Index of Grand Jury Transcripts

Zachary Strate Jr.


1964 Press Photo James Hoffa & Zachary Strate Jr.
two of the eight defendants in the Teamster Union pension fund fraud case

Zachary "Red" Strate was a Real Estate Developer in New Orleans at the time of the assassination.
His involvement in the story is quite remarkable. He was a member of the Teamster Union, and involved
in an 8 member indictment, that included Jimmy Hoffa, on a $20 million pension fraud scheme.

That trial ended in a guilty verdict for all involved, and Strate got 9 nine counts with a possible 5 years on each count.
He served some time and was still appealing the case in the summer of '67 when he went to the DA's office in
New Orleans to report a meeting he attended, with Walter Sheridan and District Judge Malcolm O'Hara.

Prior to that verdict, in March of '64, Hoffa was convicted in Chattanooga for jury tampering, in Nashville Tennessee.
That case has a very interesting relation to certain circumstances in this case.
Hoffa was found guilty when a Louisiana Teamster named Edward Partin became the star witness for the prosecution.

Partin suddenly revealed incriminating evidence, statements and documents at trial that completely destroyed any defense.
But there was a problem, Partin had not made any of these statements when he testified to the Grand Jury prior to the trial.
The one that did, was Walter Sheridan. Sheridan had been assigned to the case by special appointment of Bobby Kennedy.
Partin was used to provide an in-depth FBI investigation of surveillance and wiretaps. Sheridan had set it all up.

Then in 1967, Walter Sheridan was sent to New Orleans to "stop the Garrison probe, no matter what it took...".

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Zachary "Red" Strate | Grand Jury Testimony

Q. Tell us the nature of your conversation with Walter Sheridan at the Bourbon-Orleans?

A. Well, right after they went away he got friendly and acted confidential and started talking very informally
and he said to me, "I am here in New Orleans representing Robert Kennedy and I have been sent down here to stop the
probe, no matter what it took."

Q. Did you know who he was?

A. Of course, I recognized him as soon as I walked in.
While I was on trial in Chicago he was around the Courthouse on many occasions.

Q. Tell us the nature of your conversation with Mr. Sheridan?

A. Well, he informed me that he was down here to stop the Garrison probe, no matter what it took,
and I asked him, "How do you intend to do this?"

He said, "with your help",

I said, "How do you expect me to help you?" and he said,
"well, you can get Pershing Gervais to help".

I said, "what do you want him to do?"
He said he couldn't get Perry Russo to change his story because Garrison wouldn't do him anything if he attempted to do this.

Judge Malcolm V. O'Hara



Malcolm O'Hara, was a Criminal District Court Judge, in the Parish of Orleans. He appeared before the Grand Jury on August 09,1967.
He was there to discuss the conversation he overheard between, Walter Sheridan, and Red Straite. "...why won't you let me give you some help in Chicago?"
The Judge told the court, Ed Baldwin heard it too. Baldwin denied to the Grand Jury that he heard the remark, but Red Straite also said, Sheridan asked him
that directly while the two were sitting alone.

This is related to the Chattanooga jury tampering and conviction appeal that had been going on since 1964. Teamster Leader, Jimmy Hoffa was convicted of
four of the 20 counts against him and sentenced to eight years in jail. That case was at a standstill, an appeal hearing was scheduled later in August '67.
Red told that hearing, Judge O'Hara tried to get Ed Partin to sign a confession to wiretapping. Partin refused. O'Hara was charged with misconduct.

It is interesting O'Hara was the one that contacts the District Attorneys office to warn them about these actions.
Jim Garrison and the Judge were adversaries, had been for a long time, and a long time to come. O'Hara tried to unseat Garrison on malfeasance.
The two had completed in elections and here O'Hara was clear to Baldwin, "I said, "if they do, maybe this will severely hurt,
it might even obliterate Garrison but let me tell you something, I am not interested in doing this, I am physically tired,
I am emotionally drained, I do not want to be involved in any fracas with Mr. Garrison, I took him alone, he beat me, that is the end of it."

The intent of all this was to destroy Garrison. To get Perry Russo to change his story, causing it to blow up in the face of the DA's Office.
Baldwin, Sheridan, Straite & Partin had worked against the system with jury tampering, and O'Hara became concerned, when Baldwin and Sheridan
reminded him that he picks the Grand Jury. The Judge said, he felt these were intimidating, even threatening statements to make.
O'Hara volunteered this information to Garrison out of deep concern. The District Attorney's Office has done nothing wrong in these proceedings.
It is clear reading thru these last three testimonies, that these are the bad guys with the intent from a higher authority, to shut done this investigation.

Consider Robert Kennedy sending Walter Sheridan to New Orleans to stop the Garrison investigation. Why? One would think, he would want to know more.
But, if RFK was aware of anti-Castro involvement, or worse, a CIA operative plan to kill Castro that may have turned on the president. What else could he do?

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Grand Jury Testimony

Q. What occurred at the Fontainebleau when you met Mr. Baldwin?

A. At lunch, Baldwin enumerated in detail what this program was to consist of and witness by witness as to who would
appear on the show and what they would say. He enumerated or spelled out his personal dislike for Jim Garrison,
that he personally thought that he should be destroyed, that Sheridan's sole mission in the City of New Orleans with
this so-called documentary was to end the problem, destroy Garrison or to get him to resign. We talked about how Mr.
Garrison's campaign had affected his life, and what happened to me thereafter, and Baldwin was very vindictive about the
results of the campaign. I told him, I said "Look, Baldwin, that ball game is over, I have forgotten about it, I am
trying to lead my life as normally as possible".

Rancier Ehlinger | Aug. 16, 1967



Rancier Ehlinger, came back to the Grand Jury on August 16, 1967. Back in '61, he was one of the burglars at
the Schlumberger bunker, in Houma, LA. On this visit, they were interested in discussing the, ...gathering of armaments,
ammunition, trucks and other such items in connection with activities pointing toward Cuba.", as it related to,
Clay Shaw and Jack Ruby, who may have been doing the same thing at the same time.

According to Ehlinger, Ferrie knew, Sergio Aracha Smith, and Novel knew both of them. Gordon never mentioned Ruby,
but had some dealings with Shaw before retiring, "...He had some business dealings with Shaw back in 1964,
1965, pertaining to securing the concessions in the Trade Mart, but Mr. Shaw retired at the time and he was unable to secure
this contract for his, services." Shaw retiring before the contract could be agreed, doesn't preclude operations involving CIA.

Near the end of his testimony, he said that, he was told much later, the Houma Operation was CIA involved.

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Grand Jury Testimony

Q. Do you know whether or not Gordon knew Sergio Arcacha Smith?

A, Yes, Gordon does know Sergio. Their first connection came about with the - as I remember it
it came about in regards to a television show which was going to be put on Channel 4 to raise money for the Cuban Exiles.
This was sometime prior to the Bay of Pigs, as I remember it. That is where the association came about.

Q. Did Gordon ever tell you that he had connections with the Central Intelligence Agency?

A. He did tell me on occasion, but I never did meet any of these people and as to the veracity of that I would not
be able to state whether its true or untrue.

Josephine Hug | August 23, 1967



Josephine Hug, was an executive secretary for the Trade Mart in 1963. She worked for, Public Relations Director, Jessie Cort.
Goldie Moore was Clay Shaw's secretary, her desk, and Shaw's office door, were both in close proximity to Mrs. Hug's desk.
When she saw a picture of David Ferrie, after he died, she realized, that may have been the man that had visited Shaw at the Trade Mart.
She went down to the District Attorney's office and told her story to DA Asst., Richard Burnes, then he talked to Dr. Nix and her story changed.

David Ferrie is not someone anyone would easily forget, in both looks and behavior. Josephine changed her story once she had spoken to others.
She had come forward and contacted the District's Attorney's office. Her description of the man was spot on David Ferrie without mentioning his name.
Mr. Hugs came along to help and give added support, to "a new story". That is, they both have seen the man on the street, since Ferrie has died.

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Jasper Hug | Grand Jury Testimony

Q. Wouldn't it be important to tell us that this man was alive and Dave Ferrie was dead,
and therefore this man could not be Dave Ferrie?

A. I thought she had made this clear to you before, that she had seen this man previously.
Since Dave Ferrie had died, she told you that and I thought she made the statement in front of the Grand Jury.

Q. She had not made that statement to the Grand Jury.
A. That she had seen this man since Ferrie had died.

Q. Positively not. Had she told you that she had seen him since Ferrie had died?
A. Yes.

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Josephine Hug | Grand Jury Testimony

Q. Do you recall me asking you if you could say that Ferrie and this man were not the same one, and you said because
of the photograph, this morning do you recall me asking you that? In other words, when we started talking do you
recall me asking you if you believed at the time or if you were uncertain, and then asking you if you know now that
he is not the same man, and you said because of the photographs you showed me. Do you recall that this morning when
I first started talking to you?

A. I don't believe so.

Q. You don't believe that I asked you that? Because if I did you should have told me that I know he isn't the
man because I saw him on the street. That is what you should have told me when I was asking you if you know
now, shouldn't you?

A. Well, I thought it was unimportant.