GARRISON, Jim

GARRISON, Jim (b. Nov. 20, 1921, Knoxville, Iowa, U.S.—d. Oct. 21, 1992, New Orleans, La., U.S.), American district attorney who conducted the only prosecution of an alleged Kennedy assassination conspiracy, trying New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw in 1969 on charges that ended in acquittal but inspired decades of conspiracy research.

After serving as a pilot in World War II and attending law school, Garrison was elected district attorney of Orleans Parish in 1961, campaigning on a platform of fighting organized crime and police corruption. His early career focused on routine criminal prosecution until the Kennedy assassination sparked his interest in conspiracy theories.

Garrison’s investigation began in late 1966 when he encountered David Ferrie, a former Civil Air Patrol instructor who had known Lee Harvey Oswald during Oswald’s teenage years in New Orleans. Ferrie’s eccentric appearance, anti-Castro activities, and mysterious death in February 1967 convinced Garrison that a New Orleans-based conspiracy had killed Kennedy.

The district attorney’s investigation expanded to include claims about CIA operatives, anti-Castro Cubans, and homosexual conspirators operating from New Orleans. Garrison alleged that a cabal of right-wing extremists had plotted Kennedy’s death to prevent withdrawal from Vietnam, using Oswald as a patsy while the real shooters fired from multiple locations in Dealey Plaza.

On March 1, 1967, Garrison arrested Clay Bertrand Shaw, a prominent New Orleans businessman and civic leader, charging him with conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy. Garrison claimed Shaw had used the alias “Clay Bertrand” and had met with Oswald and Ferrie to plan the assassination, though evidence for these meetings proved problematic.

The trial, held from January to March 1969, became a media spectacle featuring testimony from questionable witnesses, including heroin addict Perry Russo, who claimed to have witnessed conspiracy meetings under hypnosis and sodium pentothal. Garrison’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and witness testimony that defense attorneys systematically dismantled.

Shaw’s defense team, led by F. Irvin Dymond, demonstrated that prosecution witnesses had criminal backgrounds, mental health issues, or financial motivations for their testimony. The defense showed that Shaw had been out of the country during some alleged conspiracy meetings and that no credible evidence linked him to Oswald or assassination plotting.

The jury deliberated less than an hour before acquitting Shaw on March 1, 1969, exactly two years after his arrest. Jurors later stated that they found the prosecution’s case lacking in credible evidence and that Garrison had failed to prove Shaw’s involvement in any conspiracy.

Despite the acquittal, Garrison continued promoting conspiracy theories through books, lectures, and media appearances. His investigation attracted supporters who viewed him as courageously challenging the Warren Commission’s findings, while critics dismissed him as a publicity-seeking prosecutor who had ruined an innocent man’s reputation.

Garrison’s case introduced many conspiracy theories that became staples of Kennedy assassination research, including claims about multiple shooters, CIA involvement, and cover-up operations. His work influenced researchers like Mark Lane and Jim Marrs, who expanded on themes Garrison had introduced during his investigation.

Oliver Stone’s 1991 film “JFK” was based largely on Garrison’s account of events, with Garrison himself appearing in a cameo role as Earl Warren. The film renewed public interest in conspiracy theories while generating criticism from historians who questioned Garrison’s methods and conclusions.

Modern assessments of Garrison’s work generally view his investigation as deeply flawed, noting his reliance on unreliable witnesses, circumstantial evidence, and theories unsupported by credible documentation. However, his case remains significant as the only attempt to prosecute alleged Kennedy assassination conspirators and as a catalyst for ongoing conspiracy research.