("Quid coniuratio est?")
From garb@ix.netcom.comMon Sep 16 10:57:12 1996
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 03:13:03 -0700
From: Garby Leon <garb@ix.netcom.com>
To: jfk-research@webcom.com
Subject: Garrison's list: WC Documents still withheld
Dear Everyone -- Sept. 15, 1996
In preparation for the ARRB hearing in Los Angeles this Tuesday, I was looking through my recent correspondence with both the ARRB and the National Archives at College Park.
Earlier this year, I sent both agencies a list of Warren Commission documents -- referred to below as "CD's" -- which Jim Garrison, in his book "On the Trail of the Assassins" and in his extensive interview in Playboy, cited specifically as being of great interest to him in his investigations. Garrison complained that these Warren Commission documents had been withheld and kept 'secret', and were unavailable to him.
Garrison reasonably complained that these were Warren Commission documents -- part of the official inquiry into the assassination -- so why were they unavailable? I thought he had a pretty good point.
Curious about what was known on this topic, I sent a query about the status of the Garrison CD citations to the earlier Lisa Pease/Joe Riley JFK list (R.I.P.!), but only received vague, contradictory answers. Typically: "Uh, I think those are out already, or maybe some of them..." etc.
It seemed no one was really sure which documents had been released and which weren't. For reference, here's the Garrison list:
JIM GARRISON'S LIST OF WARREN COMMISSION DOCUMENTS WHICH HE SOUGHT AND WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN:
>CD 212 - relating to Ruth Paine
>CD 218 - relating to Michael Paine
>CD 258 - relating to Michael Paine
>CD 508 - relating to Michael Paine's sister
>CD 600 through CD 629, regarding relatives of Michael Paine.
>
>Also: the Income Tax returns of Ruth and Michael Paine (classified
>'secret' Garrison says in his book On the Trail of the Assassins)
>
>(Files relating to Oswald):
>
>CD 321 - Chronology of Oswald in USSR (Secret)
>CD 347 - Activity of Oswald in Mexico City (Secret)
>CD 384 - Activity of Oswald in Mexico City
>CD 528 - re: Allegation Oswald interviewed by CIA in Mexico City
>CD 631 - re: CIA dissemination of information on Oswald
>CD 674 - Info given to the Secret Service but not yet to the Warren
>Commission (Secret)
>CD 692 - Reproduction of CIA official dossier on Oswald
>CD 698 - Reports of travel and activities of Oswald & Marina
>CD 871 - Photos of Oswald in Russia (Secret)
>CD 931 - Oswald's access to information about the U-2 (Secret)
>CD 943, "Allegations of Pfc. Eugene Dinkin re Assassination Plot"; and
>CD 971, "Telephone Calls to U.S. Embassy, Canberra, Australia, re
>Planned Assassination."
>CD 1054, "Information on Jack Ruby and Associates";
>CD 1216 - Memo from Helms entitled "Lee Harvey Oswald" (Secret)
>CD 1222 - Statements by George de Mohrenschildt re: assassination
>(Secret)
>CD 1273 - Memo from Helms re: apparent inconsistencies in info
>provided by CIA (Secret)
>CD 1551, "Conversations Between Cuban President and Ambassador";
I wrote to the ARRB, which referred me to the National Archives, which, after some delay, sent me the following response:
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park Maryland 20740-6001
April 9, 1996
Dear Mr. Leon,
This is in response to your e-mailed request for information regarding the status of Warren Commission Documents (CDs).
Of the 51 documents you listed in your letter, three (CDs 384, 698, and 1551) are still withheld pending review by another agency, and 10 (CDs 601, 612, 624, 627, 629, 674, 871, 943, 971, and 1216) are released in part, with information redacted on some pages. All of the other 38 CDs listed in your letter have been released in full. Please contact us if you would like to receive a quote for the cost of reproducing these documents and the 10 partially released documents.
The income tax forms of Ruth and Michael Paine, CDs 713 and 848, have been withheld for privacy and are referred to the Internal Revenue Service for review. These documents are not security classified, as would be suggested by the description of them as "secret" in the book to which you referred. ("On the Trail of the Assassins," btw).
(SNIP -- query on RIF #'s of ARRB released documents)
Please contact us if we may be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Martha Wagner Murphy
Archivist
Textual Reference Division
Interesting....
So, to recapitulate, the three CD's still secret are:
>CD 384 - Activity of Oswald in Mexico City
>CD 698 - Reports of travel and activities of Oswald & Marina
>CD 1551, "Conversations Between Cuban President and Ambassador";
Of the 10 CD's which are available only in redacted form, five are about Michael Paine, i.e., 601, 612, 624, 627, and 629.
>CD 600 through CD 629, regarding relatives of Michael Paine
The other five are:
>CD 674 - Info given to the Secret Service but not yet to the Warren
>Commission (Secret)
>CD 871 - Photos of Oswald in Russia (Secret)
>CD 943, "Allegations of Pfc. Eugene Dinkin re Assassination Plot"; and
CD 971, "Telephone Calls to U.S. Embassy, Canberra, Australia, re >Planned Assassination."
>CD 1216 - Memo from Helms entitled "Lee Harvey Oswald" (Secret)
But they're fudging a bit, because the Paine's tax information, are also 'referred' to the IRS, hence unavailable. I was amused at how testy the archivist's response was to my quote from Garrison...
In sum, 15 of the 51 Warren Commission items which Garrison wanted to see are still secret, or redacted.
That's roughly 30% secrecy maintained, a third of a century later.
A question I have: has the ARRB reviewed the 'redactions' these documents are 'released' with?
Finally, if I have the opportunity, I intend to ask the ARRB board members if Garrison's wish-list will be fulfilled -- or not.
This would seem only the very most basic starting point for the release of government documents, pursuant to the ARRB's mandate. And, a good benchmark for testing how good the USG's word is on their promise to fulfill the intent of the law.
Best to all --
Garb Leon
O, what a fall there was, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.
(Shakespeare, Julius Caesar)
I question America.
Is this America?
-- Fannie Lou Hamer
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those
of Conspiracy Nation, nor of its Editor in Chief.
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