Lee Harvey Oswald And Guy Banister
David Von Pein
"Somebody's going to need to point out exactly where the PROOF is that
Oswald had ever even MET Guy Banister at ANY time in his life. Because
I've yet to see such proof of that relationship."
ANOTHER PERSON SAID:
"What? {A CTer's} list of 20 witnesses who verify that Oswald and
Banister knew each other is not enough for you? I mean they can't all
have been lying!"
DVP NOW SAYS:
Allow me to quote from Vincent T. Bugliosi's comprehensive 2007 JFK
book, "Reclaiming History" (via the endnotes on the attached CD-ROM
disc)......
================
"In 1978 the HSCA revisited the 544 Camp Street issue. But other than
the thoroughly discredited Jack Martin, the only person who put Oswald
in Banister's office for the HSCA was Banister's secretary and
purported mistress, Delphine Roberts, someone so flaky that the
defense at the London {mock LHO} trial didn't dare put her on the
stand, though she was eager to testify. ....
"The HSCA interviewed six former employees of Banister's, and none had
ever
seen Oswald in Banister's office or in any other place in the Newman
Building. ....
"The only other person who possibly connects Oswald to Banister,
though he doesn't claim to have seen the two in each other's presence,
is a former investigator for Banister, George Higgenbotham.
"Higgenbotham told a DA investigator during a series of interviews on
April 12, 16, and 17, 1968, that one time he was kidding Banister
about sharing a building with people passing out leaflets on the
street, and Banister said, "Cool it. One of them is one of mine."
"Note that there's no reference to Oswald, or what the leaflets even
said, and Banister and Higgenbotham were talking about more than one
person passing out leaflets, whereas Oswald, with the exception of the
time in front of the Trade Mart, was the only known person passing out
Fair Play for Cuba leaflets.
"Further, Higgenbotham worked for Banister in 1960-1961, and Oswald
wasn't even in New Orleans during this period, though Higgenbotham
continued to have some social contact with Banister after that. ....
"The HSCA said that although it was unable to trace or recover all of
Banister's files, a partial index of the files was made available to
the committee by former DA Jim Garrison, and the index "did not
include the name of Lee Harvey Oswald or the Fair Play for Cuba
Committee."
"The HSCA concluded that it "could find no documentary proof that
Banister had a file on Lee Harvey Oswald nor could the committee find
credible witnesses who ever saw Lee Harvey Oswald and Guy Banister
together." (10 HSCA 131)"
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HSCA Volume 10; Page 131:
http://history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/reportvols/vol10/html/HSCA_Vol10_0068a.htm
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Martin Shackelford
"There simply is no credible evidence that Oswald ever had an office at
544 Camp Street or, much less, that he knew Guy Banister."
Posner notes:
1. The HSCA "questioned six other individuals who worked for Guy
Banister during the summer of 1963, and none of them recalled seeing Oswald
at 544 Camp." (p. 139). The HSCA (X p. 128) lists seven witnesses who didn't
see Oswald there: 4 worked there in the summer of 1963, one left in 1958,
one left in January 1962, and one was a visitor who visited only through
1962. "Several witnesses recommended the Committee speak with Jack Martin or
Delphine Roberts since they were in most contact with Banister." (HSCA X p.
129)
Posner dismisses the following:
1. Oswald's leaflets were stamped "544 Camp St.," the address of the
building in which Banister's office was housed. Posner correctly notes that
Sam Newman, the building's owner, told the FBI he never rented to Oswald
(HSCA X p. 123). This avoids the question of whether someone else rented an
office for him, which is what might be expected if Oswald was working for
Banister.
2. The testimony of Jack Martin, who said he saw Oswald with David
Ferrie in Banister's office in 1963 (HSCA X p. 130). He was a not
particularly reliable drunk who worked as an investigator for Banister. Sam
Newman told HSCA that Martin was in Banister's office "90 percent of the
time; every day almost" and he "kept up with all that stuff."(HSCA X p. 135,
note 104)
3. The testimony of Delphine Roberts, Banister's secretary and mistress,
that Banister kept a file on Oswald that "was kept out of the original
files" (the Louisiana State Police confirmed Banister had a file on the FPCC
and Oswald: HSCA X p. 131), that Banister was angry Oswald stamped 544 Camp
St. on his leaflets, and that Oswald came into the office "on several
occasions."(HSCA X p. 129) She also said Banister told her, when she
reported Oswald's leafletting to him, that "He's with us. He's associated
with the office." (Anthony Summers, Conspiracy, 1991 ed., p. 295) Posner
notes that she is extreme right-wing, a religious nut and was paid for her
interview with Anthony Summers (pp. 140-41), none of which proves she was
lying. Banister friend and associate Ivan Nitschke told HSCA:"If you were
trying to explore this to the fullest extent, I would say that Delphine
would be No. 1."(HSCA X p. 135, note 104). Roberts told Summers Oswald
worked for Banister. (Conspiracy, op. cit., pp. 294-5).
He ignores the following:
1. James Arthus' statement to the Secret Service that a man whose name
he didn't recall had tried to rent an office at 544 Camp Street. (HSCA X p.
125); he gave them the name of the woman who had dealt with the man, but she
was never questioned. (Just as Banister was never asked about Oswald.)
2. The statement of Ross Banister, Guy's brother, that he knew Guy had
an interest in Oswald, though he didn't think they were connected (HSCA X p.
128).
3. The statement of Ivan Nitschke, the Banister friend and associate,
that Banister had some of Oswald's handbills in his office (HSCA X p. 128).
4. Banister's widow Mary confirmed this to Andrew Sciambra of Jim
Garrison's office (Anthony Summers, Conspiracy, op. cit., p. 292). She found
a supply of the leaflets in her late husband's storeroom (Warren Hinckle and
William Turner, Deadly Secrets, p. 234).
5. Banister employees Allen and Daniel Campbell. Daniel reported that
Oswald came into Banister's office and used the desk phone. Allen reports
that instead of reacting with his usual anger at pro-Castro activities,
Banister merely laughed when Oswald's leafletting was mentioned.
(Conspiracy, op. cit., p. 293).
6. Another young Banister employee, George Higginbothan, said he kidded
Banister "about sharing a building with people papering the streets with
leftist literature." Banister responded:"Cool it--one of them is mine."
(Hinckle and Turner, Deadly Secrets, pp. 234-5)
7. Adrian Alba, whose office Oswald regularly visited, reported seeing
Oswald in Mancuso's restaurant, on the ground floor of 544 Camp St.
(Conspiracy, op. cit., p. 296). The restaurant was frequented by Banister.
The restaurant's owner described Banister, David Ferrie and Jack Martin as
regular customers.(HSCA X p. 125).
8. CIA operative William George Gaudet reported seeing Oswald with
Banister. (Conspiracy op. cit., p. 444).
9. Southern Louisiana University historian Michael Kurtz knew that
Oswald and Banister twice visited the Louisiana State University campus
together and engaged in heated discussions with students; he was, at the
time, one of the students. He also saw the two together at Mancuso's (Kurtz,
Crime of the Century, 1993 edition, p. 203, xxxix). Witnesses he interviewed
for an earlier article reported seeing Oswald and Banister together at
Mancuso's "with David Ferrie and Carlos Quiroga"; Oswald was seen entering
Banister's office "several times"; one of Oswald's co-workers at the Reily
Coffee Co. saw Oswald and Banister walking together on Camp St.; another
witness reported the two attended a White Citizens' Council meeting
(reminiscent of the meetings Oswald is known to have attended in Dallas).
(Kurtz, "Lee Harvey Oswald in New Orleans: A Reappraisal," Louisiana History
vol. 21, Winter 1980).
10. Another intriguing confirmation comes from Chuck Giancana, brother of
Chicago Mafia boss Sam Giancana, who reported Sam told him that Banister was
affiliated with the Chicago Mob from his FBI days in Chicago: "We know
[him]...real well." (Sam and Chuck Giancana, Double Cross, p. 211) He was
transferred to Marcello in New Orleans (ibid., p. 255), where the
Chicago-affiliated roving Mob ambassador Johnny Rosselli kept in touch with
him and approved his manipulation of Oswald (ibid., pp. 332-3).
11. Further confirmation comes from Through the Looking Glass: The
Mysterious World of Clay Shaw by William Davy: New Orleans attorney Tommy
Baumler, formerly an infiltrator of left-wing college groups for Banister,
told interviewers in 1981 that "Oswald worked for Banister."