Oswald involved in fist fight?

[James Richards]

I am hoping someone has some background or maybe insight to an alleged incident which happened in Miami around December of 1962. It involved a fist fight between Oswald and Jerry Buchanan. Oswald was supposedly handing out pro-Castro leaflets when Buchanan attacked him.

Jerry Buchanan is an interesting character. In 1961 he trained with Masferrer's group on No Name Key. He was involved with flying supply missions from a secret base in the Bahamas to anti-Castro guerrillas in the Escambrey Mountains and in 1963, when British authorities captured several of Orlando Bosch's men in the West Indies, an operation funded by Paulino Sierra, Buchanan was the only American amongst them. There is also some connections to Frank Sturgis.

Jerry Buchanan is the brother of reporter James Buchanan who along with John Martino, was prominent in post assassination stories saying that Castro was behind the plot.

Maybe the fight was concocted to put Oswald in the company of Castro supporters? I would surely appreciate any information or theories.

Cheers,

James

[Ron Ecker]

James,

The report of an FBI interview of Buchanan is in Warren Commission v. 26, p. 424 (CE 2951):

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk...Vol26_0230b.gif

In his book, Fonzi says that the FBI found the story to be untrue, but the FBI report doesn't say that. Anthony Summers in his book says that the FBI found a lack of evidence. Peter Dale Scott has written that the stories about Oswald being in Miami were disinformation coming from DRE and Sturgis's International Anti-Communist Brigade, Jerry Buchanan and his brother James being members of the latter (Assassinations pp. 360-361). Sturgis denied any connection to the stories.

The FBI report says that the information on Buchanan first came from Nathaniel Weyl, who I believe is a member of this forum.

Ron

[James Richards]

Good stuff, Ron. Thanks for that.

Let's hope Nathaniel Weyl reads this and offers a comment.

The late 1962 time frame is interesting given that during this period we have the alleged phone call that Oswald made to Miami radio station WQAM during an interview Alan Courtney was conducting with Gerry Hemming. We also have John Martino saying that Oswald was in Miami handing out pro-Castro leaflets. And if my memory isn't failing me, isn't this the period when Oswald tried to hook up with the Interpen guys via Lawrence Howard but was sent packing?

I believe the late 1962 period was too early for any real assassination plans to have formed so either LHO was really there or a concentrated effort from several sources was employed to support this story.

Curious indeed.

James

[Tim Gratz]

James, it was immediately after the Interpen people were busted in Marathon on December 7th (or close to that date) that Hemming reports that LHO was seen in Miami in the presence of Howard and Hemming told LHO to get lost, believing him to be an infiltrator.

I could be wrong but I believe the Oswald phone call to the radio station was in October of 1963 rather than late in 1962. I think Hemming and Davis may have been back from their search for Rorke and Sullivan at that time. But I could be wrong about the date.

[James Richards]

James, it was immediately after the Interpen people were busted in Marathon on December 7th (or close to that date) that Hemming reports that LHO was seen in Miami in the presence of Howard and Hemming told LHO to get lost, believing him to be an infiltrator.

I could be wrong but I believe the Oswald phone call to the radio station was in October of 1963 rather than late in 1962.  I think Hemming and Davis may have been back from their search for Rorke and Sullivan at that time.  But I could be wrong about the date.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tim,

You are right about the December bust.

As far as the radio show call in, Alan Courtney approached the FBI on the 27th of November saying that the incident was about a year before the assassination.

Here is the report below. The Davey referred to is Howard K. Davis. If my memory serves me correctly, the other two guys present were Ed Collins and Steve Wilson but don't quote me on that.

James

Edited April 21, 2005 by James Richards

[Tim Gratz]

Gerry Hemming advised me he let Davis talk to the caller who identified himself as Lee Oswald.

So I guess Alan Courtney was the early sixties version of Rush Limbaugh.

Whether it was indeed LHO who called and whether the call was part of the conspiracy remain open questions.

Edited April 21, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[Gibson Vendettuoli]

This Jerry Buchanan account is very suspect, in my mind. In 1972, Bob Smith, an investigator for the private group "Committee to Investigate Assassinations," uncovered an FBI report from Frank Sturgis dated in late 1963, in which he stated that he engaged in a "fistfight" with Oswald in Miami. It sounds too similar, to me. Plus, Oswald was not known by any stretch of the chronology to be in Miami.

Either way, look here and you'll find more.

ETA: Sorry, I found out these incidents were the same. Either way, there is corroboration.

Edited April 21, 2005 by Gibson Vendettuoli

[James Richards]

This Jerry Buchanan account is very suspect, in my mind. In 1972, Bob Smith, an investigator for the private group "Committee to Investigate Assassinations," uncovered an FBI report from Frank Sturgis dated in late 1963, in which he stated that he engaged in a "fistfight" with Oswald in Miami. It sounds too similar, to me. Plus, Oswald was not known by any stretch of the chronology to be in Miami.

Either way, look here and you'll find more.

ETA: Sorry, I found out these incidents were the same. Either way, there is corroboration.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank you, Gibson. The link was most helpful.

James

[Zach Robertson]

Here are a couple links regarding Jerry Buchanan:

Apr 2, '63 - The New York Times reports:

"Seventeen heavily armed Cuban exiles planning to attack a Soviet tanker off Cuba were seized yesterday by a British force on a solitary islet in the Bahamas chain. The capture was apparently the first result of an agreement worked out late last week by Washington and London to cooperate in preventing raids by opponents of Premier Fidel Castro [in Miami], Cuban exiles reacted with a mixture of anger, defiance and gloom." The anti-Castro raiding party was led by Jerry Buchanan, a member of Frank Sturgis' International Anti-Communist Brigade."

Video and Original NY Times article attached.

April 2 1963.pdf

ANTI-CASTRO RAIDERS ARRESTED - KENNEDY SPEAKS video 04/04/1963

Current Section: CE 2951 - FBI report dated March 30, 1964, of interview of Jerry Buchanan at Fairhope, Ala

Warren Commission Hearings, Volume XXVI

-- Zach

[Scott Kaiser]

James,

The report of an FBI interview of Buchanan is in Warren Commission v. 26, p. 424 (CE 2951):

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk...Vol26_0230b.gif

In his book, Fonzi says that the FBI found the story to be untrue, but the FBI report doesn't say that. Anthony Summers in his book says that the FBI found a lack of evidence. Peter Dale Scott has written that the stories about Oswald being in Miami were disinformation coming from DRE and Sturgis's International Anti-Communist Brigade, Jerry Buchanan and his brother James being members of the latter (Assassinations pp. 360-361). Sturgis denied any connection to the stories.

The FBI report says that the information on Buchanan first came from Nathaniel Weyl, who I believe is a member of this forum.

Ron

I would think that Sturgis would not confirm, but denied any connection to the stories, because Stugis was a company man and it would have tied Oswald knowing Sturgis prior to the assassination.

He already had a hard time trying to explain the hotel incident with Hunt and Marita Lorenz in Dallas, and he certainly didn't want to talk about Watergate. That's another dog on my list of things to do.

[Bernice Moore]

Here are a couple links regarding Jerry Buchanan:

Apr 2, '63 - The New York Times reports:

"Seventeen heavily armed Cuban exiles planning to attack a Soviet tanker off Cuba were seized yesterday by a British force on a solitary islet in the Bahamas chain. The capture was apparently the first result of an agreement worked out late last week by Washington and London to cooperate in preventing raids by opponents of Premier Fidel Castro [in Miami], Cuban exiles reacted with a mixture of anger, defiance and gloom." The anti-Castro raiding party was led by Jerry Buchanan, a member of Frank Sturgis' International Anti-Communist Brigade."

Video and Original NY Times article attached.

April 2 1963.pdf

ANTI-CASTRO RAIDERS ARRESTED - KENNEDY SPEAKS video 04/04/1963

Current Section: CE 2951 - FBI report dated March 30, 1964, of interview of Jerry Buchanan at Fairhope, Ala

Warren Commission Hearings, Volume XXVI

-- Zach

:)Good post Zach, thank you...b

[Scott Kaiser]

This is an article I received from Gordon Winslow. I know its a litle small, sorry, perhaps you could save it blow it up a bit and maybe read it under mag-glass.

SK

Edited August 13, 2011 by Scott Kaiser

[Bernice Moore]

This is an article I received from Gordon Winslow. I know its a litle small, sorry, perhaps you could save it blow it up a bit and maybe read it under mag-glass.

SK

Scott i did try , i blew it up but the wording was so distorted it could not be read,no go, sorry..b

[Ed LeDoux]

This is an article I received from Gordon Winslow. I know its a litle small, sorry, perhaps you could save it blow it up a bit and maybe read it under mag-glass.

SK

Hey Scott,

Maybe just give us the highlights and those parts underlined...

Thanks, Ed

[Len Colby]

This is an article I received from Gordon Winslow. I know its a litle small, sorry, perhaps you could save it blow it up a bit and maybe read it under mag-glass.

SK

Scott i did try , i blew it up but the wording was so distorted it could not be read,no go, sorry..b

Same here, if you have the original you need to scan it at higher resolution.