The Friends of Democratic Cuba By William Davy January 20, 1961. New Orleans. Blanche, Marcell° attorney G.Wray two sheets of plastic. Danielson and As John F. Kennedy took the oath of Gill saw him in his own office accom- McDonald dutifully prepared a brief office as the 35th President of the panied by David Ferric, and he even one page report on the incident which United States, two men entered the shows up in the Warren Report was promptly buried, along with the Bolton Ford Truck Center on North Commission Exhibit 2370 is a state- bid form, in the National Archives Claiborne Avenue and approached the ment of Harvey LWade who recalls Dever to be mentioned in any of the 26 assistant manager, Oscar Deslatte. They seeing this individual with Oswald in volumes of the Warren Report identified themselves as representatives jack Ruby's Carousel Club). But what of this organization, the of an anti-Castro fund raising group Although only the surname Friends of Democratic Cuba? called the "friends of Democratic 'Oswald" appears on the bid, Sewell re- Ostensibly it was a group of New Cuba" The older of the pair, described called that the young man also used the Orleans civic personalities incorporated by Deslatte as "olive-complexioned first name of Lee. Which of course is in- for the purpose of collecting funds to with an athletic build and a scar over teresting, because at the time of his in- aid the anti-Castro cause. The funds his left eye", spoke with a Cuban ac- cident the real Lee Oswald was spend- were to be channeled through the cent He told Deshine the the Friends ing his last months in a radio factory in Frentc Revolucianaro Demactratico wished to procure ten Ford Econohne Minsk, having defected to the Soviet (FRD). The New Orleans delegate of vans, presumably for use in the upcom- Union in September of 1959. the FRa Sergio Arcacha Smith, was to ing Bay of Pigs invasion. Deslatte con- This point was noted several receive the collected funds, less a twen- ferred with his manager, Fred Sewell. months prior to this incident by none ty percent cut, to be retained by the and prepared a bid form at a price of other than the Director of the FBI. On Friends of Democratic Cuba. However, fifty dollars over cost for each truck. June 3, 1960. J.Edgar Hoover issued a no public collection of money ever took The Cuban gave his name as Joseph memorandum to the State Department place. Moore, which Deslatte noted on the advising them that "there is a possibili- The Friends of Democratic Cuba bid. However, Moore requested that his ty that an impostor is using Oswald's was strictly a dummy front In fact, an companion's name actually appear on birth certificate." informant for New Orleans DA., Jim the form. Above Joseph Moore's name, Three years later, as the accused Garrison, revealed that the group was Deslatte wrote the name " Oswald." assassin's picture was plastered over "an undercover operation in conjunc- The second man spoke up and every TV screen in America. Deslatte tion with the CIA and FBI which in- said that he was in fact Oswald and was struck by the resemblance, both volved the shipment and transportation confirmed that his name should be on name and appearance, to the second of individuals and supplies in and out the bid, as be was "the man with the man in the "Bolton Ford incident" of Cube (As a side note, this same in- money" and would pay for the trucks if After calling the local office of the FBI. formant revealed to Garrison's office purchased. Fred Sewell spoke with both Deslatte was visited on November 25, that the FBI liaison was none other than men and would recall later the incident 1963 by Special Agents William F. Regis Kennedy, Hoover's point man in detail six years later when inter- McDonald and W_T. Danielson, Jr. with the anti-Castro community in New viewed by New Orleans Assistant D.A. Deslatte offered the original bid form to Orleans. Kennedy also questioned James Alcock. "Oswald" be described the agents, which they picked up with David Ferrie after his mysterious trip to as a thin young man about five feet solenoid tongs and placed in between Texas during the assassination week- seven inches and approximately 140- 145 pounds. As mentioned above, Moore was a powerfully built Cuban with a scar " It should also be noted that the over his left eye. (It is appropriate to note the ubiquity of this Cuban FBI was looking for a Clay Bertrand al- throughout the build-up to the assassi- most immediately after the assassination nation. He has been identified as being and before Dean Andrews received his re- in Oswald's company in Dean Andrews' office, be was seen in Guy quest from Bertrand to represent Oswald" Bannister's office by his secretary, he was taking pictures of Oswald during one of leafleting episodes at Maison 14CE CHANNELS P11/Wirer 15$J-14 P4,44 It should also be noted that the FBI was have been amply documented. Bill Davy is I freelance writer and looking for a Clay Bertrand almost im- According to Garrison's files, reseaciter from Virginia mediately after the assassination and Datzell also operated out of the before Dean Andrews received his re- American Embassay in Rome for a quest from Bertrand to represent time and spoke about a half dozen lan- Oswald_ This same informant further guages. including Swahili. Some of his revealed that Regis Kennedy had con- activities in the early 1960's included firmed the fact that Clay Shaw had attempting to obtain weapons for revo- done work for the CIA in Italy over a lutionaries in Honduras as well as a PT EYEWITNESS VIDEO five year span). boat and submarine for the anti-Castro REAL JFK FACTS As for the altruistic citizens who Cubans. made up the board of the FDC. the list A CIA memorandum released in By Mark A. Oakes is a mixed bag indeed. 1983. as a result of a FOIA request, in- Martin McAuliffe, owner of a dicates that Dated] had at least three publicity agency that handled propa- separate contacts with the New Orleans TWO HOURS ganda for Arcacha Smith's Cuban CIA office. Coincidentally, one of OF EDITED INTERVIEWS Revolutionary Democratic Frost, was these contacts was on January 20, 1961, WITH WITNESSES AND listed as [resident However, the date of the Bolton Fond Incident. POLICEMAN McAuliffe would later state that he was I have purposely omitted any asked by a FDC member if the Friends lenghtly treatment of the most infa- *MR. Ki MRS. I IARTMAN could use his name on their letterhead. mous of the members of the FDC, Guy • "Next thing 1 knew I was down as pres- Banister. Banister is well known to- *.I.W. FOSTER ident of the organ ieariore., he recalled. most assassination scholars and with • *Al- MADDOX Alfred Chittenden, the chief of the the release of several new books and • New Orleans Stevedores Union, was articles in the coming months, research- BILL NEWMAN included, presumably because of his ers will no doubt learn more about GAYLE NEWMAN ability to obtain salary donations from Banister's ties to such New Orleans • BEVERLY OLIVER his fellow union members. personalities as Ed Butler and Alton • The vice-president of the organi- Ochsner of INCA fame, Guy Johnson l3OBBY F IARGIS zation was Gerald F. Tujague, owner of who, like Banister, was ex-ONI (Office • .IIM LEAVE,LLE Tujaque Inc. Forwarding Company, an of Naval Intelligence), and of course • import/export firm. In the months be- Clay Shaw, David Ferric, and Lee ROY VAUGHN tween November 1955 and January Harvey Oswald_ • 9-IENERY WADE 1956, Tujague employed a 16 year old The Friends of Democratic Cuba • messenger by the name of Lee Harvey disbanded within a month of it's incep- MALCOLM SLIMMERS Oswald. (Recall Hoover's memo on tion. A splinter group, the Free Voice • *D. V. I lARKNEc:,.(; Oswald birth certificate. Could Oswald of Latin America, was made up of es- have supplied his birth certificate to sentially the same cast of characters. It CI VALES. I3REHM Tujague as a prerequisite for employ- too dissolved within a month. ment?) However, I think it is safe to say that * EXCLUSIVE Grady Durham, another man in their operations were ongoing. the Guy Banister menagerie of investi- In one of Jim Garrison's last in- $25,00 Postage PD. gators, was also listed as an incorpora- terviews, be reflected on Banister, the Check or Money Order TO: tor. Durham, an attorney who was first FDC, and the Bolton Ford incident: cousin to former Louisiana Governor, MARK A. OAKES Jimmy Davis, was reportedly a frequent " To select (January) 20th is 10346 BRIAR HOLLOW DR. chess partner of the CIA liaison to the something I think would be typical of APARTMENT st6 FDC. Guy Banister. He was a hater. Its not St. Louis, MO. 63146 Another meorparator was just speculation, we know now (314) 991-4415 William Dalzell. Daizell was a private Banister's organization was incorpo- investigator closely associated with rated just a few months earlier, possi- Unedited Interviews Available Upon Roquest. (Complac - SI45.00-5 limn) Guy Banister Associates. Dalzell was a bly with an objective related to Navy veteran who also worked as a Operation Mongoose. Operation cryptographer for the Department of Mongoose was preexisting, but the as- Defense. He later shows up in Ethiopia sassination operation itself might have and Yemen as is petroleum advisor with been attached under a wing in some the Agency for International plate." Development, whose links to the CIA RACK CHANNELS FriMinier 1993-54 Pair 5 .