Who knew that Sylvia Meagher was a poet? I found this in one of her folders she called doggerel. Relevant Past Blog Post Limericks from the Clay Shaw Trial Some limericks by James Kirkwood from the trial of Clay Shaw.

W. Tracy Parnell is one of the best JFK assassination researchers out there. His website is essential reading, and his book, The Bishop Hoax, which covers the allegations of Gaeton Fonzi about Antonio Veciana is magisterial. Parnell has just published an FAQ about Jefferson Morley and his various allegations about George Joannides, the CIA, and Operation Northwoods. According to a CNN article, the National Archives has concluded their review of the documents in the JFK Collection. Ninety-nine percent of the files are now publicly available with the remaining redactions representing information witheld for the "strongest possible reasons" according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The remaining classified documents or redacted portions of those documents will be released "on an ongoing basis when the underlying reason for their declassification is no longer applicable." Of course, this will not satisfy everyone, most notably conspiracy author Jefferson Morley who has been crusading for full release of the records for years. Morley is also advocating for the addition of 44 records on CIA official George Joannides to the JFK Collection so they can also be released. Despite the promise of eventual full disclosure, Morley will no doubt be criticizing Biden's actions -- UPDATE he has. He is already doubling down on his claim that there is a "smoking gun" in the Joannides files even though he has never seen them. With this in mind, I am releasing my Jefferson Morley FAQ. The purpose of the FAQ is to "alert the news media and the public about misinformation being disseminated by Jefferson Morley regarding the November 22, 1963 assassination of US President John F. Kennedy." I strongly recommend you read the entire FAQ and its various links: Is Jefferson Morley a Conspiracy Theorist? Morley doesn't like the term, but he is indeed a conspiracy theorist. DRE FAQ Everything you need to know about the Directorio Revolucionario Estudantil (DRE), the Student Revolutionary Directorate. Morley's Theory of the JFK Assassination The evolution of Morley's beliefs on the assassination. Did George Joannides Receive a Medal for "Stonewalling" the HSCA? The short answer is no. The Real George Joannides A biography of George Joannides. Mowatt-Larssen's JFK Theory Is Rolf Mowatt-Larssen's theory of the assassination credible? What Did the CIA Know About LHO? The CIA's pre-assassination knowledge of Oswald was routine. Morley and Jane Roman Roman was a CIA employee who was interviewed by Morley. Morley and COINTELPRO Was the supposed "Oswald-operation" part of COINTELPRO? Morley and Operation Northwoods The truth about Operation Northwoods Morley's LHO "Legend" Oswald was a Marxist who supported Castro. He didn't need a legend. Did the CIA "Lie" to the ARRB About Joannides? Nope, they did not lie. But wait, there's more! Tracy has several other articles on his website about Morley. Previous Relevant Blog Posts The Truth about Operation Northwoods Operation Northwoods can only understood as being part of the Kennedys war against Cuba and Operation Mongoose. Jefferson Morley Responds to my Post on MK-Ultra and Jack Ruby And a response from me. Did Dr. Louis Jolyon West Ask to Examine Jack Ruby in November 1963? There is no evidence that Dr. West petitioned the court to examine Jack Ruby before his trial. Did the CIA use a MK-Ultra Psychiatrist to Interfere with Jack Ruby's Case? There is absolutely no evidence that Dr. Louis Jolyon West interfered with Jack Ruby's case. Jefferson Morley is wrong about "Who Shot John?" The phrase 'who shot John' does not refer to the JFK assassination. "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Misleads Viewers on Oswald's "Hands Off Cuba!" Handbills, Part Four Jefferson Morley used a fake Oswald handbill in his press conference for the Mary Ferrell Foundation. Redactions, Redactions, Redactions... An examination of redactions in the JFK collection of documents.

Here is a letter that Clay Shaw sent his attorney, Edward Wegmann, in 1973 about an article which clearly upset him: Relevant Past Blog Posts The New York Times on Clay Shaw's Acquittal An editorial from the March 2, 1969 edition of the New York Times. Washington Post Editorial on the Acquittal of Clay Shaw Their editorial from March 4, 1969. Garrison vs. the people An editorial from the Chicago Daily News right after the acquittal of Clay Shaw. Sylvia Meagher Congratulates Clay Shaw On His Acquittal A nice letter from Sylvia Meagher. Clay Shaw's Acquittal Reactions from the newspapers in New Orleans. When will Oliver Stone Admit he was Wrong about Clay Shaw? It's time to admit that Clay Shaw had nothing to do with the JFK assassination.

Of all the people they had to invite. From a report in the Haaretz newspaper (one of the most left-wing publications in Israel): A number of Stone’s more recent films, however, have dabbled in conspiracy theories, including 2016’s “Ukraine on Fire” – which received widespread criticism for promoting Kremlin talking points about the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. His 2017 documentary series “The Putin Tapes,” meanwhile, was likewise panned for providing a largely uncritical platform for the Russian president. ... The Russian leader is not the first dictator to receive praise from Stone, who in 2010 released a documentary series that sought to “put into context” certain controversial figures, including Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin – who the director contended had been “vilified pretty thoroughly by history.” He told reporters at the time that “Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and it’s been used cheaply. He’s the product of a series of actions. It’s cause and effect. ... People in America don’t know the connection between World War I and World War II. “I’ve been able to walk in Stalin’s shoes and Hitler’s shoes to understand their point of view. We’re going to educate our minds and liberalize them and broaden them. We want to move beyond opinions ... go into the funding of the Nazi Party. How many American corporations were involved, from GM through IBM. Hitler is just a man who could have easily been assassinated. Several months later, Stone went even further, telling British weekly The Sunday Times that Jewish control of the media was preventing an open discussion of the Holocaust. He claimed, without offering proof, that the U.S. Jewish lobby has been controlling Washington’s foreign policy for years. He quickly apologized, stating that “it was wrong of me to say that Israel or the pro-Israel lobby is to blame for America’s flawed foreign policy.” Previous Blog Posts on Oliver Stone's Politics Oliver Stone says Putin is a "very refined individual" Oliver Stone Says the Russians are "Kicking Ass" in Ukraine Oliver Stone says that "Putin is a great leader for his country Oliver Stone is now in Alex Jones Territory! Oliver Stone: Putin is a rational, calm, thoughtful man: the United States is a Doberman... Has Oliver Stone Gone Mad? Oliver Stone Said Vladimir Putin is "very bright" and "wise" Oliver Stone's 'Bromance' with Vladimir Putin Oliver Stone Blames the United States for Putin's Invasion of Ukraine Celebrities Who Have Been Friendly with Putin Oliver Stone Says Vladimir Putin Fell into an American Trap The Day Vladimir Putin Fooled Oliver Stone with a Doctored Video Oliver Stone Watches Dr. Strangelove with Vladimir Putin Oliver Stone is Vladimir Putin's Mouthpiece Oliver Stone Says that Putin was Provoked... Will Oliver Stone Blame Kazakhstan Unrest on the United States? Is Oliver Stone Becoming a Lackey for China? Oliver Stone said the CIA may have injected cancer into Hugo Chavez's rectum... Oliver Stone Sides with Cuba's 'Repressive Dictatorship Two Views on Oliver Stone's Love Affair with Nazarbayev... Oliver Stone Fêtes Another Dictator Relevant Links on Oliver Stone's Politics Oliver Stone's Disgraceful Tribute to Hugo Chavez Is the director's latest film soft on Castro? Oliver Stone defends himself After Calling Russian Anti-LGBTQ Law ‘Sensible’ Hollywood Movie Director Oliver Stone praises Putin for Syria intervention on trip to Saudi Arabia Oliver Stone: Jewish Control of the Media is Preventing Free Holocaust Debate Oliver Stone's Latest Dictator Suckup Oliver Stone’s Latest Piece of Pro-Putin Propaganda May Be His Most Shameless Move Yet ‘The Putin Interviews’: Oliver Stone’s Wildly Irresponsible Love Letter to Vladimir Putin Has Oliver Stone Ever met a Dictator He Doesn't Admire? Oliver Stone's 'Empathy' for Hitler Iran's Fajr Film Festival grabs headlines with 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.

I have previously posted two memos that Sylvia Meagher wrote about Jim Garrison. Today, I am posting two letters she wrote to Harold Weisberg about the trial. I also thought it important to post her review of Paris Flammonde's book, The Kennedy Conspiracy, which was published in 1969.

Harvey Wade claimed he saw Lee Harvey Oswald at Jack Ruby's Carousel Club in November 1963. The Warren Commission had read the FBI reports and they wanted to see if Mr. Wade could possibly identify the man he saw in several photographs. They knew that Oswald was not in the Carousel Club - at least on the night in question. Here is a letter the Warren Commission sent to the FBI: Here is the FBI reply: So, what was going on? Two memos on Harvey Wade were included in the Warren Commission Exhibits. Here is Warren Commission Exhibit 2370: Here is Warren Commission Exhibit 2432: The biggest problem with Mr. Wade's allegation is that on November 10, 1963, Oswald was at Ruth Paine's home. Here are two excerpts from her testimony before the Warren Commission: Warren Commission Volume 2, page 515 Warren Commission Volume 3, page 41 That was not the end of Mr. Harvey Wade. He resurfaced during the Garrison investigation: Boxley knew that the solution to the problem was that Wade had not seen Oswald - he had seen the second Oswald. Not surprisingly, Wade "responded exuberantly" with the news that he was right after all. Bill Turner included Harvey Wade in his January 1968 Ramparts article on The Garrison Commission: Garrison had been looking for a man with a scar for quite some time. Garrison's lead memo from November 1967 mentions Harvey Wade: And even James DiEugenio believes that Harvey Wade saw Oswald in the Carousel Club: UPDATE Here is one of the photos shown to Harvey Wade in the hope that he might recognize the person he identified as Oswald. You can also see many other photos taken at Jack Ruby's club.

I have already blogged about Jim Garrison's belief that Fred Crisman was perhaps behind the JFK assassination. But, Garrison also believed that Crisman was one of the three tramps, and that he was a grassy knoll assassin. Here is a page from the files of Jim Garrison. His notation is at the bottom. He writes: "This is possibly an important point. Some of the box cars (in which the "tramps" could have been found) really were very close to the arcade area. As a point of dispersed departure, these three men may in advance have dressed as tramps and, after the ambush, may have gone straight to the boxcars and become "tramps" laying there." So, Garrison believed that the tramps may have been the assassins. Some of the so-called experts that were advising Garrison believed that one of the tramps was Fred Crisman. Here is a letter that Richard Sprague, a photo expert, sent to Fred Newcomb, another photo expert. Sprague believed that Fred Crisman is one of the tramps. Newcomb did not buy Sprague's theory. By the way, Richard Sprague was the person who brought the tramps to Garrison's attention (you can read the whole story in On The Trail of the Assassins). Here's a letter Bill Turner wrote to Richard Sprague, confirming that Crisman was one of the tramps. Turner was a writer for Ramparts magazine and he also did investigative work for Garrison. Garrison was convinced. His 1985 manuscript, A Farewell to Justice, contained a chapter on the tramps and Fred Crisman. Here is a summary of that chapter. Ultimately, Crisman was taken out of Garrison's book. If you want to know more about that, you'll have to read my book On The Trail of Delusion - Jim Garrison: The Great Accuser.

Kerry Thornley was a Marine buddy of Oswald's and they served together for three months in the spring of 1959. Oswald took an interest in Thornley when he learned he was also an atheist; they then had regular discussions on politics. Oswald told Thornley that "communism was the best - that the Marxist morality was the most rational morality to follow that he knew of." Thornley decided to write a book that would explain the "particular phenomenon of disillusionment with the United States after serving in the Marine Corps overseas in a peacetime capacity." The main character, Johnny Shellburn, was to be based on several Marines, including Oswald. But before Thornley could finish the book, The Idle Warriors, Oswald defected to the Soviet Union, and Thornley had to reconsider his ending. He left the Marines in September 1960 and went to California. He moved to New Orleans in February 1961 and worked at menial jobs while trying to make it as a writer. He left in May 1963 to go back to California, traveling via Dallas. In late August 1963, he went to Mexico City for a week and returned to New Orleans in September. He overlapped with Oswald for just three weeks. Garrison was greatly influenced by Harold Weisberg's book Whitewash which presented the theory (before Richard Popkin) that somebody was impersonating Oswald in order to incriminate him in the assassination. For a variety of reasons - and you should consult my book On The Trail of Delusion for the details - Garrison believed that Oswald and Thornley knew each other in New Orleans and that perhaps Thornley was the second Oswald. I am presenting today a memo that Garrison wrote on August 10, 1977 to the HSCA called "Data Correlations of K.T. [Kerry Thornley] and L.O. [Lee Oswald] Locations." So, Garrison is noticing something he thinks is peculiar. Oswald had moved out of his apartment in Dallas at the end of April 1963, while in early May, Thornley was leaving New Orleans to go to California. His bus trip had passed through Dallas, and Garrison wondered if he might have stopped. If so, maybe he'd impersonated Oswald in the famous backyard photos. Further, Thornley's father was a photoengraver. Being somewhat coy, Garrison hinted that "I do not, at this late juncture, expect that we would ever be so lucky in this manner as finally to find a bird's next laying on the ground." Again, was Garrison on drugs? But wait, there's more. Back on September 21, 1968 Garrison held a conference with his investigators, and, at one point, they started to talk about Thornley. Here is part of the transcript. T = Bill Turner, an investigator who also wrote for Ramparts; G = Garrison; S = Richard Sprague, a critic who specialized in photography; Sc = Andrew Sciambra, an assistant District Attorney. So, there you have it. It was Thornley's body in the picture. And, they took that from the Reverend Raymond Broshears - a complete fraud - who said he had sex with Thornley and recognized his hips. Thornley was straight, by the way. If you think that was bizarre, well Bill Boxley, another investigator, had this to say later in the conversation.:

Here is an important internal Time/Life Magazine memo from journalist Holland McCombs to editor Richard Billings regarding Clay Shaw. (Courtesy of the Malcolm Blunt Archive - Dallas Folder, Holland McCombs Files) I don't have an exact date of the memo but it must have been right after Shaw was arrested on March 1, 1967. Holland McCombs at the McCombs Ranch in Texas.

Sylvia Meagher in People Magazine, November 10, 1975 Look Magazine published a few letters to the editor regarding their article, "The Persecution of Clay Shaw." Sylvia Meagher wrote one of the letters: It's a powerful letter. I find it hard to believe that the editors of Look Magazine printed what is clearly an error: "reminded a gen le man" should be "remained a gentleman." She also wrote a letter to Tom Bethell about the Look article: Previous Relevant Blog Posts Mark Lane vs. Sylvia Meagher An exchange of letters between Lane and Meagher. Sylvia Meagher and Jim Garrison, Part One Sylvia Meagher writes Clay Shaw and he replies. Sylvia Meagher and Jim Garrison, Part Two An unpublished Meagher memo on the trial of Clay Shaw. Sylvia Meagher and Jim Garrison, Part Three - a never before published article by Meagher Another unpublished Meagher memo on the Garrison investigation and Warren Report critics. Garrison's Playboy Interview - What Couldn't Be Printed Sylvia Meagher's letter to the Editor regarding Garrison's interview in Playboy Magazine. Sylvia Meagher's Reaction to the Verdict in the Shaw Trial Meagher writes Harold Weisberg with her comments on the verdict. Two Letters to Jim Garrison about "A Heritage of Stone" James Phelan and Sylvia Meagher write Garrison letters about his book. Kerry Thornley writes Sylvia Meagher An exchange of letters between Thornley and Meagher. Did RFK Tell Garrison that there were guns between him and the White House? Meagher writes Thornley about Lane's comment on RFK Sylvia Meagher Congratulates Clay Shaw On His Acquittal Meagher writes Clay Shaw. Was Jim Garrison Napoleon or Rasputin? Meagher writes Thornley with an opinion. M. S. Arnoni and Sylvia Meagher Take On Jim Garrison... Exchange of letters between Meagher, Arnoni and Garrison. Jim Garrison Blows His Top Meagher writes Weisberg about the damage Garrison is doing to critics of the Warren Report. James Phelan Writes to Richard Popkin Meagher replies to the New York Review of Books regarding Popkin's article on Garrison. Sylvia Meagher Replies to Richard Popkin An exchange of letters between Popkin and Meagher.

Stop! Please stop: Following the release of The Putin Interviews in 2017, Stone was branded a Putin apologist; he has praised the dictatorial Russian leader on multiple occasions, though he has criticised some of his actions since the war with Ukraine. “At that time, Putin was the so-called enemy,” Stone says. “And our theory was, ‘Let’s know the enemy.’” He describes the four-part series, pruned from 30 hours of interviews with the Russian president, as an “invaluable” resource for studying the man. “We were the first English-speaking series to actually let [Putin] speak in his own voice,” Stone says, with a hint of accomplishment. “If you look at the American things they do on him, it’s always dubbed like bad Italian cinema from the 1950s. They get an actor who does his voice as a gruff, growly Russian bear, which he’s not – he’s the opposite. A very refined individual who speaks quietly, reasonably.” Previous Blog Posts on Oliver Stone's Politics Oliver Stone Says the Russians are "Kicking Ass" in Ukraine Oliver Stone says that "Putin is a great leader for his country Oliver Stone is now in Alex Jones Territory! Oliver Stone: Putin is a rational, calm, thoughtful man: the United States is a Doberman... Has Oliver Stone Gone Mad? Oliver Stone Said Vladimir Putin is "very bright" and "wise" Oliver Stone's 'Bromance' with Vladimir Putin Oliver Stone Blames the United States for Putin's Invasion of Ukraine Celebrities Who Have Been Friendly with Putin Oliver Stone Says Vladimir Putin Fell into an American Trap The Day Vladimir Putin Fooled Oliver Stone with a Doctored Video Oliver Stone Watches Dr. Strangelove with Vladimir Putin Oliver Stone is Vladimir Putin's Mouthpiece Oliver Stone Says that Putin was Provoked... Will Oliver Stone Blame Kazakhstan Unrest on the United States? Is Oliver Stone Becoming a Lackey for China? Oliver Stone said the CIA may have injected cancer into Hugo Chavez's rectum... Oliver Stone Sides with Cuba's 'Repressive Dictatorship Two Views on Oliver Stone's Love Affair with Nazarbayev... Oliver Stone Fêtes Another Dictator Relevant Links on Oliver Stone's Politics Oliver Stone's Disgraceful Tribute to Hugo Chavez Is the director's latest film soft on Castro? Oliver Stone defends himself After Calling Russian Anti-LGBTQ Law ‘Sensible’ Hollywood Movie Director Oliver Stone praises Putin for Syria intervention on trip to Saudi Arabia Oliver Stone: Jewish Control of the Media is Preventing Free Holocaust Debate Oliver Stone's Latest Dictator Suckup Oliver Stone’s Latest Piece of Pro-Putin Propaganda May Be His Most Shameless Move Yet ‘The Putin Interviews’: Oliver Stone’s Wildly Irresponsible Love Letter to Vladimir Putin Has Oliver Stone Ever met a Dictator He Doesn't Admire? Oliver Stone's 'Empathy' for Hitler Iran's Fajr Film Festival grabs headlines with 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.

Richard Billings with Robert Blakey Dick Billings was an editor at Life Magazine and for a while, was working with Garrison on his JFK investigation. The arrest of Clay Shaw started to sour the relationship and Life terminated their cooperation with Garrison. Things really fell apart when the magazine ran a series on organized crime in New Orleans in September 1967. But Billings was a witness to the early part of Garrison's probe and like Tom Bethell, he also kept a diary. Tom Bethell wrote lots of letters to Sylvia Meagher, and in some cases, he enclosed diary excerpts and other various reports he had written. In March 1968, he wrote Meagher with a short memo on meeting Dick Billings in New Orleans, after he had fallen out of favor with Garrison. Billings confirmed to Bethell that when Andrew Sciambra came back from interviewing Perry Russo in Baton Rouge, he did not mention any assassination party which David Ferrie and Clay Shaw [or Clay Bertrand] supposedly attended. Of course, Sciambra also did not mention the assassination party in his memo about his interview with Russo. Let's start at the beginning. Billings had contacted Garrison to tell him he was coming to New Orleans and wondered if they could meet. Garrison wrote him this letter: Garrison writes above that "I have no enthusiasm, as you know, for the employment of trick shots - whether it be hidden recording devices or obtaining legal service on individuals who have come into town to see me or whatever." What a joke! Garrison regularly taped conversations in the D. A.'s office. Garrison writes that "if anyone were to try to jail him [David Chandler, a writer for Life Magazine] I would defend him as strongly as I could." But many people were scared of going to New Orleans because they might be subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury, and then possibly be indicted for perjury. It was a favorite Garrison tactic. Garrison had subpoenaed Chandler to appear before the grand jury. Chandler realized it was a trap and he took Garrison to court to avoid testifying. He ultimately won his case. I will be posting the Life Magazine articles on organized crime in the near future. I love Garrison's last line: At all events I will be happy to meet you whenever you can get down this way - and it will not be necessary for you to hire a bodyguard or carry a gun. On March 17, 1968, Tom Bethell phoned Sylvia Meagher: Here is the letter Tom Bethell wrote o Sylvia Meagher in which he enclosed the memo on meeting Dick Billings: Yup, Clay Shaw certainly had been having "some bad luck lately." Here is Bethell's memo on Billings (note that he uses British spelling]: Bethell writes: As for the Garrison investigation, Billings was more guarded, but I sense that he feels that: 1. Shaw is most probably completely innocent. 2. Garrison sincerely believes everything he says. 3. Garrison is not motivated by political ambition, but that his motives are much more complex, or maybe, much more simple. 4. Garrison, regrettably, has too much of a butterfly approach, and instead of concentrating on a few important areas, such as Oswald's Cuban connections, hops around from storm drain theories to the Minutemen, without really exhausting one line of inquiry. I believe that Billings is correct in all of these assessments. In the next segment, Bethell writes: I note that no investigative report in Garrison's files is dated earlier than December 1966, and so I conclude that the investigation did not seriously get under way until early December, although there may have been some unrecorded investigation before that. Billings feels that Garrison was in possession of important and convincing information implicating Ferrie very early on in the investigation, because Garrison was so positive and sure about Ferrie. He feels Garrison may never have made this information available to anyone. I do not believe this for one minute. Garrison has a way of being positive about things on precious little evidence. I should note that Garrison's first conversation with Jack Martin, the source of many of the allegations against David Ferrie, was on December 14, 1966. The day before, Pershing Gervais, who used to be Garrison's chief investigator, interviewed Martin. Note Bethell's paragraphs on the FBI: Also, Alcock, Sciambra and Ivon have all attested at different times to the efficiency of the FBI's investigation. It is hard to think of anyone of any relevance who was not interviewed by them within a week or two of the assassination. (This has been I am sure, a source of great disappointment to the DA's office, although Garrison himself has never admitted as much. When all the books and articles came out criticising the Commission, I think many people in the DA's office thought they were exploring virgin territory when they first looked into Oswald's background. On the contrary, they found that the FBI had always been there, 3 years ahead of them.) At the end of the page, Bethell gets into what happened after Sciambra returned from his interview of Perry Russo in Baton Rouge: By chance, Billings was present with Garrison on the night of Saturday, March 25, 1967, having dinner at Broussard's restaurant. Andrew Sciambra joined them later in the evening and related that he had just interviewed Perry Russo in Baton Rouge. Sciambra was excited about the results of the interview because Russo said he had seen Shaw and Ferrie together - in a car at Ferrie's gas station. He also said he had seen Shaw at the Nashville St. wharf on the occasion of President Kennedy's visit. No mention was made of the third meeting at the party at Ferrie's home, no mention was made of Oswald, and no mention was made of Clay or Clem Bertrand. Thus, Billings description accurately described the contents of the controversial memorandum publicised by Jim Phelan in the May 6, 1967 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. Moreover, it precisely contradicts Sciambra's explanation of why he didn't include these vital points in his memo, which in essence is that he rushed to tell Garrison the story of the conspiracy meeting in person, and therefore it was not necessary to include it in the memo. Billings, who was present when Sciambra told Garrison about his interview, affirms that Sciambra did not in fact mention anything about a conspiracy meeting. Billings concludes from this that Sciambra is "a liar", and I am forced to agree. The Phelan article always struck me as the most serious criticism of Garrison's case, and I now conclude that it is correct, namely that Russo did not relate seeing Shaw with Ferrie and "Leon Oswald", discussing the assassination and using the name Clay Bertrand until he had been hypnotised and given sodium pentothal. Thus, Garrison's explanation of these tactics - as "objectifying" the witness' testimony - is a euphemism: apparently they were used to elicit the testimony. Bethell writes: Taken in conjunction with Dean Andrews' denial that Shaw is Bertrand, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that there is no basis at all for supposing that Shaw is guilty. I just realized that I have never posted James Phelan's article on the Garrison investigation from the May 6, 1967, issue of the Saturday Evening Post. I will post it shortly. However, I have posted several pieces on Sciambra's first interview with Perry Russo in Baton Rouge. Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part One Russo went to the press before he was interviewed by Sciambra. Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part Two James Phelan wrote a memo about the contradictions in Perry Russo's story. Perry Russo Talks - in Baton Rouge, Part Three An interview with Perry Russo from 1971. The last post above also contains a memo written by Tom Bethell about an interview with Matt Herron, who was with Phelan when he interviewed Russo in Baton Rouge. Herron said that Russo confirmed that he did NOT tell Sciambra about any assassination meeting. Russo spoke with Shaw's attorneys in 1971, and wasn't even sure of his identification of Shaw at Ferrie's gas station. By the way, Sciambra took notes of his interview with Russo. Guess what happened to his notes? Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog post.