#090 - She Harvey Oswald, Part Six, Side A

It’s the end of the line for Squeaky, as this week we wrap up our tale on the first of the two would-be assassins who, in September 1975, pointed their pistols at President Gerald R. Ford.  In this episode we pick things up on the morning of September 5, 1975, just moments after Squeaky is taken into custody for making an attempt on our boy Jerry’s life. 

We begin the tale on the eve of Ford’s visit to Sacramento from Squeaky’s point of view. Squeaky was, to say the least, frustrated with how things were going. Charles Manson’s newfangled quasi-religion known as ATWA (Air Trees Water & Animals), of which Squeaky and her Sac-town roommate Sandy Good were the prime exponents, was falling flat. Prison authorities were blocking Manson from receiving visitors or making public statements. And the media don’t seem to care about Squeaky and Sandy’s “International People’s Court of Retribution,” the threatening letters they were sending to corporate executives of polluting industries, or the environmental destruction being wrought in the Nixon/Ford era.

We then turn to the event itself, Lyn’s arrest and pretrial phase, and the cast of characters in the drama that was her trial. It was truly a bizarre spectacle, which we compare and contrast with the “trial of the century” of Jack Ruby in Dallas. Spoiler alert: she’s convicted, and the whole story passes into the realm of spectacle. We consider Squeaky’s trial as a window into the pros and cons of propaganda of the deed - relevant today in a time when political assassination and spectacular violence is very much back in the mainstream.

Finally, we end with two overarching questions.  Did she really intend to kill Jerry, or was it just a performance?  And did she act alone or was there a conspiracy? 

Listen to Side A of Squeaky’s swan song for free today. If you like what you hear, head on over to patreon.com/fourthreicharchaeology and become a member of our community to get access to the full 3.5 hour episode. Otherwise, you’ll just have to hang tight until Sides B and C make their way onto the free feed.