Jim Garrison's Case Against Clay Shaw Destroyed
From: jpshinley@my-deja.com
Date: 6/6/00 8:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id: <8hiq22$rbf$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
"I don't know if [David] Ferrie was a communist or not" - Perry Raymond Russo to the Orleans Parish Grand Jury, March 22, 1967.
How can Garrison's case against Shaw be taken at all seriously when his star witness, Perry Russo, who claimed to have spent "hours and hours and hours" listening to David Ferrie speak on political topics, told the Grand Jury that he was sure if Ferrie was a Communist or not.
Russo further informed the illegally-constituted Grand Jury that Ferrie's big complaint against JFK was JFK's imposition of a trade embargo against Castro's Cuba in 1962.
This is the same Ferrie who tried to build mini-submarines so he could sink ships in Havana Harbor, yet Russo expected people to believe that Ferrie was moved to murderous rage by a trade embargo!
Orleans Parish Grand Jury Proceedings
Special Investigation
March 22, 1967
Witness:
PERRY RAYMOND RUSSO
pp 69-71
Q. Did you have any occasion to hear anyone say what was the motivating fact [sic] for doing in the President?
A. Now you would have to back up a couple of years with Ferrie. It was Ferrie again. I don't know if it was the motivating factor with Bertrand and Oswald was - but I can tell you the motivating factor of Ferrie was. Back in 1962, I guess, whenever the blockade started, all before that he was all - Castro had to go, Castro was this and this and all that Kind of stuff - Castro had served his purpose, he had helped get rid of Baptista [sic], he had helped get rid of private property, he had helped get rid of all these private enterpise things, I don't know if Ferrie was a communist or not, but anyway he had reached a point now that he couldn't go any further, he would never let the government go kapoot and disappear, he was always going to be be [sic] there and if it wasn't him it was going to be Raoul, if it wasn't Raoul it would be (inaudible), or somebody like that - I knew the whole Hierarchy of Cuba - all right, then Kennedy came along and put a blockade in and then Ferrie turned the most violent - he never talked that much about Kennedy before, he turned around like a pfoof [sic] - and all the hate, I don't mean hate, but the idea of Castro wanting to get rid of him turned into hate against Kennedy for he idolized the Spanish people - Kennedy was now starving the Spanish people, all this bullshit about letting medicine go through was a bunch of bullshit, he said he knew because he had been down there and there wasn't letting medicine go through he said he was starving the Cuban people, said he had already bankrupt them by American tourists not going there and spending their money - and he said now he was getting this organization of Americas [sic] States he said they would put all these economic sanctions and all that stuff and he said Kennedy was a real no-good fellow, he didn't phrase it that way but that's what he meant. Well you know what provoked that - because I was critical of Kennedy's policies in that area, I was critical of the fact that he allowed the Russians to build up and all that. I would say the first word and he would start talking for hours, hours and hours. This was when he was at the height of his glory I guess. And he changed from this anti-Castro program, get rid of Castro, to get rid of Kennedy, get him out of the picture, he said Johnson would be a better president anyway as he was more concerned with domestic problems. He said he knew how to handle the Senate, had been in it for years, said he was a majority leader and all that kind of humbug, and he said listen, if we get rid of Kennedy he said Johnson will make a much better President, he said he knows much more about Congress, and he'll be a much better President. He said he's not that much anti-Cuban, says he is more for the people. Ferrie was interested in that and whether that was the motive or not, I don't know. And whether this is by luck or chance they all got together, I don't know. But Ferrie was, you know ...
[end of excerpt]
The Department of State Bulletin Feb 19, 1962 p 283
President Proclaims Embargo on Trade with Cuba
White House Announcement
White House press release dated February 3 [1962]
The President announced on February 3 an embargo upon trade between the United States and Cuba. He said that on humanitarian grounds exports of certain foodstuffs, medicines, and medical supplies from the United States to Cuba would be excepted from this embargo.
The President acted under the authority of Section 620(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. He stated in his proclamation that the embargo was being imposed in accordance with the decision [to expel Cuba from the Organization of American States] of the recent meeting of foreign ministers of the inter-American system at Punta del Este, Uruguay.
The President pointed out the embargo will deprive the government of Cuba of the dollar exchange it has been deriving from the sales of its products in the United States. The loss of this income will reduce the capacity of the Castro regime, intimately linked with the Sino-Soviet bloc, to engage in acts of aggression, subversion, or other activities endangering the security of the United States and other nations of the hemisphere.
[end of announcement]
This seems to be the 1962 "blockade" which Russo mentioned in his grand jury testimony. As Russo mentioned, it allowed the export of medicine and it was related to an action taken by the Organization of American States.
Warren Commission Document 75 pp 199-200
FBI Interview of David Ferrie 11/27/63
by SA'S Ernest C. Wall and Theodore Viater
at New Orleans
DAVID WILLIAM FERRIE was interviewed at his residence, 3330 Louisiana Avenue Parkway and was advised of the identity of interviewing Agents. He was advised he did not have to make a statement, that any statement he did make could be used in a court of law and he had the right to the advice of an attorney.
FERRIE stated that at the time of the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, he was very embarrassed and concerned over the lack of air cover provided the Cubans who were engaged in the invasion and that he severely criticized President JOHN F. KENNEDY both in public and in private. He stated that he does not recall specifically what he said in making these citicisms and might have used an off-hand or colloquial expression "He ought to be shot" to express his feelings concerning the Cuban situation. He stated that he has never made any statement that President KENNEDY should be killed with the intention that this be done and has never at any time outline or formulated any plans or made any statement as to how this could be done or who should do it.
FERRIE stated that when it came to serious discussions, when the question of impeachment of President KENNEDY arose he opposed any impeachment proceedings. FERRIE said that within one year prior to the first Russion Sputnik he recalls being quite critical of the U.S. Space Project and the Defense Program. He said he had also been critical of any president riding in an open car and had made the statement that anyone could hide in the bushes and shoot a president. FERRIE also advised that he as been accused of being a worshiper of President KENNEDY because he is a liberal and strongly believes in President KENNEDY's Civil Rights Program and Fiscal Program.
[...]
[end of excerpts]
Warren Commission Document 75 pp 285-297
FBI Interview of David Ferrie 11/25/63
by SA ERNEST WALL and SA L. M. SHEARER
at New Orleans
DAVID WILLIAM FERRIE was interviewed at the First District Station, New Orleans Police Department. Ferrie was advised of the identity of the interviewing Agents. At the outset of the interview he was advised he did not have to make a statement, that any statement he did make could be used against him in a court of law and that he had the right to the advice of an attorney.
[...]
FERRIE stated that from approximately November, 1960 until August, 1961 he was associated with the Cuban Revolutionary Front in New Orleans, Louisiana. He stated that he had been actively engaged in working for the Cuban Revolutionary Front collecting food, money, medicine and clothing for the organization as well as giving talks before various citizen's groups. He states that at the time he was associated with the Cuban Revolutionary Front the office of the organization was located in the Balter Building and that SERGIO ARCACHA SMITH was the head of this organization in New Orleans. FERRIE said that he has never known of the Cuban Revolutionary Front maintaining an office at 544 Camp Street, nor does he have any knowledge of SERGIO ARCACHA SMITH maintaining an office at that address during the time he was head of the organization and later after he was replaced. FERRIE said that the Cuban Revolutionary Front was definitely an anti-Castro organization and that all persons connected with the organization were violently anti-Castro. FERRIE started that he has not had any connection with the CUBAN Revolutionary Front or any other anti-Castro organization since August, 1961. He stated that after disassociating himself with the Cuban Revolutionary Front he continued to have contact with SERGIO ARCACHA SMITH which was purely social in nature. He stated that some months after he ceased his activity with the organization, SERGIO ARCACHA SMITH gave up the leadership of the organization and was replaced by an individual named RABEL. FERRIE related that SERGIO ARCACAH SMITH then went into the advertising business in New Orleans and that he had assisted SMITH in preparing letters in connection with this advertising business. FERRIE said that in 1962 SERGIO ARCACHA SMITH attempted to organize a fund raising committee, the name of which he does not recall, but he does not believe the this organization ever materialized. He stated that SMITH was interested at that time in issuing a commemorative coin depicting the Bay of Pigs Invasion which was to be sold to a coin company. FERRIE related that in connection with this plan SMITH obtained vendor's license from the City of New Orleans. FERRIE said that he does not believe that this plan was ever placed into effect by Smith and it is his belief that SMITH subsequently abandoned this idea.
[end of excerpt]
"FERRIE said that the Cuban Revolutionary Front was definitely an anti-Castro organization and that all persons connected with the organization were violently anti-Castro."
AGENCY INFORMATION
AGENCY : FBI
RECORD NUMBER : 124-10089-10003
RECORDS SERIES : HQ
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 44-41824-4
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
ORIGINATOR : FBI
FROM : SAC, NO
TO : DIRECTOR, FBI
TITLE : [No Title]
DATE : 03/14/1969
PAGES : 76
DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT
SUBJECTS : GARRISON, JIM, INVESTIGATION, SHAW, CLAY
CLASSIFICATION : UNCLASSIFIED
RESTRICTIONS : OPEN IN FULL
CURRENT STATUS : OPEN
DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 12/08/1993
COMMENTS : INCLUDES LHM
[This is a collection of information which Shaw's lawyers provided to the FBI in support of a civil-rights complaint they filed against Jim Garrison. There's no evidence that the FBI took any action in pursuit of this complaint.]
From Perry Russo's Second Hypnotic Session, March 12, 1967
pp 6-7
[Q's by Dr. Fatter. A's by Perry Russo]
Q. What is Dave [Ferrie] saying about this important person.
A. Dave doesn't like this President Kennedy. Dave used to come over to my house and tell me. Now, he's telling everbody else the same thing.
Q. What doesn't he like about President Kennedy?
A. The way he treats Castro.
Q. Dave must have had some feelings for Castro when he is saying that?
A. Dave liked Castro.
Q. What is he saying about Castro?
A. He is saying that Castro is the best thing that came into the Western Hemisphere, and he says one day, Castro will be in the United States, and if we can get rid of everybody here, we will be a lot better off.
Q. And what else?
A. Dave says Kennedy is smart. He says he is dead or he will be dead.
[end of excerpt]
RUSSO: Ferrie talked at great length about Che Guevara of Cuba and Raoul Castro. Raoul he wasn't too hot about and this is what I told Sciambra and I said that Che Guevara though he was extremely powerful and he figured, and which is not included on here, but we went into a lot of detail of why and he figured that Guevara would probably by the next replace- ment for Castro since Castro had served some purpose and that Guevara would take his place and I don't see Che Guevara's name here at all.
Pages 115-116
Q: Did Ferrie ever mention that he was involved in any way with any Cuban exile group or with any other Cuban group or with Castro?
RUSSO: Well, now, he never did mention he was in cahoots with any Cuban exile group. He talked in the vein that Castro was getting a bum deal from the papers and the press and the United States and from the United States Government itself by the economic sanctions or what have you, but primarily what he was doing here, and I had reference to the three Spanish- speaking guys that I would say possibly could have been from Cuba, but I am not sure of that, but what he primarily was saying was that -- or what he was doing, in fact, was he had a group of Civil Air Patrol boys and they were eighteen, nineteen, twenty, somewhere around there, and they were practicing jungle warfare. Now, to me, that was, you know -- anybody -- everybody is entitled to their own kick, but he said that they were practicing so later on in their life the individual boys could help complete the liberation of the South American countries and make them freedom loving and democracies and the rest of the terms he used.
Q: Was he the leader of this training group of jungle warfare?
A: He was, right.
Q: Did he ever mention Castro specifically? Did he ever say that he had ever met him?
RUSSO: No, he -- the only thing -- reference he had to Castro was the fact that he said that Castro was not as bad as what we pictured him here in the United States and he was a good thing in Cuba, and he had changed the Cuban economy, and al- though they were in bad years now, that someday they would be in good years be- cause he was a good leader, more or less.
Pages 214-215
Q: I want to ask you whether you made that sate- ment to Layton Martens on the same occasion "I am not real sure if they were plotting against Castro or Kennedy."
RUSSO: A qualified yes, very qualified.
Q: Did you, first of all, did you make that state- ment, Mr. Russo, and then you may explain it.
RUSSO: Well, all right, yes, let me put it yes and I am going to say no afterwards, and I want to say yes, but it depends, in other words, Ferrie talked about Castro too, you see, and he thought Castro was a good thing in Cuba, but he wanted to replace him, he thought Che Guevera was better and actually what he wanted, he had a long philosophy about that too, and I told Layton Martens, I said they were plotting both to get Castro and Kennedy, and I said of course with these broad generalizations they were talking about, no specifics at all as to when and where, and they were plotting to get Castro too as well as Kennedy.
Q: So actually you told him, you were referring to the night in question on Louisiana Avenue Parkway, weren't you?
RUSSO: No, referring to the whole year.
Q: The whole year?
RUSSO: The time I knew -- that year intensively during the summer.
Q: Referring to the summer of 1963?
RUSSO: '63, right, I mean, Castro was mentioned proba- bly up there at the meeting where the Defendant was, but not a great -- I don't remember anything specifically being said about Castro, but I know days before Ferrie talked about Castro, sometimes he talked about the Gueverian Reform was a good thing, sometimes he talked about the economics of Cuba and sometimes he talked about Castro had to go.
Pages 355-357
[end of excerpts]
"Ferrie talked about Castro too, you see, and he thought Castro was a good thing in Cuba, but he wanted to replace him, he thought Che Guevera was better and actually what he wanted, he had a long philosophy about that too [...]"
Jerry Shinley
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