The CHAIRMAN. So you would not deny it? Mr. LAPAGLIA. I would not deny it. The CHAIRMAN. Did you purchase anything at the Mr. LAPAGLIA. Gas. The CHAIRMAN. Anything else? Mr. LAPAGLIA. No. gas station? The CHAIRMAN. Did you purchase any gun or guns there? Mr. LAPAGLIA. No. The CHAIRMAN. Did anyone else purchase any in your presence or with your knowledge? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Not in my presence or with my knowledge. The CHAIRMAN. Were any guns placed in your Volkswagen? Was it your own Volkswagen? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. Were any guns placed in your own Volkswagen at the gas station? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Not to my knowledge, and I don't see how. If you know a Volkswagen bus, it is very difficult to hide anything in it. There is no separate trunk in it. The CHAIRMAN. You went on back to the camp, didn't you? Mr. LAPAGLIA. When? The CHAIRMAN. After you passed the gas station. Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. Were any guns in it when you got back to camp? Mr. LAPAGLIA. No; not that I know of. The CHAIRMAN. Were there any guns in it when you left there to return to Chicago? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Not that I know of. The CHAIRMAN. You say that no guns were seen by you, nor anybody purchasing any, nor any one placing any guns in the car, in this Volkswagen car of yours, that you were driving, from the time you left Chicago to go on the trip until you got back to Chicago with the car? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. You state positively no guns were purchased that you know of or placed in the car that you know of during that period of time? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Positively. Mr. ADLERMAN. Mr. Fialkewicz The CHAIRMAN. May I ask you, did you have any blankets in your car? Do you remember that? Mr. LAPAGLIA. It was in September. It could well be. The CHAIRMAN. Did you carry blankets with you to use in the cabin, in the house, to sleep under? Mr. LAPAGLIA. The blankets were supplied by the camp. The CHAIRMAN. You had no blankets in the car of your own? I am talking about blankets you carry with you. Mr. LAPAGLIA. There could have been. A Volkswagen bus has a very poor heater. On occasion, I do use blankets. The CHAIRMAN. You own the Volkswagen, and you drove it? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. You would know whether you carried blankets with you. 85-779-68-6 Mr. LAPAGLIA. I don't carry blankets in warm weather, and I would not have carried blankets. I would not have carried blankets. I don't remember what the season was like, but probably in September I would not have carried blankets. The only reason that I would carry blankets The CHAIRMAN. Doesn't it get chilly up there in the latter part of September? Mr. LAPAGLIA. The camp supplies blankets, linen, everything else. The CHAIRMAN. You did not carry them along to wrap up something? Do you remember that? Mr. LAPAGLIA. No. The CHAIRMAN. You are sure? The CHAIRMAN. Call your witness. Mr. ADLERMAN. Mr. Fialkewicz. The CHAIRMAN. Do you solemnly swear the evidence you shall give before this Senate subcommittee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. I do. TESTIMONY OF WALTER S. FIALKEWICZ The CHAIRMAN. State your name, please. Mr. FIALKEWICZ. Washington, D.C., area. The CHAIRMAN. Where? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. Silver Spring, Md. The CHAIRMAN. Proceed. Mr. ADLERMAN. Mr. Fialkewicz, pursuant to my instructions, did you go to Michigan? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. I did, sir. The CHAIRMAN. You are working for this committee; are you? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. I am assigned to this committee. I am an agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, sir. The CHAIRMAN. So, you have been assigned to this committee. You have been on loan to this committee for how long? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. Since October 1967. The CHAIRMAN. Now proceed. Mr. ADLERMAN. Did you make an investigation of the trip that was described by Mr. Rose in his testimony to Circle Pines Camp in Michigan? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. I did, sir. Mr. ADLERMAN. Will you describe the nature of your investigation and whom you spoke to and what evidence you want to cover? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. On June 21 of this year I telephoned Mr. LaPaglia person to person. Mr. ADLERMAN. What was the date you left? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. I left on the 23d and arrived there on the 24th. Senator MUNDT. Mr. LaPaglia, do you recall that telephone call? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes. If this is the gentleman who called me and asked me about Senator MUNDT. The general location of the camp. You recall it? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes. Mr. FIALKEWICZ. On the 24th, with the assistance of the Barry County sheriff's office, we made a search of the perimeter of Circle Pines Camps to locate the possible stores that may have sold guns in the area. At the Marsh Road and Tella Road intersection in Shelbyville we stopped at the Standard gas station owned and operated by one Jerry E. Coryell. In questioning Mr. Coryell relative to any sale of weapons to any Negroes, he immediately recalled the only time he made any sales, such as we were discussing, with us in the year 1966 in the middle of September. I have a signed, notarized affidavit from Mr. Coryell. I think the chairman has a copy of that affidavit. The CHAIRMAN. I shall read the affidavit, and you identify it. First I will ask you to identify it. Is that the affidavit you procured to which you have just testified? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. This is the affidavit that I have taken from Mr. Jerry E. Coryell. The CHAIRMAN. It has been typed. Will you read it out loud? The CHAIRMAN. Let him look at the original copy. Do you have another copy of it? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. The affidavit reads: I, Jerry E. Coryell, in full understandings of my rights state that I operate and own the Standard gas station at Route 1-49344, Shelbyville, Mich. In the middle of September 1966-I recall on a Friday evening-two carloads of young Negro men and one young white man who I thought was a Puerto Rican came to my station. They stopped and purchased a number of small items such as peanuts, cokes, potato chips. They asked me where they could purchase food staples and I directed them to Orangeville, or Sams Landing. They noticed the guns that I had in the rack and asked the price. One of the men was interested in a .22-caliber magnum Winchester, slide action with a telescopic scope. I sold this gun to him for $45. The next time I saw these men was the next morning when they came back. This time they had three cars. They were having trouble with one of the cars which was a 1959 Pontiac, light blue and white. They left this car at my station overnight to see if my son Clarence could fix the car. This day I sold this group a double-barrel 12-gage shotgun and a single-barrel 12-gage shotgun. I don't remember the make of these guns. At this time I also sold them to my knowledge one box of 12-gage shotgun shells. The last time I seen these men when they came to the station on Monday morning having trouble with their Volkswagen bus. I filled the bus with gas and my son fixed the car. I had viewed a number of photos and I picked the photo of Jeff Fort as being one of the persons in this group. I can't positively identify the others. The CHAIRMAN. Jeff Fort he does identify? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. Yes, sir. He even initialed the photo and dated the photo. The CHAIRMAN. Is that the one he identified? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. Yes, sir; he initialed the back and dated the back of the photo. The CHAIRMAN. Very well. Let the photo be made exhibit No. 195, and let the affidavit be made an exhibit, although I am having it read into the record. That will be 195A, and the photo 195B. (Documents referred to were marked "Exhibits Nos. 195A and 195B" for reference and may be found in the files of the subcommittee.) Mr. FIALKEWICZ. Mr. Coryell continues: I have no knowledge of the original ownership of the used guns I sold them— the cost of the shotguns, double barrell $55, single barrell $20. These guns I took in trade. I did not record the serial number of the weapons, or make a record of the sale. The CHAIRMAN. Did he tell you anything about their engaging in shooting practice at his filling station? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. No, he did not, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Did you engage in shooting practice out there? The CHAIRMAN. Any of you. Mr. LAPAGLIA. I have no knowledge of this at all. TESTIMONY OF CHARLES LaPAGLIA; ACCOMPANIED BY COUNSEL The CHAIRMAN. Did you hear any shooting while you were there? The CHAIRMAN. Is that the time you were up there on this planning meeting? Mr. LAPAGLIA. It was in September of 1966, yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. It was within that time? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. You did go to the filling station, did you? Mr. LAPAGLIA. I went there on a couple of occasions. The CHAIRMAN. What? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes, I was there on a couple of occasions. The CHAIRMAN. On a couple of occasions? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. This filling station operator testified that the group came there and that you were the only white man in the group and that he sold these guns. Would you say that that happened and you did not know about it? Mr. LA PAGLIA. Apparently so, yes. The CHAIRMAN. Was George Rose with you? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Was George Rose with us on that trip? The CHAIRMAN. Yes. Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes, he was. The CHAIRMAN. He testified to it. He knows about it. This man said he sold them. Now what do you say about it? Mr. LAPAGLIA. I have no knowledge of the sale of weapons at all. TESTIMONY OF WALTER S. FIALKEWICZ-Resumed Mr. FIALKEWICZ. I then spoke to Mr. Coryell's son, Clarence. Clarence Coryell also recalls the same incident. I have an affidavit from Clarence Coryell. The CHAIRMAN. Will you identify the original affidavit? This is the son of the filling station owner, is it? Senator MUNDT. Mr. LaPaglia, what are the colors of your Volkswagen? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Red and cream. Senator MUNDT. A deep red that could be called maroon by some people? Mr. LAPAGLIA. Yes. Mr. FIALKEWICZ. This is the affidavit I have taken from Clarence Coryell, signed by him and witnessed by me and witnessed by Granata. The CHAIRMAN. How old is this man's son? Mr. FIALKEWICZ. He is in his middle 20's. Mr. FIALKEWICZ. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. You may read his affidavit. I, Clarence Coryell in full understanding of my rights state that I assisted my father, Jerry E. Coryell, at his gas station. In the month of September 1966 in the middle of the month I assisted a group of young Negro men in the repair of their disabled vehicles. The group of men to my understanding were staying at the Circle Pine Camp. To my recollection there were about 10 or 11 Negros and white man who appeared to be very light skin Negro. This man was light brown skin and had dark hair. Then he corrects himself and says the light-skin man definitely was not a Negro. The light skin man definitely was not a Negro. This group was operating 4 vehicles and to my recollection there was one 1959 or 1960 light blue Pontiac, a maroon and grey Volkswagen bus, another a car which as I recall was a panel truck type vehicle and the other vehicle which I think was a 1962 Buick. Again I recall that the Pontiac which was light blue with a light top. The Pontiac stayed at the gas station overnight for it had a bad water pump. I could not repair this car for I couldn't get the water pump off any the cars at the junk yard. The wagon which I believe was a Volkswagen bus-I repaired the coil wirefor which they paid me $2. I have been shown a number of police photos and from this group I identified the picture of Fletcher Pugh as the driver of the blue 1959 Pontiac, I also picked the photo of Melvin Bailey as either driving the Volkswagen bus or being a passenger in same. I picked Bailey by the prominent scar that was on his chin. I described this man before I viewed the pictures. This is all I can recall other than I saw these people on 3 or 4 occasions in the area during a week period. The reason I recall them, is that it is very rare to see a Negro group in this area at that time of the year. |