Charles R. Carson

First topic message reminder :

I stumbled on this guy by accident on MFF, and found some interesting stuff so I figured I'd make a post. Carson was an FBI agent in New Orleans who quit in the early 1960's to join and become Manager of Southern Research Co., the sketchy private eye firm clandestinely retained by Clay Shaw's lawyers during the Garrison case. Southern Research also employed former Bannister investigator and FBI Informant Joseph Oster, and SA Milton Kaack after he was disciplined by the FBI in '64 for the pre-assassination investigation of Oswald. 

Southern Research was at some point taken over by the Wackenhut Corporation, or was associated from the beginning - it's not entirely clear. Carson's assigned duties are pretty interesting: he went from the point man investigating Carlos Marcello with the FBI to becoming involved in the Eastern Airlines investigation into David Ferrie with Southern Research. During the Garrison case, Carson tipped off the FBI that Garrison was conducting a Grand Jury investigation shortly after the Garrison story broke in the press in Feb '67. The memo covering this contact caught my attention:



According to all other documents I've seen (not many), Southern Research was located in the Maritime Building. 333 St. Charles Ave. was the Masonic Temple Building, location of the CIA office in New Orleans, and also the Civil Air Patrol. From what I have seen, according to Wackenhut they didn't even have a New Orleans office. 

Carson contacted the FBI again in April '67 which generated the following teletype plus a couple memos:  



(redacted name revealed as Carson in other documents)

Based on the heavily redacted (on MFF) CIA Security file, it looks like Wackenhut was utilized by the CIA as a non-official cover organization in the 1960s. The line "contacts with" on the following document was only declassified in 2017, but there's all kinds of other stuff in the 51-page OS file that confirms Wackenhut was utilized for cover purposes. I'd really like to get a hold of an unreacted version of this file:

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=104127#relPageId=1

It just seemed to me like quite the coincidence that a CIA contractor was operating out of the same building as the CIA in New Orleans:



Also in April '67, Dick Helms placed an indefinite restriction on use of the Wackenhut Corporation by the CIA, supposedly based on Wackenhut's newfound notoriety in being appointed by the governor of Florida to lead their "war on crime". The actual appointment and press release happened three months earlier however, and Southern Research had just been mentioned in Grand Jury testimony in connection with Garrison's case in March.  

Both Wackenhut and Southern Research were investigated by the HSCA and the ARRB for CIA connections; but Carson is a guy I haven't really seen mentioned anywhere. What I'm trying to find out is if there is any other reference besides the FBI reports from Carson to Wackenhut/Southern Research having an office in the Masonic Temple Building.

There were other companies at 333 St. Charles: the NO Credit Bureau, VA Outpatient Services, interesting one is the stenographers who covered the Clay Shaw trial, but the only references I can find to Wackenhut/Southern Research working out of that building are from Charles Carson to his former employer the FBI. It could be nothing but I'm wondering if Carson screwed up in giving that address.

Sift through and see if anything or anyone pops out/up.
Cheers!
Ed

In visiting just one of the apartment buildings, containing only eight of the 1,200 apartments, the city inspector accompanying Tucker had uncovered more than 150 housing code violations.86

1971 photo of Parkchester Apt. NO.

Great stuff Ed. I had not seen that 1960 article - plus good call on posting it all in case a new set of eyes finds something. I’m going to do a free trial on Ancestry today and check out the ‘50s to 60 city directories to try and track down the Parents. I think the next step will be going to New Orleans. I’m an 8-hour drive away now, and will have some free time at the end of the month (I think) so I might try to pull it off. If I can go I’m sure I’ll ask here for advice for door knocking, interviewing, etc. Also, I noticed that the only archival record set in the New Orleans library that isn’t open to the public is arrest records from 1963, which is kind of interesting.

Thats a good call on the directories.
They hold so much info.
Would like to have set of early 60s ones for Dallas and NO.
Library should cough up a lot not online. Excited!
That is pequilar about the '63 arrest recs, please inquire.

May need to go to parish or county clerks or accessors office too for some things but that old stuff is either microfiched or gotta dig.
Good Hunting!!

Ed.Ledoux wrote:Thats a good call on the directories.
They hold so much info.
Would like to have set of early 60s ones for Dallas and NO.
Library should cough up a lot not online. Excited!
That is pequilar about the '63 arrest recs, please inquire.

May need to go to parish or county clerks or accessors office too for some things but that old stuff is either microfiched or gotta dig.
Good Hunting!!

Okay so I did a cursory search through the 1960 directory, and there are no listings for either Nick J. Gagliano or Edward Parent in the white pages. Gagliano is not in the attorney listings either. 

I did find a "Betty Mrs." Parent listed as a waitress at Kolb's Restaurant, and a "Ruth N" listed as an X-Ray tech. Edward's current wife is Ruth Carolyn, so I'm beginning to suspect he really was Mr. Betty at the time, but still need a lot more confirmation.




I did find the guy who was managing rentals with Parkchester in 1960, a Stanley D Hart, so that might be a lead.




The Ancestry '60 directory seems to only go through P, unless there's another file I haven't found yet, which is a bummer. It also won't let me download the entire file, it's just one page at a time, which is gonna be a massive pain - that I think I'll have to do cause the online version isn't searchable. It's definitely worth the 14-day free trial though. I'll dig around in the late 50's versions too until I can make it out to New Orleans.

3570 Gentilly comes up twice in that page to Clarence and Bertha but also to Kay L. and is employed at Mercy Hospital like Ruth N.

also 2309 Chippewa comes up 5 times

10916 Curran three times

and 4927 Eastern twice.

1465 Derbingy twice

Palmyra twice

mostly Husband wife listings .

Chippewa is interesting though.

I recall way back in the day sifting through databases for hundred pages. See something, click on it and when done the back button took you back to page 1. Feel lucky youre searching modern data at least.
Good Hunting!!
Ed

I spoke with Nick J. Gagliano’s daughter today and she said that his first office was indeed at 2003 Metairie Rd. There is still some dispute from other residents of the area since Dixie Finance occupied 2001 Metairie Rd. at the time, which is now the building numbered as 2003, but she seemed extremely credible, and said she worked there herself as a teenager. She also gave me some interesting information on one of Gagliano’s partners John Mmahat, who Gagliano supposedly didn’t like, and who was subsequently jailed for shady business practices. I will look into that a bit more for sure.

I also might have an idea of how the Southern Research crew came into contact with Gagliano and Co. Before Southern Research of New Orleans was incorporated, the original Southern Research had an office on Baronne St. in downtown New Orleans. I will verify the street numbers tomorrow, but that office was very close to the office of Peter Duffy, who was the fellow asst. US Attorney who later teamed up with Gagliano and Mmahat. I think Duffy’s office was the US attorney’s office as well, but either way it’s a reasonable possibility for how Charles Carson etc. might have met the lawyers who he later contacted to incorporate his independent branch.  

Still though, no further information on Shirley Riggs or Ed Parent. The daughter knows what I’m working on and wants to help, so maybe she’ll turn up something, but I’ve got a few other solid leads too for people who might have further info. I’ve also managed, after three days of tedious screwing around with it, to make a searchable copy of the 1960 New Orleans city directory, though it is incomplete and only goes through the letter P since that was all that was available online. I’ll try to post that tomorrow too.

The New Orleans office of Southern Research Inc. in 1960 was at 348 Barrone St., and Duffy's office which I'm 95% sure was the U.S. Attorney's office at that time was at 204 Barrone. I didn't even think of this but as FBI agents in the late 50's, Carson and Roberts may have just known Gagliano etc. from the Justice Department. 

Also, the history of 2003 Metaire Rd. is turning out to be pretty fascinating, even if it has nothing to do with the Kennedy case. Prior to Gagliano moving in, the office was run by two attorneys named Wick Timish and Burt Clark. One of Clark's clients was a corrupt Jefferson county sheriff name Coci, who was allegedly affiliated with the mafia. Clark purchased a bunch of shares in a race track on Coci's behalf without his knowledge, and some time later Clark was found shot in the head in his office at 2003 Metaire Rd. with a .38 at his side. The coroner ruled it a suicide. Timish was devastated, got a government job and gave the office to Gagliano because he thought he'd eventually be coming back, but Timish also died not too long after, the circumstances of which I do not know yet, so Gagliano kept the office. Then when Gagliano got the job with the U.S. Attorney's office, he gave the office to his future partner and future convict Joseph Mmahat, but continued to use the office for private clients - I'm assuming in a situation like Southern Research of New Orleans with Mmahat as a witnessing attorney. Where this becomes relevant is that Shirley Riggs may have actually been affiliated with Mmahat, the guy who later went to prison for corruption, and not Gagliano. I have a couple other solid leads on her identity too. 

Also, after basically a week of computer bullshit, here is a searchable copy of the 1960 NOLA City Directory if anyone is interested. The OCR is far from perfect but it's definitely good enough to use as a finding aid. The .pdf is too big to view online, 1GB+, but it should work great when downloaded:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17_L3w48Fzyw20izoywxWu5hF2sLg5dlR/view?usp=sharing

This is really juicy stuff.
If you could get a reply from Parent or a Mmahat as to what the hell was going on with the cubanos and Oswald the CIA and Mob to connect it all together... there'd be some traction.

Cheers Ed

I’m working on it, and if I can’t get a reply hell I’m close enough that I’ll drive out there and go door knocking in Kenner. I think at this point there’s enough here that I’d be pissed at myself if I didn’t at least try.

I found something pretty interesting on Mmahat. The attorney in question is John; Joseph Jr. is the brother and both were convicted of multiple counts of fraud, conspiracy, etc. in 1994. In ‘67 right after the death of Ferrie, Garrison did a meeting with local businessmen that spawned the Truth and Consequences Committee, which provided support and funding to Garrison’s investigation. The membership was supposed to be secret, but a reporter got the names of a few members and published them in a local newspaper. One of the released names was John Mmahat, who was at that time, according to the article, also a member of the local Aviation Board.

This is another reason why I really need Garrison’s original notes on his ‘77 talk with William Walter. Sure I can use Bill Davy’s book as a source, but anyone scrutinizing this research could hammer on that point alone and claim Davy and DiEugenio fudged what Garrison really wrote down - or worse - since their books are the only references anywhere to those notes and their descriptions of the notes are quite different. According to Davy, Walter told Garrison that a group of FBI agents including “special agent” Ed Parent were involved in illegally bugging Garrison’s office. I think it’s pretty clear that Parent was not FBI, so if Walter’s information was even remotely credible it suggests an operation run not by the FBI but by Southern Research of New Orleans on behalf of Clay Shaw’s lawyers.

And now we have John Mmahat, the corrupt witnessing attorney and possible silent partner in Southern Research of New Orleans through Shirley Riggs, joining up with a support/fundraising group for Garrison’s office - which by the end of ‘67 was hopelessly infiltrated by fake volunteers, had documents stolen, and had a key investigator defect to the other side. It seems a little suspicious, and that’s without even considering the odd “coincidences” from ‘63.

I was supposed to get Davy’s contact info through Len Osanic, but he ended up just saying that he told Davy what I was looking for and that Davy said he’d check - and that was two weeks ago, so it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence about these notes. The information wasn’t just pulled out of someone’s ass; I’m sure a 1977 handwritten document from Garrison exists or at least existed, but it may be more significant than previously thought and it belongs at NARA, not buried in a box somewhere in Bill Davy’s basement. If anyone here has an email address for Davy let me know. I’m sure I can convince him to find the notes if he really has them.

Like I said its getting juicy.



Good stuff Tom.
Ed

I think the association with Southern Research of New Orleans is pretty incriminating on it’s own, but I found some more evidence that Mmahat was a false Garrison supporter and was likely working against him. First off, two of the three founding members of Truth and Consequences were also founding members of INCA, and at least one other member was an INCA director. I found an interesting essay that gets into this a bit from Jerry Rose, who wrote a lot of very well researched articles for The Third (and fourth) Decade:

http://www.assassinationweb.com/roseb1.htm

The significance to Mmahat, besides him being a prominent member of that committee, is that he was also an attorney for and ally with Harry Connick Sr., and later represented Connick in a lawsuit Garrison filed against him alleging election fraud. Connick’s role in the Shaw trial - specifically his protection of Regis Kennedy - and his later destruction of Garrison’s files is well documented. He was as anti-Garrison as it gets, and I think it’s pretty clear that Mmahat was too. Mmahat also wrote a revealing newspaper article attacking Garrison when the bogus bribe case was brought against him in ‘73:

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/G%20Disk/Garrison%20Jim/Garrison%20Jim%20Criminal%20Trial%201973/Item%20116.pdf

Nick Gagliano’s daughter told me that Gagliano was uncomfortable with a lot of the stuff Mmahat was up to which eventually led Gagliano to leave the firm. Basically the fraud case from the 90s was just when Mmahat finally got caught. The guy was corrupt to the core. That ‘73 newspaper article was obviously written to turn voters against Garrison, but of course Mmahat doesn’t disclose that he was working for Garrison’s opponent and that his “opinion piece” was just a political ad. Garrison lost that race by just over 2,000 votes. I’ll have to find the actual court transcript, since the case went to trial after Garrison won an appeal and had a dismissal reversed by the Louisiana Supreme Court, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his allegations of voter fraud actually had merit. When Connick took office, Garrison’s ongoing case against Kerry Thornley and other investigations related to the JFK case fizzled out within months, and Connick later famously destroyed Garrison’s files.

Amazing how this all ties together.
BTW I spell Connick with a U, L, and T minus an O and N.
Sr and Jr. Included.
They are the flies in the proverbial ointment.
Jr has never helped the research community get to the bottom of anything. Literally a bastard child. They were the Albert and Brian Doyle of the day. I hate to say it but he and pops are the "types" we are after.
This pretty much brings it full circle!
Excited to see a response to this from any Connick supporters.
Excited is a metaphor of course.

Just to give thread some perspective....

"Former DA Harry Connick defends his leadership, reputation | Crime/Police | nola.com" https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_c59c8c19-8f0a-5e85-9144-cfb789576a35.html

"My reputation is based on something other than a case, or two cases or five cases, or one interception or 20 interceptions. Look at the rest of my record. I have more yards than anybody," Connick said.

What a jerk.
This is comprable to Will Fritz who cared little as to how many innocents get in the way of the machinery.


Critics ripped the decision, most notably Justice Ginsburg, in a strafing dissent.

"In Ruth Bader Ginsburg's view, Connick was, at best, an out-of-touch DA who left inexperienced prosecutors to try high-stakes cases with virtually no training in their responsibilities to turn over evidence favorable to defendants."

Come on a rookie DA knows better than withhold evidence. If they had any questions these DAs could or would have consulted Connick. I believe that happened and they kept evidence favorable to or outright exculpatory of the defendants.

Connick was a dirty DA. Played dirty and got caught.
Only in NO is he some hero or something preverted.


Ginsburg declared Connick's office "deliberately indifferent" to Brady v. Maryland, the 1963 high court decision requiring the state to turn over exculpatory evidence. She wrote that the office's instruction on Brady and similar court rulings amounted to little more than four sentences in a manual; that Connick himself misunderstood the law; and that his "cavalier" attitude spurred a "culture of inattention" to defendants' rights

Ginsburg cited testimony from Connick, often recounted by defense advocates, that he had stopped reading law books when he took office in 1974.

This was a crook with no law book!

I got a reply from Ed.
Left a message with some details.
Carolyn called back and after I asked about companies she handed phone to Ed.
He said he was with Southland Corp.
He knew what Southern Research was an investigative firm. He said he was not involved.
Did not know Attny Gagliano, Mmahat, Riggs etc.

Must be glitch in records by the websites that associated this together....?
I can call back if there is something else.
Ed

Ed.Ledoux wrote:I got a reply from Ed.
Left a message with some details.
Carolyn called back and after I asked about companies she handed phone to Ed.
He said he was with Southland Corp.
He knew what Southern Research was an investigative firm. He said he was not involved.
Did not know Attny Gagliano, Mmahat, Riggs etc.

Must be glitch in records by the websites that associated this together....?
I can call back if there is something else.
Ed

Well he just seemed like the best candidate, as an Edward E. Parent of a plausible age with ties to Metairie. He was only 27 at the time though, which does seem a bit young to be given shares in a company by two veteran former FBI agents.  

The only references to Parent in relation to all this are the Garrison document on the articles of incorporation and the ‘77 Walter notes cited in Bill Davy’s book. Did you ask if he’d lived in Parkchester apartments? If he did then I’d assume it’s the right guy and he just doesn’t want to talk about it; if not there’s gotta be another Edward E. Parent out there who’s probably long dead. 

If this Edward was with Southland Corp. in the 60’s that should be listed along with his name in the city directories. There is no Edward Parent in the ‘60 one, and all the later ones are only available in New Orleans so I’ll check when I make it out there. 

Assuming he’s telling the truth, what’s interesting is the possibility of a different Edward who was married or directly related to Betty Parent. Betty is described as a girlfriend and landlady of William Dalzell in FBI documents, but there could be more to the story - since there is a "Betty Mrs." listed in the '60 directory. The only address ever listed for her by the FBI, as far as I know, was 935 Dauphine St. which wasn’t until Dec. ‘64. 

The other possibility is that Edward E. Parent was an alias, but I don’t think that’s possible to verify. The timing of the incorporation, and 4525 Duplessis St. does raise an eyebrow though. Southern Research Inc. was based out of Shreveport but had an office in New Orleans since it’s inception in ‘58. Based on the ‘60 city directory they moved from 348 Barrone down the street to the Maritime building in the early ‘60s. The only address available for Southern Research of New Orleans though is the Masonic Temple Building from ‘67 that housed the CIA.

I did find an Edward Parent of the right age from Houston in yearbook photos; big guy, football player and ROTC cadet. I haven’t found any other info though yet. I also found out Ruth Carolyn’s maiden name was Ruth Bumpus, but I’m not sure how much help that’ll be.

Mentioned Parkchester.,
Cubans.
and Bringuier.... nothing rang a bell.