Reasons of State-Part 2

The allegation that Oswald was a suspect at the time of the Walker assassination attempt in April of 1963--and that he was either arrested and let go or that his arrest was prevented--have been around for a long time but only recently have I seen any evidence at all to support it.

The following is from notes found in the collection of researcher Irvin Heineman. The notes are apparently from conversations Irv had with Sue Fitch concerning her interview of witness Juanita Buchanan, wife of Larry Buchanan, the owner of a "dive bar."

She knew Jack Ruby and he gave her a job as a cocktail waitress at the Sovereign Club in 1959/1960. She said that Ruby was epileptic and she saw him have seizures . . . She and Buchanan bought a place on Haskell Avenue, the Eldorado Bar . . . Bill Duff, whom she calls Scotty, came in in the place with Jerry Dickinson, her husband's boss at Jamison Films. Duff said that he was the son of the Duke of Argyle and was married to General Walker's niece from California. He said that he was General Walker's house guest but he expressed hatred for General Walker.

Duff came in the place twice with Oswald. He introduced him as Lee (last name not remembered--he never called him Oswald.) She is positive that it was Oswald. Oswald did night have much to say. The night of the Walker shooting, they were in the place on Haskell together and left about 8:00 p.m. Duff came back about 11:30 p.m. and she had heard on the radio about the shooting at Walker's house. She asked Duff, "Why did you try to shoot General Walker? He is a pretty good old boy." Duff turned white as a sheet, left, and never came back. Duff was also in the place with a man named Andre who had a thick accent. (The first time she told Mrs. Fitch it was Danish and later said Dutch.) [Later the notes indicate that Andre's real name was Don Moon and he was from Texas.] Duff had a Scotch accent which he lost from time to time.

The night of theWalker shooting the police arrived about 30 minutes after Duff left, looking for Duff. He was arrested. Oswald was also arrested. The car was traced to Duff. The boy in the back of Walker's house got the license number of Duff's rented car, a foreign make.

Duff moved into the Hidden Hills with Chuck Holloway. He had two rifles and a couple of pistols. Two men moved into Hidden Hills and asked Duff to help them kill Walker; offered him $25,000 and gave him $5,000. Duff got suspicious and went to the FBI (to see Hosty). Duff left town and went to Oklahoma where he said he was going to join the army. The FBI had lost track of Duff and had called her within the last week or 10 days to ask if she had heard anything about him. . . .

The Eldorado bar was the regular meeting place of Ruby, Oswald, Duff and Tippit. . . .

Ruby came to her place three days before the assassination, trying to buy the place. She has had several telephone calls saying "If you know what's good for you you will keep your damn mouth shut."