Jim Garrison Lies about Guy Banister's Files
Subject: Garrison Lies about Banister's Files [repost]
Date: 19 Mar 1999 00:00:00 GMT
Message-ID: <7ctfui$nk8$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>
[This never showed up in Dejanews, so I'm reposting it]
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Jim Garrison's account of what happened to Banister's files,
as previously posted by Jean Davison:
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>> Soon we got a new break. Guy Banister's widow unexpectedly agreed to grant us an interview. [......]
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Asked about what had happened to Banister 's office files, she recalled that federal government agents had arrived within an hour or two of his death--long before she reached his office--and carted off the locked file cabinets. She was told that the men had been from either the F.B.I. or the Secret Service -- she could not remember which. However, the state police, she added, did not arrive until after she had.
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The state police? Apparently in a routine check, possibly because a brother of Banister 's had been connected with it, several state police officers had gone through his office. They departed with the index cards to Banister 's files, which the federal agents incomprehensibly had failed to take with them. ..... << [On the Trail...., pp. 40-41]
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AGENCY : HSCA
RECORD NUMBER : 1801007010368
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 008269 [PT 18]
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ORIGINATOR : NEW ORLEANS DISTRICT ATTORNEY
FROM : SCIAMBRA, ANDREW
TO : GARRISON, JIM
TITLE : MRS MARY BANISTER; INTERVIEW WITH....
DATE : 05/01/67
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MRS. MARY BANISTER - INTERVIEW WITH
April 29th and 30th, 1967
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I [SCIAMBRA] traveled to Monroe, Louisiana to talk to Mrs. MARY BANISTER in connection with the files her husband GUY BANISTER was keeping in the course of his investigative work. Mrs. BANISTER told me that after her husband died Mrs. DELPHINE ROBERTS and her daughter took some files from GUY BANISTER's apartment and also from GUY BANISTER's office and turned them over to Mr. G. WRAY GILL. She also said that she believes these files were in reference to an investigation concerning DAVID FERRIE and his case with Eastern Airlines. She stated that she later on called Mr. GILL and asked him to return these files to her and he did not do so. She said that she does not know what happened to these files. Mrs. BANISTER went on to say that she also burned some files because she felt, in her opinion, that these files should be destroyed as they might hurt some innocent people; that these files did not contain anything in regards to Communist or anti-Communist group activities. Mrs. BANISTER told me that about 1 or 2 days after her husband's death she did go to his office in an attempt to prevent anyone from taking these files and discovered that some files had already been taken. The old man [James Arthus?] who lived above BANISTER's office told her that he had seen DELPHINE ROBERTS and her daughter take some files while her daughter and a policeman was present.
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She said that the only thing she could say in regard to OSWALD's Fair Play for Cuba Committee was that she saw some Fair Play for Cuba Leaflets in BANISTER's office when she went there after his death. Mrs. BANISTER said she threw them away in the wastebasket. Mrs. BANSITER told me that because she was in such financial difficulties she sold many of her husband's files to the Metropolitan Crime Commission, and she gave some to the State Sovereignty Commission, and she also gave some to the State Police. She said that she also gave a complete index card catalogue, which was a record of every investigation that her husband was involved in, to the State Police. Mrs. BANISTER said that she had never heard her husband speak of the Friends of Cuba or Voice of Cuba or SERGIO ARCACHA SMITH, BILL DALZELL, or CARLOS QUEROGA [sic]. She said that the name REGIS KENNEDY is familiar to her probably because I told her he is an F.B.I. Agent.
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I looked over the books which Mrs. BANISTER had, which were in her husband's library, and these were text books on various subjects which did not pertain to any investigation. She told me that she had donated other text books to the New Orleans Public Library, Northeastern State College, and Louisiana State Univesity in New Orleans.
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Mrs. BANISTER emphasized the point that she did not want to get involved in any way, and that if anyone did ask her if she had talked to anyone from the District Attorney's Office, she would say that she had not. However, Mrs. BANISTER did say that she would like to help us in any way she could but that she would like to help us on a confidential basis.
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ANDREW J. SCIAMBRA
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[end of NODA interview]
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AGENCY : HSCA
RECORD NUMBER : 180-10097-10397
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 012448
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ORIGINATOR : HSCA
FROM : WILSON, MARY BANNISTER [sic]
DATE : 04/07/78
[...]
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Interview:
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Mrs. Banister was contacted by Investigator L.J. Delsa by telephone
and she stated that she would prefer not to have anyone come to her
home. She had checked with her brother in law Ross Banister and had
been informed that the Select Committee was an official organization
and that information regarding her husband Guy Banister might be
helpful.
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She stated that her and her husband had been seperated at the time
of his death. She sold some of his records to the Louisiana State
Police. She could not remember the individuals name that actually
picked them up but the transaction involved Mr. Russell Willie of
the State Police. She gave some records to Mr. Aaron Kohn of the
New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission. Many of the large
collection of books were donated to Louisiana State University in
New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
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Mr. Sam Newman, the owner of 544 Camp St. kept the office
furniture and sold it for money that he claimed was due him for back
rent.
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Mrs. Banister Wilson did not know any of the people from the office
personally and did not keep in touch with any of then. She knew of
Delphine Roberts, William Nietscke (sp), Joseph Newbrough and Jack
Martin but did not stay in contact with them. She did not like to think
about those times or discuss them and requested that she not be called
unless it was deemed important.
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[end of interview]
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AGENCY : HSCA
RECORD NUMBER : 180-10082-10170
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 005967
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ORIGINATOR : HSCA
FROM : BANISTER, ROSS
DATE : 02/20/78
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[...]
Interview:
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The above was interviewed by the undersigned [Martin J. Daly] and
Inv. Buras. Subject was the brother of Guy BANISTER. Mr. BANISTER
states that when Guy retired from the F.B.I. he desired to come South
so Ross contacted Gus [sic] MORRISON and GUY got the job as Assistant
Supt. of Police because of the P.D. scandals. He became a controversial
figure and was FIRED/QUIT. He subsequently opened a Private Detective
agency in New Orleans. Each time that ROSS visited GUY in New Orleans
his (GUY) office appeared very busy with many people coming and going
but he knew GUY was in financial trouble because on one occassion he
loaned GUY $300.00. On the night of GUY's death the office was 'raided'
for files. Ross thinks that Delphine ROBERTS and possibly Bill NITSCHKE
took the records, while MARY [Banister?] felt that either the F.B.I.
OR C.I.A. took them. ROSS states that GUY attempted to involve him in
several of his deals, a diamond and emerald mine; taking Mahogany by
helicopter out of either Columbia or Venezuela; but being a very
cautious man he declined. Further states that GUY was at one point
involved in helping the President of Columbia in setting up a National
Police Force. Mentions several times that GUY was a dedicated Anti-
Communist, and maintained extensive files on all sorts of subversive
activity. Had his secretaries cut out newspaper articles pertaining
to these activities. ROSS felt that GUY was cooperating with the
F.B.I. throughout his retirement from the Bureau.
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States that GUY was extremely interested in the Assassination
investigation. GUY told him that he believed and was convinced that
a conspiracy existed and he did not believe that OSWALD could have
done it alone. ROSS states that GUY never mentioned the C.I.A. except
that after the Assassination he said that 'Clay SHAW was being paid
$100.00 a month by the C. I. A. because he was an informant for them.'
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ROSS further stated that GUY told him that he SAW Lee Harvey
OSWALD handing out F. P. C. C. literature. ROSS advances the theory
that the reason OSWALD used 544 Camp Street was due to GUY mounting
a public campaign via the States-Item newspaper effectively killing
the sale of jeeps to CUBA and THAT is why OSWALD used the Camp Street
address in an attempt to embarrass GUY. One of the people that GUY
told ROSS was working for him was Bill NITSCHKE.
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Just subsequent to the Assassination GUY felt that FERRIE had
received a 'raw deal' but that later he cooled that feeling.
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He states that Major WYLIE, former La. State Police Officer is in
reality Russell WILLIE who upon his retirement from them went to
work for the D. O. T. (home address and telephone number obtained).
WILLIE is the one who purchased GUY's records from Mary BANISTER
for the sum of $500.00.
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[end of interview]
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AGENCY : HSCA
RECORD NUMBER : 7810370
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 009262
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ORIGINATOR : HSCA
FROM : WILLIE, RUSSELL
DATE : 6-8-78
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[...]
Summary of Contact:
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Investigator Robert Buras contacted Mr. Willie on the above time
and date regarding his employment with the Louisiana State
Sovereignty Committee which, information indicated, had received
files from the late Guy Banister's Office. Mr. Willie actually was
employed by the Louisiana State Police which did buy some files,
that were made available to the Committee but were burned some
time around 1970. Details below:
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Russell Willie and Joseph Cambre, Louisiana State Police, went
to the residence of Mary Banister on Argonne St. in New Orleans,
La. They purchased some files, approximately one five drawer file
cabinet about half full of manila folders and three by five index
cards. Mr. Willie believed that these purchases were in late 1964
or early 1965. The price was five hundred dollars which the State
Police paid to Mrs. Mary Banister. Mr. Willie has retired from the
State Police but at that time he was a Major and in charge of the
Bureau of Identification and investigation. This included about
thirty men and some of the duties involved criminal investigations
and some gathering of intelligence files. The State Police cooperated
with all State Agencies and Committee's. In this case they were
assisting the Louisiana State Sovereignty Commission which was
interested in the New Orleans area. The files that were kept by
Mr. Banister covered many organizations and individuals that were
of interest. Mr. Willie stated that he did not remember too much
more about the matter but he suggested that the investigator contact
Mr. Joseph Cambre, Ray Thomas, and Billy Joe Booth. These men had
contact with the New Orleans Police Depart and along with him
cooperated with U.S. Senator Eastland's Un American Activities
Committee. Mr. Banister had some files that pertained to the
Southern Conference Educational Fund. This organization was formerly
the Southern Regional Communist Party U.S.A. of [sic] a title like
that. [Wrong. SCEF was formerly the Southern Conference on Human
Welfare. The Southern Regional Committee of the Communist Party
was a different group. JPS]
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Mr. Willie could not remember any files that pertained to Lee
Harvey Oswald but believed that something might have been in them
about the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Mr. Willie did remember that
the files contained things that were not of interest, directly, to
the State Police but were obviously kept by Mr. Banister because
of his interest in them while he was with the F.B.I.
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[end of interview]
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Major Willie lead the La. State Police in the SCEF raids and
was named, along with Jim Garrison, as a defendant in the
Dombrowski v. Pfister suit. I believe that in the late fifties
Willie was a chauffeur for then Governor Earl K. Long.
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AGENCY : HSCA
RECORD NUMBER : 1801007810371
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 009263
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ORIGINATOR : HSCA
FROM : CAMBRE, JOSEPH
DATE : 06/08/78
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[...]
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Summary of Contact:
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Mr. Cambre stated that he helped Russell Willie obtain Guy
Banister's records from Mary Banister and later he went thru these
records and also remembers them being destroyed along with many
other records due to orders attempting to comply with the Privacy
Act. Mr. Cambre was assigned to the records section of investigation
and intelligence within the State Police. He worked with the
Louisiana State Sovereignty Commission during 1970-1. Mr. Cambre went
through the records of Mr. Banister and noticed that many of the index
cards refered to files that were missing. Banister's files were kept
seperate from the general files. Mr. Cambre stated that they were
in a five drawer file cabinet but the cabinet was not full. Many of
the folders that were numbered were missing. Mr. Cambre believes
that Mary Banister mentioned that she had allowed the F.B.I. to
take what they wanted from the files before the State Police obtained
them. This seemed appropriate since Mr. Banister was a retired
F.B.I. Agent. Mr. Cambre couldn't remember the names of the files
but he remembered that they were of organizations and individuals
that would be considered liberal, or subversive or communist.
Mr. Banister had extensive records on the Southern Conference
Educational Fund. Many of the files were newspaper clippings,
that referred to something that Banister was interested in.
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Mr. Cambre remembers reading a file on the Fair Play for Cuba
Committee which was mostly news clippings. He also remembers a
transcript of Lee Harvey Oswald speaking to someone on the radio
about this organization. He can not remember a specific file on
Oswald or any of Oswald's associates. Mr. Cambre remembered that the
Fair Play for Cuba Committee had an address on Camp St. He was
surprised to learn that 544 Camp St. was the same building that
Mr. Banister had his office in. He couldn't [remember?] anything else
about the contents of the files at this time but will call back if he
thinks of anything new that might be of use.
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Mr. Cambre remembered that an investigator from Jim Garrison's
office came and took notes of the contents of the files and index
cards. He could not remember the name of the investigator but suggested
that Garrison might remember.
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The files were loaded into cartoon [sic] and bags in his presence
but he did not see them destroyed. He suggested that Ray W. Thomas
or Billy Joe Booth might know more about the actual destroying of the
files. Mr. Thomas works with a private detective agency in Baton
Rouge and Mr. Booth is an instructor at the Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge.
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[end of interview]
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So in his historically significant memoir, Jim Garrison lies through
his teeth about the disposition of Banister's files and conceals the
fact that the files had been purchased by one of his accomplices in
the police-state persecution of a New Orleans-based civil rights
group. I Find it impossible to take such a person as the vile Mr.
Garrison at all seriously and also find it impossible to conceal my
utter contempt for this sanctimonious fraud.
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Jerry Shinley
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