OSWALD'S LEGAL RIGHTS II

July 22, 2012


WHITEWASH-the report on the Warren Report by Harold Weisberg, Chapter 7: Oswald's Legal Rights II


Knoxville, Tennessee (JFKASSASSINATION) Today JFKASSASSINATION  resumes our report on Chapter 7 of Harold Weisberg's book "Whitewash--the report on the Warren Report", published in 1965. 

The title of Chapter 7 is Oswald's Legal Rights.


Harold Weisberg titles this section of Chapter 7 as "Right to Counsel of Choice"


Weisberg writes that the statement in the Warren Report that "Oswald did not complain (about his treatment) to any of the....police officers...." is FALSE.


Weisberg tells us....


"Oswald complained to the police, the FBI & the Secret Service in private & in public at the lineups."


He further argues that while the Report says that Oswald was given his civil rights because "he was not abused physically, was told he could keep his mouth shut, & was permitted to seek a lawyer of his own choice,"  it does not add that Oswald was encouraged repeatedly by the Dallas Police to talk & was not really given much time to get a lawyer to represent his interests.*


*Weisberg argues further that Oswald was never told that his 1st choice, John Abt of New York, would not be able to represent him because of previous commitments. 


Harold Weisberg concludes this section by restating that Lee Harvey Oswald was not informed by Dallas Police that his 1st choice of counsel, John Abt**, was unavailable & adds that when representatives of the Civil Liberties Union (Oswald's 2nd choice) came to the station, they were told that Oswald had NOT requested an attorney.


**John J. Abt (1904-1991) was born in Chicago & graduated from both the University of Chicago as well as its law school.  


He worked for the federal government under the New Deal.  He is best known as the chief counsel to the Communist Party USA.

Abt's association with Oswald, as far as it can be determined, was limited to this quote of Oswald during his time in custody of the Dallas Police:


'I want that attorney in New York (who) represented the people who had violated the SMITH ACT (making it illegal to teach or advocate the violent overthrow of the US government)....& if I can't get him, then I may get the ACLU to send (one).'