Judyth: From the Beginning, Part 1
Dave Reitzes
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Lee's Squeeze?
from Publisher's Weekly
MYSTERY WOMAN
That's what Peter Cox, who heads London's comparatively new and
innovative literary agency, Litopia, claims to have found.In a
nutshell, Cox claims the woman, whom he identifies only as Judith, was
the lover of Lee Harvey Oswald at a particularly crucial time in his
life: in the months leading up the November 1963 assassination of
President John F. Kennedy.
Cox told PW he is bringing Judith, who has been living in seclusion in
northern Europe for many years, to see a selected group of "top
American publishers" this week. Her book, which Cox says is a finished
manuscript, describes how Judith, a married woman and a Mormon, met
and had an affair with Oswald, beginning in April 1963 and only ending
with his death following the November 22 assassination.
Cox insists he, too, was skeptical at first, since no hint of her
existence had ever emerged, despite the intense scrutiny to which
Oswald's every move has been subjected, but Cox was won over by what
he calls "an incredible amount of convincing detail and documentary
evidence" she offered.
Why has she come forward now? According to Cox: "She wants finally to
put the record straight, and feels she no longer has to fear for her
life, as she did for many years." A woman mistaken for Judith, Cox
said, was murdered in Mexico City 11 years ago, but Judith is unaware
of any further JFK-connected murders (of which, according to
assassination buffs, there have been about 40 over the years).
"Judith's story will give a very different impression of Oswald from
the one we usually get," Cox said. "It's an extraordinary love story
that gives him a human face."
Litopia, formerly known as Altavista, has a Web site, www.litopia.com.
Let's see who bites.
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http://www.salon.com/people/col/reit/1999/04/16/oswald/index.html
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A tell-all from Lee Harvey Oswald's girlfriend?
Plus Eisner vs. Katzenberg -- who gives more to charity?
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTHING PERSONAL | BY AMY REITER
April 16, 1999 | It has the unmistakable aroma of Sy Hersh about it,
some would say. Readers with better memories will recall the
controversy surrounding Hersh's 1997 book on the Kennedy White House,
"The Dark Side of Camelot." All hell broke loose at the time of its
publication because Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative
journalist, fell for a batch of forged papers purporting to document
and add new detail to JFK's long-rumored dalliance with Marilyn
Monroe. The scam was quickly discovered and Hersh was welcomed back
into literary folds.
Well, now a new mystery woman has surfaced to keep Kennedy conspiracy
buffs chewing their collective cud for at least the next few minutes.
London literary agent Peter Cox claims to have discovered the woman
with whom Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had a thing going on in
the months leading up to November 1963. And -- surprise, surprise! --
the woman, whom Cox identifies only as Judith and who, fearing for her
safety, has been living in seclusion in Northern Europe, is shopping a
book around. Cox insists that Judith, a married Mormon, is the real
deal and that her story has "an incredible amount of convincing detail
and documentary evidence."
"Judith's story will give a very different impression of Oswald from
the one we usually get," Cox recently told Bookwire.com. "It's an
extraordinary love story that gives him a human face."
Anyone taking bets on how long it takes Oliver Stone to option this
baby?
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http://www.salon.com/people/col/reit/1999/04/22/oswald/
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Love on the grassy knoll?
Lee Harvey Oswald's "girlfriend" checks in.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTHING PERSONAL | BY AMY REITER
April 22, 1999 | In Friday's column, I wrote a snarky little item,
based on a report on Bookwire.com, about a woman claiming to have been
alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's secret squeeze in the months
leading up to his death. Identified only as "Judith" by her agent,
brash British up-and-comer Peter Cox, the woman is shopping around a
book that Cox has called "an extraordinary love story that gives
[Oswald] a human face." In my column, I oh-so-gently suggested that
the story being put forth by this Judy-come-lately Lee lover and her
literary rep might be just so much Cox and bull.
So perhaps I oughtn't to have been alarmed when, late Sunday night, an
e-mail popped in from a woman calling herself "Judyth" and seeking to
set the record straight. While Judyth commended me on my "verve" and
"skepticism," admitting that she'd "have the same attitude" if
presented with the same information, she railed against the Bookwire
piece as "wild speculation."
Judyth is neither Mormon nor married (misinformation in the Bookwire
blurb, repeated by me), although she allows that she once was both,
and "almost became a nun of the order of St. Francis." She describes
herself as a woman of "good character and reputation, [whose] name is
on a monument ... for good citizenship." Adds Judyth, "I have never
been arrested. I haven't even had a traffic ticket for I can't
remember how long. I don't smoke, drink or swear." What's more, she
says, she is "well aware of scams, false stories, etc." surrounding
JFK's assassination and considers Kennedy conspiracy debunkers Gerald
Posner and John McAdams to be "chief sinners" in promoting them. She's
coming forward now because she'd like to clear her departed paramour's
reputation, vowing, "I shall fight to vindicate Lee's name to the day
I die," though she doesn't say how.
In her long, somewhat Gothic letter, Judyth tells a life story of
scientific pursuit, intrigue and hidden passion that might make
Danielle Steel envious (a quality that has not escaped bestseller-
seeking Cox, I presume). She speaks of connections to David Ferrie,
with whom Oswald has been linked and who was for a time considered a
suspect in the case, and to Mary Sherman, a marginal figure in the
assassination annals with whom Oswald has never been definitively
connected. She claims to have worked with Oswald at Reilly Coffee
Company in New Orleans (he got her the job, she says) and to have been
fired after his arrest for passing out pamphlets because she'd been
seen with him. She and Oswald were, she asserts, "most earnestly in
love"; he married Marina "as a cover." Says Judyth, "I greatly
resembled Marina Oswald, as I can prove by my photographs."
Clearly, Judyth very much wants us to believe her story, as does her
agent, who has requested that I refrain from contacting his client or
revealing sensitive information about her until the book deal is
clinched. But should I believe her? Should you?
Having been born several years after the Kennedy assassination and
Oswald hit, being nothing of a conspiracy buff and not having been
able to stomach Oliver Stone's cinematic tripe on the matter, I
contacted some people who might be able to make sense of it all.
As luck and a little connection-working would have it, former BBC
journalist and author Anthony Summers, whose award-winning book on
JFK's assassination was re-released last year under the title "Not in
Your Lifetime" and who is known for his balanced reportage, took my
call. Summers examined the Judyth papers, slim as they are, and told
me that without the sort of "convincing detail and documentary
evidence" Cox claims are forthcoming, it is impossible to decipher
whether Judyth is "a truthful person, a lunatic, a mischief maker or a
mere profiteer."
Noting that there are "real questions and lacunae in the story
supplied to the public," and in particular during the time Judyth
claims to have done the nasty with Oswald, Summers said it would be as
foolish to dismiss her story as to accept it without more info. He
told me to keep an open mind -- something that anyone who reads my
column knows is not easy for me -- and wisely pointed out that, even
when Judyth does offer her "evidence," her story may be difficult to
verify or disprove because so much time has passed.
I also spoke briefly about Judyth with John McAdams, who runs a
Kennedy Assassination Web site. Although he, too, said that without
more evidence, he couldn't debunk her claim completely, he ventured
that it "comes out of nowhere" and that "on the face of it, it's
utterly absurd." According to McAdams, David Ferrie and Mary Sherman
have never been linked and Judyth's "exceedingly implausible" story
seems to be "inconsistent with a lot of things we know about Lee,"
including evidence that he was faithful to Marina.
But Summers is not so certain of Oswald's fidelity. He tossed me this
tasty little morsel, and now that I've had my fill of it, I will wipe
the slobber off and throw it to you.
Summers said "question marks" punctuate the story of the alleged
assassin's sex life. During the summer of '63, Oswald's marriage to
Marina had hit a rocky patch and the two were often apart. And, said
the author, "It has been alleged by some that he had a brief sexual
encounter with a woman from the Cuban consulate in Mexico City when he
was there in September, as well as relationships with young women
while he was in the Marines in Japan and the Soviet Union."
But wait, that's not all. Summers also related long-standing rumors
that Oswald "may have had homosexual encounters with David Ferrie --
the very Ferrie mentioned by [Judyth] -- in his teenage years. And one
CIA document I have seen says, without elaboration, words to the
effect: 'We should bear in mind that Oswald was a homosexual.'"
And so I gather my now-trademark verve and skepticism and ask my pen
pal Judyth what she has to say to that.
salon.com | April 22, 1999
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About the writer
Amy Reiter is a staff writer for Salon People.
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http://www.salon.com/people/col/reit/1999/05/05/jesse/
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Sassy singing Serbs won't bare all
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BY AMY REITER
[...]
JUDYTH, IS THAT YOU?
No sooner had a I run my third installment in the continuing saga of
Judyth, the book-writing gal who claims to have been alleged JFK
assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's secret love-connection, than Salon People
received a missive in a similar breathless, addle-brained style to the
one I was first sent by Judyth.
The sender, however, asserts she is not Judyth, but rather a colleague
who is not allowed to talk to the press (coincidentally, Judyth's
agent, Peter Cox, has forbidden her to speak with me) and who is using
Judyth's e-mail rather than her own "so she can't know it was me ...
she would shoot me if she knew I was doing this" (watch those casual
remarks). According to the brave e-mailer, Judyth is "for real ... I
have seen her evidence. Even check stubs ... Must say I was
impressed." (By the way, the correspondent so intent on concealing his/
her identity that he/she hijacked Judyth's computer to send me an e-
mail, signed the message with an alleged first name.)
And I clearly touched a nerve with my casual dismissal of Oswald's
puny purported token of affection -- apparently one of Judyth's
central pieces of evidence. Writes the writer who is not Judyth, "I
saw the green glass (not that plain)."
If this correspondence keeps up, I may collect all these e-mails and
put together a book of my own. What do you think, Mr. Cox?
salon.com | May 5, 1999
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From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
Subject: Re: Oswald's Personality...Some help needed.
Newsgroups: alt.assassination.jfk, alt.conspiracy.jfk
View complete thread (25 articles)
Date: 1999/05/13
John:
[...]
Thornley in New Orleans: a new source that may have known
Oswald
in New Orleans mentions contact between Oswald and Thornley. Details
unavailable at the moment.
[...]
Martin
--
Martin Shackelford
"You're going to find that many of the truths we
cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
-Obi-Wan Kenobi
"You must unlearn what you have learned." --Yoda
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From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
Subject: Re: Robert Harris' speculation (was Oswald's Destination)
Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy.jfk
View complete thread (5 articles)
Date: 1999/10/09
Dave:
Ferrie did give a speech in front of a New Orleans group
during
which he said a few intemperate things against JFK. At the same time,
Ferrie supported JFK on civil rights and other issues.
Let's pause for a moment and consider. Many of us believe
that
Oswald was innocent of the assassination. Yet some argue that
connections between Oswald and Ferrie mean that Ferrie was involved in
the assassination. Why?
What Ferrie and Oswald were doing could have been many
things,
given that both were reportedly seen at anti-Castro camps, both had
connections to Marcello's people, and both had some unconventional
attitudes for New Orleans at the time.
These things are worth pondering.
Martin
--
Martin Shackelford
"You're going to find that many of the truths we
cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
-Obi-Wan Kenobi
"You must unlearn what you have learned." --Yoda
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http://groups.google.com/group/alt.assassination.jfk/msg/1340bac7fe011e4c?dmode=source
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From: "Jay" <jedi_a...@yahoo.com>
Subject: help needed with research
Date: 1999/10/01
Message-ID: <7t3f4f$na$1...@bgtnsc01.worldnet.att.net>#1/1
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Newsgroups: alt.assassination.jfk,alt.conspiracy.jfk
I am writing a research paper on the assassination of JFK and in my
paper
I am trying to convince the reader that it was/was not a conspiracy.
From my own research so far, I personally believe that it was not a
conspiracy so I will head in that direction with my paper. I will
need to
show both sides of this argument and try to prove one right and the
other
wrong. I am having a hard time in writing my paper with all of the
different accounts that I have read and the many conspiracies. So
far, I
have written the introduction. My outline so far is this:
Introduction
I. The facts
II. The theories
III. ???
Conclusion
I think so far the outline general and I am still thinking about the
3rd
point. Can someone please help me with my outline? Remember, I am
just
trying to convince the reader that it was not a conspiracy. Also, can
anyone recommend any good sources (preferably online) that will help
prove
my position? If you have any questions/suggestions, please feel free
to
contact me by e-mail at jedi_a...@yahoo.com Thanks in advance.
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From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
Subject: Re: help needed with research
Newsgroups: alt.assassination.jfk, alt.conspiracy.jfk
View complete thread (43 articles)
Date: 1999/10/01
Afraid I can't help you convince people it WASN'T a conspiracy. I'm
quite sure that it was. See below.
Martin
--
Martin Shackelford
"You're going to find that many of the truths we
cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
-Obi-Wan Kenobi
"You must unlearn what you have learned." --Yoda
Conspiracy Evidence:
Five Minutes' Worth
by Martin Shackelford
FOLLOW THE MONEY:
1.November 1963 statements by Jack Ruby and Oswald or a "second
Oswald"
that they expected to come into a large amount of money soon.
2.A deposit of over $200,000 by an offshore bank into the account of
George DeMohrenschildt in December 1963.
[...]
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<QUOTE ON>-------------------------------------
From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
Subject: Re: help needed with research
Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy.jfk
View complete thread (41 articles)
Date: 1999/10/02
Dave:
The points you raise are worth commenting on.
[...]
DeMohrenschildt: I wish I could discuss this in more detail at
present, but I am not presently at liberty to discuss all of the
evidence on this point. Suffice it to say that the $200,000 sent to
DeMohrenschildt was not intended for DeMohrenschildt.
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Although Martin has never admitted it, it was Judyth who told Martin
that the second item above was meaningful -- and Martin was happy to
cite this as evidence of conspiracy to a newbie.
In Judyth's 2006 book -- since withdrawn from circulation amidst
Judyth claims that Harrison E. Livingstone and Martin Shackelford
stole the manuscript from her and published it without her permission
-- Lady J writes: "Lee told me that a fund of $200,000 [sic], created
to generate income, was in the hands of his friend, George
DeMohrenschildt [sic], and that from these funds, his [Oswald's] wife
and children by his first marriage [i.e., Marina, Rachel, and June
Oswald] would receive support. Lee had accepted all these proposals
and conditions."
See:
http://www.jfk-online.com/judythshack.html
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From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
Subject: Re: Foreknowledge of assassination?
Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy.jfk
View complete thread (12 articles)
Date: 1999/10/19
Dave:
[...]
I'm sure that Ruby was a conspirator, but perhaps not in the
way
you think I do. And it's not based on "faith."
Martin
--
Martin Shackelford
"You're going to find that many of the truths we
cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
-Obi-Wan Kenobi
"You must unlearn what you have learned." --Yoda
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<QUOTE ON>-------------------------------------
From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
Subject: Re: Some common sense questions
Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy.jfk
View complete thread (73 articles)
Date: 1999/10/03
Milhouse:
[...]
You're right to have
questions about New Orleans--that's a key locale for the conspiracy--
and
I'm not talking about Garrison's case.
Martin
--
Martin Shackelford
"You're going to find that many of the truths we
cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
-Obi-Wan Kenobi
"You must unlearn what you have learned." --Yoda
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An e-mail from Martin:
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Subj: Re: Oswald's Destination
Date: 10/7/99 10:08:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: msh...@concentric.net (Martin Shackelford)
To: drei...@aol.com (Dave Reitzes)
Dave:
Although I can't yet explain, I'm in contact with someone who
met
with Oswald and Ruby together, so I know they knew each other.
Apparently, they had known each other for some time, through
Marguerite's Marcello org connections, but keep this under your hat
until I can say more about it.
Martin
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Dave
http://www.jfk-online.com/judythmenu.html
JLeyd...@aol.com
Since you've provided the beginning, Dave, let me supply the ending: It
was a disaster, a complete disaster. After the book sold something like
17 copies, Judyth pulled the thing, blaming Shackelford and Livingstone
for going behind her back and messing up her ms. The end result -- and
this could be considered a positive -- was that everyone on Team Judyth
was discredited and they haven't had a civil word to say to one another
since.
JGL
> http://spot.acorn.net/jfkplace/09/fp.back_issues/28th_Issue/lho_gfrie...
> http://groups.google.com/groups?q=+DeMohrenschildt+OR+Mohrenschildt+a...
>
> <QUOTE ON>-------------------------------------
>
> From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
> Subject: Re: Oswald's Personality...Some help needed.
> Newsgroups: alt.assassination.jfk, alt.conspiracy.jfk
> View complete thread (25 articles)
> Date: 1999/05/13
>
> John:
>
> [...]
>
> Thornley in New Orleans: a new source that may have known
> Oswald
> in New Orleans mentions contact between Oswald and Thornley. Details
> unavailable at the moment.
>
> [...]
>
> Martin
>
> --
> Martin Shackelford
>
> "You're going to find that many of the truths we
> cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
> -Obi-Wan Kenobi
>
> "You must unlearn what you have learned." --Yoda
>
> <QUOTE OFF>------------------------------------
>
> http://groups.google.com/groups?q=author:mshack%40concentric.net&num=...
> http://groups.google.com/group/alt.assassination.jfk/browse_thread/th...
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/alt.assassination.jfk/msg/1340bac7fe01...
> http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&safe=off&th=9d6502611bcfbf52,43...
> http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ruby+author:mshack%40concentric.net...
>
> <QUOTE ON>-------------------------------------
>
> From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
> Subject: Re: help needed with research
> Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy.jfk
> View complete thread (41 articles)
> Date: 1999/10/02
>
> Dave:
>
> The points you raise are worth commenting on.
>
> [...]
>
> DeMohrenschildt: I wish I could discuss this in more detail at
> present, but I am not presently at liberty to discuss all of the
> evidence on this point. Suffice it to say that the $200,000 sent to
> DeMohrenschildt was not intended for DeMohrenschildt.
>
> <QUOTE OFF>------------------------------------
>
> Although Martin has never admitted it, it was Judyth who told Martin
> that the second item above was meaningful -- and Martin was happy to
> cite this as evidence of conspiracy to a newbie.
>
> In Judyth's 2006 book -- since withdrawn from circulation amidst
> Judyth claims that Harrison E. Livingstone and Martin Shackelford
> stole the manuscript from her and published it without her permission-- Lady J writes: "Lee told me that a fund of $200,000 [sic], created
>
> to generate income, was in the hands of his friend, George
> DeMohrenschildt [sic], and that from these funds, his [Oswald's] wife
> and children by his first marriage [i.e., Marina, Rachel, and June
> Oswald] would receive support. Lee had accepted all these proposals
> and conditions."
>
> See:
>
> http://www.jfk-online.com/judythshack.html
>
> http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ruby+author:mshack%40concentric.net...
>
> <QUOTE ON>-------------------------------------
>
> From: Martin Shackelford (msh...@concentric.net)
> Subject: Re: Foreknowledge of assassination?
> Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy.jfk
> View complete thread (12 articles)
> Date: 1999/10/19
>
> Dave:
>
> [...]
>
> I'm sure that Ruby was a conspirator, but perhaps not in the
> way
> you think I do. And it's not based on "faith."
>
> Martin
>
> --
> Martin Shackelford
>
> "You're going to find that many of the truths we
> cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
> -Obi-Wan Kenobi
>
> "You must unlearn what you have learned." --Yoda
>
> <QUOTE OFF>------------------------------------
>
> http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ruby+author:mshack%40concentric.net...
> To: dreit...@aol.com (Dave Reitzes)
Martin Shackelford
Martin
"Dave Reitzes" <drei...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:58345a4c-1e47-40a9...@c58g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
Martin Shackelford
Judyth's pulling the book had NOTHING to do with sales.
As for the idea that Livingstone and I somehow "messed up" the manuscript,
SHE went through EVERY CHAPTER and input corrections. The book was
published AS SHE CORRECTED IT.
As for no one having a civil word to say, Howard is the only one with whom
I haven't been on good terms, and that wasn't my choice.
You may have noticed that I continue to receive occasional messages from
Judyth--all friendly.
Martin
<JLeyd...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:f87126b8-9f88-4267...@l64g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
Dave Reitzes
wrote:
> How very pedantic, Dave.
>
> Martin
Pace yourself, Martin.
Dave
JLeyd...@aol.com
wrote:
> One vendor alone sold 40 copies, and there were many other vendors.
> Judyth's pulling the book had NOTHING to do with sales.
> As for the idea that Livingstone and I somehow "messed up" the manuscript,
> SHE went through EVERY CHAPTER and input corrections. The book was
> published AS SHE CORRECTED IT.
> As for no one having a civil word to say, Howard is the only one with whom
> I haven't been on good terms, and that wasn't my choice.
> You may have noticed that I continue to receive occasional messages from
> Judyth--all friendly.
>
> Martin
It was all right there on Judyth's blog last summer before you &
Livingstone twisted her arm and made her take it down after about 15
minutes. She accused you of sneaking around behind her back. That's
hardly a testimonial.
JGL
Martin Shackelford
Martin
<JLeyd...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:74231f87-eb54-4c8c...@c65g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
John McAdams
<msh...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>One vendor alone sold 40 copies, and there were many other vendors.
>Judyth's pulling the book had NOTHING to do with sales.
OK, how many *total* copies were sold?
.John
--------------
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/home.htm