In April 1971, Perry Russo sat down with Shaw's defense team for one last interview. Here is the entire transcript: Some highlights of this transcript: Dymond: Did anyone else connected to the Garrison office offer you loans or money? Russo: I guess I mentioned that Garrison slipped me some occasionally. I remember two one-hundred dollar bills one time, two hundred another time, $75 another. He told me after Shaw was convicted we'd all be rich. The press would be showering me with money to get me to recreate my testimony. I liked the idea, but was a little scared because I didn't know how much I remember and how much I was helped with. It all seemed so 'right,' that we should punish these killers. I always had trouble with the Shaw end though. I guess I always knew he had nothing to do with anything. ... Dymond: Could you recount with a little more depth the scene at the Ramada Inn out on Tulane, the night before you were to testify in the preliminary hearing? Now as I recall it, they had given you sodium pentothal once and had hypnotized you four or five times? Who all were there? Did they want to hypnotize you again? What was going on that night? Russo: Three times, maybe four. I don't think they hypnotized me five times. Lynn Loisel, Al Oser, Alcock, Louie Ivon and Sciambra were there asking me to repeat things over and over and over. Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat ... non-stop. I was wondering what I had got myself into. It was several hours after the test in Dr. Chetta's office. The last hypnotizing deal. I told you, didn't I, about all of 'em wearing their guns. Sciambra had his out one time, wavin' it around and saying what this was going to do to Shaw and how it was going to force the government to admit it had lied to America about Kennedy's death. Sciambra, I guess I liked him until then, but he gave me a funny feeling. He made me read the transcript .. what I had said when I was under. Gurvich: Do you remember afterward saying those things? Was it like ... Russo: Like I told you before, it was my script and I was playing a part. I guess I played a too-good one, didn't I? Anyway it went on like that for about two hours and finally Alcock told 'em to cool it and most of 'em went home. ... Gurvich: Did you ever talk to Alvin Beauboeuf after his run-in with Garrison and Loisel and Ivon? Russo: I knew that they had pinched him good. They made him say nobody offered him anything. But they laughed about it, Ivon and Loisel, and said they offered him a job and money and that Garrison told him he thought Beauboeuf would eventually make a good lawyer and he'd help him get there. It was a big joke around the office, because they went out to his house and told him if he didn't deny the whole thing they'd tell everyone he was homosexual. He broke down and cried, I heard. He had just got married, I think. An upcoming blog post will discuss Jim Garrison's attempt to bribe Al Beauboeuf. Previous Blog Posts on Perry Russo Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part One After David Ferrie died, Perry Russo went to the press in Baton Rouge with his story. He did not mention a meeting at which the assassination was discussed. Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part Two Matt Herron was present when Phelan asked Russo if it was true that he said nothing about a meeting until he came to New Orleans. He confirmed that Russo admitted he had not. Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part Three Russo talked to Clay Shaw's attorneys in 1971. He admits that the memory about the meeting was planted in New Orleans. The Contradictions of Perry Russo's Story A memo written by James Phelan lists all the contradictions in Perry Russo's stories Perry Russo's First Lie Detector Test... Russo's first lie detector test did not go well. Lt. Edward O'Donnell Testifies about Perry Russo's Lie Detector Test... Russo's second lie detector test was a disaster. Why Did Perry Russo Plead The Fifth? At the hearings in 1971 to determine if Garrison could continue with his perjury indictment of Clay Shaw, Perry Russo plead the fifth amendment. Perry Russo Pays a Visit to Shaw's Lawyer... Russo makes some startling admissions in this interview with Shaw's attorneys. Perry Russo Talks to Layton Martens Russo bumps into Martens and admits that he didn't know David Ferrie all that well.

David Ferrie was one of Garrison's early suspects. He suffered from alopecia, which meant that he lost all of his body hair. So, he used to paste on a wig, and fake eyebrows, sometimes out of felt. This made him look quite ridiculous. Ferrie died of natural causes (a berry aneurysm) in February 1967. I'll be posting more documents about his death in the coming weeks - in particular reports of his feeling quite ill before his death. Garrison put him under surveillance, and even hired agents to infiltrate his life and report back. Here is one of the funniest Garrison investigation memos ever - one written by William Gurvich in December 1966 (the date at the top is wrong). Gurvich defected from the Garrison investigation in June 1967 when he realized the whole thing was a sham.

Great headline, huh? This was the cover story for Confidential Magazine from August 1968. I first saw this issue of this magazine at the Committee to Investigate Assassination Archives at Georgetown University last year. It's an amusing story, and I sent out copies to some of my colleagues. But, since the story was in Confidential - a pulp magazine that was started in 1952 - I didn't think it was too important. But, then I noticed something that made the store much more interesting. The author of the story was a Garrison investigator. You've probably heard all the denials that Garrison never made an issue out of Shaw's homosexuality - well, what was a Garrison investigator doing writing a story like this in August 1968. According to the article, Kennedy was the "victim of a sick and vicious homosexual plot," and that "Oswald was "steeped in the homosexual underworld." The homosexual ring consisted of Oswald, Ruby, Ferrie, Shaw, Russo, and J.D. Tippit. Lest you think this is just some article. Here's a primary document from the Garrison investigation. There's a lot more about the Garrison investigation and homosexuality in my book, On The Trail of Delusion. And, I identify the Garrison staffer who wrote the Confidential article.

The three tramps figure prominently in the Garrison story. He was obsessed with them - and was determined to find out who they were. So, as you read my new book, On The Trail of Delusion, you will find story after story about the tramps. - Garrison went on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and showed one of the pictures of the tramps. But, there's more to the story. Garrison fabricated what happened on that show in his book, "On The Trail of the Assassins." Check out Chapter 2 - A Beautiful Mind? - Garrison believed they weren't tramps and that the men in uniform were not Dallas police officers. - The tramps were investigated by the HSCA. The photographic panel found that "all three men are shabbily dressed, befitting their apparent status as vagrants." They noted that one of the tramps, "from his battered fedora to his worn-out shoes, has managed to achieve a sartorial effect similar to what one would expect had he been fired from a cannon through a Salvation Army thrift shop." - It emerged in 1993 that the three tramps were exactly that - the Dallas City Council released its JFK assassination files. Arrest records were found for the three tramps - their names were Harold Doyle, John Gedney, and Gus Abrams. Two of the tramps were still alive and they confirmed that they were the ones pictured. - Everytime Garrison found a new suspect - he thought they were one of the tramps. For instance, he believed that Edgar Eugene Bradley was one of the tramps. You can read the whole story about Bradley in Chapter 14 - Edgar Eugene Bradley Was a Tramp. - Then he believed that Fred Crisman was one of the tramps. Crisman was a con man who lived on the west coast - and Garrison believed he was a major conspirator. I have the complete story on Fred Crisman in several chapters in my book. - One witness that conspiracy authors like a lot is Leander D'avy. He worked at a bar/restaurant in New Orleans. He claimed one day to go in to pick up a check and went into a back room, and he saw the three tramps with Lee Harvey Oswald and David Ferrie. Part of the reason Garrison went down the tramp rabbit hole was because of conspiracy theorists like Richard Sprague. He convinced Garrison of the importance of the tramps, and he was always identifying one of Garrison's suspects in the pictures. Of course, even Oliver Stone went into the tramps. And, the real Mr. X of his film JFK believed that in one of the tramp photos, you can make out General Edward Lansdale - whom Prouty believed was a conspirator. That whole embarrassing story is in my book.

I have previously posted a long blog post about Richard Case Nagell's history of mental issues deriving from his place crash in 1954. Here are some of the papers from his petition in 1975 for a full disability pension. On Page 9, the plaintiff [Richard Case Nagell} admits the following as fact: Richard Case Nagell was a very sick man. He deserved better from the military. Fortunately, he won his case for a full pension. Richard Case Nagell A Wrap-Up of the Richard Case Nagell Story The Importance of Richard Case Nagell to Some Conspiracy Theorists Was Richard Case Nagell the "Most Important Witness There Is"? Jim Garrison and a few conspiracy theorists think Nagell is a very important witness. But is he really? Genesis of the Richard Case Nagell story Did David Kroman Crack the JFK Assassination Conspiracy? David Kroman met Richard Case Nagell at the Springfield Medical Center for Federal Prisoners. Stephen Jaffe, a Garrison volunteer, wrote a memo, relating Nagell's story through the eyes and ears of David Kroman. Richard Case Nagell Shoots Up the State National Bank in El Paso... Nagell was convicted of armed robbery and was sentenced to ten years, but his conviction was overturned because of startling new evidence. Richard Case Nagell and the JFK Assassination Did Richard Case Nagell Have Foreknowledge of Oswald and the JFK Assassination? There is no credible evidence that Nagell had any foreknowledge of either Lee Harvey Oswald or the JFK assassination. Did Richard Case Nagell Meet Lee Harvey Oswald? Nagell claims he met Oswald in Japan, Texas, Mexico City, and New Orleans. There is no credible evidence that he ever met Oswald. Did Richard Case Nagell Warn Fidel Castro about the Assassination? Nagell went to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro and even played ping-pong with the man. Insane Conspiracy Theories about Richard Case Nagell Who was Leon Oswald? Richard Case Nagell said that he knew the two Oswalds - Lee Harvey and Leon. Some conspiracy theorists believe this madness. Richard Popkin Melds the Second Oswald Theory with the Richard Case Nagell Story Combine one part crazy and one part ridiculous and what do you come up with? An early attempt at a unified conspiracy theory of the JFK assassination. Two Smoking Guns of the Richard Case Nagell Story Is this Document the Smoking Gun on the Richard Case Nagell Story? Nagell sent conspiracy theorist Dick Russell one page of a military intelligence file which seemed to indicate that he was monitoring Oswald and his wife on behalf of the CIA. But does the whole document really show that? Dick Russell's Second Smoking Gun on the Richard Case Nagell Story Did Richard Case Nagell have an Oswald Military ID in his possession when he was arrested in September 1963? Richard Case Nagell and Jim Garrison Why Didn't Richard Case Nagell Testify at Clay Shaw's Trial? Richard Case Nagell believes that he wasn't called to testify at Clay Shaw's trial because his testimony would have blown up Jim Garrison's case. Jim Garrison Discusses Richard Case Nagell At a conference in September 1968, Garrison and his investigators discuss his face-to-face meeting with Nagell in New York City. Richard Case Nagell Sends Jim Garrison on a Wild-Goose Chase William Martin, an Assistant District Attorney working for Jim Garrison, tried to retrieve a tape that Nagell said contained the voices of three JFK assassination conspirators. Richard Popkin Writes Garrison About Richard Case Nagell Richard Popkin, author of "The Second Oswald," writes Jim Garrison about Richard Case Nagell. Garrison staffer Tom Bethell thought the Nagell lead was useless. Richard Case Nagell's Mental Health Richard Case Nagell's Fight for a Disability Pension Nagell won a full disability pension in 1982 and the 60+ page court case provides complete details on his mental problems. Why Did Richard Case Nagell Shoot Up the First National Bank of El Paso? Richard Case Nagell told a psychiatrist why he shot up the bank in El Paso in 1963. Richard Case Nagell's Family Speaks about his Mental Health The FBI spoke to Nagell's ex-wife, his mother, his sister, and one of his friends. They all agreed that Nagell had significant mental health problems. Richard Case Nagell Visits Europe in 1969... Nagell visited the American consulates in Zurich and Barcelona in 1969. He was a deeply disturbed man. Richard Case Nagell in Europe, 1970 Edition More shenanigans in Europe in 1970. Richard Case Nagell's Evidence Richard Case Nagell's Nonexistent Evidence None of the so-called evidence that Nagell promised would materialize on his death has shown up. Did this evidence ever exist?

Here is some additional information on Thomas Beckham. Gus Russo sent me this picture of Beckham as his alter ego, recording star Wade Hampton. Here is a link with a lot of material about Beckham about his time in Mississippi in the early 1970s. Previous Blog Posts on Thomas Beckham Did The HSCA Have a Confession Tape? Did Thomas Beckham know Lee Harvey Oswald? Why did Jim Garrison Want to Speak to Thomas Beckham? Thomas Beckham's Book, Remnants of Truth, Part One Jim Garrison's Memo to the HSCA regarding Fred Crisman and Thomas Beckham, part one... Jim Garrison's Exhibits to his HSCA Memo on Fred Crisman and Thomas Beckham Jim Garrison Identifies the "Cut-Out" of a "Professional, Highly Organized, Clandestine Operation." Who Exactly was the Man with a Scar? Did David Ferrie Have a Map of Dealey Plaza in his Desk Drawer?

Here is a link to Perry Russo's testimony at the preliminary hearing. Here is the front page of the New Orleans Times-Picayune for March 15, 1967: Why did Perry Russo use the name Clem, instead of Clay? It probably was a slip-up during his hypnosis sessions. Of course, Perry Russo never said anything about Lee Harvey Oswald, Clay Shaw or Clay Bertrand until he was brought to New Orleans. Here are some links to his statements made in Baton Rouge when he first reached out to the press after the death of David Ferrie: Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part One After David Ferrie died, Perry Russo went to the press in Baton Rouge with his story. He did not mention a meeting at which the assassination was discussed. Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part Two Matt Herron was present when Phelan asked Russo if it was true that he said nothing about a meeting until he came to New Orleans. He confirmed that Russo admitted he had not. Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part Three Russo talked to Clay Shaw's attorneys in 1971. He admits that the memory about the meeting was planted in New Orleans. Here is a picture regarding the revolver: By the way, Sheriff Heyd thought that Jim Garrison was psychotic. Previous Installments of Clay Shaw's Journal Clay Shaw's Journal Clay Shaw's Journal - His Arrest Clay Shaw's Journal - After His Arrest Clay Shaw's Journal, March 4 - 7, 1967 Clay Shaw's Journal - March 8 - 11, 1967 Clay Shaw's Journal - March 12 - 13, 1967

For another important article on Mark Lane, click here for the expose in Mother Jones. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Mark Lane Mark Lane Said that Clay Shaw Was a "Powerful, Domestic Force in the Assassination." Mark Lane offers to introduce Jim Garrison to "Mr. Candy" Reverend Raymond Broshears Tells All to Stephen Jaffe and Mark Lane! "I Know Who Killed JFK," Part Two Did RFK Tell Garrison that there were guns between him and the White House? Limericks from the Clay Shaw Trial "I Was Offered $25,000 To Kill President Kennedy"

Baltimore Sun, June 28, 1998. Yup, the one book that Joan Mellen would recommend is Jim Garrison's On the Trail of the Assassins. I'd have no problem if Joan Mellen's advice would be limited to just space aliens. Unfortunately, she recommends books to humans too. Here is how Rosemary James described Garrison's book: "Still not content, Garrison sat down at his typewriter and concocted the biggest lie of all, his book, "On the Trail of the Assassins," once again defaming Clay Shaw. To give the devil his due, the book was well written, a fast-moving, exciting piece of cold war spy genre fiction, and it produced a lot of money for the DA in book sales, and a movie contract. Oliver Stone, as gullible as they get in La-La Land, swallowed Garrison's tale hook, line and sinker, and spent millions regurgitating it on film. With "JFK," Stone became another False Witness, distorting history and justifying his film on the basis of artistic license, giving Garrison the image of a God-fearing family man and caped crusader and using the same smear tactics as Garrison to destroy the image of an innocent man no longer able to defend himself."

Here's an article I just came across in the papers of Dick Russell. It's from September 3, 1975 and was most probably in the New York Daily News, which is where Dick Brass worked. Fletcher Prouty and Richard Sprague embarrass themselves in front of everybody by claiming: No shots from the sixth floor window of the TSBD. No one took the backyard photographs of Lee Harvey Oswald. Marina Oswald might have been in on the plot. Secret service policy only allowed for a minimum speed of 44 mph in a motorcade. The umbrella man may "have signaled the assassination." Here is the press release for Prouty's article: You can read "The Guns of Dallas" here. The article included this: and this: Previous Relevant Posts on Fletcher Prouty James DiEugenio's Lame Excuses for Fletcher Prouty Fletcher Prouty Talks to the ARRB A summary document of his interview with the ARRB Transcript of Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB Fletcher Prouty and Army Intelligence in Dallas Another summary document from the ARRB about Prouty's allegations and army intelligence. Was Fletcher Prouty an Antisemite? Prouty had some very unsavory relationships with antisemitic groups. Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB, Part One Was Fletcher Prouty's Trip to Antarctica Unusual? Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB, Part Two Regarding Christchurch, New Zealand and The Christchurch Star Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB, Part Three Regarding the 112th Intelligence Corps (INTC) Group and/or the 316th INTC Detachment Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB, Part Four Did Prouty Keep the notes from his supposed phone call about army intelligence? Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB, Part Five Prouty's experience with military presidential protection duties Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB, Part Six Flagrant failure by the Secret Service to take minimum precautions? Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB, Part Seven Did Lee Harvey Oswald participate in a covert program in Indonesia in 1958? Fletcher Prouty's Interview with the ARRB, Part Eight Was General Edward Lansdale in one of the pictures of the three tramps?

Here is the letter to Monk Zelden regarding Dean Andrews: Clay Shaw talks about the preliminary hearing. Here is a link as to why Garrison sought to have a hearing. Here is the article from the New Orleans Times-Picayune of March 12, 1967 regarding Professor Goodhart: Here is a link with more information on the cabdriver Raymond Cummings.

Here is the document that Jim Garrison submitted in order to get a search warrant for Clay Shaw's home. An interesting description of the "meetings" held at David Ferrie's apartment. "THE reasons and facts for the request of this search warrant are: Affiant has evidence that meetings were held in the apartment of David W. Ferrie at 3330 Louisiana Avenue Parkway and the people present were David W. Ferrie, Clay Shaw (alias Clay Bertrand), and Lee Harvey Oswald and an informant and other persons. These meetings were held in September 1963 and the above named individuals, namely David W. Ferrie, Lee Harvey Oswald and Clay Shaw (alias Clay Bertrand) were discussing how they would kill John F. Kennedy, President of the United States. At these meetings there was an agreement and combination among Clay Shaw (alias Clay Bertrand), Lee Harvey Oswald and David W. Ferrie and others to kill John F. Kennedy. At these meetings where was discussion and agreement to carry out this conspiracy." Meetings? There was only one supposed meeting. An agreement and a combination? Really? Perry Russo denied there was talk of conspiracy: