Jim Garrison and the Still-Secret JFK
Assassination Files
Bill Kelly
In regards to Jim Garrison requesting his son to
be at the National Archives when the government finally gets around to
releasing the still secret records on the assassination, I tried to discover
what records remain sealed, but there are so many they can’t tell us how many
there are.
I did learn however, that most of the documents
that Garrison specifically referred to have already been released, and what
remains withheld should be released to the public in late September 2017,
unless the President orders otherwise.
In 1996 Garby F. Leon asked the NARA about the
status of these records and intimidated that he was going to mention them
during a Assassinations Records Review Board (ARRB) hearing, but he is not
listed among those who testified at the public hearings, but he did correspond
with them. [Series 5: Press and Public Contact Files ]
Besides having a unique name, Garby Leon was an
interesting person, with a doctorate in music from Harvard, he was a Fox film
producer whose helped develop the Matrix, and recently passed away [Garby Francis Leon, Fox Executive Who Developed ‘The Matrix’ at Silver Pictures, Dies at 66 ].
Many thanks to Rex Bradford at MaryFerrell.org
for making these documents and other significant records available, and I have
added the relevant links.
JIM GARRISON'S LIST OF WARREN COMMISSION DOCUMENTS
WHICH HE SOUGHT AND WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN:
On April 9, 1996 Martha Murphy of the NARA responded
to the inquiry from Garby Leon and wrote:
“This is in response to your e-mailed request
for information regarding the status of Warren Commission Documents. The income
tax forms of Ruth and Michael Paine CD 713 and CD 848 have been withheld for
privacy and are referred to the Internal Revenue Service for review. These
documents are not security classified, as would be suggested by the description
of them as ‘secret’ in the book ‘On the Trail of the Assassins.’”
Garby Leon commented: “But they're fudging a
bit, because the Paine's tax information, are also 'referred' to the IRS, hence
unavailable. I was amused at how testy
the archivist's response was to my quote from Garrison...”
And I agree, whether they are being withheld for
reasons of national security or personal privacy reasons, they are sealed from
the public and are therefore still ‘secret.’
CD 212 - relating to Ruth Paine http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=10615
CD 218 - relating to Michael Paine LALC Los
Angeles Local Correspondence
CD 258 - relating to Michael Paine
CD 508 - relating to Michael Paine's sister
CD 600 through CD 629, regarding relatives of
Michael Paine.
Of the 51 documents you listed in your letter,
three
are still withheld pending review by another
agency,
10 CDs are released in part, with information
redacted on some pages. All of the other
38 CDs listed in your letter have been released in full.
(Files relating to Oswald):
CD 321 - Chronology of Oswald in USSR (Secret)
CD 347 - Activity of Oswald in Mexico City
(Secret)
CD 384 - Activity of Oswald in Mexico City
CD 384 “ACCESS RESTRICTED – The item identified
below has been withdrawn from this file: File Designation CD 384...In the
review of this file this item was removed because access to it is restricted.
Restrictions on records in the National Archives are stated in general and
specific record group restriction statements which are available for
examination. The item identification above has been withdrawn because it
contains: X Security – Classified Information
1/16/80”
CD 528 - re: Allegation Oswald interviewed by
CIA in Mexico City
CD 631 - re: CIA dissemination of information on
Oswald http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=11030
CD 674 - Info given to the Secret Service but
not yet to the WC
CD 692 - Reproduction of CIA official dossier on
Oswald
CD 698 - Reports of travel and activities of
Oswald & Marina
CD 871 - Photos of Oswald in Russia (Secret)
CD 931 - Oswald's access to information about
the U-2 (Secret)
CD 943, "Allegations of Pfc. Eugene Dinkin
re Assassination Plot"
CD 971, "Calls to U.S. Embassy, Canberra,…
re:Planned Assassination."
CD 1216 - Memo from Helms entitled "Lee
Harvey Oswald" (Secret)
CD 1222 - Statements by George de Mohrenschildt
re: assassination
CD 1273 - Helms re:inconsistencies in info provided
by CIA(Secret) http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=11668
CD 1551, "Conversations Between Cuban
President and Ambassador";
Garb Leon: “In sum, 15 of the 51 Warren
Commission items which Garrison wanted to see are still secret, or redacted.
That's roughly 30% secrecy maintained, a third of a century later. A question I
have: has the ARRB reviewed the 'redactions' these documents are 'released'
with? Finally, if I have the opportunity, I intend to ask the ARRB board
members if Garrison's wish-list will be fulfilled - or not. This would seem
only the very most basic starting point for the release of government
documents, pursuant to the ARRB's mandate.
And, a good benchmark for testing how good the USG's word is on their
promise to fulfill the intent of the law.”
October 24, 2017 – it’s a Tuesday. Mark it on your
calendar – as that’s the day that one of two things will happen.
Either the AOTUS – Archivist of the United States
will announce to the President, Congress and the American people that the last
government record on the assassination of President Kennedy has been released
to the public or the POTUS – the President of the United States – whoever is
elected in the next election, will announce that he/she has agreed with the
requests by agencies of government and will continue to withhold certain
records for reasons of national security.
