Gary James' Interview With The Presley Commission's
Deborah Wines
Since 1989, Gary James has provided extensive coverage surrounding the Is Elvis Alive? issue. He's interviewed people like Gail
Brewer Giorgio, Detective Monte Wayne Nicholson and Jerry Schilling. With every person interviewed comes a different answer. We
now present the most fascinating interview yet, an interview with Michigan policewoman Deborah Wines, who says that Elvis Presley
is indeed alive. Ms. Wines has worn a badge since 1982 and is well versed in police and investigative work. Deborah Wines is part of
something called The Presley Commission, a group that set out to gather information on the Elvis "disappearance." In August, 1994,
The Presley Commission issued The Presley Report, which promised to contain the most conclusive evidence yet that Elvis
Presley faked his death, and pulled off the hoax of the century.
Here then is our exclusive interview with Deborah Wines.
Q - Deborah, what prompted you, as a police officer, to become interested in the "Is Elvis Alive?" question?
A - I've always been an Elvis fan, but not a fanatic. That is a big clarification right there. But yes, I like his music and have always
respected him. I've done a lot of reading in regards to Mr. Presley and learned a lot of what he did do as far as with law enforcement,
and his love for law enforcement, and doing things for the country. That's why I say I'm a fan, not a fanatic. I'm not about to camp out
in front of Graceland. I got involved in it because everything started happening really weird. A girlfriend came to me one time and
showed me a picture that was taken in May of 1978, that appears to be Mr. Presley walking across the front grounds of Graceland.
This is May of '78, some months after he 'died.' I prefer the word disappeared, because I don't feel we're investigating a situation of
mysterious death, I feel we're investigating a disappearance.
Q - Is The Presley Report going to be issued in the form of a book?
A - It's not going to be a book that you would call a binding book. It's going to be more a notebook, binder version, of a lot of our
findings, how we went about finding these things, the information we were able to obtain, that type of thing. The Report is going to be
a disposition of the information that was reviewed in investigating, regarding the events surrounding Mr. Presley's reported death,
which is now, as we said, regarded as a disappearance. It's not going to be a publication that is distributed for profit. There is no profit
here what-so-ever.
Q - Will this report contain eyewitness testimony of Elvis sightings?
A - There will be some reported sightings. There will be testimonial depositions of the documentation of some of the findings in the
case. There will be much more, although right now I can't go into what all the specifics are.
Q - But, you will have solid evidence, documentation that will make people who believe Elvis died on August 16th, 1977, think again.
A - Yes.
Q - It's gonna really make people sit up and take notice?
A - We hope it does. (Laughs). Yeah.
Q - Why would Elvis Presley fake his death? Was it, as Det. Monte Wayne Nicholson said, because Elvis fingered a high level narcotics trafficker in Las Vegas?
A - That was Monte's comment on it. Our findings have shown a lot of different substance to what he did. We are all under the
understanding right now, in the amount of documentation and paperwork we've looked at, that through all of this, it comes down to the
very bottom line, he did what had to do. The man had no other choice.
Q - Will you say in this report why he had to do what he did?
A - Yes, probably.
Q - Gail Brewer Giorgio made much of the fact that she thought Elvis was part of the Witness Protection Program. Monte Nicholson said anyone who was in the Program and behaved like Elvis would've been kicked out of the program long ago. Do you buy that?
A - I'm not here to debate Monte's comments. Those are his findings and his beliefs. With our standing on it all, I think Elvis knew
what he was going into. I think it was a very well thought out, soul searched plan. I really believe he knows what was going to be
entailed into it. I also think that there were some things that happened that he wasn't aware of, and probably may never will be aware
of.
Q - Many people credit Gail Brewer Giorgio with being the first person to bring the Elvis is alive idea to the attention of the public.
Yet, in 1981, seven years before Gail's book, author Albert Goldman wrote about it in his book Elvis, and called it a "Bizarre
Phenomenon." Was Albert Goldman the first person to bring it up?
A - I'm not really sure about that. I don't know who you could say was the true pioneer. Whatever Mr. Goldman says is his
thoughts. I read Gail's books several times. I've used them for research. There's too much there that I can't discredit. It's solid proof.
That's kind of like asking the question what came first, the chicken or the egg.
Q - Many people report seeing a wax dummy sweating in the coffin of Elvis. 60 Minutes producer and author Charles Thompson
(The Death of Elvis Presley) says no one has ever stepped forward to confirm that story. Have you found someone that will state for
the record that it was a wax dummy?
A - We have a person that can verify that there was a dummy.
Q - Gail Brewer Giorgio says that when Elvis was brought into the hospital on August 16th, 1977, nurses there did not recognize him
and had to sign something called a G-5 Form, which stopped them from talking about it. Charles Thompson says that's nonsense.
Elvis was in the hospital two weeks before his death and was well known to the staff. Have you ever heard of this G-5 Form? Who's
right?
A - I'm not personally familiar with it. I'm not saying it does exist. I'm not saying it doesn't exist. I am not personally aware of that
form. There are people that are connected to the hospital and mention that the body that was brought in was not recognized as Mr.
Presley. Frankly I think Mr. Thompson wouldn't know, because he might not have been there at all. The Report does go into the area
of medical handling, but right now I can't go into all of the contents of that, because that would be releasing much more information
than we want to be released at this time.
Q - How can you be so sure that your sources are telling you the truth?
A - By a lot of work. You check and you double check. There's been a lot of things I've been handed that have been bogus. I've been
handed a lot of things in documentations that I can't ignore. The levels of how high these documentations go are absolutely
unbelievable. It's not just totally "he said, she said." These are valid type documents.
Q - If much of your information is secret and confidential, how then did you get a hold of it?
A - I don't care to go into that right now.
Q - To pull off a hoax like this, how many people would have been involved? Priscilla? Lisa Marie? Colonel Parker? Joe Esposito?
A - I think there were some of 'em that knew what was going on.
Q - Some people have raised the question, if Elvis was so sick during the last two years of his life, how did he maintain the touring,
traveling schedule he maintained. Did you find any evidence that Colonel Parker used an Elvis impersonator in those final days?
A - I've heard a lot of rumor to that effect, but there again, I don't have anything real substantial out of it. That again is a real touchy
area that I can't go into real heavy.
Q - Did you read Alexander Zeller's book on Elvis and his belief that the man carried out of Graceland was someone other than Elvis?
A - I read it. We've had to do a lot of reading and research. I think some of the information in the book is speculative in order to
maintain a story line. But there are some interesting points that have been made regarding Mr. Presley and his relationship with the
Colonel.
Q - Canadian police investigator Luc Dione states that the ambulance dispatcher took a call from Graceland at 10 A.M.. on August 16th
for assistance, not 2:30 P.M. Isn't there a tape-recorded log of all incoming calls for that day?
A - Well, every department that I know of does keep some sort of tape-recording. It's become more prominent now than it may have
been back in 1977. So, I'm not sure that there are tapes definitely on that. But, right now there's no evidence at this time to show a 10
A.M. time. The police report and the fire department logs both show 2:30 P.M.
Q - Did a helicopter land in the backyard of Graceland on August 16th and whisk Elvis away an hour before the world learned of his
death?
A - There's been a great deal of speculation on the helicopter theory. We've looked at it and we're continuing to look at it. When other
rumors circulate around this, we have to continue to look at it. But there are some things we are holding right now, that will show
some difference.
Q - After the first show on Elvis, in August of 1991, hosted by Bill Bixby, did Johnny Cash call in at the very end of the show and
verify Elvis' involvement with law enforcement?
A - Yes, I understand that he did. But, what was discussed, I can't go into.
Q - Did you talk to Johnny Cash about it?
A - I personally did not.
Q - But, someone did?
A - He has been in contact with some of our people.
Q - There was a lady in Michigan, name of Louise Welling who said she saw Elvis in the back of a police car, in Michigan in 1979.
The officer driving that car, according to Ms. Welling, was Sgt. Dwayne Duffy. Have you located Sgt. Duffy?
A - There have been efforts made to locate him. Right now our search is turning out somewhat positive.
Q - Did Elvis have training in law enforcement?
A - There are a lot of records we have and records that are public at this time that do show he had a large, law enforcement
background. With that, the subsequent Commission does not want to undermine the matters involving national security, of this whole
situation. I will tell you that we do know the appointment (as a DEA agent) was official.
Q - How would you explain the strange behavior of Colonel Parker at Elvis funeral? He wore a Hawaiian shirt and sat on a motorcycle.
A - I've done a lot of research into that. I was able to pull some court documents that I've looked at. I guess the best way that I can
say anything about that is the Colonel, at one time, made a comment that he gave Mr. Presley a way out and he took it, and that he
was evidently more interested in the money from Mr. Presley.
Q - I don't understand.
A - Well, that was a comment that was said at one time by the Colonel and it is a little tacky to be handling business on the day of a
funeral.
Q - Was there a million dollars missing from Elvis' checking account?
A - We've heard a lot of talk to that effect. The money has never been accounted for at all.
Q - Was the coffin that Elvis was buried in, ordered months before, in Oklahoma?
A - I've heard Oklahoma. I've heard Germany. I've heard quite a few different locations that it was ordered in from.
Q - Besides Johnny Cash, are there other entertainment figures who know the truth about Elvis?
A - The way the Commission feels is, that there are individuals who definitely do know more than what they are saying.
Q - A gentleman by the name of Major Bill Smith claims he is Elvis' manager today. True?
A - There's certainly reason to understand why he would wish to manage Elvis, due to his unusual career as a former record
promoter. But he's not the only one who would like to do that. I think any producer would dream to have that opportunity. But, it's not
totally substantiated.
Q - The tape that Gail Brewer Giorgio released with her 1988 book first surfaced in 1981 from the woman known as Ellen Foster. Who
is Ellen Foster?
A - Ellen Foster, as you know, has since passed away, was an acquaintance of Mr. Presley. She was a frien and apparently
looked like and reminded Mr. Presley of his beloved mother Gladys. And we all know how much Mr. Presley loved his Mom. The
circumstances surrounding Ms. Foster and the '81 tape will be discussed in the Report. The Commission does concur that the voice
on the tape was that of Mr. Presley.
Q - You have documentation proving that Ellen Foster really knew Elvis?
A - Yes.
Q - Does Elvis have hideaways in Hawaii and Singapore?
A - Some of the locations of possible properties have been reviewed. But it's not the intention of the Commission to divulge or
compromise Mr. Presley's situation. The Report will go a little further into that area, but there again as your question states, these
are his hideaways. We are not going to compromise his position, his safety, or his security. This is all done for him, out of love and
respect to him.
Q - Is it true that the regular mailman who had Graceland on his route was pulled off the route of August 16th? How do you know that
it's true?
A - That's been confirmed with the U.S. Postal Service and with the Post office itself.
Q - And what else happened that morning?
A - Approximately 9 in the morning, he (Elvis) signed for a letter. About 10 A.M. or in the vicinity of, he picked up his newspaper.
Q - Do you know who sent him that letter?
A - That will be revealed in the Report.
Q - You know the exact time Elvis signed for it?
A - Yes.
Q - What would it take to get Elvis' body exhumed? Do you have to prove foul play?
A - That's only partially true. A family member can request the body be exhumed for whatever reason. There's some other
considerations to look at, concerning the exhuming of the body. At this time the State (Tennessee) doesn't feel it necessary to do
that. The Commission feels it's just frivolous to pursue it at this particular time. The position may change one way or another, depending on any new evidence becoming available, to warrant exhuming a body.
Q - Has Elvis ever called you?
A - A person that identified himself as Elvis Presley did, yes, but it was not Elvis Presley.
Q - What is your purpose in releasing this Report? What do you hope to accomplish?
A - The purpose of the forthcoming Presley Report will be to show Mr. Elvis Presley in a more positive light and one that he definitely deserves and to exonerate him from these unusual rumors that have affected his ability to continue on as a private citizen, and hopefully, ultimately correct the historical content of this matter.
© Gary James. All rights reserved.
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