From: john.mcadams@marquette.edu (John McAdams) Newsgroups: alt.assassination.jfk,alt.conspiracy.jfk Subject: Questions for the LaFontaines - 3 Approved: jmcadams@shell.core.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Here is the third one: As discussed in the last question, the 544 Camp Street address on the pamphlets Oswald was handing out in New Orleans fail to tie Oswald to Guy Banister's office. Even if Oswald *had* an office at that address, there was no connection between the offices at 544 Camp and Banister's office at 531 Lafayette. So what evidence *do* you use to connect Oswald to Banister's office? The testimony of Delphine Roberts. However the testimony of Roberts has major credibility problems. She failed to place Oswald in Banister's office when questioned by the Garrison investigation. And the House Select Committee noted a variety of contradictions and statements that lacked independent corroboration in her testimony. Let me quote: ----------------------------------------------------------------- (494) Delphine Roberts, Banister's long-time friend and secretary, stated to the committee that Banister had become extremely angry with James Arthus and Sam Newman over Oswald's use of the 544 Camp Street address on his handbills. (495) The committee questioned Sam Newman regarding Roberts' allegation. Newman could not recall ever seeing Oswald or renting space to him. He did recall, however, asking a young man who was in the office once used by the Cuban Revolutionary Council to leave. Newman did not think this person was Oswald. Newman theorized that if Oswald was using the 544 Camp Street address and had any link to the building, it would have been through a connection to the Cuban Revolutionary Council or Banister's office. (496) The committee questioned other individuals once affiliated with Guy Banister, including; Joseph Newbrough and Vernon Gerdes, investigators who had worked with Banister in 1963; Mary Helen Brengel, one of two secretaries in Banister's office from approximately June 1963 to December 1963; Louise Decker, a secretary in Banister's office for the period from October 1961 to January 1962; Joseph Oster, one time partner of Banister's who set up his own private detective agency, Southern Research, in 1958; and Carlos Quiroga, the Cuban exile who visited Oswald at his home on approximately August 16, 1963, endeavoring to learn more about the FPCC. Quiroga told the committee he frequently visited Banister's office and Mancusos coffee shop in the company of Sergio Arcacha Smith and David Ferrie when all were heavily involved in Cuban exile activities. Yet this would have been in 1961 and 1962. None of these individuals recalled seeing Oswald at 544 Camp Street. Several witnesses recommended the committee speak with Jack Martin or Delphine Roberts since they were in most contact with Banister. (497) Martin and Roberts have both been interviewed by the committee on several occasions. Roberts, who initially refused to speak with the committee staff, told the committee she was very active in anti-Communist activities in the early 1960's. She said she worked with Banister as a volunteer typing correspondence, making files and clipping newspapers because Banister was working for what Roberts believed in. Roberts claimed Banister had an extensive file on Communists and fellow travelers, including one on Lee Harvey Oswald, which was kept out of the original files because Banister "never got around to assigning a number to it." Roberts did not remember what was in the file other than that it contained general information on Oswald such as newspaper clippings. Roberts also related the incident described previously in this section in which Banister became angry over Oswald's use of the Camp Street address. Roberts gave the committee her version of an incident that took place late in the evening on the day of the assassination. She said Jack Martin came into the office and approached the area of the office where the files were kept, when Banister walked in. Banister accused Martin of stealing several files and hiding them in his coat. When Martin protested, Banister pulled out his gun and struck Martin on the head, causing him to bleed. Both men then went into Banister's private office and continued their discussion beyond Robert's earshot. (498) During another interview, Roberts told the committee that Oswald came into the office seeking employment and sometime later brought Marina in with him. Contrary to her statements in the initial interview, that she had never seen Oswald, she stated that she saw Oswald come into Banister's office on several occasions. Because of such contradictions in Roberts' statements to the committee and lack of independent corroboration of many of her statements, the reliability of her statements could not be determined. --------------------------------------------------------------- Why do you find her testimony credible? It is not only contradicted by other employees who worked for Banister, but it flatly contradicts Marina's testimony about what she was doing in New Orleans during the summer of 1963. This is obviously an important issue, because as you admit: "If Oswald can't be connected to such an office--whether as a room he really paid money for, was allowed to use for free, or just visited on occasion . . . then the game's over. Posner wins." OSWALD TALKED, p. 147. So far, all you have is an address on a pamphlet that does not connect Oswald to Banister (nor even to 544 Camp, since Oswald didn't rent an office there), and the testimony of a very shaky witness indeed. And that testimony is contradicted by more reliable witnesses. .John