It's quite possible that Lawrence Schiller wrote the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy that killed JFK.
Several clues point to Schiller. First, he was with Jim Garrison in Las Vegas in early March 1967. While there he and Garrison discussed many of the allegations that ended up in the QUICK article:
The homosexual conspiracy that killed JFK.
A comparison to the Leopold & Loeb murder.
Schiller knew about James Dondson being with Shaw in San Francisco during the weekend of the assassination. In addition, Schiller knew that Shaw received a phone call from Richard Randoff [sic]. His real name was Randolph and both the FBI report on the information Schiller volunteered and the QUICK article have the same misspelling.
Garrison told Schiller that Ruby's nickname was "Pinkie," which was repeated in the QUICK article.
The story about Breck Wall ordering Ruby to kill Oswald was also in both the FBI report and the QUICK article.
The story about an offer of lenience to Clay Shaw, if he would turn state's evidence, was also a common theme.
A second clue is that Schiller was also privy to a lot of information from the Garrison investigation. When he met Garrison, he was working as a photographer for Life Magazine, and Life was cooperating with Garrison. Richard Billings, a top editor at Life, spent a lot of time in New Orleans, and his journal is full of references to Schiller:
March 4
Schiller has guy was with Shaw in San Francisco during assassination . . . Jim Dondson his name . . .
Schiller says Garcia Gonzales may show in Fred Kaufman picture taken in Dallas . . . Was arrested . . .
March 5
Schiller with Dondson and other gay folks . . .
Schiller says a guy named Bob Damron knows a New Orleans businessman who claims to have a job application from Oswald that lists Jack Ruby as a character references [sic] . . .
March 6
Schiller with Garrison . . .
Schiller says he's heard Oswald was gay, so was Michael Paine, and they did it together . . .
Schiller says Guthman told Liebeler it's been known for two months that Bertrand and Shaw are the same man . . .
March 8
Schiller reports from New Orleans he talking to Shaw's friends . . .
All of Schiller's sources backing Shaw all the way . . .
Schiller in Dallas to recreate picture of Oswald with weapons . . . says he has information that Shaw has used Bertrand name, not as alias, but as a legal name . . . Says Schiller, Bureau reportedly has documents signed by Clay Bertrand and handwriting checks with Shaw's . . . These are supposed to be checks or contracts . . . Schiller also in touch with Liebeler, who has index of all FBI reports . . .
(Schiller thinks he may be able to locate picture of Ruby watching motorcade . . . taken by an outpatient at Oak Cliff . . . He also list from Bureau report of all 71 people taking pictures at time) . . .
March 29
Schiller tips from Dallas gay source . . .
There is another clue that points to Schiller - the sidebar in the QUICK story about problems with the Warren Commission was based upon Schiller's upcoming book, The Scavengers and Critics of the Warren Report.
This is what the Warren Commission kept quiet
"The Scavengers and Critics of the Warren Report" is what Larry Schiller calls his report, about the people who cashed in on the death of the President, which will be published next week in America. The American author points out that the Warren Commission committed gross errors in the investigation of the Kennedy murder. The main points are:
Using Lewis and Schiller's book was a odd choice to base a sidebar on, given the fact that Mark Lane, Edward Jay Epstein and Harold Weisberg all had important books out criticizing the Warren Report. For Schiller, it was handy publicity, no?
And while Lewis and Schiller's book is extremely critical of the various Warren Report critics, it is quite flattering to Jim Garrison. Three pages (pages 201 - 203) detail the early stages of the Garrison investigation with none of the skepticism they show towards first-generation critics of the Warren Report. Schiller concludes the section with:
"But Garrison, despite a flamboyant manner which caused some skepticism among members of the press, had managed to tap new tools of investigation beyond the scope of the Warren Commission. He explored, for example, hitherto silent forces in the homosexual underground. In Las Vegas, Nevada, Garrison met with a close friend of Shaw, James Dondson, who was with Shaw at the moment Kennedy was assassinated. Garrison attempted to verify statements made by his key witness through the use of hypnosis and sodium pentothal, although it seemed doubtful whether such unproven methods would be reliable enough to obtain convictions."
Schiller almost applauds, noting that "The Commission saw no need to utilize such modern sophisticated devices as polygraph tests or drugs, unless requested by its witnesses, although there was nothing specified in their mandate which forbade the use of such modern techniques to corroborate testimony."
When Schiller met Garrison in Las Vegas, he could have convinced him that the best way to get the word out was through the European media - just as critics like Mark Lane had found out. Interestingly, Schiller had co-authored short pieces on Jack Ruby that were published in Europe in cooperation with the Ruby family.
The only problem for Garrison was that his views evolved from the time he discussed the case with Schiller to the time QUICK magazine was on the newsstands.
It is also possible that Schiller acted on his own. After his conversation with Garrison, Schiller dictated their conversations onto a forty-five minute tape recording. He gave the tape to Life Magazine, and then told the FBI about his meetings. It certainly looks like he was working both sides - talking to Garrison and assisting his investigation, and then informing the FBI. But maybe he was just on his own looking for a way to make a buck.
Here is a letter, from an apparently informed source, sent to Clay Shaw's lawyer alleging, quite plausibly, that Schiller had a long tape of Garrison's conversation with him:
Lawrence Schiller had the motive, means and opportunity. However, there is one other candidate who also could have written the QUICK article.
Tomorrow's Blog Post
Did Nerin Gun write the QUICK article?
Previous Posts on the QUICK Article