James DiEugenio writing in Probe Magazine of May-June, 1997 writes:
"In a Wackenhut interview with Carlos Bringuier (5/9/67), Bringuier stated that Shaw's friend Alberto Fowler revealed that Garrison had "something big" and that "high persons" were involved in the assassination conspiracy. Fowler said Shaw felt confident because he knew that these "high persons" would have to defend him." [emphasis in original]
DiEugenio also wrote in the same issue:
"In the same Wackenhut report quoted above, it is revealed that Gordon Novel was a CIA agent and that Shaw was in the "Intelligence Services" of the armed forces."
Let's have a closer look.
Just who was Alberto Fowler? He was born in New Orleans and had worked in Cuba for his family in the 1950s. Fowler was a participant in the Bay of Pigs invasion and was captured by Cuban troops. He was freed in a prisoner exchange for food and medicine a year and a half later. Fowler became Director of International Relations for the City of New Orleans in 1965, and he knew Shaw through their respective work on international affairs.
DiEugenio doesn't mention Fowler's association with Jim Garrison and his JFK assassination investigation. Fowler was a major source for Garrison on the Cuban community in New Orleans, and helped him in Miami.
On January 7, 1967 Jim Garrison issued a memo to his staff regarding investigative assignments. Here is the paragraph for Alberto Fowler:
Fowler also wrote several memos to Garrison. Here is one, for example:
Another example can be seen here.
And, Rosemary James included Fowler in her cast of characters of the Garrison affair in the April 8, 1967 edition of the New Orleans States-Item.
DiEugenio referenced the Wackenhut interview with Carlos Bringuier. Here is the entire memo: [Fowler starts on page four]
Now, the way I read this document is that Alberto Fowler is just repeating back to Bringuier information he has heard from Garrison. There is no indication, at all, that he had been speaking to Clay Shaw.
It's interesting that DiEugenio would not repeat the Fowler allegation that Gordon Novel was one of the assassins. Probably because he knew that that was insane.
The next day Fowler talked to a reporter from Newsweek:
Fowler had no hard information at all. And not a mention of Clay Shaw.
On June 1, 1967, Carlos Bringuier spoke to Aaron Kohn of the Metropolitan Crime Commission to discuss the Garrison investigation. Here is an excerpt:
So, was Fowler trying to rationalize why Clay Shaw was so calm? The whole idea that Gordon Novel was a CIA agent because he went to Virginia (where the CIA is located) is pure Garrison. And, of course, Mark Lane did come to town. Here is an article from the New Orleans States-Item of April 8, 1967:
Guess who used the above FBI report? None other than John Armstrong - in an essay for Pease and DiEugenio's anthology, The Assassinations. (see page 134). He quoted from a Lou Ivon memo about the heights of the Oswalds, as further proof that there was an Oswald double.
Here is what James DiEugenio said just this past week on the Education Forum:
Point three relates to Fowler. Fowler's reporting now "strongly indicates consciousness of guilt" on the part of Clay Shaw. Not one mention of Fowler's involvement with Garrison - clearly implying all of this information was coming from Shaw.
Alberto Fowler died in 1987 at a very young age.
