Here is a summary of my 19 posts on the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. 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? At the beginning of the Clay Shaw trial in February 1969, several witnesses from Clinton and Jackson, Louisiana were called to testify. Their stories of seeing Clay Shaw with David Ferrie and Lee Harvey Oswald in the summer of 1963 shocked the trial -- these were new stories that had not been told before. The scenario described by the witnesses implies that Lee Harvey Oswald was in Clinton/Jackson for three days and two nights: Evening 1: Oswald goes to Jackson for a haircut. Barber sends him to the house of Reeves Morgan. Oswald goes there and visits with Morgan. Next day: Oswald drives to Clinton with Shaw and Ferrie and stands in line most of the day to register to vote. Next day: Oswald goes to the East Louisiana State Hospital in the late morning to apply for a job. Because there was no discovery in Louisiana courts in 1969, Clay Shaw's attorneys did not have access to Garrison's investigative reports on the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. So, they were not aware of the various inconsistencies these reports (see below). However, they were able to show exactly why it was extremely improbable that Clay Shaw was in the Clinton area in late August or early September of 1963. The late summer and early fall of 1963 was an extremely busy time for Clay Shaw. His team was finalizing leases for the new International Trade Mart -- the only way they could float some bonds to finance the building was to have the leases in place for the New York investment bankers. Shaw did not have time to take off one day, let alone three, to drive Oswald and Ferrie to Clinton and Jackson. None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963 - 1964. And yet they were supposedly talking amongst themselves about the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald had been in Jackson/Clinton. And there were several groups of people who were supposedly aware of his presence: McGehee and his friends in Jackson, Louisiana. A variety of people at the East Louisiana State Hospital. Black people in CORE. Palmer and Manchester's KKK crowd in Clinton. Nobody came forward -- not the witnesses, and not their friends and family. Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI, and they told him they already knew Oswald had been in the area. Had the FBI really thought that Oswald had been in Jackson/Clinton, they would have talked to hundreds of people, and yet there is not one example of a Jackson/Clinton witness being interviewed by the FBI in 1963 -1964. 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. Clinton is in East Feliciana Parish. East and West Feliciana made up the 20th Judicial District which was served by one judge, John Rarick, and one district attorney, Richard Kilbourne. In 1960, Clinton's population was just 1,568, and by 2020, the population had actually declined to 1,340. To fully understand the Clinton/Jackson witnesses, you must look at the situation of West and East Feliciana Parish in the early 1960s. This was KKK territory and black people were actively kept off the voting rolls. But the black community was getting organized, and the status quo was being challenged by voter registration drives throughout the area. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in 1942, "to bring about equality for all people regardless of race, creed, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic background." In the summer of 1963, CORE made the Sixth Congressional District its "chief project." The Justice Department's announced that "since 1956 1,550 Negroes and 895 whites have been removed from East Feliciana voter rolls by various challenges, many instituted by the segregationist White Citizens Council. Since these purges, the department said, 756 whites and only 20 Negroes have been registered." People like Judge John Rarick, District Attorney Richard Kilbourne, and others did everything they could to link CORE with communism. A CORE connection to Lee Harvey Oswald, right after the assassination of JFK, would have cemented the link and would have come at an opportune time when they were still fighting CORE in the streets and in the courts. And yet there was no mention of Oswald being in Clinton/Jackson until mid-1967. It is clear just how the racists of Clinton and Jackson treated strangers. Michael Lesser was thrown in jail and others were not so lucky. And yet, we are supposed to believe that Lee Harvey Oswald, a total stranger, was welcomed, told to go to the registrar's house at night, and given tips on getting a job at the hospital in Jackson. Lots of strangers were in Clinton and that included FBI agents, journalists from the print and television media, and observers from the Department of Justice. There was probably no shortage of strange cars and the likelihood of people remembering strangers' faces several years later seems remote. 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. An article in the Baton Rouge State Times Advocate, from January 13, 1968, gives a clue as to the origin of the Clinton/Jackson stories. The importance of this article is that it gives us some insight into what people in the town of Clinton were whispering. One woman, now dead, thought that Oswald was in Clinton during voter registration. Now this is not that unusual. There were lots of reports, after the assassination, of people reporting they had seen Lee Harvey Oswald. There were even reports of Oswald being in my hometown of Montreal, Canada. He was also seen in Alice, Texas, looking for a job. What I find interesting about this rumor is that only one woman saw Oswald, not that several people saw him, and not that he tried to get a job at the East Louisiana State Hospital. It was very easy to graft Shaw and Ferrie into this rumor. The one witness was dead, and they could 'come up with' people to confirm the story. Had many people really seen Oswald, the rumor in town would have been a lot different. Lee McGehee, the barber in Jackson, claimed that there was an article about what happened in Clinton in The Councilor (a racist newspaper out of Shreveport) in 1966. Conspiracy authors often cite this article as proof that these witnesses did come forward before the Garrison investigation, but no one has been able to find the article. Why did these stories emerge? Some of the backers of Garrison, like Jack Rogers and L. P. Davis, were unhappy that he was blaming the CIA for the assassination. These stories might have been an attempt to steer Garrison towards a conspiracy that would blame the left and smear organizations like CORE. 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. Anne Dischler was one of Garrison's main investigators into the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. She had worked at the State Sovereignty Commission, and she was teamed up with Louisiana State Policeman Lt. Francis Fruge. There is very little evidence that David Ferrie was in Clinton. In early interviews. witnesses had trouble identifying Ferrie. Corrie Collins initially told Anne Dischler that two men got out of the black car and that one of them was Estus Morgan. He said nothing about Lee Harvey Oswald. Over time, his story changed dramatically. All of the physical evidence associated with the Clinton/Jackson witnesses has vanished. Henry Earl Palmer told Dischler that Oswald had signed the voter registration book. He even showed her the page with traces of his signature. When she went back the next day, the book was gone. Oswald supposedly applied for a job at the East Louisiana State Hospital. That application form was never found. The New Orleans D.A.'s office thoroughly went through the contents of David Ferrie's apartment and Clay Shaw's house. They didn't find any hotel receipts, maps, matchbooks, gas receipts, anything that would indicate they had been in Clinton or Jackson. There was nothing in Oswald's possessions that indicated he was there. 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 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. Henry Earl Palmer told investigators that Oswald claimed he had been living with a doctor in Jackson. That doctor was identified as Dr. Frank Silva. Patricia Lambert interviewed Silva who told her that there indeed was a Marine who was looking for a job at the East Louisiana State Hospital. Perhaps this was yet another true story in which it was easy to graft Lee Harvey Oswald into. Henry Earl Palmer also said that Judge John Rarick was present when the black Cadillac visited Clinton. Don Carpenter, author of the magisterial biography of Clay Shaw, Man of a Million Fragments, asked Rarick if this was true. Rarick replied that he was indeed there but there was no talk of Oswald, Ferrie or Shaw until the Garrison investigation. Witnesses identified other people in Clinton that day including Jack Ruby, Thomas Beckham and Gerry Patrick Hemming. There is some evidence that a "1028" check was run on the registration of the black Cadillac. The car was identified as being registered to the International Trade Mart. The only problem -- the Trade Mart did now own or lease any cars at all. 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. The HSCA investigation into the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses was deficient. When Lt. Francis Fruge was deposed, most of the questions he was asked was about Rose Cherami. He said nothing about Anne Dischler, his partner in the investigation. Similarly, Corrie Collins was also asked relatively few questions. The HSCA was anxious to accept these stories because they provided a link beteen Lee Harvey Oswald and David Ferrie, and thus a link, however tenuous, to organized crime. Did Lt. Francis Fruge Put the Story Together? The Secrets of Anne Dischler Part Nineteen: Anne Dischler held many secrets about Lt. Francis Fruge Dischler revealed some secrets about Francis Fruge to Patricia Lambert. Specifically, she had an affair withe Fruge and he admitted that he had faked evidence in a murder investigation. These secrets cast doubt on the credibility of the Clinton/Jackson investigation. What's Next I am not finished with the stories of Clinton/Jackson. Future posts will examine conspiracy theorists' claims about these stories, an in-depth look at witness William Dunn, and some further information about Anne Dischler's secrets. Stay tuned.

David Wrone was a Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Here is an article from 1991 with his views on Oliver Stone's JFK: Previous Relevant Blog Posts 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. Don't miss the Viewer's Guide to JFK: Destiny Betrayed and JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass. Over the past several months, I have shown in multiple blog posts how Oliver Stone's documentary series, JFK Revisited and JFK: Destiny Betrayed, misleads viewers. In fact, despite months of work, there are still many more misleading segments that need to be addressed. It's no wonder that the fact checkers of Netflix nixed the airing of the films. There is a choice between four hours of tendentious nonsense (JFK: Destiny Betrayed) and two hours (JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass). As a handy guide for viewers, here are all those posts in order of their appearance in JFK: Destiny Betrayed and JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, preceded by some general critiques. The Viewer's Guide has now been updated to include the sources from my new book, Oliver Stone's Film-Flam: The Demagogue of Dealey Plaza.

Every time Oliver Stone opens his mouth to discus the JFK assassination, he says something ridiculous. "He had a thin case, no question about it," Stone told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. "Garrison became his own worst enemy by not even bringing some of the people he wanted to bring to trial as witnesses, because he was preserving their privacy and their integrity." Good to see that Stone now admits that Garrison "had a thin case, no question about it." But preserving the privacy and integrity of some witnesses? Who on earth is he talking about? "I trusted Jim," Stone said. "I really believe in the honesty and the integrity of Jim Garrison." There is Oliver Stone's problem in a nutshell. Garrison wasn't honest and he had no integrity. The fact that Stone can't see that says something about his judgment. "A guy shoots the president out of an impossible perch on a window that no marksman has ever matched," Stone said. "He dies, so there's no evidence. There's no trial." So, there's no evidence? Really? The shots from the southeast corner of the sixth floor were easy shots. The first shot was only 55 yards, and the head shot was just 85 yards. Because in all probability the first shot missed, Oswald had 8 - 10 seconds to fire three times. And Oswald was a sharpshooter in the Marines and easily had the requisite skill to kill JFK. "Then the assassin of Oswald is bumped off in a strange cancer case a month before he's supposed to testify," Stone said. "Initially some 26 witnesses that are of interest die violently in the next period of time." Ruby died of cancer. It wasn't strange. And just what 26 witnesses died violently? "Don't buy anything the government ever says again," Stone said. "The country will never get its conscience together and get its history together as long as we believe them." This is Oliver Stone's message to people? This reminds me of a scene from Stone's so-called documentary series, JFK: Destiny Betrayed. Here is an excerpt from my book, Oliver Stone's Film-Flam: The Demagogue of Dealey Plaza: (pages 363 - 364) Here is author David Talbot: (54:11 in Episode 4) I think there's a direct thread between the events of 1963, and the kind of horror show that America is having to endure right now. And I think once you kill a president in broad daylight on the streets of an American city, and everyone knows that powerful forces did it, and it can never be solved, that crime, that sends a signal, not only to the American people, but to the American media, to American future leaders. And if American really wants a democratic society, then we should get to the bottom of this traumatic crime that continues to reverberate throughout American history. What kind of message is this? Telling people that their actions are useless unless the supposed JFK conspiracy and cover-up are revealed? Is this not a nihilist recipe for inaction? A minute later (55:30) the narrator asks this question: Can a democracy survive if it does not know its deepest secrets about the darkest days of its past? This message of hopelessness is courtesy of a man who believes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is rational, calm, and thoughtful. Ok, back to the UPI story: "Everybody in the world has an opinion," Stone said. "It's just that they'd rather have an opinion than know anything. That's what bothers me." Boy is that the pot calling the kettle black! The article ends with Stone's statement about his battle with truth: "My battles continue with the truth," Stone said. "Once you enter into a world of thinking for yourself you're in trouble here." Has Stone ever thought for himself? He relies upon people like Fletcher Prouty and James DiEugenio for his JFK information. Previous Relevant Blog Posts 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. Don't miss the Viewer's Guide to JFK: Destiny Betrayed and JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass. Over the past several months, I have shown in multiple blog posts how Oliver Stone's documentary series, JFK Revisited and JFK: Destiny Betrayed, misleads viewers. In fact, despite months of work, there are still many more misleading segments that need to be addressed. It's no wonder that the fact checkers of Netflix nixed the airing of the films. There is a choice between four hours of tendentious nonsense (JFK: Destiny Betrayed) and two hours (JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass). As a handy guide for viewers, here are all those posts in order of their appearance in JFK: Destiny Betrayed and JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, preceded by some general critiques. The Viewer's Guide has now been updated to include the sources from my new book, Oliver Stone's Film-Flam: The Demagogue of Dealey Plaza.

The Mob Museum hosted a terrific panel on the JFK assassination. It was a privilege to be part of this esteemed panel.

Paul Bleau has written a book, The JFK Assassination: Chokeholds, with James DiEugenio and three other authors: The authors provide "ten different arguments which independently prove that: 1. there was a conspiracy in the murder of JFK, and 2. that the chokehold issues provide more than a reasonable doubt that would have made it impossible to convict Lee Harvey Oswald in a criminal trial." (page 14 in the Kindle edition) Here are their ten arguments: The official record impeaches the Warren Commission. Oswald's intelligence connections: He was no lone nut. Oswald was impersonated. Oswald could not have been on the sixth floor when the shots were fired. Jack Ruby was on a mission. Prior plots, the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, and useful idiots. The evidentiary mess of the twentieth century. The single bullet fabrication. Proof of a front shot is overwhelming. Sixty years of obstruction of justice. None of these are really 'chokeholds.' Over the next couple of months, I'll be examining these so-called chokeholds. They are really just regurgitated conspiracy nonsense -- a lot of this stuff has already been debunked on this blog through my series on Oliver Stone's so-called documentary series JFK: Destiny Betrayed. The introduction itself starts on very shaky grounds. Here is a "casual discussion" of the authors from the 2022 CAPA conference: (page 10 - 11 in the Kindle edition) Participants are Matt Crumpton, Mark Adamczyk and Paul Bleau. MATT: What do you guys think of the backyard photo of Oswald? MARK: Fake PAUL: Odds are it’s a fake, there seems to be crop lines along the chin MATT: Same facial expression on all photos PAUL: Marina did not even know how to operate the camera that they said she took the picture with MATT: Really? MARK: It was made to sell his guilt to the public. PAUL: The alleged rifle, the alleged pistol and magazines that paint him as communist all on his person … talk about over selling it. MATT: What about the shadows that don’t seem to align? PAUL: I don’t know about that, shadows are tricky… Anyway, for me this does not really matter as I really only focus on chokeholds. Madeleine Brown, Prayer man, Badge man… Too many of these are debatable. There are too many other solid arguments that are impossible to deny if explained properly. MARK: That’s an interesting concept: Chokeholds! The backyard photographs again? What makes this particularly crazy is that the authors spend a large part of the introduction talking about standards of proof: (page 36 in the Kindle edition) When reading this book, we ask readers to apply the high level of the standard of proof of clear and convincing evidence in reviewing the evidence pertaining to conspiracy and obstruction of justice and the beyond a reasonable doubt standard of proof with respect to the evidence regarding Lee Harvey Oswald’s guilt as the “lone nut assassin”. They ask that readers apply a high level of the standard of proof, and yet they themselves still think the backyard photographs are fake. The HSCA undertook a comprehensive examination of the photographs and found them to be legitimate. The HSCA noted that it would have been impossible to alter the photographs without being detected: In summary, it is possible to make copy photographs that are acceptable as originals. Nevertheless, because such a process poses many technical problems, any one of which if not solved would lead to detection under close examination of the photographs, we do not believe such a procedure was used to produce the three backyard photographs of Oswald. Professor Hany Farid of Darthmouth College also undertook an examination: It has long been argued that the photo of Lee Harvey Oswald in his backyard is a fake. Among other purported evidence of photo tampering, it has been argued that Oswald’s pose in the photo appears physically implausible. We have described a detailed 3-D stability analysis that refutes this argument. In addition, our 3-D model of Oswald and his surroundings provide further evidence refuting other claims of photo tampering: the lighting and shadows are physically consistent, and the length of the rifle in Oswald’s hands is consistent with the length of this type of rifle. And, of course, Marina Oswald said that she took the pictures, let alone the fact that Oswald signed one of the photographs that he gave to George de Mohrenschildt. The HSCA found that the handwriting was that of Oswald's. Despite all of this, these conspiracy theorists still believe the backyard photographs are fakes. It's no wonder they believe they have found ten chokeholds. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Paul Bleau: Paul Bleau on David Ferrie, the Pimp Was David Ferrie Clay Shaw's pimp? Paul Bleau and the IRS Man Did Lee Harvey Oswald have an escort? Paul Bleau and the Forger Edward Girnus was in prison for forgery, and he told a fanciful story about Clay Shaw and Lee Harvey Oswald. Paul Bleau and the Three Tramps Leander D'Avy told the HSCA he saw Oswald and Ferrie with the three tramps. Paul Bleau's Reign of Error Bleau's analysis of Garrison's files is full of errors. Paul Bleau's Plots Bleau believes there were seven plots against JFK before Dallas. Paul Bleau and the Supposed Chicago Plot Against JFK Bolden's allegation that there was a plot against JFK in Chicago has changed over the years. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads on Supposed Tampa 'Patsy' There is no evidence that there was a plot against JFK in Tampa. "JFK Revisited" Misleads on the Supposed Chicago Plot There is no evidence that there was a plot against JFK in Chicago. Don't miss the Viewer's Guide to JFK: Destiny Betrayed and JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass. Over the past several months, I have shown in multiple blog posts how Oliver Stone's documentary series, JFK Revisited and JFK: Destiny Betrayed, misleads viewers. In fact, despite months of work, there are still many more misleading segments that need to be addressed. It's no wonder that the fact checkers of Netflix nixed the airing of the films. There is a choice between four hours of tendentious nonsense (JFK: Destiny Betrayed) and two hours (JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass). As a handy guide for viewers, here are all those posts in order of their appearance in JFK: Destiny Betrayed and JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, preceded by some general critiques. The Viewer's Guide has now been updated to include the sources from my new book, Oliver Stone's Film-Flam: The Demagogue of Dealey Plaza.

This photograph was given to Patricia Lambert by Anne Dischler. Eunice News, July 18, 1967 Francis Fruge played a major role in Garrison's investigations - he worked with Anne Dischler on the Clinton/Jackson witnesses, and he also investigated Rose Cherami and her supposed foreknowledge of the assassination. There are also indications in Anne Discher's notes that Fruge was on the scene before they were teamed together. Here is the first page from Anne Dischler's steno pad. From February 1967 to May 18, 1967, Dischler and Fruge were investigating Rose Cherami and the supposed sighting of Oswald in Lafayette, Louisiana. Click here to read about the various sightings of Oswald in Louisiana. They then worked on the Clinton/Jackson witnesses until mid-October 1967, when Dischler was pulled off the case. In March, 2020, I traveled to Dallas to visit the Sixth Floor Museum to examine the papers of Patricia Lambert. This research was for my book On the Trail of Delusion -- Jim Garrison: The Great Accuser. I was there for three days and took photographs of hundreds of pages of her papers. I went back on September 23, 2021 to examine additional files. The purpose of my second visit was to make copies of Anne Dischler's steno pads and other documents related to the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. I discovered that Anne Dischler had told Patricia Lambert some secrets about Francis Fruge but had sworn her to secrecy. Lambert did not put these secrets into her book False Witness. I found myself in a quandary. Do I reveal these secrets to the world? If Patricia Lambert kept this material secret, then should I reveal this information? On the other hand, any researcher examining Lambert's papers would also see this material. At some point, these secrets would become public. Since all the principals in this story -- Dischler, Lambert, and Fruge -- are deceased, I have decided that the time is right to reveal these secrets. First, Anne Dischler and Francis Fruge had an affair while they were investigating for Garrison. In and of itself, this might mean little. However, given the affair, it was less likely that Dischler would tell Garrison's people about issues with Fruge's investigations. In addition, it might have made her less likely to question his interpretations of what was going on: As you can see, Lambert suspected that they had an affair. In a later note on February 4, 1994, after an interview at Dischler's home, Lambert wrote "she also told me that she had had an affair with him. She thought Jack Fruge [a distant relative of Francis Fruge who told Lambert that Fruge was quite the ladies man] had told me already, or "said something" but I told her he hadn't, which is true, but I suspected." During their affair, Francis Fruge confessed that he had manufactured evidence in a murder case: The Barker murder case took place in Jena, Louisiana. In addition, Francis Fruge embezzled money from Anne Dischler: In light of this, we have to reevaluate the credibility of Francis Fruge and his part in the Cherami and Clinton investigations. In addition, Dischler told Lambert that she believed that Fruge had been to Clinton before their investigation. She also told Lambert and Mellen that there was a picture of men in a black car which included Clay Shaw and Lee Harvey Oswald, and that this picture was shown around Clinton before she got there. Of course, this picture has never materialized -- and it seems quite likely that it was Fruge who was showing the picture around. Tom Bethell wrote a letter to Sylvia Meagher on March 13, 1969 in which he stated that "Incidentally, the Clinton witnesses were to a large extent put together by Lt. Fruge, a state trooper." Edward Wegmann told Patricia Lambert that the Clinton witnesses "had to be a complete fix." She wrote in her notes that "the most likely 'fixer' was Fruge." In 2006, Lambert was planning to write a biography of Clay Shaw. She was planning to include this material in her book, but because Anne Dischler was still alive, she was going to say the information came from a "Garrison investigator." An excerpt from page one of Patricia Lambert's book proposal. She actually conferred with Vincent Bugliosi about this. He provided the legal justification for including these stories: Had they known about Fruge's actions, Shaw's attorneys could have used that information to defend against the perjury charges. Specifically they would have been able to include the information in the documents they were filing with the DOJ in Washington and later with the federal court in New Orleans. Unfortunately, Patricia Lambert never completed her biography of Clay Shaw. She died on May 10, 2016. The Series on the Clinton/Jackson 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. 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. Why Did the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Not Come Forward? Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964. The Origin of the Clinton/Jackson Stories Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from? 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. 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. Corrie Collins -- A Very Pliable Witness Part Ten: Corrie Collins continually changed his story about what happened in Clinton. Did Reeves Morgan Contact the FBI? Part Eleven: Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI right after the JFK assassination. But did he really? 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. The Missing Evidence of Clinton/Jackson Part Thirteen: All the physical evidence that could corroborate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses has vanished. I wonder why. 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 emailed Rarick in 2007 to ask him. His answer is revealing. 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. 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 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. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Jim Garrison: The Uninquisitive District Attorney Three case studies on how Garrison was less than inquisitive, including the possible check of the Cadillac in Clinton. Was Jim Garrison Interested in the Truth about Clinton? Why didn't Garrison check out whether the Trade Mart in New Orleans had leased a Cadillac? Harold Weisberg on Jim Garrison An interview with Weisberg in which he discusses the Clinton witnesses. Were Garrison's Witnesses Surveilled, Harassed, Attacked and Intimidated? Two of the Clinton witnesses claimed they were intimidated. But were they really? Michael Lesser has Died, R. I. P.; Some Thoughts on Clinton... Some background material on Clinton. Was Thomas Beckham in Clinton with Shaw and Oswald? William Dunn initially said that Thomas Beckham was with Shaw and Oswald. Was Jack Ruby in Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? Andrew Dunn said Jack Ruby was in Clinton. Why Didn't Garrison's Witnesses Come Forward Before 1967? None of Garrison's witnesses, including the witnesses from Clinton/Jackson, came forward in 1963 -1964.

Anne Dischler was an investigator for Jim Garrison who worked with Louisiana State policeman Lt. Francis Fruge on the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. No one knew that Anne Dischler was involved in the Garrison investigation until Joan Mellen and Patricia Lambert interviewed her for their respective books. She is not mentioned in Jim Garrison's book, On the Trail of the Assassins. The HSCA never figured out that Dischler was an investigator for Garrison and she was never contacted. Not one Clinton/Jackson witness mentioned her name, and Jonathan Blackmer, the HSCA attorney who worked on this part of the case, never knew she had vital information. The HSCA did not examine her notebooks. In March 2020, I was fortunate to examine the papers of Patricia Lambert at the Sixth Floor Museum. Here are some pictures from her files: Patricia Lambert (on the left) with Anne Dischler. Here is a link to the Dischler references in Lambert's excellent book, False Witness. Dischler with Lambert. Anne's inscription on the back of the photograph. Anne's Four Seasons, Eunice, Louisiana. Anne's inscription on the back of the photograph. Signs outside of Anne's in Eunice, Louisiana. Anne H. Dischler was born in 1932 and ultimately had seven children -- she had her first child when she was 16. She worked for the Louisiana State Revenue Department and was an investigator for the State Sovereignty Commission. She also worked temporarily as a deputy sheriff (narcotics), and she spent a lot of time as a jail minister. Dischler was teamed up with Louisiana State Policeman Francis Fruge in February 1967 to investigate the Rose Cherami story as well as allegations that Oswald was seen in Lafayette, Louisiana. First page of Anne Dischler's steno pad. In an earlier post, I noted that on May 18, 1967, she received information from Fred Dent, Jr. of the State Sovereignty Commission. He had gotten a tip from Jack Rogers, and that led Dischler and Fruge to investigate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. Ultimately, Anne Dischler was pulled off the investigation in mid-October 1967. Here are two paragraphs from notes that Patricia Lambert made from a telephone conversation with Anne Dischler on February 2, 1994. She turned in her steno pads to Garrison's office, which were copied, and then returned. Fortunately, she held on to them, and now they are available: One of Anne Dischler's steno pads. After Dischler left the Garrison investigation, she worked with Fruge on a murder case. Unfortunately, after she was taken off the case, Dischler (as well as Fruge) had her expense reporting questioned: New Orleans States-Item, April 29, 1968 There was a lot of confusion over just who was working for Jim Garrison: New Orleans States-Item, April 30, 1968 Here is a note that Pat Lambert wrote about a conversation with Dischler about the start of the Shaw trial: Dischler had some strange views on the assassination. She told Lambert: She explained what she believes to be the force behind the assassination: the five families that have all the money; the illuminati; bringing about the new world order too soon: one government controlled by these five families -- setting up the world for the anti-Christ. The Kennedy and the Bouvier families were too powerful and threatened the control of the five families because the Kennedy and Bouvier families threatened to create a sixth family. Dischler was also a jail minister. She learned to play guitar because she couldn't bring her piano to prisons. She started at the Crowley Parish jail and then worked at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola; the Landry Parish Prison; and the Saint Gabriel Parish Prison for Women. Opelousas Daily World, May 8, 1964 Anne Dischler died on November 6, 2018: Anne Hundley Dischler BORN: January 25, 1932 DIED: November 6, 2018 Eunice, Louisiana With sorrowful, yet grateful hearts, the family wishes to announce the eternal home going of Anne Hundley Dischler, age 86, on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 while residing at her home in Eunice, La. Pastor Dennis Gotreaux will conduct the services at 11am on Friday November 8, 2018 at Quirk’s Funeral Home in Eunice with burial to follow at St. Louis Cemetery. Anne enjoyed life as a wife for 65 years from 1948-2014 to Donald Ray Dischler, Sr. (deceased), mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. Later in life she was an ordained Minister of Evangelism and owner operator of Anne’s Fabrics in Eunice. She worked four years as an investigator for Louisiana State Police. Anne loved her family and loved counseling others for many years and also loved sewing and designing clothes for family and customers. Survivors include three daughters, Sylvia Dischler Martello Stanford (Button) & husband Julien of Crowley, LA, Sharon Dischler Sullivan & husband Gary of Norwood, LA, and Janice Dischler Moon of Eunice; four sons, Mr. & Mrs. Donald Dischler Jr. of Cypress, TX, Mark Dischler & wife Vanessa of Lake Charles, LA, Karl Dischler & wife Jeanne of Eunice, LA, and Bruce Dischler & wife Wendy of Eunice, LA; 28 grandchildren; 56 great grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents Hillman and Janice Williams Hundley, husband Donald Ray Dischler Sr.; sister, Carolyn Hundley Gilfillian; brother Samuel Hundley; son-in-law, Cosimo .J. Martello I and great granddaughter, Jana Michelle Zannini. Pall bearers will be Mark Dischler, Jay Martello, Sam Martello, Justin Stanford, Jacob Moon, David Dischler and Gerald Dischler. The Series on the Clinton/Jackson 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. 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. Why Did the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Not Come Forward? Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964. The Origin of the Clinton/Jackson Stories Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from? Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Jim Garrison: The Uninquisitive District Attorney Three case studies on how Garrison was less than inquisitive, including the possible check of the Cadillac in Clinton. Was Jim Garrison Interested in the Truth about Clinton? Why didn't Garrison check out whether the Trade Mart in New Orleans had leased a Cadillac? Harold Weisberg on Jim Garrison An interview with Weisberg in which he discusses the Clinton witnesses. Were Garrison's Witnesses Surveilled, Harassed, Attacked and Intimidated? Two of the Clinton witnesses claimed they were intimidated. But were they really? Michael Lesser has Died, R. I. P.; Some Thoughts on Clinton... Some background material on Clinton. Was Thomas Beckham in Clinton with Shaw and Oswald? William Dunn initially said that Thomas Beckham was with Shaw and Oswald. Was Jack Ruby in Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? Andrew Dunn said Jack Ruby was in Clinton. Why Didn't Garrison's Witnesses Come Forward Before 1967? None of Garrison's witnesses, including the witnesses from Clinton/Jackson, came forward in 1963 -1964.

There are many inconsistencies in the stories of the witnesses from Clinton and Jackson, Louisiana. Here are just a few: The Baby and the Bassinette The barber Lee McGehee said that Oswald was driven to his shop in a battered car with a woman in the front seat and a bassinet in the back. Was this Marina Oswald? Who was driving the car? What on earth happened to the black Cadillac with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? 2. Oswald the Electrician Oswald supposedly wanted a job at the hospital as an electrician. The major problem is that he wasn't an electrician. And why on earth would he need to go with Clay Shaw to Jackson looking for a job? Shaw could have picked up the phone in New Orleans and could have easily gotten a job for Oswald. 3. The CORE Meeting This story did not make the official canon and was not told at the Clay Shaw trial: Did perhaps Manchester see Michael Lesser coming out of a CORE meeting? Did Manchester, the town Marshal, not get a license plate of the car? 4. John Manchester's Memory Just count how many times Manchester says, "I don't remember." Hugh Aynesworth visited Clinton right before the start of the Clay Shaw trial in early 1969. Here is an excerpt, written after the trial, of what he told author James Kirkwood (American Grotesque, pages 222 - 223): Manchester, you'll recall, testified that he had spent two minutes talking to Clay Shaw that summer in 1963 and Dymond asked him how he could be so sure -- to have only seen a man for two minutes five years before. "I don't forget faces," Manchester snapped. "I may not remember names, but I remember faces. It's my job to." More importantly, perhaps three or four weeks after I'd spent one to two hours with the man discussing the very subject he was concerned with, Manchester did not recognize me when I went up to talk to him following his testimony on the stand. "Newsweek, eh," he said. "Yeh, I met a feller from there not too long ago, and ... " One of the assistant D.A.'s pulled him away -- him, still not recognizing a man with a 12-inch scar on his face whom he had threatened a few days before. Quite a memory has mister [sic] Manchester! 5. Other Sightings in Clinton Garrison's investigators showed people in Clinton and Jackson about 29 different pictures of people of interest. Not surprisingly, people sometimes picked people who were definitely not there. Was Jack Ruby in Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? Andrew Dunn picked Jack Ruby as the driver of the car and Guy Banister as a rear-seat passenger. Was Thomas Beckham in Clinton with Shaw and Oswald? William Dunn, at one point, picked out Thomas Beckham as being in the front seat of the car, and he might have even been driving. William Dunn did testify in the Clay Shaw trial but Clay Shaw's attorneys did not know he had earlier picked out Beckham. Was Gerry Patrick Hemming in Clinton to register to vote? Mrs. Kelly picked out a picture of Terry [sic; it was Gerry] Hemming as a man who was standing in line to register to vote. However, she really wasn't quite sure of anything. 6. The 1028 on the Cadillac I have already written a blog post on the "1028" check of the license number of the black Cadillac in Clinton. Here is another excerpt from Anne Dischler's notebook about the 1028: Of course, Oswald could not have been in Clinton in October because he went to Mexico City in late September, and then he went to Dallas. Here is another excerpt from Dischler's notes from May 26, 1967: The note reads: J. Manch. ran 28 on Cad -- to his knowledge car reg to Int. Trade could not say exactly what chain of source of info was used -- Essie Watson ran '28 - (radio oper - S.O. - E. Fl. Ph.) [East Feliciana Parish] Jim Garrison wrote in On the Trail of the Assassins that a 1028 check was run: (page 138 in the Kindle edition) The town marshal suspected that the two might have been sent from the federal government to help black people register. He called in the limousine license plates to the state police and had them checked. The car, it turned out, was registered to the International Trade Mart, which Clay Shaw—obviously the tall, distinguished-looking man— happened to manage. Later in his book, Garrison writes: (page 284 in the Kindle edition) Manchester pointed to Clay Shaw as the man he had questioned. Shaw gazed back at him impassively. As Sciambra had learned in Clinton, Manchester contacted the state police and confirmed that the limousine was the property of the International Trade Mart in New Orleans. You can see that in Manchester's statement (see above), he could not remember how he learned that the car was identified with the Trade Mart: I don't remember exactly how, but I remember finding out some way that the car was from the International Trade Mart in New Orleans. It is possible that I could have checked it out through our Sheriff's office or I may have gone up and talked to the people in the car and got the information from them. It is hard for me to remember exactly how. I do remember mentionin to someone, but I don't know exactly who, that the Cadillac was from the International Trade Mart in New Orleans. The problem is that the International Trade Mart did not own or lease any cars, let alone a Cadillac, which is why Manchester's memory improved at the trial. He told the court that Clay Shaw told him "he was a representative from the International Trade Mart in New Orleans." James Alcock also knew there was a problem. His closing argument reiterated that the Cadillac in question belonged to Clay Shaw's friend, Jeff Biddison: I want to make this abundantly clear at this time -- the State is not wedded to the proposition, the State is not bound by the proposition, and the State is not asking you definitely to believe that that black Cadillac on that day belonged to Jeff Biddison, a long-time friend of the Defendant, but it certainly is a curious coincidence that the Defendant knows Jeff Biddison, has used Jeff Biddison's car, and it was a black Cadillac, 1960 or '61, and, as the witnesses said, a brand new or apparently new automobile, shiny automobile. But the State is not saying necessarily that that was Jeff Biddison's automobile, because the State -- unfortunately no one on that occasion got the license number of that car so we could check it down and tell you positively and stand behind it as to the owner of that automobile. But there was evidence that a 1028 was run. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Garrison and his investigators ever called the license bureau in Baton Rouge to see if they had records indicating that a check had been run on the Cadillac. The Series on the Clinton/Jackson 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. 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. Why Did the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Not Come Forward? Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964. The Origin of the Clinton/Jackson Stories Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from? 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. 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. Corrie Collins -- A Very Pliable Witness Part Ten: Corrie Collins continually changed his story about what happened in Clinton. Did Reeves Morgan Contact the FBI? Part Eleven: Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI right after the JFK assassination. But did he really? 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. The Missing Evidence of Clinton/Jackson Part Thirteen: All the physical evidence that could corroborate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses has vanished. I wonder why. Henry Earl Palmer and Judge John Rarick Part Fourteen: Henry Earl Palmer told Andrew Sciambra that Jude John Rarick was there when the black Cadillac visited Clinton. Author Don Carpentered emailed Rarick in 2007 to ask him. His answer is revealing. What Ever Happened to Estus Morgan and Winslow Foster? Part Fifteen: Corrie Collins told investigator Anne Dischler that Estus Morgan was one of the people who got out of the black Cadillac in Clinton. Winslow Foster might have been the other person. So what exactly happened? Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Jim Garrison: The Uninquisitive District Attorney Three case studies on how Garrison was less than inquisitive, including the possible check of the Cadillac in Clinton. Was Jim Garrison Interested in the Truth about Clinton? Why didn't Garrison check out whether the Trade Mart in New Orleans had leased a Cadillac? Harold Weisberg on Jim Garrison An interview with Weisberg in which he discusses the Clinton witnesses. Were Garrison's Witnesses Surveilled, Harassed, Attacked and Intimidated? Two of the Clinton witnesses claimed they were intimidated. But were they really? Michael Lesser has Died, R. I. P.; Some Thoughts on Clinton... Some background material on Clinton. Was Thomas Beckham in Clinton with Shaw and Oswald? William Dunn initially said that Thomas Beckham was with Shaw and Oswald. Was Jack Ruby in Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? Andrew Dunn said Jack Ruby was in Clinton. Why Didn't Garrison's Witnesses Come Forward Before 1967? None of Garrison's witnesses, including the witnesses from Clinton/Jackson, came forward in 1963 -1964.

Two forgotten names in the Clinton/Jackson stories are Estus (or Estes) Morgan and Winslow Foster, who were supposedly in line to register to vote in late September or early October 1963. There were no references to Winslow Foster in the Clay Shaw trial, but Estus Morgan was mentioned during the testimony of Henry Earl Palmer, the registrar of Clinton: Mr. Sciambra: After your lunch break, when was the last time you left the office? Mr. Palmer: At approximately 3:30 I went back for coffee. Mr. Sciambra: Were the two men in the automobile still there? Mr. Palmer: I noticed them still sitting there. Mr. Sciambra: And when you returned from coffee after the coffee break, was the automobile -- Mr. Palmer: They were still there? Mr. Sciambra: Would you tell the Court what happened when you got back in your office after the 3:30 coffee break. Mr. Palmer: Soon after I got back, the first white man came in the office. I asked him for his identification, and he gave me a driver's license from Livingston Parish. His name was Estes Morgan, and he didn't have enough identification to register because he couldn't prove that he was in the Parish long enough, so I sent him out. Mr. Sciambra; When did the next white boy come in? Mr. Palmer: Probably one of two others came between him and then he came. I asked him for his identification, and he pulled out a U.S. Navy ID card. So, Estus Morgan was in front of Lee Harvey Oswald in the line to register. Palmer makes it appear that there is no association between the two men -- noting that there were one or two others between them. But a statement from May 1967, appears to lessen their separation: But this document, written by Andrew Sciambra (undated), claims that "One white man identified as LEE HARVEY OSWALD in company of white man ESTUS MORGAN ..." An entry for May 22 - 23, 1967 in the diary of Richard Billings also ties Estus Morgan in with Lee Harvey Oswald: Lynn Loisel, Garrison's investigator, has received a report from Lieutenant Fruge of the State Police. Fruge advises that in October 1963 there was a voter registration drive going on in Clinton, La. On a certain day, date coming, a black Cadillac drove to Clinton. There were four men in the car; one was described as tall, grey-haired, well dressed, fitting the description of Clay Shaw. Second man, not so well dressed, but bushy eyebrows, possibly fitting the description of David Ferrie; and two other men, both of whom got out of the car, got in line, and attempted to register to vote. One of these men was described as appearing to be Lee Harvey Oswald. This man, when attempting to register, was refused because he did not have a New Orleans or Louisiana address, though he said he lived with a doctor at the Jackson State Hospital, a mental institution. The other man was identified by name, because he did register as Estes [sic] Morgan. Mr. Morgan, however, was killed in 1966. What makes this all the more interesting is that Morgan wanted to find a job at the East Louisiana State Hospital. Here is an excerpt from a June 1967, memo by Andrew Sciambra: Is this a coincidence that supposedly Oswald also wanted to find a job at the hospital? Perhaps the original story was that Estus Morgan was in line and that he wanted a job at the hospital. Now that he was dead, it was, once again, easy to graft Oswald into the story. Estus Morgan was also mentioned by Corrie Collins, the leader of CORE in Clinton. He was first interviewed by Anne Dischler on October 3, 1967. Here is an excerpt from her notes: (some of this material is taken from this post on Collins) Dischler's note reads: Corrie C. Collins 10/3/67 Working @ V. Feliciana 1963 [Villa Feliciana -- a related facility at the hospital] Thurs Fri Sat C. Collins Reg. [registered] 8/16/63 Black car - windows rolled up large man well dressed driving remained in car - hat on - tie - two casually dressed men got out of car - went up to Reg.'s office - believe they got in line Car there at least 10 min - 15 min. morning - Wed. or Thurs. one blue jeans poss. [possibly?]; other in white (Betty Poole) Verla Bell - (Scotlandville - works at diner on campus) may have been w/Collins day he saw car. Man you→Collins knew (Morgan) got out of car (Is Zip Morgan related to Estes?) Here is how Patricia Lambert interpreted the above note: Collins told Dischler that a large man with a hat was driving the car, and that two casually dressed men got out of the car and went to the registrar's office. One of the men wore blue jeans and the other was in white. Verla Bell was with Collins. Collins knew one of the men and it was "Morgan." The only question that Dischler had was whether "Zip" and "Estes" Morgan were the same man. On the next page of her notes Dischler writes that "this man may not be a Morgan" and then says she should "refer to Henry Earl (Palmer)": Dischler then went to Palmer, and he actually identified the man in white who was in the car. It was Winslow Foster: This raises the possibility that the two men who got out of the car were Estus Morgan and Winslow Foster. Note that Corrie Collins did not identify Lee Harvey Oswald as one of the two men getting out of the car. Andrew Sciambra spoke to Morgan's widow: So, Morgan did try to register to vote. The memo notes that "her husband never mentioned anything to her about the assassination or the possibility that he knew or even recognized LEE HARVEY OSWALD." Sciambra also spoke to Morgan's sister: In the second paragraph, Sciambra writes that "However, he [Morgan] did mention that when he was in the registration line attempting to register he was standing close to a smart aleck white man who he exchanged a few words with. MORGAN told the man that it was useless to try to register because the only ones who could register in Clinton were the black people and the smart aleck white boy told him that this was right because the black people would eventually take over." The whole story sounds strange. The only ones who could register in Clinton were the black people? Was Estus Morgan perhaps part of the anti-black crowd? Well, we don't know since no one asked. Lastly, Bobbie Dedon, who worked at the hospital provided a very cryptic comment about Estus Morgan: In the last paragraph, Sciambra writes that "MRS. DEDON said that we can't say why but somehow she relates OSWALD with ESTES MORGAN whom both she and her husband knew." Conspiracy theorists only mention Estus Morgan as a person in the line to register to vote. They do not mention that he was one of the people in the Cadillac. James DiEugenio writes in Destiny Betrayed: (page 90 in the Kindle edition) Oswald was notable not just because of the car he arrived in, but because, aside from Estes Morgan, he was he only white man to try and register that day. Bill Davy writes in Let Justice Be Done: (notes to Chapter 11) There was actually another white man attempting to register that day named Estes Morgan. However, Morgan was a local, and was known to most residents. And Joan Mellen writes in A Farewell to Justice: (page 219 in the Kindle edition) A witness named Henry Brown said the thought he saw a hospital employee named Estes Morgan sitting briefly in the back of the car with Oswald. Estes was related to Reeves Morgan. People said they saw two white men in line together, and this was apparently Estes Morgan and Oswald. Joan Mellen's comment that Estus Morgan was related to Reeves Morgan is important, If true, then it might be further evidence that he was part of the racist crowd. At least Mellen admits that Estus Morgan might have been sitting in the Cadillac. She provides no footnote regarding Henry Brown -- he was interviewed by Andrew Sciambra in January of 1968 and said nothing about a Cadillac. Here is an excerpt from a January 1968, memo by Andrew Sciambra. Estus Morgan was not just in line to vote. He was seen getting out of the Cadillac in Clinton. The other passenger in the car might have been Winslow Foster. Patricia Lambert, in her book False Witness, believes that Anne Dischler was taken off the case because she wanted to investigate Foster: (pages 208 - 209) Shortly before Garrison dismissed Frugé and Dischler, who had conducted an energetic and honest effort, James Alcock told Tom Bethell that “the Clinton angle ‘wasn’t working out.’” Perhaps Garrison jettisoned Frugé and Dischler because they had failed to find the witnesses he needed. But more likely, it was because of their unwitting pursuit of unwanted information about the real occupants of the black car. For while Estus Morgan was conveniently dead, Winslow Foster was alive and still working at the hospital. The next step for Frugé and Dischler was to interview him. By shutting down their investigation, Garrison prevented that interview from ever taking place. The HSCA could have pushed the Clinton investigation further by asking about Estus Morgan. Corrie Collins was not deposed but submitted a signed affidavit. He said that only one man exited the car -- you can see from Dischler's notes above that he told her that two men exited the car. The HSCA never questioned him on this discrepancy. To sum up, some aspects of the Clinton story appear to be true. Corrie Collins saw two people get out of a black car to go and register to vote in Clinton. He identified one of the men as Estus Morgan, and Henry Earl Palmer said the other man was Winslow Foster. To make it all fit with the story ultimately told at the Clay Shaw trial, Estus Morgan became just a man in the line to register to vote. Anne Dischler was taken off the case before she could fully investigate Winslow Foster. Estus Morgan actually died in 1966, not in 1965. Here is his obituary: The News-Digest (Amite City), September 21, 1966 The Series on the Clinton/Jackson 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. 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. Why Did the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Not Come Forward? Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964. The Origin of the Clinton/Jackson Stories Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from? 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. 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. Corrie Collins -- A Very Pliable Witness Part Ten: Corrie Collins continually changed his story about what happened in Clinton. Did Reeves Morgan Contact the FBI? Part Eleven: Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI right after the JFK assassination. But did he really? 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. The Missing Evidence of Clinton/Jackson Part Thirteen: All the physical evidence that could corroborate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses has vanished. I wonder why. Henry Earl Palmer and Judge John Rarick Part Fourteen: Henry Earl Palmer told Andrew Sciambra that Jude John Rarick was there when the black Cadillac visited Clinton. Author Don Carpentered emailed Rarick in 2007 to ask him. His answer is revealing. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Jim Garrison: The Uninquisitive District Attorney Three case studies on how Garrison was less than inquisitive, including the possible check of the Cadillac in Clinton. Was Jim Garrison Interested in the Truth about Clinton? Why didn't Garrison check out whether the Trade Mart in New Orleans had leased a Cadillac? Harold Weisberg on Jim Garrison An interview with Weisberg in which he discusses the Clinton witnesses. Were Garrison's Witnesses Surveilled, Harassed, Attacked and Intimidated? Two of the Clinton witnesses claimed they were intimidated. But were they really? Michael Lesser has Died, R. I. P.; Some Thoughts on Clinton... Some background material on Clinton. Was Thomas Beckham in Clinton with Shaw and Oswald? William Dunn initially said that Thomas Beckham was with Shaw and Oswald. Was Jack Ruby in Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? Andrew Dunn said Jack Ruby was in Clinton. Why Didn't Garrison's Witnesses Come Forward Before 1967? None of Garrison's witnesses, including the witnesses from Clinton/Jackson, came forward in 1963 -1964.

The East Louisiana State Hospital in the 1960s After the assassination, the Clinton/Jackson witnesses all said they recognized Lee Harvey Oswald from press coverage and that he had been in the area. Why didn't any of them come forward in 1963 and 1964 to talk to the FBI or to the Warren Commission? I recently went to NARA in Maryland to photograph the HSCA depositions and outside contact reports of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. This material is unfortunately not available online. Jonathan Blackmer was the HSCA attorney who led the HSCA investigation and his questioning of these witnesses leaves much to be desired. For instance, he never asked any of the witnesses about the KKK and the politics of the time. A future blog post will examine his investigation. So, here is what these witnesses told the jury in the Shaw trial and and what they told the HSCA about why they never came forward: Lee McGehee Testimony from the Shaw trial Mr. Alcock: Did you have occasion, Mr. McGehee, after giving Oswald a haircut on this occasion to ever see his picture on television. Mr. McGehee: Yes. Mr. Alcock: When was that? Mr. McGehee: I was at my mother-in-law's house on the day of the assassination and -- I think it was the day -- and when they arrested Oswald and brought him to the jail -- I think it was the jail -- and that was the first time I saw his picture, and I told my wife, I said, -- Judge Haggerty: Don't tell us what you told your wife. Mr. Alcock: That is what he said, Your Honor. Judge Haggerty: All right. Mr. McGehee: I told my wife, I said, "I recognize that man from somewhere." Mr. Alcock: Now, did you have occasion subsequent to this time when you made that comment to your wife, to have a conversation with Reeves Morgan? Mr. McGehee: Right. That must have been about two weeks later. Mr. Reeves Morgan -- Mr. Dymond: I object, Your Honor. He has answered the question already. Judge Haggerty: He stated yes. He can tell him. Mr. Alcock: You did have a conversation with Reeves Morgan? Mr. McGehee: It must have been about two weeks later. Mr. Dymond: Your Honor, I ask that the witness be instructed to answer questions and not elaborate. Judge Haggerty: Mr. McGehee, the answer to the question Mr. Alcock put to you, which was did you have a conversation, you can say yes, you don't have to tell us the substance of it, what he told you; you can tell us what you told him. Mr. Alcock: What did you tell Reeves Morgan during that conversation? Say what you said. Mr. McGehee: I said that the man that I saw on the T.V. was the man that I sent to him. Mr. Alcock: Is that the man that you identified in Court as Lee Harvey Oswald? Mr. McGehee: Right. Mr. Alcock: Up until that time, Mr. McGehee, had you sent anyone else to Reeves Morgan's house? Mr. McGehee: He was the only one. Mr. Alcock: Mr. McGehee, did you ever, subsequent to the assassination of President Kennedy, mention this incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or any other federal agency? Mr. McGehee: No. So, we can see that McGehee claims to have instantly recognized Lee Harvey Oswald and that he discussed this with Reeves Morgan. But he did not come forward. He then tells us why: Mr. Dymond: Just one question, Mr. McGehee: Was there any special reason that you waited five years before saying anything about this to anybody? Mr. McGehee: Nobody approached me. McGehee was also deposed by the HSCA: Mr. Blackmer: The next time you saw Lee Harvey Oswald was on television -- Mr. McGehee: Right. Mr. Blackmer: After the assassination? Mr. McGehee: After the assassination, right. Mr. Blackmer: Did you recognize the individual you saw on television? Mr. McGehee: The time I saw him I told my wife, I said, "I recognize that man." And she said, "Oh." And I said, "Yes, I recognize him. I seen the man." And she said, "Well, be quiet. Let's watch him." So, I didn't say no more to her. And then the next day or two, Mr. Reeves Morgan come in the shop, and we were talking, and Mr. Reeves said, "You know that fellow that they arrested? Oswald? He came out to my house." And I said, "Mr. Reeves," I said, "now, I know. That's the fellow I sent out to your house." And I explained to him. Well, I hadn't talked to him about it until it happened. Mr. Blackmer: Until the day of the assassination? Mr. McGehee: Right. We never discussed it. And so, then, it just clicked in, just like that. I said, "That's the same fellow; that's the one I saw." During the Shaw trial, McGehee said he talked to Morgan two weeks after the assassination; to the HSCA, he said he talked to Morgan the next day or two days later. McGehee elaborated about why he had not come forward: Mr. Blackmer: Mr. McGehee, after the assassination of President Kennedy, when you recognized on the television set Mr. Lee Harvey Oswald, did you make any attempt to contact any officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the State Police or anyone and relate this story to them? Mr. McGehee: I didn't because Mr. Reeves had told me he had called the FBI, and I said there was no need of me doing it too. Mr. Blackmer: In 1964, were you aware that the FBI was conducting an investigation for the Warren Commission of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy? Mr. McGehee: Yes. Mr. Blackmer: Did you, at that time, contact any individuals from the FBI and relate your story to them? Mr. McGehee: No, I didn't. Mr. Blackmer: Did the FBI or anyone from the Warren Commission contact you? Mr. McGehee: No. Once again, McGehee's story has changed. He told the Shaw jury that the reason he never talked to the FBI was that nobody approached him, and now he says he didn't come forward because Reeves Morgan had already notified them. Reeves Morgan Testimony from the Shaw trial: Mr. Alcock: After the assassination of President Kennedy, did you see a picture of Lee Harvey Oswald on television or in the paper? Mr. Morgan: I saw it in the newspaper first, I believe. As well as I remember, the newspaper picture was the first one I saw. Mr. Alcock: Did you recognize him? Mr. Morgan: Yes, sir. Mr. Alcock: Where did you recognize him from? Mr. Morgan: From being at my house. Mr. Alcock: Did you ever tell this incident to anyone? Mr. Morgan: Well, yes, discussed it with several people around there, and I even called the FBI and told them. Mr. Alcock: When did you call the FBI? Mr. Morgan: I would say that it was practically the next day after I recognized it, I believe it was the next day. Mr. Alcock: After the assassination? Mr. Morgan: No, the day after I recognized his picture. Maybe it might have been the next day after the assassination before I saw his picture, as well as I remember. Mr. Alcock: Did the FBI ever send anybody to talk to you about this? Mr. Morgan: No, sir, they never did send anybody, because when I called then, when we got through talking, I told him I was glad that they already knew he was up there in the vicinity. They already knew it. And he thanked me for my trouble of calling them. Mr. Alcock: Did you have a conversation regarding this matter with a Mr. Lee McGehee? Mr. Morgan: I was over there in the barber shop several times after that, and we was talking about it. Morgan says he did call the FBI and that they already knew that Oswald was in the vicinity. But does this sound like how the FBI operated? If they really knew Oswald was in the vicinity, they would have scoured Jackson and Clinton for witnesses. Morgan had a slightly different story for the HSCA: Mr. Blackmer: Mr. Morgan, after you recognized the photograph of Lee Harvey Oswald, after the assassination, did you attempt to contact anyone in the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Louisiana Police and relate the story of meeting Oswald? Mr. Morgan: I called the FBI. They are the only ones I ever related it to. Mr. Blackmer: And when did you call the FBI? Mr. Morgan: Well, it might have been the same day; or it might have been the next day, after I recognized the picture and the name. Mr. Blackmer: Do you remember any individual you -- Mr. Morgan: No, I don't remember who it was I talked to. Mr. Blackmer: Where did you call the FBI? Mr. Morgan: Here in Baton Rouge. Mr. Blackmer: You knew that they had an office in Baton Rouge? Mr. Morgan: Yes, sir. I believe I looked in the phone book maybe to find their number. I don't remember now how I got it. Mr. Blackmer: And you called the FBI and related to them the story of meeting this individual? Mr. Morgan: Yes, sir. Mr. Blackmer: Do you recall what they told you? Mr. Morgan: Well, the fellow I talked to thanked me, but he said, "We already knew he had been up in those parts." He didn't say he knew he had been to my house. But they knew he had been up there. Mr. Blackmer: And did you later receive a telephone call from the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Mr. Morgan: Sometime afterwards, several days or so, I received a call from them, and they wanted to know what kind of clothes he had on; whoever it was called me from the FBI, said they was calling from the FBI. Federal Investigation or whatever they said. But it was from the FBI really. Mr. Blackmer: In 1964, sir, were you aware that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was conducting an investigation for the Warren Commission in Washington, D.C? Mr. Morgan: How is that, now? Mr. Blackmer: Were you aware in 1964, that President Johnson had set up a committee called the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination? Mr. Morgan: I read about it, yes. Mr. Blackmer: And were you aware, sir, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was conducting an investigation for this Warren Commission? Mr. Morgan: Well, I didn't know too much about that. All I knew is they had set up a commission and called it the Warren Commission that was investigating. Mr. Blackmer: Did you make any attempts, sir, to contact the Warren Commission or the FBI again? Mr. Morgan: No. No. I didn't bother about it. I figured I went as far as I wanted to go. If they wanted to know any more, I figured they'd contact me. Now Morgan says he not only called the FBI, but that they then called him back several days later. And all they wanted to know was what kind of clothes Oswald was wearing. During his first contact with the HSCA, just four months earlier, Morgan said "a few months after the assassination he did receive a call from someone identifying himself as an FBI agent, but this person only inquired as to what kind of jacket Oswald had been wearing." John Manchester Testimony from the Shaw trial Mr. Dymond: Were you aware of the fact that several residents of Clinton said that they had seen Lee Harvey Oswald in Clinton and in Jackson, Louisiana, back in 1963? Mr. Manchester: Yes, sir. Mr. Dymond: When did you first find out about that? Mr. Manchester: Soon after the Kennedy assassination. Mr. Dymond: Soon after the Kennedy assassination? Is that right? Mr. Manchester: Yes, sir. Mr. Dymond: Were you aware of the fact that the Warren Commission was conducting extensive investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy? Mr. Manchester: I knew they was conducting an investigation. Mr. Dymond: Did you have occasion to report to the Warren Commission that any testimony was available in your area which might be connected with the assassination? Mr. Manchester: No, sir. I figured if they wanted it, they could come and get it. Mr. Dymond: As a law enforcement officer you didn't feel it your duty to make it available to them? Mr. Manchester: I felt it was my duty if they came and asked for it. Mr. Dymond: It was your duty if they came and asked for it? Mr. Manchester: Yes, sir. Here is Manchester's testimony before the HSCA: Mr. Blackmer: Mr. Manchester, in November of 1963 after the assassination, did you see photographs, newspaper and television reports of the assassination? Mr. Manchester: Yes, sir, I did. Mr. Blackmer: Did you recognize any individuals at that time? Mr. Manchester: Yes, sir. I had seen sometime of other, I remembered that I had seen Lee Harvey Oswald's picture, you know, his picture was familiar to me. Mr. Blackmer: Were you aware that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was conducting an investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy? Mr. Manchester: Yes, sir. Mr. Blackmer: Were you aware that later the Warren Commission was investigating the assassination? Mr. Manchester: I will say I was aware of it because of the reports. Mr. Blackmer: At that time, did you attempt to contact any individuals in those organizations? Mr. Manchester: No, I didn't. Mr. Blackmer: Do you know whether or not the Federal Bureau of Investigation was in Clinton investigating the Oswald assassination of President Kennedy? Mr. Manchester: Not to my knowledge, no. Mr. Blackmer: Do you know whether or not the Warren Commission was in Clinton? Mr. Manchester: Not to my knowledge. Mr. Blackmer: Why is it, sir, that you did not approach either the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Warren Commission? Mr. Manchester: Well, I often thought about contacting the Warren Commission or somebody on this, but I felt like if I did I would just be -- I felt like they knew what they were doing and if they didn't feel like this incident in Clinton was important, then I didn't feel like it was important. If anybody would have been aware of an FBI presence in Clinton after the assassination, it would have been Manchester. But he wasn't aware of any FBI investigation in Clinton. Henry Earl Palmer Testimony from the Shaw trial: Mr. Sciambra: Have you ever been questioned by the FBI about this? Mr. Palmer: I have not. Mr. Sciambra: Has the FBI ever shown any interest in the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald was in Jackson and Clinton? Mr. Dymond: That is objected to, Your Honor, on the ground that it calls for a conclusion of the witness as to whether the FBI has shown interest. The Court: Sustain the objection. It's unfortunate that Irvin Dymond objected to that question. I would have liked to have heard the answer because Palmer would have probably said that he did not know of FBI interest in Oswald being in Clinton and Jackson. Palmer told the HSCA exactly why he didn't come forward: Mr. Blackmer: And would you relate to us how you became involved in the Garrison investigation? Mr. Palmer: The first I knew of it, I had a CB [citizen's band radio] set, and I was talking with some lady over in St. Francisville, a Mrs. Sipes or Shipes. I believe it's Shipes. And she said something about this paper in Shreveport investigating this Kennedy assassination, and something about Oswald. I said, "Well, Oswald was in my office. He tried to register in my office." And that was all I said to her. Then the next thing I knew, Jack [sic] Fruge, the State Cop -- oh, I guess it was a month or two later -- came into my office one day and wanted me to take a statement from me. Mr. Blackmer: Approximately what year was that? Mr. Palmer: This must have been in '67, somewhere along the first of '67 or the last of '66. Mr. Blackmer: So, between the assassination and 1967, you had no contact with anyone about this? Mr. Palmer: No contact about this. Mr. Blackmer: Were you aware in 1964, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating the Kennedy assassination for a Commission in Washington that was set up by President Johnson known as the Warren Commission? Mr. Palmer: I knew that, yes. Mr. Blackmer: And did you make any attempt to contact any individuals with the Federal Bureau of Investigation about this incident? Mr. Palmer: I did not. Mr. Blackmer: Can you tell me why you didn't? Mr. Palmer: Why I didn't? Mr. Blackmer: Yes, sir. Mr. Palmer: I had too much trouble with the FBI and the Justice Department with the Voter Registration, and I wanted nothing to do with them. They had been in my office I don't know how many times photographing the records, accusing me of registering people that were not qualified. I just didn't have any good blood for them, I'll tell you. Now, we got an FBI man here in this office named Mike Beran [sic; the FBI agent's real name was Michael Baron] that was one of the first ones, and he and I are good friends, I like him, very good friends. I just saw him this morning. It's hard to believe that all of the other witnesses were discussing Oswald being in Clinton while Palmer was not. I also find it laughable that Palmer says that the FBI was accusing him of registering people that were not qualified -- I would have thought that it was the reverse. Also, Palmer was good friends with FBI agent Baron, but never spoke to him about Oswald, although he did talk to Baron about Michael Lesser in August of 1963. Corrie Collins Testimony from the Shaw trial. Mr. Dymond: Now, were you aware that the Warren Commission was conducting an extensive investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy, were you not? Mr. Collins: I was aware that they were investigating it. Mr. Dymond: I see. At the time that you were aware of the fact that this investigation was being conducted, you knew that you had seen Lee Harvey Oswald in Clinton, did you not? Mr. Collins: That is true. Mr. Dymond: Did you report this to the Warren Commission or the FBI or any Federal agency? Mr. Collins: No. Mr. Dymond: Why not? Mr. Collins: No one asked me. Mr. Dymond: You didn't consider it your duty to report it? Mr. Collins: Beg your pardon? Mr. Dymond: You didn't consider it your duty to report it? Mr. Collins: Well, I felt like if they wanted to know they would ask me. Mr. Dymond: Were they supposed to just guess that you had information, or what? Mr. Alcock: Objection. The Court: I sustain the objection. It's too bad Judge Haggerty did not allow that question; it was certainly pertinent to understanding his thinking. Corrie Collins was interviewed by Al Maxwell of the HSCA and supplied a written deposition to the HSCA. Here is what he said: Mr. Maxwell: Why didn't you tell the FBI when you recognized Oswald in the newspapers after the assassination? Mr. Collins: At first I remembered seeing him, but could not remember where I saw him; besides there wasn't any FBI connection in Clinton, and I saw no reason to say anything to anyone. Collins testified in the Shaw trial that he was aware after the assassination that Oswald was in Clinton. But he told the HSCA he could not remember where he saw Oswald. And, of course, Collins must have known people in the FBI since he was the CORE leader in Clinton. William Dunn William Dunn wasn't specifically asked why he never came forward. Here is his testimony from the Shaw trial: Mr. Dymond: When did you determine or find out or finally decide for yourself that the man you had seen in Clinton was Lee Harvey Oswald? Mr. Dunn: I seed him in Clinton, but we started seeing him after the assassination of President Kennedy. Mr. Dymond: When you saw his picture on television. Is that right? Mr. Dunn: In the paper. Mr. Dymond: In the paper? Mr. Dunn: That is right. William Dunn was deposed in person by the HSCA, but he was not asked why he did not come forward. Bobbie Dedon Bobbie Dedon was not asked during the Clay Shaw trail why she had not come forward. She told the HSCA that after the assassination, she was not sure when, Lieutenant Francis Fruge came to the hospital and showed her photographs. She identified the photograph of Oswald as the person she gave directions to in 1963. What is amazing is that she was not sure what year Fruge came to interview her. Mr. Blackmer: When did you first learn that the individual you identified in the photograph as having been the individual that approached you for directions to the Personnel Office was Lee Harvey Oswald? Mrs. Dedon: I can't remember if he told me then. I really can't. Mr. Blackmer: Do you recall when the President was assassinated in Dallas? You saw photographs in newspaper accounts and television accounts of the assassination? Mrs. Dedon: I didn't see it on TV until, you know, later, like much later. Because usually when the news was on in the afternoons, I very seldom ever watched, even to today because I'm always cooking. When I come home from work, the first thing I do is usually, before I even take my clothes off, I turn the oven on, and then go and change clothes and come straight to the kitchen. It's something that I have always done, because if I don't, I'm very late. Mr. Blackmer: Did you see newspaper accounts of the assassination? Mrs. Dedon: Yes, I'm sure I did. Mr. Blackmer: Do you recall seeing any photographs in the newspaper accounts of the assassination depicting the alleged assassin? Mrs. Dedon: No, I don't know. I really don't. Mr. Blackmer: But you did not -- Mrs. Dedon: I did not know who this individual was. Mr. Blackmer: You did not put the face with the name in the newspaper? Mrs. Dedon: No, no. Definitely not, you know, I did not know who I was talking to. Mr. Blackmer: After Lieutenant Fruge showed you the photographs, of which you identified one, did you later have occasion to speak with the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning the individual you picked out? Mrs. Dedon: No. Mr. Blackmer: Were you aware in 1964 that there was an FBI investigation of the assassination of President Kennedy? Mrs. Dedon: I was never contacted, or no one ever bothered me, no. Mr. Blackmer: You were aware of an investigation. Mrs. Dedon: Yes. Mr. Blackmer: Were you aware of the Warren Commission set up by then President Johnson to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy? Mrs. Dedon: I never paid that much attention to it. I never figured that I would ever be .. Mr. Blackmer: No one ever contacted you concerning this incident? Mrs. Dedon: I went to Court in New Orleans. Garrison had me put down there. So, after the assassination Mrs. Dedon did not recognize Lee Harvey Oswald as the person who asked directions. Why Fruge came to interview her is a mystery. Discussion None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963 - 1964. And yet they were supposedly talking amongst themselves about the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald had been in Jackson/Clinton. And there were several groups of people who were supposedly aware of his presence: McGehee and his friends in Jackson, Louisiana. A variety of people at the East Louisiana State Hospital. Black people in CORE. Palmer and Manchester's KKK crowd in Clinton. Nobody came forward -- not the witnesses, and not their friends and family. In addition, Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI, and they told him they already knew Oswald had been in the area. Had the FBI really thought that Oswald had been in Jackson/Clinton, they would have talked to hundreds of people, and yet there is not one example of a Jackson/Clinton witness being interviewed by the FBI in 1963 -1964. Lee McGehee's wife worked at the East State Louisiana Hospital, and he told Andrew Sciambra that "she has never heard anyone talk about Oswald in her department." Had Oswald really been there, wouldn't it have been openly discussed throughout the hospital? The Series on the Clinton/Jackson 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. 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 a member of the KKK or a sympathizer. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Jim Garrison: The Uninquisitive District Attorney Three case studies on how Garrison was less than inquisitive, including the possible check of the Cadillac in Clinton. Was Jim Garrison Interested in the Truth about Clinton? Why didn't Garrison check out whether the Trade Mart in New Orleans had leased a Cadillac? Harold Weisberg on Jim Garrison An interview with Weisberg in which he discusses the Clinton witnesses. Were Garrison's Witnesses Surveilled, Harassed, Attacked and Intimidated? Two of the Clinton witnesses claimed they were intimidated. But were they really? Michael Lesser has Died, R. I. P.; Some Thoughts on Clinton... Some background material on Clinton. Was Thomas Beckham in Clinton with Shaw and Oswald? William Dunn initially said that Thomas Beckham was with Shaw and Oswald. Was Jack Ruby in Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? Andrew Dunn said Jack Ruby was in Clinton. Why Didn't Garrison's Witnesses Come Forward Before 1967? None of Garrison's witnesses, including the witnesses from Clinton/Jackson, came forward in 1963 -1964.

It's quite amazing that all of the physical evidence that could corroborate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses has vanished. Did Oswald Sign the Voter Registration Book? Anne Dischler told Patricia Lambert that Oswald actually registered to vote in Clinton. Here is an excerpt from her interview on February 1, 1994 with Dischler: Here is another excerpt of her interview: Anne Dischler said much the same thing to Joan Mellen. (page 217 - 218 in the Kindle edition of A Farewell to Justice) And Dischler appeared at the Lancer conference in December 2006. Here is an excerpt from a transcript: (4:50 in the Lancer video) Anne Dischler: What happened when we went there [Clinton], with no cameras or anything, because we were used to filming what we worked with as much as we could, Well, we had no camera with us so, we looked at the registrar of voters book. And there was Oswald's name, Lee Harvey Oswald, where he had registered and you could see that it had been erased. I saw that, that it had been erased and written over, but it was very plain, the "L" and the "O," they were very, very plain. And that was written over. And we went back the next morning to film. No book. Disappeared. Of course, Palmer changed his story and testified in the Clay Shaw trial that Oswald never registered. Palmer: His ID card didn't identify his living in the Parish of East Feliciana, so I told him, asked him if he knew the business manager at the hospital in Jackson or if he knew the Mayor of the Town of Jackson or if he knew the Representative of the Parish. He couldn't give my any proof that he was living in the Parish long enough, but I told him he did not have to be a registered voter to get a job at the Jackson Hospital. He thanked me and left. 2. Did Oswald Apply for a Job at the East Louisiana State Hospital? Maxine Kemp was a secretary in the personnel office of the East Louisiana State Hospital in 1964. She testified that, in September of 1964, she came across an employment application from a "Harvey Oswald." She said she looked at the file and put it back. She has not been able to find the application since. Here is an excerpt from her testimony: Mr. Sciambra: What did you do with the application after you looked at it? Mrs. Kemp: Put it back in the file. She didn't show it to anybody. She just put it back. In January 1969, there was a meeting of Clay Shaw's defense team and reporters Hugh Aynesworth and Kent Biffle. It appears that someone talked to Mrs. Kemp: The HSCA spoke to Maxine Kemp (now Drane): Now the application form is "Oswald, Lee." She also cannot remember the month or the year that she checked the file. The HSCA spoke to Mrs. Hudson who was the personnel officer at ELSH: Hudson says that "she remembers Mrs. Kemp Drane stating that she saw the file, and on the same day Mrs. Hudson asked her why she hadn't shown it to someone else or mentioned it to personnel employees. Mrs. Hudson stated that Mrs. Kemp Drane did not have an answer." Back in 1968, Guy Broyles, the Personnel Manager at ELSH, said that Maxine Kemp told him that both she and Aline Woodside had seen the application -- this time it was in the name of L. Harvey Oswald: Tom Bethell's June 27. 1968 memo on the trial witnesses listed Mrs. Aline Woodside as a witness who would corroborate Mrs. Kemp's story: Mrs. Woodside did not testify in the Clay Shaw trial, but she did speak to the HSCA: Woodside says that "the search [for an application from Oswald} started after Lt. Frank Fruge and Officer Anne Dischler of the Louisiana State Police came to the hospital and asked questions about Oswald." Contrast that with Mrs. Kemp Drane who said that "she had heard rumors that Oswald had applied for a job at the hospital." Woodside also said that "she thought she remembered a file with the name Oswald on it." But then "she couldn't swear that she had seen a file on LHO and she wouldn't swear that she hadn't seen one." Patricia Lambert spoke to Woodside and she said "Maxine did [see the file] but I don't know how she saw it when none of the rest of us did." They searched a lot of folders but weren't able to find the supposed application. She told Lambert, "When we didn't find it, we assumed it hadn't been there." She then said, "we didn't think she saw it." I believe that had Ms. Kemp actually found a file for Lee Harvey Oswald that she would have raised the roof and told everybody. Instead she just put the file back. No one in the personnel office remembered seeing Oswald or giving him an application form, or interviewing him. Of course, Garrison gets this all wrong in his book, On the Trail of the Assassins: (page 139 - 140 of the Kindle edition) As they gathered around the long table in the conference room, it occurred to me that for the first time since we had stumbled into this affair, we had what might be called “a team.” We listened and asked questions while Andrew Sciambra reviewed his weeks in Clinton. Alcock wanted to know what conceivable objective could have been accomplished by getting Lee Oswald a job in the state mental hospital in Jackson—if indeed that had been the objective of Shaw and Ferrie. Sciambra replied that he had wondered the same thing. Remembering Oswald’s surprise when the town barber informed him that the place was a mental institution, Sciambra had gone to Jackson to see whether or not Oswald had ever filed a job application there. “And did he?” I asked. Sciambra nodded. “Yes. I found the lady in personnel who interviewed him. But when she went to the files to get a copy of his application—which she remembers him filling out—it was gone.” No one ever claimed to have interviewed Oswald. 3. Where is the Physical Evidence? The Clinton/Jackson witnesses indicate that Lee Harvey Oswald, David Ferrie, and Clay Shaw were in Clinton for three days and two nights: Oswald gets a haircut in Jackson sometime in the evening. He then visits Reeves Morgan at his house. The next day, Oswald goes to Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie and tries to register. He is there most of the day. The next day, Oswald goes back to Jackson and applies for a job at ELSH. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Clinton from New Orleans. Even longer from Jackson. It looks like Oswald and others were in the area for at least two nights and three days. So, where did they stay overnight? I see no evidence that Garrison's investigators checked the hotels and motels in the area. So, where is the evidence that any of them were in the area? The New Orleans D.A.'s office thoroughly went through the contents of David Ferrie's apartment and Clay Shaw's house. They didn't find any hotel receipts, maps, matchbooks, gas receipts, anything that would indicate they were there. There was nothing in Oswald's possessions that indicated he was there. None of the friends or relatives of Clay Shaw, David Ferrie, or Lee Harvey Oswald knew anything about a trip to Jackson/Clinton. 4. Confirmation from the Jackson Police Here is an excerpt from JFK Revisited by James DiEugenio: (page 494 in the Kindle edition) DiEugenio: After you testified for Jim Garrison at the Clay Shaw trial, can you describe the experience you had when you got back home? McGehee: When I got back home from the trial in New Orleans, it was either that night or the next night, I got a call from the police station in town and he said would you come down here to see if you can identify this guy? I said OK. I went down there and I said what guy you talking about? Said we’ve got him locked up back there. So I went back there and he grabbed a hold of the bars and he was shaking ’em and he said are you the bagman? Are you the bagman? And I said no, I’m not the bagman. I didn’t even know what a bagman was. So I walked back in and I sat back over the corner. About that time a car drives up, door opens up, young man comes in. He said, ‘Is my buddy in here?’ He said, “Well, if he’s the one selling magazines he’s locked up back there. We got him.’ He said, ‘What is his bond?’ He says ‘Seventy-five dollars.’ He said, ‘Well, can I make a phone call?’ Said yeah. I can’t remember how he, whether he dialed collect or what. I can’t remember that. I remember saying International Trade Mart building, International Trade Mart. And that guy when, he told him what he wanted, he blasted him out. He, woo, he was screaming and hollering. ‘Don’t ever call here again! Don’t you ever call here again!’ That was it. DiEugenio: So in other words this is supposed to be a prowler who was selling magazines? McGehee: Right. Right. It was supposed to been. It was, it was illegal to sell magazines door-to-door in Jackson. We had an ordinance. Why didn't anybody get a copy of the identification of this person from the police? What about the phone records? If this really happened, this would have been a very important matter for Jim Garrison. 5. Manchester's Missing Note Pad Here is John Manchester's outside contact report with the HSCA: The report notes that "Mr. Manchester wrote the names down on a note pad. The names he wrote were Lee Oswald, Clay Shaw and David Ferrie. He believes he asked Oswald and Ferrie their name but did not check their identification. He kept the pad for some time, then threw it away." If this pad did exist then Manchester probably would not have thrown it away after the assassination. Buras and Daly and should have asked a few more questions. There is not one piece of physical evidence to corroborate the testimony of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses. The same conspiracy theorists who deny the physical evidence in the JFK assassination have no problem accepting the uncorroborated testimony of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses -- years after the events. The Series on the Clinton/Jackson 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. 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. Why Did the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Not Come Forward? Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964. The Origin of the Clinton/Jackson Stories Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from? 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. 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. Corrie Collins -- A Very Pliable Witness Part Ten: Corrie Collins continually changed his story about what happened in Clinton. Did Reeves Morgan Contact the FBI? Part Eleven: Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI right after the JFK assassination. But did he really? 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. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Jim Garrison: The Uninquisitive District Attorney Three case studies on how Garrison was less than inquisitive, including the possible check of the Cadillac in Clinton. Was Jim Garrison Interested in the Truth about Clinton? Why didn't Garrison check out whether the Trade Mart in New Orleans had leased a Cadillac? Harold Weisberg on Jim Garrison An interview with Weisberg in which he discusses the Clinton witnesses. Were Garrison's Witnesses Surveilled, Harassed, Attacked and Intimidated? Two of the Clinton witnesses claimed they were intimidated. But were they really? Michael Lesser has Died, R. I. P.; Some Thoughts on Clinton... Some background material on Clinton. Was Thomas Beckham in Clinton with Shaw and Oswald? William Dunn initially said that Thomas Beckham was with Shaw and Oswald. Was Jack Ruby in Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? Andrew Dunn said Jack Ruby was in Clinton. Why Didn't Garrison's Witnesses Come Forward Before 1967? None of Garrison's witnesses, including the witnesses from Clinton/Jackson, came forward in 1963 -1964.

Clinton Watchman May 13, 1966 Henry Earl Palmer told Andrew Sciambra that Judge John Rarick might have been there when the black Cadillac was seen in Clinton. Here is an excerpt from an undated Garrison report: Excerpt from a January 29, 1968 memo from Andrew Sciambra to Jim Garrison about his trip to Clinton and Jackson. Was Judge Rarick there? Don Carpenter, author of the magisterial biography of Clay Shaw, Man of a Million Fragments, sent an email in April 2007 to John Rarick and asked him whether he was there. Here is Rarick's reply: So, Rarick says that he WAS there. There was a Cadillac with three outside agitators. Rarick writes that John Manchester had the three men get out of the car, had them spread eagle over the side, and checked their licenses and identities. Money quote: I thought nothing of it until later when the flap about Oswald, Shaw and Ferrie became a talking event. Rarick "thought nothing of it" until 1967 when Shaw and Ferrie were in the news. By the way, Palmer said nothing about Rarick being there in his testimony in the Clay Shaw trial or in his deposition with the HSCA. Once again, because of the lack of discovery in Louisiana courts, Clay Shaw's attorneys did not know that Rarick might have some important information. He could have blown up the whole scenario. On the other hand, he probably would have just kept his mouth shut about the whole affair. Rarick's friends grafted Oswald, Shaw and Ferrie onto an incident that did happen, and you don't want to tell on racist fellow travelers. The Series on the Clinton/Jackson 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. 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. Why Did the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Not Come Forward? Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964. The Origin of the Clinton/Jackson Stories Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from? 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. 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. Corrie Collins -- A Very Pliable Witness Part Ten: Corrie Collins continually changed his story about what happened in Clinton. Did Reeves Morgan Contact the FBI? Part Eleven: Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI right after the JFK assassination. But did he really? 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. The Missing Evidence of Clinton/Jackson Part Thirteen: All the physical evidence that could corroborate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses has vanished. I wonder why. Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Jim Garrison: The Uninquisitive District Attorney Three case studies on how Garrison was less than inquisitive, including the possible check of the Cadillac in Clinton. Was Jim Garrison Interested in the Truth about Clinton? Why didn't Garrison check out whether the Trade Mart in New Orleans had leased a Cadillac? Harold Weisberg on Jim Garrison An interview with Weisberg in which he discusses the Clinton witnesses. Were Garrison's Witnesses Surveilled, Harassed, Attacked and Intimidated? Two of the Clinton witnesses claimed they were intimidated. But were they really? Michael Lesser has Died, R. I. P.; Some Thoughts on Clinton... Some background material on Clinton. Was Thomas Beckham in Clinton with Shaw and Oswald? William Dunn initially said that Thomas Beckham was with Shaw and Oswald. Was Jack Ruby in Clinton with Clay Shaw and David Ferrie? Andrew Dunn said Jack Ruby was in Clinton. Why Didn't Garrison's Witnesses Come Forward Before 1967? None of Garrison's witnesses, including the witnesses from Clinton/Jackson, came forward in 1963 -1964.