Who Knew What Before Freedom Summer

Months before the murders of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney Mississippi Sovereignty Commission officials were talking about "doing something about the outsiders." Here's a fascinating memo sent to the head of the Commission by Vicksburg detective John D. Sullivan who did investigative work for the state-funded spy organization. Interestingly, a year before this memo was written, Sullivan, a former FBI agent in Chicago, had been working for Buy Banister in New Orleans.

The three young men, volunteers for Freedom Summer, were killed shortly after coming into the state. outside of Philadelphia, a small town northeast of Meridian.

LINK

Take a look --

http://mdah.state.ms.us/arrec/digital_archives/sovcom/result.php?image=/data/sov_commission/images/png/cd05/039906.png&otherstuff=3|74|0|6|1|1|1|39304|A

Meanwhile -- while I was looking at old Sullivan reports, I found this one rather fascinating. Back from working with Banister, old John D. got busy coming up with new ideas for the Saovereignty Commission. Here he names names of a helpful newsreporter (Jimmy Ward), talks about the dangers of church collectivism (those darned Methodists) and tells of a mother who's concerned about her kid becoming a Communist at Millsaps College.

Sullivan is still trying to get the Sovereignty Commission to go after Tougaloo's accreditation and has some really keen ideas about how to do this.  Great reading.

March 1964

LINK

http://mdah.state.ms.us/arrec/digital_archives/sovcom/result.php?image=/data/sov_commission/images/png/cd05/039906.png&otherstuff=3|74|0|6|1|1|1|39304|A

Searching for Information on John D. Sullivan

Cold weather is great for reading books. And I've been holed up for the past week doing just that while trying to learn more about John D. Sullivan, a Vicksburg, Miss. private detective and former FBI agent, who "committed suicide" Oct. 23, 1966, three years after the assassination of JFK.

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El tiempo frío es grande para los libros de la lectura. Y para la última semana intenta aprender más sobre Juan D. Sullivan, un Vicksburg, Mississippi detective privado y agente anterior de FBI, que “suicidio confiado” Oct. 23, 1966, tres años después del asesinato de JFK.Por coincidencia, el Sr. Sullivan fue un empleado de Guy Banister de Nueva Orleans y Banister fue un empleado de FBI
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Sullivan, who often performed contract work for the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a hunting accident -- shooting himself in the groin with a rifle and then bleeding to death(no kidding).

By coincidence, Mr. Sullivan had been working under contract for Guy Banister of New Orleans.

For those who do not recall Banister, this former FBI agent in 1963 began working for Mafia criminal defense lawyer G. Wray Gill and Gill's client, Carlos Marcello.

Marcello was the New Orleans-based Godfather of the American Mafia Family whose operations were centered in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.

Bannister's involvement with Marcello centered on attempts to block Marcello's deportation, ordered by Robert F. Kennedy.

"Upon being named Attorney General by his brother, RFK had his agents arrest Carlos Marcello and deport the Godfather to the country of his alleged birth, Guatemala. Literally dumped into the jungles of South America, Marcello somehow fought his way out of this dilemma, possibly with the help of pilot David Ferrie, and soon returned to the United States. Once back home in the swamps of Louisiana, the Godfather reportedly vowed Vengeance against the Kennedys, uttering the following Sicilian curse: "LIVARSI NA PIETRA DI LA SCARPA!" (rough translation: "Take the stone from my shoe!")."

Did Sullivan know too much? Some who were close to the Mississippian believe this is so.

Anyone out there with information on Sullivan? Pictures?


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Early Sov Comm report on Clarksdale filed by Zack J. VanLandingham

Landingham was a retired FBI agent.

Sullivan running for Cohoma County Sheriff

Sullivan had frequent contact with U.S. Senator James O. Eastland

Soon after the Kennedy assassination, Sullivan suggested the Sovereignty Commission hire Guy Bannister [sic] to beef up the commission's work.

When Sullivan died, the Sovereignty Commission wanted his records ...

Oops, Mrs. Sullivan "burned" his files ...

Spying on the Mennonites for the state's General Legislative Investigative Committee