Judyth Vary Baker has written to JFK Facts about my recent post on her various claims about Lee Harvey Oswald. In the interests of fairness, I want to give her response the same prominence as the original item.
Here is Baker’s comment, edited for punctuation and spelling only:
One pay check stub? I have 11. Hired the same day, May 9, 1963, by Wm. B. Reilly as was Lee Oswald. Started at Standard Coffee, a small subsidiary to Reilly, the same day. Moved, one week later, on the same day, May 16, to Reilly from Standard with Lee. My initial ‘J’ is on most of Lee’s time cards, though two “J’s’ were recently erased at the Mary Ferrell Foundation site (the originals as in National Archives remain unchanged).
The day Lee was fired, July 19, 1963, an ad was placed w/ Times-Picayune to replace me, showing up on July 20. The day Lee was arrested, Aug. 9, I was fired at Reilly. We arrived the same month in New Orleans (April) and left the same month (Sept.).
The witness Anna Lewis can be found on film on YouTube, at meandlee.com, at doctormarysmonkey.com, and at jfkmurdersolved.com, and the film has been extant for a decade and seen by many. Another witness, Mac McCullough is in the book as well as on audiotapes. In addition, the Charles Thomas family has verified my identification of their father/grandfather/husband as the former Customs officer who flew in from Miami to expedite Lee’s passport (along with a stack of others to mask the matter) on June 25th (a passport application was made June 24).
A sketch of the layout of my apartment at 1023 Marengo is in Lee’s address book and researchers such as Martin Shackelford entered that house and photographed its interior before it was gutted and rebuilt with the door moved to a central position. Lee and I lived so close to each other that we were only one bus stop apart (I got on just after Napoleon…Lee got on before Napoleon at Upperline, on the Magazine Bus).
In 2003 on the History Channel documentary THE LOVE AFFAIR I referred to the Kennedy assassination as “The Big Event” several years before CIA’s Hunt called it that in his recording for St. John Hunt. Mr. Parker, whose work I respect, has never met me, nor has McAdams or Kelly.
In contrast, those who have spent many hours interrogating me and viewing the evidence have become my supporters, among them (by no means all are mentioned here): Martin Shackelford, Harrison Livingstone, Robert Groden, Jim Marrs, and, important to me, Peter DeVries, the Dutch investigator who uncovers frauds, who, after long investigation, added me as a viable witness to his documentary seen across Europe (not in the US). Nigel Turner was sent by Interpen leader Gerry Patrick Hemming to interview me after I visited Gerry in Fayetteville, and due to the private information I had about Gerry, I’ve become friends with his family. Shackelford and others will tell you my story has been altered, factoids inserted, emails altered.
Sixty Minutes tried three times to film in a 14 month effort. Don Hewitt, Phil Scheffler, Mike Wallace and 60 Minutes investigator Howard Liebengood were stopped ‘from higher up’ when, as Hewitt said, “the door was slammed in our faces.”
I focus on Lee Oswald’s innocence and have provided to researchers information, for example, leading to evidence that Lee worked with Customs in New Orleans (that information expanded by Joan Mellen, which research Howard Platzman can verify); I wrote a ‘teaser’ book with passages in bold face that led to the original book, after being warned the original book could be stolen.
The poor advice of my London-based agent included asking me to agree that I was hiding in Europe and a woman in Mexico had been shot who the murderers thought was me. For these falsehoods, I fired this very effective agent who was, however, generating false information. The book was then published without my authorization some six years ago, and, since I’d nto seen the final edit, I sent out press announcements of my disapproval and then forced the book’s withdrawal.
Meanwhile, Ed Haslam, a careful and astute researcher, investigated me for years. Haslam then rewrote his book. McAdams thanks people who never met me–and he never met me. The article above says I had just a check stub and my witness (just one of several) could not be found on the Internet. ME & LEE presents the facts of our relationship.
I urge you to read the book. I never knew why Greg Parker ceased to write to me, and I do wish he had addressed his concerns with me. Certainly Vincent Palamara has also changed his mind about me (but for the better), as well as a number of others. You might read Linda Minor’s Quixotic Joust blog. Minor is one of our best researchers. Note that Brian Duffy told Sixty Minutes a number of negative things about me that were not true, such as that I had no witnesses. But Duffy had a lot to lose: he had just returned to US News & World report and would soon become its main editor: he had written a fistful of pages praising Gerald Posner’s CASE CLOSED and was nto about to allow anybody to upset Posner’s reputation (later destroyed through Posner’s own problems with plagiarism in another book).
Now, I would appreciate it if all of you fine people would consider the fact that I have to live overseas due to harassment. That I’ve been in so many so-called ‘accidents’ since speaking out that GEICO wishes I’d never been born. The courageous publisher Kris Millegan of Trine Day was the first publisher I approached. He and his editorial and investigative staff took two years to investigate my testimony, witnesses and evidence. This year, he accompanied me for three weeks as I spoke to people along the west coast of the USA, my first entry into the US for five years. It was a wonderful experience. Eyes were opened. People who doubted me, met me face Io face, and I answered their questions sincerely. However, I suppose it would be easiest if I never spoke out. I did it because I loved Lee Oswald. I hope that you will respect that. I will copy this response to Facebook so people will know what I wrote to you.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely, Judyth Vary Baker, author and witness.
Yes, I do believe Judyth did love Lee and that he obviously loved her. She comes across as being very sincere on this matter. Still she and Marina are in disagreement concerning Lee’s character, where he was after work, what he thought about watches, General Walker, his involvement with Marxism, how he felt about Castro and more. It leaves one a bit confused. But she supplied so much info and went through so much trouble. I wonder if the two ladies have ever talked to each other? I still find it difficult to accept everything Judyth has said but I would feel bad if I discredited her without talking to her first or before seeing more evidence.
She is in South bend/Mishawaka this weekend to promote this book. Barnes and Noble I guess.
I interviewed Judyth in 1999, speaking with her by phone, for over three hours. At that time, her story was different than it was later. She said that she and Oswald used to double date with a high school friend named “Anita” and her fiance, whom Anita married in September of 1963.
I asked her for contact information on these people, in the hope that they could corroborate her relationship with Oswald, but Judyth said she could not remember the fiance’s last name.
She said she would try however, to get a phone number for her friend, but never produced it, even after I sent her several email requests. Later, she changed her story, replacing the mythical “Anita” with Anna Lewis, whom she paid to corroborate her story, with a share of the book proceeds, and Anna’s late husband, David.
Over the years, David Lewis spoke a great deal about Oswald, but never in his life mentioned socializing or double dating with him.
In our interview, Judyth also told me that she felt sorry for Marina because she was frequently left alone all night while Lee and Judyth were getting it on.
But when I told her that I contacted Mary La Fontaine, who was a personal friend of Marina’s, and was told that Lee was never missing at night during that time, and almost never late, Judyth changed her story, claiming that her affair was always carried out during daylight hours.
She also claimed that she snuggled with Lee at Alba’s garage, but after repeated requests, could never produce anyone who worked there, to confirm her claim.
Judyth seems to have spent a lot of time in the late 90’s, reading the usenet groups, alt.conspiracy.jfk and alt.assassination.jfk, which is how she was able to contact me and several others she sought out to support her. She also used those newsgroups to educate herself about Oswald.
Oh, almost forgot. Judyth also told me during that phone conversation that some sinister character stole the hard drive from her computer. And she told me a story about being on a plane in which they had to make an emergency landing because a passenger had a heart attack. Sitting next to her, was a men-in-black type who said, “If we can do that to him, we can do that to you.”.
Judyth’s story is flatly untrue. She has simply tried to exploit the fact that she worked at the same place Oswald did, for a short period of time.
Robert Harris
Robert apparently hasn’t read Marina’s deposition (by Andrew Sciambra) in which she was asked if he returned home promptly after work at 5 p.m. Her reply:”Usually late at night.” She added that the only time he was gone ALL night was when he was arrested for leafletting. Robert prefers to quote Mary LaFontaine rather than Marina herself. Would you like to see that page of the transcript?
Robert also says she has changed her story. I have a summary of her story, notarized in 2000, a year after she went public. Her appearance in “The Men Who Killed Kennedy” came about because Gerry Hemming recommended that Nigel Turner interview her. “60 Minutes” also filmed a segment about her, but told me it was killed by CBS management (Don Hewitt also mentioned this in his Sixth Floor Museum interview). She had a book of Aristotle with Oswald’s marginal notes. She has two pages of notes by David Ferrie. In a note to movers from the 1980s, the property list includes “Oswald green glass goblet.” Her records from the Standard Coffee Company and Reily Company showed that she started at both places the same day as Oswald. They also used the same employment agency, A-1.
Judyth’s account is extremely detailed, backed up by physical evidence, and well corroborated. Anyone who dismisses or disparages her without acknowledging that there is a mountain of support for her account of what she, Oswald, Sherman, Ochner and Ferrie were doing in New Orleans in 1963 is either blind or intentionally trying to hide the truth.
Alex Hidel: Please quote just one credible piece of evidence that would prove that Baker even knew Oswald, Ferrie, Ruby, Ochsner, Sherman, Shaw, Thornley et al., let alone that they supposedly all conspired to kill Castro with some home made super virulent cancer. There is NOTHING that “corroborates” ANYTHING of Baker’s wild tales. Neither is there ANY “physical evidence” backing up ANYTHING of her conspiratorial allegations. I’m looking forward for examples of your “mountain of support for” what she was doing in NOLA in 1963. If you can’t provide that I’d have to conclude that you are “either blind or intentionally trying to hide the truth” about Baker’s proven and well documented serial lying.
This comment is directed towards Judyth Vary Baker. I intently read Me and Lee and while some of your, or others accounts, at times loose the reader due to over information, I understand your strong desire to shed light on a few black holes in our nation’s history. My question to you is more my curiousity as to how Marina Oswald fit or was placed into Lee’s life and subsequently, Ruth and Michael Paine into Marina’s life. I was curious to hear your take on this matter because I just can’t pin down a reason, but it doesn’t seem to me they were a couple, nor were Ruth and Michael. I truly find your version quite fascinating Judyth. Thanks for any info on this matter.
The fact you call the 6th fl of the book despotory the “scene of the crime” is telling. LHO was not the assassin, lone or un-lone. Hence, the 6th fl was one of the scenes of the crime, but LHO was not the perp. This site appears to be using the usual tactics of infiltrating the oppostion, distracting information away from those who are authentic. Perhaps even the smugness of a Posner-like “case closed.” You have put a yellow highlighter over Judyth Vary Baker’s name, saying “IGNORE HER.” Thanks. I knew she was real, but I’m glad to see you agree.
Let people make up their own minds about her, thank you very much. Her book is a fascinating acount of what was going on in New Orleans, summer, ’63. It has been corroborated by witenesses and her credentials as a budding cancer-reseaercher and employee of the same company LHO worked in, are verified by media and paycheck stubs. Dismissing this woman as a hoax tells me nothing about her, except that she’s real. It tells me much more about the person dismissing her.
There is one interesting thing that really interests me about this woman. It was a loose comment. She mentioned in the men that killed Kennedy that Lee Oswald told her that they were preparing for the “big event” – very interesting when E howard Hunt was doing his death bed confession he stated “i was a bench warmer for the big event”
I absolutely doubt that E howard Hunt would have para phrased this woman and his death bed confession was totally unrelated. She came up with the so called plot name well in advance of a hunt who was part of the plot.
This for me renders credibility to her statement – though there is no doubt that i believe she has transformed her orange into a melon. Cancer story noted in her story is for me also very credible on the basis of the castro plots, testing, experimentation, David Ferrie etc.
judyth,claw shaw,david ferrie,bannister,lho,etc; how incredible if true.their has to be a definitive way to either confirm or dispute this story. I do believe her much detailed and confirmed events,and jack ruby did die rather fast from his claims of injected cancer cells!
Ed Tatro of Massachusetts, who I think along with Vincent Salandria, is one of the top 2 JFK researchers of all time, is a strong supporter of Judyth Vary Baker. Ed Tatro is a careful, experienced and very credible JFK researcher. He also knows more about Lyndon Johnson’s role – and he had a big role – in the JFK assassination more than anyone else that I know of.
Wim Dankbaar is another seasoned JFK researcher who believes Judy Vary Baker. I reject James Files and I think Dankbaar is completely wrong about him, but Dankbaar has done some other very credible research, particularly on the possible role of GHW Bush in the JFK assassination.
As for me, I believe Judyth Vary Baker; I believe she was Oswald’s summer, 1963, mistress in New Orleans and I believe Judy was involved in “off the books” research on weaponizing cancer.
Having said all that, I think that Judy is mixing in baloney, embellishments and some lies in her accounts. It is very hard to separate which is which – truth or “embellishments.”
I refuse to throw the baby out with the bathwater re: Judy Baker and I believe the essence of her story is true.
Jmho.
“Another witness, Mac McCullough is in the book as well as on audiotapes.”
Martin Shackelford, after 9 years of unsuccessfully defending Baker and ruining his reputation in the process, disappeared for good from alt.assassination.jfk in 2009 when we asked him for any corroboration for Baker’s “McCullough is my witness” claim. To this day there is no proof that McCullough witnessed anything with regards to Baker’s claims. The bespoke last thread of Martin at aajfk can be found here:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.assassination.jfk/wjElWRDh9No/discussion
There Martin said: “I listened to the tape. If I had a copy, I would have made a transcript, …” If that tape really exists, how hard would it be to make a transcript? And why wasn’t its contents included in Baker’s latest book “Me and Lee”? Puzzled, Alex
Alex isn’t telling the truth. I’ve continued to post on discussion groups. Alt.assassination.jfk is a group controlled by supporters of the Warren Commission, headed by John McAdams, who has made it his mission since 1999 to attack Judyth Baker. Mac MacCullough supported her account on tape, as I informed the group. Whether or not I posted there after 2009 had nothing to do with any single demand, but a persistent pattern of nagging on the same points over and over. When there was no more to post on a particular subject, I didn’t belabor the matter. As for my reputation, it’s doing fine. I continue to collaborate with serious researchers, and continue to be asked about research matters. Alex doesn’t know what he’s talking about, clearly.
There was no need for a Customs officer to fly in from Miami to “expedite Lee’s passport.” On July 21, 1963, the Times-Picayune reported that because of new procedures, passports were being issued in New Orleans and other cities in 24 hours or less.
(“Passports Are Now Easier to Obtain,” Sec. II, p. 13, 7/21/63)
What did Charles Thomas’s family “verify,” I wonder? That he was a Customs officer?
Jean
Readers can decide for themselves if Baker’s story is corroborated. She is wrong on one point. No documents in the Mary Ferrell Foundation have been altered.
Amazing “coincidences” with hire and termination dates.