David Ferrie
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David William Ferrie (March 28, 1918 – February 22, 1967) was an American
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
and
anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
activist who was alleged by
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
Jim Garrison James Carothers Garrison (born Earling Carothers Garrison; November 20, 1921 – October 21, 1992) was the District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, from 1962 to 1973 and later a state appellate court judge. A member of the Democratic Pa ...
to have been involved in a
conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
to assassinate President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
. Garrison also alleged that Ferrie knew
Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at age 12 for truan ...
. Ferrie denied any involvement in a conspiracy and said he never knew Oswald. Decades later, photos emerged establishing that Ferrie had been in the same
Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported Nonprofit corporation, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliaries, auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CA ...
unit as Oswald in the 1950s, but critics have argued this does not prove that either Ferrie or Oswald was involved in an assassination plot.


Early life

Ferrie was born in
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. A
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, Ferrie attended St. Ignatius High School,
John Carroll University John Carroll University (JCU) is a Private university, private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio, United States. Located in a suburb of Cleveland, it is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts college, liberal arts institution compo ...
, St. Mary's Seminary, where he studied for the priesthood, and
Baldwin Wallace College Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio, United States. Established in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin, it merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallac ...
. He next spent three years at the St. Charles Seminary in
Carthagena, Ohio Carthagena ( ) is an unincorporated community in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Established by African Americans, it was home to an agricultural and industrial boarding school for African American and Indian orphans. It is located at and h ...
. He suffered from
alopecia areata Alopecia areata (AA), also known as spot baldness, is a condition in which hair loss, hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. It often results in a few Baldness, bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin. Psychological st ...
, a skin condition that results in hair loss and the severity of which may increase with age. Later in life, to compensate for his hair loss, Ferrie wore a homemade auburn wig and false eyebrows.David Ferrie
House Select Committee on Assassinations – Appendix to Hearings, Volume 10, 12, p. 106.
In 1944 Ferrie left St. Charles because of "emotional instability." He obtained a pilot's license and began teaching
aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design process, design, and manufacturing of air flight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. While the term originally referred ...
at Cleveland's Benedictine High School. He was fired from the school for several infractions, including taking boys to a house of
prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
.David Ferrie
House Select Committee on Assassinations – Appendix to Hearings, Volume 10, 12, p. 107.
He then became an insurance inspector and, in 1951, moved to
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
where he worked as a pilot for
Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
, until losing his job in August 1961, after being arrested twice on morals charges. Ferrie was involved with the
Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported Nonprofit corporation, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliaries, auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CA ...
in several ways: He started as a Senior Member (an adult member) with the Fifth Cleveland Squadron at Hopkins Airport in 1947.David Ferrie
House Select Committee on Assassinations – Appendix to Hearings, Volume 10, 12, p. 108.
When he moved to
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, he transferred to the New Orleans Cadet Squadron at
Lakefront Airport Lakefront Airport is a public airport five miles (eight kilometers) northeast of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans, in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 FAA air ...
. There he served as an instructor, and later as the Commander. After a Ferrie-trained cadet pilot perished in a December 1954 crash, Ferrie's annual re-appointment was declined. He was asked to be a guest aerospace education instructor at a smaller squadron at Moisant Airport, and lectured there from June to September 1955. On July 27, 1955, 15-year-old
Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at age 12 for truan ...
joined this squadron.Oswald, David Ferrie and the Civil Air Patrol
House Select Committee on Assassinations, Volume 9, 4, p. 110.
In March 1958, a former cadet-turned-commander invited Ferrie back to the New Orleans Cadet Squadron. Ferrie served unofficially for a time and was reinstated as Executive Officer in September 1959. Ferrie quit the squadron in June 1960 after a disagreement during a bivouac. In September 1960, he started his own unofficial squadron, called the Metairie Falcon Cadet Squadron. An offshoot of this group was the Internal Mobile Security Unit, a group formed for the fight against
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
's
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. Over the years, he used both his official and unofficial squadrons to develop improper relations with boys ranging in age from 14 to 18, and his August 1961 arrests caused the Falcons to fold. Ferrie described himself as a
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
on
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
issues, and he was "rabidly
anti-Communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
", often accusing previous U.S. presidential administrations of being "sell-outs" to
Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
. Ferrie initially supported Castro's campaign against
Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (born Rubén Zaldívar; January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...
in Cuba, but by mid-1959 became convinced that Castro was a Communist. According to the
United States House Select Committee on Assassinations The United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was established on September 15, 1976 by U.S. House Resolution 1540 to investigate the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 a ...
, Ferrie "found an outlet for his political fanaticism in the
anti-Castro The Cuban dissident movement is a political movement in Cuba whose aim is to replace the current government with a liberal democracy. According to Human Rights Watch, the Marxist-Leninist Cuban government represses nearly all forms of political d ...
movement." By early 1961, Ferrie was working with
right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
Cuban exile A Cuban exile is a person who has been exiled from Cuba. Many Cuban exiles have various differing experiences as emigrants depending on when they emigrated from Cuba, and why they emigrated. The exile of Cubans has been a dominating factor in C ...
Sergio Arcacha Smith, head of the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
-backed
Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front The Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front () was founded in May 1960 by anti- Castro Cuban exiles and was initially headquartered in Mexico. It was known in Spanish as the Frente Revolucionario Democrático (FRD) and was composed of five major anti- ...
in New Orleans. In a newspaper interview in July, 1961, Ferrie explained why he was volunteering for the organization. "I got interested after our botched-up Cuban invasion of April 17," he said, referring to the
Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called or after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in April 1961 by the United States of America and the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front ...
. Ferrie soon became Arcacha Smith's "eager partner in
counterrevolutionary A counter-revolutionary or an anti-revolutionary is anyone who opposes or resists a revolution, particularly one who acts after a revolution has occurred, in order to try to overturn it or reverse its course, in full or in part. The adjective "c ...
activities." Both were involved in a raid in late 1961 on a munitions depot in
Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane– Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's governme ...
, "in which various weapons, grenades and ammunition were stolen."544 Camp Street and Related Events
House Select Committee on Assassinations – Appendix to Hearings, Volume 10, 13, p. 127.
Ferrie often spoke to business and civic groups on political issues. In July 1961, Ferrie gave an anti-Kennedy speech before the New Orleans chapter of the Military Order of World Wars, in which "his topic was the Presidential administration and the
Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called or after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in April 1961 by the United States of America and the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front ...
fiasco." In his speech, Ferrie attacked Kennedy for refusing to provide air support to the Bay of Pigs invasion force of Cuban exiles.FBI interview of David Ferrie
November 27, 1963, Warren Commission Document 75, p. 199.
Ferrie's tirade against Kennedy was so poorly received that he was asked to leave the podium. Ferrie admitted to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
, after the assassination, that when speaking about Kennedy, he might have used the expression: "He ought to be shot." Ferrie insisted, however, that these words were just "an off-hand or colloquial expression." In the early 1960s, Ferrie became involved with
Guy Banister William Guy Banister (March 7, 1901 – June 6, 1964) was an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), an assistant superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, and a private investigator. After his death, New Orleans dis ...
, former
Special Agent In Charge In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...
(SAC) of the Chicago office of the FBI,
right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
political activist,
segregationist Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...
, and
private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...
. Banister also worked with Ferrie's associate, Sergio Arcacha Smith. In early 1962, both Banister and Arcacha Smith maintained offices in the Newman Building at the corner address of 544 Camp Street / 531 Lafayette Street, New Orleans, the same address printed on
Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at age 12 for truan ...
's distributed pro-Castro pamphlets. In February 1962, Banister assisted Ferrie in his dispute with Eastern Airlines regarding "charges brought gainst Ferrieby the airline and local New Orleans police of
crimes against nature The crime against nature or unnatural act has historically been a legal term in English-speaking states identifying forms of sexual behavior not considered natural or decent and are legally punishable offenses. Sexual practices that have histori ...
and
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...
." During this period, Ferrie was often seen at Banister's office.David Ferrie
House Select Committee on Assassinations – Appendix to Hearings, Volume 10, 12, p. 111.
Banister testified to Ferrie's "good character" at an airline pilot's grievance board hearing in the summer of 1963. According to several witnesses, Ferrie and Banister also worked together in the fall of 1963 for lawyer G. Wray Gill, on behalf of Gill's client, New Orleans Mafia boss
Carlos Marcello Carlos Joseph Marcello (Sicilian Italian); or-sel-loborn Calogero Minacore ; February 6, 1910 – March 3, 1993) was an Italian-American crime boss of the New Orleans crime family from 1947 to 1983. Aside from his role in the American Mafia, ...
, in an attempt to block Marcello's deportation to
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
. On a related matter, the
House Select Committee on Assassinations The United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was established on September 15, 1976 by U.S. House Resolution 1540 to investigate the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 and ...
stated that "An unconfirmed Border Patrol report of February 1962 alleges that Ferrie was the pilot who flew Carlos Marcello back into the United States from Guatemala after he had been deported in April 1961 as part of
U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...
Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...
's crackdown on
organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...
."David Ferrie
House Select Committee on Assassinations – Appendix to Hearings, Volume 10, 12, p. 112.
Another report, this one by the FBI, "indicated Marcello offered errie associate SergioArcacha Smith a deal whereby Marcello would make a substantial donation to the nti-Castromovement in return for concessions in Cuba after Castro's overthrow."


Allegations of involvement in the Kennedy assassination

The FBI and Secret Service were interested in Ferrie as early as November 25, 1963, just three days after the Kennedy assassination. He and two other men were arrested and booked for vagrancy by the New Orleans district attorney's office; they were "held for investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Secret Service". They were released the next day. First Assistant District Attorney Frank Klein, who questioned Ferrie with investigators, said he could not comment on the case. It was later reported that Ferrie was "intensely interrogated by the district attorney's office in 1963 after the assassination" and "talked also to the FBI and the Secret Service." On the afternoon of November 22, 1963 – the day
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
was assassinated and the day Carlos Marcello was acquitted in his deportation case – New Orleans private investigator
Guy Banister William Guy Banister (March 7, 1901 – June 6, 1964) was an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), an assistant superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, and a private investigator. After his death, New Orleans dis ...
and one of his employees, Jack Martin, were drinking together at a local bar. On their return to Banister's office, the two men got into a heated argument. According to Martin, Banister said something to which Martin replied, "What are you going to do – kill me like you all did Kennedy?" Banister drew his
.357 magnum The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR (as it is known in unofficial metric designation) is a smokeless powder cartridge with a bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. ...
revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
and
pistol-whipped Pistol-whipping or buffaloing is the act of using a handgun as a blunt weapon, wielding it as an improvised club. Such a practice dates to the time of muzzle loaders, which were brandished in such fashion in close-quarters combat once the weap ...
Martin several times. Martin, badly injured, went by ambulance to Charity Hospital.544 Camp Street and Related Events
House Select Committee on Assassinations – Appendix to Hearings, Volume 10, 13, p. 130.
In the ensuing days, Martin told reporters and authorities that Ferrie might have been involved in the assassination. Martin told the New Orleans police that Ferrie "was supposed to have been the getaway pilot in the assassination."
House Select Committee on Assassinations – Appendix to Hearings, Volume 10, 12, pp. 112–113.
He said that Ferrie had threatened Kennedy's life, even outlining plans to kill him, and that Ferrie might have taught Oswald how to use a rifle with a telescopic sight. Martin also claimed that Ferrie had known Oswald from their days in the New Orleans Civil Air Patrol, and that he had seen a photograph, at Ferrie's home, of Oswald in a Civil Air Patrol group. Martin also told
bail bondsman A bail bondsman, bail bond agent or bond dealer is any person, agency or corporation that will act as a surety and pledge money or property as bail for the appearance of a defendant in court. Bail bond agents are almost exclusively found in the ...
Hardy Davis that he had heard on television that Ferrie's New Orleans library card had been found in Oswald's possession when he was arrested in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
. Davis reported this to Ferrie's employer, the lawyer G. Wray Gill. In fact, no such library card was found among Oswald's possessions. Ferrie subsequently visited both Oswald's former New Orleans landlady and a former neighbor about this report. Ferrie was able to produce his library card for FBI agents who interviewed him on November 27, 1963. Martin also claimed that Ferrie had driven from New Orleans to
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
on the night of the assassination. Ferrie gave various accounts of his trip to Texas. When questioned by the FBI, Ferrie stated that he and two friends drove to the Winterland Skating Rink in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, about from
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, that evening. Ferrie said that "he had been considering for some time the feasibility and possibility of opening an ice skating rink in New Orleans" and wanted to gather information on the ice rink business. "He stated that he introduced himself to ink managerChuck Rolland and spoke with him at length concerning the cost of installation and operation of the rink." Another explanation for the trip appeared in a 1967 newspaper article, in which Ferrie said he and two friends went to Texas "for relaxation after he had completed a job of investigative work for a local attorney on a federal case." In another newspaper, Ferrie describes the trip as a "spur-of-the-moment" decision by him and two friends at about 3:20 p.m. Nov. 22, 1963: "We drove by car to Vinton, La., then to Houston and Galveston, where we hunted geese." On November 25, Martin was contacted by the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
. Martin told the FBI that Ferrie might have
hypnotized Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...
Oswald into assassinating Kennedy. The FBI considered Martin's evidence unreliable. Nevertheless, FBI agents interviewed Ferrie twice about Martin's allegations. Ferrie admitted that he had made public and private statements criticizing Kennedy's actions during the Bay of Pigs, but he denied ever stating that the President should be killed. He stated that he had no recollection of having met Oswald and if he had the meeting would have been "very casual". Ferrie stated that Martin had "bedeviled him in every manner possible" since sending him out of Gill's office in an "undiplomatic manner" in June 1963. Gill told the FBI that Martin blamed Ferrie for not getting a job and subsequently "slandered Ferrie at every opportunity". The FBI also interviewed about 20 other people in connection with Martin's allegations. The FBI said that it was unable to develop a substantial case against Ferrie. An inquiry by the House Select Committee on Assassinations, conducted a decade and a half later, concluded that the FBI's "overall investigation of the 544 Camp Street issue at the time of the assassination was not thorough." After learning of the allegations, Ferrie contacted several of his former Civil Air Patrol associates for more information about Oswald. Former cadet Roy McCoy told the FBI that "Ferrie had come by looking for photographs of the cadets to see if Oswald was pictured in any photos of Ferrie's squadron." Some of this information reached
Jim Garrison James Carothers Garrison (born Earling Carothers Garrison; November 20, 1921 – October 21, 1992) was the District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, from 1962 to 1973 and later a state appellate court judge. A member of the Democratic Pa ...
, the district attorney of New Orleans, who had become increasingly interested in the assassination after a chance meeting with
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
Senator
Russell Long Russell Billiu Long (November 3, 1918 – May 9, 2003) was an American Democratic politician and United States Senator from Louisiana from 1948 until 1987. Because of his seniority, he advanced to chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, servin ...
in late 1966. Garrison said that Long told him: "Those fellows on the Warren Commission were dead wrong. There's no way in the world that one man could have shot up Jack Kennedy that way." In December 1966, Garrison interviewed Martin. Martin claimed that during the summer of 1963, Ferrie, Banister, Oswald, and a group of anti-Castro Cuban exiles were involved in operations against Castro's Cuba that included gun running activities and burglarizing armories.Garrison 1988 p. 40 Garrison later wrote: "The Banister apparatus ... was part of a supply line that ran along the Dallas–New Orleans–Miami corridor. These supplies consisted of arms and explosives for use against Castro's Cuba." As Garrison continued his investigation, he became convinced that a group of right-wing extremists, including Ferrie, Banister, and
Clay Shaw Clay LaVergne Shaw (March 17, 1913 – August 15, 1974) was an American businessman, military officer, and part-time contact of the Domestic Contact Service (DCS) of the CIA. Shaw is best known for being the only person brought to trial for in ...
, were involved in a
conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
with elements of the CIA to kill Kennedy. Garrison later claimed that the motive for the assassination was anger over Kennedy's attempts to obtain a peace settlement in both Cuba and
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
.Jim Garrison Interview
, ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' magazine, Eric Norden, October 1967.
Garrison also believed that Shaw, Banister, and Ferrie had conspired to set up Oswald as a patsy in the JFK assassination.


Death

On February 22, 1967, less than a week after the now-defunct afternoon newspaper the ''
New Orleans States-Item ''The Times-Picayune , The New Orleans Advocate'' (commonly called ''The Times-Picayune'' or the ''T-P'') is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ancestral publications of other names date back to January 25, 1837. The cu ...
'' broke the story of Garrison's investigation, Ferrie was found dead in his apartment. Two unsigned, undated typed letters were found at Ferrie's apartment. The first, found in a pile of papers, was a screed about the justice system, beginning with "To leave this life is, for me, a sweet prospect. I find nothing in it that is desirable and on the other hand, everything that is loathsome."Bugliosi 2007 p.1401 The second note was written to Al Beauboeuf, Ferrie's friend to whom he bequeathed all his possessions. Garrison said he considered Ferrie's death a suicide, but added "I am not ruling out murder." Garrison's aide, Lou Ivon, stated that Ferrie telephoned him the day after the story of Garrison's investigation broke and told him: "You know what this news story does to me, don't you. I'm a dead man. From here on, believe me, I'm a dead man." Ferrie's autopsy was performed by
Orleans Parish Orleans Parish (; ) is a parish of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Since 1870, the parish has been coextensive with the city of New Orleans, and the parish and city are largely governed as a single consolidated city. History On April 10, 180 ...
coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
Nicholas Chetta and
pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...
Ronald A. Welsh. They concluded that there was no evidence of suicide or murder and that Ferrie died of a massive
cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...
due to a congenital intracranial berry aneurysm that had ruptured at the base of his brain. Upon learning of the coroner's findings, Garrison said, "I suppose it could just be a weird coincidence that the night Ferrie penned two suicide notes, he died of natural causes." On March 1, 1967, Garrison had Shaw arrested and charged him with conspiring to assassinate Kennedy. Jack Wardlaw, then with the ''States-Item'', and his fellow journalist Rosemary James, a native of
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, co-authored ''Plot or Politics,'' a 1967 book which takes issue with the Garrison investigation. Wardlaw won an
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
award for his story on the death of Ferrie.


Allegations regarding a relationship between Ferrie and Oswald

In an initial interview with the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978, Banister's long-time friend and secretary, Delphine Roberts, stated that she had never seen Oswald; however, in a subsequent interview she stated that she had seen Oswald in Banister's office several times. According to Roberts, the first time she saw Oswald in Banister's office was when he interviewed for a job in the summer of 1963 and on another occasion he brought his wife, Marina, with him. Reporter Earl Golz wrote that Roberts said Oswald had interviewed for the position of "undercover agent" and that he and Ferrie - who she said was "detective agent" for Banister - had together attended an anti-Castro training camp for rifle practice. The HSCA investigated Roberts's claims and said that "because of contradictions in Roberts' statements to the committee and lack of independent corroboration of many of her statements, the reliability of her statements could not be determined." In 1979, the HSCA stated in its Final Report that Oswald – who had been living in New Orleans in the summer of 1963 – had established contact with anti-Castro Cubans and "apparently" with American anti-Castro activist Ferrie. The Committee also found "credible and significant" the testimony of six witnesses who placed Oswald and Ferrie in
Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has also been used as a given nam ...
, Louisiana, in September 1963. One of the witnesses was
Congress of Racial Equality The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement. Founded in 1942, its stated mission is "to bring about ...
(CORE) chairman Corrie Collins. Collins identified a photograph of Ferrie at the
trial of Clay Shaw On March 1, 1967, New Orleans District attorney Jim Garrison arrested and charged New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw with conspiring to assassinate John F. Kennedy, President Kennedy, with the help of Lee Harvey Oswald, David Ferrie, and others. ...
, saying, "but the most outstanding thing about him erriewas his eyebrows and his hair. They didn't seem real, in other words, they were unnatural, didn't seem as if they were real hair." A later release of witness statements taken by Garrison's investigators in 1967, unavailable to the HSCA, showed contradictions in the witnesses' testimony given in 1969 and 1978. For example, Collins was shown a photo of Ferrie by Garrison investigator Andrew Sciambra in January 1968 and (in Sciambra's words) "said that he remembers seeing this man around Clinton somewhere but can't be sure where or when." Yet later at the Shaw trial, he placed Ferrie in the company of Shaw and Oswald. In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations stated that available records "lent substantial credence to the possibility that Oswald and avidFerrie had been involved in the same ivil Air Patrolunit during the same period of time." Committee investigators found six witnesses who said that Oswald had been present at Civil Air Patrol meetings headed by Ferrie.


''Frontline'' photograph

In 1993, the
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television program '' Frontline'' obtained a group photograph, taken eight years before the assassination, that showed Oswald and Ferrie at a cookout with other Civil Air Patrol cadets.PBS ''Frontline'' "Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald"
broadcast on PBS stations, November 1993 (various dates).
''Frontline'' executive producer Michael Sullivan said, "one should be cautious in ascribing its meaning. The photograph does give much support to the eyewitnesses who say they saw Ferrie and Oswald together in the CAP, and it makes Ferrie's denials that he ever knew Oswald less credible. But it does not prove that the two men were with each other in 1963, nor that they were involved in a conspiracy to kill the president." John Ciravolo, the owner of the photo, told author Patricia Lambert: "I'm in the picture... I'm sure David Ferrie wouldn't remember me either." Author
John C. McAdams John Charles McAdams (October 26, 1945 – April 15, 2021) was an American conservative and associate professor of political science at Marquette University. McAdams taught courses on American politics and public policy, voter behavior, and the Joh ...
wrote: "The photo doesn't prove that they ever met or talked to each other, but only that they were in the organization at the same time."


Portrayals

Ferrie was portrayed by actor
Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for portraying tough, volatile characters, in a variety of genres, and for his collaborations with his best friend, Robert De Niro in the films ' ...
in the
Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...
film ''
JFK John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his assassination in 1963. He was the first Catholic Chur ...
'' (1991), by
Tobin Bell Tobin Bell (born Joseph Henry Tobin Jr.; August 7, 1942) is an American actor. Appearing in over 100 titles during a five-decade career, he is most recognized for his role as John Kramer / Jigsaw in the ''Saw'' franchise. Bell started his a ...
in the film ''
Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...
'' (1992), and by Louis Vanaria in the movie ''
The Irishman ''The Irishman'' (also known as ''I Heard You Paint Houses'') is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 book '' I Heard You Paint Houses'' by Charl ...
'' (2019), also starring Pesci.


References


External links


Photo gallery of David Ferrie
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrie, David 1918 births 1967 deaths Aviators from Ohio Baldwin Wallace University alumni American bisexual men Catholics from Louisiana Catholics from Ohio American commercial aviators John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories Deaths from intracranial aneurysm People associated with the assassination of John F. Kennedy People from Cleveland People from New Orleans People of the Civil Air Patrol Saint Ignatius High School (Cleveland) alumni