The Curious Case of Cedric Younger Von Rolleston From:
This is a story of false identification and the fact that many people, in any large investigation, come forward with stories that are just not believable. In this case, a Mr. Cedric Rolleston told Garrison investigators that he saw Clay Shaw with Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963. Clay Shaw s legal team had to run down the lead and eventually Mr. Rolleston recanted. Yet, even today, conspiracy books don t quite tell you the whole story about Mr. Rolleston. Mr. Rolleston enters our story in 1963 when he contacts the FBI regarding Lee Harvey Oswald.
Thomas Beckham claimed he was friends with Lee Harvey Oswald in New Orleans. This post examines what he told the New Orleans grand jury in 1968, what he told the HSCA in 1978 and what he published in his book, Remnants of Truth, in 2008. When I read Beckham s testimony - well, I just can t believe he knew Oswald. But, as we will see, conspiracy author Joan Mellen believed him. Let s start with Beckham s testimony before the New Orleans grand jury in 1968. He was asked three times if he knew Oswald and he said no all three times: Page 56. page 151. Now, let s have a look at his testimony before the HSCA on May 24, 1978.
Both Jack Martin and David Ferrie were clergy in the Orthodox Old Catholic Church of North America. It was an odd sect which drew the attention of Jim Garrison, thinking that perhaps there was some CIA connection. Making it all the more suspicious, there was a rumor that Oswald had tried to seek refuge in the Abundant Life Temple, after killing office J.D. Tippit. He hadn t, but he probably ran through the alleyway next to the Temple. And so Garrison had investigator Bill Boxley look at the Abundant Life Temple. Here is his report: The Abundant Life Temple was a member of the American Council of Christian Churches - a right-wing organization headed by Carl McIntyre. This became more interesting to Garrison because Edgar Eugene Bradley, whom Garrison indicted for conspiring to kill JFK in December 1967, worked for McIntyre.
In March 1967, a lab technician came forward to say that he met Clay Shaw at Berkeley on the day before the JFK assassination, or on the day of the assassination. Here is the first report from Garrison investigator William Turner: Turner then issued a second memo: Researcher Paul Hoch, who worked at Berkeley, did some of his own investigating and wrote this memo: Hoch sensibly concluded that this was most likely a case of mistaken identity. That might have been the end of the story, butt Breitner called Turner in September 1967 with additional information. Now, he remembered that Shaw introduced himself as Clay Bertram.