release that was
never issued. I decided to release
this stuff quiety.
—SH 4/22/03
Soft
Skull Press Founder Sander Hicks today
announces that he will release the suicide
note and documents relating to the death
of controversial Bush biographer Jim Hatfield,
on Monday, January 6, 2003 at Sanderhicks.com.
Official reports such as selections from
Hatfield's FBI files, his official handwriting
samples, and police reports are included
in this release.
Jim
Hatfield was the author of "Fortunate
Son" a gutsy, bare-knuckled, ambitious
(but also controversial and flawed) biography
of President George W. Bush. Hatfield's
book presented Bush's life "warts and
all" showing both Bush's charisma and
charmed life of special favors and cocaine
abuse.
Hicks
wishes to answer the public's speculation
about Hatfield's death. A writing sample
Hicks acquired through the Freedom of
Information Act shows Jim Hatfield's handwriting
for the full alphabet. With these documents,
Hicks expects independent forensics experts
will be able to study the suicide note
of Jim Hatfield.
Jim
Hatfield was found dead on July 18, 2001
in a hotel room in Springdale, Arkansas.
His death was ruled a suicide. Later,
a toxicology report showed an overdose
of alcohol and anti-depressants. No autopsy
was performed, and Hatfield was buried
three days later. Officials interviewed
in October 2001 by Hicks stated they had
no suspicions of foul play since there
was "no sign of struggle" at the scene.
Due
to his involvement, among other things,
with powerful Texas Republicans and real
estate barons in Dallas in the late 80's
(the present Bush White House's Clay Johnson
and Larry Burk respectively) Jim Hatfield
had a 1,931 page long FBI file. Hicks
filed a FOIA request for this file, and
after waiting two years and a month, the
FBI released 234 of these pages (12% of
it) to him on March 12, 2002.
Hicks
had this to say: "The recent untimely
death of Senator Paul Wellstone was a
disturbingly lucky coincidence for the
Bush White House. The sudden death of
Clifford Baxter was fortuitous for the
fat cats of Enron. The death of Vince
Foster helped the Clinton White House.
These precedent makes me want to revisit
the subject of Hatfield's death. In my
grief, I have been personally OK with
the official explanation, up until now.
But since the public has a right to know
what happened to Jim, I'm releasing these
documents. I'm confident that the more
rigorous of the public will look further
into this. Perhaps there's more here than
I see."