Post by Rob Caprio on Mar 22, 2019 21:14:30 GMT -5
All portions are ©️ Robert Caprio 2006-2024
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What was so important about Lee Harvey Oswald's (LHO) incident in August 1963 that lead him to be interviewed THREE times about it?
It is true. First, we see a report by Patrolman Warren Roberts. In Commission Exhibit (CE) 1140 the FBI gives an overview of his interview with LHO. On page 125 we see the following.
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Patrolman Roberts said that he was one of the SEVERAL officers who attempted to interview Oswald at the First District Station following the arrest of Oswald on August 9, 1963 for disturbance. He said Oswald was not interviewed separately but in the presence of the three Cubans also arrested and the arresting officers. He said he was actually present with Oswald for approximately 15 minutes and that in his opinion, the interview was highly unsatisfactory due to the numerous individuals present and the confusion of the moment.
Patrolman Roberts did recall Oswald answering questions in a mechanical manner, much like a machine that could be turned on and off. He said he was frequently evasive and would not answer questions directly. (CE 1140, p. 125)
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It goes on in the same vein for a little while longer. It mentions he would NOT say if he was a Communist or not as well. His stock answer to that question usually was he was a “Marxist”, NOT a Communist and the evidence bears this out as NO evidence could be presented to show he was a member of the Communist party. I find it interesting that he said so little for a disturbance charge, but we are led to believe he said so much more for a much more serious charge of murder (actually two of them). Something doesn’t jive here.
Next we see that a Lt. Francis Martello of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) got into the act. If we go to CE 1942 we will see the following on page 736.
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Lieutenant Martello stated that as a result of this interview with Oswald, he had made some DETAILED NOTES, which he still had in his possession, although he had not at any time dictated a report as a result of this interview. Lieutenant Martello furnished the following memorandum concerning his interview of Oswald on August 10, 1963, which he prepared as a result of a refreshment of his recollection of his original notes. Lieutenant Martello remarked that his interview of Oswald was merely for his general information and not in the nature of an official interrogations since he had been previously interviewed by the INTELLIGENCE UNIT of the New Orleans Police Department. (CE 1942, p. 736)
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Notice how he took DETAILED notes, but we are too believe Captain Will Fritz of the Dallas Police Department (DPD) did NOT. Sure. He then recounts his interview with LHO. What I find interesting is the part where he asked for identification papers and LHO produces his wallet. Martello then recounts what is in his wallet and it is as follows.
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1) Social Security card bearing #433-54-3937 in the name of Lee Harvey Oswald;
2) Selective Service draft card in the NAME OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD bearing #41-114-395-32, classification—4A;
3) Card bearing name Lee Harvey Oswald reflecting he was a member of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee; address listed as 799 Broadway, New York 3, New York, telephone #0Ragon 4-8295, headquarters for Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Card was signed by V.T. Lee, Executive Secretary; card issued 5/28/63.
4) Card for the New Orleans Chapter of Fair Play for Cuba Committee in the name of Lee Harvey Oswald, signed by A.J. Hidell, Chapter President, issued June 6, 1963. (CE 1942, p. 737; Compiled from X, pp. 52-54)[/b]
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This is fascinating stuff. Other than the one mention we see NO ID pertaining to “A.J. Hidell” as the DPD would claim he was carrying on 11/22/63! Surely he did NOT hope to escape after shooting the President, so why would he bother to insert bogus ID into his wallet on that day? The Selective Service card mentioned here is NOT in the name of “A. J.Hidell”, but rather his own. What happened to this card on 11/22/63? Ditto his Social Security card?
Another interesting thing of note is how he had NOT been a member of the FPCC for LONG time in all likelihood, but just six days after the letter from V.T. Lee he has a CARD ISSUED IN HIS OWN NAME (5/28/63)! What was the rush all of a sudden?
Finally, we come to the last part where “A.J. Hidell”, the chapter president for N.O., issued a card in LHO’s name for the FPCC chapter. Come on. How silly is this? So we are to believe LHO signed his own card in his OWN name using an alias we see NO other place except for the alleged rifle order? What? Does it get any dumber than that?
***UPDATED -- The FBI got into the act as well as Agent Quigley would talk with LHO, but this is not included in the WC’s exhibits. All we get is a reference to this in Lt. Martello’s work as it says, “Several hours later after Oswald was interviewed by a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigations…” on page 738. What they discussed is NOT known as far as I can tell. If anyone has any info on this discussion/interview I would like to see it. ***
Why was there so much interest in this DISTURBANCE issue in August 1963? Why was LHO, a supposed LONER, garnering so much attention? Why was LHO’s demeanor and ID so different on August 9 and 10 as compared to November 22, 23 and 24?
Can any WC defender explain this? If not, it looks like more claims of the WC are sunk.
***UPDATE***
I found more information on the discussion between LHO and the FBI Agent in the New Orleans jail. It is contained in the book The Man Who Knew Too Much by Dick Russell. On page 252 he writes the following.
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At the close of the interview [with Martello], Oswald requested to speak to a representative of the FBI. Martello called over, telling the FBI that Oswald “was desirous of seeing an agent and supplying to him information with regard to his activities with the FPCC in New Orleans.” [FBI item #100-16601-18; declassified 1977] FBI Special Agent John Quigley then spent an hour and a half talking with Oswald on a sweltering Saturday morning at the police station.
Oswald told the FBI man that “A.J. Hidell” had ASKED HIM to distribute FPCC literature two days before the street incident.* Quigley later maintained that he had never heard of Oswald before. Yet in 1961, after Oswald’s “defection” to the USSR, his Navy file had been reviewed by the FBI in New Orleans, where he was born. JOHN QUIGLEY HAD HANDLED THE CASE. (Dick Russell, The Man Who Knew Too Much, p. 252) (Emphasis mine)
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*Quigley report on LHO: FBI file # 100-16601 (CE 826). LHO showed Quigley his FPCC charter card, which falsely listed the membership number at 33. LHO had said he had NEVER SEEN “A.J. Hidell” IN PERSON but that Hidell CONTACTED HIM by letter or by phone to let him know the agenda of political activities and the time and place of meetings.
The Quigley report stated: “Last Wednesday, August 7, 1963, Oswald said that he had received a note through the mail FROM Hidell. The note asked him if he had time would he mind distributing some Fair Play for Cuba Committee literature in the downtown area of New Orleans. He said that Hidell knew that he was NOT working and probably had time. Hidell also knew that he had considerable literature on the committee which had been furnished to him by the national committee in New York. (Citation for * above from The Man Who Knew Too Much, page 518)
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Here is the relevant portions of Quigley’s testimony.
Mr. STERN. Mr. Quigley, I show you a document which has been marked Commission No. 826 for identification.
Can you identify this document for us, please?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Yes; I can identify it. This is the October 31, 1963, investigative report of Special Agent Milton R. Kaack, who was at that time assigned to the New Orleans division, with regard to Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. STERN. Are you responsible for any portion of this report, Mr. Quigley?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Yes; I am, sir.
Mr. STERN. What portion?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I direct your attention to page 6 of this report, pages 6 through 10, which reflect the result of an interview which I had with Lee Harvey Oswald on August 10, 1963, at New Orleans, La.
Mr. STERN. Are you responsible for any other portion of the report, Mr. Quigley?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I am confident I am not but may I just look at it for a moment. No, sir; I am not.
Mr. STERN. Turning now to page 6 of the report, can you tell us from this memorandum when you interviewed Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Yes; I interviewed him at the first district station, New Orleans Police Department, on August 10, 1963.
Mr. STERN. How did you come to interview Mr. Oswald?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Lt. Francis L. Martello, platoon commander at the first district, New Orleans Police Station, called our office and advised that he wished an agent to stop by there since there was a prisoner who desired to speak with an agent. As a result of this telephone call, I proceeded to the first district.
Isn’t it odd to you that LHO asked to speak with the FBI to tell them about his “activities with the FPCC in New Orleans” and how fast the FBI jumped? It sure is to me. Why should they care about what some “LONER” has to say about this? Obviously, there is much more to this story and this shows, to me at least, that LHO had connections to the FBI at the very least.
I bet if we asked to speak with a FBI agent none would be coming for a long time or ever.
Mr. STERN. Were you accompanied by any other agent of the FBI in making this interview?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I was not.
Mr. STERN. Is that normal, under your procedures?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I would say yes. Agents operate independently unless there is a specific reason for more than one agent to be present.
Mr. STERN. Had you any knowledge of an organization called Fair Play for Cuba Committee's activities in New Orleans before this interview?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I had knowledge that there was such an organization in existence in the United States. I had no knowledge of any activities of such an organization in the city of New Orleans, La.
Probably because NONE existed as LHO was the ONLY member!
Mr. STERN. Will you tell us what occurred first when you came to the police station?
Mr. QUIGLEY. At the time I arrived at the police station, Lieutenant Martello directed me to the commanding officer's office, where there was laid out on the table a number of different pamphlets, throwaways, relating to the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, which he advised me had been removed by the New Orleans Police Department from Oswald the previous day, August 9, at the time of his arrest, for disturbing the peace on Canal Street.
I reviewed, generally looked over, the material to see what it was. I was not familiar with any of this material. While I was doing this, he had not at this point identified who the individual was other than the person had been arrested the previous day; while I was looking over the material, the jailer brought in an individual who was then introduced to me by Lieutenant Martello as Harvey Lee Oswald. I then identified myself by credentials to Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. STERN. Did his name mean anything to you at that time?
Mr. QUIGLEY. No, sir; it did not.
As Dick Russell pointed out this is NOT true as he had reviewed LHO’s file after he “defected” to the USSR. True it had been a few years, but still one would think since LHO was supposedly a returned DEFECTOR they would be alerted when he came back to New Orleans and this should have refreshed his memory regarding him.
This is a good question.
Mr. STERN. Why do you think it might have been important for him to explain to you what he was doing----
Mr. QUIGLEY. Well----
Mr. STERN. Or to an FBI agent?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Well, he is in custody--this I cannot answer you. You ask me what I thought, this is what my feeling was on the matter. His actual motive, I really wouldn't have any idea.
Mr. STERN. Is there any possibility that he was trying to give the New Orleans police the idea that he was working for or with the FBI?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Not to my knowledge, sir; no.
Mr. STERN. None of his conduct went in that direction?
Mr. QUIGLEY. No; he certainly, to my knowledge, never advised the New Orleans police of this. As a matter of fact, he, during the course of the interview with Lieutenant Martello, made a fiat statement that he would like to talk to an FBI agent, which is not an unusual situation. Frequently persons who are in custody of local authorities would like to talk to the FBI.
Even the WC attorney is surprised by this! Why would the average person want the FEDERAL authorities involved in a local matter when they are known to be much HARSHER? This is absurd.
The CHAIRMAN. Is that so?
Mr. QUIGLEY. That is true, sir. Many times people don't really understand what the FBI Jurisdiction is. They feel we handle a multitude of things which we don't. We are happy to talk with them, we record the information, and if we can be of assistance, we are, and if we cannot be of assistance we tell them we cannot and we explain to them why we can't be of assistance.
Sure, the good ole’ FBI is ready and willing to be of assistance to anyone who is arrested for anything. Is this for real? They wouldn’t have the manpower first of all, and secondly, most local authorities don’t like involving the FBI if they can help it.
The question NOT asked of course is why the FBI dropped everything and ran to LHO so quickly if he was just a malcontent loner as the WC claimed.
This is very interesting and I think this sheds a ton of light onto what was going on and what LHO may have become mixed up in.
Mr. STERN. Mr. Quigley, did you believe he was telling you the truth in all respects?
Mr. QUIGLEY. No; I did not, sir.
Mr. STERN. In what respect did you think he was not telling the truth?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Well, as I stated before, when--I accepted basic information that he furnished to me regarding background, about what occurred at the time of his arrest. Then when I began questioning him as to who A. J. Hidell was, who the members of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee were in New Orleans, where they held their meetings, what literature he read, which he claimed he had been receiving from the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, he was noncommittal or wouldn't discuss it.
IF this was part of an operation of course he COULD NOT discuss it. This of course was NEVER entertained, let alone investigated.
At one point of the interview he told me that he had held one of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee meetings at his home. I asked him, "Well, how did you get in touch with the other people?" "Well, I don't care to discuss that." "Who were the persons at the meeting?" "I don't know." "Did you know any names at all?" "Yes. They were introduced to me by first names Only." "What were their first names?" "I cannot remember." So it was apparent to me that he was not certainly going to furnish anything that he had made his statement, why I did not know. But when I pressed him for details he declined to furnish anything.
Doesn’t this sound like one of those meetings he may have been included in with David Ferrie and Clay Shaw? It sure does to me. He is NOT being dishonest as the WC defenders and Quigley are claiming, but rather telling the truth. I’m sure a low-level guy like LHO was NOT told full names at meetings like this.
To me, this smells of a CIA type meeting and operation (FPCC).
Another one, for example, I asked him about A. J. Hidell, obviously you can see why I would have been interested in this. "Well, Mr. Hidell had a telephone." "What was Mr. Hidell's telephone number?" "Mr. Hidell's telephone has been disconnected." "What was. the number?" "I can't remember." This was the end of it, so this is the basis for my thinking.
Could “Mr. Hidell” really have been David Atlee Phillips (a.k.a. Mr. Bishop)? He was in charge of the FPCC area for the CIA. IT makes sense to me, what do you think?
If so, he would of course make sure LHO could NOT contact him directly if he was USING him!
This says it all to me.
Mr. QUIGLEY. One more thing I would like to add that might help clarify it, as to why I felt it was a self-serving statement is that he told me that he was distributing these throwaways for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee because of a patriotic duty, as a patriotic American citizen. This I felt was certainly, in his opinion a self-serving statement.
Mr. STERN. Did he elaborate on that? Did he tell you in what respect he thought he was performing a patriotic duty by distributing this pamphlet?
Mr. QUIGLEY. No; not in so many words, but he did explain that he felt that the goal and theme of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was that it was his patriotic duty to bring to the attention of as many people as he could, the fact that the United States should not attack Cuba at the time or interfere into their political affairs, and that by spreading what he considered the philosophy of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, that the American people would better understand the internal conditions there, and the American people should be given an opportunity to go to Cuba and let them make their own mind up as to what the situation was as of that time rather than just merely reading it in the newspaper.
LHO saw this work for the FPCC as his “patriotic duty” per Quigley! Doesn’t that sound like he thought he was doing something MUCH BIGGER than handing out pamphlets FOR CASTRO? Not all parts of the CIA wanted us to invade Cuba as some had their eyes on bigger prizes — i.e., Vietnam.
This regards the part about him looking into LHO’s naval file after he allegedly defected.
Mr. STERN. Have you found subsequent to this interview, Mr. Quigley, that you had any other contact with the case of Lee Harvey Oswald before this interview?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Yes; I discovered at the time I checked our files that on April 18, 1961, I had; as a result of a request of the Dallas office, checked the office of naval intelligence records at the U.S. Naval Station at Algiers. My purpose in checking that was merely to record what information their files contained.
Mr. STERN. And then you would send a report to that effect to the Dallas office?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I sent a letter I believe in that particular case.
Why was Quigley checking with "naval intelligence" about LHO at all? I though he had NOTHING to do with intelligence per the WC? Why did he think the Naval Intelligence group would have anything on LHO? What kind of work did he think he was doing?
I hope this helps as I had forgotten about this stuff as I have NOT read this book for many years. The WC exhibits that apply are CE-826, 827 and 828.
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What was so important about Lee Harvey Oswald's (LHO) incident in August 1963 that lead him to be interviewed THREE times about it?
It is true. First, we see a report by Patrolman Warren Roberts. In Commission Exhibit (CE) 1140 the FBI gives an overview of his interview with LHO. On page 125 we see the following.
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Patrolman Roberts said that he was one of the SEVERAL officers who attempted to interview Oswald at the First District Station following the arrest of Oswald on August 9, 1963 for disturbance. He said Oswald was not interviewed separately but in the presence of the three Cubans also arrested and the arresting officers. He said he was actually present with Oswald for approximately 15 minutes and that in his opinion, the interview was highly unsatisfactory due to the numerous individuals present and the confusion of the moment.
Patrolman Roberts did recall Oswald answering questions in a mechanical manner, much like a machine that could be turned on and off. He said he was frequently evasive and would not answer questions directly. (CE 1140, p. 125)
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It goes on in the same vein for a little while longer. It mentions he would NOT say if he was a Communist or not as well. His stock answer to that question usually was he was a “Marxist”, NOT a Communist and the evidence bears this out as NO evidence could be presented to show he was a member of the Communist party. I find it interesting that he said so little for a disturbance charge, but we are led to believe he said so much more for a much more serious charge of murder (actually two of them). Something doesn’t jive here.
Next we see that a Lt. Francis Martello of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) got into the act. If we go to CE 1942 we will see the following on page 736.
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Lieutenant Martello stated that as a result of this interview with Oswald, he had made some DETAILED NOTES, which he still had in his possession, although he had not at any time dictated a report as a result of this interview. Lieutenant Martello furnished the following memorandum concerning his interview of Oswald on August 10, 1963, which he prepared as a result of a refreshment of his recollection of his original notes. Lieutenant Martello remarked that his interview of Oswald was merely for his general information and not in the nature of an official interrogations since he had been previously interviewed by the INTELLIGENCE UNIT of the New Orleans Police Department. (CE 1942, p. 736)
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Notice how he took DETAILED notes, but we are too believe Captain Will Fritz of the Dallas Police Department (DPD) did NOT. Sure. He then recounts his interview with LHO. What I find interesting is the part where he asked for identification papers and LHO produces his wallet. Martello then recounts what is in his wallet and it is as follows.
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1) Social Security card bearing #433-54-3937 in the name of Lee Harvey Oswald;
2) Selective Service draft card in the NAME OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD bearing #41-114-395-32, classification—4A;
3) Card bearing name Lee Harvey Oswald reflecting he was a member of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee; address listed as 799 Broadway, New York 3, New York, telephone #0Ragon 4-8295, headquarters for Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Card was signed by V.T. Lee, Executive Secretary; card issued 5/28/63.
4) Card for the New Orleans Chapter of Fair Play for Cuba Committee in the name of Lee Harvey Oswald, signed by A.J. Hidell, Chapter President, issued June 6, 1963. (CE 1942, p. 737; Compiled from X, pp. 52-54)[/b]
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh23/html/WH_Vol23_0385a.htm
This is fascinating stuff. Other than the one mention we see NO ID pertaining to “A.J. Hidell” as the DPD would claim he was carrying on 11/22/63! Surely he did NOT hope to escape after shooting the President, so why would he bother to insert bogus ID into his wallet on that day? The Selective Service card mentioned here is NOT in the name of “A. J.Hidell”, but rather his own. What happened to this card on 11/22/63? Ditto his Social Security card?
Another interesting thing of note is how he had NOT been a member of the FPCC for LONG time in all likelihood, but just six days after the letter from V.T. Lee he has a CARD ISSUED IN HIS OWN NAME (5/28/63)! What was the rush all of a sudden?
Finally, we come to the last part where “A.J. Hidell”, the chapter president for N.O., issued a card in LHO’s name for the FPCC chapter. Come on. How silly is this? So we are to believe LHO signed his own card in his OWN name using an alias we see NO other place except for the alleged rifle order? What? Does it get any dumber than that?
***UPDATED -- The FBI got into the act as well as Agent Quigley would talk with LHO, but this is not included in the WC’s exhibits. All we get is a reference to this in Lt. Martello’s work as it says, “Several hours later after Oswald was interviewed by a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigations…” on page 738. What they discussed is NOT known as far as I can tell. If anyone has any info on this discussion/interview I would like to see it. ***
Why was there so much interest in this DISTURBANCE issue in August 1963? Why was LHO, a supposed LONER, garnering so much attention? Why was LHO’s demeanor and ID so different on August 9 and 10 as compared to November 22, 23 and 24?
Can any WC defender explain this? If not, it looks like more claims of the WC are sunk.
***UPDATE***
I found more information on the discussion between LHO and the FBI Agent in the New Orleans jail. It is contained in the book The Man Who Knew Too Much by Dick Russell. On page 252 he writes the following.
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At the close of the interview [with Martello], Oswald requested to speak to a representative of the FBI. Martello called over, telling the FBI that Oswald “was desirous of seeing an agent and supplying to him information with regard to his activities with the FPCC in New Orleans.” [FBI item #100-16601-18; declassified 1977] FBI Special Agent John Quigley then spent an hour and a half talking with Oswald on a sweltering Saturday morning at the police station.
Oswald told the FBI man that “A.J. Hidell” had ASKED HIM to distribute FPCC literature two days before the street incident.* Quigley later maintained that he had never heard of Oswald before. Yet in 1961, after Oswald’s “defection” to the USSR, his Navy file had been reviewed by the FBI in New Orleans, where he was born. JOHN QUIGLEY HAD HANDLED THE CASE. (Dick Russell, The Man Who Knew Too Much, p. 252) (Emphasis mine)
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*Quigley report on LHO: FBI file # 100-16601 (CE 826). LHO showed Quigley his FPCC charter card, which falsely listed the membership number at 33. LHO had said he had NEVER SEEN “A.J. Hidell” IN PERSON but that Hidell CONTACTED HIM by letter or by phone to let him know the agenda of political activities and the time and place of meetings.
The Quigley report stated: “Last Wednesday, August 7, 1963, Oswald said that he had received a note through the mail FROM Hidell. The note asked him if he had time would he mind distributing some Fair Play for Cuba Committee literature in the downtown area of New Orleans. He said that Hidell knew that he was NOT working and probably had time. Hidell also knew that he had considerable literature on the committee which had been furnished to him by the national committee in New York. (Citation for * above from The Man Who Knew Too Much, page 518)
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Here is the relevant portions of Quigley’s testimony.
Mr. STERN. Mr. Quigley, I show you a document which has been marked Commission No. 826 for identification.
Can you identify this document for us, please?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Yes; I can identify it. This is the October 31, 1963, investigative report of Special Agent Milton R. Kaack, who was at that time assigned to the New Orleans division, with regard to Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. STERN. Are you responsible for any portion of this report, Mr. Quigley?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Yes; I am, sir.
Mr. STERN. What portion?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I direct your attention to page 6 of this report, pages 6 through 10, which reflect the result of an interview which I had with Lee Harvey Oswald on August 10, 1963, at New Orleans, La.
Mr. STERN. Are you responsible for any other portion of the report, Mr. Quigley?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I am confident I am not but may I just look at it for a moment. No, sir; I am not.
Mr. STERN. Turning now to page 6 of the report, can you tell us from this memorandum when you interviewed Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Yes; I interviewed him at the first district station, New Orleans Police Department, on August 10, 1963.
Mr. STERN. How did you come to interview Mr. Oswald?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Lt. Francis L. Martello, platoon commander at the first district, New Orleans Police Station, called our office and advised that he wished an agent to stop by there since there was a prisoner who desired to speak with an agent. As a result of this telephone call, I proceeded to the first district.
Isn’t it odd to you that LHO asked to speak with the FBI to tell them about his “activities with the FPCC in New Orleans” and how fast the FBI jumped? It sure is to me. Why should they care about what some “LONER” has to say about this? Obviously, there is much more to this story and this shows, to me at least, that LHO had connections to the FBI at the very least.
I bet if we asked to speak with a FBI agent none would be coming for a long time or ever.
Mr. STERN. Were you accompanied by any other agent of the FBI in making this interview?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I was not.
Mr. STERN. Is that normal, under your procedures?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I would say yes. Agents operate independently unless there is a specific reason for more than one agent to be present.
Mr. STERN. Had you any knowledge of an organization called Fair Play for Cuba Committee's activities in New Orleans before this interview?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I had knowledge that there was such an organization in existence in the United States. I had no knowledge of any activities of such an organization in the city of New Orleans, La.
Probably because NONE existed as LHO was the ONLY member!
Mr. STERN. Will you tell us what occurred first when you came to the police station?
Mr. QUIGLEY. At the time I arrived at the police station, Lieutenant Martello directed me to the commanding officer's office, where there was laid out on the table a number of different pamphlets, throwaways, relating to the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, which he advised me had been removed by the New Orleans Police Department from Oswald the previous day, August 9, at the time of his arrest, for disturbing the peace on Canal Street.
I reviewed, generally looked over, the material to see what it was. I was not familiar with any of this material. While I was doing this, he had not at this point identified who the individual was other than the person had been arrested the previous day; while I was looking over the material, the jailer brought in an individual who was then introduced to me by Lieutenant Martello as Harvey Lee Oswald. I then identified myself by credentials to Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. STERN. Did his name mean anything to you at that time?
Mr. QUIGLEY. No, sir; it did not.
As Dick Russell pointed out this is NOT true as he had reviewed LHO’s file after he “defected” to the USSR. True it had been a few years, but still one would think since LHO was supposedly a returned DEFECTOR they would be alerted when he came back to New Orleans and this should have refreshed his memory regarding him.
This is a good question.
Mr. STERN. Why do you think it might have been important for him to explain to you what he was doing----
Mr. QUIGLEY. Well----
Mr. STERN. Or to an FBI agent?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Well, he is in custody--this I cannot answer you. You ask me what I thought, this is what my feeling was on the matter. His actual motive, I really wouldn't have any idea.
Mr. STERN. Is there any possibility that he was trying to give the New Orleans police the idea that he was working for or with the FBI?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Not to my knowledge, sir; no.
Mr. STERN. None of his conduct went in that direction?
Mr. QUIGLEY. No; he certainly, to my knowledge, never advised the New Orleans police of this. As a matter of fact, he, during the course of the interview with Lieutenant Martello, made a fiat statement that he would like to talk to an FBI agent, which is not an unusual situation. Frequently persons who are in custody of local authorities would like to talk to the FBI.
Even the WC attorney is surprised by this! Why would the average person want the FEDERAL authorities involved in a local matter when they are known to be much HARSHER? This is absurd.
The CHAIRMAN. Is that so?
Mr. QUIGLEY. That is true, sir. Many times people don't really understand what the FBI Jurisdiction is. They feel we handle a multitude of things which we don't. We are happy to talk with them, we record the information, and if we can be of assistance, we are, and if we cannot be of assistance we tell them we cannot and we explain to them why we can't be of assistance.
Sure, the good ole’ FBI is ready and willing to be of assistance to anyone who is arrested for anything. Is this for real? They wouldn’t have the manpower first of all, and secondly, most local authorities don’t like involving the FBI if they can help it.
The question NOT asked of course is why the FBI dropped everything and ran to LHO so quickly if he was just a malcontent loner as the WC claimed.
This is very interesting and I think this sheds a ton of light onto what was going on and what LHO may have become mixed up in.
Mr. STERN. Mr. Quigley, did you believe he was telling you the truth in all respects?
Mr. QUIGLEY. No; I did not, sir.
Mr. STERN. In what respect did you think he was not telling the truth?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Well, as I stated before, when--I accepted basic information that he furnished to me regarding background, about what occurred at the time of his arrest. Then when I began questioning him as to who A. J. Hidell was, who the members of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee were in New Orleans, where they held their meetings, what literature he read, which he claimed he had been receiving from the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, he was noncommittal or wouldn't discuss it.
IF this was part of an operation of course he COULD NOT discuss it. This of course was NEVER entertained, let alone investigated.
At one point of the interview he told me that he had held one of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee meetings at his home. I asked him, "Well, how did you get in touch with the other people?" "Well, I don't care to discuss that." "Who were the persons at the meeting?" "I don't know." "Did you know any names at all?" "Yes. They were introduced to me by first names Only." "What were their first names?" "I cannot remember." So it was apparent to me that he was not certainly going to furnish anything that he had made his statement, why I did not know. But when I pressed him for details he declined to furnish anything.
Doesn’t this sound like one of those meetings he may have been included in with David Ferrie and Clay Shaw? It sure does to me. He is NOT being dishonest as the WC defenders and Quigley are claiming, but rather telling the truth. I’m sure a low-level guy like LHO was NOT told full names at meetings like this.
To me, this smells of a CIA type meeting and operation (FPCC).
Another one, for example, I asked him about A. J. Hidell, obviously you can see why I would have been interested in this. "Well, Mr. Hidell had a telephone." "What was Mr. Hidell's telephone number?" "Mr. Hidell's telephone has been disconnected." "What was. the number?" "I can't remember." This was the end of it, so this is the basis for my thinking.
Could “Mr. Hidell” really have been David Atlee Phillips (a.k.a. Mr. Bishop)? He was in charge of the FPCC area for the CIA. IT makes sense to me, what do you think?
If so, he would of course make sure LHO could NOT contact him directly if he was USING him!
This says it all to me.
Mr. QUIGLEY. One more thing I would like to add that might help clarify it, as to why I felt it was a self-serving statement is that he told me that he was distributing these throwaways for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee because of a patriotic duty, as a patriotic American citizen. This I felt was certainly, in his opinion a self-serving statement.
Mr. STERN. Did he elaborate on that? Did he tell you in what respect he thought he was performing a patriotic duty by distributing this pamphlet?
Mr. QUIGLEY. No; not in so many words, but he did explain that he felt that the goal and theme of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was that it was his patriotic duty to bring to the attention of as many people as he could, the fact that the United States should not attack Cuba at the time or interfere into their political affairs, and that by spreading what he considered the philosophy of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, that the American people would better understand the internal conditions there, and the American people should be given an opportunity to go to Cuba and let them make their own mind up as to what the situation was as of that time rather than just merely reading it in the newspaper.
LHO saw this work for the FPCC as his “patriotic duty” per Quigley! Doesn’t that sound like he thought he was doing something MUCH BIGGER than handing out pamphlets FOR CASTRO? Not all parts of the CIA wanted us to invade Cuba as some had their eyes on bigger prizes — i.e., Vietnam.
This regards the part about him looking into LHO’s naval file after he allegedly defected.
Mr. STERN. Have you found subsequent to this interview, Mr. Quigley, that you had any other contact with the case of Lee Harvey Oswald before this interview?
Mr. QUIGLEY. Yes; I discovered at the time I checked our files that on April 18, 1961, I had; as a result of a request of the Dallas office, checked the office of naval intelligence records at the U.S. Naval Station at Algiers. My purpose in checking that was merely to record what information their files contained.
Mr. STERN. And then you would send a report to that effect to the Dallas office?
Mr. QUIGLEY. I sent a letter I believe in that particular case.
Why was Quigley checking with "naval intelligence" about LHO at all? I though he had NOTHING to do with intelligence per the WC? Why did he think the Naval Intelligence group would have anything on LHO? What kind of work did he think he was doing?
I hope this helps as I had forgotten about this stuff as I have NOT read this book for many years. The WC exhibits that apply are CE-826, 827 and 828.
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