Major Russell Willie: HSCA Interview
Subject: Major Russell Willie : HSCA Interview
Date: 31 Dec 1998 00:00:00 GMT
Message-ID: <76el1c$nni$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>
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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Jerry Shinley
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