Date: Mon, 15 Apr 96 11:34

  [[ posted on alt.conspiracy.jfk 4-14-96 by
     clint.bradford@atdbbs.com (Clint Bradford) ]]

-------------------- ARRB News of 4-9-96 -------------------------


This is a corrected copy of the 04/09/96 ARRP Press Release. One of
the mysteries of the Internet is the treatment of apostrophes and
quotation marks - which were "eliminated" in earlier copies of this
release. [Proofed with Tom Samoluk 04/09/96, 11:40am PDT.]



N  E  W S      R  E  L  E  A  S  E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              CONTACT: TOM SAMOLUK
APRIL 9, 1996                               (202) 724-0088, EXT.  227

JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS REVIEW BOARD RELEASES FILES OF
JIM GARRISON AND CLAY SHAW DEFENSE ATTORNEY

The Assassination Records Review Board announced today the release of
records from the private files of former New Orleans District Attorney
Jim Garrison and from the files of Edward Wegmann, a member of Clay
Shaw's defense team. Garrison conducted an investigation into the
assassination of President Kennedy in the late 1960's. Shaw was tried
by Garrison and acquitted in 1969 on the charge of conspiring to kill
the President.

"These are the first private records that the Board has made a part of
the JFK Collection," said the Honorable John R. Tunheim, Chair of the
Review Board. "The Garrison investigation into the Kennedy assassination
is an important part of the history of this case. As a result of the
generosity of both the Garrison and Wegmann families, the public will
be able to gain further insight into the investigation from two very
different views. I hope their contributions will serve as a model for
others who possess records that should be part of the JFK Collection
and available to the public."

Last year, as part of its effort to make the JFK Collection as complete
as possible, the Review Board focused attention on potential sources of
assassination records in New Orleans. The Board conducted a public
hearing in New Orleans in June 1995.

After being approached by the Review Board, the late Jim Garrison's
family agreed to donate a collection of records on the assassination of
President Kennedy that Garrison had kept at his residence. The
collection includes records from his assassination investigation and
prosecution of Clay Shaw, as well as other files on individuals or
subjects that Garrison thought were connected to the assassination.
There are approximately 15,000 pages in the Garrison collection.

The family of the late Edward Wegmann, who was a member of the legal
team which defended Clay Shaw at his 1969 assassination conspiracy
trial, agreed to donate Mr. Wegmann's files to the JFK Collection.
Some of the documents in the Wegmann collection came from the office
files of District Attorney Garrison. William Gurvich, an investigator
for Garrison, made copies of many internal memoranda and witness
interviews from the District Attorney's files when he left the office
after becoming disenchanted with Garrison and the investigation. He
turned the documents over to Shaw's attorneys. There are approximately
6,000 pages in the Wegmann collection.

The original documents being released today have been transferred to
the National Archives and Records Administration for inclusion in the
President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection, which is
housed at the National Archives facility in College Park, Maryland.

Copies of selected documents from both the Garrison and Wegmann
collections are available from the Assassination Records Review Board,
600 E Street, NW, Second Floor, Washington DC 20530; telephone number:
(202) 724-0088.

The Assassination Records Review Board was established by The President
John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, which was signed
into law by President George Bush. The five members of the Board were
appointed by President Clinton, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and sworn
in on April 11, 1994. The law gives the Review Board the mandate and
the authority to identify, secure, and make available all records
related to the assassination of President Kennedy. It is the
responsibility of the Board to determine which records are to be made
public immediately and which ones will have postponed release dates.

The Review Board consists of the following members:

The Honorable John R. Tunheim, Chair; United States District Court
Judge, District of Minnesota.

Dr. Henry F. Graff; Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia
University.

Dr. Kermit L. Hall; Dean, College of Humanities, and Professor of
History at The Ohio State University.

Dr. William L. Joyce; Associate University Librarian for Rare Books
and Special Collections at Princeton University.

Dr. Anna K. Nelson; Adjunct Professor of History at American University.

The Review Board has until October 1, 1997 to fulfill its mandate.

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