Stephen Roy

I don't have enough raw CIA reports to give an informed opinion, just speculation. The quote I gave was from John Newman's Oswald and the CIA, which I currently can't find! (I wrote this in my manuscript some months ago.) I don't recall CIA using such an informant numbering system. Maybe they were quoting info from an FBI source. To further complicate matters, I think the FBI numbers were somewhat arbitrary, used simply to conceal info contained on the administrative page. The source could be either a person or a technical source (such as microphone, phone tap or mail cover.) And since most of the numbers were low, they probably do not represent a specific assigned number for their many informants. T-1 probably just means, "see item T-1 on admin sheet".

On February 10, 1961 Jack S. Martin contacted the New Orleans FBI office and "advised that two of his clients in South America, who were in the oil business, had requested him to check on a Charles F. Riker, 2610 S. MacGregor Drive, Houston, Texas, who reportedly was in Venezuela and on various occasions had represented himself as an FBI agent or Central Intelligence agent. Martin advised that he was a private detective and wished to obtain any data the Bureau could give him regarding Riker on behalf of his client. Martin was unsuccessful in obtaining any information." The FBI seems to have been unaware of the sort of background information on Riker that the CIA would receive a few weeks later. "[informant number] MM T-1 advised that C.F. Riker, 2610 MacGregor #2, Houston, Texas...was in Miami and claimed to represent a group of assassins that operate exclusively against Communists. Riker is described as being well educated, and claims to have attended a number of Government schools having to do with arms, demolitions and languages. Riker claims he lived in Mexico during his youth, and speaks Spanish." It is intriguing to find Jack Martin seeking information about a man representing assassins at this point.

I would like to ask some of the yet-inidentified witnesses near the knoll what they saw, and I'd like to ask some of the yet-unidentified witnesses near Houston-Elm what they saw. And I'd like to find out what the Oswald note said, from anybody who saw it. I infer that you might be contemplating contacting people associated with this case. Bravo! It's a tricky thing to do, and memories have faded, but you get a different perspective on things. Not unlike how a jury likes to observe the demeanor of witnesses or defendants in a trial. Finding them can be tricky, but not impossible. Your approach is all-important. I try to mail an inquiry and follow up with a phone call. Some of the higher-profile people have been approached many times, and some of them have had bad experiences. You need to gain some level of confidence. Coming on too strong will not work. Who wants to be interrogated? I suggest being scholarly, casual, non-threatening, with a sense of humor. In my Ferrie work, I have contacted many lower profile people, and my educational resume makes it easier. But I have had a few encounters with high-profile types, including a couple mentioned in other lists in this thread. In one case, I recognized a person while attending a friend's wedding! I wangled an introduction, and just chatted him up a bit. I told him that I recognized him and he seemed a bit bothered, but eventually (after a drink or two) opened up. In another case, I consciously sought another figure, and we played cat and mouse trying to arrange an interview. Surprisingly, he wanted to put his account on the record. I bought him dinner and had a fascinating chat. I ended up looking at him differently, but eventually came to feel he was not a good source for the info I sought. It is one thing to "know" these people from books and documents; It is a different thing altogether to talk with them or meet them. It dramatically expands the context of your understanding. Good luck!

"From John: "Sorry to direct the thread away from its purpose here. It mentions that Clay Shaw was in Mexico City at the same time as Howard Hunt and Oswald. This is the first I have heard of this, does anybody have any information or a source for this?" Guys, Thanks for these and so many other postings. Nearly every time I read something of yours (pl.) I find it informative if not fascinating. In Hougan's book there are two places where he mentions (damn, I wish he would have elaborated) the smuggling of gold bullion to Southeast Asia, the first with respect to Pennington in the middle of the book and the second at the end of the final chapter. The latter segment tells of Haig's initiation of a CIC investigation into that activity - and Nixon's involvement - this time without mentioning Pennington. It's Hougan's contention there that this is what forced Nixon's hand into resignation. Let's take the lad out for drinks and dinner! That '55 book on espionage is a real find. Regards, JAG <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm a bit of a novice at posting images, but if all goes well, here's the frontspiece of my copy of Soviet Espionage by David J. Dallin.

Jeez, are any of these people the Babushka Lady? If so, can we see her camera? (My vision sucks on small detail).

There is a component of USG that keeps old Commerce Department meteorological records, usually from the perspective of places like airports. Finding information specifically about DP may be impossible. But the wind was a not inconsiderable factor in DP. Several people mentioned it. Mrs. K had to hold her hat during the Main/Houston turn; Several coats can be seen blowing; and some of the post-assassination films show trees waving a bit. The WC and critics often lock into an inflexible timeline: A sixth-floor TSBD gunman could not have fired between certain frames because his view was blocked by a tree. But the wind might have been strong enough to move the brances of that tree significantly, creating a margin of error of perhaps 10 frames in either direction. This is often not considered in the debate.

In connection with my Ferrie biography, Broshears was one of the first persons I contacted in the late 70s by telephone. Some of the things he said initially seemed in conflict with other documented information (example: that Ferrie flew for Eastern Air Lines when Broshears roomed with him in the 1965 period), so I decided to slip in a few "test questions". I made a reference to the layout of Ferrie's apartment and he replied with incorrect information. I asked a follow-up and he avoided answering. I pressed a bit harder and he again seemed completely unfamiliar with Ferrie's apartment ("When you came up the back stairs, the door opened into the kitchen, wasn't it?" "Yeah, the kitchen."). I then pressed a bit about the general layout of streets in the neighborhood and New Orleans, and he seemed completely unfamiliar with the city. I came away from the call thinking he had never even been to New Orleans. In subsequent interviews with acknowledged friends of Ferrie, I could find nodody who even recalled him. This feeling was strengthened when the HSCA and other interviews with Broshears became available in the early 90s. I think it is very unlikely that Broshears was ever Ferrie's roomate.

For some reason, I'm unable to quote your post, John! In NOPD report K-126-34-63, Martin relates the pistol whipping by Banister, but does not mention him in connection with the assassination or Oswald. In FBI file 89-69, Martin does not connect Banister with either the assassination or Oswald. Further, Martin's 1963 statements to both the Secret Service and NO District Attorney's office likewise do not implicate Banister in any way. This appears to be an inaccuracy that has crept its way into the literature. However, Martin was alleging a relationship between Banister and Oswald by late 1966. Again, I have found no information on Banister and the Louisiana Intelligence Digest, but Jerry Shinley has turned up a lot of info about the West Bank Herald. I'll check with Jerry on this one. Thanks!

John: A couple of questions aout your article, inserted.

As noted, Varona chose Arcacha in November 1960, in the closing days of the Eisenhower administration, when Batisitanos were not in such disfavor.

A bit of background on Arcacha, excerpted from my forthcoming book: (Tony) Varona's choice for the position of New Orleans Delegate of the FRD was a dapper man named Sergio Vicente Arcacha Smith. Born in Havana on January 22, 1923, Arcacha was already familiar with the United States and spoke English well. In April 1945 he came to the U.S. to attend college in Texas. In 1951 he returned to Cuba and secured employment with the Cuban diplomatic service. His first assignment took him to Bombay, India, where he met and married Sheila Duarte, a native of Pakistan. By 1954, Arcacha had left the diplomatic service and was working as the assistant manager of the Lago Hotel in Caracas, Venezuela. Over the next few years he lived in New York City and Miami, Florida before returning to Cuba. On August 23, 1960 Arcacha left Cuba for good, traveling first to New York, stopping in New Orleans, and arriving in Miami in late October. It was on November 11 that, in Sheila's words, Varona "sent Sergio to New Orleans as a Delegate of the Front without a penny." Arcacha spent much of December 1960 getting set-up as the FRD delegate in New Orleans. Arcacha established his communications with the FRD Executive Committee through a post office box in Coral Gables, Florida, not far from the CIA's JMWAVE station. Deciding that it would be wise to keep the FBI in the loop about his activities, Arcacha and his assistant Manuel Eleuterio Quesada Castillo made contact with Special Agent Warren C. DeBrueys through another exile, Rolando Zubizarreta, and visited the New Orleans FBI office on December 5. Arcacha announced his presence on December 6, 1960 as the New Orleans Delegate of the Frente Revolucionario Democratico. Arcacha stated the objective of the FRD as the overthrow of Castro, but added that the purpose of the New Orleans branch was simply to inform the public about “exactly what is happening in Cuba”. On December 21, the new FRD office was opened in Room 207 of the second floor of the Balter Building at 403 Camp Street, apparently acquired rent-free. Joining Arcacha in the office were Quesada and Francisco J. Uriate. After hearing Arcacha's tame description of the planned activities of the FRD, FBI Special Agent DeBrueys was startled to learn that he contacted International Export Packers in New Orleans on December 23 and indicated that "the FRD was interested in obtaining bazookas and a small boat." Arcacha also felt that the FRD would need the assistance of an experienced public relations firm to present the right image for the organization, and he chose Martin L. McAuliffe Jr. for the task. One of McAuliffe's first accomplishments was to start a regular series of FRD press releases to the New Orleans media. To help mobilize community support for the Frente Revolucionario Democratico, PR man McAuliffe arranged for Arcacha to visit with and address a series of civic groups. On January 5, 1961, the Cuban delegate spoke before the New Orleans Junior Chamber of Commerce, declaring that “Cubans will launch an invasion sometime in 1961 to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro…Cuban citizens are being recruited by the Frente in this country and sent elsewhere to train for the invasion.” Arcacha estimated that complete victory would come after six months of fighting. Joining him in the presentation were Oscar Higgenbotham, former General Manager of the Central Espana Sugar Mills in central Cuba, and Carlos Marquez Diaz, former Cuban consul who was “removed when Castro came to power.” Marquez said that Castro has destroyed everything that represents decency and honesty in Cuba.”

Thanks Stephen! I was going to ask a question similar to the one Charles raises above. Wasn't it mandatory to register a flight plan in the 1960s? Wouldn't there had have to have been more records than this single flight plan? Just thinking aloud here. Would these records have been seized and sealed or destroyed I wonder? I believe flight plans were only required for certain flights. In Ferrie's case, it was not uncommon to make flights without following all the legal requirements. he got in trouble for this several times. Thanks for posting that document. The passenger list is very interesting. I wonder if 'Hidell' was Nagell, Oswald or someone else? Armstrong [H&L] has 'Lambert' as an alias used by Clay Shaw -- He has the date if the flight plan listed as April 6th? Armstrong goes on to give some other details concerning the events of the 6th [men fleeing from Walker's house, April 6th was Lee's last day working for Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall]. For April 8th Armstrong has Ruth Paine visiting Marina at the Neeley St apartment, and Lee is not there - however, according to 'TEC' records, Lee visited their Dallas offices that day. The whole thing hinges on whether or not this is a legit flight plan. Looking forward to your book. I'd very much like to know what Ferrie was up to during the months preceding the assassination Many things. Working for Gill on the Marcello case. Fighting Eastern Air Lines over his dismissal. And of course, there are several other accounts of contacts with Oswald. None are really great sources, but one has to consider it. - and where he was the morning of 11/22/63. If it was a flying from Yale airport in Michigan, to Dallas, Texas, that would be interesting. The evidence is pretty strong that he was in Federal Court in NO on the Marcello case. As for the rest of the day, I have spoken to several who spent parts of the day with him.

The only log I have found is the 1961 log for Ferrie's Stinson Voyager 150. I presume there were logs for prior years, but they have never surfaced. This is a long story, but as many know, Ferrie was active with the anti-Castro FRD in New Orleans Nov 1960-August 1961. In that latter month, he was arrested on morals charges, which led to a long series of legal proceedings and, by Ferrie's account, an attempt by authorities to shake him down for money. As one aspect of that, he said that he went to Lakefront Airport on October 22, 1961 and found his Stinson sabotaged. He and others say the plane was never flyable after that. His log book seems to support it. The plane was eventually hauled to a friend's service station and disassembled. But of course, Ferrie may well have rented or borrowed another plane, but there is no available log book, to my knowledge.

Not an expert, by any means! While I credit Hopsicker for an interesting thesis, I have a few doubts about it. First, he has Oswald on a CAP encampment (with Seal) on July 23, 1955, 4 days before Oswald even joined the CAP. While not impossible, it seems unlikely. And I know a guy who has the attendance log for that encampment, and Oswald is not listed. Second, I have been told by two sources Hopsicker quotes that they have been misquoted. One is a former FBI SA who is very pissed about it. And I have found a few other assertions in the book that are just flat-out wrong. I'm not dismissing the whole thing, I just don't accept anything in the book unless I have another source. As for the Aug55 SARCAP, no, Seal was not there (nor is he listed on the exisiting partial roster (M-Z). And those who were there say it was a Moisant affair, with a couple of people from Lakefront attending. LOTS more on Ferrie and the CAP (and other matters) in my book, the vast majority never-published. I have an interested publisher, but I'm only about halfway through writing, so it's at least a year off.

Here is the flight plan. I misremembered the date: it is dated 4-8-63. Note that there are two sections missing. I'm new at posting attachments. I hope this works.

I have quite a bit of info on Ferrie in that period. I have the flight plan, but I am very cautious about it for a number of reasons. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks Stephen. Would it be okay to tell me if it has him flying here and there all over the US, including Michigan, Utah, California, Texas and a few other US States, including even Canada? - lee <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Lee: Let me dig out the flight plan. It is for a single date, April 23, 1963, as I recall, and it lists him flying Lambert, Diaz, Hidell. I am leery of the apparent source, a questionable witness from the Garrison days, and the fact that some sections are torn off the document. In general, Ferrie did not leave a record of a lot of flying in that period. His Stinson 150 was, according to him and others, out of commission. His Taylorcraft L-2 was disassembled. But of course, a pilot can easliy rent or borrow planes. It is just that I do not have any solid indication of heavy flying in that period. But let me find the flight plan. Peter Whitmey has done an anlysis of the phone records of Ferrie's employer and raises the possibility that Ferrie may have been in various locations at that time. It is online, but I don't have the address. A Google of Peter Whitmey may point to it.

1. If the photo is not genuine, it is important only because somebody faked it. I can think of 20 more important JFK photo discoveries in the last twenty years. 2. It is not provable that it shows Ferrie or one of the two Oswalds. 3. The mainstream media is an acceptable judge of JFK evidence????? Since when? 4. I have NOT indicated who may have faked the photo or why. 5. I can think of several reasons "someone" may have faked it. For instance (not necessarily applicable here), a photographer faked photos of OJ Simpson wearing Bruno Magli shoes TO SELL FOR BIG MONEY TO A TABLOID NEWSPAPER. There is NO KNOWN PROVENANCE FOR THE LHO PICNIC PHOTO! I hate to disagree, but this is probably a legit photo. I don't see any unexplained anomalies, the history of the photo seems legit, those IN the photo say it's genuine, and there is no reason to fake a photo which shows something easily demonstrated by other evidence.

Sure. A TIFF is a big upload. Can the board support that big an upload? Stephen: Any chance of you scanning your TIFF from the original and posting for us to have a look...if possible.. Also, though we know he was in the cadets does not mean there hasn't been hanky panky with this photo. Thanks B.... <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I unerstand the above analyses of the picture. Nevertheless, I believe it is a legit picture. The hi=res scan, blown up, shows no inconsistencies to my trained eye. But JPGs always seem to show suspicious looking anomalies. Oswald WAS in that CAP squadron at that time, at the same time as Ferrie, established by other contemporaneous evidence. The guy who owned the piture - and is seen in it - is certain that it is not altered in any way. As is another person seen in the picture. Since Oswald was in the same unit as Ferrie at the same time, and this can be easily proven, what reason would there be to fake the photo?

I have quite a bit of info on Ferrie in that period. I have the flight plan, but I am very cautious about it for a number of reasons.