Jim Braden's True Identity Emerges

In early 1969, Peter Noyes, the investigative reporter whose book covers much of the information regarding Jim Braden, began investigating the mysterious California "oil man."

Noyes originally received a tip about Braden from a former FBI agent who was then aiding District Attorney Jim Garrison's investigation of the Kennedy assassination. The FBI man told Noyes of Braden's presence at the scene of the assassination at the time of the shooting.

Noyes soon found that Jim Braden was no longer at either of the addresses that he had given the Dallas police, and had left no forwarding addresses.

Noyes then had the California Department of Motor Vehicles run a check on the license number that Braden had given to the Dallas police at the Sheriff's office following the assassination. Motor Vehicles told Noyes that Braden's license (#157755) had been renewed by Braden in San Diego County in November of 1966. Braden has also listed new business and home addresses, which interestingly were over a hundred miles apart.

The Department of Motor Vehicles' records on Jim Braden also showed that "Jim Braden" was not really his original name. The license had actually been issued in the 1950's to Eugene Hale Brading, which is Braden's true identity.

On September 10, 1963, just ten weeks before the assassination, Eugene Hale Brading had notified the Department that he had legally changed his name to Jim Braden, and he requested a new license under that name. The license was granted.

Intrigued by the fact that Jim Braden was really a false identity assumed by Eugene Brading, investigator Noyes contacted the Intelligence Division of the California Attorney General's Office, and had a check run on the mysterious Brading.

Noyes was told that Eugene Hale Brading "is a real bad guy. He's got a long rap sheet and apparently has Mafia connections."

Noyes shortly thereafter obtained a copy of Eugene Brading's (Jim Braden's) police records.