University of Virginia Library

Justice Department
Denies News Report

A remark reportedly made by
Attorney General Ramsey Clark
during his visit at the University
Friday night has been denied by
the Department of Justice.

According to Rey Barry, a
reporter for the Charlottesville
Daily Progress, Mr. Clark said
he "might have to prosecute Jim
Garrison," the New Orleans district
attorney who is involved in a
case to uncover an alleged conspiracy
behind the assassination
of President Kennedy.

Mr. Barry reported to the Associated
press that the Attorney
General said Mr. Garrison "took
a perfectly fine man, Clay
Shaw, and ruined him just for
personal aggrandizement."

"It was hardly the kind of
statement a reporter would forget,"
Mr. Barry said, insisting
that he reported what Mr. Clark
said word for word and did not
take his remarks out of context.

The remarks were reportedly
made after Mr. Clark's speech
Friday night in Cabell Hall,
when the Attorney General participated
in an informal question-and-answer
period with a group
of students.

A spokesman for the Department
of Justice has specifically
denied that Mr. Clark made
either of the Garrison statements.
The president of the
Legal Forum, Rosewell Page, also
denied the statements attributed
to the Attorney General. Mr.
Page said he was standing next
to Mr. Clark during the entire
discussion.

According to the Justice Department,
one of the students
had asked Mr. Clark if the federal
government would prosecute
a state district attorney who had
brought unwarranted prosecution.

The spokesman said Mr.
Clark replied "Yes, if there were
grounds for such a case." He
denied that the Attorney General
said anything about prosecuting
Mr. Garrison or that Mr. Shaw
had been "ruined."

He continued that the Justice
Department has no plans to
prosecute the New Orleans district
attorney at this time.