Some Thoughts About Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry

[Hudson Alexander]

First of all, I am new to the forum, and I have enjoyed reading the many posts here. There's tons of interesting reading right here!On November 22, 1963, I was a 9-year old 4th grader, attending the public elementary school in my hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. I will never forget when all of us kids were hurried into the cafeteria to watch the TV coverage from Dallas. Even as a youngster, I recall those press conferences where, I thought, it was an established fact that President Kennedy had been shot from the front! It seems that it was sometime later when the focus changed altogether and the depository and LHO were center attention.Of all the people who were front-and-center and in a position to call the shots, so to speak, I've always been drawn to Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry (1913-1980). He was in the lead automobile that day and I have come to see him as a no-nonsense sort of person. In his book, JFK Assassination File, published in 1969, I call your attention to the words he wrote with regard to the earliest moments after shots were fired at Dealey Plaza:"I glanced into my rearview mirror and could see the commotion in the President's car. Everyone was confused.""President John F. Kennedy had been shot and the motorcycle officers on each side of the rear of the Presidential car knew that he was hurt and hurt badly. No one knew any more forcefully than motorcycle officer Bobby Hargis. He had been following close, just behind the left rear fender of the limousine. A red sheet of blood and brain tissue exploded backward from Kennedy's head into the face of Officer Hargis. The trajectory must have appeared to Hargis to have come from just ahead and to the right of the motorcade. He parked his motorcycle and started running in that direction."So.....as the last of the shots rang out....what did Chief Curry do?? He grabbed the mic on his police radio and sent this frantic message:"Go to the hospital, officers, Parkland Hospital, have them stand by. Get men on top of the under pass, see what happened up there, go up to the over pass. Have Parkland stand by. I'm sure it's going to take some time to get your men in there. Put everyone of my men there!"Fellow Forum members: I submit to you that this raw information, which unfolded within moments of the shooting and within mere feet of the actual event, is probably some of the most compelling and accurate information that we got out of Dallas on that fateful day!

[kenmurray]

Jesse Curry claimed that Jack Ruby only knew less than 50 Dallas Policemen of the 1200 who were employed on 11/22/63. Ruby knew at least 1/2 of the DPD:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SsnhT3c ... re=related

[Hudson Alexander]

I agree that Chief Curry did make that statement. However, I believe his men lied to him & told him that, and especially after the heat was put on them in the aftermath of the LHO shooting. I can only imagine that Chief Curry was livid, after hearing the reports of how Ruby received preferential treatment at the Dallas PD.Here's one more example of a quote from Chief Curry, and yet another reason why I believe he was a straight-shooter on the JFK assassination:"Although most of the evidence (in the case) was gathered by the Dallas Police Department, it did not remain in our hands very long. Early Friday evening (November 22, 1963) F.B.I. agents were anxious to have all physical evidence released to them."Of course, we all know, now, that J. Edgar Hoover had already closed the case....in his mind....by the time that evidence was turned over by officials in Dallas! I think anybody who has read Curry's book, which is loaded with photos of artifacts in the case (he made copies before releasing the originals), would almost have to conclude that Chief Curry called it the way he saw it......and he was pretty close to it during those crucial early hours of the investigation.

[kenmurray]

While I believe Fritz and Henry Wade were much worse in the aftermath of the assassination, I don't give Curry a free pass on this. What was Curry doing at LBJ''s swearing in ceremony aboard Air Force One when he should be running his Dept instead? Also why did Curry and Fritz allow the Oswald transfer to occur late that Sunday morning where instead the transfer should had occur like after midnite which would had drawn less attention?

[Bruce Patrick Brychek]

Gentlemen:I was unaware that Jesse Curry "wrote" a book, and will definitely follow-up on that. I can at least probably believe the pictures if nothing else.What I did see was interviews of Jesse Curry, and my opinion was that he was a complete dolt, who came across as an utter simpleton.In the aftermath of the Assassination of a President of the U.S. under their combined purview,Curry, Fritz, and Wade appeared as clueless, disorganized, not on the same page, and totally unprofessional.With an event of such magnitude they should have had their "best game day performance." Sadly, they did not.Ken - I completely agree with your points which are very well taken.Comments ?Respectfully,BB.

[Hudson Alexander]

Like you, I don't think anybody should be given a "free pass" in this matter, not even Chief Curry!Now....that said....his book leads me to believe that he had no idea that he would end up on Air Force One that afternoon, just minutes after President Kenneday had been declared dead in Dallas.Here's what Chief Curry wrote, explaining his actions leading to events on Air Force One, and in his own words:(Speaking of the time, shortly after Kennedy had been pronounced dead, and as a priest was being escorted into Trauma Room1)"Secret Service Agents Rufus Youngblood and Emory Roberts were completely preoccupied with Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson. They were desperately trying to keep the Johnsons out of the confusion and safe from any further violence. At that moment they, like everyone else, were wondering if this might be a conspiracy that would also endanger the Vice-President...""Agent Youngblood was especially anxious to get the Vice-President to leave for Love Field and get out of Dallas as soon as possible. Apparently the Vice-President was not sure precisely what would be the proper course of action. Agents Youngblood and Roberts laid the plan for his escape to the airport.""One of the agents in their command asked me to have cars standing by to take the Vice-President to Love Field. I arranged for the exit, and Inspector H.J. Putnam and I waited in front of the hospital in unmarked cars. In a few minutes Lyndon Johnson and three congressmen got into my car which was in the lead. Mrs. Johnson and some staff members got into Inspector Putnam's car, and we headed for the airport by the most direct route. By the time we arrived, the area where the presidential planes were parked was completely surrounded by police officers.""Upon arrival, Johnson and his party boarded Air Force One. I remained outside to direct security operations and await the remainder of the President's party. Sometime later, an ambulance and several other cars arrived. Mrs. Kennedy and others of the official party alighted from the vehicles. A casket was removed from the ambulance and placed on the plane.""A short time later I was informed that President Johnson would take the oath of office before leaving Dallas. At that moment highly respected U.S. Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes was already enroute to Love Field for that purpose. When she arrived, I escorted her aboard Air Force One...""Once Air Force One was airborne I turned my attention to other matters. I escorted Judge Hughes back to her car, and spoke with Mayor Cabbell and his wife. At that point I was anxious to return to City Hall and review the progress of the investigation. I was aware of the general progress of the events of the afternoon, but now it was time to get down to specifics."I think Chief Curry's words, here, speak for themselves.While I am not trying to glorify every action taken by Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry that day, or even in the months afterward, when he was interviewed about the events in Dallas, I do think his 1969 book is a valuable primary resource for those of us who still seek the truth about November 22, 1963! It seems like everytime I read this book, I am struck by the candor of Chief Curry's narrative.

[kenmurray]

Chief Curry, Will Fritz, and Henry Wade do their best to implicate Oswald:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCcfmZdx ... latedChief Curry lies about his men recognizing Oswald:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvjTpXrt ... latedChief Curry: Ironic Slip?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7K2OTw2 ... relatedThe Dallas Police "preparing" for the visit of President Kennedy:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU2CORn6 ... re=related

[Bob]

This incident implicates the DPD, the sheriffs department and the MSM...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XNHtUDEDAII'm talking about the mauser.Look at how the MSM reports it...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AqqNKsWCGY

[kjell roald]

I guess maybe you´re all aware of this."I understand the FBI knew he was here, and interviewed him a week or two ago"( At 3:30 )http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI-L3t7ycL0

[Hudson Alexander]

Wow....I didn't realize everybody thought so little of Curry!Keep in mind that Curry retired from the DPD in 1966. And I suppose he spent the next three years assembling his file notes for publication in his book on the JFK assassination.But I've said this before, and I'll say it again:"While I am not trying to glorify every action taken by Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry that day, or even in the months afterward, when he was interviewed about the events in Dallas, I do think his 1969 book is a valuable primary resource for those of us who still seek the truth about November 22, 1963! It seems like everytime I read this book, I am struck by the candor of Chief Curry's narrative."I think many, in this group, would view Chief Curry entirely different if they would take the time to read his book from cover to cover. You would discover that Curry lays it all out there: the good, the bad, and the ugly!As he said, in the book's first chapter:"The story in the following chapters is a first-person account of what happened in Dallas during the week of the assassination. This is something that I saw and experienced. From the documents and evidence in my file I have attempted to present an objective historical reconstruction of the investigation. This is not an attempt to present a new theory about what happened at the assassination. It does not attempt to support any existing theory or validate the findings of the Warren Commission Report.""Unanswered questions and puzzling evidence are not buried in irrelevant facts or answered by theories and conjecture. The events and evidence must be allowed to speak for themselves, and people must form their own conclusions."No....Chief Curry was not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. But I've read the book. And I found that I admired the way he presented the material.