A Bit About Guy P. Johnson
The first item is a brief announcement from 1957 for a talk to be given by Guy Johnson entitled "Trouble in the Formosa Straits." According to the announcement, "Johnson recently served in the Formosa area with the Naval intelligence department." (NOTP; March 17, 1955; p 5)
The next two items are notes made by Bernard Fensterwald on two meetings he had with Johnson in 1967 and 1969. (Memoranda of August 24, 1967, and May 21, 1969) Johnson offered the following opinion of Jim Garrison: "He was always nuts, but he has gone completely over the line now." Johnson also offered that he believed that Gordon Novel might possess a copy of a "letter of marque" granted to Guy Banister by a "high federal official (probably RFK)" in 1961. This supposed letter authorized Banister to steal arms that had originally been planned for use by "rebels in the French West Indies." This is allegedly the genesis of the Houma "burglary". The Martin-Lewis report contains a similar story. (August 24 memo)
Johnson identified two recipients of items from Banister's papers: Hubert J. Badeaux and Cy Courtney. Other possible recipients included Mrs. Banister and an unnamed "crazy woman" (probably Delphine Roberts). (August 24 memo) In the May 1969 meeting, Johnson said that Banister's "associate" Kent Courtney was in possession of part of the papers and was looking for a copy of the supposed letter of marque.
Cy and Kent Courtney were brothers. In 1959, Cy Courtney ran for Lieutenant Governor on the ticket headed by State Senator Willie Rainach, a leading figure in the segregationist movement in Louisiana, until his loss in this Democratic primary election. Cy's brother Kent was the Louisiana States' Rights Party canidate for governor. After Rainach's loss, there was debate among his followers whether to support Jimmie Davis over Chep Morrison in the Democratic runoff, or to support Kent Courtney. Hubert Badeaux was the Rainach co-ordinator in the First and Second Congressional Districts (metropolitan N. O.). Delphine Roberts was the women's co-ordinator for Orleans Parish. (NOTP; December 23, 1959; s 1, p 13) Cy Courtney may still be living in N. O.
Johnson also claimed that Banister had visited his office in the week prior to Banister's death and said, "If I'm dead in a week, no matter what the circumstances look like, it won't be from natural causes." Johnson also suggested that Leander Perez was a logical suspect in the Martin Luther King case. (May 1969 memorandum)
The last item is Guy Johnson's obituary. He died January 17, 1976 at the age of 62. The obituary notes that "in recent years, [Jim] Garrison and Mr. Johnson were law partners." (NOTP; January 20, 1976; s 1, p 8)