What Percy Foreman said about Oswald's rights

Foreman had this to say (as quoted in the St Louis Post-Dispatch on 11/24/63 prior to Oswald's "sentence" being carried out):

Authorities are running a serious risk of jeopardizing their case against Oswald by failing to observe his constitutional rights...officials may already have committed reversible error in the case by permitting the accused to undergo more than 24 hours of detention without benefit of legal counsel. As grounds for reversal, Foreman stated: Under recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court, federal procedural guarantees must be observed even in state prosecutions. Their abridgement, he said, can be grounds for reversal of even a conviction. This is a new law.They could get a conviction in Texas and get it thrown out on appeal, but it takes a long time for these dim-witted law enforcement officers to realize it.

Foreman had previously represented Gen Walker. He later represented Jack Ruby and James Earl Ray and was well known to the Hunts, LBJ and (according to Bruce Adamson) George de Meohrenschildt.

Newsweek

HUGH AYNESWORTH
BUREAU CHIEF

Mr. Clay Shaw
1313 Dauphine Street
New Orleans,
Louisiana

Dear Clay,

Paula and I so much enjoyed having dinner with you the other night. She swears you're the best martini mixer around. I hope we can repay your cordiality in Houston sometime soon.

I dropped Ed Wegmann a note earlier today, explaining once again that my suggestion on the hiring of a new defense lawyer had nothing in the world to do with his (or Irv and Billy's) qualifications, but just made sense from a tactical standpoint--as we discussed at length.

Also, as we discussed via telephone Wednesday night, I will make an attempt to talk to Percy Foreman--without your authority, of course--and try to evaluate the possibilities in that direction.

I'm headed for the conventions, but if you need to get in touch with me for anything my secretary, Ann Lockhart, will be in constant touch with me no matter where I am.

Regards and I'll be in touch,

Hugh Aynesworth

greg parker wrote: He later represented Jack Ruby and James Earl Ray and was well known to the Hunts, LBJ and (according to Bruce Adamson) George de Meohrenschildt.

It is also believed by some that Foreman was thrown the JER case so he could get Ray to plead guilty before being ditched. Mission accomplished.

Lee David Farley wrote: Newsweek

HUGH AYNESWORTH
BUREAU CHIEF

Mr. Clay Shaw
1313 Dauphine Street
New Orleans,
Louisiana

Dear Clay,

Paula and I so much enjoyed having dinner with you the other night. She swears you're the best martini mixer around. I hope we can repay your cordiality in Houston sometime soon.

I dropped Ed Wegmann a note earlier today, explaining once again that my suggestion on the hiring of a new defense lawyer had nothing in the world to do with his (or Irv and Billy's) qualifications, but just made sense from a tactical standpoint--as we discussed at length.

Also, as we discussed via telephone Wednesday night, I will make an attempt to talk to Percy Foreman--without your authority, of course--and try to evaluate the possibilities in that direction.

I'm headed for the conventions, but if you need to get in touch with me for anything my secretary, Ann Lockhart, will be in constant touch with me no matter where I am.

Regards and I'll be in touch,

Hugh Aynesworth

Didn't know about this letter - thanks! What a complete and utter sham he was/is.

Lee David Farley wrote:

greg parker wrote: He later represented Jack Ruby and James Earl Ray and was well known to the Hunts, LBJ and (according to Bruce Adamson) George de Meohrenschildt.

It is also believed by some that Foreman was thrown the JER case so he could get Ray to plead guilty before being ditched. Mission accomplished.

He got him to plead guilty ostensibly to avoid the death penalty. But what was really wanted was to avoid a full-blown trial, imo.

greg parker wrote:

Lee David Farley wrote: Newsweek

HUGH AYNESWORTH
BUREAU CHIEF

Mr. Clay Shaw
1313 Dauphine Street
New Orleans,
Louisiana

Dear Clay,

Paula and I so much enjoyed having dinner with you the other night. She swears you're the best martini mixer around. I hope we can repay your cordiality in Houston sometime soon.

I dropped Ed Wegmann a note earlier today, explaining once again that my suggestion on the hiring of a new defense lawyer had nothing in the world to do with his (or Irv and Billy's) qualifications, but just made sense from a tactical standpoint--as we discussed at length.

Also, as we discussed via telephone Wednesday night, I will make an attempt to talk to Percy Foreman--without your authority, of course--and try to evaluate the possibilities in that direction.

I'm headed for the conventions, but if you need to get in touch with me for anything my secretary, Ann Lockhart, will be in constant touch with me no matter where I am.

Regards and I'll be in touch,

Hugh Aynesworth

Didn't know about this letter - thanks! What a complete and utter sham he was/is.

It served him well though. Got him what he wanted career wise.

greg parker wrote:

Lee David Farley wrote:

greg parker wrote: He later represented Jack Ruby and James Earl Ray and was well known to the Hunts, LBJ and (according to Bruce Adamson) George de Meohrenschildt.

It is also believed by some that Foreman was thrown the JER case so he could get Ray to plead guilty before being ditched. Mission accomplished.

He got him to plead guilty ostensibly to avoid the death penalty. But what was really wanted was to avoid a full-blown trial, imo.

I totally agree. Let's hope William Pepper has some luck over the coming months

greg parker wrote:Foreman had this to say (as quoted in the St Louis Post-Dispatch on 11/24/63 prior to Oswald's "sentence" being carried out):

Authorities are running a serious risk of jeopardizing their case against Oswald by failing to observe his constitutional rights...officials may already have committed reversible error in the case by permitting the accused to undergo more than 24 hours of detention without benefit of legal counsel. As grounds for reversal, Foreman stated: Under recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court, federal procedural guarantees must be observed even in state prosecutions. Their abridgement, he said, can be grounds for reversal of even a conviction. This is a new law.They could get a conviction in Texas and get it thrown out on appeal, but it takes a long time for these dim-witted law enforcement officers to realize it.

Foreman had previously represented Gen Walker. He later represented Jack Ruby and James Earl Ray and was well known to the Hunts, LBJ and (according to Bruce Adamson) George de Meohrenschildt.

BUMP