Sylvia Meagher's Letter to Penn Jones about Jim Garrison

Fred Litwin
2 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 18 hours ago

Here is text of the first part of the letter for those who find it hard to read:

Dear Penn:

This will reply to your letter of 21 October 1967 in which you say:

"I didn't know until recently that you convinced Tom Bethell to give Jim's plans to Shaw's attorneys. If you care to I would love to have the story for The Continuing Inquiry."

I have always felt proud that I was among the first of the critics to realize that Garrison was a dangerous charlatan and that I denounce him publicly at every possible opportunity. I have also felt proud that I played some small part in preventing the kind of injustice to Clay Shaw that was suffered by Lee Harvey Oswald -- the stigma of "assassin" placed upon an innocent man.

*The Continuing Inquiry, November 22, 1977*

Money Quote:

Quite a few years have passed since the shameful and mortifying trial of Clay Shaw. My recollection is no longer vivid. But I do remember that Tom Bethell was convinced that Shaw was being ruthlessly and cynically framed and that the detailed evidence he needed in order to build his defence was being wrongfully withheld from his attorneys. I have every sympathy with Bethell's moral dilemma and crisis of conscience and I strongly encouraged him to give to Shaw's attorneys the information to which they were clearly entitled but which Garrison was denying them. I am deeply gratified that Bethell's action led to the exposure of Charles Spiesel as a plain lunatic -- a "witness" clearly paranoic, deranged, and hallucinating. The very fact that Garrison attempted to use such a witness vindicates all my charges against him.

Here is Bethell's letter to Meagher:

Here is more information on James Mays.

Money Quote:

Thus there has been a misunderstanding which I ought to be able to clear up, were it not for the fact that there have been other indications that I am no longer trusted, such a noticeable decline in the number of memos, etc., coming across my desk! Oh well. I suppose it's my due. I think a good move would be to offer to resign, as the offer would almost certainly be turned down. How do you feel about my position, from a moral point of view? Maybe I should just quit, but I am so tempted by the unique opportunity to see and tell the whole story.

As a result of your call tonight I decide to take - and have already taken - precautionary steps with regard to the protection of ... er ... certain material ... so don't worry too much, they'll have to kill me.

Here is what Meagher did tell Bethell:

Money Quote:

I do agree that you have an invaluable opportunity to see and expose the whole sordid story. That is of the utmost importance, for the sake of the victims of this "investigation" and for the historical record. The fact that you work for Garrison does not commit you to covering up improprieties or fraud.

In August of 1968, Tom Bethell leaked the list of prospective witnesses in the Shaw trial to Shaw's attorneys.

There was no discovery in Louisiana courts at the time of the Shaw trial. I wonder whether Garrison would have even prosecuted Shaw had he known that Shaw's attorneys would have received the case files.

Update:

The critic Richard Sprague wrote a letter to Penn Jones about Meagher's letter: