Key Focus: Clay Shaw is Clay Bertrand: Garrison believed that Clay Shaw was the mysterious Clay Bertrand mentioned in the Warren Commission investigation. In the Warren Commission Report, New Orleans attorney Dean Andrews, claimed that he was contacted the day after the assassination by a Clay Bertrand who requested that he go to Dallas, Texas to represent Lee Harvey Oswald. At the trial, the prosecution sought to have entered into evidence a fingerprint card with Clay Shaws signature on it and, which also had on it, Shaws admission that he had used the alias Clay Bertrand. In regard to this, Judge Edward Haggerty, after dismissing the jury, conducted a day long hearing, in which he ruled the fingerprint card inadmissible. He said that two policemen had violated Shaws constitutional rights by not permitting the defendant to have his lawyer present during the fingerprinting. Judge Haggerty also announced that Officer Habighorst had violated Miranda v. Arizona and Escobedo v. Illinois by not informing Clay Shaw that he had the right to remain silent. The judge said that Habighorst had violated Shaws rights by allegedly questioning him about an alias, adding, Even if he did [ask the question about an alias] it is not admissible. Judge Haggerty exclaimed, If Officer Habighorst is telling the truth — and I seriously doubt it! The judge finished with the statement, I do not believe Officer Habighorst! Jim Garrisons key witness against Clay Shaw was Perry Russo. Russo testified that he had attended a party at the apartment of anti-Castro activist David Ferrie. At the party, Russo said that Lee Harvey Oswald (who Russo said was introduced to him as Leon Oswald), David Ferrie, and Clem Bertrand (who Russo identified in the courtroom as Clay Shaw) had discussed killing Kennedy. The conversation included plans for the triangulation of crossfire and alibis for the participants. Russo’s version of events has been questioned by some historians and researchers, such as Patricia Lambert, once it became known that some of his testimony was induced by hypnotism and by the drug sodium pentothal, sometimes called truth serum. Moreover, a memo detailing a pre-hypnosis interview with Russo in Baton Rouge, along with two hypnosis session transcripts, had been given to Saturday Evening Post reporter James Phelan by Garrison. There were differences between the two accounts. Both Russo and Assistant D.A. Andrew Sciambra testified under cross examination that more was said at the interview, but omitted from the pre-hypnosis memorandum. James Phelan testified that Russo admitted to him in March 1967 that a February 25 memorandum of the interview, which contained no recollection of an assassination party, was accurate. However, in several public interviews, such as one shown in the video The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes, Russo reiterates the same account of an assassination party that he gave at the trial. In addition to the issue of Russos credibility, Garrisons case also included other questionable witnesses, such as Vernon Bundy, a heroin addict, and Charles Spiesel, who testified that he had been repeatedly hypnotized by government agencies. However, defenders of Garrison, such as journalist and researcher Jim Marrs, argue that Garrisons case was hampered by missing witnesses that Garrison had sought out. These witnesses included right-wing Cuban exile, Sergio Arcacha Smith, head of the CIA-backed, anti-Castro Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front in New Orleans, a group that David Ferrie was reputedly extremely active in, and a group that maintained an office in the same building as Guy Bannister. According to Garrison, these witnesses had fled New Orleans to states whose governors refused to honor Garrisons extradition requests. However, Sergio Arcacha Smith had left New Orleans well before Garrison began his investigation and was willing to speak with Garrisons investigators if he was allowed to have legal representation present. Further, witnesses Gordon Novel from Ohio may have been extradited if Garrison pressed the case in Ohio and Sandra Moffett was offered by the defense but opposed by Garrisons prosecution. The testimony of witnesses who placed Clay Shaw, David Ferrie and Oswald together in Clinton, Louisiana the summer before the assassination has also been deemed not credible by some researchers, including Gerald Posner and Patricia Lambert. However, when the House Select Committee on Assassinations released its Final Report in 1979, it stated that after interviewing the Clinton witnesses it found that the Clinton witnesses were credible and significant and that it was the judgment of the committee that they were telling the truth as they knew it.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 03:31:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015