Someone to Come Forward to Give Me Legal Assistance
Jul 17, 2020 10:21:53 GMT -5
Arjan Hut likes this
Post by Michael Capasse on Jul 17, 2020 10:21:53 GMT -5
Someone to Come Forward to Give Me Legal Assistance
Lee Oswald was arrested just before 2:00p on Nov. 22, 1963.
He was held under the responsibility of the Dallas Police Dept until he was shot and killed Sunday morning about 11:20a.
A little more than 44 hours. From the beginning he made it clear, he wanted attorney representation.
The first time he requested a lawyer was when he was arrested. He was still hopeful at the time of his death.
SGT Gerald Hill | WC Testimony
Mr. HILL. Now if we can back up a little bit to where we made the, got him handcuffed in the theatre,
before we started moving out with him, he started, Oswald or the suspect at this point,
we didn't know who he was, so we will keep on calling him the suspect, started making statements about "I want a lawyer.
I know my rights. Typical police brutality. Why are you doing this to me."
------------------------------------------------------------
The interrogation reports in Appendix XI, contain no statements that Lee was allowed or even told he could have an attorney.
All except one make it clear, this ability is only noted as a promise left unfulfilled very early Saturday morning.
Capt. Fritz wrote
Oswald asked if he could have an attorney and I told him he could have any attorney he liked and
that the telephone would be available to him up in the jail and he could call anyone wished,
I believe it was during his first interview that he first expressed a desire to call Mr. Abt. an attorney from New York
(WCR 602)
Lee was interrogated, brought thru line ups, fingerprinted, then more questions, then more line ups, and more questions.
This went on until after midnight on Friday. The first time Oswald was "up in the jail" was after 12:00 AM Dallas time.
1:00 AM New York time. (WCR 198)
Lee's first choice of attorney was a New York lawyer named, John Abt.
In an interrogation report from FBI Agent Bookout,
(10:30 A.M.-1:10 P.M. Capt. Will Fritz's Office)
Oswald stated that he desired to contact Attorney Abt New York City,
indicating that Abt was the attorney who had defended the Smith Act Case about 1949 - 1950.
He stated that he does not know Attorney Abt personally.
Captain Fritz advised Oswald that arrangements would be immediately made whereby he could call Attorney Abt.
There is no evidence Lee was given the actual opportunity before this moment.
He had not been granted this opportunity "up in his cell" as promised the night before.
Yet he has been requesting an attorney since his arrest on Friday.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First Choice | John Abt
NY Attorney John Abt and his wife had planned a weekend vacation in a little cabin in the Connecticut woods.
They left the city sometime on Friday evening, and by Saturday morning his name had gotten out to the press.
Almost immediately he was barraged with calls from every newspaper and media outlet in the country.
He told them all from Saturday until Sunday, he was extremely busy, and would not be able to accept this case.
WC Testimony
Mr. ABT - On Friday evening, the 22d, my wife and I left the city to spend the weekend
at a little cabin we have up in the Connecticut woods. Sometime on Saturday, several people phoned me to say that
they had heard on the radio that Oswald had asked that I represent him, and then shortly after that the press--
both the press, radio, and TV reporters began to call me up there. I may say we have a radio but we have no TV there.
And in the interim I turned on the radio and heard the same report.
I informed them--and these calls kept on all day and night Saturday and again Sunday morning--
I informed all of the reporters with whom I spoke that I had received no request either from Oswald or
from anyone on his behalf to represent him, and hence I was in no position to give any definitive answer
to any such proposal if, as and when it came.
I told them, however, that if I were requested to represent him, I felt that it would probably be difficult,
if not impossible, for me to do so because of my commitments to other clients.
I never had any communication, either directly from Oswald or from anyone on his behalf,
and all of my information about the whole matter to this day came from what the press told me in those telephone
conversations and what I subsequently read in the newspapers.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Who told Lee?
"There is no indication Lee was ever informed of this unavailability of his first choice and every indication
that he still didn't know this at the time of his death. The interrogation reports are consistent in representing
the continual request for Mr. Abt." [Whitewash | Harold Wesiberg pg. 69]
Lee Oswald was arrested just before 2:00p on Nov. 22, 1963.
He was held under the responsibility of the Dallas Police Dept until he was shot and killed Sunday morning about 11:20a.
A little more than 44 hours. From the beginning he made it clear, he wanted attorney representation.
The first time he requested a lawyer was when he was arrested. He was still hopeful at the time of his death.
SGT Gerald Hill | WC Testimony
Mr. HILL. Now if we can back up a little bit to where we made the, got him handcuffed in the theatre,
before we started moving out with him, he started, Oswald or the suspect at this point,
we didn't know who he was, so we will keep on calling him the suspect, started making statements about "I want a lawyer.
I know my rights. Typical police brutality. Why are you doing this to me."
------------------------------------------------------------
The interrogation reports in Appendix XI, contain no statements that Lee was allowed or even told he could have an attorney.
All except one make it clear, this ability is only noted as a promise left unfulfilled very early Saturday morning.
Capt. Fritz wrote
Oswald asked if he could have an attorney and I told him he could have any attorney he liked and
that the telephone would be available to him up in the jail and he could call anyone wished,
I believe it was during his first interview that he first expressed a desire to call Mr. Abt. an attorney from New York
(WCR 602)
Lee was interrogated, brought thru line ups, fingerprinted, then more questions, then more line ups, and more questions.
This went on until after midnight on Friday. The first time Oswald was "up in the jail" was after 12:00 AM Dallas time.
1:00 AM New York time. (WCR 198)
Lee's first choice of attorney was a New York lawyer named, John Abt.
In an interrogation report from FBI Agent Bookout,
(10:30 A.M.-1:10 P.M. Capt. Will Fritz's Office)
Oswald stated that he desired to contact Attorney Abt New York City,
indicating that Abt was the attorney who had defended the Smith Act Case about 1949 - 1950.
He stated that he does not know Attorney Abt personally.
Captain Fritz advised Oswald that arrangements would be immediately made whereby he could call Attorney Abt.
There is no evidence Lee was given the actual opportunity before this moment.
He had not been granted this opportunity "up in his cell" as promised the night before.
Yet he has been requesting an attorney since his arrest on Friday.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First Choice | John Abt
NY Attorney John Abt and his wife had planned a weekend vacation in a little cabin in the Connecticut woods.
They left the city sometime on Friday evening, and by Saturday morning his name had gotten out to the press.
Almost immediately he was barraged with calls from every newspaper and media outlet in the country.
He told them all from Saturday until Sunday, he was extremely busy, and would not be able to accept this case.
WC Testimony
Mr. ABT - On Friday evening, the 22d, my wife and I left the city to spend the weekend
at a little cabin we have up in the Connecticut woods. Sometime on Saturday, several people phoned me to say that
they had heard on the radio that Oswald had asked that I represent him, and then shortly after that the press--
both the press, radio, and TV reporters began to call me up there. I may say we have a radio but we have no TV there.
And in the interim I turned on the radio and heard the same report.
I informed them--and these calls kept on all day and night Saturday and again Sunday morning--
I informed all of the reporters with whom I spoke that I had received no request either from Oswald or
from anyone on his behalf to represent him, and hence I was in no position to give any definitive answer
to any such proposal if, as and when it came.
I told them, however, that if I were requested to represent him, I felt that it would probably be difficult,
if not impossible, for me to do so because of my commitments to other clients.
I never had any communication, either directly from Oswald or from anyone on his behalf,
and all of my information about the whole matter to this day came from what the press told me in those telephone
conversations and what I subsequently read in the newspapers.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Who told Lee?
"There is no indication Lee was ever informed of this unavailability of his first choice and every indication
that he still didn't know this at the time of his death. The interrogation reports are consistent in representing
the continual request for Mr. Abt." [Whitewash | Harold Wesiberg pg. 69]
