Raymond Broshears set up a gay self-defense group in San Francisco. One of the chapters in my new book, A Heritage of Nonsense: Jim Garrison's Tales of Mystery and Imagination, is about Raymond Broshears, a fabulist who came up with all sorts of crazy stories. Here is the letter that started it all off: Bill Turner then forwarded this letter to Steven Burton, chairman of the LA-based Citizens Committee of Inquiry. And yes, Broshears had credentials from the Universal Life Church: All you had to do was to mail in an application form and they would send you ordination papers. Steve Burton then met with David Snelling, Managing Editor of The Forty-Niner: Burton then spoke to Broshears by phone: Burton then met with Broshears: Broshears told him the following: He was an intimate friend and roommate of David Ferrie’s from late August 1965 until late 1966. Ferrie told him a lot about the JFK assassination. He said that he hated Jim Garrison because “Garrison murdered David [Ferrie].” Broshears claimed that Garrison’s men were harassing Ferrie in 1965–1966 “because they had him pegged in an assassination plot.” Garrison, he thought, drove Ferrie to suicide. Broshears admitted that he had been arrested for threatening President Johnson but said that when Johnson came to New Orleans in November 1965, he put himself in a hospital so that he would have an alibi. He eventually moved to San Francisco after New Orleans, and he was harassed by FBI agents. The local FBI office told him these men were Garrison’s agents. Broshears claimed that Lee Harvey Oswald was a bisexual who had sex with David Ferrie. Ferrie told Broshears that Oswald was with the CIA. He said that the Minutemen, the John Birch Society, the CIA, and Lyndon Johnson were behind the assassination. Right after JFK was killed, a light plane with the assassins took off from an airport in Arlington, Texas, for Mexico City. It crashed at Corpus Christi, killing the three people aboard. Another plane then took off from Austin. Burton wrote that “Broshears did not provide much information that was not already known, or that could not be easily found out.” As Burton was leaving, Broshears said, “If you ever get serious about finding out who killed Kennedy, come back and see me. I can tell you who pulled the trigger.” Despite hearing some incredible fairy tales—for instance, that Lady Bird Johnson owned the Carousel Club (Jack Ruby’s club in Dallas)—Burton concluded that “the mere fact that he knew of so many of the principal figures lends credence to his story, in my opinion.” In late April, Burton called Broshears and set up another interview: Broshears said that he just had a spiritual meeting at his home and that Lee Harvey Oswald spoke to the group in Russian “through Broshears’ mouth.” Broshears also informed Burton that his phone was about to be disconnected for his failure to pay his bill. The next day, Burton interviewed Broshears at his home. Broshears told him more details about the plot: Oswald did not fire a weapon on November 22. The gun with his palmprint was never used. Oswald was supposed to shoot JFK but chickened out. He was on the first floor of the TSBD when the shots were fired and ran out of the building. He met officer J. D. Tippit, who was supposed to kill Oswald but he killed Tippit instead. Then he went to the Texas Theater and phoned Jack Ruby. Oswald asked Ruby for help, and Ruby called the police. Ruby, Tippit, and three other police officers were involved. There were twenty-five officers in front of Ruby in the basement of the police department, and the whole line opened for Ruby as he walked down the ramp. While in jail, he was injected with live cancer cells. Ruby was in on a second plot to kill JFK if the first one failed. One hundred people were involved in the assassination. There were supposed to be three shooters, but Oswald chickened out. One shooter fired from the sewer opening, and the other from the grassy knoll. Two of the gunmen were killed at Corpus Christi. They had planned to go to Houston, where David Ferrie would fly them to Mexico and end up in South Africa. Burton asked Broshears about Oswald and his work for the CIA. He denied telling Burton any such thing and believed that he had already said too much. Burton concluded that Broshears “knows nothing and wants to feel important” and realized that a lot of things he told him were “inconsistent with what he knows to be true.” But Burton was still impressed enough with Broshears to want to move forward. Then Burton sent these memos to Jim Garrison: Here is the April 1968 issue of Broshears' publication: And Broshears' appearance on the Stan Bohrman show came next. If you can believe it, several conspiracy theorists use Broshears' stories in their books! Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Raymond Broshears Raymond Broshears' Secret Service File Here is the complete 52-page Secret Service file on Broshears. Hal Verb on Raymond Broshears Hal Verb interviewed Raymond Broshears and did not find him credible. Raymond Broshears Testifies Before the HSCA A link to a tape of his testimony and a transcript. Exclusive: Raymond Broshears on the Stan Bohrman Show, July 1968 An audio recording of Broshears on the Bohrman Show. First Garrison Interview with Reverend Raymond Broshears Bill Turner sent a memo to Stephen Burton saying that he should find and interview Raymond Broshears. Here is Burton's memo. David Ferrie's Roommate Reveals the Assassination Plot! Broshears revealed the plot to the LA Free Press Reverend Raymond Broshears Tells All to Stephen Jaffe and Mark Lane! Lane and Jaffe pay the good Reverend a visit. Reverend Raymond Broshears Reveals the Shaw-Ferrie Link! Broshears even identified the three tramps. Reverend Raymond Broshears Tells Even More in New Orleans! Of course, they had to fly Broshears to New Orleans to tell more stories. Reverend Raymond Broshears Makes a Startling Revelation! Broshears outs a Garrison suspect. The good Reverend writes about Jim Garrison Broshears' newsletter discusses his trip to New Orleans Reverend Raymond Broshears Talks to the HSCA Hard to believe but the HSCA actually interviewed Broshears. What do JFK conspiracy books say about Raymond Broshears? For some reason, conspiracy theorists believe Broshears is credible. Who was Leon Oswald? James DiEugenio believes that Raymond Broshears corroborates the existence of a Leon Oswald.

Here is a link to Part One of my review of Robert Tanenbaum's new book, That Day in Dallas. What is perhaps more interesting than what was is in Tanenbaum's book is what he left out or has decided not to mention. The most glaring omission concerns Beverly Oliver. Back in 1977, Tanenbaum was singing the praises of Oliver at an Executive Session of the HSCA: At the end of May 1977, the HSCA released a preliminary report which included this paragraph: This caught the eye of several Warren Commission critics including Paul Hoch who sent this letter to Representative Christopher Dodd: Here is the enclosure from Forgive My Grief IV: Here is the enclosure from Cover-Up: Hoch had this to say in one of his newsletters: [Ted Rubinstein passed away last month. He will be missed.] Here is one news report on the story: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, April 10, 1977 And the story was covered in the New York Times: There is no mention of Beverly Oliver in Tanenbaum's book. Not one word. I wonder why. There is also no mention in his book of a film he claimed he viewed while at the HSCA: Probe Magazine, Volume 3, #5, Interview of Bob Tanenbaum by Jim DiEugenio Tanenbaum elsewhere claimed that Lee Harvey Oswald, Guy Banister, and David Phillips were in this supposed film. But alas, there is no mention of this film in his book. And Tanenbaum claimed to have seen some documents that have since vanished: Probe Magazine, Volume 3, #5, Interview of Bob Tanenbaum by Jim DiEugenio There is no mention of these supposed documents in Tanenbaum's book. And there is no evidence that the CIA (or the FBI) was monitoring or harassing Garrison's witnesses. I really don't know why Robert Tanenbaum wrote this book. He adds nothing to our understanding of the case, and his arguments for conspiracy are jejune. Perhaps some people will be impressed by his former title -- former prosecutor and Deputy Counsel of the HSCA -- and thus believe he has some important wisdom to impart. Unfortunately not. The sneer is gone from Tanenbaum's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate; He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate. And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Tanenbaum's blow. Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Conspiracy Land - mighty Tanenbaum has struck out. Update Tanenbaum told the ARRB that he had photographs of Lee Harvey Oswald with David Ferrie and Clay Shaw: We had photographs of Oswald with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie. Whare are those photographs?

It was a pleasure talking with Gary O'Brien, who also lives in Ottawa, about Oswald's politics. You can buy Gary's book here: Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Lee Harvey Oswald Episode 14 Scott Maudsley discusses Lee Harvey Oswald's antisocial personality disorder. Episode 27 Dr. Martin J. Kelly, Jr. talks about the psychology of Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby. Here is an AI summary of our talk: Executive Summary In this episode of On the Trail of Delusion, host Fred Litwin interviews Canadian scholar and former Clerk of the Canadian Senate Gary O'Brien, author of the book Oswald's Politics. The discussion focuses on Lee Harvey Oswald’s political writings, ideological evolution, and how his worldview connects to the assassination of John F. Kennedy—an area O'Brien argues was largely overlooked or mischaracterized by official investigations like the Warren Commission. Key Discussion Points 1. Re-examining Oswald’s Writings Neglected Documents: O'Brien emphasizes that primary writings like Commission Exhibit 25 (written returning from Russia) and Commission Exhibit 98 ("A System Opposed to the Communists") were ignored or dismissed as simple travel diaries. In reality, they articulate Oswald's specific political theories. Parallels to the SDS: O'Brien draws strong parallels between Oswald's 1962 writings and the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Port Huron Statement, noting Oswald frequently identified himself as a "student" and sought an academic environment for his Marxist studies. 2. Oswald’s Ideology and World Vision Hatred of the Modern State: O'Brien argues that Oswald was not a conventional Soviet-style communist or a simple "lone nut." Instead, his ideal system was a decentralized, libertarian-leaning local democracy with no centralized state, police, or monopolies. Selective Marxism: Oswald accepted Marx's moral critique of capitalism and the idea of the "withering away of the state," but rejected Soviet bureaucracy, vanguard parties, and centralized authority. Views on Russia and Cuba: Oswald viewed both the US and USSR as imperialistic modern states, writing that "Russia is a vile curse to Western man." Regarding Cuba, O'Brien notes Oswald supported anti-imperialism ("hands-off Cuba") rather than personal devotion to Fidel Castro, leaning toward a social-democratic "Castroism without Castro." 3. Link to Dealey Plaza Loss of Political Outlet: Following a public radio debate in New Orleans that exposed his time in Russia, Oswald realized his potential as an open political agitator was effectively over. Targeting the Symbol of the State: O'Brien suggests Oswald held no personal malice toward JFK, but viewed Kennedy as the leader of the oppressive modern state he hated. Precursor to 1960s Radicalism: O'Brien compares Oswald's mindset to the violent, underground factions that emerged later in the 1960s (such as the Weather Underground)—acting individualistically and destructively against state power. Previous Episodes of On the Trail of Delusion: Episode 1 My first guest was Robert Reynolds who is an expert on the JFK assassination files. Episode 2 Robert A. Wagner discusses his new book, JFK Assassinated. Episode 3 Gerald Posner discusses the JFK assassination and conspiracy theories. Episode 4 Dr. Martin J. Kelly, Jr. discusses conspiracy theories and the medical evidence in the JFK assassination. Episode 5 Steve Roe discusses the life of General Edwin Walker and Oswald's attempt to kill him. Episode 6 Gus Russo discusses his participation in the PBS Frontline documentary on Lee Harvey Oswald. Episode 7 Dave Perry tells some great stories about debunking JFK conspiracy nonsense. Episode 8 Nick Nalli explains some of the science behind the assassination. Episode 9 Alecia Long discusses Jim Garrison and his non-existent case against Clay Shaw. Episode 10 Don Carpenter discusses the life of Clay Shaw. Episode 11 Bill Brown discusses the murder of Officer J. D. Tippit. Episode 12 Eric Dezenhall discusses the relationship between the mob and JFK. Episode 13 Nick Nalli discusses the acoustics evidence and the Zapruder Film. Episode 14 Scott Maudsley discusses Lee Harvey Oswald's antisocial personality disorder. Episode 15 Document expert Robert Reynolds discusses what to expect in the upcoming JFK assassination file releases. Episode 16 A panel discussion on the document releases with Fred Litwin, Gus Russo, Robert Reynolds, Larry Haapanen, Mark Allen, and Steve Roe. Episode 17 An interview with author Michel Gagné about conspiracy theories. Episode 18 An interview with Phil Tinline about his book, Ghosts of Iron Mountain. Episode 19 An interview with Janet Banister, grand-niece of Guy Banister. Episode 20 The Marina Oswald Tapes. Episode 21 Dr. Chad Zimmerman discusses JFK's autopsy X-rays and photographs. Episode 22 Tour guide Daniel Evans talks about his years of researching the JFK assassination. Episode 23 Adam Gorightly discusses Fred Crisman, Thomas Beckham, Raymond Broshears and Kerry Thornley. Episode 24 A fun interview with Larry Haapanen who discusses the Garrison investigation, and his involvement with Project Blue Book. Episode 25 Dale Myers discusses the Tippit shooting and shows us some nifty animation. Episode 26 Brian Roselle discusses the timing of the first shot. Episode 27 Dr. Martin J. Kelly, Jr. talks about the psychology of Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby. Episode 28 Gus Russo talks about what happened to Lee Harvey Oswald in Mexico City. Episode 29 John-Paul Pagano discusses conspiracy theories, conspiracism and antisemitism. Episode 30 Dr. Robert Vitt talks about conspiracy theories, the early JFK researchers, and how to evaluate evidence. Episode 31 Josh Sundloff discusses conspiracy theories and his TikTok channel. Episode 32 A panel discussion of the single-bullet theory with Dr. Martin Kelly, Dr. Nick Nalli, Fred James and Scott Maudsley. Episode 33 Ernest Kearney discusses conspiracy theories and how to evaluate evidence. Episode 34 Steve Barber discusses the acoustics evidence and his visits with Robert Groden. Episode 35 Assassination researcher John Corbett stops in to talk about the case. Episode 36 Fred Litwin teaches Professor Robert Vitt's class at Long Beach City College. Episode 37 Steve Roe goes over the chain of custody of CE399. Episode 38 Todd Kwait discusses his documentary on the Warren Commission. Episode 39 Bill Brown gives us a tour of the Tippit murder scene. Episode 40 Fred Litwin reviews Sylvia Meagher's book Accessories After the Fact. Episode 41 Judge Burt Griffin talks about the Warren Commission and Jack Ruby. Episode 42 Journalist Terry Glavin drops in to talk about current events. Episode 43 Dr. Robert Vitt and I discuss how Sylvia Meagher treats Vincent Bugliosi's 53 pieces of evidence against Lee Harvey Oswald. Episode 44 I review Josiah Thompson's book, Six Seconds in Dallas. Episode 45 Jerry Dealey explains why he is sitting on the fence when it comes to the question of conspiracy. Episode 46 Jerry Dealey explains the ups and downs of the Texas School Book Depository. Episode 47 Joe Alesi presents from photos and letters from Ruth Paine. Episode 48 Robert Reynolds updates us on the JFK assassination records collection. Episode 49 Mark Stench turns the tables and interviews Fred Litwin Episode 50 Fred talks to Rob Clark who believes there was a conspiracy in the JFK assassination.

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Pictures from On The Trail of Delusion and from the Garrison Investigation Here's a picture of Harry Connick, Sr., aged 93, at his home in New Orleans. He replaced Garrison as D.A. in 1973, and found a complete mess in the office which he had to clean up. Pictures: Image The Power of Garrison Why was Marina Oswald scared of being called before the Grand Jury in New Orleans. Find out in Chapter One: The Taking of New Orleans 1-2-3. Pictures: Image Here is an anonymous letter sent to Attorney General Ramsey Clark in 1967. Was Jim Garrison running a homosexual shakedown racket? Find out in Chapter Two: A Beautiful Mind? Pictures: Image Jim Garrison claimed in February 1967 that he had solved the JFK assassination. But had he really? Pictures: Image Was this New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw behind the JFK assassination? Pictures: Image Jim Garrison arrested Clay Shaw on March 1, 1967 for conspiring to kill President Kennedy. Did Garrison have any evidence, at the time, that Shaw was involved in a conspiracy? Find out in Chapter Four: Enter Stage Right: Perry Russo Pictures: Image Garrison believed that this notation in Clay Shaw's notebook tied him to Lee Harvey Oswald. But, did it really? Find out in Chapter Five: My Son, the Cryptographer. Pictures: Image Confidential Magazine from August 1968 written by a Garrison staffer. Did a homosexual ring kill Kennedy? Pictures: Image Pravda ran a story, from the Italian press, in March 1967 claiming that Clay Shaw worked for the CIA. Was that true? Find out in Chapter Eight: The Great Accuser. Pictures: Image Garrison claimed that a shot from the sewer on Elm Street in Dallas killed Kennedy? Was there any truth to that? Pictures: Image There were some surprises at the trial of Clay Shaw. Find out more in Chapter Nine: The Trial. Pictures: Image Jim Garrison also sought to extradite this man, Edgar Eugene Bradley, from California to face charges he conspired to kill Kennedy. Find out what happened in Chapter Ten: Edgar Eugene Bradley Was a Tramp. Pictures: Image One of the best cut lines ever - did pinko homos kill JFK? Find out in Chapter Eighteen: On the Trail of Delusion. Pictures: Image Did this man, Louis Bloomfield, run an assassination bureau? Find out in Chapter Nineteen: Garrison's Forgotten Victim - Major Louis Bloomfield. Pictures: Image You will be inspired by George Mantello's story - but was he part of a CIA front organization that funneled money to right-wing extremists? Pictures: Image

Fred Litwin's YouTube Channel The Agenda, November 22, 2018 Videos: Video