False Witness (56 page)

8
. Phelan,
Scandals
, p. 145; Phelan Interview.

9
. Phelan Interview. Garrison told Phelan, among other things, “that the air [in Las Vegas] was better.” According to David Chandler, Garrison liked Las Vegas “because the gangsters treated him like a king” (Chandler Interview).

10
. James and Wardlaw,
Plot or Politics?
p. 72 (not alone); Phelan Interview.

11
. Phelan, “Rush to Judgment”; Phelan,
Scandals
, pp. 145–146; Phelan Interview.

12
. Garrison described to Phelan a nightclub entertainer named Breck Wall, tying him into the conspiracy because Wall, like Ferrie, had traveled to Galveston the weekend of the assassination and, while there, had received a telephone call from Jack Ruby. Garrison
knew
that Ruby's call and Wall's trip to Galveston were somehow linked to Ferrie's brush with that city and to Kennedy's murder. Yet Ruby and Wall, a union representative, had given the FBI the same explanation for the call. Ruby had closed his club out of respect for the fallen president and was upset and complaining to Wall because the competition hadn't followed suit.

13
. Phelan Interview; Phelan,
Scandals
, p. 149.

14
. Phelan,
Scandals
, p. 150.

15
.
Ibid
.; Phelan Interview.

16
. Phelan Interview; Phelan,
Scandals
, p. 151.

17
.
Ibid
.

18
. Phelan Interview.

19
. Phelan,
Scandals
, p. 154. A combination of factors contributed to Phelan's quick grasp of the documents. He was married to a clinical psychologist “familiar with the use of hypnosis”; he had researched and written about the Bridey Murphy past lives regression under hypnosis phenomenon; and he had flown to Copenhagen in 1959 and covered the “landmark” Palle Hardrup trial that centered on the “misuse of hypnosis” (Phelan Interview; Phelan letter to author, May 18, 1994).

20
. Phelan Interview.

21
. At the Desert Inn Phelan called Robert Maheu, former CIA employee and major-domo to billionaire Howard Hughes, who owned the place. This later became the subject of conspiratorial speculation by pro-Garrison researchers, who also challenge Phelan's motives for making the trip to Las Vegas. As a journalist who sometimes wrote about Hughes, Phelan's acquaintance with Maheu was unremarkable.They met in 1962 when Maheu unsuccessfully tried to persuade Phelan to kill a story he was writing about a loan Hughes made to Richard Nixon. Phelan's call to Maheu that morning was a simple matter of proximity and expediency: Copying machines in those days were scarce (Phelan Interview).

22
. Phelan,
Scandals
, p. 155.

23
.
Ibid
., pp. 155, 156.

24
. The
Las Vegas Review-Journal
published the details about Garrison's stay in that town, which was noted in the
New Orleans Times-Picayune
on March 16, 1967.

25
. “Statement of 2 on ‘Plot' Doubted,”
New York Times
, June 21, 1967; “NBC Tactics on Garrison Inquiry Hit,”
Los Angeles Times
, June 21, 1967; Sgt. Edward O'Donnell, Report to Jim Garrison, regarding Perry Russo Interview (which refers to the test administered by Roy Jacob), dated June 20, 1967 (Appendix B in this book); Brener,
The Garrison Case
, p. 109; Leonard Gurvich, telephone interview with author, April 2, 1996. The Jacob polygraph examination occurred on March 8, 1967.

26
. Brener,
The Garrison Case
, p. 110. At this point Russo had been hypnotized three times, in Chetta's office on March 1, 1967, in Asst. D.A. Ward's office on March 9, 1967, and again in Chetta's office on March 12, 1967. (Eventually, according to what Russo told this writer, he may have been hypnotized five times.) Transcripts of only two of these hypnosis sessions have survived.

27
. “2nd Hypnotic Session” (actually the third), “Taken March 12, 1967,” labeled “Exhibit G.”

28
.
Ibid
.

29
. Russo–Wegmann et al. Interview, p. 3.

30
. Russo–Gurvich Interview, p. 24.

1
. Shaw Journal, p. 1.

2
. Clay Shaw, nineteen-page narrative, “PH” (hereinafter Shaw Narrative), p. 7; Shaw Journal, p. 60;
The Chicago Tribune
, March 16, 1967.

3
. Gurvich Conference, tape #2, p. 19.

4
. Phelan, “Rush to Judgment in New Orleans.”

5
. Perry Russo, preliminary hearing transcript, p. 58;
New Orleans Times-Picayune
, March 15, 1967.

6
. Shaw Journal, pp. 61–62; Perry Russo, preliminary hearing transcript, p. 76.

7
. Perry Russo, preliminary hearing transcript, p. 96; Shaw Journal, pp. 64–65.

8
. Perry Russo, preliminary hearing transcript, pp. 112–114, 182, 184–185, 206, 223–224.

9
.
Ibid
., pp. 190–191, 197, 202, 203, 205.

10
.
Ibid
., pp. 293, 311–313.

11
. Dr. Esmond Fatter and Dr. Nicholas Chetta, preliminary hearing transcript, pp. 408, 423 (Fatter), 339, 372, 321–322 (Chetta).

12
. Edwin A. Weinstein, M.D., “Truth Serum,”
The Washington Post
, March 27, 1967. In WWII Weinstein was Chief of the Fifth Army Neuro-psychiatric Center in Italy where they used sodium Pentothal “to treat combat stress casualties.”

13
. Vernon Bundy, Jr., interview at Orleans Parish Prison, by William Gurvich, Charlie Jonau, and Cliency Navarre, March 16, 1967; Gurvich, interview on WWL-TV, June 27, 1967;
Times-Picayune
, March 18, 1967.

14
. James Kruebbe, telephone interviews with author, Nov. 30, 1993, Dec. 2, 1993, and Dec. 3, 1993 (hereinafter Kruebbe Interviews); James Kruebbe, Work Report, dated March 18, 1967, regarding Bundy's polygraph examination (in the files of James Kruebbe). Kruebbe said Bundy's “polygrams and related data were given to Mr. Garrison to retain.” Edward O'Donnell testified later in federal court that he too was present during Kruebbe's verbal report to Garrison (Christenberry transcript, p. 301).

15
.
New Orleans Times-Picayune
, March 18, 1967. Bundy's polygraph occurred around noon and he took the stand at 2:30
P.M
. on Friday, March 17, 1967.

16
. Vernon Bundy, preliminary hearing transcript, pp. 431, 433–436, 441.

17
.
New Orleans Times-Picayune
, March 18, 1967. In the official preliminary hearing transcript the summations, or “Arguments,” are indicated as “Not Transcribed.” William Wegmann recently explained that “not transcribing summations was customary in those days.”

18
. Shaw Journal, pp. 61, 68–69.

19
.
Los Angeles Times
, June 28, 1967.

20
. Sam Angeloff, memorandum, “summary of the day's findings,” to Richard Billings, March 21, 1967 (O'Hara's statement to
Life
); Phelan,
Scandals
, p. 158 (Judge Bagert); Dymond et al. Interview (“done deal”); Wegmann Memorandum (“cut and dried”).

21
. Phelan Interview; Jerry Cohen, “Garrison Records on Russo Tend to Discredit Investigation,”
Los Angeles Times
, April 24, 1967.

22
. Phelan Interview.

23
.
Ibid
.; James Phelan, memorandum, “Discrepancies and Contradictions in Russo's Story.”

24
. Phelan Interview.

25
.
Ibid
. Garrison didn't try to explain the hole in Russo's story. He never addressed it. Thirty years later that still baffled Phelan.

26
. Phelan Interview; Phelan,
Scandals
, p. 159; Kirkwood,
American Grotesque
, p. 165.
Matt Herron never corroborated James Phelan's account publicly but he did so privately to members of Garrison's staff (Bethell Diary, pp. 34–35). Richard Billings, who was present when Sciambra orally briefed Garrison on the Baton Rouge interview, later said Sciambra did not mention the plot party at that briefing, and that he specifically told Garrison that Russo had seen Shaw
twice
—at Ferrie's service station and the Kennedy rally (Epstein,
Counterplot
, pp. 57, 58, 67; Billings, letter to Edward F. Wegmann, Jan. 8, 1969 [in the files of James Phelan]).

27
. Russo–Wegmann et al. Interview, p. 3.

28
. Phelan Interview.

1
. Clay Shaw, quoted by Warren Rogers, “The Persecution of Clay Shaw: How One Man ruined Another and Subverted Our Legal System,”
Look
, Aug. 26, 1969.

2
. Alvin Beaubouef, interview with Louis Ivon, Dec. 28, 1966, transcript, p. 13 (Beaubouef was also interviewed by Ivon and Asst. D.A. John Volz on Dec. 15, 1966).

3
. Billings Personal Notes, p. 36.

4
. Hugh Exnicios and Lynn Loisel, “Telephone Conversation,” two-page transcript, March 10, 1967; Report to Joseph I. Giarrusso, Supt. of Police, from Presly J. Trosclair, June 12, 1967 (hereinafter Trosclair Report); Billings Personal Notes, pp. 36–38; Brener,
The Garrison Case
, pp. 163–164.

5
. Hugh Exnicios, Lynn Loisel, and Al Beaubouef, “Conference,” twenty-nine-page transcript, March 10, 1967; Brener,
The Garrison Case
, pp. 165–171.

6
. Dymond et al. Interview.

7
. FBI Special Agent in Charge, New Orleans, airtel, to Director, May 5, 1967, “Letterhead Memorandum,” attached, quotes Aaron Kohn about Langridge (Jim Garrison, FBIHQ Main File 46-55913).

8
. Trosclair Report, p. 11.

9
.
Ibid
.

10
. Mutual Protective Association, Inc., Polygraph Examination Report, regarding Alvin R. Beaubouef, to “Mr. Fred Freid,” May 10, 1967.

11
. Among the Garrison material recently unearthed in his old office files in New Orleans are five lengthy transcriptions of several of the entirely innocuous Phelan-Russo conversations. Garrison never made them public because Phelan never said anything inappropriate (“First Interview Between Phelan and Russo,” May 24, 1967 [transcript dated June 16, 1967]; “Second Interview Between Perry Russo and James Phelan,” May 25, 1967; “Interview Between James Phelan and Perry Russo,” May 27, 1967; “Fourth Interview Between Perry Russo and James Phelan,” undated; “Interview with Perry Russo and James Phelan,” May 28, 1967).

12
. Phelan, memorandum, “Discrepancies and Contradictions In Russo's Story; Kirkwood,
American Grotesque
, p. 168–169; Phelan Interview.

13
. Phelan Interview.

14
. Phelan, memorandum, “Discrepancies and Contradictions in Russo's Story”;
Kirkwood,
American Grotesque
, pp. 169–173.

15
. Phelan, memorandum, “Discrepancies and Contradictions in Russo's Story”; Kirkwood,
American Grotesque
, pp. 169–173; Phelan Interview.

16
. Billings Personal Notes, pp. 85, 86.

17
. Sgt. Edward O'Donnell, report to Jim Garrison, regarding Perry Russo Interview, June 20, 1967 (Appendix B in this book). Perry Russo told Edward O'Donnell that “if he had to give a yes or no answer” as to whether Shaw was at the assassination party, “he would have to say no”; at the preliminary hearing he had intended to testify that he didn't know whether or not Shaw was there but changed his mind because Dymond's question about God had “turned him on”; the conversation at the party didn't sound like a real “plot” but “a bull session”; he would like to meet Clay Shaw to see if he was the sort of person that would be involved in such a plot; and he would like to know Garrison's “complete case against Shaw” in order to “help him come to a decision.”

18
. Edward O'Donnell, telephone interviews with author, July 28, 1993, Sept. 7, 1993, Nov. 14, 1993, March 18, 1996 (hereinafter O'Donnell Interviews). O'Donnell's account of the meeting in Garrison's office later was substantiated by Russo who said O'Donnell was “completely honest”; Russo, himself, referred to the “terrible scene” with Garrison and his aides over O'Donnell's report (Wegmann Memorandum; Russo interview with author, Dec. 4, 1993).

19
. Gurvich Conference, p. 15. (The Alcock–Garrison conversation about arresting Sheridan is also mentioned in the Bethell diary.) On July 10, 1967, William Gurvich took a polygraph test administered by John E. Reid whose report stated that Gurvich “was telling the truth” about the fifteen questions he was asked. One of those questions was, “Did Garrison order the arrest, handcuffing and physical beating of Sheridan and Townley? Answer: Yes” (John E. Reid and Associates, Chicago, Illinois, Laboratory Report, July 10, 1967).

20
. Posner,
Case Closed
, p. 441.

21
. Niles Peterson and Sandra Moffett, the two friends Russo claimed were with him at Ferrie's party where the conspiracy was hatched, both appeared on the broadcast and, as they had in the past, denied it. Peterson remembered a party but saw neither Oswald nor Shaw there nor anyone resembling them. Sandra Moffett repeated what she had said initially: that she didn't meet David Ferrie until 1965.

22
. Since Miguel Torres and John Cancler were both in jail at the time, they had nothing to gain and ran a considerable risk by telling their story and challenging Jim Garrison.

23
. “Statement of 2 on ‘Plot' Doubted,”
New York Times
, June 21, 1967; “NBC Tactics on Garrison Inquiry Hit,”
Los Angeles Times
, June 21, 1967.