Clay Shaw was the son of a US Marshall. He enlisted in the Army at the beginning of World War II. He was soon commissioned as an officer it the medical section. He later transferred to the Quartermaster and became part of the General staff, serving in France and Belgium after D-Day.

Shaw is unique in that he is the only person to stand trial for any part in the assassination of John Kennedy. Several key witnesses were dead and one need help recalling details of some of the meetings. Jim Garrison did his best to tie the many loose strings together but was unable to convince the jury.

In 1979 Richard Helms admitted that they utilized Shaw in the Domestic Contact Service. This was when they debriefed Americans who traveled abroad to gain what intelligence they could... and Shaw did a lot of traveling with his business. This is something the CIA often used for cover as agents moved around the world.

Others found Shaw's involvement much deeper than Helms admitted. Guy Bannister's secretary, Delphine Roberts, said he was a regular in the office along with David Ferrie, various Cuban exiles and even Lee Oswald on occasion. Judyth Baker told of times he and Oswald took part in MKULTRA experiments.

He often made his attorney, Dean Andrews, available to other members of the New Orleans gay community – guaranteeing the payment of his fees when required. Within this community he was known as Clay Bertrand. On Oswald's arrest, Shaw called Andrews to inquire about representing him. Jack Ruby's actions made this unnecessary.

Shaw is reported to have helped pay for some Operation Mongoose activities as well as doing other thing to help Cuban exiles prepare for another attempt at invading Cuba.

Being a heavy smoker all his life, Clay Shaw passed away of lung cancer at the age of 61, however no autopsy way permitted.

The part of Clay Shaw was played by Tommie Lee Jones in the JFK film.

Man of a Million Fragments: The True Story of Clay Shaw
by Donald H Carpenter

A full-length biography of Clay Shaw, the prominent New Orleans man implicated in the assassination of President Kennedy during the investigation by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison. This complete account tells the story of Shaw’s life from the beginning, including his early days as a playwright and telegraph employee, his time in New York City in the public relations and theater worlds, his military service during World War II, his spectacular career from the beginning of the International Trade Mart in New Orleans after the war, his private life as a gay businessman and CIA information source, through his arrest, trial, and ongoing litigation that followed him the rest of his life. Impressive in scope and research, it is the only book of its kind on the subject.