Here is a good case study in how Jim Garrison casually lies. In this case, misrepresenting the truth about Perry Russo and Vernon Bundy's lie detector tests. It's a big deal considering Clay Shaw's attorneys did not know the full details of the tests. Russo failed the first two questions and the polygraph operator, Roy Jacob, thought he was a psychopath. Jacob knew he had to tell somebody that things were amiss but he also knew his job at the Jefferson Parish sheriff's office would be at risk. Here is the internal report of the test sent to Jim Garrison (note that many documents use Jacobs, but his name was Jacob): The polygraph test was administered on March 8, 1967, well before the preliminary hearing on March 14, 1967. The memo was typed up two months later. Garrison put Russo on the stand despite the report from Roy Jacob. Jacob's conscience was bothering him, and he knew he had to do something, and Clay Shaw's lawyers were contacted. NBC reporter Walter Sheridan was in New Orleans taping witnesses for an upcoming special on Garrison. Fred Freed, an Executive Producer at NBC, phoned Aaron Kohn, head of the Metropolitan Crime Commission. Here is a report written by Aaron Kohn, head of the Metropolitan Crime Commission. There's a lot of material in this report, and rather than show the excerpts relating to Jacob, I decided to post the entire memo. On June 19, 1967, NBC-TV aired "The JFK Conspiracy: The Case Of Jim Garrison", a one-hour special documentary that took a very critical look at his investigation. Roy Jacob was interviewed by NBC but he did not appear in their special - it was left to narrator Frank McGee to tell the audience about the results of the polygraph test. Here is Jacob's uncut interview - I've enclosed the entire interview which has some repeats. It appears that the DA's office stopped the polygraph when they realized it was going so horribly wrong. Russo was lying about Shaw and Oswald, and the session was stopped. The memo that Andrew Sciambra submitted to Garrison did not contain the entire story as to what happened (and it was typed up months later). Here is what McGee said about the lie detector test on NBC: Here is what Jim Garrison told Playboy Magazine in the October 1967 issue: Garrison did not resign! How is all this treated in the conspiracy books? James DiEugenio just has a few lines (page 230): Joan Mellen says very little about what really happened (page 147) : And, then Mellen has this to say about the NBC special (page 198): Jim Garrison based his case against Clay Shaw on a witness who was injected with sodium pentothal and then hypnotized three times to invent a memory, and then who couldn't pass a lie detector test.

Judge Herbert Christenberry held three days of hearings from January 25-27, 1971 to determine if Clay Shaw should stand trial for perjury. We've already posted highlights of Jim Garrison's testimony. Today, we post the entire testimony of Lt. Edward O'Donnell who conducted lie detector tests for Garrison in the 1960s. Before we start, here is the report that O'Donnell submitted to Garrison regarding Perry Russo's lie detector test: This was actually the second attempt to give Perry Russo a lie detector test More on the first test tomorrow. Here is Lt. Edward O'Donnell's testimony from January 26, 1971: In 1993, Patricia Lambert spoke to Captain James Kruebbe who confirmed that Vernon Bundy did indeed fail his lie detector test. Clay Shaw's attorneys were not notified of this until they were approached by Edward O'Donnell - and he only approached them after the trial started. O'Donnell ended up testifying on behalf of Clay Shaw in 1969. Not surprisingly, you won't hear any of this in James DiEugenio's book, Destiny Betrayed. Joan Mellen does mention O'Donnell, but paints him as a bitter enemy of Garrison. I love that line - "the man said to have the coldest eyes in New Orleans." As for O'Donnell's informing the FBI - well, good for him. Except he didn't really inform the FBI. O'Donnell talked to a fellow polygraph operator, Leonard Harrelson, and Harrelson informed the FBI. Here is the FBI report (RIF# 124-10054-10413):

Thomas Beckham claimed he was friends with Lee Harvey Oswald in New Orleans. This post examines what he told the New Orleans grand jury in 1968, what he told the HSCA in 1978 and what he published in his book, Remnants of Truth, in 2008. When I read Beckham's testimony - well, I just can't believe he knew Oswald. But, as we will see, conspiracy author Joan Mellen believed him. Let's start with Beckham's testimony before the New Orleans grand jury in 1968. He was asked three times if he knew Oswald and he said no all three times: Page 56. Page 87. page 151. Now, let's have a look at his testimony before the HSCA on May 24, 1978. Beckham tells the HSCA that he was a "close personal friend" with Oswald and that they were "good buddies." But, he can't say when they became friends. He thinks it might have been the last part of 1962 - but this can't be since Oswald only returned to New Orleans in April 1963. Beckham doesn't know where Oswald lived, who he lived with, or where he worked. Oswald argued with Sergio Arcacha Smith - but Smith moved out of New Orleans in October of 1962. Lastly, Beckham seems to think that Oswald was anti-Castro and that the leaflets he was handing out were to "Free Cuba." Right at the end of his HSCA deposition, he was asked one more time about Oswald: They weren't interested in knowing more - they had heard enough. Now, let's move on to Beckham's book. Here is what he says about Oswald, starting on page 57: Beckham claims he hung out at the Havana Bar with Clay Shaw, Lee Harvey Oswald, and others. Must have been a fun time! Some problems with the above. Oswald did go to high school in New Orleans (eighth and ninth grade). He left in grade 10. A year later, he registered for grade 10 in Ft. Worth, but left for the Marines. Back in 1963, Thomas Beckham was not Jewish (nor is he now - he belongs to what he calls "The Union of Yehudite Hebrews.") Funny, I couldn't find them on the internet. Later in the book, Beckham writes: Yup, "he was that type of a person." Joan Mellen interviewed Thomas Beckham several times for her book, A Farewell To Justice, and she loved his stories. His name is mentioned 241 times in her book, and she believed just about everything he told her. On page 354, Mellen repeats some of what Beckham told the HSCA: She concludes her book on page 386 with this: Did Beckham happen to operate on Joan Mellen?

Thomas Beckham's book, Remnants of Truth, is very hard to find. I was lucky that an antiquarian book shop informed me they had a copy - and I snatched it up for $200. Thomas Beckham is now a Rabbi - Rabbi Thomas Beckh'am! The last two days we have posted Garrison's memo to the HSCA about Thomas Beckham and Fred Crisman. A large part of his memo was about their university degrees and professional certifications. So, today, I present some of Beckham's degrees, from his book, and his testimony before the HSCA. Beckham had the HSCA in tears - laughing! Here is the cover, the back cover, and the first few pages: Here is his section on his degrees and professional certifications. Here is Thomas Beckham's testimony before the HSCA about his degrees and certifications. They must have been laughing their heads off: It was at this point that the HSCA started to realize that Thomas Beckham might not be such an important witness for their investigation.

Once again, Garrison's November 1967 leads memo provides material for this blog. Ok, do you really understand this lead? Does any of this sound believable? Tommy Baumler is the guy who called Garrison to say he "had information" that a restaurant owner had overhead Ruby and Oswald talking about buying a restaurant or nightclub in New Orleans.

Perry Russo testified in the three-day hearing held by Judge Herbert Christenberry in January 1971 that was held to determine if Clay Shaw should be tried for perjury. Here is his testimony: Russo pleaded the fifth and refused to say if Clay Shaw was in David Ferrie's apartment in September of 1963. At the Clay Shaw trial in 1969, he testified that Shaw was in Ferrie's apartment. So, was Russo having a change of heart? Was he now trying to tell the truth? If he now said that Shaw was NOT at Ferrie's apartment, he knew that Garrison would charge him with perjury. The only way out was the fifth. Right at the end of the hearings, William Alford, one of the lawyers for Jim Garrison, had an objection: So ,Garrison passed on an opportunity to grant Russo immunity from a possible perjury charge, and have him testify. I wonder why? Two days after his testimony, Russo stopped by the offices of William Gurvich. He was interviewed by Gurvich and Wegmann and opened up about what had happened in the Garrison investigation. I'll be posting segments of this interview in the coming weeks.

Most witnesses in the Garrison investigation came forward after the Warren Commission and the FBI investigation. Perry Russo, Charles Spiesel, and the Clinton and Jackson witnesses hadn't said a word for years before then. Stephen Roy, in his unpublished biography of David Ferrie, Perfect Villain: David Ferrie and the JFK Mystery, wrote: "The 1963 Ferrie investigation was as notable for what did emerge as for what did not emerge in 1963. In terms of later allegations specifically connecting Ferrie to an assassination conspiracy, Perry Raymond Russo and Charles I. Spiesel did not come forward. In terms of later allegations of a 1963 relationship between Ferrie and Oswald, Delphine Points Roberts, David Frankin Lewis Jr., William George Gaudet, Thomas Edward Beckham, Raymond Broshears, Ronald LeVore Lewis, Judyth Vary Baker, Van Burns, Joseph Samuel Newbrough and the Clinton/Jackson witnesses did not come forward. The name Clay Shaw did not emerge in 1963, so a long list of people alleging a relationship between Ferrie and Shaw did not come forward. In short, all that emerged in 1963 were Jack S. Martin and a few people alleging that Oswald and Ferrie may have served in the Civil Air Patrol at the same time, eight years before the assassination." So, let's have a look at what these people said about not coming forward. Perry Russo was asked in the preliminary hearing why he didn't contact the FBI or the Warren Commission after overhearing a conversation about killing JFK. At the Clay Shaw trial, Russo was asked why he didn't immediately report the threat on Kennedy's life. None of the Clinton witnesses came forward either. Here is a short snippet from Lee McGehee's testimony: Here is John Manchester's testimony from the Shaw trial. Corey Collins was also asked about why he hadn't come forward. And, here is William Dunn - he actually had them laughing in court. Reeves Morgan was the one witness who claimed to have called the FBI after recognizing Oswald on television: But, did Reeves actually call the FBI? Andrew Sciambra wasn't taking Morgan at his word. He sent a letter to the FBI asking for further information: This prompted the FBI to look into the matter: Nonetheless, a letter from the DOJ was sent to Sciambra: Sciambra then wrote to J. Edgar Hoover: And, that prompted yet another memo: Of course, Clay Shaw's defense team was NOT informed that not only did the FBI had no record of any communication from Reeves Morgan regarding Lee Harvey Oswald, but that they had so informed Garrison's office.

Why wouldn't Jack Ruby want to partner with Lee Harvey Oswald in buying a nightclub or a restaurant? What a perfect partnership - Ruby could manage his two clubs in Dallas, and Oswald could manage the club in New Orleans. And, isn't it interesting - a phone call from Ruby in New Orleans to Oswald in Dallas! It must have been important, Ruby could not wait till he got back to Dallas to talk with Oswald. Why wouldn't the 'authorities' take that seriously? By the way, there is more to come from Mr. Baumler....stay tuned. There were other tantalizing Ruby/Oswald connections. Here is one from the Garrison leads memo of November, 1967 - lead #12. I can't read the last line completely - but I think it reads "It has been confirmed that Kim did have some early connection with ..... and probably with Ruby." Is the missing word Oswald? Here's another Oswald-Ruby connection. This is a letter sent to Garrison's office with a notation from Garrison: This letter was found in the Bill Boxley files at the NARA - he was an investigator for Garrison. The heads of a lot of his documents have been stripped off. What is interesting here is that Garrison so readily believes the hearsay. Tomorrow: A cab driver says he drove David Ferrie and Lee Harvey Oswald to Jack Ruby's nightclub in Dallas.

In March 1967, a lab technician came forward to say that he met Clay Shaw at Berkeley on the day before the JFK assassination, or on the day of the assassination. Here is the first report from Garrison investigator William Turner: Turner then issued a second memo: Researcher Paul Hoch, who was a student at Berkeley, did some of his own investigating and wrote this memo: Hoch sensibly concluded that this was most likely a case of mistaken identity. Edward Keating, mentioned in the last line, was the founder of Ramparts, for whom Turner was a writer. Hoch was making a joke about witness identification. That might have been the end of the story, but Breitner called Turner in September 1967 with additional information. Now, he remembered that Shaw introduced himself as Clay Bertram. It seems clear that Breitner was just getting his information from the press. The only person to use Clem as the first name of Bertrand was Perry Russo. Breitner could only have gotten that name from the press - and its not surprising that the memo says he was keeping abreast of the Garrison investigation - in fact, it was the press reports that "refreshed his memory." This was enough to put Breitner on the list of witnesses for the Clay Shaw trial. Here is one page from a memo that listed all the witnesses - the memo that Tom Bethell leaked to the Shaw defense team. Once the Shaw defense team had this memo, their private detective did some research and submitted the following reports on Breitner. Needless to say, Thomas Breitner did not testify at the Shaw trial. By the way, here is a page from an HSCA document listing individuals from the Secret Service registry from 1977 on Thomas Breitner: Of course, Thomas Breitner is now a witness that conspiracy authors use to try and prove that Clay Shaw was Clay Bertrand. On page 387 of Destiny Betrayed, James DiEugenio writes that "William Turner talked to a man named Thomas Breitner who said that, on Shaw's trip to San Francisco, he visited the University of California and he introduced himself as Clay Bertram." On page 122 of A Farewell To Justice, Joan Mellen writes that "In California, William Turner said he discovered a man named Thomas Breitner who claimed that on the day after the assassination Shaw was introduced to him as 'Bertrand.'" Later in her book, on page 299, she admits that "Turner had not included Thomas Breitner's claim that Shaw had been introduced to him as "Bertrand" in California in his first report of their interview. Garrison was dubious about using Breitner..." It's a good thing for Garrison that he did not use Breitner as a witness - had he done so, Breitner would have been a second Charles Spiesel.

In late July, 1967 Garrison's office received this letter: To me, this all sounds ridiculous. Oswald in Ohio? Mr. Ashworth claimed he knew Oswald before he went to Russia? That sounds odd, no? Ashworth roomed with Oswald in a hotel in Ohio? He wants to be deported? None or this rings true to me - or should I say alarm bells are ringing. Of course, Garrison had his staff follow up. Here is the resulting memo: Now, it turns out that Mr. Ashworth is yet another prisoner, no doubt wanting Garrison to have him released. His identifications seem rather suspect. He offers no specifics. Yet, it is recommended that he be called to the Grand Jury, where his memory just might improve! You can see Garrison's notation on the side: "note: Possibility that the second Oswald is here involved." I don't believe that Garrison had this lead followed-up. But the story doesn't end here. On September 27, 1967 Ashworth wrote the Department of Justice: The Department of Justice replied to Ashworth: And, the Department of Justice wrote the CIA: Shortly thereafter, the Department of Justice must have found Ashworth's earlier letter to Ramsey Clark, the attorney general. Here it is: Clearly, Mr. Ashworth felt he was getting nowhere with Garrison, and so wrote Ramsey Clark looking for help in his 'deportation.' At about the same time, the inmate sharing a cell with Ashworth wrote to the FBI. What is interesting is that Chief Deputy Sheriff Albert Manuel talked to Garrison's Assistant District Attorney about Ashworth's mental instability. That didn't seem to make it into the Garrison memo. In addition, the New Orleans CIA office wanted to know if it should pursue Ashworth. On November 21, 1967 the Department of Justice wrote to Richard Helms, Director of the CIA. And, here is Helms' reply. In early January 1968, the CIA issued an internal memo, "Memo #8 - Garrison and the Kennedy Assassination," in which they detail the relationships between Garrison's witnesses and the CIA. Here is their entry on Ashworth: Perhaps the 201 number after Ashworth's name indicates there is a CIA file on him - no doubt related to his letter to the Cuban Ambassador in Mexico City. Lest you think all of this means little, Mr. Ashworth has now found his way into conspiracy books. Joan Mellen, in her book A Farewell to Justice, claims that Ashworth is a witness who helps prove that Clay Shaw was Clay Bertrand (page 121). And, Mr. Ashworth makes an appearance in James DiEugenio's book, The Assassinations:

What a year it's been. Perhaps everybody could use some sort of party tonight. So, stay safe, and have fun. Here's an invite to Clay Shaw's victory party. Of course, his victory party was somewhat marred by the perjury charges just one business day after the trial.

Tom Bethell was one of the few Garrison staffers that wrote intelligent memos. He did a lot of work in the National Archives and wrote several memos about various Warren Commission and FBI documents. Here is his report of his visit with Marguerite Oswald accompanied by Bill Boxley.