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It was a real pleasure to talk with Todd Kwait - a true Renaissance man. He has had several careers -- as a lawyer, businessman, record producer, and film maker. His film, Truth is the Only Client, is terrific -- both in content and in production values. I've watched it several times and I look forward to watching it again soon. I strongly urge everybody to either buy a copy of Truth is the Only Client, or to stream it. Here is their official webpage. Here is the AI summary of our discussion: Quick recap This interview focused on Todd Kwait's documentary, Truth is the Only Client, which explores the Kennedy assassination and features interviews with surviving Warren Commission staff members. Todd, a lawyer and documentary filmmaker, discussed how he became involved in the project through his connection to Judge Bert Griffin, who had served on the Warren Commission. They examined various conspiracy theories, including the role of anti-Semitism in Jack Ruby's actions and the treatment of witness Ruth Paine by conspiracy theorists. The conversation covered the challenges of making a fair documentary on this sensitive topic, with Todd emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and the decline of rational discourse in modern conspiracy theories. They also discussed other key figures in the assassination narrative, including Mark Lane and Oliver Stone, and the impact of their work on public perception. Summary . Kennedy Assassination Documentary Discussion Todd explained how his interest in the Kennedy assassination began in childhood and was rekindled when he was approached to create a documentary about the Warren Commission. He interviewed surviving members of the commission and ultimately produced the documentary Truth is the Only Client in 2019. Todd noted that while the commission members defended their work, he felt the evidence was insufficient and decided to investigate further, leading to his current work on the subject with Bert Griffin. JFK Documentary Discussion Meeting Fred and Todd discussed Todd's documentary about the JFK assassination, which covers the HSCA and Warren Commission findings. Todd explained that the documentary took five years to complete and includes interviews with key figures like Bernard Weissman, G. Robert Blakey, and Ruth Paine, many of whom have since passed away. They discussed Blakey's conclusion that there was a conspiracy involving Oswald as the shooter from the Texas School Book Depository, but also another shooter from the Grassy Knoll area, though this was not the official HSCA conclusion. The conversation concluded with a discussion about how conspiracy theories struggle to explain Lee Harvey Oswald's background and involvement in the assassination. Ruth Paine CIA Allegations Discussion Todd and Fred discussed the treatment of Ruth Paine by conspiracy theorists, particularly regarding allegations that she worked for the CIA. They highlighted how these accusations have affected Paine's life, including an incident in Nicaragua where she was targeted and forced to return to the United States. The conversation also touched on a documentary about Paine that another filmmaker made, which they felt presented the allegations in a way that left viewers uncertain about her innocence. JFK Documentary Premiere Discussion Fred and Todd discussed Todd's documentary about the JFK assassination, which premiered in Dallas at the Texas Theater with many surviving staff members in attendance. They talked about the venue's significance and the Q&A session that followed. The conversation also touched on conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination, with Todd mentioning that he faced criticism from conspiracy theorists at the premiere and in subsequent reviews. They discussed the growing prevalence of conspiracy theories in modern society and shared insights about Jack Ruby's involvement and changing perspectives on the assassination. Jack Ruby and Anti-Semitic Context Todd and Fred discussed the anti-Semitic context in Dallas in November 1963, which affected Jack Ruby's decision to want to leave Dallas and go to Washington. They mentioned Ruby's concerns about a potential "second Holocaust" and his testimony to Chief Justice Earl Warren. The conversation also touched on the involvement of Jewish staff members in the Warren Commission and the personal background of Murray J. Laulicht, who worked on the Jack Ruby investigation. Kennedy Assassination Conspiracy Theories Discussion Todd and Fred discussed the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy, particularly focusing on Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby. Fred shared a personal story about a friend who became antisemitic after being influenced by right-wing politics. They both agreed that the Warren Commission's investigation was thorough and conducted by honorable men, despite being dismissed by conspiracy theorists. Todd highlighted Earl Warren's significant contributions to civil rights and his personal commitment to the Kennedy assassination investigation. JFK Assassination Investigation Discussion Todd and Fred discussed the Warren Commission's findings on the JFK assassination, with Todd emphasizing that the young lawyers were not restricted in their investigation and had "Truth is the Only Client" as their guiding principle. They critically examined Mark Lane's work, with Todd describing him as an opportunist who shaped his theory to fit the facts rather than allowing the facts to determine the theory. The conversation also touched on Jim Garrison's investigation and how it was portrayed in Oliver Stone's film, with both agreeing that Garrison's theories were problematic and contributed to misinformation about the assassination. Vietnam War and Kennedy Film Todd and Fred discussed the historical context of the Vietnam War under President Kennedy and the role of the military-industrial complex, as well as the controversy surrounding Oliver Stone's film about the Kennedy assassination. They noted that while Stone acknowledged creating his own myth, he defended the factual accuracy of his film in response to critics. The conversation highlighted concerns about government transparency and the impact of misinformation on public trust regarding historical events. JFK Assassination Conspiracy Debate Discussion Todd and Fred discussed the ongoing debate around the JFK assassination, with both agreeing that conspiratorial thinking has persisted despite evidence pointing to Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone shooter. Todd shared his experience creating a documentary on the topic and donating hundreds of hours of unedited interviews to the Sixth Floor Museum. They both expressed frustration with conspiracy theorists' willingness to doubt the integrity of respected professionals involved in the investigation, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and evidence evaluation in addressing such historical events. 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.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230529063612/https://www.washingtondecoded.com/site/2022/06/roe3.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20220611204234/https://www.washingtondecoded.com/site/2022/06/roe3.html In episode 32, I convened a panel to discuss the single-bullet theory. Unfortunately, Steve Roe could not join us that evening. I wanted him to be part of that panel because of his knowledge of the chain of custody of CE399. So, consider this episode to be a companion to our panel discussion. You can read Steve's article on CE399 here. Here is an article that Steve wrote about the chain of custody on his blog. I discussed the chain of custody in this blog post. Here is a blog post I wrote about Darrell Tomlinson and CE399. David von Pein discussed the chain of custody on his web page. 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.

Long John Nebel Here is an excerpt from a December 1970 letter sent by Sylvia Meagher to Mary Ferrell: Money Quote: I suppose, being the crude phony he is, Garrison will soon charge that because of CIA pressure on the media he was prevented from appearing on radio and TV to discuss the assassination -- just wait. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Sylvia Meagher and Jim Garrison Sylvia Meagher on the Sewer Shot and Jim Garrison An excerpt from a letter Meagher sent to Thomas Stamm. A Vincent Salandria - Sylvia Meagher Exchange on Jim Garrison Salandria tries to make up with Meagher. Sylvia Meagher Corresponds with Philippe Labro Philippe Labro was a French journalist who covered the JFK assassination for France-Soir. Sylvia Meagher writes Bud Fensterwald Fensterwald invites Meagher to join his organization. She refuses because of Jim Garrison. Sylvia Meagher's Review of "The Kennedy Conspiracy" by Paris Flammonde A scathing review of Flammonde's book about the Garrison investigation. Mary Ferrell and Sylvia Meagher Discuss Jim Garrison An exchange of letters about Jim Garrison. Jim Garrison's Code and Sylvia Meagher Garrison comes up with a crazy code and Sylvia Meagher calls him out. Sylvia Meagher's Ode to the District Attorney of New Orleans Meagher also wrote poetry. Sylvia Meagher Writes Clay Shaw with an Idea Meagher's very good idea shows that Garrison didn't care to learn the truth. Kerry Thornley Writes Sylvia Meagher in 1970 Thornley tells Meagher about an article illustrating Garrison's pre-occupation with the JFK assassination. Tom Bethell Writes Sylvia Meagher about the Shaw Trial Bethell wrote Meagher about Charles Spiesel and his ridiculous testimony at the Clay Shaw trial. Sylvia Meagher's Letter to Look Magazine Sylvia Meagher's terrific letter to Look Magazine in response to their article "The Persecution of Clay Shaw." Sylvia Meagher Congratulates Clay Shaw On His Acquittal She was very pleased with his acquittal. Sylvia Meagher and Jim Garrison, Part One Meagher writes Clay Shaw a letter and his response is just terrific. Sylvia Meagher and Dr. Cyril Wecht Discuss Jim Garrison Dr. Wecht didn't think too much of Garrison, either. Mike Farrell, of M*A*S*H fame, and Sylvia Meagher Meagher educates Farrell on Jim Garrison. When will Oliver Stone Admit he was Wrong about Clay Shaw? A plea to Oliver Stone with a compilation of Meagher's writings about Jim Garrison. Sylvia Meagher on the Clay Shaw Case Howard Roffman writes a letter to Harold Weisberg about Sylvia Meagher. Penn Jones' Phone Call with Sylvia Meagher This phone call broke their relationship. Sylvia Meagher and Jim Garrison, Part Two An unpublished Meagher memo on the trial of Clay Shaw. Sylvia Meagher and Jim Garrison, Part Three - a never before published article by Meagher Another unpublished Meagher memo on the Garrison investigation and Warren Report critics. Garrison's Playboy Interview - What Couldn't Be Printed Sylvia Meagher's letter to the Editor regarding Garrison's interview in Playboy Magazine. Sylvia Meagher's Reaction to the Verdict in the Shaw Trial Meagher writes Harold Weisberg with her comments on the verdict. Two Letters to Jim Garrison about "A Heritage of Stone" James Phelan and Sylvia Meagher write Garrison letters about his book. Kerry Thornley writes Sylvia Meagher An exchange of letters between Thornley and Meagher. Did RFK Tell Garrison that there were guns between him and the White House? Meagher writes Thornley about Lane's comment on RFK. Was Jim Garrison Napoleon or Rasputin? Meagher writes Thornley with an opinion. M. S. Arnoni and Sylvia Meagher Take On Jim Garrison... Exchange of letters between Meagher, Arnoni and Garrison. Jim Garrison Blows His Top Meagher writes Weisberg about the damage Garrison is doing to critics of the Warren Report. James Phelan Writes to Richard Popkin Meagher replies to the New York Review of Books regarding Popkin's article on Garrison. Sylvia Meagher Replies to Richard Popkin An exchange of letters between Popkin and Meagher.

“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.” George Orwell The QUICK article clearly demonstrates that Jim Garrison, in late February and early March 1967, put homosexuality at the heart of his investigation into the JFK assassination. It's consistent with what Garrison told journalists like Hugh Aynesworth, James Phelan, Jack Anderson, Merriman Smith, and Art Kevin. Garrison repeated the same nonsense to the Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles Times, March 26, 1967 The interest in homosexuality went beyond what Garrison told a few journalists. The journals of Richard Billings and the diary of Tom Bethell are rife with references to homosexuals and homosexuality. As we have shown on this blog, Garrison even sent Assistant D. A. John Volz to talk to Dr. Robert E. Heath at Tulane University about Clay Shaw: What's interesting is that Volz went to Heath with Garrison's suggestion about Shaw's motive. Conspiracy theorists like James DiEugenio not only do not discuss the issue of homosexuality in the case, they deny it was ever a factor. Here's James DiEugenio from a review of my book, On The Trail of Delusion: For the record, there is not one memo I have read that shows Garrison ever outlined such a homosexual-oriented plot. At the beginning of the inquiry, there is evidence that Garrison was suspecting a militant rightwing plot. And as Garrison developed cases against Shaw and Ferrie, he was checking out leads that would connect them in the gay underworld. But nothing that either Peter Vea or Malcolm Blunt ever uncovered shows what Litwin is trying to impute to Garrison. Those two men are the two best pure archival researchers ever on the JFK case. And Vea specialized in the Garrison files. Here is his reaction to the QUICK articles: Litwin has gone off the rails. He needs an intervention. No one but him could take this seriously. There is no evidence for what Litwin is talking about, and to actually rely on Aynesworth and Phelan, two FBI stoolies, in order to start your argument shows how desperate the man is. That article is a piece of sensationalism, bordering on pulp. Compare it to any of the interviews Garrison did around that time and you will see the difference. But Litwin does not do that does he? Because that is textual analysis. Relational analysis is comparing what is in an article or essay with the database it comes from. Ridiculous. Fred, ever hear of textual and relational analysis? The first is where you compare what has been written around that time to the object of inquiry. In that regard, the idea that Garrison ever said anything about this or wrote anything like it amounts to zero. Relational analysis is when you compare the database with the article. Again, zero. Marina drove Oswald to be a homosexual? Clay Shaw was the brains behind the plot? Oswald was in love with Ferrie? Ferrie ordered Ruby to kill LHO? Please Fred. BTW, anyone who is familiar with Garrisons' files knows what Garrison suspected early on. He thought it was a rightwing, Minuteman kind of a plot. There is evidence of this in the files which Litwin does not want to tell you about. Because it defeats his cheap smear, and politically he does not like it. Which tells you all you need to know. That article is a piece of pulp which is so different than anything Garrison ever wrote or spoke about that only Litwin could think differently. For example, compare it to the Playboy interview of 1967. That Fred could maintain that idea in the face of all this says much more about him than it does about Garrison. And, of course, he is right that there is no such memo from Jim Garrison about a homosexual plot. But, as seen above, Garrison did discuss such a plot with many people. And the concept of homosexuality animated his investigators who probed people's sexuality and fed Garrison a steady stream of gossip, innuendo and rumors about gay people in New Orleans. And DiEugenio cannot hide from the fact that Clay Shaw was targeted because he was a homosexual. Here is an excerpt from a paper written by Richard Billings, "The Power of Public Disclosure," complete with an annotation from Jim Garrison. Here we see Garrison's favorite investigative technique, propinquity, at play. The notation refers to a paragraph on what "convinced Garrison that Shaw and Ferrie were acquainted." "This plus Marochini plus mutual homosexuality plus C.A.P. + I.T.M. correlations." Marochini refers to Dante Marochini who had the misfortune of knowing Ferrie and working for Reily Coffee, when Oswald was there greasing the machines. Garrison subpoenaed Marochini for questioning, but he knew nothing. All throughout Garrison's investigation, homosexuality kept popping up. Here are several examples: Reverend Raymond Broshears claimed to have been Ferrie's roommate. He was brought to New Orleans for questioning, and regaled Garrison's staff with a variety of lurid stories, including sleeping with Kerry Thornley. He helped convince Garrison that Thornley's body was in the Oswald backyard photographs. An anonymous letter written to Garrison alleged that "OSWALD WAS A HOMOSEXUAL like Shaw, Ferrie, Tippett [sic] (Dallas police officer) and a score of others. That letter convinced Garrison that Fred Crisman was a major suspect. Garrison's investigators reached out to Fred Leemans, the proprietor of a gay bath, about Clay Shaw and Lee Harvey Oswald. A memo about Ruby and Oswald and a "hangout for homosexuals." Of course, it might have been Kerry Thornley, the second Oswald. Many memos about Oswald being a gay hustler. The story about Breck Wall calling Ruby to kill Oswald - somehow related to David Ferrie because of homosexuality. Garrison's investigators knew what he was interested in, and made sure to emphasize any homosexual angle. I've previously posted a memo written by Roger Craig telling Garrison that Marina Oswald's doctor was a homosexual. Here's a memo with important information on Gordon Novel: Here's a letter from Garrison to William Turner that borders on the ridiculous: And they knew where to get leads: The Mattachine Society was started in 1950 to bring together isolated homosexuals and to assist gay people in need. Here's a good example of how Garrison focused on homosexuality. Richard Giesbrecht supposedly saw David Ferrie at the airport in Winnipeg, Canada. Here is a memo from William Turner; look at Garrison's interest: Garrison's notation reads: "Tom: Let me look at the Giesbrecht interview, + see if this adds meaning." After Clay Shaw's acquittal, Garrison's attention turned to trying to find new evidence regarding his purported perjury. And that meant a new look at many gay leads. The fag ball from 1962 was reexamined. And here's an important memo: Even as late as 1977, Garrison was still interested in homosexuality - he gave the HSCA a list of suggested questions to ask Thomas Beckham. Here's one about Fred Crisman: I don't know if James DiEugenio has seen these documents (and many more like them) in the various files. I suspect he has but has ignored them because they don't fit in with his image of Jim Garrison as the brave, swashbuckling District Attorney who battles the powers-that-be. Jim Garrison ran a sham investigation that was marred by homophobia. There's nothing to be proud of at all. By the way, the $64 challenge still stands: What serious evidence did Garrison have, at the time Shaw was arrested, that he had conspired with anybody to kill JFK? Winner will receive $64, and a signed copy of On The Trail of Delusion. A Hearty Thank You Paul Hoch has helped shape this series on QUICK and I am grateful for his incredible research, his terrific copy-editing, and his brilliant insights. The QUICK Blog Posts Did a Homosexual Conspiracy Kill JFK? Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part One) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Two) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Three) Garrison Disavows the QUICK article Jim Garrison Does it Again - Claims Ruby and Oswald Were Homosexuals Jim Garrison Feigns Indignation at the Mention of Clay Shaw's Homosexuality Did Lawrence Schiller Write the QUICK article? Did Nerin Gun Write the QUICK article?

Another candidate to consider for the authorship of the QUICK article is Nerin Gun, a Turkish-American writer who was born in Rome. He emigrated from Germany to the United States after World War II and changed his name from Emrullah Nerin Gün to Nerin Gun. In 1964, Gun published one of the first books on the JFK assassination, Red Roses from Texas. You can read a .pdf version of the book here. Nerin Gun also worked for the Italian newspaper Epoca. President Lyndon Johnson receiving Italian publisher Giorgio Mondadori at the White House on April 28, 1964. On the right is Nerin Gun. Harry Truman with Nerin Gun, April 1964. Nerin Gun was mentioned during the Warren Commission testimony of J. Edgar Hoover: Mr. DULLES. May I add one other thing just to interrupt. I wish you would add to your list a book called "The Red Roses of Dallas" by a man named Gun. He is a more reliable correspondent. Mr. HOOVER. He is a Philadelphia correspondent. Mr. DULLES. He has been living in this country since 1946. I have met him over here. Let's see, he was at Dallas at the time. He was then reporting, I think, for the Italian newspaper Epoca. Mr. HOOVER. That is not the same one. Mr. DULLES. He might have been lying. This book is full of lies. But I think it is a book that ought to be added, too, and I will see that a copy is sent to the Bureau. Mr. HOOVER. I would appreciate that. Given Nerin Gun's interest in the JFK assassination, it's not surprising that he would take an interest in the Garrison investigation. While the QUICK article has no indication that Gun was involved, a CIA memo claimed that he was the author: There is nothing in the QUICK magazine article that mentions Nerin Gun. However, some amazing propinquity suggests that Gun and Garrison had something important in common: Dachau. From a 1989 interview with the Los Angeles Times: "The son and grandson of lawyers, Garrison went to a public high school here [New Orleans] and entered the Army a year before Pearl Harbor. He flew light planes as an artillery spotter in Europe, and arrived at Dachau the day after troops supported by his artillery unit had liberated it." And Nerin Gun was imprisoned at Dachau: And Gun wrote a book about the Americans liberating concentration camps: And so, perhaps Gun and Garrison bonded over their war experiences. Paul Hoch found that Paris Match in France and TEMPO in Italy had also run articles on the Garrison investigation in 1967 - and both appeared to be possibly related to the one that ran in QUICK. Perhaps there was a clue about the author in one of the two magazines. The Paris Match article was different. It was dated a month earlier than the QUICK article and it was a first-hand report by Nerin Gun, who had been in New Orleans in late February 1967. He interviewed Jim Garrison and David Ferrie. Here is a translation of the Paris Match article: On the day before his death, Ferrie told me "Oswald? I Didn't Know Him" Nerin Gun, author of "Red Roses in Texas," was investigating in New Orleans. He spends hours with a former pilot who knew Oswald. The next day we find the body of the witness in his room. The thirteenth violent death of the Kennedy affair. [picture of Nerin Gun] Ferrie told me... The name of David F. Ferrie was first mentioned the day after the Kennedy's assassination. A certain Ed Voble [sic; Voebel] phoned a New Orleans television station and in essence said: "We were serving in the same unit of the Civil Air Patrol under the direction of David F. Ferrie. However, I have just recognized the silhouette of Ferrie in certain news scenes filmed from the drama in Dallas" The information was passed on to the District Attorney's office. Jim Garrison, who then arrested and released Ferrie. The FBI and the Warren Commission noted the incident but gave it no particular importance. Three years passed. On January 31 of this year, a Cuban exile named Miguel Torres, sentenced to nine years in prison for theft, was transferred to the special prison in New Orleans to be placed at the disposal of the District Attorney Jim Garrison. According to Torres, there would have been a conspiracy, set up in New Orleans, of which he would have been the executor, "The contract man," according to the expression of American gangsters. However, the District Attorney Garrison has been investigating for several months now a report by David Lewis, a private investigator, who claims to have a list of conspirators. Among them was a Cuban who was in Dallas at the scene of the assassination hidden behind a billboard and a pilot who served in the same unit at Oswald and who was also in Dallas on the day of Kennedy's death, ready to transport Oswald to Mexico from where the alleged assassin could have returned to Havana. Was this pilot David F. Ferrie? Did DA Garrison, who was getting ready to arrest him, think so? I saw David Ferrie exactly the day before his death on the afternoon of February 21, 1967 in New Orleans. Apparently, this doomed man did not fear for his life. Ferrie received me in his two-room apartment, furnished with that very heavy and messy taste that one can define "old New Orleans". There are books everywhere, even on the small sofa and in the small kitchen. Ferrie drinks continuously. Soon we are going out together to have a drink in a bar some distance away, because Ferrie wants to avoid any photographers posted in the neighborhood. He also claims to be under police surveillance and complains about it. "I am only an amateur pilot, but from time to time, I agree to hire out my services. I like to drive, but it is expensive and so you have to mix business with pleasure. My current profession: I am a psychologist. No, I don't have any diplomas, but people come and ask me for advice - that they are having trouble with their wives, an employee, and I try to help them." Ferrie is extremely nervous when he speaks. His face is bony and he has a very long, very thin nose, eyebrows, like a "circumflex accent," marked with a pencil, and a poorly groomed wig, and eyes like a rabbit who does not have a moment's rest. His is not very tall, but he looks slender. He doesn't speak with that slowness and that sweet accent that characterizes the people of New Orleans. In fact, he is not a native. He's a man from Ohio who came here fifteen years ago. He admits having accepted from time to time jobs as a private detective. His reputation in New Orleans is not good. In the newsrooms, he is referred to as an informer and as a liaison between the community, the lawyers, and the police. "This whole story bothers me enormously. This Garrison prankster wants to get people talking about him at all costs. He is not happy to have liquidated downtown (the pleasure district). Now he is looking for something else. It smacks of politics a mile and a half away. Do not speak to me of justice, or of truth. All these people who take care of Kennedy have one thing in mind: to make money. I've been sick for three months, Ferrie continued. I have encephalitis. I have horrible headaches. Then my heart gives me pain. It doesn't work like it used to and yet I'm far from fifty. "I never knew Oswald. He and I lived in different worlds. Him in the shallows towards the docks and I, look out the window. My neighborhood is good, not fancy, but decent. Oswald himself could not afford a plane ride. "Yes, I served in the Civil Air Patrol (the Civil Air Patrol is a paramilitary organization, classified as reserves, whose volunteer pilots assist in emergencies, searches, transport of drugs, injuries). Oswald was never in the Civil Air Patrol." I pointed out to Ferrie that I had called Marguerite Oswald, Oswald's mother, that very morning, and that she claimed that Oswald had been in the Civil Air Patrol. I even remember that once she showed me a picture of Oswald in uniform from that group. "That old woman must be confused with some other organization," said Ferrie. Do not forget that she had ceased all relations with her son for a long time and especially when he lived in New Orleans...Finally, everything I know about this affair, I told the FBI. Garrison just had to ask them. And you could do the same. It's not that there is anything to hide. But it all happened three years ago. I don't remember all the details. And if today I am wrong, people will say that I did it on purpose, that I lied, that I am hiding the truth and it will be quite a story again. I HEARD FOR THE FIRST TIME OSWALD'S NAME "I was not in New Orleans on the day of Kennedy's assassination, it is true. In fact, upon hearing the news, I decided to go to Dallas. At the time I was working for a lawyer, G. Wray Gill, very much like his personal detective. I worked with the help of two friends and the three of us decided to drive to Dallas. We left New Orleans a little before four in the afternoon, November 22, 1963. It was I who drove - a blue Buick station wagon - when the radio announce that a certain Oswald had been arrested. It was the first time I had heard the name, so we changed our minds and instead of going to Dallas, we went to Houston, then to Galveston and the surrounding area to hunt wild geese. I did not return to New Orleans until Sunday. A funny surprise awaited me. That crazy Garrison man had burst into my apartment. Look, I had to have my door repaired: he confiscated my papers, photos, books...." "Garrison then had his assistant Klein arrest my friends and me under the pretext that we were wanted fugitives. It was ridiculous. Everyone knows that I am a fanatic anti-communist. I hate Castro. "A few weeks ago, a weekend in January, I received an invitation to testify at the grand jury. Instead of being sent in the room I was asked to go see Louis Ivon, the District Attorney's chief investigator. I have known Ivon for a long time. I do not hesitate to tell him my surprise and annoyance. Ivon says it is just a formality and he asks me about 1963. I tell him he better read his own files. Then I ask him what it's all about. We have discovered a plot. There was a plot in New Orleans hatched in the summer of 1963 to assassinate Kennedy, And that's it. I don't know anything else. I had no questions to ask Ferrie and I remember that his last words were to find the restaurant Antoine's, very famous in New Orleans, where he advised me to go to dinner. I also remember that I left one of those tiny flasks of whiskey that the airlines give out to first-time passengers, and that I usually put in my napkin. He wished me "good luck" and smiled at me. I can't believe that less than twenty-four hours later this man was going to be found dead in his room. LEWIS: AFRAID FOR THE LIFE OF MY CHILDREN And I think of the words that prosecutor Jim Garrison had said to me a few days earlier when he solemnly asked me not to reveal anything to the local newspapers. "I fear," he said "that such revelations will impede the progress of my investigation and cause the violent deaths of some witnesses." I didn't take it seriously. Today, I began to believe that he was only telling me the strictest truth. Previously I had visited detective David Lewis, whose initial report triggered the investigation. He is 26 years old, married with four children, and works for a bus company. "Garrison's investigation is not a hoax, there has been a conspiracy. I was aware of the phases of the plot. I was in the right place at the right time. I knew the people involved in the plot. I knew Oswald..." But Lewis refused to give the names of the five people he said he had denounced in his special report to Garrison. He looked very worried: "These people are extremely dangerous. They are thugs, they are capable of anything. They were powerful enough to assassinate the president of the United States, and so I believe they are capable of getting rid of a little man like me. I have received threats. I am telephoned at night. I am going to leave New Orleans and hide; I fear for my children. My wife lives in terror." In Jim Garrison's office, I had heard an assistant District Attorney speak in hushed terms about a group of anti-communist conspirators who wanted revenge on Kennedy for the failure of the Bay of Pigs. I also learned that Oswald lived between June and September 1963 in New Orleans on 4907 Magazine Street. It was at this time that he would have met the Cuban conspirators - like Miguel Torres, now in prison for burglary. I have tried to see Torres in prison - the visit was authorized but Torres refused to see me. He sent word to me through the chief warden, Sheriff Louis Hey, that he was not afraid to speak up but that "he preferred to testify openly when the time came (provided he was still alive)." Lee Oswald's mother, Marguerite Oswald, had nothing but praise for the District Attorney, "I am with him and I will help him. He's showing that the Warren Commission hasn't uncovered the truth. Yes, there must have been a conspiracy and my son was only part of such a conspiracy as a secret agent of the U.S. government." I telephoned Marguerite Oswald after hearing the news of the death of David William Ferrie. She told me, "I have always thought that Ferrie was involved in the case. I never understood why the Warren Commission didn't bother to interview this man whose actions were so strange. I hope that we will not once again say his death was only due to chance." A few things stand out from this Nerin Gun article. First, he actually visited David Ferrie, who told him he was suffering from encephalitis, and had terrible headaches. This is consistent with what Ferrie told other journalists. This was just before he died of a berry aneurysm. Second, Garrison might well have told Gun information that was not widely reported: "And I think of the words that prosecutor Jim Garrison had said to me a few days earlier when he solemnly asked me not to reveal anything to the local newspapers." Did that give Gun carte blanche to write an article for QUICK? The Italian magazine TEMPO contained the same article as in QUICK with a few small edits. There was no clue regarding the writer. And so it is unclear as to whether Nerin Gun or Lawrence Schiller wrote the QUICK article. Both had access to Garrison and both had discussions with Garrison when he was espousing his theory of a homosexual plot. For some unknown reason, the CIA was certain that Gun was the author. Unfortunately, we have been unable to determine why the CIA came to that conclusion. It's certainly possible that the two of them worked together. Schiller was the kind of journalist who no qualms about using information gained from working for a client and then using it for himself. The 1996 Chicago Tribune article noted that Schiller: "...was shooting under contract for Life magazine, yet always working on his own, always an outsider, a lone wolf hungry for the big kill.." O. J. Simpson's book, I Want To Tell You: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions, was written in collaboration with Lawrence Schiller to raise money for his defense. Schiller then produced a television show and a book exposing the defense teams methods: "I'm not a professional writer. I don't write for a living," Schiller said. "I earn my living being a sponge, absorbing everything. Then figuring out where to wring out the sponge." and "Lawrence Schiller, author of "American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the O.J. Simpson Defense," had unprecedented access to Simpson and his dream team during the 1995 criminal trial, obtaining secrets of their defense strategy and Simpson's state of mind before and after the trial." (Hat tip to Tim Cridland for finding the O. J. Simpson example) Here's an interesting headline: Schiller gained access to Jim Garrison because of Life Magazine, and selling Garrison's story to the world would have been a nice coup. Nerin Gun was the perfect person to translate the article and to help place it in Europe. One thing is certain - the article did represent Garrison's thinking at the beginning of his investigation. Tomorrow's Blog Post Final Thoughts on the QUICK article Previous Posts on the QUICK Article Did a Homosexual Conspiracy Kill JFK? Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part One) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Two) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Three) Garrison Disavows the QUICK article Jim Garrison Does it Again - Claims Ruby and Oswald Were Homosexuals Jim Garrison Feigns Indignation at the Mention of Clay Shaw's Homosexuality Did Lawrence Schiller Write the QUICK article?

As soon as details of the QUICK article got out, Jim Garrison was denying that he was the author. Town Talk, Alexandria, Louisiana, April 3, 1967 It's interesting that Garrison complained that he "never told anyone the name of the person who fired the fatal shot at President Kennedy." He didn't say that didn't know the name of the assassin - he just hadn't told anybody. An American reporter for the West German public radio broadcaster Deutsche Welle wrote to Jim Garrison the day after QUICK was released, detailing his attempt to authenticate it, in light of QUICK's bad reputation, asking him for confirmation or denial, and offering to bring any fraud to public attention: Jim Garrison replied on April 14, denying involvement: "I have no idea who dreamed this article up but it is neither my product nor is it authorized by me." Carefully phrased, in light of what the next blog post will show. He never talked to a QUICK representative: no doubt true. Mr. Jordan then wrote back: There is no Garrison reply to his letter in his files. He probably decided to just let it go, and realized that a real investigation would reveal the truth about the article. So better to feign indignation, and then drop it. Instead, Jim Garrison went into damage control mode, and turned to Der Spiegel, a very reputable mainstream magazine, who published an interview with him in its May 22, 1967 issue. An entire sidebar discussed QUICK magazine: (The first part discusses another QUICK controversy over a report about Stalin's supposed sexual antics) Here is Don Jordan's translation of the second part of the article that I found in Jim Garrison's files: The interview with Garrison was definitely damage control. By this time, Garrison's focus had moved away from a homosexual conspiracy and towards the CIA - no doubt because the various critics pushed back, and because of the Paese Sera articles in Rome claiming an association between Clay Shaw and the CIA. Here is an excerpt from the journal of Richard Billings: (entry for March 16, 1967) Garrison now interested in possible connections between Shaw and the CIA . . . wants to check his tie to Mario Bermudez, international relations director for late mayor, Shep Morrison . . . Two leads re: CIA tie: article in March issue Humanite supposedly mentions Shaw's Company work in Italy. and an entry from April 3, 1967: Garrison is hot in the CIA angle. You can read more about the Paese Sera articles here. QUICK was mentioned in the Der Spiegel interview: SPIEGEL: Pardon me, there are quite a number of Warren Report critics who have spoken of a second Oswald. GARRISON: I want to tell you this: Of all the magazines, perhaps with the exception of "Quick," and certainly of all the American newspapers, none of them went as far as "Newsweek" in their guesswork. This magazine deserves a special medal for its imaginative excursion into poetry. What "Newsweek" has done is inexcusable. This magazine understands what it's all about, but spreads its wild baseless speculations. SPIEGEL: We are by no means talking about just "Newsweek," there are a whole range of others ... GARRISON: Yes. Concerning "Quick," I surely don't need to tell you what a wild story it was. SPIEGEL: No, we know that. Garrison was referring to a March 13, 1967 story in Newsweek by Hugh Aynesworth which also quoted him talking about homosexuality: "The D. A. insisted he already had proof that Shaw, Ferrie and Oswald were conspirators, but was still looking for a "gay boy" who resembled Oswald who actually fired the fatal shots." and: "Moreover, D. A. Garrison's decision to concentrate on homosexuals, a relatively vulnerable group, tended to produce a line-up of alleged conspirators that much of the public found difficult to take seriously." Garrison had a direct response to the Newsweek quote: SPIEGEL: Mr. Garrison, how have you actually solved the Tippit case? Police officer J. D. Tippit was shot 45 minutes after the president. Since, in your opinion, Oswald did not shoot anyone on November 22nd, 1963 - who was it then ... GARRISON: I don't want to say anything about Tippit. SPIEGEL: ... perhaps a 'gay boy’ who - as it is often said - looked like Oswald? GARRISON: Thank you for asking that, because at no point have we looked for a ‘gay boy’ who looked like Oswald. This is an invention by "Newsweek". This magazine did not concern itself with the facts at all, but used all its power to bring every investigation into the assassination into disrepute. As "Newsweek" describes our investigations - that is very imaginative. Homosexuality only came up two other times in the Der Spiegel interview: SPIEGEL: Was it an anti-Castro conspiracy, a pro-Castro conspiracy, a homosexual conspiracy - or what other conspiracy? GARRISON: The homosexual factor is insignificant. Some authors have blown it up a lot to - let's say - spice up their stories and make more money. But there is a Cuban factor, a very important Cuban factor. Here are some very telling remarks by Garrison: GARRISON: Certainly nobody can accuse me of being a communist. So I feel completely free to say that the Soviet government and press are more interested in the truth, more interested in knowing what actually happened to President Kennedy than the American government and press. SPIEGEL: Is that really an interest in the truth? After all, the Soviet Union has banned the distribution of the Warren Report. GARRISON: Perhaps it didn't meet their literary standards. But to come back to your question about Mrs. Oswald: She is a mother who has lost a son about whom many untrue things have been said, including the remark, which was wrongly attributed to me, that Oswald was a homosexual. That's not true, and I never said that. But it is only one example of the barrage that Mrs. Oswald has to go through. I am sorry for her and I am glad she is interested in a new investigation. Oswald was obviously involved in the affair. But that doesn't mean he shot anyone in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, It's perfectly clear that he didn't. I don't want to say more. Note the fake indignation. Mrs. Oswald is suffering from a false allegation - which Garrison, of course, would never make - and he feels for her. But as we will show in an upcoming post, Garrison would tell another journalist that Oswald was a homosexual. And in a recurring pattern, Garrison would show the same indignation when the journalist reported the allegation. Our next blog post about the QUICK article: Jim Garrison Does it Again! He tells another reporter that Ruby and Oswald were homosexuals and then then attempts damage control. Previous Posts on the QUICK Article Did a Homosexual Conspiracy Kill JFK? Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part One) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Two) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Three)

It's quite possible that Lawrence Schiller wrote the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy that killed JFK. Several clues point to Schiller. First, he was with Jim Garrison in Las Vegas in early March 1967. While there he and Garrison discussed many of the allegations that ended up in the QUICK article: The homosexual conspiracy that killed JFK. A comparison to the Leopold & Loeb murder. Schiller knew about James Dondson being with Shaw in San Francisco during the weekend of the assassination. In addition, Schiller knew that Shaw received a phone call from Richard Randoff [sic]. His real name was Randolph and both the FBI report on the information Schiller volunteered and the QUICK article have the same misspelling. Garrison told Schiller that Ruby's nickname was "Pinkie," which was repeated in the QUICK article. The story about Breck Wall ordering Ruby to kill Oswald was also in both the FBI report and the QUICK article. The story about an offer of lenience to Clay Shaw, if he would turn state's evidence, was also a common theme. A second clue is that Schiller was also privy to a lot of information from the Garrison investigation. When he met Garrison, he was working as a photographer for Life Magazine, and Life was cooperating with Garrison. Richard Billings, a top editor at Life, spent a lot of time in New Orleans, and his journal is full of references to Schiller: March 4 Schiller has guy was with Shaw in San Francisco during assassination . . . Jim Dondson his name . . . Schiller says Garcia Gonzales may show in Fred Kaufman picture taken in Dallas . . . Was arrested . . . March 5 Schiller with Dondson and other gay folks . . . Schiller says a guy named Bob Damron knows a New Orleans businessman who claims to have a job application from Oswald that lists Jack Ruby as a character references [sic] . . . March 6 Schiller with Garrison . . . Schiller says he's heard Oswald was gay, so was Michael Paine, and they did it together . . . Schiller says Guthman told Liebeler it's been known for two months that Bertrand and Shaw are the same man . . . March 8 Schiller reports from New Orleans he talking to Shaw's friends . . . All of Schiller's sources backing Shaw all the way . . . March 28 Schiller in Dallas to recreate picture of Oswald with weapons . . . says he has information that Shaw has used Bertrand name, not as alias, but as a legal name . . . Says Schiller, Bureau reportedly has documents signed by Clay Bertrand and handwriting checks with Shaw's . . . These are supposed to be checks or contracts . . . Schiller also in touch with Liebeler, who has index of all FBI reports . . . (Schiller thinks he may be able to locate picture of Ruby watching motorcade . . . taken by an outpatient at Oak Cliff . . . He also list from Bureau report of all 71 people taking pictures at time) . . . March 29 Schiller tips from Dallas gay source . . . There is another clue that points to Schiller - the sidebar in the QUICK story about problems with the Warren Commission was based upon Schiller's upcoming book, The Scavengers and Critics of the Warren Report. This is what the Warren Commission kept quiet "The Scavengers and Critics of the Warren Report" is what Larry Schiller calls his report, about the people who cashed in on the death of the President, which will be published next week in America. The American author points out that the Warren Commission committed gross errors in the investigation of the Kennedy murder. The main points are: Using Lewis and Schiller's book was a odd choice to base a sidebar on, given the fact that Mark Lane, Edward Jay Epstein and Harold Weisberg all had important books out criticizing the Warren Report. For Schiller, it was handy publicity, no? And while Lewis and Schiller's book is extremely critical of the various Warren Report critics, it is quite flattering to Jim Garrison. Three pages (pages 201 - 203) detail the early stages of the Garrison investigation with none of the skepticism they show towards first-generation critics of the Warren Report. Schiller concludes the section with: "But Garrison, despite a flamboyant manner which caused some skepticism among members of the press, had managed to tap new tools of investigation beyond the scope of the Warren Commission. He explored, for example, hitherto silent forces in the homosexual underground. In Las Vegas, Nevada, Garrison met with a close friend of Shaw, James Dondson, who was with Shaw at the moment Kennedy was assassinated. Garrison attempted to verify statements made by his key witness through the use of hypnosis and sodium pentothal, although it seemed doubtful whether such unproven methods would be reliable enough to obtain convictions." Schiller almost applauds, noting that "The Commission saw no need to utilize such modern sophisticated devices as polygraph tests or drugs, unless requested by its witnesses, although there was nothing specified in their mandate which forbade the use of such modern techniques to corroborate testimony." When Schiller met Garrison in Las Vegas, he could have convinced him that the best way to get the word out was through the European media - just as critics like Mark Lane had found out. Interestingly, Schiller had co-authored short pieces on Jack Ruby that were published in Europe in cooperation with the Ruby family. Here is an FBI report with more details. The only problem for Garrison was that his views evolved from the time he discussed the case with Schiller to the time QUICK magazine was on the newsstands. It is also possible that Schiller acted on his own. After his conversation with Garrison, Schiller dictated their conversations onto a forty-five minute tape recording. He gave the tape to Life Magazine, and then told the FBI about his meetings. It certainly looks like he was working both sides - talking to Garrison and assisting his investigation, and then informing the FBI. But maybe he was just on his own looking for a way to make a buck. Here is a letter, from an apparently informed source, sent to Clay Shaw's lawyer alleging, quite plausibly, that Schiller had a long tape of Garrison's conversation with him: Here is a similar take on Schiller. Lawrence Schiller had the motive, means and opportunity. However, there is one other candidate who also could have written the QUICK article. Tomorrow's Blog Post Did Nerin Gun write the QUICK article? Previous Posts on the QUICK Article Did a Homosexual Conspiracy Kill JFK? Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part One) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Two) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Three) Garrison Disavows the QUICK article Jim Garrison Does it Again - Claims Ruby and Oswald Were Homosexuals Jim Garrison Feigns Indication at the Mention of Clay Shaw's Homosexuality

So far, we have posted a variety of reasons for believing Jim Garrison was behind the QUICK article from April 1967. In addition, there was a story in QUICK which was not in the press, and could only have come from Jim Garrison. It concerned James Dondson, who spent part of the weekend of the assassination with Clay Shaw in San Francisco. "The questioning of Shaw's male lover James Dondson made me even more certain that Shaw was head of the plot. At the very hour Kennedy was killed, Shaw was in bed with Dondson in the same hotel room. A few minutes after the assassination, a certain Richard Randoff called the hotel and told Shaw that Kennedy had been shot. Even though the caller only used the word "shot," it was immediately clear to Shaw that Kennedy was dead. He hung up the phone, turned to Dondson, and said, 'Now I have to call a few people right away.'" Very few people knew that Clay Shaw was with James Dondson the weekend of the assassination. One person who did know was writer and part-time Life Magazine photographer Lawrence Schiller. Here is an FBI report with the details: The story in the FBI report about Dondson matches the QUICK story almost word for word. Even the story about the phone call from Richard Randoff is in both. Shaw received a telephone call at the hotel room on the morning of November 22, 1963, apparently from one Richard Randoff, 435 Frederick Street, San Francisco. In the call, Shaw was advised that President Kennedy had been shot. In Dondson’s opinion, Shaw reacted as though it was an accepted fact that the President had been killed although the news media did not announce the death of the President until about one hour later. Shaw immediately made several telephone calls from the hotel room. The phone call was from a Dick Randolph, not Randoff. Here is an excerpt from the journal of Richard Billings: "Garrison reveals Dondson told him Shaw got word of assassination from a Dick Randolph, who works for the May Company . . . Having Angeloff checking Seattle HQ of hotel chain to locate St. Francis records . . ." Jim Garrison asked Donald Dooty, a friend of Clay Shaw, about this on March 23, 1967: And the story about Dondson meeting Jim Garrison was true - here are two pictures of him with Garrison in Las Vegas: Dondson contacted the defense team after Schiller brought him to Las Vegas where he met Garrison: Very few people knew about Shaw and Dondson. There was no mention of Dondson in the New Orleans newspapers in March and April 1967. There is another part of the QUICK article that again points to Garrison: "But I have reason to believe that Shaw, as the inventor of the plot, tried to keep his active participation in the plot to a minimum, when he learned about Oswald's political connections. It may have been these political reasons or the jealousy of Oswald - in any case, Shaw was not involved in the last phase of the attack. The fact that he planned the plot with Ferrie should be enough to get him ten years in prison. But I am more than happy to let him go if he would help me find the real shooter: Manuel Garcia Gonzales." Schiller's interview of Garrison was written up as a memo. Unfortunately, a copy of that memo is at the Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC) which is currently closed. But we do have a description of that memo from the Peter Vea Index of Garrison materials at the AARC: This memo confirms the FBI report, and has many of the familiar Garrison tropes we have been talking about - the "Pinky" nickname for Jack Ruby; the Breck Wall order to Ruby to kill Oswald; and the JFK assassination as a "thrill killing" like the Leopold and Loeb murder. The story in QUICK points directly to Jim Garrison, and provides clues as to the origin of the article. But more on that later. Our Next Blog Post on the QUICK article Jim Garrison disavows authorship. Previous Posts on the QUICK Article Did a Homosexual Conspiracy Kill JFK? Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part One) Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Two)

There are several other clues which indicate that the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy represented Garrison's views. 1. "I found out that the night Ferrie and his two companions were waiting for a call in Houston and Galveston, a certain Breck Wall was also in Houston and then in Galveston. And now it gets interesting - Breck Wall is a close friend of Jack Ruby's - and oddly enough - Jack Ruby was also a homosexual, word of which has strangely enough to this day not gotten around." and "To get the full picture, one must know that Ruby had debts his whole life, and that he never thought of voluntarily paying off his debts. Now he paid $25 to a strip-tease dancer, hawked part of his nightclub for $2,000, and divided it up among those who had been waiting for months. But besides paying off debts, he did something else: at 11:44 PM he called Breck Wall in Galveston. Today it is evident that Ruby had been given the order from Ferrie through Breck Wall to kill Lee H. Oswald." The story about Ferrie ordering Ruby to kill Oswald through Breck Wall is a longtime Garrison favorite story. We have covered this in detail in this blog post. Garrison also told the same story to James Phelan on March 5, 1967 when they met in Las Vegas. Here is an excerpt from his book Scandals, Scamps and Scoundrels: (Page 148). 2. "I'm going to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald was involved in the plot, but I will also prove that Lee Harvey Oswald didn't shoot alone. The real culprit is Manuel Garcia Gonzales. And the head of the plot is Clay Shaw." and "The fact that he planned the plot with Ferrie should be enough to get him ten years in prison. But I am more than happy to let him go if he would help me find the real shooter: Manuel Garcia Gonzales." The story about Manuel Garcia Gonzales story originated from Dean Andrews who fed Garrison some fictitious names of people 'involved' with Oswald. Garrison became convinced that Gonzales was a triggerman in the JFK assassination: New Orleans States-Item, February 18, 1967 Garrison told his men to find the elusive Gonzales. He sent investigators to Miami and enlisted the support of the Miami Police Department. Eventually, they did find a Manuel Garcia Gonzales - not surprising since it is not an uncommon name: Of course, that wasn't the right Gonzales. Dean Andrews ultimately admitted that he made up the name. Here is an excerpt of an investigative report from the Clay Shaw defense team of an interview with Dean Andrews and Richard Townley on April 19, 1967: Dean Andrews stole the show in the NBC special, "The JFK Conspiracy: The Case of Jim Garrison," when he was questioned about Gonzales: (PDF p. 40; original p. 35) McGee: Where did you get those names? Andrews: Out of the air. McGee: In other words, these names were fictional as far as you were concerned? Andrews: Well, I'm trying to see if this cat's kosher, you know? McGee: So, you just picked two names out of the air? Andrews: Right. McGee: And why did you do that? Andrews: Well, I don't know what he's up to ... he's pickin' me like chicken, shuckin' me like corn, stewin' me like an oyster, I mean he ain't puttin' nothin' down but air, so I give him two names, see which way he's going. McGee: So, you made up two names to see what he was going to do with them? Andrews: Right. McGee: What did he do with them? Andrews: I don't know. He hasn't done anything yet. McGee: Have you had any occasion to have him talk to you about either of those names since then? Andrews: Oh, about two weeks ago on a Saturday, we're talkin' and he picks up a weapon with an item number on it. McGee: What kind of weapon? Andrews: Pistol .. semi-automatic ... black, probably 7.6mm. I didn't examine it and he says that Mannie Garcia Gonzales in Miami or someplace down there, got busted for carrying a concealed weapon. And I told him Mannie Garcia Gonzales was never busted in his life. I didn't believe it. He put the weapon back down, we talked some more, and that was it. I left him. McGee: Did he tell you that this was a weapon that was taken from this man ... Andrews: ... from a Manuel Garcia Gonzales ... I don't know if this Manuel Garcia Gonzales he's talking about is for real, or the Mannie Garcia Gonzales is the name I pulled out of the air, that I couldn't say. McGee: What was your conclusion from that conversation? Andrews: Well, it that's the Manuel Garcia Gonzales that I told him, he got the right Ta-Ta, but the wrong Ho-Ho. Dean Andrews also told the New Orleans grand jury on June 28, 1967 that he made up the name.: Of course, Manuel Garcia Gonzales was never found. The similarity between QUICK and Ramparts from June 1967 is striking. This man, a Cuban exile, was picked out to be the killer. He is still hunted by Garrison. Vanished without leaving a trace: Manuel Garcia Gonzales. 3. "The main investigator who worked for me is one such man (his name is known to the editors). He knows all the gay boys in the French Quarter from his earlier days. He was one of them. He knows how they think, how they feel, and how they react. Although he has been married three times by now, he hasn't forgotten. And he did a good job. He led me to Clay Shaw. And what kind of homosexual this man is has never been in any newspaper before. In his apartment, we found whips and chains, and there was blood on the whips and chains. We found a pair of shoes that previously belonged to a Chinese executioner, and we found a gun." When I first read this paragraph, it wasn't quite clear who Garrison was talking about. Was it Bill Gurvich, or was it Louis Ivon who were chief investigators for Garrison? I quickly realized it was probably Pershing Gervais, who was Garrison's chief investigator in the early 1960s. He played a small role at the beginning of the investigation - we posted his recorded interview with Jack Martin on this blog. There were indeed rumors that he was gay, and that he once owned a gay bar in the French Quarter. Here is an excerpt from a book about Frenchy Brouillette, Mr. New Orleans: The Life of a Big Easy Underworld Legend: (Page 164) "Pershing's resume as a backstabber and sleazeball was humbling. A sample would read: ballot-stuffer, dirty cop, professional informant, sexual deviant, male prostitute, gay bay owner, political bagman, crooked chief investigator for the District Attorney's office, and finally an informant in the Witness Protection Program who later double-crossed the government." and "Pershing invested his whoring profits in the purchase of a gay bar aptly called The Dungeon, which had a reputation for rolling and blackmailing closeted businessmen and politicians." (Page 165) Jim Garrison wrote about Pershing Gervais in his book, On the Trail of the Assassins: (Page 127 - 128) "I felt that a completely honest, "square" D.A.'s office like ours could use a man like Gervais who had once gone wrong and was "born again." We needed some firsthand knowledge of the hidden underworld of the city, and Gervais seemed to know what was happening everywhere from Bourbon Street to the farflung edges of town." and: "During that time, Gervais had been a virtual tourguide for us as we began to strike at the strip joints, gambling operations, and other racketeer activities that had become synonymous with New Orleans." What really solidified it was when I checked notes in the Patricia Lambert files from an interview she conducted with Gervais. She noted that he had been married three times, just like the QUICK article stated. How many people knew all these details about Pershing Gervais in early 1967? It certainly sounds like this came from Jim Garrison. Tomorrow's Post How did QUICK Magazine know about Jim Dondson, a gay man who was with Clay Shaw the weekend of the assassination? Previous Posts on the QUICK Article Did a Homosexual Conspiracy Kill JFK? Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part One)

In the early part of his investigation, Jim Garrison believed that a homosexual conspiracy was behind the JFK assassination. Yesterday's blog post included an article from QUICK Magazine supposedly written by Jim Garrison that discussed just such a conspiracy. I decided not to include the QUICK article in my book, On The Trail of Delusion. I just couldn't be sure the article was legitimate. However, upon reflection it was clear that there was a lot of information in the article that only Garrison would know. In fact, the article resembled the early stories that Garrison told journalists about the case - in particular, Hugh Aynesworth and James Phelan. Garrison's office helped staffer Joel Palmer write his Confidential Magazine article on the "Homosexual Ring That Killed Kennedy." But wait, there's more: Muckraker Jack Anderson, the partner of syndicated columnist Drew Pearson also spent some time talking to Garrison. According to Pearson's March 24, 1967, diary entry, Garrison told Anderson: "The CIA definitely had a plot to assassinate Castro and had approached Clay Shaw, a reputable, wealthy homosexual businessman, as a man who could execute the plot. Shaw was part of a homosexual ring, including Ferrie and Ruby in Dallas." And journalist Merriman Smith interviewed Garrison in late February, 1967. Here is a letter he wrote to the FBI, mentioning Garrison's focus on "high-status fags": There are three other references to homosexuality/S&M in the QUICK article that point directly to Garrison. 1. "The sexually abnormal conspirators had a model for their deed from American criminal history: the Leopold and Loeb case from Chicago. This is my theory." The reference to the Leopold and Loeb murder of Bobby Franks in 1924 is pure Garrison. Richard Billings made this notation in his journal from March 3, 1967: Search of Shaw home produces whips, chains, robe, etc. . . . Giant now convinced it was a sadist plot . . . Has read Marquis de Sade . . . Says sadists escalate from whipping to killing . . . "Shaw is a Phi Beta Kappa sadist," Giant surmises . . . Cuban plot now subsidiary . . . But it provided guerrilla team . . . Ferrie was a butch fag who hired Cubans instead of ex cons . . . Whips give away . . . Leopold Loeb key to whole thing . . . Giant convinced.... . . "I am going to talk to a good psychiatrist -- Bob Heath -- and I will make sadism relevant . . . I'll develop expert testimony that a sadist would have motivation for a Presidential assassination." "He's a sadist, not a masochist . . . The robe and hood prove it . . ." . . . "When he came in yesterday he said nothing, knew no one . . . We asked if he'd take truth serum, and he said he would if he could go home and rest . . . I suspect he wanted to destroy the evidence of sadism . . ." And, Garrison had Assistant D. A. John Volz talk to Dr. Heath: 2. "He led me to Clay Shaw. And what kind of homosexual this man is has never been in any newspaper before. In his apartment, we found whips and chains, and there was blood on the whips and chains." Blood on the whips. Here is an excerpt from a March 3, 1967 entry in the Richard Billings journal: Garrison plans to use sadism evidence found in Shaw's apartment to rebut defense contention of good character . . . And if defense contends he's a peaceful, law-abiding citizen, Garrison will show human blood on whips (?) . . . Garrison wrote about this in his book, On The Trail of The Assassins: (page 147) "Also found by our investigators at Shaw's luxuriously appointed carriage house in the French Quarter were a few more novel items, including five whips, several lengths of chain, and a black hood and matching black cape. The whips had on them what appeared to be dried blood." I am not sure when this first hit the press, but I believe that few people knew about this supposed fact. (And it was never demonstrated that dried blood was indeed found.) In fact, I cannot find one contemporaneous report that dried blood was found. 3. "His 'male girlfriends' called him Pinky. Ruby was so serious about his homosexual tendencies that he had a vagina tattooed under his left upper arm." James Phelan wrote in the May 6, 1967 issue of the Saturday Evening Post that Jim Garrison told him that Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald were lovers and that Ruby's nickname was Pinky. He claims that Garrison told him this on March 5, 1967. Richard Billings also mentions the Pinky nickname, in an entry for March 3, 1967, but sources it to Aynesworth. Giant mentions talking to [Hugh] Aynesworth, who "knows a lot about Dallas." . . . "He knew Ruby for ten years, and he gave me information that he was a faggot, and that his name among faggots was Pinky." It appears that the nickname "Pinky" might have come from Clyde Limbaugh, who told the FBI that he had previously worked for Ruby. Limbaugh had visited Garrison's office on March 2, 1967, and was promptly thrown out of the office. Of course, we don't know everything that Limbaugh told the D. A.'s office. But when he emerged from Garrison's office, he told Washington Post reporter George Lardner that "a queer ring" was behind the assassination. In mid-March, the first reports were coming in to the office about Rose Cherami. A March 13, 1967 memo indicated that she had told Lt. Francis Fruge that Oswald and Ruby were "bed partners." There is no reference to Ruby's nickname in that memo. The next reference to "Pinky" comes from a memo that Lt. Francis Fruge wrote on April 4, 1967: The date of the memo is April 4, 1967 which is one or two days after the QUICK article appeared on German newsstands. It seems more than likely that Limbaugh was the origin of the story. He visited Garrison's office on March 2, 1967, and Garrison then told James Phelan on March 5, 1967. I certainly don't believe that Rose Cherami came up with the nickname - most likely, Francis Fruge was just eager to please his boss. In any event, Garrison heard it from Limbaugh, or perhaps Fruge, and it ended up in QUICK. As for the tattoo on Ruby's arm, well, this originated in a story by Paul Krassner in February 1964 issue of The Realist magazine: Perhaps Jim Garrison heard this from Mort Sahl, who knew both Paul Krassner and Lenny Bruce. It's a ridiculous claim since no homosexual, serious or denying, would do such a thing. Do the above elements prove that Garrison wrote the QUICK article? Well, no, in fact, it seems likely that Garrison gave an interview which ended up, probably with his consent, as a first-person narrative. But who conducted that interview? Tomorrow: Additional proof that Garrison was behind the QUICK article.

From the October 23, 1992, edition of the New York Times: Money quote: Mr. Garrison was a vulgar political survivor. And the perpetrator of what could have been a judicial tragedy. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Jim Garrison Was Jim Garrison a Prophet of the American People? Mark Lane goes overboard. Jim Garrison's "Reign of Terror" William Gurvich said that Garrison wanted Walter Sheridan roughed up. Gaeton Fonzi's Notes from a Discussion with Jim Garrison Garrison feeds Fonzi lots of nonsense. The Bar and Jim Garrison An editorial from the Wall Street Journal on pre-trial publicity. Sylvia Meagher on the Sewer Shot and Jim Garrison Meagher writes Thomas Stamm about Garrison. Jim Garrison and the Media An article from Newsweek about the favorable treatment of Garrison in the media. A Vincent Salandria - Sylvia Meagher Exchange on Jim Garrison Salandria tries to make up with Meagher after their split over Garrison. Oliphant Cartoon of Jim Garrison A cartoon on Clay Shaw's acquittal. Jim Garrison's Great Escape A Tom Bethell article on Garrison. Letters to Jim Garrison A Tom Bethell memo with excerpts from letters sent to Garrison. Sidney Zion on Jim Garrison Some excerpts from Zion's book on Garrison. Jim Garrison's Interview After the Shaw Acquittal Garrison cannot answers the question of why he initially suspected Clay Shaw. Letter to the Editor: Garrison's Follies A good letter to the editor in the San Francisco Examiner. People Were Frightened of Jim Garrison Garrison had a lot of power and people in New Orleans were scared. Dr. Robert McClelland on Jim Garrison McClelland told Weisberg that Garrison was a psychopath. Jim Garrison on Johnny Carson Garrison lied in his book about his appearance on the Tonight Show. Sylvia Meagher's Excerpts from Turner's Article on Jim Garrison Meagher makes fun of Turner's article. The Second Coming of Jim Garrison A good article by Edward Jay Epstein. Garrison, White-Collar Demagogue A good review of Epstein's book on Garrison. GQ Magazine - "The Case Against Jim Garrison" An article on Garrison and letters to the editor. Did Donald Trump Get this from Jim Garrison? Garrison thought he could do anything. Ray Palmer's Letter to Jim Garrison The father of UFOs writes Garrison a letter. Jim Garrison: The Uninquisitive District Attorney Some case studies showing that Garrison couldn't really care to investigate certain leads. Garrison's "total contempt for American justice" A few articles about Stephen Tyler's documentary on Garrison. What Garrison Proved An article from The New Republic after Clay Shaw's acquittal. David Lifton on Jim Garrison Lifton writes Bud Fensterwald about Garrison. Leo Sauvage on Jim Garrison Sauvage writes Bud Fensterwald about Garrison. Jim Garrison's Code and Sylvia Meagher The complete story of Garrison's codebreaking. David Lifton's Memo on Jim Garrison and Kerry Thornley Lifton sent a memo to Warren Commission critics in 1968 about Garrison. Mary Ferrell and Sylvia Meagher Discuss Jim Garrison Excerpts of letters send in 1970 about Garrison. Josiah Thompson on Jim Garrison's Shot from the Sewer Thompson writes the L.A. Free Press about the shot from the sewer. Sylvia Meagher and Dr. Cyril Wecht Discuss Jim Garrison Wecht wasn't happy with Garrison's tactics. William Gurvich's Brother on Jim Garrison Garrison's son writes a letter and Gurvich's brother replies. Garrison's Circus An editorial cartoon on Garrison's investigation. Garrison's Plea Bargains Harry Connick Senior's view of Garrison. Jeremy Gunn on Oliver Stone, Jim Garrison, and Fletcher Prouty Jeremy Gunn of the ARRB made some choice comments on Garrison, Stone, and Prouty. Jefferson Morley Doesn't Understand Jim Garrison's Homophobic Prosecution of Clay Shaw Morley doesn't get Alecia Long's excellent book on Garrison. Jim Garrison Interview on the Mike Wallace Show, September 1967 An interview full of Garrison craziness. "Garrison -- Unfit to Be D.A." A WDSU-TV editorial on Garrison after Shaw's acquittal. Jim Garrison's Dereliction of Duty Garrison ignored his duties to spend time on his JFK assassination investigation. What Ever Happened to Jim Garrison? Oliver Stone's documentary series leaves out Garrison. Jim Garrison - A Spectacular Demagogue A very good article by Haynes Johnson. Jim Garrison's Prosecution was "Demagogic" An article on Garrison from the New York Law Journal. Garrison Claimed the CIA was also Behind the RFK and MLK Assassinations... Garrison was interviewed by Thomas Buchanan after the Shaw trial. Jim Garrison's Shot from the Sewer Garrison's press releases about the sewer shot. A Candid Appraisal of Jim Garrison from the CIA A handwritten note on Garrison. Jim Garrison's Homosexual Shakedown Operation Garrison was blackmailing gay people. Jim Garrison's Ridiculous Interview with the Boston Phoenix More craziness. Jim Garrison's "fatally flawed case built on flimsy evidence." The New Orleans Times-Picayune looks back at the Garrison investigation. Garrison vs. the people An editorial from the Chicago Daily News after Shaw's acquittal. Jim Garrison Discusses The Three Tramps At a conference in New Orleans, Garrison talks about the tramps. When Shaw was Arrested, What Serious Evidence did Garrison have that he Conspired to Kill JFK? The challenge is still open. M. S. Arnoni and Sylvia Meagher Take On Jim Garrison... An article from Arnoni's The Minority of One and some responses. Harold Weisberg on Jim Garrison Excerpts from an interview with Weisberg. Was Jim Garrison Napoleon or Rasputin? Meagher thought he was Rasputin. A Tremendous Paul Conrad Cartoon about Jim Garrison One of the best cartoons ever on Garrison. Garrison's "Cheap, Vulgar Show" An editorial from the Charlotte Observer.

Yup, a conspiracy here too (New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 10, 1972, not June 7 as marked):