Episode 165 The Garrison Investigation Part 15 Garrison Rebuttal of the NBC Whitepaper Published May 23, 2023
Episode 165 is the fifteenth in a new series of episodes that chronicle the story of the Garrison investigation in New Orleans and the related trial of Clay Shaw. Today’s episode features the audio from Jim Garrison’s nationally televised rebuttal of the NBC Whitepaper on the Garrison Investigation. While the NBC White Paper shed some light on many controversial aspects of the investigation, there was a clear bias contained in the programming. Outraged, Jim Garrison appealed to the FCC and, under the “then existing fairness doctrine”, he was granted 30 minutes of prime time on NBC to rebut the case. Garrison used the rebuttal to make his bigger than life case about the true forces behind the Kennedy assassination, but avoided addressing the specific allegations about his investigation that were leveled during NBC’s program. The NBC White Paper aired on June 19th, 1967, and Garrison’s rebuttal came within weeks. The NBC White Paper was a major blow to Garrison and his team. On the surface, this prime time television special was an attempt by NBC to address the controversial aspects of the Garrison investigation, which had already resulted in the arrest of Clay Shaw on March 1st, 1967. Shaw was subsequently indicted, after a preliminary hearing and a grand jury proceeding, under the charge of conspiracy to murder President Kennedy. One of the principal forces behind the NBC White Paper was Walter Sheridan and his ultimate objective was to discredit the investigation overall. NBC attacked the rather flimsy evidence that Garrison’s team presented in a preliminary hearing…evidence used to justify arresting Clay Shaw. NBC also addressed what appeared to be dubious methods applied by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office to obtain testimony from key witnesses. Finally they would attempt to refute that Clay Shaw was Clay Bertrand resulting in an embarrassing faux pas by the network that backfired. Many of the so called witnesses featured in the NBC White Paper were subsequently summoned to testify in front of the Orleans Parish Grand Jury and repeat their statements under oath. Playing hardball, Garrison used this tool to test whether the statements made on the NBC TV special were truthful. Several of the witnesses appearing on the NBC program refused to answer such questions before the grand jury, citing their right to avoid self incrimination.
Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it, were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government’s stated narrative from the very beginning. This real-life story is more fascinating than fiction. No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.
