Mark Lane on Clay Shaw

Lane and Garrison in March 1967 in New Orleans

I just blogged about Mark Lane's appearance on the Joe Dolan Show on KNEW radio after returning from New Orleans and meeting Jim Garrison. Lane was certain that Garrison had evidence of a conspiracy in the JFK assassination.

In 1992, Lane published a guide to Oliver Stone's film JFK in a reprint of his book Rush to Judgment.

Lane basically accuses Oliver Stone of defamation:

Money Quote:

Here Stone became inventive. He was neither bound by the cumbersome rules of evidence nor the rules of criminal procedure. He could create celluloid evidence. Shaw had died; therefore, Stone was not bound by the laws of defamation which apply, in the United States, only to the living. Apparently, the less-codified rules of common decency were not an impediment either.

Here is what Mark Lane said about Clay Shaw and his supposed alias Clay Bertrand:

It wasn't Jean Andrews, but Dean Andrews. And Stone did not abandon that scene with Shaw telling the police officer that his alias was Clay Bertrand. It's in the film JFK.

Money Quote:

I never saw credible evidence which convinced me that he [Clay Shaw] had ever used the alias.

Why did Lane say nothing about this before or after the trial of Clay Shaw? He waited 23 years after Shaw's trial to say this.

Lane also writes:

Lane claims that Stone is "indulging his own fantasies and [is] misleading the audience."

Lane was a huge supporter of Garrison -- he even wrote a letter to Garrison asking if he could write a book about his investigation. But here was this supposed amazing defense attorney, and he stood by while Clay Shaw was being persecuted. His belief in a JFK conspiracy and in what Garrison might find out was more important than helping an innocent man.

Maybe the Oliver Stone film opened Mark Lane's eyes. I'd like to know a whole lot more about Lane's thoughts on Clay Shaw in the 1960s. This is yet another stain on his reputation.

Here is the complete Mark Lane guide to Oliver Stone's JFK:

Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Clay Bertrand

JFK Revisited: Was Clay Shaw the elusive Clay Bertrand?

Links that debunk all the witnesses that supposedly link Clay Shaw to the alias Clay Bertrand.

Was Jim Garrison Searching for Clay Bertrand in 1963?

Yes, and everybody was looking for Bertrand in 1963 with no luck.

Did Clay Shaw Admit to Aloysius Habighorst that he was Clay Bertrand?

The evidence indicates that Shaw did not admit he was Clay Bertrand.

The Search for Clay Bertrand

A comprehensive look at the search for Clay Bertrand.

Did Clay Shaw Sign the VIP Room Guestbook as Clay Bertrand?

There is no evidence he signed the VIP guestbook.

Did The FBI Know That Shaw was Bertrand?

Some conspiracy theorists allege that the FBI knew that Clay Shaw used the alias Clay Bertrand. This is just plain not true.