Transcript of Teleohdine Conversation Between Richard Davis and Harold Weisberg
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Transcript of teleohdine conversation between Richard Davis and Harold Weisberg January 24, 27, 1968 W. Richard Davis? D. Yes. I believe I was coming, uh, back to Houston where I live, from Chicago, and I happened to run into a book of yours, Oswald in New Orleans — W. Yee. D. You are the author, is that correct? W. Yee, that is correct. D. UK, huh, I'm real happy to get in touch with you, because as I'm reading it, I'have become rather frustrated myself with the Cuban situation and all the, uh, misuse that was made of myself While I was living in New Orleans in this time that your book describes, and I was wondering if there's any way, I believe I have information which could be pertinent, and I was wondering if, you know, there was any way that we could meet? W. Yes, where are you? D. I live in Houston. W. That presents a problem for me. D. It does? W. Because I have no facilities for traveling down there. I am a man of no means, Mr. Davis. D. Uh, huh. Well, I an a person of some means myself, uh, a lot of things have changed since the old days in New Orleans, and I would like to get in touch with you, Mr. Weisberg, uh, would you consider, (a) me going to see:-you or, (b) else, me sending you down here? W. It depends on when, but I would much prefer to see you here, Mr. Davis. Let me tell you, however, that in a week I go away for two weeks. I would like very much to see you. I looked for you in New Orleans and could'nt find you. D. Una, huh. What is your address, Sir? W. Frederick, Maryland. I could meet you in Washington. D. Well, in other words, you don't have a mailing, uh, how could I mail some letters? -1:5W7'77156.1:77PPWSITA'al-77.1M71.MALIATTA-"7760".' W. Frederick. Oh, uh, look. What you don't understand, Mr. Davis, is that I live in the country. D. Oh. You live in the country? W. Yes, and there is no street address. D. It's just your name and Frederick, Maryland? W. Put - uh, this will help. Route 7. D. Route 7? W. That means that we are on the 7th rural route. D. Right. W. You understand that? D. Yea, sir. W. Yes. And if there's anything you care to mail to me, fine. D. It's just Route 7, Frederick, Maryland? W. Maryland. Yea. D. How are you spelling Frederick? F - r - e W. d - e- r - i - c- k. D. d-e-r-i- c- k. W. Yes. D. Well, would you care to write down my telephone number? W. Yee. Hold on one second. D. Okay. (pause) W. Yes, Mr. Davis. D. My office number is Capital 3-8161, in Houston. That area code is 713. And my, uh, home number is Gypsy, G y 8-7894. W. Yes. D. Uh, 713 is the area code. W. Yes, and how - - D. I'm extremely interested on this, because I feel that I was used in a group of people that - don't mention his name in your book - because that was a pretty good, uh, closely guarded, uh, matter of information, 2 and I feel that I was used by all these people. I'm an American who happened to live a few years in Cuba. My father had - - . Yes. D. Business ventures there, and I would like sometime to either come and with you or see you personally. W. I - Why not both? D. Well, I'll tell you - - W. The reason - let me suggest it this way. If we can't get together now, why not, why not, write what you care to - D. Okay. I'm a business banker, uh, uh, Mr. Weisberg, and I have more work than I can handle. We buy and sell companies here in Houston - - W. Yes, yes. D. I'm associated with a few other oil men. I'm not an oil man myself, but I'm associated with them, and I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll write you a note tomorrow, and we'll start moving, and , and, actually, I would say, that in the next sixty to a hundred and twenty days, we'll get together somewhere in the United States. W. Well, I'll be in California in two weeks. Do you exnect to be there? D. Uh, not really. We're buying a plastic company and I might have to go to Tokyo. Uh, anyhow, let me do this. Let - Now you know where I am. Anything you want, call me collect. W. Thank you. D. And uh, and - and - because this is extremely interesting - what I'm reading here. I would like to know more about it and maybe - uh - W. If there's anything I know, let me tell you frankly, I'll be very glad to tell you, and all the documents I quote. Mr. Davis, you're welcome to copies of them. D. Fine. Well, it's not that, Mr. Weisberg. It's simply this, uh, having lived all this, and seeing in the end, I was bitterly used and frus- trated by all these crazy people - I -I - reading your book - I - I see somebody who thinks the same way as I do and I would really like to get to meet you personally - W. I hope - I hope - soon, Mr. Davis. Let me tell - D. For example, I have many documents that I - I sense in your book you are lacking - W. Can you send me photocopies? D. Right. Documents concerning the capture of this - uh so-called spy, 3 who wasn't a spy or anything like that, and I - I was the one who - who took him one night in Louisiana and they wanted to kill him and an awful lot of ugly things, and uh, uh, really, reading your book, I feel that if somebody looks at this in the same way that I do, so let me write you a letter tomorrow - we'll get him. W. Tine. Now, may I also make a couple of other suggestions? D. Sure, sir. W. Uh -I - You were interrogated by Steinmeyer and deBrueys? D. I believe so, yes. W. I don't .think that you will be happy with their reoresentation of that interrogation. D. Well, I would like to see it. W. give you a copy. I would suggest that if you don't mind, eh, to preserve your integrity in this matter, that you write an account of it first. D. Okay. Well, I'm even thinking of writing a little - are you there? (operator interrupts) W. Yes, I'm here. 0. Pardon me, I have Mr. Hearn calling you on 87891. D. Okay. Tell - Okay - I'll be right over, Mr. - uh - Ooerator. I have one cf my vice-presidents calling me on theline, sir. Uh - W. Yes. You didn't give me your street address in case I want to write you. D. Yes. I - That's Suite 765 - - W. 3765? . D. No, no, Suite - s - u - i-t - e W. Oh. Yes. D. Suite 765, San Jacinto Building - - Houston, Texas, 77002. That's San Jacinto, like the Battle of San Jacinto. W. Yes. D. Okay. W. Now, before you have to go, there's one thing I would like to ask you, and I hope you don't mind if I am direct? D. No, of course not. W. Is there anything you know about Ferrie or any of these other people that should come out in Garrison's case or that he should ]mow, be- 4 cause here is a chance for the determination of truth before a judge and a jury. D. Well, uh, I knew David Ferrie very well. Uh, he used to go to my home with Sergio Arcacha, which was also a friend of mine. Uh, Mr. Weisberg, I do not really know whether you realize or not, that I was the man that -uh- ran that camp on the north shore of the lake. W. Yea, I did. I do believe that. D. Okay. And uh, as I say, to me it's nothing but - - W. Let me tell you - let me tell you, that the FBI represented that you- it in the most Childiah way, that you said you did not. D. Well, that's fine. I'm - I'm very lucky . I'm a happy man. I'm making my fortune in life. I have no regrets, only that this for- eigner used me, you see. So what I would like to do, as I say, I'm in no rush. I just - W. Mr. Davis, may I suggest, that with the possibility of the tilel coming up in New Orleans next month, you should be in a rush? D. Wall, I'll tell you what. Uh - if - if you want Mr. Garrison to send you over here , that's fine. I'm right now in a position, that, you know, - - W. No, I don't mean that. What I am suggesting is that it may very much be to your interest. D. Okay. Well, let me do this. Let me write you tomorrow, Mr. Weisberg. You will be getting my letter in the next seventy-two hours, I would say. W. Very good. I will be leaving on Thursday.