Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: COLARELLI, THOMAS L.
To: DIRECTOR, FBI
Document date: 02/19/1970
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

6/1/2015

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER :

124-10195-10323

RECORD SERIES: HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 92-11305-22

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

COLARELLI, THOMAS L.

TO :

DIRECTOR, FBI

TITLE:

DATE : 02/19/1970

PAGES:

44

SUBJECTS :

JAMES, DONALD LESTER, INVEST, TOLL CALLS, SUSP, UNK

DOCUMENT TYPE :

PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION :

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS: 4

CURRENT STATUS : Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 03/02/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS :

RPT, TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 2

v9.1

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4

Page 1

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12-19-67)

'FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

REPORTiNG OFFICE

NEW ORLEANS

OFFICE OF ORIGIN

NEW ORLEANS

TITLE OF CASE

CHANGED

JOSEPH ROBERT PROVENZANO, aka -

ET AL;

DR. SAIVATORE CARUSO, aka -

ET AL - VICTIMS

DATE

2/19/70

REPORT MADE BY

INVESTIGATIVE PERIOD

12/23/69 - 2/12/70

TYPED BY

SA THOMAS L. COLARELLI

CHARACTER OF CASE

nmb

POSSIBLE ITSP

2

Title is marked "CHANGED" to delete subject

DONALD LESTER JAMES, who was killed 1/11/70 at Biloxi, Miss.,

by unknown assailants, as developed through investigation.

Title previously carried as "DONALD. LESTER JAMES, aka - ET AL;

DR. SALVATORE CARUSO, aka - ET AL - VICTIMS."

REFERENCE: New Orleans report of SA THOMAS L. COLARELLI, 12/11/69.

_ P -

INFORMANTS:

CONVIC.

AUTO.

On 12/5/69 NO 1734-6-TE advised SA JOHN C. MC CURNIN II

that CARLOS MARCELLO received a telephone call from

ACCOMPLISHMENTS CLAIMED

[X NONE

ACQUIT.

CASE HAS BEEN:

FUG.

FINES

SAVINGS

RECOVERIES

TALS

PENDING OVER ONE YEAR DYES XINO

PENDING PROSECUTION

OVER SIX MONTHS

YES. IXINO

APPROVED

SPECIAL AGENT

IN CHARGÉ

COPIES MADE:

2

DO NOT WRITE IN SPACES BELOW

92-1305-22

REC 12

Bureau

(92-11305) (RM)

- Departmental Atty., N.0.,

La.

2 - Jackson (92-248) (RM)

2 - New Orleans (92-1029)

10 FEB 24 1970

Agency

Request Recd.

Date Ewd.

Dissemination Record of Attached Report

DEPT

ICC

3/2/70

How Fwd.

By

56MAR 4

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Page 2

Notations

STATE SECT.

GPO: 1968 0 - 299-885

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NO 92-1029

CLYDE BOURGEOISoon 12/4/69, stating that he has physically

assaulted JUNIOR PROVENZANO by hitting him over the head

with a chair. BOURGEOIS explained that the reason he

attacked PROVENZANO in a bar in Marrero, La., was that he

suspected PROVENZANO had burglarized his home, stealing some

$4,000 worth of guns.

and SA HAROLD

On 1/8/70 NO 1283-PC advised SA THOMAS L. COLARELLI

and SA HAROLD V. HUGHES that he had not seen ELDON LEGAN

recently, but would attempt

to ascertain his whereabouts.

On 1/27/70 this source advised the above Agents

that he had still not determined LEGAN's current whereabouts,

but would contact NELLO PACINI, close associate of both LEGAN

and PROVENZANO, in an attempt to do so. Re the JAMES killing,

he offered the opinion that a good suspect would be why cook

HENRY COOK SALISBURY, who has had a grudge against JAMES for

several years and is quite capable of killing him.

On 12/31/69 JK 358-C advised he observed

DONALD LESTER JAMES at CHUCK CLARY's Bay View Supper Club

in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., and heard a conversation in

which JAMES remarked that he was staying at the Howard Johnson

Motel.

On 1/29/70 NO 1793-PC advised SA THOMAS L. COLARELLI

that JoE ODDO is back in the 4th St. area of: Marrero, La., and

is frequenting Dano's Drive-In, and has been seen in the company

of JUNIOR PROVENZANO. Source advised that he was talking to

TINY BARNES, who is running the Royal Motel in Marrero, and

BARNES seemed to know all about the JAMES killing, and

could

probably offer some suspects if he chose to talk, because he

knows the whole crowd.

Source advised that PROVENZANO is dividing his time

between the horse stable during the day and Dano's at night.

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JN 92-248

BFG: ccs

1

ADMINISTRATIVE:

PCI GEORGE CLARY NEAL furnished the following

information to SA JERRY R. PARKER on January 13, 1970:

Informant advised he had been in telephonic

contact with CAROLYN NORRIS JAMES, and she wanted him

to come to the funeral of her husband but informant

was afraid REX ARMISTEAD, Chief Investigator, Mississippi

Highway Safety Patrol, Jackson, Mississippi, would have

him arrested before he reached Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Informant advised that without knowing the

details of the killing of JAMES, it is hard to determine

who killed him, but the

• following were his immediate

thoughts:

1. If the shooting was done by one individual,

probably it was done by CLIFFORD FULLER, who is very

patient and who would wait forever for a chance to even

the score with DONALD LESTER JAMES OVEr JUDY KAY;

2. If the shooting was done by two individuals,

it could have been over the split of the money in the

Covington, Louisiana, gipsy camp "job", which according

to the intormant was Iingered by JAMes. Intormant advised

that BOBBY GALE GWIN and "TOE HEAD" WHITE have already been

killed, and JAMES may have been the next on the list;

3.. Informant advised that R. D. MATHEWS of

Dallas, Texas, who had GARY MC DANIELS killed, always

uses two or three men to finish people where bad splits

are involved. Informants advised that JAMES and MATHEWS

have been in together on several confidence schemes, and

C

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JN 92-248

2

as such, one may have turned sour and resulted in

MATHEWS ordering JAMES' death.

Informant advised that JAMES has been thought

of as being a "snitch" for some time, but informant

advised he has heard of no one who believed this story

strong enough to kill JAMES.

Informant stated that his information is that

the money from the doctor confidence job in New Orleans,

Louisiana, was all returned following JAMES getting some

pressure from the New Orleans La Cosa Nostra.

On January 14, 1970, informant telephonically

advised SA PARKER he had just

returned from JAMES'

funeral in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Informant stated that the "job" does not now

appear to have been perpetrated by CLIFFORD FULLER.

Informant advised that the men from the lounge where

JAMES waS

killed have aroused the informant's suspicion.

He stated that the two bartenders were at JAMES's

residence too often bringing food

and offering

sympathies. He stated that since none of the group

knew these individuals, it seemed very strange.

Informant advised he went to the club where

JAMES was kIlled and while questioning these men, they

continued to contradict their own stories as to the

times and sequence of the events on the night of the

shooting.

Informant stated that CAROLI NORRIS JAMES

took him into the bedroom and swore to the informant

D

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JN 92-248

3

that every penny of the money in the New Orleans

swindle of the doctors had been returned by JAMES.

Informant advised that after looking over

the situation and talking to JAMES' wife, he feels that

the best "guess estimate" is that a man named BLACKWELL

and JAMES were having bad feelings over who was going

to operate the gambling which was beginning to open

up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Source advised that

he is of the opinion BLACKWELL is a good suspect.

Informant advised that he is of the opinion

that the bartenders at the club where JAMES was killed

have much more information regarding the killing than

they have provided so far.

The BLACKWELL mentioned above is JAMES RUFE

BLACKWELL, a hoodlum who has been on the Mississippi

Gulf Coast for a number of years. On June 15, 1968,

there was a shooting at the JAMES residence but there

were no injuries. BLACKWELL was thought to be involved

in that shooting.

The Atlanta Office furnished the following

information on January 20, 1970, in Jackson case

captioned "DONALD LESTER JAMES, aka; AR":

On the evening of January 12, 1970, PCI HOWARD

CARL THURBER advised SA DONALD P. BURGESS that JIMMIE

JAMES had been killed early that morning in Biloxi,

Mississippi.

Informant advised that JAMES had been

shot as heemerged from a nightclub.

Informant advised that it would be difficult

to speculate as to who might have shot JAMES because

he had a great number of enemies. Informant stated,

E

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