In our last post we began comparing the German article with General Walker’s 1975 letter to Senator Frank Church. In that 1975 letter, Walker claimed that:
LHO had been arrested by Dallas Police on the night of the shooting.
LHO was then released by the orders of somebody in Washington DC.
Someone in authority told Walker within days of the April shooting that Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) was his shooter.
We have many questions – but first these – who exactly told General Walker that LHO had been his shooter, and when exactly? Münch said that Walker told him. But who told Walker? And when? We want that story! But there is far more to the story than those two questions. There is a quite sinister story within our comparison of these two documents.
Let’s return to the German article to keep comparing it with Walker’s 1975 letter to Senator Church. Let’s review the first four sentences from that front page of that German newspaper of November 29, 1963:
THE STRANGE CASE OF OSWALD
1. The murderer of Kennedy made an attempt on U.S. General Walker's life early in the summer when General Walker was sitting in his study.
2. The bullet missed Walker's head by only inches.
3. Oswald was seized, but the following investigation – as it was reported to us – was stopped by U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy.
4. In the event that Oswald would have been imprisoned for many years, he would not have been able to commit the murder of John F. Kennedy, the brother of Robert Kennedy.
The new bit is that Robert Kennedy is named – not once but twice. This German article says that LHO had been released by US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy specifically. That information is conspicuously missing from Walker’s 1975 letter to Senator Church. Let’s read the 1975 letter again:
“…Oswald was in custody by 12 pm. that night for questioning. He was released on higher authority than that in Dallas.” (Walker, 1975)
Big difference. The German article directly names RFK as the one who released LHO, while the letter to Senator Church merely cites a “higher authority than…in Dallas.” No name.
Here’s another big difference. The German article says nothing about Walker’s informant, but the Church letter gives at least his title – “a Lieutenant on the Dallas Police Force.”
When we can add up the key differences with the key similarities listed in our first paragraph above, we are holding a rich lode of comparison of these two documents by Walker. It's time to share my opinions again.
Despite these burning questions, we saw last in our previous post that the WC was interested in only one single sentence in that September 1963 German article, namely, that LHO had been Walker’s April shooter. Münch said Walker told him. Walker denied telling Münch. That closed the topic for the WC.
The WC didn’t even mention the nonsense in the German article, claiming that Robert Kennedy had released LHO after the Dallas Police had allegedly arrested him. It was beneath notice for the WC. Yet General Walker would repeat this story – with variations – for the rest of his life. It became his lifelong obsession.
Münch supposed that the German editor, Dr. Frey, was the one who added that bit about RFK. Yet let’s examine Dr. Frey’s own words about RFK more closely. The third sentence clearly says, “as it was reported to us.” Who was the “us” cited here? Only three persons were involved: two Germans (a reporter and an editor) and one American (the interviewee). The word “us,” therefore, refers to the two Germans. The one who reported it, therefore, was the American.
J. Edgar Hoover himself sent an FBI agent to ask Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry about Walker’s first claim that the DPD had LHO in custody in April 1963. Curry repeatedly denied it and called it, “an absolute lie.” Curry exclaimed: the Dallas Police never arrested LHO at any time in 1963 before the JFK Assassination; not even in April 1963. Further, Curry denied that anybody from Washington DC ever asked him to release any prisoner, of any kind, at any time – period.
Let us stipulate, along with Chief Curry, that it was all in Walker’s imagination. Yet what bizarre events would motivate General Walker to imagine all this? More specifically – why would General Walker in his wildest dreams ever imagine that RFK had released LHO from prison at midnight on the night of the Walker shooting?
To answer this question, I will cite two Army psychiatrists who gave sworn testimony during December 1962, that General Walker should be examined for symptoms of paranoia. They delivered this testimony before a Grand Jury in Oxford, Mississippi. For background, we’ll need to flashback to September 1962.
FLASHBACK TO SEPTEMBER 1962
On September 30, 1962, General Walker and RFK clashed at Ole Miss University. Walker brought hundreds on campus to violently protest: (1) a Black American, James Meredith, registering as a student in an all-white University; and (2) RFK and JFK sending hundreds of armed Federal Troops to defend James Meredith.
Walker incited his protestors to violently batter Federal Troops for hours. Still, Walker lost. The next morning, October 1, 1962, James Meredith went to class with his armed guard, and RFK arrested General Walker. Yet rather than allow Walker the military dignity of his day in court for his role in the Ole Miss riots, RFK chose to throw Walker into an insane asylum for a 90-day evaluation.
That was a big mistake on several levels. Not only the Radical Right, but also the Liberal Left and even the ACLU joined hands to demand the immediate release of General Walker! Only Commies mix psychiatry and politics, they exclaimed in chorus! It was Unamerican!
General Walker was liberated from the insane asylum within three days. Walker flew back to Dallas immediately and was welcomed as a hero by his fan club waving signs proclaiming, Walker for President in 1964!
Walker still had to face a Grand Jury in Mississippi for his role in the riot. Walker hired attorney Robert Morris, a Dallas superstar who had been the counsel for Senator Joe McCarthy in the 1950’s. (The Briscoe Center for American History here in Austin holds the Grand Jury transcripts for Walker's hearing. Walker himself purchased and stored these transcripts for posterity.) Morris' defense of Walker in Mississippi was brilliant. Rather than dispute the facts, Morris defended Walker’s sanity! RFK had sent Walker to an insane asylum! Yet if Walker was sane, after all, then it was political persecution, and so Walker must be acquitted.
The prosecutors hired two Army psychiatrists to challenge the sanity of General Walker. Both psychiatrists agreed that Walker showed early signs of paranoia and should undergo a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. Walker’s attorneys hired their own psychiatrist, and they asked him, “is the entire right wing insane?” “Of course not,” answered the psychiatrist. That was the ball game. The Grand Jury dismissed all charges.
The findings of the two Army psychiatrists were swept under the rug on political grounds. They had sincerely testified that General Walker behavior showed classical signs of the early stages of paranoia. But it was a political trial, held in the same city as the riot – where most citizens still hoped to keep Ole Miss lily white. Attorney Robert Morris could read a courtroom.
It all happened so fast. Walker was clearly guilty of inciting a riot at Ole Miss U., and yet the Mississippi Grand Jury in January 1963 allowed Walker to walk free. Worse, if Walker truly was developing a case of paranoia as the two Army doctors had testified, then Walker’s condition would not be treated, but would be encouraged by this new break with reality – where the guilty go free, and can sue all the newspapers who had printed the truth about the Ole Miss riots!
Then, from February through April 1963, Walker went on a coast-to-coast speaking tour with segregationist preacher Reverend Billy James Hargis, and made lots of money. Walker was back in action among the US Radical Right.
THE APRIL 1963 SHOOTING AND ITS IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH
The day after Walker returned from this speaking tour, LHO tried to assassinate General Walker in his home. LHO had evidently been coaxed into despising General Walker by two men – Volkmar Schmidt and George De Mohrenschildt. (Both admitted as much publicly.) In any case LHO missed, and General Walker had one and only one burning question, which he asked frantically – demanding to know – who was his April shooter? It should be a national priority, he believed. Actually, it was only a problem for the Dallas Police.
According to famed JFK researcher Dick Russell (1991), early four days after the Walker shooting, George De Mohrenschildt confessed to his good friends, Igor and Natasha Voshinin, that he and his wife Jeanne had visited the Oswald’s the night before, and had become convinced that LHO was Walker’s shooter. The Voshinins urged George to call the Dallas FBI. George said that he could not turn in a friend, and anyway, he wasn’t completely sure. He left.
The very moment that George left, Natasha Voshinin called the Dallas FBI and told them everything that George had just said. If Russell is correct, then we can be certain that the Dallas FBI had now connected LHO’s name with the Walker shooting only four days later. Now, the Dallas FBI agent officially assigned to track General Walker was none other than James Hosty.
In their WC testimony, both FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and FBI Assistant Director Alan Belmont testified that FBI headquarters in Washington DC was never informed about any such shooting at Walker by LHO in April. Nobody, not even the Dallas FBI, had ever suggested such a thing to them.
If Russell is correct, then Dallas FBI agent James Hosty had obviously held back from telling his bosses in Washington DC anything regarding Natasha Voshinin’s phone call about LHO. If so, then this act obviously betrayed his boss, J. Edgar Hoover. If so, then it is likely that James Hosty had made a deal with General Walker. They probably combined forces to exclude FBI headquarters in Washington DC, in order to spy on LHO separately.
Here we have come full circle. If (and only if) Walker was suffering from the first stages of paranoia, then everything falls into place. We might surmise that back in April 1963, when James Hosty told General Walker that credible sources had identified LHO as his shooter, Walker immediately blamed RFK! RFK had sent Walker to an insane asylum! RFK had wanted Walker dead! So, obviously, RFK had hired LHO to kill Walker! The fantasy quickly began and settled in.
Knowing the facts better than perhaps anyone, Walker likely allowed his mind to circle like this: James Hosty “must have” told the Dallas Police, and the Dallas Police “must have” arrested LHO,” but the Dallas Police had no records about any of this. Therefore, RFK “must have” ordered the Dallas Police to release LHO and destroy their records, and Jesse Curry complied.
According to written evidence that we will review in the weeks ahead, Walker had become convinced – for the rest of his life – that the Communist RFK sent the Communist LHO to kill him. Since the Dallas FBI “knew” it was LHO, and since the Dallas Police denied it, then obviously Jesse Curry was inside a secret conspiracy with RFK to kill Walker!
Yes, Jesse Curry was also a central member of the Dallas Radical Right -- but some people just can’t be trusted. (Perhaps this is how paranoia begins.)
General Walker was trained in special forces; he would never take an assassination attempt lightly. The Dallas Police were no help as Curry was possibly working for RFK. Walker had to take matters into his own hands. Walker tapped his Radical Right friends in high places in Dallas. Within a week of the April shooting, General Walker had a fat file on LHO.
FUN AND GAMES IN NEW ORLEANS – THE SUMMER OF 1963
Soon, Walker asked all his Radical Right friends to keep a closer eye on LHO for him. Walker’s friends in New Orleans obliged in a spectacular way. Within days, an old army pal, David Ferrie from New Orleans, contacted LHO with an offer for some undercover spy work in New Orleans. LHO loved the dream of being a spy.
In a few more days LHO had moved to New Orleans (leaving Marina and baby June at Ruth Paine’s house near Dallas). Within two weeks he got an apartment at 4905 Magazine Street, and a job on 640 Magazine Street – a short bus trip away. Also, his work site was just across the street and a few more steps to 544 Camp Street – the offices of David Ferrie and Guy Banister!
Ferrie and Banister could now keep continual watch on LHO and even make some money on the deal. The shiftless crew of Guy Banister would claim to be in the CIA (which they weren’t) and claim that they could get LHO a job in the CIA (which they couldn’t). All LHO had to do was obey their orders. LHO solemnly swore to obey.
LHO called Marina at Ruth’s place and said it’s time to come to New Orleans. As Ruth had promised, she drove her two toddlers along with pregnant Marina and her toddler 500 miles to New Orleans. LHO finally had a job, a home, a family – and a dream!
David Ferrie was largely in charge of a Cuba raiding camp near Lake Pontchartrain. LHO would find some familiar faces there, e.g. Gerry Patrick Hemming from the Marines. Some faces were new: Loran Hall and Larry Howard, couriers of paramilitary supplies sent by doctors and lawyers – John Birchers – from Los Angeles and Dallas. Many Cuban exiles were also there, including Carlos Bringuier.
Guy Banister’s crew had a sure-fire plan to kill Fidel Castro. Their spy would pretend to support Fidel Castro by setting up his own FPCC branch in New Orleans. Their spy would attain notoriety in local newspapers, radio and TV. Then, as a respected FPCC leader, he would get an instant visa into Havana from the Cuban consulate in Mexico City whenever he wanted. In Havana he would meet right-wing accomplices to help finish Fidel!
At the end of September 1963, LHO was ready to go to Mexico City. LHO had a formal resumé of newspaper clippings and letters from the FPCC. The clippings told about his radio and TV appearances in New Orleans – and his arrest “for the cause.” LHO hoped that all this would “prove” his leadership in the FPCC and get him an instant visa to Havana.
Loran Hall and Larry Howard drove LHO to Mexico from New Orleans. They stopped in Dallas on the way to get some support from Silvia Odio. Silvia took their info and said she would see what she could do. They drove on to Mexico.
Once in Mexico City, LHO went directly to the Embassy compound. At the Cuban consulate, however, the officials regarded LHO as a fool. They told him that he must have a Russian visa first. So, LHO went to the Russian Embassy in Mexico City, and he made a fool of himself there, too. Back and forth, back and forth for two days – LHO became a true pest in the Embassy compound that week. For all his efforts, he came away empty-handed.
OCTOBER 1963
Loran Hall and Larry Howard drove LHO to Dallas, dropped him off, and then drove on to California for more supplies. Forlorn but not defeated, LHO would start a new life in Dallas. Marina was now nine months pregnant and would give birth any day now!
In any case, David Ferrie had done such a good job framing LHO as Soviet spy, that LHO was now vulnerable to any accusation that he really was a Soviet spy. With LHO in New Orleans police records, radio and TV as a self-confessed Fidel-lover, LHO could be shot in any street in the USA, and all this material evidence could be used to “prove” that LHO was a Communist spy. It would be a short investigation.
NOVEMBER 1963
It seems that General Walker took revenge on RFK by first controlling of his minion, LHO, and framing him good and proper as a Communist spy. If JFK was ever shot down in Dallas, LHO could be blamed as the assassin and shot in any Dallas street. The “evidence” would speak for itself. In this way, General Walker would get his revenge on LHO, JFK and RFK – all at the same time.
With a few minor variations, that’s basically what happened.
After the JFK hit, General Walker, already in Louisiana, celebrated with friends, and then called his German pal, Dr. Frey, to arrange to publish an article in his German newspaper, claiming: (1) that LHO was Walker’s shooter back in April; and (2) LHO was arrested in April, but Robert Kennedy set
LHO loose to try again to kill General Walker.
Walker just couldn’t wait to share his message with the world. As that German newspaper article implied – this was justice, because if RFK had allowed LHO to go to jail for what he did to Walker back in April, then JFK (RFK’s brother) would still be alive today.
One further point. In his 1975 letter, Walker cited a “Lieutenant of the Dallas Police Force” as his source who told him that LHO was in custody by midnight and suddenly released. Why didn’t Walker share his name? Why didn’t Walker mention this Lieutenant ever again – even though Walker would mention other people in the same context?
Was this informant really a DPD Lieutenant? Or perhaps Walker had concealed his real title just as Walker had concealed his real name. If he had been a DPD Lieutenant, then Chief Jesse Curry would clearly be a liar for denying the event. Did the man exist? Who was he? Was he a figment of Walker’s imagination? I doubt it. It is more likely, IMO, that Walker had a firm figure in mind – but refused to tell anybody who it was.
Regards,
--Paul Trejo