The CHAIRMAN. I suppose Mr. Jenner could see the letter for a moment,
couldn't he?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Definitely; yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Mr. Flannery, would you be good enough to pass it up?
(At this point, Representative Ford withdrew from the hearing room.)
Mr. WEISSMAN. You see, up to the point of that letter--excuse me.
Mr. JENNER. Mr. Chief Justice, it is quite apparent to me, from
glancing through the letter, that this is a letter that we--in
connection with Mr. Weissman's testimony, that we would like to offer
in evidence in due course.
And, with that in mind, Mr. Weissman, it will not be necessary for
you to read paragraphs from the letter, unless in the course of your
testimony you feel it will round out your testimony and serve to
refresh your recollection as to events you might wish to relate.
Mr. WEISSMAN. I would like to take a look at it now.
(At this point, Representative Ford reentered the hearing room.)
Mr. JENNER. Ready?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Mr. Reporter, would you be good enough to read, let us say,
the last question and answer of the witness?
(The question and answer, as recorded, was read by the reporter.)
Mr. JENNER. The point I was making, Mr. Weissman, was that when you
received the telephone call about which you were testifying, in which
Mr. Schmidt exclaimed, "I have made it for us," or words to that
effect, you were then aware of that to which he was referring, at least
in general?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. So that was the reason why you didn't ask him to elaborate
upon what he meant by, "I have made it for us"?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Right. That is right.
Mr. JENNER. And that was the fact that he, as you understood it, am I
correct in saying, had had something to do with the organization of the
picketing or other demonstrations at the time that Mr. Stevenson made
his visit to Dallas?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Well, at the time I was almost--Larrie led me to believe
that he had organized the whole thing. And it transpired when I got to
Dallas that I found that he had led a group of 11 University of Dallas
students in quiet picketing near the entrance to the auditorium, and
didn't engage in any physical violence of any sort.
Mr. JENNER. But up to the time that you arrived in Dallas, you were
under the impression that he had had a more extensive part?
Mr. WEISSMAN. This is what he led me to believe. In other words, he
was trying to--he wanted to get me to Dallas in the worst way. And he
wanted it to look like he was on the hot seat and he would be there
unless I came down to help him. In other words, he is throwing my
obligation at me. And trying to convince me in various ways, as I
mentioned, to come down there, so we can get moving on what we had
planned in Munich.
Mr. JENNER. Did you receive a letter from him dated October 29, 1963,
a copy of which I have marked as Commission Exhibit No. 1032, and I
tender to you. You may have the original among your papers.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 1032 for
identification.)
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes; I did receive this letter, Exhibit No. 1032, from
Larrie, about the 29th of October.
Mr. JENNER. And, gentlemen of the Commission, this is a letter dated,
as the witness has stated--it is addressed to, "Dear Bernie and Bill,"
and I assume Bill is----
Mr. WEISSMAN. Bill Burley.
Mr. JENNER. He was then staying with you in New York?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Right.
Mr. JENNER. And it is signed Larrie. By the way, do you have the
original of this letter with you?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I don't think so. Let me see. No; as a matter of fact,
I believe the situation was when I gave the letter to the FBI, they
asked me if I needed it back right away, and I said no--I didn't see
any value in it, frankly. And then I spoke with Mr. Reedy, the agent
who had conducted the investigation at the FBI headquarters in New
York, and he said, "Do you want the letter?" And I said, "I don't
particularly need it," and I don't recall if I ever got it back.
Mr. JENNER. All right. But the document which has been marked with an
exhibit number is a true and correct copy of the letter you received
from Larrie Schmidt?
Mr. WEISSMAN. It seems to be; yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Now, in that letter, there is a reference to CUSA in
capital letters. What is CUSA, what was CUSA? What was its genesis?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Well, CUSA, the letters stand for Conservatism USA, for
lack of a better name. Larrie had originally founded this himself--as
far as I know he had originally founded this himself in Munich some
time in 1961.
Mr. JENNER. You mean it was a concept of his?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I don't know if it was his. But I was led to believe the
concept was his; and when I became associated with him, almost a year
after he had started to develop this organization----
Mr. JENNER. And while you were still in the Army?
Mr. WEISSMAN. While I was still in the Army; right.
Representative BOGGS. What was your rank in the Army?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Private, first class.
Representative BOGGS. That is when you completed your service?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes; at the time I was pfc, also.
Representative BOGGS. How long were you in the Army?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Two years.
Representative BOGGS. When you were separated you were private, first
class?
Mr. WEISSMAN. That is right. Here is how it came about. I had been in
the field on an Army training test. And I had been discussing just
political views, foreign policy especially.
Mr. DULLES. Is this Germany, now?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes; this is Germany.
Mr. JENNER. Who was the overall commander in Germany at that time?
Mr. WEISSMAN. The overall commander?
Mr. JENNER. Was General Walker one of the commanders at that time?
Mr. WEISSMAN. No; he had been removed at that time. In any case, he
would have been about 60 or 70 miles--he was based in Landshut, Germany.
In any case, I was on this army training test with my company, MP
Company, and I was talking to the company clerk--he had a book. We just
got onto a discussion of politics, just generally. And I expounded some
views on foreign policy, and where I agreed or disagreed. And I went
into some great detail. And he said, "Gee, if I didn't know better I
would say it is Larrie speaking."