The Newman Building

[Ron Bulman]

On 5/27/2023 at 10:38 PM, Ron Bulman said:

I didn't fully quote Martin earlier.  "We'd both been drinking at Katzenjammer's - maybe more than usual, because of the assassination and all.  Banister especially."

So, they were told or heard on the radio JFK had been shot.  They went to the bar next door.  Bannister especially celebrates.

Then comes news of Lee Harvey Oswald being arrested.

He was supposed to be killed.  This gave Banister pause.  He knew it could lead back to him.  As did Martin.  Both knew Oswald, Ferrie and more had been there.

"Well, when we came back to the office, Banister started bitching about one thing then then another.  He was in a mean mood.  Then all of a sudden, he accused me of going through his private files.  I never went through his private stuff ever -- absolutely never."

Was Banister PO'd because Oswald had not been killed in the TSBD, TT or in between? 

A legitimate possibility?

[Paul Cummings]

6 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

A legitimate possibility?

Or Bannister was just a mean SOB when drunk.

Edited May 29, 2023 by Paul Cummings

[James DiEugenio]

No Paul, Jack Martin provoked Banister.

Also, Mary Brengel told the HSCA that she thought that both Banister and Roberts had some prior knowledge of the assassination. (Mellen, A Farewell to Justice, p. 71)

[Paul Cummings]

5 minutes ago, James DiEugenio said:

No Paul, Jack Martin provoked Banister.

Also, Mary Brengel told the HSCA that she thought that both Banister and Roberts had some prior knowledge of the assassination. (Mellen, A Farewell to Justice, p. 71)

Yes I believe he did but still Bannister was a mean SOB when drunk.

[Ron Bulman]

Going back to the Newman building itself.  It's location is really interesting to me.  Garrison himself had a bit of an epiphany about it and what was around it in 1963, he went and walked around the area himself and realized more of this per On the Trail Of The Assassins.

The Newman building along with the Post Office and for that matter Katzenjammer's face 2 1/2 acre Lafayette Park across the street on Camp.  As mentioned earlier, across Lafayette in the Post Office were the ONI, Secret Service and I think I've read somewhere else possibly the INS, that Oswald had a PO Box there.  I think I also said the FBI was also located there, which may or may not be true.  It gets confusing.

At one point he asks was it a coincidence Bannister chose an office across from the ONI where he started his career in WWII.  Also, was it a coincidence his former office was across the street from the FBI and CIA New Orleans offices?  He goes on to mention the CIA offices in the dark grey building "Known As" the Masonic Temple on the 300 block of St. Charles.  Resorting to google maps I did not see a dark grey building resembling anything I could imagine as a Masonic Temple .  But the Historic Bank of Louisiana building is there, since I think it said 1896 per a historic plaque.  The Masonic Temple is located a few miles away across the Mississippi River.  However, the Scottish Rite Masonic Hall is located across Lafayette Park plus one block.  Confused?  Follow along using google maps, street view where appropriate.

Garrison continued his walk from Camp St. East down Lafayette and took a right at the next one, Magazine, running behind the Post office.  Looking for the W B Rieley Coffee Co, right behind the PO, where Oswald "worked".  Along with others who went on from there to jobs at NASA (not from this book).  

Next door to it he found the Crescent City Garage, where Oswald lounged reading gun magazines when he was supposed to be working, per the operator, Alba.  Where the FBI, SS and more parked official vehicles. He testified to the HSCA he'd seen Oswald in Mancuso's, who conceded Banister and Ferrie were frequent customers.  

What is telling to me is in the summer of 1963 the Newman building was the center of so much activity involving the framing of Oswald (pamphleting, fight, jail, debate, going to MC (?).  Cubans seen regularly, weapons stored there.  Meetings w/Banister, Oswald, Ferrie and more.  All across from, near, Federal authorities.  In their face, or who they took there orders from?

The W B Riley Co is still there, no coffee mentioned.  As is the parking garage, though no mention of Crescent City.

689 Magazine St - Google Maps

Edited May 31, 2023 by Ron Bulman

[Gerry Down]

3 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

Going back to the Newman building itself.  It's location is really interesting to me.  Garrison himself had a bit of an epiphany about it and what was around it in 1963, he went and walked around the area himself and realized more of this per On the Trail Of The Assassins.

The Newman building along with the Post Office and for that matter Katzenjammer's face 2 1/2 acre Lafayette Park across the street on Camp.  As mentioned earlier, across Lafayette in the Post Office were the ONI, Secret Service and I think I've read somewhere else possibly the INS, that Oswald had a PO Box there.  I think I also said the FBI was also located there, which may or may not be true.  It gets confusing.

At one point he asks was it a coincidence Bannister chose an office across from the ONI where he started his career in WWII.  Also, was it a coincidence his former office was across the street from the FBI and CIA New Orleans offices?  He goes on to mention the CIA offices in the dark grey building "Known As" the Masonic Temple on the 300 block of St. Charles.  Resorting to google maps I did not see a dark grey building resembling anything I could imagine as a Masonic Temple .  But the Historic Bank of Louisiana building is there, since I think it said 1896 per a historic plaque.  The Masonic Temple is located a few miles away across the Mississippi River.  However, the Scottish Rite Masonic Hall is located across Lafayette Park plus one block.  Confused?  Follow along using google maps, street view where appropriate.

Garrison continued his walk from Camp St. East down Lafayette and took a right at the next one, Magazine, running behind the Post office.  Looking for the W B Rieley Coffee Co, right behind the PO, where Oswald "worked".  Along with others who went on from there to jobs at NASA (not from this book).  

Next door to it he found the Crescent City Garage, where Oswald lounged reading gun magazines when he was supposed to be working, per the operator, Alba.  Where the FBI, SS and more parked official vehicles. He testified to the HSCA he'd seen Oswald in Mancuso's, who conceded Banister and Ferrie were frequent customers.  

What is telling to me is in the summer of 1963 the Newman building was the center of so much activity involving the framing of Oswald (pamphleting, fight, jail, debate, going to MC (?).  Cubans seen regularly, weapons stored there.  Meetings w/Banister, Oswald, Ferrie and more.  All across from, near, Federal authorities.  In their face, or who they took there orders from?

The W B Riley Co is still there, no coffee mentioned.  As is the parking garage, though no mention of Crescent City.

689 Magazine St - Google Maps

Banister paid for his high profile office though as the INS were monitoring it as per the account if Wendal Roache.

Banisters old office in the Balter building was probably better as it was inside a commercial building with other outlets and so could not be as easily monitored from the outside.

[Matt Allison]

Probably worth mentioning that after his death, Bannister's wife said that before anybody else got a look at his files, the FBI went through the entire lot.

[Paul Cummings]

13 minutes ago, Matt Allison said:

Probably worth mentioning that after his death, Bannister's wife said that before anybody else got a look at his files, the FBI went through the entire lot.

I thought I read years back it was within hours?

[Gerry Down]

1 hour ago, Matt Allison said:

Probably worth mentioning that after his death, Bannister's wife said that before anybody else got a look at his files, the FBI went through the entire lot.

Did the FBI get access to those files before Ed Butler of INCA? Heard Ed Butler eventually ended up getting the files or at least some of them anyway. 

[James DiEugenio]

What was left of them after, ended up with Ed Butler.

[Matt Allison]

4 hours ago, Gerry Down said:

Did the FBI get access to those files before Ed Butler of INCA? Heard Ed Butler eventually ended up getting the files or at least some of them anyway. 

The FBI got to go through them even before the Louisiana State Police did.

https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2018/docid-32248313.pdf

reference page 4 out of 7 in the above release.

[Gerry Down]

15 hours ago, Matt Allison said:

The FBI got to go through them even before the Louisiana State Police did.

https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2018/docid-32248313.pdf

reference page 4 out of 7 in the above release.

I wonder what the FBIs excuse were for going through his files. Banister died of a heart attack which isn't a criminal offense.

I guess there could be innocent reasons that have nothing to do with the JFK assassination but one reason could be the FBI were worried something in those files might reveal the LHO- DeBrueys relationship of the summer of 1963. But that's just speculation on my part.

[Gerry Down]

Fred Litwin recently posted a diagram Sam Newman drew of the layout of the Newman building for the HSCA (Exhibit #1 11/6/78 Sam Newman). Here is that sketch:

SOURCE: https://www.onthetrailofdelusion.com/post/sam-newman-s-diagram-of-544-camp-street 

Here is another diagram I have of the Newman building from the 1950s though I don’t have the source for it:

[Gerry Down]

If Oswald occupied the old offices of the CRC (which seems to be labelled the "Cuban Revolutionary Society" in the above Newman diagram) would that address correspond to 544 Camp street which was stamped on LHOs leaflets?

My interpretation is that it would as the entrance would be in off Camp street.  

Oswald would enter the Newman building from Camp street, walk up the stairs just inside that door. Then when he got to the second floor he would walk all the way down the hallway and enter the old CRC office at the back. 

The one odd thing about Newmans diagram is that it does not have any doorway leading out of the CRC office into the hallway, but instead all the offices on the 2nd floor appear to be interconnected via doors passing from one office to the next. Odd. Maybe Newman gave an explanation for this in his HSCA testimony but i have not got as far as reading it yet. 

[Matt Allison]

 

Video of Sergio Arcacha Smith speaking to reporters