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The recent ABC special, "Truth and Lies: Who Killed JFK?", has made Oliver Stone go over the bend. The recent ABC News Special "Truth and Lies: Who Killed JFK?" went to great pains to convince me to appear (along with Jim DiEugenio, who I insisted would join me on the air for "protection purposes," as I made the mistake of giving an interview to Peter Jennings in 2003 that was essentially cut to pieces). I figured this time they'd behave better. DiEugenio was on "for protection purposes." We all know why DiEugenio has to appear with Oliver Stone when discussing the JFK assassination, and that's because Stone doesn't really know the case. Stone has always needed someone by his side for the facts. Here is an excerpt from the New York Times of March 5, 1992, about a panel discussion with Oliver Stone, Edward Jay Epstein, Norman Mailer, Nora Ephron and Christopher Hitchens : In a brief question period, four counter-panelists onstage fired away at Mr. Stone, who relied heavily on a young research assistant at his side who slipped him notes on yellow paper with arcane bits of Kennedy-assassination data. That assistant was Jane Rusconi who helped Stone with his research. Here is another document with a transcript of some pre-interview discussion from the Harry Shearer show in 1991 : Without somebody prompting him, Stone cannot argue the specifics of the JFK assassination. Stone continues with his diatribe against ABC: But they did it again and repeatedly misrepresented who was going to be on the show, and once again, we were stuck in the ridiculous wasted argument about the Single Bullet Theory (SBT), which is pathetically out-of-date given all the new information we've accumulated and presented, covering the period from 1991 when the original "JFK" came out up to now – 2025. ABC repeatedly cut any serious discussion in this complex case of any of the new evidence presented by the Assassination Records Review Board in 1994 or Jim DiEugenio and my documentary of 2021, "JFK Revisited." Instead, they fall back repeatedly on the indefensible SBT and pass this warmed over manure as their proof. The show is a disgrace to those who follow the trail, and because of their wide access and irresponsible use of their TV license, can ONLY be believed by the suckers who still watch America's pathetic version of the news on the main network channels. This is an old, old story with these three networks going back to 1964 with their attack on Mark Lane and defense of the Warren Report without even reading the evidence. They simply edit all dissent by not allowing counter-evidence to be presented honestly. Perhaps ABC realized that Stone's arguments are tired and lacking in believability. Stone thinks the single-bullet theory is "indefensible" but that's just plain untrue. And then he calls the Dale Myers' animation "warmed over manure." Stone is good at insults, but not so good at arguing his case. As for his 2021 documentary, JFK Revisited , well, I wrote many blog posts, and a whole book, debunking its nonsense. Here is my Viewer's Guide to JFK Revisited . And how dare ABC interview Dale Myers in their documentary: You said, more than once, that no one involved in that 2003 ABC program would be involved with this one. That ended up not being true. When it was clear the first question in our interview was about the Magic Bullet, I pulled out immediately from the interview, sensing a set-up. I was furious, reminding you of your promise – that this would be about the information NOW – not then. But, smoothly, you managed to convince me this was not a set-up to prove the Single Bullet Theory. Yet Dale Myers was one of the featured talking heads on the Jennings special. If you recall, he actually made the absurd statement that, through the magic of his computer simulation, the Single Bullet Theory was now the “Single Bullet Fact.” Supposedly, Oliver Stone also insisted that ABC not interview Gerald Posner. And DiEugenio continues in that vein: If I had been fully informed of who was going to be on this show, I would have strongly advised you not to do it. Because, in addition to Philip Shenon — who we were told about the day of filming — there was also Tim Naftali and Dale Myers. Gee, who would be acceptable to them? DiEugenio, of course, brings up the chain of custody of CE399: There was no mention of the chain of custody problem with CE 399, the one we talked about with Henry Lee on "JFK Revisited." The reason they do not want to do this is that it would blow up Myers. "Dale, just what trajectory of what bullet are you diagramming, since its not CE 399?" Also, they never mention the question of which stretcher CE 399 was found on. It was not Connally’s, as proven by Josiah Thompson in Six Seconds in Dallas. And it had to be if Specter’s Single Bullet Theory is to have any validity. There are no chain of custody problems with CE399 . Perhaps DiEugenio forgets his major error in claiming that the initials of Elmer Todd were not on CE399. Bombshell: "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Proven Wrong on Chain of Custody of CE 399 And then DiEugenio is critical of Howard Brennan: How do they place Oswald on the Sixth Floor? Through the testimony of Howard Brennan. This guy has been wrecked so many times, it’s not funny. He gave a full description of the sniper as to height and weight. How could that be if the guy was in a kneeling position, which he had to be in? And why would Brennan then refuse to testify for the HSCA? In fact, he did not even want to be informally interviewed. And he said that if he was summoned, he would hire a lawyer to fight the summons. Brennan has not been "wrecked." What a choice of words. Brennan was very reluctant to testify before the HSCA. He had been profoundly affected by the assassination and his health had deteriorated from the constant attention. Had the HSCA really wanted him to testify they could have brought him to Washington with his wife. The HSCA did issue a subpoena, and here is what Brennan wrote in his book, Eyewitness to History : I was stunned. It was April 28, 1978. For fifteen years this one event had controlled my life, driven me from one corner of the world to the other, played an instrumental part in my heart attack and the break down of my health, been a factor in my early retirement and now they wanted me to go back to Washington and start all over again. The HSCA granted him a two-week delay, and then dropped the matter. I don't know what the HSCA would have learned from having Brennan testify. They had his Warren Commission testimony , and there was really nothing to add. DiEugenio continues with his minutia: They also said that Oswald dashed down the stairs afterwards. How do they know this? No one saw him doing so. And he was notably not out of breath when he was encountered by supervisor Truly and officer Baker. Do we really need a witness? Here is a chart that was compiled by Jerry Dealey which shows the movement of Oswald and others on November 22, 1963: Oswald could have easily beaten the women from the fourth floor down the stairs. And why would Oswald be out of breath? I don't think a 24-year-old former marine, who was in good shape, would be out of breath after going down four flights of stairs. DiEugenio thrives on minutia. And that is why Stone needs him at his interviews. Because the big picture is so damning. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Oliver Stone's JFK Stanley Karnow on Oliver Stone's "JFK" Stone gets an anecdote all wrong. Chicago Tribune  on Oliver Stone's JFK A particularly good review that notices the homosexual angle of JFK . The New Yorker Reviews Oliver Stone's "JFK" Another excellent review. Oliver Stone Gets Away with Nonsense At an event in Dallas, Stone says that someone gave orders to Allen Dulles and James Angleton to kill JFK. Is this the Oliver Stone Contract for the Ricky White Story? Stone was interested in the White story. Daniel Patrick Moynihan on Oliver Stone's 'JFK' A very good opinion piece published in the Washington Post . The Second Coming of Jim Garrison An important article from The Atlantic  by Edward Jay Epstein on Oliver Stone's JFK . David Wrone on Oliver Stone's "JFK" Wrone was a friend of Harold Weisberg's and was also very critical of JFK . Oliver Stone says his "battles continue with the truth" More inane comments on the JFK assassination. Oliver Stone Claims He is Not a Conspiracy Theorist An excerpt from an interview with Chris Wallace. Oliver Stone's Hijacking of History   A good opinion piece from the Boston Globe . Harold Weisberg writes Oliver Stone   Two letters from Weisberg to Stone. Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In Reviews "JFK"   A good review of Stone's JFK . Paul Hoch and Josiah Thompson on Oliver Stone's "JFK"   Two JFK researchers watch Stone's JFK . Washington Post on the 30th Anniversary of Oliver Stone's "JFK"   An interesting look back. Harold Weisberg and Tom Wicker   Wicker reviews JFK  for the New York Times  and Weisberg responds. Boston Phoenix  said Oliver Stone's JFK was "sadly homophobic"   Even this counterculture newspaper knew the truth about JFK. David Lifton Writes to Oliver Stone   David Lifton gave me permission to post this letter. Gary Cornwell on Jim Garrison and Oliver Stone   The Deputy Chief Counsel of the HSCA offers up some opinions. When Tommy Lee Jones met Jim Garrison...   Garrison instructed Tommy Lee Jones on how to play Clay Shaw. Is Oliver Stone's film, JFK , Homophobic?   The Advocate  writes about Oliver Stone and Jim Garrison. I've Been Blocked by Oliver Stone!   This post has a large Robert Sam Anson article on the film JFK  from Esquire  magazine. A New Orleans Look at Oliver Stone's JFK   Pershing Gervais, Garrison's first chief investigator, and reporter Rosemary James report back on the film JFK . George Lardner's internal Washington Post  Memo about Oliver Stone   Lardner writes a memo to his editors about Oliver Stone.

My friend James Lambert has produced an interesting short documentary on conspiracy theory. James made the documentary, Conspiracy Theorists Lie. You can watch the documentary here. Previous Relevant Blog Posts Mae Brussell: Queen of Conspiracy A Paul Krassner article from 1978. Hollywood must bear some blame for the rise of QAnon Oliver Stone played a significant role in the rise of conspiracy theories. Mordecai Richler on Conspiracy Theorists... A Richler article from Playboy Magazine.

Here is a expanded excerpt from my book, I was a Teenage JFK Conspiracy Freak (pages 69 -71). I thought this story illustrated how easy it is to fool people with over-the-top factoids. It was all good fun but yet today, many conspiracy theorists trade in just as ridiculous factoids that aren't meant to be satirical. While the early critics of the Warren Report were deadly serious, two writers decided to add a bit of fun to the proceedings. Jacob Brackman and Faye Levine wrote a book review of a couple of non-existent books: Time of Assassins by Ulov G. K. Leboeuf and Oswald: Patsy without Portfolio by Leopold Zaftig, in the November 1966, issue of Ramparts. Editor Warren Hinckle published the review without any indication of the fictitious nature of these 'books.' They noted that “During three years of painstaking research, Leboeuf read the Warren Commission’s 26 volumes 13 times through, studied the published works of Epstein, Weisberg, Lane, Salandria, Cook, Ford, Buchanan, Yossarian, and Holmes—as well as their first drafts—and spent six months with FBI officers as they gather their information on biweekly forays to Jack Ruby’s strip emporium. Furthermore, Leboeuf made an impressive collection of hitherto unexplored documents, including the Dallas-Irving 1960 tax assessor’s records and 1960-1963 telephone directories, the ledgers for the month of November 1963 and several Irving retail stores, including Hutchinson’s grocery (scene of the much-discussed cinnamon roll purchases), the Sports Drome Range, the Ford-Lincoln agency, and the notorious Tsien-Huang’s hand laundry.” Leboeuf found evidence of five different Oswalds, “the four going by the name L.H. Oswell, H.L. Oswill, Lee R.V. Isabell, and Oswald Harby” and the evidence indicates that “Lee Harvey Oswald was the only one of the five who was not a crack shot; that it was L.H. Oswell, and not Oswald, who took the often-discussed trip to Mexico in September, he having the greatest resemblance to Lee Harvey among the four and being already known to a certain few Mexican girls…” However, “it is only in Volumes III and IV that Leboeuf really pulls out the stops. It is only here, among the murky Exhibits of the gigantic Volume III (Exhibit 226, III:682: a James Beard cookbook from the pantry of Peggy Goldwater with a recipe for cinnamon rolls circled in red; Exhibit 252, III:654: a comic book retrieved from a Mexican house of ill-repute with the name “Oswell” scrawled on it), that the scrupulously academic reader might have occasional doubts over the unorthodox, even manic, spirit with which Leboeuf has conducted his investigations.” And, as for the actual conspiracy, well, Leboeuf “presents convincing new evidence linking a number of prominent millionaire conservatives, as well as a few beer, oil and birth control trusts, with the plot. The case for an inside job is persuasive, if not incontrovertible.” Sylvia Meagher did not take kindly to this review, and she wrote Ramparts a letter: Raymond Marcus sent Ramparts this telegram: Ramparts issued an apology in its January 1967, issue : There were also letters to the editor (including the one above from Meagher) : Warren Hinckle, the editor of Ramparts, wrote about this spoof in his book, If You Have a Lemon, Make Lemonade : (starting at page 227) And here is that review from the Boston Globe, which remarked that Olav was a "critic of undetermined reliability" : The Hartford Courant of November 6, 1966, also mentioned the Leboeuf book: Herb Caen mentioned the controversy in his column for the San Francisco Chronicle of November 23, 1966: And, finally, Ramparts got sued for its satire: (pages 229 - 230 in If you Have a Lemon, Make Lemonade ) The book that upset Tomlinson, Was Oswald Alone? , exists : Previous Relevant Blog Posts Sylvia Meagher's Ode to the District Attorney of New Orleans Meagher tries her hand at being a poet. Limericks from the Clay Shaw Trial Some limericks by James Kirkwood from the trial of Clay Shaw.

My annual visit to Dallas for the commemoration of the JFK assassination was a mixed bag. It was great to see all of my JFK friends, but Dealey Plaza was, once again, a complete travesty as two cults vied for prominence. The first stop on the trip was to a service road near Midlothian Texas where there is a marker for Lee Bowers, who died in a car crash in 1966. Bowers worked in the Union Terminal Company's two-story interlocking tower behind the parking lot next to the Texas School Book Depository. He thought there were three shots but was unable to say where they came from because of echoes in the plaza. You can read more about Lee Bowers here. Researcher Dave Perry investigated Bowers' death. Researcher Marshall Evans put up the marker in 2017. I donned my CIA hat and gave a short talk about Bowers: Then it was off to lunch at Penn to Paper, a restaurant that commemorates Penn Jones and his newspaper The Midlothian Mirror . Inside the restaurant: Then it was off to Dealey Plaza: Bill Brown on the left with Robert Weingartner. Imagine my surprise to see this graffiti on the back of the picket fence on the grassy knoll. We then went to the Dallas Trade Mart where JFK was supposed to speak on November 22, 1963: From left: Freda Dillard, Robert, Weingartner , Ed Murray, and Fred Litwin On Thursday morning we went back to Dealey Plaza and I donned my CIA hat to make some videos. This one was about the umbrella man and it will be uploaded shortly: Here is the entrance to the ramp which Jack Ruby used on his way to shoot Oswald: A view down the ramp: Ruby shot Oswald right where the grease mark is in the middle of the photo slightly to the right. Imagine our surprise when we saw a robot just strolling down the street for a delivery: Just down the block is the former Western Union office where Jack Ruby wired money to one of his strippers on the morning of November 24, 1963. It's now an empty storefront, but the Western Union mosaic is still there: Then we went to Kaufman, Texas to visit with Mary Moorman, who is now 93 years old: Of course, Mary took this famous photograph, just before the fatal head shot: Here is Mary with Toni Glover who was a witness in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963, when she was eleven years old. They both remember three shots. On Friday morning, Steve Roe and I were interviewed for the Oral History Project at the Sixth Floor Museum: Steve donated a copy of the magazine with the ad for the revolver that Oswald ordered through the mail. Then it was time for a short tour of Dealey Plaza by Jerry Dealey. Here is a photograph of the lovely Janet Banister, who is the grand niece of Guy Banister: Here is Jerry conducting the tour: Jerry's knowledge of the TSBD is second to none. Then to Tenth and Patton where Bill put some finishing touches on the X where Tippit was shot: In the afternoon, we stopped at the Texas Theater but it was closed. This event did sound interesting: Then a quick visit to the rooming house: Here is the living room with the actual furniture from 1963: Oswald's bed: On Saturday morning, November 22nd, we were off to Dealey Plaza: This cult celebrating the "real JFK Jr." was out in force: Here is the real JFK Jr: I joined in the fun: Here is a video of JFK Jr. and his story: The real JFK Jr. with Judyth's cutout of JFK: This fellow is always on the sidewalk in Dealey Plaza: My friend Eric Dezenhall had the best comment about this photograph: The prisoner of belief. At 10:18 AM, Judyth started setting up for her show: The man with a beard is Kris Millegan, the publisher of Trine Day Books. Robert Groden has the microphone: A Secret Service man with a JFK Jr. groupie: Gary Fannin and Tim Brennan had a table and they were selling their silly books. They think that there were 11 shots that day in Dealey Plaza: At about 12:10 PM, some incredibly beautiful cars drove down Elm Street: It was quite an auto show, and everybody's attention turned to them, rather than listening to Judyth. She was quite pissed and told the crowd it was intentional provocation. At 12:30 PM, they tried to stop traffic: Judyth then gave out flowers: Once again, it was a total travesty. The speeches from Judyth and her associates were just ridiculous conspiracy nonsense. She was also angry at the procession of the cars and the fact that the JFK Jr. crowd were all over the plaza. It was a clash of cults, and we were all losers in the fight. I don't know if I want to go back to Dealey Plaza for another commemoration. It's all so stupid and it's just become a ridiculous narcissistic display. Later that afternoon, we went to the Sixth Floor Museum for an interview with Bob Jackson, a former photographer for the Dallas Times-Herald . He donated 15,000 photographs to the Sixth Floor Museum. Here is Bob Jackson, who is now 91 years old, with Stephen Fagin, and you can see Jackson's famous photograph. Here is a photograph of Barry Goldwater: Here I am with Darwin Payne, a former reporter for the Dallas Times-Herald : This woman was also in Dealey Plaza last year: Then we met a rather sane guy on the knoll who was explaining the single-bullet theory. He was with a friend, and both of them had gone to school with John Hinckley, and they had their high school yearbook: Hinckley is in the second row. Previous Relevant Blog Posts My Trip to Dallas My 2024 trip to Dallas. A Travesty in Dealey Plaza My 2023 trip to Dallas. The CIA's Dinner in Dallas   Our terrific dinner at El Fenix in Dallas. My Research Trip to NARA My 2023 trip to College Park. My Trip to New Orleans My JFK buddies and I visited New Orleans.

Brian Roselle has some very interesting ideas on the timing of the first shot fired by Lee Harvey Oswald. 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 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.

Mark Lane's mugshot from his arrest in Mississippi. See below for further information. Here is an article from the May 7, 1962, edition of the New York Post . Mark Lane was trying to win the Reform nomination for the 19th district of New York State for the House of Representatives in D.C.: New York Post, May 7, 1962 Lane would go on and lose this vote. Here is the report written by the five residents: Money Quote : While some newspaper readers have been impressed by Lane's publicity, other readers have had second thoughts aroused by the very frequency of his public pronouncements and the multiplicity of his commitments, and have wonders if this might not point to a zeal for publicity rather than for a passion for justice. Money Quote : But this is not all. Mr. Lane adds a further deception. "Mark Lane Story" leaves the impression that Lane was the only lawyer in the case. In actual fact, a majority of the defendants were represented by other lawyers, none of whom advertised his legal defense as an act of unparalleled courage and virtue. Only Mr. Lane has invested it with such an aura. Money Quote : After 4 years in East Harlem, Lane left in his wake, not (as Lane to the New York Post) "a solid reputation for community service ... in East Harlem (and) also in Yorkville", but a trail of angry Negro and Puerto Rican people who complain of his indifference, especially after he exploited the newsworthiness of a case. Any number of persons in the very community he represents are scathing in their denunciation of the quality of his legal representation and his preoccupation with self-glorification. Money Quote : The last sentence in the above quotation [he advised hundred of tenants in rent cases without fee.] is only one of several variations Lane produces: in "Mark Lane Story", Lane alleges to have not merely advised, but represented "hundreds" of tenants in Easy Harlem, and "over 4 thousand" tenants in Yorkville ... all without fee. He even labels himself "the busiest unpaid lawyer on New York's changing East Side." We are not told about the quality of his representation. We are not told that most of those tenants were represented through Congressman Alfred E. Santangelo's Congressional office by Lane, who was paid to do so by Santangelo , as part of Lane's duties as an administrative Secretary. Money Quote : The man who depicts himself as "lawyer for the underdog" is thus the same man who has so frequently exploited the troubles of his Negro and Puerto Rican clients for their headline publicity value. How many people have taken the trouble to question any of Lane's clients to find out what happened to their cases once they were no longer newsworthy? Lane took advantage of the fact that many of clients were poor and often unaware of the ways and means of seeking restitution. Money Quote : What actually did Mr. Lane do in the effort to open city hospital beds for addicts? He made an unsolicited appearance on a picket line which had been organized by the East Harlem Protestant Parish Narcotics Committee. This effort on the part of the Narcotics Committee was the culmination of years of struggle, none of which Mr. Lane contributed to or participated in. In fact, this struggle continues to this very moment, since only the smallest fraction of progress has been made toward opening hospital beds for addicts. But the impression Mr. Lane leaves in the above quotation is that the battle has been won -- his publicity blurbs claim a victory which ironically has not yet been gained. Money Quote : He secured wide press coverage as a volunteer attorney for the sit-down demonstrators. The sit-down and subsequent police action became the main focus of the news stories on the following day. After volunteering his services to those "herded into paddy wagons" he later informed them that he personally had arranged to secure their bail. This was simply untrue. It was not Lane who secured their bail. Independently of Lane, it was secured by Mr. Jim Spicer of the Living Theater. At the time of the hearing before the Judge, Lane antagonized a large number of the defendants by appearing and making what they describe as a political harangue, with the result that a number felt he had seriously jeopardized their case. His conduct in court was seen as a calculated play for headlines. This single appearance was the extent of Lane's "tireless" work on behalf of his clients. They have all since retained other counsel . The result of this episode is that some people identify Lane with the peace issue, not only as "fighter for peace" but as defender of anyone connected with the "fight for peace." Money Quote : In the summer of 1961, at a time when thousands of valiant people were struggling in sit-ins and Freedom Rides in the South, Mr. Lane, in a widely heralded excursion took a plane down South, having first given advance notice to the press that he had wired the Attorney General of a projected "Freedom Bud Ride Bus Trip to Montgomery and Jackson, Miss." (NY Post 6/61) Once in the South, Mr. Lane granted interviews and remained long enough to be arrested in the lunchroom of the Jackson, Mississippi airport. At his court appearance at which "everyone, from the Judge down was extremely courteous," (NY Post 8-16-61) Mr. Lane requested the court clerk to speed his appearance before the Judge in order to "fly back for speaking engagements." The request was "politely and ... affably granted, (NY Post 8-16-61) Mr. Lane flew back to New York as a conquering defendant. It is interesting to note that in contrast to the abuse meted out to genuine Freedom Riders, Mr. Lane was offered "every courtesy". (NY Post 6-9-61). This was the quality and extent of his much publicized Freedom Ride. Money Quote : There has been no visible continuation of a serious effort for integration in the South on Mr. Lane's part, or participation in the problems remaining in the wake of his quick jaunt. There has been no visible result of his visitation except to endow him in the minds of some with "qualifications" as a Freedom Rider, and to add glitter to his image. Money Quote : Apparently Lane did not care to stand behind his alleged record as a fighter for Negroes and Puerto Ricans in an area that was predominantly white. Indeed he did worse than remaining silent, he actually denied his own campaign material. Money Quote : It is clear that the pattern of Lane's methods involves a dramatic play for publicity and the substitution of verbal assertion for solid achievement. Lane's handing of issues has a hit-and-run character. His first move is to alert the press in order to focus maximum publicity upon the fact that he has discovered evil. He then makes wide-ranging charges and accusations without substantially investigating whether or not they are accurate. After exploiting the news for a period of time so that his name appears in the press daily, and he is identified by many as confounding evil, he withdraws or shifts his ground. He does not remain long enough to settle or solve anything, but rushes off to attack on another front. Money Quote : But, unlike most politicians, Lane seems to measure his success by the amount of hostility he generates in his opposition so that he can be viewed by the public as a figure standing alone. His attacks will invariably arouse hostility because, although they often involve real grievances and some contain an element of truth, he weaves into this smearing and unfair allegations -- which inevitably provoke hostility precisely because they are unfair. The real merit of any issue, then, is buried beneath an unessential skirmish and a battle over side questions. This has the effect of throwing against him, and, more important, against the issue he is raising, many people who might otherwise lend it their support. The very destructiveness of his assault alienates people who become offended by his methods of attack. The result is that issues which might gain wide support, become increasingly confused and controversial as Lane's name becomes associated with them. Money Quote : It has been seen in this document that Lane's technique is to create a picture of himself intervening at THE crucial point in important issues and singlehandedly forcing a solution. The first exaggeration (that he intervened in an essential way) is then compounded by adding a second: that a solution has been reached. Why is this dangerous? It is dangerous because a man in political leadership seeking personal glory at the expense of the issues weakens immeasurably the struggle itself. Moreover, perhaps just as serious is the impression fostered by Lane that the issues are in good hands, indeed, that he has SOLVED them. He thus lulls and disarms those who are attempting to reach solutions. Because so many people are not in a position to have intimate knowledge of the many facts involved in particular issues, they accept Lane's interpretations and prognoses, and his pose as the number one fighter for their common cause. It's amazing to think that this document was written in 1962. The descriptions of Lane mirror what many people would say after he got involved in the JFK assassination. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Mark Lane Should We Blame Mark Lane? Some ads for Lane's film Rush to Judgment. In Defense of the Warren Commission A Garry Wills opinion piece on Mark Lane. Victor Navasky Reviews Mark Lane's "A Citizen's Dissent" Navasky tests Lane's book and finds it wanting. Mark Lane and Jonestown A New York Times profile of Lane and his involvement with Jonestown. New York Times Profile of Mark Lane An apt profile. Nightmare Brought to Life An opinion piece by Anthony Lewis in the New York Times  on Mark Lane and Jonestown. Mark Lane, Again An opinion piece from the Washington Post Mark Lane: A Bent for the Macabre Side A good opinion piece from the Philadelphia Bulletin . Sylvia Meagher Corresponds with Philippe Labro Meagher tells Labro a story about Mark Lane. Mark Lane and The Progressive Even a left-wing magazine like The Progressive  found Mark Lane hard to take. Mark Lane on Clay Shaw Mark Lane's addition to the 1992 edition of Rush to Judgment is eye opening. Mark Lane on the Joe Dolan Show Lane tells Dolan about Garrison's amazing evidence. Did the CIA Try to Kill Mark Lane?   Lane makes a startling allegation. Mark Lane: The Left's Leading Hearse-Chaser   A profile from Mother Jones  magazine. Mark Lane vs. Sylvia Meagher   Lane and Meagher feuded about a blurb for her book. The Case Against Mark Lane   A profile from Esquire Magazine . Mark Lane saw a conspiracy - as usual   An article from the Tampa Bay Times . The Mark of Zorro   An Anthony Lewis column on Mark Lane from 1978. Mark Lane's Scholarship!   Howard Roffman finds that Mark Lane's scholarship is lacking. Mark Lane, Conspiracy Addict   A profile of Mark Lane in Newsweek . Mark Lane offers to introduce Jim Garrison to "Mr. Candy"   Mark Lane offers to introduce Jim Garrison to a witness that, for $25,000, would tie Jack Ruby with Clay Shaw. Redactions, Redactions, Redactions...   This post has a good case study of how Mark Lane exploited a redaction in a document.

This article appeared in The Sun , first in 1969 and then in 1973: The Sun, July 18, 1973, a newspaper in Tangipahoa Parish. Murray posits a conspiracy at the end of his article that is just plain ridiculous. Clay Shaw was chosen as a sacrificial goat in order to destroy Garrison so that there will never be another inquiry into the JFK assassination. It's bad enough that he wrote this article in 1969 but to reprint it in 1973 is bizarre. Clay Shaw saw Murray's article and wrote this letter to his lawyer, Ed Wegmann: Clay Shaw's last paragraph refers to his $5 million lawsuit against Jim Garrison. Unfortunately, Shaw died a year later before his suit could be heard, and because he had no heirs, the suit could not continue. The Clay Shaw Series Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part One The setting in New Orleans Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Two The DOJ is told not to get involved. The FBI follows suit. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Three Ed Wegmann goes to Washington. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Four The CIA gets involved. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Five Wegmann goes back to Washington with Irvin Dymond. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Six Wegmann files a civil rights complaint with the Department of Justice. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Seven Wegmann files a forty-five-page complaint in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Eight Clay Shaw's Acquittal; New Charges; and Wegmann Goes Back to the Department of Justice. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Nine The new Department of Justice, under President Nixon, considers Shaw's new civil rights complaint. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Ten Conclusion -- and a case study in how a conspiracy theorist gets it wrong on Clay Shaw. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Clay Shaw The Dark Side of "Not Guilty" A Rosemary James' profile of Clay Shaw. Clay Shaw Writes Rod McKuen, Part Two A letter written just before Shaw's death. Clay Shaw Writes Rod McKuen Shaw writes about the Supreme Court decision stopping his prosecution. Clay Shaw Deserves an Apology Oliver Stone needs to apologize for re-victimizing Clay Shaw. Rod McKuen's Tribute to Clay Shaw   A lovely tribute read at Clay Shaw's funeral. 1972: Jim Garrison Releases Crazy Statement After the U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against Him.   Here is Jim Garrison's full statement on the ruling. The Christenberry Decision   Here is Judge Christenberry's ruling on Garrison's prosecution of Clay Shaw for perjury. The Wisdom Decision   Judge Wisdom upheld Judge Christenberry's decision. Relevant Past Blog Posts on Clay Shaw's Acquittal The New York Times on Clay Shaw's Acquittal   An editorial from the March 2, 1969 edition of the New York Times . Washington Post Editorial on the Acquittal of Clay Shaw   Their editorial from March 4, 1969. Garrison vs. the people   An editorial from the Chicago Daily News  right after the acquittal of Clay Shaw. Sylvia Meagher Congratulates Clay Shaw On His Acquittal   A nice letter from Sylvia Meagher. Clay Shaw's Acquittal   Reactions from the newspapers in New Orleans. When will Oliver Stone Admit he was Wrong about Clay Shaw?   It's time to admit that Clay Shaw had nothing to do with the JFK assassination.

Hat Tip: Jerry Shinley. Back in 2000, researcher Jerry Shinley found a description of a voter registration drive in Clinton, Louisiana in the CORE papers which matched a statement of Clinton witness Henry Palmer. Here is a a field report of a registration event from October 10, 1963: Early this morning we had 14 people at the house ready to go to the registrars office at 8:00 A.M. The[y] walked from Mama Jo's [Josephine Holmes] house to the registrars office. By the end of the day 24 persons had attempted to register; however, not one of them passed. Complaint forms were made out for all. It was reported that the registrar left his office for a short period. The entire operation was handled by local CORE people. Verla Bell and Loria Davis were in charge, and did quite a nice job. They are able to run this phase of the program alone from here. According to this interview with Clinton witness Corrie Collins, Verla Bell was at the drive: Sciambra wrote her first name as Verna rather than Verla. October 10th was a Thursday, and Collins remembers Thursday as the most likely day of the week. In his second report, Collins says that both Verla Bell and Laura [sic] Davis were at the drive: Shinley notes that this account matches some of Henry Earl Palmer's recollections: Palmer remembered "a long line of colored people lined up to register ... " He also remembered the date as being the 6th or the 7th which is pretty close to the 10th. The only other drive in Clinton was on August 23, 1963. Here is Verla Bell's report of a event on August 23, 1963 : Shinley notes that "this doesn't match the description of a long line of people waiting when the registrar's office opened." And, of course, Oswald could not have been in Clinton on October 10, 1963, as he was already back in Dallas from his trip to Mexico City. There certainly might be additional information in CORE archives beyond what is online. . Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton Witnesses A Summary of the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses A summary of the story and links to my 19-part series on Clinton/Jackson The Witnesses The Witnesses from Clinton and Jackson, Louisiana   Part One: The witnesses testify at the trial of Clay Shaw. Clay Shaw's Attorneys Rebut the Clinton Witnesses   Part Two: A response to the allegations made by the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. Why Did the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Not Come Forward? Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964. Did Reeves Morgan Contact the FBI?   Part Eleven: Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI right after the JFK assassination. But did he really? The Local Environment A Backgrounder to East Feliciana Parish and the Politics of the Early 1960s   Part Three: A look at racism and the politics of the early 1960s. The Clinton/Jackson Witnesses and the Ku Klux Klan   Part Four: Many of the witnesses were either members of the KKK or sympathizers. The Origin of the Stories The Origin of the Clinton/Jackson Stories   Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from? Was there a story about the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses in 1966?   Part Nine: Lee McGehee, the barber in Jackson, claimed that the racist newspaper The Councilor  wrote about the Clinton/Jackson witnesses in 1966. No one has been able to find the article. The Garrison Investigation Who was Anne Dischler?   Part Seven: Dischler was an investigator for Garrison who was teamed up with Lt. Francis Fruge of the Louisiana State Police. Was David Ferrie in Clinton?   Part Eight: The evidence that David Ferrie was in Clinton is poor. The Missing Evidence of Clinton/Jackson Part Thirteen: All the physical evidence that could corroborate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses has vanished. I wonder why. What Ever Happened to Estus Morgan and Winslow Foster? Part Fifteen: Corrie Collins identified Estus Morgan as one of the people who exited the black Cadillac to go and register. Winslow Foster might have been the other person in the car. Inconsistencies in the Story Corrie Collins -- A Very Pliable Witness   Part Ten: Corrie Collins continually changed his story about what happened in Clinton. Did Lee Harvey Oswald Live with a Doctor in Jackson?   Part Twelve: Henry Earl Palmer told a ridiculous story about Oswald claiming he was living with a doctor in Jackson. Henry Earl Palmer and Judge John Rarick Part Fourteen: Henry Earl Palmer told Andrew Sciambra that Judge John Rarick was there when the black Cadillac visited Clinton. Author Don Carpentered mailed Rarick in 2007 to ask him. His answer is revealing. Additional Inconsistencies in the Clinton/Jackson Story Part Sixteen: Some witnesses saw other people in Clinton that day; Manchester's poor memory; and a look at whether the Cadillac's registration was checked in Baton Rouge. The HSCA The HSCA and the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses, Part One Part Seventeen: The HSCA investigation of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses was poor and incomplete. The HSCA never even figured out that Anne Dischler was the Garrison investigator that did most of the work in Clinton. She was not called to testify and the HSCA never examined her notes. The HSCA and the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses, Part Two Part Eighteen: Corrie Collins was interviewed by the HSCA but was asked very few questions. He was not asked about Estus Morgan, Winslow Foster, and why his story continually changed during the initial investigation. Did Lt. Francis Fruge Put the Story Together? The Secrets of Anne Dischler Part Nineteen: Anne Dischler held many secrets about Lt. Francis Fruge

Jack Martin This audiotape, made by Jack Martin in May of 1967, shows that he was trying to entrap the reporters working on a NBC documentary that would expose Jim Garrison. In May 1967, Walter Sheridan was in New Orleans working on a documentary for NBC that would ultimately air in June. He was assisted by the local affiliate WDSU and Rick Townley was the reporter who helped him. Here is the actual NBC documentary which was broadcast on June 19, 1967: Jack Martin could be the considered the "godfather" of the Garrison investigation. During the weekend of the assassination, he tried his best to link David Ferrie, because of a grudge, to Oswald and the assassination. He didn't have any evidence but he called the FBI, the Secret Service, the FAA, the newspapers and anybody he could think of. When Garrison started his probe in the fall of 1967, one of the first people he called, after Dean Andrews, was Jack Martin, who was only too happy to tell him a variety of crazy stories. Exclusive: Jim Garrison Talks to Jack Martin   Links to a audio recording, and a transcript, of a Jim Garrison interview with Jack Martin from December, 1966. The above tape was recorded by Jack Martin -- and it was found, amongst many others, by Harry Connick after Garrison vacated the District Attorney's office. Connick donated his collection of tapes to the National Archives. There are several phone calls on this tape -- all recorded by Jack Martin, and they were meant to help Jim Garrison prove malfeasance on the part of the NBC reporters. Martin phones Aaron Kohn of the Metropolitan Crime Commission; his lawyer Steven Plotkin, and Rick Townley of WDSU. Martin claims he has information that would seriously damage Jim Garrison's investigation and that Garrison would retaliate if he went public. So, Martin tries to get assurances of money for his defense, and some of sort of promise that NBC would back him up. As you can see from the tape, there are no promises made to Martin. Kohn is very explicit that the only guideline he could give Martin was to tell the truth. Townley repeatedly says they don't pay people for information. At the end of the tape, Martin dictates exactly what he was doing, and that he was going to feed a story to Townley while recording him at his house All he succeeded in doing was to prove that the Walter Sheridan and Rick Townley were honest men conducting an honest investigation. The speaker is Jack Martin. This information here is to substantiate the fact that various people connected with a Garrison probe are being bought off by NBC. You hear that? Are being bought off by NBC or other persons involved, and there has been some [?} to corroborate this fact. When Mr. Townley calls at my house this evening, I intend to hang a story on him, a figment of imagination with several half-truths in it, that he'll believe what I have to say. To see whether or not, they'll buy or pay money or make promises for some type of something in compensation for this, and this is strictly an investigation to prove for Mr. Garrison and the court, the people, that what he's doing is absolutely right, and that these other people are trying to influence and entirely impede a legitimate and legal investigation. Anything I say to Mr. Townley can be taken with a grain of salt, because this is strictly a story that I'll have to hang on him and this will be transcribed, or we will attempt to transcribe this on a tape, which will be planted in a couch in my living room at the time he visits me at eight o'clock this evening Here is the first telephone conversation -- Jack Martin with Aaron Kohn, head of the Metropolitan Crime Commission of New Orleans: Unknown voice : This is a check to see if the machine is working properly, Testing one, two, First phone call: (0:50) Woman's voice : Hello. Jack Martin : Is Mr. Kohn there, please? Aaron Kohn : Yeah. Jack Martin : Aaron? Sorry to bother you early in the morning. Aaron Kohn : Oh, you're sorry to bother me. Jack Martin : Yeah. However I got to call Rick Townley a just little before nine. You know Rick Townley with WDSU? Aaron Kohn : Yeah. Jack Martin : And what is your able counsel or advice, I won't say advice, but just want to chat with you before I talk with him. I talked with this boy -- he's called me several times. And as you know WDSU is compiling a background, or they might do a commentary on this Garrison business, you know. Aaron Kohn : Uh-huh. Jack Martin : Either way it goes, I'm going to be the shadowy figure again or something or other. That's probably the projection on it. Without doubt, without doubt or reservation, I could give the man a shit fit, worse than Novel [Gordon] ever did. I don't know whether to pursue it in that direction or exactly what to do. Aaron Kohn : Jack, there's a time for telling the truth. Well, if you haven't been telling it in the past ... Jack Martin : Well, that isn't necessarily the case. Aaron Kohn : I don't know, I don't know what you said. All I know is there's a time for telling the truth, and you've gotten yourself into more trouble with playing around the edge of exaggeration, Jack Martin : Well, there hasn't been any exaggeration to speak of. But the deal is that there's a lot more to the whole picture than ever been told. Without doubt, Garrison knows that I know a helluva lot more than I've ever said. You understand? Aaron Kohn : Hmm. Jack Martin : And I could, but I didn't want to ... I don't want to start on anything. Aaron Kohn : You don't want to start .. You started something four years ago. Jack Martin : Well, I know. But five, five years, I didn't start it. I started a long time before then. The thing is that without doubt I can probably give him the worst time than Novel and a half a dozen other people could, probably ... Aaron Kohn : Jack, you keep talking about giving people bad time. Why don't you just settle down for once, in a long time, on saying something just because it's true, and forget about ... Jack Martin : Well, it is .. I mean it's a whole picture, you see, it's a whole picture, you know, and it would probably, without any doubt at all, it would bring another fellow in, if he'll talk, you know ... Aaron Kohn : What? Jack Martin : It'll bring at least one other fellow, if not two others, into it. If they'll talk, it'll bring everything to an abrupt halt. I mean an abrupt halt. I've got some things that are pretty big I could talk about, but ... it would probably bring this whole thing to an abrupt halt. But I still wouldn't want, I don't want to. The trouble is that if I do this, I'll be fighting Garrison, you understand, or you'll jump all over me. He'll give me a worse time than he ever gave [Gordon] Novel. He says, I'll give him the magnitude of my trouble -- it will be a helluva lot greater than Novel's. I gotta, I gotta, I just have to be at the tender mercies of Mr. Garrison, unless some people will give me some backing on it, you know. I don't know how strong, I'll be standing out there alone, alone like a sore thumb. We're a pimple on a whore's tit, well, I don't want that to happen to me. Aaron Kohn : You're not going to be standing out alone if you tell the truth, because the truth ties together. The trouble with what's been going on now there's been many many lies that create a structure of ... Jack Martin : Well, you see, the thing that I have told, the only thing is that the man might have known Oswald, and at the same time, I had not told the FBI, the Secret Service, that I had known that he knew him. You know, which is true. I mean it was two minor occasions but, without doubt, the man knew Oswald, and that's all. But there were ... Aaron Kohn : What old man knew Oswald? Jack Martin : Dave [Ferrie], you know, which is true. He did - so what. He's met him. He'd run into him. He knew him, and that's all. That's all I have been able to give Garrison. That's all I have given him so far. But I haven't given him anything that other people haven't, you see. But there's some other -- that doesn't mean anything. You could have met him. That doesn't mean a damn thing, you know. The man was in the city, and, but, the thing is that, of course, this has been more or less established -- good chance that he did know him. But there are other things that I could talk about and I say I could, I'm telling you what I know, give Mr. Garrison -- probably blow his whole investigation, especially if it would, it would naturally would involve one other person. That their word would probably be taken far more so than mine. They'd substantiate it. Then if another person would come in, I'll have to talk to them. It would doubly -- they'd have three different person there saying the same thing. Aaron Kohn : Jack, the only thing I can say to you is you have a great propensity for getting yourself into trouble. Jack Martin : Well, I'm already in trouble. There's nothing they can say about me that hasn't .. Aaron Kohn : Now, just a minute. You have a great propensity for getting into trouble. Jack Martin : Hmm mm. Aaron Kohn : And I tell you that most of your trouble comes out of the fact that you play games constantly. Jack Martin : I'm not playing any games. Aaron Kohn : You play games constantly. Jack Martin : I'm not playing games right this minute. Aaron Kohn : You just love to drop out little bits of the truth and see how much trouble, confusion it can cause. Now the only thing I can say to you is, and you called me ... Jack Martin : Yeah, okay. Aaron Kohn : It's about time to just sit down and stop playing games with what might happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, because what has always happened to you tomorrow and the day after tomorrow is you've gotten into trouble yourself and your family by telling half-truths. By thinking that you're smarter than anybody else about what should be told and shouldn't be told. Now for cripes' sake, when are you going to start to just telling the whole truth, because it happens to be the truth as you know it? I think you'd find out you'd be in a lot less trouble than you get into the pattern of getting all the time. Jack Martin : Well, that's what I'm trying to say, more or less, to the extent that this man has been bugging me over a period of time, therefore, this film interview you know .. Aaron Kohn : I think, I think they're trying to get at the truth. And if you've got any truth to tell him, tell it to him, but tell it to him entirely. Stop playing games. Jack Martin : The thing is, if I go ahead and give a whole picture on this thing, I said, I'm gonna wind up giving the man more trouble than Novel ever gave him in his life. Aaron Kohn : I don't care about who gets ... Jack Martin : And if I do that, well, he has, since in the last five months, this thing has both my wife and I financially, the only thing she's got now is her job down there, and she may not -- he might retaliate on that. I've got to have some assurance from some people that they'll -- they are not just going to leave me sitting out there like a whore's tit. Aaron Kohn : If the whole truth comes out and it makes this man wrong, then I don't think anybody's going to have anything to worry about. The only thing that has made him strong is the backing he has gotten from people who are more concerned with fighting, fighting with their hate than they are at getting the truth. And it's about time that the whole truth came out, that the whole truth came out, nobody is going to have the ability to hurt anybody else. All the harm that's been done and all the people are getting hurt because of all the games that are being played with lies and half-truths. And you know it. The only strength this man has been has been that people have been feeding and backing him up in his lies and half-truths. Convinced the whole truth is given an opportunity for total projection. The strength that he has is built on ... Jack Martin : Well, I'm not trying to be sophistic with you. You know I was trying to lay it on the line. I needed your counsel and I think you are telling me what you believe. Aaron Kohn : It's about time we test the value of things as they are -- of the truth. Jack Martin : Well one thing ... Aaron Kohn : You've been encouraged by all your little games of feeding a little bit here and feeding a ... Jack Martin : No, no, no. I wasn't, I wasn't, here's the thing -- when I spoke to the Secret Service I never told them about it. I just, says ... what was printed in that damn report and I got a copy of it. They didn't verify one bit of their synopsis. They didn't check anything -- they just simply verbatim printed the words of David W. Ferrie in their synopsis. And that strictly isn't according to Hoyle as far as the investigation is to be pursued. You know it. Aaron Kohn : Stop trying to run the world. Jack Martin: I'm not. I'm not trying to run the world. But what I'm trying to say is there's nothing that they could say about me that hasn't already been said. Either way, it doesn't matter. In other words, the worst I can do is to be blasted all over the country, just like I was last January. But ... Aaron Kohn : Jack, let me say something. I have no curiosity about this thing. I'm only concerned about the kind of power, of growth, that is projected itself into this community. Jack Martin : In other words, and this man ... Aaron Kohn : Now listen to me, I'm not going to talk anymore about it. You got your own decision to make. All I am saying is, you know, you have to spout philosophy from time to time. Jack Martin : No, I'm not. Aaron Kohn : There's some very fundamental realities about the way things add up when they come to some ultimate end or conclusion. Jack Martin : Yeah. Aaron Kohn : For Christ's sake, if you know anything, tell it. Tell it all and tell it truthfully. Then, whichever, we're more likely to come to an end result in this thing in which there won't be people unjustly hurt. Jack Martin: Well, if I give this man the interview and they air it. Without doubt, it'll be the beginning of the end of Garrison. It's about ... Aaron Kohn : Well, you don't know whether the beginning or end of anything. The only question ... Jack Martin : If I get on their thing and I tell the truth about things, or what you believe to be the truth anyway, would you, and Garrison jumps on me in retaliation, will you, will you give me some support? Aaron Kohn : If it's the truth, yes. Jack Martin : [pause] Well, that's all I want to know. Aaron Kohn : If it's the truth, but stop playing games, Martin. Jack Martin : I'm not playing games. You think I am playing games with you now? Aaron Kohn : No, I don't think you are right now, but you have a tendency to go for moments of sincerity and long periods of playing games. Jack Martin : Well, there's no mental gymnastics. Aaron Kohn : All I can tell is, and I don't know what it is you know and I am not going to ask you what you know. Whatever it is, if you believe it to be the truth, tell it. Jack Martin : All right. Aaron Kohn : I'll talk to you. Jack Martin : Ok, bye bye. Second phone call: (13:50) Female Voice : Hello. Jack Martin : Is Steve [Plotkin, Martin's attorney] awake? Female Voice : Yes, he's in the shower. Jack Martin : Oh, my goodness. I'll call him back in a little bit. I've got to talk to him before he gets away this morning. Female Voice : OK. Jack Martin : Thank you, ma'am. Third phone call: (14:32) Female Voice : Hello. Jack Martin : Is Steve out of the shower yet. Female Voice : Yeah, one minute. [pause] Jack Martin : Come on, Steve. Two minutes to get to the damn phone. Hello. Steve Plotkin : Hello. Jack Martin : Hello, Steve. Steve Plotkin : Yeah, Jack. Jack Martin : Look, Rick Townley has called me five or six times. You know, he's with WDSU. Of course, my spy system tells me they are about ready to do a narrating of the beginning and ending of Garrison. Which is all right with me, they've given me a fit too. There's some things that I haven't told you, that without a doubt, I can give Mr. Garrison a fit, twice as bad as Mr. Novel, if I did. I'd really do a job, man, I would bring one other person in on it, and perhaps two. However, I could probably wind up by suing Garrison ... Steve Plotkin : Wind up by shooting? Jack Martin : Suing him. Suing, suing just as Novel did. I didn't realize you'd go that far with it, and for Novel. However, if I do this, I don't want to be standing all alone like a pimple on a whore's tit, you know. What's your, what's your advice on this thing where it stands now? Steve Plotkin : Well, I don't know what NBC is going to do. I know that they'd shoot some kind of film, documentary ... Jack Martin : Just a minute, there's somebody at ... Well, anyway, anyway, the doorbell rang and the boy went downstairs. I didn't hear any answer. The thing is, I can give him a big fit, but at the same time, Garrison is going to retaliate, you know that. Steve Plotkin : Well, I don't know enough about it, Jack. I'm still in that damn lawsuit, and I'm [garbled] at 9:30. I just don't know what to tell you to do. Jack Martin : Well, I've got to talk to Rick. I'm going to call him at nine o'clock. Steve Plotkin : You have to tell me something a little more specifically of what you want, what you intend to say, and whether or not it's going to impact Garrison. As far as you being sued, use your judgment ... Jack Martin : No. Steve Plotkin : The question is do you want to sue Garrison? Jack Martin : Yeah, after all, if he hadn't started this nonsense and started leaning, after all, when they yank you into the D.A.'s office, they're leaning on you, you know. And if he hadn't started all this thing, I would have never, probably that report would never have been published nationally, I'd have never been in the position I'm in today. The whole thing would have died a quiet death, as it was intended to die that way, you know. But he had to exploit the death of the President, apparently, and started up. And naturally, he was released, or had been released even prior to the initiation of the investigation, his initiation of this thing, you know, and been released prior to the initiation of the investigation. Nothing was ever said. If he hadn't started, I would never have been the recipient of the publicity I have had, to start with. And so I think I have a helluva good deal against him and as much as my life as been very unpleasant since then, I think I've got, just as Mr. Novel had, I've got some ... I've got some right to compensation from not only Mr. Garrison, but also from some of his backers, as much as this thing is not -- he's not totally backed up by state funds, you see. Steve Plotkin : Hmm. mmm. Jack Martin : The State government isn't involved except for his, the misuse of his position, as it were. And I didn't, I didn't realize that you were that, going that strong, even in defense of Novel, you understand, until this thing was announced last night. Steve Plotkin : Well, Jack, listen, I'm going to have to run on you. Jack Martin : Well, you think if I come up strong enough that NBC will help me out, because without -- this thing has cost my wife and I everything that we had, the money that we laid away, the redo the house, renovate ... Steve Plotkin : Excuse me. Yeah. Jack Martin : What I was trying to say is we're totally broke, and I'm totally relying upon her for support, and she's afraid of the fact she may lose her little job over the thing. And furthermore, I am definitely afraid that if I, if I do talk to these people and blow the whistle on the man, in any way, shape or form, he's gonna retaliate. And I'll be standing out all by myself, like a pimple on a whore's tit. Steve Plotkin : Well, Novel is all by himself. He's been standing all alone. Jack Martin : Yes, but I mean, they've been, somebody's been taking care of this boy, Steve Plotkin : Not really. Jack Martin : Well, he's not working and he hasn't got that much money. I mean... Steve Plotkin : Well, he sold his interest in the Jamaican Village. He has no money, He's just living on nothing. Jack Martin : And he was probably in debt with TACK [?} and everybody else on that too. You know, you know how these restaurant people are -- a bar room owner -- Hell, I know a whole bunch of them, you know. They're in debt up to their ears. So on the surface it makes it look like they're very solid, and have a bunch of assets. But you know, you know how they are borrowing off the pinball man, the jukebox man, as it were, and everybody else. With the liquor people, what's on the surface isn't necessarily true behind the scenes, and in many respects, I know people that look like they are making their $100 a day and they're spending it. Novel wasn't a frugal young man in any respect. Let's just face it, he played and he played big. He was subsidizing other business interests with his Jamaican Inn and vice versa. The guy, he was on a shoestring in many ways, much as I am, but I've been enduring five months of a lot of crap, and I got a wife and kid too. Steve Plotkin : Right. You like kids? Jack Martin : Yeah, they're little monsters. Aren't they? Steve Plotkin : He's talking to me ... he's sitting here. Jack Martin : Yeah. You're looking at another me, in other words. That's the way you feel, isn't it? Steve Plotkin : Yeah. Jack Martin : You can look and see another you way on back. Steve Plotkin : Let me put the phone -- just say something, so, he's never heard the phone before. Jack Martin : All right, OK. Hello there. Hello there. Young Plotkin, how are you? Hello. Steve Plotkin : He sat up laughing, he looked into the phone. Jack Martin : Yeah, he heard the voice. Steve Plotkin : Say something again. Jack Martin : Hello. Hello. How are you? Is it a beautiful morning? Steve Plotkin : He's ... holding the phone against his ear. Jack Martin : They go for it. You'll have a hard time keeping him off ... Steve, what I'm getting at is let's be honest with one another. I think that NBC might make - I'm gonna ask Rick to come over to the house this morning. He asked me to call him, for sure, at nine o'clock this morning, which I intend to do. He gave me his hotline number. And I'd like to sit down and talk with the boy, off the damn record, where he can't prove pro or con, you understand? Steve Plotkin : huh. Jack Martin : About our interview, and then have a chance to talk with you in person, and before I do anything, But I want to see what they're gonna do for Jack. Steve Plotkin : Well ... Jack Martin : If they'll, if they're willing to come up with a little bit, as I'm certain they've done with others, and then maybe back me up. And they guarantee that they will back me up in the event there's retaliation on me. I'm willing to, I'm willing to go along with it. But I'm so broke now that if I get hit anyway, I'll never be able to defend myself. I've got nothing. Steve Plotkin : I understand. I don't know if NBC is paying any money on this stuff, because I don't know what they're doing and neither has Novel [Gordon] told me. Jack Martin : Yeah. Steve Plotkin : But, I'll be .. I know their big man's [Walter Sheridan] in town. Jack Martin : Well, that's good. Steve Plotkin : They got the authority right here. Well, finally Jack Martin : I talked to Aaron Kohn this morning, prior to talking with you, and he said that he, if I would talk with him and tell the truth and so on and so forth, as undoubtedly, as Novel has done, that I wouldn't be standing alone, as far as he was concerned, you see, and I didn't mention your name at all. I thought it'd be best to talk, to talk with you and see what your thoughts on the matter are. And I'm gonna call, tentatively, I'm gonna call Rick [Townley] and ask him to come over to the house and chat with him, and then I'll try to see you sometime this evening. Steve Plotkin : Okay. Jack Martin : What time will you be in the office? Steve Plotkin : About five o'clock. Jack Martin : About five, well I'm gonna call or chat with you in person ... Steve Plotkin : Okay. Jack Martin ... and tell you what happened. Steve Plotkin : Fine. Jack Martin : Would you entertain such a thing? I mean .. Steve Plotkin : I'll talk with him and see exactly where we stand. Jack Martin : Okay. Steve Plotkin : It's premature to make a decision. Jack Martin : Okay. The call ends and Martin starts some narration: (25:26) Jack Martin : End of conversation with Mr. Steven Plotkin, attorney of law, and Mr. Aaron M. Kohn of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, this Thursday morning, between the hours of seven and eight, May the 25th, 1967. This is the onset of an investigation to expose those who would defame a state investigation of the assassination of President Kennedy. End of transmission. The next phone call is to Rick Townley of WDSU: (27:46) Receptionist : Good morning, WDSU. Jack Martin : Yes, is Mr. Rick Townley in the newsroom, please, Ma'am. Receptionist : Thank you. Jack Martin : Hello. Reporter : News. Jack Martin : is Rick there? Reporter : No, he hasn't come in yet. Jack Martin : I tried to call him on that hotline phone, you got it off the hook, apparently. Reporter : The hotline phone? Jack Martin : Yeah, that 523-5033 line. Reporter : Let me see, I'll have to check on that, maybe it's out of order or what the hell's wrong. Jack Martin : Yeah, when will he be in, son? He told me to call him around nine this morning. Reporter : Well, I don't really know, I don't keep track of him. Jack Martin : You work there, don't you? Reporter : Yeah. Jack Martin : Well, is a plainer [?] or somebody in that could give me some information? Reporter: Vern Robins, just a minute. Vern Robins : Hello. Jack Martin : Hello, Vern.. Vern Robins : Yeah. Jack Martin : This is Jack Martin, Vern. When will Rick be in? Vern Robins : Uh ... Jack Martin : He told me to call him around nine this morning. Vern Robins : Yeah, well he should be in any minute. I just walked in myself. Jack Martin : Oh, I see. I'm just a little premature. Vern Robins : Yeah. Jack Martin : I tried to call on a 523-5033 number, and it was busy. Vern Robins : Right, I got a [garbled] Jack Martin : Yeah, I know about that. Vern Robins : I'll expect he'll be in any minute. Would you like to leave your number and have him call you? Jack Martin : He knows my number, I prefer to call him. Vern Robins : Alright. Jack Martin : Okay. Vern Robins : I'd give him about fifteen minutes. Jack Martin : Ok, sir. Thank you, sir. Bye bye. Jack Martin then calls Rick Townley again: (29:55) Woman's Voice : Hello. Jack Martin : Is Rick Townley there, please? Woman's Voice : No, Rick's, let me check. Woman's Voice : You know where Rick is? Woman's Voice : He's out. We don't know how to get in touch. Jack Martin : Well, he told me to call him around nine this morning, which I'm trying to do. And, my name is Martin, and I, if he calls me back, I may not be here. Woman's Voice : Well, gosh, he's out working on something special, and I just don't know ... Jack Martin : Well, he's pursued me several days, and then he said call him around nine, nine-thirty this morning, which I'm doing. You know I'd like to have some kind of idea of when he'll return, or when you expect him. You must know about when he should be back. Woman's Voice : Well, no we don't, because he's working on a special deal. Mr. Martin, is there any place that he can reach you in case we can get him? Jack Martin : He'll talk to me at my convenience. I'll be very explicit about it. They watch me. He's chasing me, you know. He'll deal with me on my terms. I want to chat with him in person. I want to initially talk to him on the phone, and don't play chess with me dear. Woman's Voice : I'm not playing chess with you. I'm telling you we don't know where the guy is, and I'll make every effort to get in touch. Jack Martin : I'd appreciate it. Would you tell him to make himself available, and if he's not at the office, please leave a number where I can reach him, because I've got -- he mentioned that his schedule is very crowded today, and mine is too. I mean, believe me, it is. And I'm trying to bend over backwards to cooperate with this boy, and I want, I want to help him. You know, you understand? But at the same time, I can't foul up my whole day. Woman's Voice : As soon as we get in touch with him, we will have a message here as to ... Jack Martin : I'd appreciate it, very, very much, and I'm sorry if I seem a little antagonistic to you. Woman's Voice : Alright, thank you. Jack Martin : Because I'm a mean ole guy ... Jack Martin tries Townley again: (32:46) Woman's Voice : Good morning, WDSU. Jack Martin : Yeah, Mr. Rick Townley in News, please. Male Voice : News. Jack Martin : Mr. Rick Townley, please. Male Voice : He's not here, he'll be in about noon. Jack Martin : He'll be in about noon. Fine, well that relieves all frustration then. I'm sorry to bother you, this old man Martin, I had to go out. There are only certain times I can talk at the house, you know, because of my family and I was kind of upset that I couldn't reach him this morning. I told him I'd try to reach him about nine in the morning. Male Voice : [garbled]. Jack Martin : Alright, he'll be in about noon, then. All right. Well, tell him I called, will you be sure and do that? That old man Martin called him and it was about this thing tonight, and I want to chat with him first, you know. Male Voice : Most definitely. Jack Martin : Mighty fine, sir. Thank you very kindly. Martin finally reaches Townley: (33:51) Jack Martin : You've been on the fire? Rick Townley : No, I've worked. Jack Martin : Well, look, I'd like to chat with you. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : In person, if possible. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : I don't know, I know either way I go on this thing -- they can't say anything about me that hasn't already been said. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : So .. Rick Townley : The best thing is to sit down and go out and tell what you know about, you know ... Jack Martin : Well, wait a minute, well, look, there's a lot more to the thing. Rick Townley : We don't want to get into all the side issues of what you know about the case ... Jack Martin : No, Rick Townley : ... and all this stuff, you know, the evidence in the case ... Jack Martin : You know, the only thing is, there's a lot more to it than you know. Rick Townley: Yeah. Jack Martin: I might sit down and talk with you. It depends on what you want. And I don't want to be sitting out like a pimple on a whore's tit. Rick Townley : Yeah. well I would be glad to talk to you. I'm gonna have a, I've got to leave town for a while this afternoon. I'm probably gonna be back around seven-thirty or so, if you want to come in, it would have to be after eight o'clock. Jack Martin : Well, I'd like to try to chat with you at the house. I can run my wife and kid in the other part of the house, and you and I can sit here and chat. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : I want to talk with you here at the house before we got together at the studio. Rick Townley : Sure. We don't want to do it in the studio anyways. I'd rather ... anything in this case ... I'd rather do it outside the studio, to tell the truth, we can do it in a hotel room, or ... Jack Martin : Here's the thing. I'll be perfectly frank with you. I could, I can do a helluva lot more than Gordon Novel has done. I could, I could probably prove everything Gordon Novel says and give the man [Jim Garrison] a shit fit. But I talked to Aaron Kohn this morning, earlier. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : I was counting on speaking to you at nine, so ... Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : And unfortunately, that didn't work out. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : And I spoke to Steven Plotkin this morning before I left the house. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : And I don't know what you spoke to anybody since then or not? Rick Townley : No, I haven't. Jack Martin : But, I could probably bring several people in on this thing, besides myself, to substantiate what I say. You understand me? Rick Townley : Yeah, well, I don't know specific in what area, but I think probably in your point of view, in regard to you, the main thing we want, because we are trying to piece the thing together, going back to how it all started, and what, you know, where it had led. I think since you were in on the initial thing back in sixty-three, that's mostly the area, and then anything that you might have to add to that, in terms of what happened ... Jack Martin : Not necessarily that, Rick, here's the thing. I think you receive what I'm getting at here. I could blow, I could blow, I could blow Garrison's whole case up right now. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : I don't know whether you knew that or not. I could do ten times the amount of damage that Gordon Novel did, or is doing. And that's what I was talking to Steve about, following up for the suit, you know? Rick Townley : Yeah, we don't want to get off into the various theories, or anything like that. Jack Martin : There's no theory involved here, it's what actually ... Rick Townley : I'm talking about now, its whether, he's, you know, get into the CIA and all that stuff. We definitely .., Jack Martin : Oh no, I'm don't even talk about CIA. Rick Townley : [laughs] Jack Martin : What the hell do they got to do with it? Rick Townley : It really ... what we're interested in, the main thrust of our program ... Jack Martin : Anything, any connection I might have had with CIA or the Cubans, it's irrelevant and immaterial to what I have to say. You understand? Rick Townley : Mainly what you have to say ... Jack Martin : Anything I had to with the Cubans is between myself, the United States government, and Jesus Christ. Rick Townley : Right, right. Jack Martin : And Christ ain't gonna say a word, and I'm sure the United States government aren't gonna say anything. Rick Townley : Sure, I know that, and that's why I say we rest your mind on that score. We don't even want, we're not concerned about that. Mainly, we're concerned about the validity of this investigation, you now? Jack Martin : Well, what if we could blow that all to hell? Are you interested? Rick Townley : Well, I don't know in what way you're talking about. It's really hard to talk in limbo here. Jack Martin : Yeah. I know, the telephone it's a bad bitch. You know, I'm reasonably certain that my phone is not tapped for the simple reason I have it -- every morning I call the phone company and they put the meter on ... Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : ... and then, if you notice, I play my radio in the background, and if it is tapped, they're having a crap fit. Now, believe what I tell you. Rick Townley : Right. Jack Martin : And another thing is, I usually turn on WTIX every night, taking dial four or five, some number on the phone, and I lay my receiver next to the radio, and it plays all night, and they have to listen to about twelve hours of music. Rick Townley : Pretty bad music, too. Jack Martin : Yeah, that's right. That's why I put it on one of these all-night stations, and if anybody's tapping that phone, they got to listen to all that tape. Rick Townley : Yes. Jack Martin : And I think they gave up on it, if they were. I thought that. Rick Townley : Yes. Jack Martin : I know I haven't got anything, any of this hocus pocus stuff about CIA. We know that's ... anything I might have had, any connections with Banister, or I might have had with the Cubans, and with Grady Durham and the rest of the fellas, it's irrelevant, and immaterial, I mean Rick Townley : It has nothing to do with whether Garrison's got a case or not. Jack Martin : Well, Rick Townley : It does have something to do with it ... Jack Martin : Well, it's Garrison's, Garrison's dream, you see. But here's what ... I could tell you how the whole thing developed ... Rick Townley : Right. Jack Martin : And, who assisted in his motivation and I could virtually substantiate what I have to say with corroborative testimony. Rick Townley : Right. Jack Martin : I'm going to lay it right on the line, Rick. If I do this, Garrison is going to retaliate on me ... Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : And I wanted assurance from Kohn, this morning, which he gave me, that I wouldn't be sitting out there like a sore thumb and defenseless. Now, I've been broken financially on this, this whole thing, in the past five or six months anyway, and I spoke to Steve [Plotkin] and told him we can go ahead with this thing. Well, I want him to back me up in a lawsuit again, and an injunction against Garrison to keep him from messing with me or my family. And the same token, I think that if I give you the story on this thing, the whole picture on it, verbally, before we cut the .. before we cut the picture, you know. Rick Townley : Right. Jack Martin : I want some assurance from you people that you'll take care of little old Jack, too, you know. Rick Townley : It depends in what way, we have to be very careful along those lines, you know. As long as you are cooperating with us, that's the best protection you got. Jack Martin : Here's another thing, se e, well, I know, let's not kid each other , just like I told Steve this morning. He said, "well, I'm not sure NBC will go behind you." Yes, I said, "don't shit me, I know that Jamaica Inn [a club that Gordon Novel sold} and I know Gordon was -- he was not solvent. He was in hock up to his neck on that thing with the jukebox people and some other people. And I said, I know who's carrying him. I said, let's, let's, let's drop the naive -- I'm not as naive as you take me to be. I know some things you don't, Steve. And I said, there's a lot about this I haven't told you. And so I'm gonna meet with Steve about five o'clock this evening and discuss this whole thing with him, and personally in his office, you understand? And, of course, that's got nothing to do with you and I, but I want him to know what I am up to, at least I am honest with my lawyer. And the thing is that I have suffered financially. This man jumps down my throat, I got no money for bail bonds or anything else. And I am sure that I could ... Rick Townley : Let me tell you flat on this, Jack ... they're not going to get themselves in a position where it looks like ... they're paying people off. Jack Martin : I can back all this stuff up. Here's, look, look, let's not be sophistic with one another --we do business with thieves together. Let's lay it on the line. But, I'll tell you this much -- there's nothing I can't corroborate on this thing, and I'm going to end up backing up the polygraph, just like your boy Novel [Gordon] did, see. Rick Townley : Well, they're not gonna pay for information. But I think the fact that you cooperate with them is going to make them want to try to prevent you from being harassed, in any way they can. Jack Martin : Well, if you think your guys or Phelan [James] or any of these people have, had something by the time I get through, you now you got some, there won't be any horseshit. Rick Townley : Well, so we are not talking in a vacuum. why don't we get together person to person? Jack Martin : That's right. sit down in the living room, you see. You know , here's another thing I want to apologize for, is the house here. I had been in the throes of renovation here at the house about the time this thing hit last December, and, pardon me, we had set money aside for paint and things like that, and I never got the opportunity to complete the living room and refinish the furniture and the upholstery and all that. So, if you walk into a place that looks -- you see plaster patches in it, don't be surprised, you know. Rick Townley : You think, as a matter of mutual ... Jack Martin : I'd rather meet here at the house, I'd rather meet here at the house, for the simple damn reason -- there's no chance of any bugs or anything like that. Rick Townley : Well ... Jack Martin : I'm leery of all that nonsense. Rick Townley : Well, I am too, Jack. [garbled} Jack Martin : You're perfectly welcome to bring a debugger along if you want to or inspect the place at your leisure. Rick Townley : No, I don't need to do that, cause if I, I could bug you just as easily ... Jack Martin : That's right. You could have an FM mic in your sock. You know that's the best place to carry it. I know this, and you'll be picking me up with a receiver in the car and putting it on tape. Or, you could -- if I met you in your car, it could be bugged, you know. I mean, I'm real hep, dad, on this. I'm not, Merriman [Smith] was wrong, I'm not a wire tap expert, but I'm hep enough to it, and I know what some of the ramifications are. I'm not going to pull any, I'm not going to pull any crap on your fellas, and at the same token, I don't want you to, I'm laying it on the line, you know, this is strictly on the level, but this thing has gone far enough, and I want to sit down and talk turkey, you know. And I think we should, I think we should, and I think you'll see the whole picture by the time I'm through this evening. It will take me about twenty minutes to tell you exactly what happened in the whole thing. Rick Townley : Okay, well you name a time and I'll be there. Jack Martin : Well, say about eight o'clock, would that be alright? Rick Townley : Well, no, I want to try to do this filming tonight, Jack. We're on a tight schedule, and these people who are going to do the filming may not have time in the morning. Can we meet this afternoon and discuss the ground rules on it, and then set our filming for tonight at eight. So, let's do it that way. Jack Martin : Well, you see, here's the thing. I delayed going out, leaving the house here, till I could reach you today. Rick Townley : Yeah. I was not, I don't want, because of the time problem I don't want to have a discussion tonight, and then set another filming. I'd like to go and get the whole thing out of the way. Jack Martin : I want' a clear-cut understanding with you guys what you're going to do to help me, you know. I want to sit down with you and talk about it. Rick Townley : Right, well, this ... though, if we're going to do the filming, I've got to make preparations, and I've got to understand if we want to do the filming, I'm trying to set my schedule around this. We could talk in advance, then, of course, then we can be set to go ahead and do the filming tonight. If you're tied up this afternoon ... Jack Martin : Well, that's it, I stayed here, I went around. You weren't there at nine. this damn fire, I realized that. What happened, you called just now, you see. well, I got some stuff I have to do this afternoon, and I had to, Steve told me to see him. Rick Townley : Well, I definitely won't get it, go ahead. If we're going to film, why don't we do it tonight? That's the main thing. Now we can set the filming for a little later, if you want to do that. Say set the filming at nine or nine-thirty and then. I'll come to your house, talk to you, and then we go from there ... Jack Martin : You see after I talk with you, I want to talk with Steve [Plotkin] again, see. I've got to see him, and then I got to talk with you. I got, I want to talk with him too. Rick Townley : Well, this sounds like an extended situation. Jack Martin : Well, that's the hell of it, see. Steve, I haven't been able to get with Steve, I haven't been able to get with Steve now for three days. He's been tied up in something, lawsuit in court, you know that, don't you? And it's been like pulling teeth. If I hadn't caught him in his house, and then he didn't have any time to talk to me then. And I'll I could do is give him a rough synopsis, you know. Rick Townley : I just don't want to elongate this thing, because if you definitely feel like it ... Jack Martin : Well, I'll go with you, it may be in the morning before we can get around to it, see. That's what I was going to say, God damnit, and these people are gonna leave, and that's a hell of a mess, you know? Rick Townley : Yeah. Now, if you want to do this, we can do it this way. I think the NBC people are here, and they're the ones that you're going to have to talk turkey with as well, so. Jack Martin : I'll talk turkey with you and you take care of them, and if they want it, if they want, we'll have a clean-cut understanding in our little interview this afternoon or this evening. And if they want it, fine. If not, they don't want it, the hell with them. But I want to talk to one person. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : I want to talk to one person and tell one person what I got to say, and that's you. Rick Townley : Right. Jack Martin : I don't want to have to repeat my story, or I don't want to have to tell this thing in front of witnesses. Rick Townley : Right, well, alright ... Jack Martin : If I tell you something, if I tell you something, that's your word against mine. Rick Townley : That's right. But now, here's the thing, I want to, if we meet at eight o'clock let's say, I still want to be able to go get the filming done tonight, because I can't just keep stretching these people out ... Jack Martin: When you hear what I got to say, I don't think they'll be any question with what they'll have to say. Rick Townley : Yeah, alright, I'll go on that presumption. But I still, if there's any way possible, I'd like to go into filming tonight. Jack Martin : I thought, when I get through talking with you, I'm reasonably certain that, if they have to, they'll be willing to wait a couple of days together, you know what I mean? Rick Townley : No, that may be true but at this point, what I'm doing is keeping our whole film crew ... Jack Martin: Because I'm going to have to get on the phone and call long distance to one guy that I know of, I'm gonna have to reach him, and he'll have to call me back, and I'm gonna have to discuss this with him to get him to cooperate with you fellas, which I know he'll do ... Rick Townley : Well ... Jack Martin : Because all the shit's gonna come back on my back, you understand? It ain't gonna come on his back. Rick Townley : Well, the point is ... at this point, there is a limited area of what we want from you. I may change my mind after I talk to you. Jack Martin : You're gonna. You're gonna. I told you I was going to blow the man's whole case, didn't I? I'm not kidding with you. Rick Townley : Well, we're still talking about .. let's do it this way. Jack Martin : I've got to talk to you in person tonight. Rick Townley : Alright, let's do it this way. Jack Martin : And as far as bugs are concerned, I'm as leery as you are, you know. Rick Townley : Let's do it this way. I will come, I'm gonna have, I'm gonna have myself, I've got to get, man this costs a fantastic amount to keep these people sitting here. Somebody was just assigned to do this one. Jack Martin : I know that. Rick Townley : A good one. Jack Martin : I'll tell you what you can call it, when you're through with me and the people I can bring in on this thing, you can call it the end of Garrison, and it will be it too. Rick Townley : Well, I still want to try. Jack Martin : My perpetuity won't be worth a plug nickel after I'm through. Of course, you guys are going to give it to me in the neck anyway. I'm going to be the shadow in the background, whether it's on film, it'll be both film and narration, But, so I don't, I don't give a shit. Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : What's been said about me and what public opinion is of me has already been established. There's not a helluva lot more you can do. But when I'm through with it, it'll wash the whole goddamned case up. When I get through talking with you, dad, it'll be, you'll be willing to break your broadcast and put it on ... Rick Townley : Well .... Jack Martin : You know these special features? you know these special bulletins? Rick Townley : Yeah. Jack Martin : Well, I'll tell you, I mean, you think that Gordon Novel gives you some shit, when I get through it'll blow the whole goddamn deal. Rick Townley : Well, now look, let's do it this way. I'll meet with you at eight, by myself. I'll let you make whatever phone call you want to make, what have you. I want to keep that film crew standing by to film tonight. Jack Martin : Well, you see, I have to get ahold of a man's ex-wife here to find out where he is, then she's gonna have to call him, and then he's gonna have to call me back, LD [long distance]. Rick Townley : Can't you do this in advance? Jack Martin : It's almost impossible, it's almost, it'll be impossible, until I talk with you and we have some kind of an understanding. Rick Townley : Well, I can't make an understanding with you. Jack Martin : Well, that's it. You're gonna then have to talk to the NBC people and I have to know that the big man's [Walter Sheridan] in town right now, so that isn't going to be too difficult for you, is it? Rick Townley : The point I'm trying to make ... Jack Martin : In other words, you talk to him, and you go to him in person and tell him the deal, You. .. I know it and you know it that they stay in the Royal Orleans, I imagine that's where Merriman [Smith} stay, and the rest of the fellas stay that come in there from NBC. And, in fact, that's where they tried to get me to film this bit before. So, I imagine I'm just ... this is just conclusion with me. It's [garbled] you know. So, I imagine you're not gonna have to run very far, and the taxicabs are pretty smooth nowadays. They get you there in a hurry. Rick Townley : I still want to try to set it up to do it tonight, if we go, and I'll be able to tell you at the end of our discussion whether we got anything to talk about or not. Jack Martin : Well, I know we have. Rick Townley : And, uh, but I still want to keep that crew standing by to film. I don't care if it's delayed until 11 o'clock, you know, You ought to be able to get ahold of the guy, on the side, but I'll know after I talk to you better, whether there's anything to talk about. Jack Martin : I got plenty to talk about that, and I think you'll agree with it. Rick Townley : Alright, let's do this then. Jack Martin : Why don't you give me a buzz at eight o'clock and confirm that -- tell me you're on your way. Rick Townley : I'll be there. You just tell be where to be and I'll make sure I am back in time, unless something happens on my flight back, or something like that, then I'll ... Jack Martin : Alright, if you're gonna ... Rick Townley : The filming is definitely at this point. Jack Martin : Well ... Rick Townley : I want to call, and then can't get you in. We're losing half a night. Jack Martin : No, I'll be here, my wife, my kid, and I will be here this evening. Rick Townley : Alright. 8 PM at what address? Jack Martin : 1836 1/2 Esplanade, 1836 1/2 Esplanade. It's a big white house on the corner of Esplanade and North Prieur. Rick Townley : Is it an apartment or a house? Jack Martin : Well, it's a ... I have the whole upstairs of the house over the Marino cleaning shop. There's a little Marino's cleaner in the corner, and it's a big white house at the corner of North Prieur and Esplanade. Rick Townley : Alright. Jack Martin : And, you'll see the entrance to the cleaning shop, and then on the other side of the front of the house, there's an entrance to a side apartment, the people that live downstairs. My entrance is in the center, and it's kind of a little alcove there, and where there's a door there, and you ring the damn doorbell. If you don't see a light on in that hall downstairs it's because one of the lights is burnt out. I have to come downstairs to turn it on, and the reason I don't necessarily do that is because the downstairs hasn't been redone yet. I had the wallpaper pulled off, and I had a hadn't have a chance to plaster down there yet. Rick Townley : Well, I will be there at eight o'clock then, and we'll talk ... Jack Martin : Ring the doorbell and I'll let you in and we'll come up here and sit in my living room and we'll have a chat. Rick Townley : Alright. Jack Martin : Okay. Rick Townley : I'll see you then. Jack Martin : Okay. Mighty fine. End of the phone call. Narration by Jack Martin: Jack Martin : Telephone conversation, recorded, a call back. He called me. Rick Townley with WDSU, NBC, at approximately 11:20, 11:40, in the morning of May 25, 1967. Jack Martin : This is conclusion on the current tape, being conducted interviewing Mr. Louis Ivon, Detective Louis Ivon, New Orleans Police Department, assigned the D. A.'s office. The speaker is Jack Martin. This information here is to substantiate the fact that various people connected with a Garrison probe are being bought off by NBC. You hear that? Are being bought off by NBC or other persons involved, and there has been some [?} to corroborate this fact. When Mr. Townley calls at my house this evening, I intend to hang a story on him, a figment of imagination with several half-truths in it, that he'll believe what I have to say. To see whether or not, they'll buy or pay money or make promises for some type of something in compensation for this, and this is strictly an investigation to prove for Mr. Garrison and the court, the people, that what he's doing is absolutely right, and that these other people are trying to influence and entirely impede a legitimate and legal investigation. Anything I say to Mr. Townley can be taken with a grain of salt, because this is strictly a story that I'll have to hang on him and this will be transcribed, or we will attempt to transcribe this on a tape, which will be planted in a couch in my living room at the time he visits me at eight o'clock this evening. Is that sufficient. Very well. Martin's dictation says it all. There are another two tapes of Martin talking to these people again, and even a phone call with Walter Sheridan. It's more of the same -- I can sink Garrison but give me some money or promises. Martin also tries to get a preview of the NBC documentary but they refuse. At one point, Martin talks about his fear of being taped, and then says that he would never tape people because he didn't have the equipment! You can find that about the forty minute mark of this tape. At the end of the tape, Martin does some more dictation, and, once again, admits he is working for Garrison trying to entrap the NBC reporters: (53:50) After this last conversation with Aaron Kohn - I'm using this as a narrator for the remainder of this tape, pursuant to instructions from detective Louis Ivon in the District Attorney's office, I pull out all stops. He gave me, more or less, a verbal carte blanche to hang any type of particular story upon these people to ensure confidence in their activities, which I endeavored to do. At no such time was I ever paid by the District Attorney or any of his aides for my cooperation, or was I ever intimidated. The contents of these conversations on this tape are relative only to a sales job, more or less, that I'm doing upon these people, that we feel are resorting to exploitive measure to gather information to be used against the District Attorney and illegally so. And his good probe. It appears in every way that these people, they approached me for the past few weeks, first described through various people that knew me, and this man Rick Townley knew, that they're going to use my name, they're going to say this or that or the other thing, with or without my permission or my support or cooperation, which leads me to believe, they led me to believe that the statements that they might use would be derogatory, or not to my best advantage. It is extortion, no matter how you put it. Subsequently, this was the reason for the initiation of such an investigation to prove that these people are using measures, in the case of [Al] Beauboeuf, and perhaps [Gordon] Novel and others, and that these people also have been compensated by Mr. Sheridan of the NBC Television Network and people doing business with them. During the course of ... conversation, I found that Mr. Sheridan was formerly with the Judge Advocate General's office. He was an intelligence officer with the United States Army. Mr. Sheridan is using all of his knowledge and abilities to pressure people in one way or another, as did Mr. Townley. Most of these techniques were used in verbal interviews which are not recorded on these tapes. Unfortunately, we were unable to record those personal interviews. That is all. Actually, it was Jack Martin who was continually phoning Aaron Kohn, Steven Plotkin, Rick Townley, and Walter Sheridan. By the way, Walter Sheridan had once worked for the NSA. Previous Blog Posts on Jack Martin Steve Roe's Portrait of Jack Martin Steve Roe wrote an in-depth look at Jack Martin. Exclusive: Jim Garrison Talks to Jack Martin   Links to a audio recording, and a transcript, of a Jim Garrison interview with Jack Martin from December, 1966. Did John Dean Frame Jim Garrison?   Jack Martin told the HSCA that John Dean, of Watergate fame, framed Jim Garrison. Jack Martin and David Lewis Talk to the Press   An early interview with Martin and Lewis. Why did Guy Banister Pistol-Whip Jack Martin? Here's the real reason why Banister pistol-whipped Jack Martin Did David Ferrie Introduce Jack Martin to Lee Harvey Oswald in Banister's Office?   A transcript of a Pershing Gervais interview with Jack Martin from December, 1966. Did Lee Harvey Oswald Have David Ferrie's Library Card?   Jack Martin helped spread the rumor that Oswald had David Ferrie's library card. Did David Ferrie Speak to Clay Shaw on the Telephone from Guy Banister's Office?   This never happened. This post includes Jack Martin's interview with the HSCA.

Conclusion Clay Shaw with his attorney Edward Wegmann at a press conference after his arrest for conspiring to kill President John. F. Kennedy. No one came to help Clay Shaw. The Department of Justice could have investigated the bribery allegations against Garrison and charged him with a variety of crimes. Perhaps that would have stopped the entire investigation and ended the prosecution of Clay Shaw. But President Johnson told Attorney General Ramsey Clark not to interfere, and he never pushed back against that order. JFK conspiracy books have quite a different take on what actually happened. James DiEugenio, author of Destiny Betrayed , believes that everyone was after Garrison and that he was harassed and obstructed at every turn. Here is an excerpt from my book, On the Trail of Delusion : (pages 361 - 364) Of course, the real reason Garrison lost his case against Shaw was not his lack of evidence. No, DiEugenio believes there was a “three-stage program to destruct Garrison’s case and to be make sure Shaw would be acquitted.” The first stage consisted of “singleton” penetrations of his office to disrupt from within. William Gurvich was Garrison’s chief investigator who quit in disgust in June 1967. But really, it is claimed, he was CIA. The evidence? Well, his father was an FBI agent, but here’s the kicker: Gurvich’s niece told a JFK critic whom she had met on holiday that “he did some work for the CIA.” Gordon Novel, the scam artist who tricked Garrison into hiring him as his electronic security chief, was an “experienced CIA operative” who “became a good target for Allen Dulles to hire to infiltrate Garrison’s office.” Nice story, just no evidence. DiEugenio tries to make the case that Novel’s lawyers were paid by the CIA. But the papers of Elmer Gertz, Novel’s lawyer in his libel case against Playboy magazine and Jim Garrison, contain hundreds of letters demanding payment from Novel and threatening to end the case. Did the CIA Pay the Lawyers of Garrison's Witnesses? Elmer Gertz, Gordon Novel's lawyer, had significant trouble getting paid by his client. The second stage was the use of “intelligence assets/journalists” like James Phelan, Hugh Aynesworth, and Walter Sheridan to wreck Garrison. Sheridan produced the NBC documentary on the Garrison investigation. DiEugenio believes that the CIA funneled money to him to defer production costs and that a “covert team was assembled” around Sheridan. But Sheridan was a long-time “trusted Kennedy family operative, loyalist, and staffer for three decades.” When Garrison charged Sheridan with bribery after interviewing Perry Russo in New Orleans, Robert Kennedy released this statement: Source: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa by Walter Sheridan, pages 426 - 427; RFK's comments were also widely reported in the press. When Sheridan died, Edward Kennedy said he was “an extraordinary investigator and an extraordinary human being. His courage and dedication to justice and the public interest were unmatched by anyone.” Incredibly, DiEugenio believes that a long-time friend of the Kennedy family would let JFK’s murderers go free. James Phelan was the journalist Garrison confided in in Las Vegas. He realized that Perry Russo’s initial statements in Baton Rouge did not contain the conspiracy story he had later spun in New Orleans. But had Phelan wanted to harm Garrison, he could have gone straight to Shaw’s attorneys with this information. Instead, he went back to Garrison to confront him with the inconsistent stories. To DiEugenio, Phelan was “on a mission” and was an “intelligence asset.” Another nice story and, again, no evidence. Hugh Aynesworth was one of the finest journalists of our time. He covered every angle of the JFK assassination, from Dealey Plaza to Jack Ruby’s trial, and he was also an early confidante of Jim Garrison’s. His big crime was helping Shaw’s attorneys, and so naturally DiEugenio believes Aynesworth was CIA. His proof? Aynesworth tried to get into Cuba in 1962 and told the domestic contact division of the CIA he would provide information: Harold Weisberg wrote to Joan Mellen in April 2000 and said, “The CIA did not have to penetrate Garrison. He provided his own endless insanities.” In another letter to her, he wrote, “Nobody had to do a thing to him. He did more than enough to himself.” David Reitzes, one of the best researchers of the Garrison fiasco, sums it up best. “Faced with the fact that several people who worked with Garrison quit and went public with their disagreement, the Garrisonites explain that these people were spies anyway. Faced with Big Jim's wild, constantly changing theories and enthusiasms, they explain that the spooks were feeding him disinformation. Faced with the negative press coverage he garnered, they explain that this was a "media campaign" against him. Faced with witnesses who fled New Orleans and refused to cooperate, they see the nefarious hand of conspirators undermining the DA's case. To vindicate Garrison, they have to implicate virtually everybody else as a spook.” The last stage, according to DiEugenio, was run by the CIA itself through people like James Angleton and Richard Helms. They set up a “Garrison Group” within the CIA, and they “quashed subpoenas,” “flipped witnesses,” and “physically assaulted witnesses.” This was all in CIA documents “that originated in the office of [CIA Director] Richard Helms.” Robert Tanenbaum, former deputy chief counsel of the HSCA, told DiEugenio he had seen these documents. Unfortunately, they have simply vanished into thin air. Of course, the Garrison Group did nothing of the sort. The group was organized to think about how the Clay Shaw trial might affect the CIA: Were Garrison's Witnesses Surveilled, Harassed, Attacked and Intimidated? Here is the truth about the allegations surrounding Garrison's witnesses. The closest DiEugenio comes to proving his case is that Herbert Miller, the lawyer that tried to introduce Shaw's attorneys to the CIA, did pass on some of their material. Miller was also Walter Sheridan's lawyer, and he contacted the CIA with information about Al Beauboeuf: Beauboeuf was taken by his lawyer Burton Klein to Washington to meet with Walter Sheridan and to take a polygraph examination. It does not appear that he met with anybody from the Department of Justice and, as we know, the Department of Justice did not investigate his bribery allegations. To DiEugenio the Lansdale memo is incriminating: (page 238 in the Kindle edition of Destiny Betrayed ) The earliest known declassified document in this regard is dated May 8, 1967. This is a summary of two phone calls between Miller and Richard Lansdale. Lansdale was the assistant to CIA Chief Counsel Lawrence Houston. The topic of conversation was the trip arranged to Washington by Sheridan for Al Beaubouef [sic], one of Ferrie’s companions to Texas the weekend of the assassination. After talking to Sheridan and Miller, Beaubouef became quite malleable. For Miller advised Lansdale that, “Beaubouef would be glad to talk with or help in any way we want.” This is an example of technique number one: the reversal, or flipping, of a Garrison witness. For as Garrison noted in his Playboy interview, after his trip to Washington, “a change came over Beaubouef; he refused to cooperate with us any further and he made charges against my investigators.” The routing of this Lansdale memo prefigures the third phase of the subversive effort against Garrison by the Agency. For, among other places, the memo went to both the Office of Security and James Angleton’s Counterintelligence unit. But, what makes this so interesting is that Angleton already seemed aware of Beaubouef’s journey to Washington. The flipping of a witness? Of course Beauboeuf stopped cooperating with Garrison -- he was offered a bribe, and when he went public, he was then threatened. Of course, DiEugenio ignores the last sentence of the memo: I told him I doubt we would want anything because this matter is not within our authority, notwithstanding that we obviously are involved. And, of course, DiEugenio has to throw in Angleton as the universal boogeyman. Miller called Lansdale a few days later about Sheridan : There is no evidence that Goodwin called Sheridan or that they even met. But even if they did, so what? DiEugenio brings up this memo: (page 238 in the Kindle edition of Destiny Betrayed) Just seventy-two hours after this communication about Beaubouef, Miller wired another message to Angleton. Lansdale now wrote that Miller had told him that Sheridan would be willing to meet with CIA “under any terms we propose.” Further, Sheridan would be willing to make the CIA’s view of Garrison, “a part of the background in the forthcoming NBC show.” From viewing the final product, there can be no doubt that this happened. And, in fact, because Sheridan’s show took awhile to produce—it was actually once planned to be in two parts—the CIA seems to have been eager to help defray production costs. William Martin had learned from Clay Shaw’s friend David Baldwin, that some of the money for Sheridan’s show was being funneled through the large law firm of Monroe and Lemann in New Orleans. DiEugenio is certain that the CIA met with Sheridan about the NBC documentary. He does not mention this sentence from the above memo: I told Mr. Miller I would check this out, but also indicated my initial reaction is that probably the Agency might feel it undesirable to do this on the theory that anything as bizarre and unsubstantiated as the Garrison action does not warrant even this much action or reaction on the part of the Agency. The source for DiEugenio's allegation that the CIA was funneling money for Sheridan's documentary is a memo that William Martin, Assistant District Attorney, wrote Garrison on May 24, 1967. You can read that memo here, and you can see there is nothing in it about funneling money for Sheridan's documentary. Overarching everything, as I have written previously, was the guidance from the Department of Justice that the CIA and the FBI not get involved with the Garrison investigation. Here is a memo that spells it out: The "provocative actions" are described in this memo , but the second paragraph is quite clear. Department of Justice most concerned to see we not get involved ... And, of course, the Department of Justice got its marching orders from President Johnson. DiEugenio's readers will read none of these quotes from the memos he cites, nor will they see any of the material from my series on Clay Shaw. Now on to one last point about Jim Garrison. Part Nine of my series on Clay Shaw had this paragraph from Patricia Lambert: Their refusal to do the right thing in this instance is the first step to the larger government failure that follows, and its consequences. Garrison's glorification and Shaw's conviction by cinema are not the worst of those consequences. The worst is the widespread conspiratorial mindset of today's popular culture. That mindset wasn't born in a 1991 Hollywood movie. It was born in New Orleans in 1969 at Clay's trial when Garrison staged the first public showing of the Zapruder film and claimed to know what it meant. In that theatrical courtroom moment, Garrison defined the meaning of President Kennedy's assassination in the popular imagination. That conspiratorial mindset, which has been poisoning and dividing this country ever since, the government could have throttled in the womb. Garrison didn't just poison American culture through the misuse of the Zapruder Film -- according to Nick Nalli, he also "traitorously exploited the change of public sentiment during the Vietnam War" and inserted conspiracy theory into the debate : Probe, an underground newspaper based in Santa Barbara Here is Garrison, completely unhinged : And, of course, that line of thinking went straight into Oliver Stone's JFK . Here is an excerpt from Terrence Rafferty's review of Stone's JFK from the New Yorker. Stone has also been saying that he's less interested in the "who" and the "how" of the conspiracy than in the "why" -- that the answer to why Kennedy was killed will lead us to the truth about everything else. The most charitable interpretation of that statement is that Stone isn't a rigorous logician: how, exactly, would someone determine why a President was murdered without first knowing who did it and how it was done? You might begin to search for leads in a simple domestic crime on the basis of a hypothesis about motivation, but political assassination presents too wide a range of possibilities: there were plenty of people and groups who hated Kennedy in 1963, all for different reasons. Stone simply selects a "why" that sounds good to him, and he makes a poor choice. Yes, Kennedy had approved an order to withdraw a few American advisors from Vietnam, but there's no evidence that this limited move signaled a fundamental change in Cold War foreign policy, or even, for that matter, in policy specific to Southeast Asia. It's one thing to misinterpret the Zapruder film and believe the head shot came from the front. But making the Vietnam War part of the conspiracy took the poison to a whole new level. You can see the Kennedy cult all over the internet. Kennedy would have brought in an era of peace and detente with the Soviets. Reconciliation with Cuba. Withdrawal from Vietnam. And so he had to be stopped. It's a great story and it made for a good movie. The only thing lacking was truth. And now that poison -- so popular on the left -- has infected the right. The deep state killed Kennedy, just as it went after Trump. Thank you Jim Garrison. The Clay Shaw Series Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part One The setting in New Orleans Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Two The DOJ is told not to get involved. The FBI follows suit. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Three Ed Wegmann goes to Washington. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Four The CIA gets involved. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Five Wegmann goes back to Washington with Irvin Dymond. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Six Wegmann files a civil rights complaint with the Department of Justice. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Seven Wegmann files a forty-five-page complaint in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Eight Clay Shaw's Acquittal; New Charges; and Wegmann Goes Back to the Department of Justice. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Nine The new Department of Justice, under President Nixon, considers Shaw's new civil rights complaint. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Ten Conclusion -- and a case study in how a conspiracy theorist gets it wrong on Clay Shaw.

The Bonderman Memo I think this was a photograph taken when Shaw was being booked on March 1, 1967. His lawyers Sal Panzeca and Ed Wegmann are on the left, and Garrison Chief Investigator Lou Ivon is on the right. David Bonderman, a special assistant in the DOJ, was given the task of reviewing the materials submitted by Shaw's attorneys. Here is his memo from April 3, 1969: David Bonderman died in December of 2024. Bonderman writes that "prosecutorial discretion covers at least the right to make bad, erroneous, and even silly decisions." The civil rights laws do not envisage examinations into the quality of testimony given, and therefore, as to the allegations which deal with the unbelievability of certain testimony it would appear that, taking a view of the allegations most favorable to Shaw on the evidence, no possible claim of violation of any of the laws enforced by this Division would be made out. But Bonderman realizes that two the allegations made by Wegmann in his December 1, 1967, letter to John Doar, are "somewhat different." As to Alvin Beauboeuf and Fred Leemans, Wegmann alleged that members of Garrison's staff attempted to bribe them with payments of substantial sums of money in order to get them to testify falsely against Shaw, although neither of them did. It seems clear that prosecutorial discretion does not extend to bribing witnesses to give false testimony and I can see no reason why 18 U.S.C. 241 and 242 do not cover this sort of activity for this is essentially an allegation of conspiracy, under color of law, to deprive someone of his rights to a fair trial by suborning testimony. Thus it appears that if the allegations are true, there is the sort of situation which would conceivably fit in with our priorities for enforcement. Bonderman not only contradicts the DOJ's prior position that there was no "statutory basis" to act on Wegmann's complaint, he also presents the specific code and sections. Patricia Lambert wondered why Pollak didn't see in 1967 what Bonderman saw in 1969. And Bonderman provides the answer: I understand that a decision was made not to investigate on the ground that involvement with the Garrison investigation would be of marginal value for our law enforcement efforts at best, and that the totality of the allegations made by Wegmann at that time were not weighty. Here is how Patricia Lambert translates his words: Quite simply it means the government had no intention of intervening in the New Orleans thing regardless of what laws Garrison might be breaking. The action of Stephen Pollak rejecting the complaint in early 1968 is entirely consistent with the attitude permeating the tape-recorded conversations between President Johnson and Ramsey Clark that took place the previous year. Both men exhibited an exaggerated concern, fear even, that the government might do something that would trigger a response from Jim Garrison. When Pollack rejects the complaint, Johnson is still in the White House and Ramsey Clark is still his Attorney General. Then, too, there are those once-secret CIA and Department of Justice files concerning the request of Shaw's attorneys to meet with the CIA. Those records, and others (including some from the FBI) reveal two previously unknown facts. First, the Department of Justice was in charge of the government's decision-making process regarding the Garrison-Shaw matter -- everyone, including the CIA, received their marching orders from Ramsey Clark's department. And, second, someone there decided to avoid entanglement at virtually any cost --even, apparently, if that cost was twenty years of an innocent man's life. What the records don't reveal, that remains unknown today, is who made that decision and why. Of course Bonderman does leave open the possibility of investigating "at a later date." But he decides not to investigate now because of "the general problems in getting involved in the Garrison probe." Lambert continues: Bonderman probably did all he could do for Wegmann and for Shaw, and unwittingly he did something else. By speaking truth to power (even in his limited way), Bonderman embedded that truth in the documentary record of this case. His voice is one of those from the past informing us today. His memorandum shows Department of Justice officials so determined to keep their distance from Garrison that they abnegated their responsibility, statutory and moral, to Clay Shaw. They simply threw him to the wolves. That he was not devoured is no thanks to them. He was saved, in the final round, not by his innocence alone, but by Edward Wegmann's federal strategy and unremitting outrage that the rights to which all Americans are guaranteed were so blatantly violated in Shaw's case. In one of those 1967 telephone conversations with President Johnson, Ramsey Clark expressed dismay that Garrison had not "immediately" reported whatever information he had on the assassination to the Secret Service and the FBI "as being a matter of national concern [and] responsibility. But the government had a responsibility too. The President and the attorney general were personally aware of the vacuum underlying Garrison's investigation. Didn't that knowledge bestow on them a duty to use their extraordinary authority on behalf of a man they knew to be an innocent victim of a mad charade? Had the decision makers at Justice investigated the bribery charges, Garrison surely would have cried Government cover-up, thereby fulfilling the prediction voiced by Lyndon Johnson to Ramsey Clark. At that point, however, the main-line media no longer trusted Garrison, they were on to him, and the facts would have supported the government's action. That window of time, from December 1967 through May 1968, was the perfect moment for the government to stand up to Garrison, a moment that would not come again. Instead of seizing the moment, the decision makers behaved as though Wegmann was asking them to dive head first into a landfill of nuclear waste. They were just as determined to keep the government out of the case as Wegmann was to draw them into it. Their refusal to do the right thing in this instance is the first step to the larger government failure that follows, and its consequences. Garrison's glorification and Shaw's conviction by cinema are not the worst of those consequences. The worst is the widespread conspiratorial mindset of today's popular culture. That mindset wasn't born in a 1991 Hollywood movie. It was born in New Orleans in 1969 at Clay's trial when Garrison staged the first public showing of the Zapruder film and claimed to know what it meant. In that theatrical courtroom moment, Garrison defined the meaning of President Kennedy's assassination in the popular imagination. That conspiratorial mindset, which has been poisoning and dividing this country ever since, the government could have throttled in the womb. Here is the letter that was sent to Edward Wegmann: Ultimately, Edward Wegmann would have his day in court and Judge Christenberry granted a permanent injunction against further prosecution of Clay Shaw. Lambert also has a few other choice paragraphs about Garrison and conspiracy theory: On the plus side, one quite important discovery surfaced during the inquiry [HSCA]. (Actually, it had surfaced earlier but the Rockefeller Commission did not pursue the issue as fully as this committee did.) The HSCA obtained scientific analyses of the president's backward movement, as shown on the Zapruder film which, in effect, debunked Garrison's interpretation of it which he proclaimed at Clay's trial -- that it showed a shot from the front and proved a conspiracy occurred. The expert opinions assembled by both the Rockefeller Commission and the HSCA dispute that interpretation, and their opinions have been reinforced and supplemented by others over the years. Garrison got it wrong. The Rockefeller Commission knew that and so did the House Committee. Yet neither made any effort to publicize what the experts had said about that issue, they omitted the information from their public reports, and to this day it is basically unknown to the proverbial man in the street. This was another golden opportunity missed. Instead of strengthening America's confidence in its government, as Clay envisioned, these investigations would fuel the country's appetite for conspiracy, which today borders on a bulimic-like pathology. Any theory, no matter how outrageous, has a following as long as it says the government did it, whatever it might be. Many factors contributed to the decline in public trust. But the unchecked paranoia now rampant in the land began with Garrison -- he was the initial carrier, the infecting agent, both in what he said and what he did. His public attack on the CIA -- all those relentlessly escalating lies -- helped set the stage for what followed. His illegal dissemination of the Zapruder film (some thirty years before commercial copies became available to the public) was a stealth-like demarcation, not widely known even now almost forty years after the fact. A chess player and a strategist, Garrison knew what he was doing. By passing out bootleg copies of the film to certain individuals who shared his views, copies he knew would be reproduced repeatedly over time, he was secretly feeding, creating and enlarging an underground conspiracy constituency. He was using the most emotionally charged evidence in the case (obtained solely through the power of his office) to promulgate his false version of the assassination and guarantee that his influence would be ongoing. At least in the courtroom he did it legally and in the open: He spelled out his misinformation to media representatives from around the world. Today that misinformation is what most people believe. The jury acquitted Clay, but ignorance and the Zapruder film in time trumped their verdict. And that twenty-six second slice of history remains today the most evocative, misused and misunderstood evidence in this case. I have one thing to add. Lambert was right that the investigative bodies never really countered the JFK head snap narrative. That is why we are indeed fortunate that Nick Nalli has written some very important scientific papers on the JFK assassination: Here is a link to Nick's amazing paper on the JFK head shot. Nick's detailed rebuttal of Josiah Thompson's book, Last Second in Dallas, shows why the acoustics evidence is not valid. Here is a link to Nick's paper on the target tracking of the assassination. It's a pity that Patricia Lambert did not finish this book. Her insights and her research talents would have added substantially to the canon. I was very fortunate to have two opportunities to examine her papers at the Sixth Floor Museum. She was a terrific researcher -- she interviewed everybody possible. James Phelan acted as a sounding board. They exchanged numerous letters about her research and his personal knowledge of Jim Garrison. Paul Hoch, an astute JFK researcher, also provided a lot of feedback to Pat. They both contributed to Pat's enduring legacy of having written one of the best books on Jim Garrison. Patricia Lambert died on May 10, 2016. R. I. P. Patricia Lambert on the right with Anne Dischler who investigated Rose Cherami and the Clinton witnesses for Jim Garrison. NEXT: Conclusion. The Clay Shaw Series Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part One The setting in New Orleans Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Two The DOJ is told not to get involved. The FBI follows suit. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Three Ed Wegmann goes to Washington. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Four The CIA gets involved. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Five Wegmann goes back to Washington with Irvin Dymond. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Six Wegmann files a civil rights complaint with the Department of Justice. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Seven Wegmann files a forty-five-page complaint in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Eight Clay Shaw's Acquittal; New Charges; and Wegmann Goes Back to the Department of Justice. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Nine The new Department of Justice, under President Nixon, considers Shaw's new civil rights complaint. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Ten Conclusion -- and a case study in how a conspiracy theorist gets it wrong on Clay Shaw.

Clay Shaw's Acquittal; New Charges; and Wegmann Goes Back to the Department of Justice. March 3, 1967, Clay Shaw arrives for a press conference after his arrest. Our last post ended with the start of Clay Shaw's trial for conspiring to kill JFK. During the course of the trial, there was ample opportunity for the Department of Justice to get involved and help Clay Shaw. For instance: Clay Shaw's attorneys had trouble with the Clinton witnesses because they did not have access to Garrison's investigative reports which showed their contradictory stories over time. Inconsistencies in the Stories of the Clinton Witnesses Corrie Collins -- A Very Pliable Witness   Part Ten: Corrie Collins continually changed his story about what happened in Clinton. Did Lee Harvey Oswald Live with a Doctor in Jackson?   Part Twelve: Henry Earl Palmer told a ridiculous story about Oswald claiming he was living with a doctor in Jackson. Henry Earl Palmer and Judge John Rarick Part Fourteen: Henry Earl Palmer told Andrew Sciambra that Judge John Rarick was there when the black Cadillac visited Clinton. Author Don Carpenter emailed Rarick in 2007 to ask him. His answer is revealing. Additional Inconsistencies in the Clinton/Jackson Story Part Sixteen: Some witnesses saw other people in Clinton that day; Manchester's poor memory; and a look at whether the Cadillac's registration was checked in Baton Rouge. And as the DOJ memo above indicates, the FBI informed Garrison that their files showed that Reeves Morgan, despite his claims, never called the FBI after the assassination to say that he had recognized Oswald . Shaw's attorneys did not know this and Garrison was not going to divulge that information. The Department of Justice could have blown away the Clinton witnesses with the information in the FBI files. But they did nothing. As you can see, Nathaniel Kossack's notation at the bottom of this reads: "No -- do not do anything at this time. We cannot interfere with State trial." And here is another memo about Shaw's trial : Finck was a very poor witness and made a very poor impression at the Clay Shaw trial. Colonel Finck did not do well under cross-examination and James Robinson, an attorney with the DOJ Crime Section, worried that the "net result" will be "to discredit the Commission Report in the minds of the jury and lead to Shaw's conviction." And while reporters may understand this has "no direct bearing" on Shaw's guilt, the "jurors will not be inclined to draw such a distinction, rather they will reason: if the report is wrong, Garrison is right." Kossack wrote at the bottom that "We are unable to extricate Shaw's attorneys. I am reluctant to get us involved in any positive act." Clay Shaw was acquitted on March 1, 1969, and two days later Garrison charged Shaw with two counts of perjury, claiming that Shaw lied when he testified he had never met Lee Harvey Oswald or David Ferrie. The two charges would be hard to refute -- after all, Garrison had found bogus witnesses for the conspiracy charges; it wouldn't be hard to drum up some bogus witnesses that would claim Shaw knew Ferrie or Oswald. New Orleans Times-Picayune, March 4, 1969 Shaw was in real jeopardy since perjury is a felony and carried ten-year prison terms for each count. Once again, Shaw's lawyers turned to the Department of Justice. Richard Nixon was now the President and there was a new team at the Department of Justice. Perhaps new eyes would understand that Garrison had to be stopped. Shaw's attorneys filed a new civil rights complaint and handed it to the FBI in New Orleans. Here is Clay Shaw's statement: Money Quote: I reiterate that I did not know, was never acquainted with, did not talk to and never saw in person, and had absolutely no contact of any kind or nature with either Lee Harvey Oswald or David W. Ferrie. The perjury charges filed against me by Garrison can be for no purpose other than to continue to deprive me of my civil and constitutional rights and to further harass me as he has done for more than two years. Money Quote: When Garrison arrested me and when he caused me to be indicted by the grand jury, he and his co-conspirators knew that the charges were entirely without basis in fact or in law. While there is other evidence to support that statement, it perhaps best evidenced by the conversation which transpired between Charles Ward, Executive Assistant District Attorney to Garrison, and William Gurvich, approximately three hours after my arrest: Ward, in response to Gurvich's question as to why I had been arrested, and the basis therefor, stated: "Raw political power." Money Quote: During the trial, Russo acknowledged that he had stated to Lieutenant Edward O'Donnell of the New Orleans Police Department Detective Bureau "I don't know if he (Clay Shaw) was there or not."; and that the alleged conspiratorial meeting was nothing more than a "bull session." Money Quote: It is significant that the prosecution produced only one witness to attest to the alleged conspiratorial meeting. No witnesses were produced nor was any evidence introduced to corroborate the testimony of Russo with respect to anything, but most especially with respect to the alleged conspiratorial meeting. Money Quote: Lieutenant Edward O'Donnell of the New Orleans Police Department Detective Bureau, will attest to the fact that prior to Bundy's having been placed on the witness stand at the preliminary hearing in March of 1967, he, O'Donnell, gave Bundy a polygraph examination, which showed Bundy to be lying when he told his story. The fact of his having failed the polygraph test was transmitted to Garrison and his associates, whereupon Garrison stated: "We didn't tell him to lie so we are protected -- we will use him as a witness," or words to that effect. You can read more about Bundy's polygraph examination here. You can read more about Charles Spiesel here. Money Quote: The testimony of these witnesses is suspect for a number of reasons. Manchester allegedly obtained a "1028" (license registration check) on the car, but no such document was produced. More on the supposed 1028 check here. You can read more about Roger Craig at these links : Paul Bleau Chokes, Part 17 A look at Bleau's assertions about Roger Craig. Mary Ferrell and Sylvia Meagher on Roger Craig Both Ferrell and Meagher didn't think much of Roger Craig. Mark Lane Interviews Roger Craig   Craig told Lane some really crazy stuff. Marina Oswald's Doctor was a Homosexual!   Roger Craig wrote a memo to Jim Garrison about Marina Oswald's doctor. Jim Garrison Finds Another JFK Assassination Conspirator!   Garrison charges Edgar Eugene Bradley with conspiracy to kill JFK, and Roger Craig says that Bradley was the Secret Service man he encountered outside the TSBD. Was Edgar Eugene Bradley One of the Three Tramps?   Some conspiracy theorists believe that Bradley was one of the three tramps. A few letters in this post mention Roger Craig. You can find all the primary documents about the VIP Room here. Here is the report they submitted on the Perry Russo interview: This blog post covers an O'Donnell report for Jim Garrison as well as his testimony during the 1971 hearings on Clay Shaw's perjury trial. Here is what Shaw's attorneys submitted on Charles Spiesel: Here is a blog post about Charles Spiesel. Now it was up to the new Department of Justice to consider if it could help Clay Shaw. NEXT: The Bonderman Memo. The Clay Shaw Series Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part One The setting in New Orleans Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Two The DOJ is told not to get involved. The FBI follows suit. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Three Ed Wegmann goes to Washington. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Four The CIA gets involved. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Five Wegmann goes back to Washington with Irvin Dymond. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Six Wegmann files a civil rights complaint with the Department of Justice. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Seven Wegmann files a forty-five-page complaint in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Eight Clay Shaw's Acquittal; New Charges; and Wegmann Goes Back to the Department of Justice. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Nine The new Department of Justice, under President Nixon, considers Shaw's new civil rights complaint. Did Clay Shaw Get the Help He Deserved?, Part Ten Conclusion -- and a case study in how a conspiracy theorist gets it wrong on Clay Shaw.