Three Red Flags Against Decker

[Richard Gilbride]

From the pilot car at 12:30 PM, during the initial reaction to the shots, Sheriff Bill Decker called in over Channel 2:

"Have my office move all available men out of my office into the railroad yard to try to determine what happened in there and hold everything secure until Homicide and other investigators should get there." (XXIII p. 913)

At 12:34 motorcycle officer Clyde Haygood radioed in that he'd spoken with a guy who'd told him the shooting came from the TSBD building, and by 12:36 Sgt. David Harkness had a witness with him who told him it was from the 5th floor. (XXIII p. 914)

Yet there is no record of Decker's response to these reports about the Depository. The pilot car arrived at Parkland at 12:37, and the probability is good that Decker used a hospital phone to contact his office.

Luke Mooney, who had initially been searching the railyard area, reported on that day that another deputy "came up and told me and officers Sam Webster and Billy Joe Victory to surround" the TSBD building (XIX p. 528). Mooney's testimony clarified that these instructions had been relayed from Decker (III p. 283).

Decker did not notify his deputies to search the Depository for 3-plus minutes after the 1st radio broadcast that the building was the source of the shots.

Mooney's after-action report contained additional information, pertaining to his attempt to use the west freight elevator.

"...we went up one floor and the power to the elevator was cut off." The mystery was not what happened- the power was cut. The mystery was who had done it.

Decker did not inform any news provider about this power outage. Nor did this information find its way into any investigative report of any agency investigating the assassination.

About 5:00 PM Decker phoned Captain Fritz and requested that he come see him immediately. Fritz dropped what he was doing and complied (JFK & the Unspeakable p. 274). Whatever they discussed, in greatest privacy, remains unknown. But their pow-wow occurred while 14-year-old Amos Euins was being held for questioning at Decker's office.

And Euins, who at 12:35 had told a Dallas news director that he'd seen a colored man up in the TSBD with a rifle, at 8:00 PM produced a Sheriff's statement that read: "This was a white man, he did not have on a hat."

Whatever Decker & Fritz discussed in private, part of it concerned the alteration of Euins' eyewitness account.

***********************

Decker misdirected his deputies for several critical minutes, ensuring that the Depository hit team made a clean getaway. His coverup of the elevator power outage reveals that he knew this was a critical piece of information, one that would betray the TSBD employee-complicity in the plot. And his alliance with Fritz was central to blaming the crime on the white-guy scapegoat, Oswald.

Decker was a key conspirator.

Who put him in that position, and let him get away with what he did on November 22nd?

[Thomas Graves]

From the pilot car at 12:30 PM, during the initial reaction to the shots, Sheriff Bill Decker called in over Channel 2:

"Have my office move all available men out of my office into the railroad yard to try to determine what happened in there and hold everything secure until Homicide and other investigators should get there." (XXIII p. 913)

At 12:34 motorcycle officer Clyde Haygood radioed in that he'd spoken with a guy who'd told him the shooting came from the TSBD building, and by 12:36 Sgt. David Harkness had a witness with him who told him it was from the 5th floor. (XXIII p. 914)

Yet there is no record of Decker's response to these reports about the Depository. The pilot car arrived at Parkland at 12:37, and the probability is good that Decker used a hospital phone to contact his office.

Luke Mooney, who had initially been searching the railyard area, reported on that day that another deputy "came up and told me and officers Sam Webster and Billy Joe Victory to surround" the TSBD building (XIX p. 528). Mooney's testimony clarified that these instructions had been relayed from Decker (III p. 283).

Decker did not notify his deputies to search the Depository for 3-plus minutes after the 1st radio broadcast that the building was the source of the shots.

Mooney's after-action report contained additional information, pertaining to his attempt to use the west freight elevator.

"...we went up one floor and the power to the elevator was cut off." The mystery was not what happened- the power was cut. The mystery was who had done it.

Decker did not inform any news provider about this power outage. Nor did this information find its way into any investigative report of any agency investigating the assassination.

About 5:00 PM Decker phoned Captain Fritz and requested that he come see him immediately. Fritz dropped what he was doing and complied (JFK & the Unspeakable p. 274). Whatever they discussed, in greatest privacy, remains unknown. But their pow-wow occurred while 14-year-old Amos Euins was being held for questioning at Decker's office.

And Euins, who at 12:35 had told a Dallas news director that he'd seen a colored man up in the TSBD with a rifle, at 8:00 PM produced a Sheriff's statement that read: "This was a white man, he did not have on a hat."

Whatever Decker & Fritz discussed in private, part of it concerned the alteration of Euins' eyewitness account.

***********************

Decker misdirected his deputies for several critical minutes, ensuring that the Depository hit team made a clean getaway. His coverup of the elevator power outage reveals that he knew this was a critical piece of information, one that would betray the TSBD employee-complicity in the plot. And his alliance with Fritz was central to blaming the crime on the white-guy scapegoat, Oswald.

Decker was a key conspirator.

Who put him in that position, and let him get away with what he did on November 22nd?

Richard,

Decker had a very shady background, too, if I remember correctly. Or was it Butler?

--Tommy

[Gene Kelly]

Bill Decker was 66 years old at the time of the assassination, and in his fifth term as Sherriff (since 1949). He had been reelected a number of times, and in his twenty-two years as sheriff he never faced another opponent in an election. He was chief deputy sheriff for Dallas County for 14 years, and chief deputy constable since 1924. He worked as a court clerk in his early days, and started as an elevator operator in the courthouse, literally at the bottom (as Leon Hubert described in his testimony given in April 1964) working his way up. He was a legend in Texas law enforcement pursuing Bonnie and Clyde, and he officiated at Audie Murphy’s wedding. He was involved (as alleged by Gary Wean, "There's a Fish in the Courthouse") in a December 1963 conversation between John Tower and Murphy in New Mexico regarding the assassination and Howard Hunt's involvement. Decker died in 1970.

[Richard Gilbride]

Thanks on that, Gene. I'll take a stab at the second part of my question, i.e. who let him get away with what he did on November 22nd?

Earle Cabell.

[Thomas Graves]

Bill Decker was 66 years old at the time of the assassination, and in his fifth term as Sherriff (since 1949). He had been reelected a number of times, and in his twenty-two years as sheriff he never faced another opponent in an election. He was chief deputy sheriff for Dallas County for 14 years, and chief deputy constable since 1924. He worked as a court clerk in his early days, and started as an elevator operator in the courthouse, literally at the bottom (as Leon Hubert described in his testimony given in April 1964) working his way up. He was a legend in Texas law enforcement pursuing Bonnie and Clyde, and he officiated at Audie Murphy’s wedding. He was involved (as alleged by Gary Wean, "There's a Fish in the Courthouse") in a December 1963 conversation between John Tower and Murphy in New Mexico regarding the assassination and Howard Hunt's involvement. Decker died in 1970.

David Scheim thinks Decker was associated with Dallas mafioso Joe Civello in a friendly kind of way.

From the Spartacus website:

"In his book, The Mafia Killed President Kennedy (1988) David E. Scheim claimed that "Decker was well-connected in the underworld... Decker maintained friendships with two notorious local hoodlums and served as a character reference for Joseph Civello when the Dallas Mafia boss applied for parole on a narcotics conviction."

--Tommy

[Richard Gilbride]

It is curious to reflect upon the following passage from "The Sayings of Jack Ruby" (2022) as transcribed from his jail cell while being visited by Earl Warren, Bill Decker & others:

"There is a certain organization here, Chief Justice Warren, if it takes my life at this moment to say it, and Bill Decker said be a man and say it, there is a John Birch Society right now in activity, and Edwin Walker is one of the top men of this organization- take it for what it is worth, Chief Justice Warren. Unfortunately for me, for giving people the opportunity to get in power, because of the act I committed, has put a lot of people in jeopardy with their lives. Doesn't register with you, does it?"

[David Andrews]

Ruby's entire testimony to Earl Warren, delivered in Bill Decker's company, is worth a close reading - especially Ruby's references to Decker previously telling Ruby to man up and tell all. What was that about?

[Richard Gilbride]

There is some brief footage of Decker escorting Ruby to trial in Evidence of Revision- Part 1- 9 of 10 from 3:57-4:01 at

and in Helmer Reenberg's Texas School Book Depository

in the left 1/3 of screen from 1:48-1:52, Decker is escorting Brennan

and at 2:02-2:09 Decker is in front of TSBD

[Gene Kelly]

Richard:

I don't put much stock in what Ruby says ... its all double-talk. The man is a bunko artist and criminal par excellence. And he is still perpetuating the myth or cover story (imho) when he invokes JBS and Walker. Pure BS. Since Decker is the centennial jailer in Dallas, he is of course present. Not sure the implications of his presence are much more than that.

Gene

[Richard Gilbride]

I agree just about entirely, Gene. This snippet of Ruby's testimony, where he says "Bill Decker said be a man and say it" is intriguing to me because, although Ruby thinks the official record will reflect that he was spurred on by Decker to reveal his pent-up secrets, what follows is utter BS (as opposed to just plain BS). I think Ruby is laying a red-herring here, about the John Birch Society.

I would be surprised if Ruby & Decker didn't have a long-term friendship, akin to Ruby's "one-of-the-boys" camaraderie with the Dallas police. Decker, like Fritz, had been a mainstay of Dallas law enforcement. Which had been completely corrupted by the Mob since at least '47-'48, when Ruby moved there, if not sooner.

Jan. 28, 1964- Jack Ruby and Dallas Sheriff Bill Decker after Ruby's psychiatric tests:

I think at 1:46 that is Decker's voice off-screen who says "Let's go" and cuts short Ruby's remarks.

Decker apparently wanted to make a deathbed confession in 1970, but officers were stationed by his hospital door to prevent visitors. He was said to be senile and making "incoherent ramblings" about the assassination.

[David Andrews]

I suspect Ruby would like to say things that Bill Decker is inhibiting - things about other than the JBS and Walker. Ruby is acknowledging that he's playing under Decker's influence.

Edited December 29, 2015 by David Andrews

[Gene Kelly]

Richard:

One the many aspects of JFK's (and his brother Bobby's) murder that always strikes me is how the police were co-opted into facilitating the operation. Controlling the crime scene, managing evidence, and limiting bystander action (even intimidating witnesses). One can imagine being at the scene, and encountering police (figures of authority and assurance) during the chaos of a murder; its therefore insidious, as innocent citizens are conditioned to trust law enforcement officials. It is also a masterstroke of operational strategy ... and one that cannot easily be set in place by just anyone. This is why I'm convinced of some form of intelligence orchestration.

For example, the intrigue surrounding (and using) Tippit is one of the most poignant indicators for me of conspiracy. Killing a policeman sets into motion all sorts of dynamics that help to distract legitimate followup and mold public opinion. Another masterstroke of operational planning. Studying Tippit has also led me to Hill and Westbrook as persons of interest.

I would think that Fritz and Decker -- central figures in the local crime scene and flow of evidence/witnesses -- either (a) knew something fishy was going on (they had considerable crime experience and instincts for criminal behavior); or ( were in some way complicit or compromised. Given their prominence and longstanding jurisdiction, If it were the latter, I'd expect it was subtle and not blatant. But they had to be considered and managed in some way for the plot to proceed.

Gene

[Paul Brancato]

A most interesting thread. I had never noticed the part of Ruby's statement about JBS and Walker that mentioned Decker, and it is clear that he prefaces his remarks by implying that Decker told him what to say. Incredible.

[Richard Gilbride]

Gene Kelly: ...how the police were co-opted into facilitating the operation. Controlling the crime scene, managing evidence, and limiting bystander action (even intimidating witnesses)... a masterstroke of operational strategy... some form of intelligence orchestration.

3 guys the plot absolutely depended on, in my opinion, were Fritz, Decker & Day. Without their complicity the fact would get exposed that there were multiple shooters. And a high-level government conspiracy.

They were central to the plot. Failure was not an option for them. If they screwed up & got caught the whole house of cards would come down. And each of these 3 guys had to know, in advance, the basic game-plan of the plot (location of shooters, their escape routes, coverup story that would frame Oswald).

Mayor Earle Cabell was their immediate superior in the Dallas political power structure and has to be considered as one of their enablers- it was his OK or persuasion or tacit agreement that brought them into the plot. Another possibility is LBJ's behind-the-scenes henchman Ed Clark. And/or LBJ aide Cliff Carter. This Texas power structure looks to me as even more critical than the role of intelligence agencies.

And I'm reasonably sure that when Decker made this 12:30 broadcast on Chief Curry's mike, just after the shots: "Have my office move all available men out of my office into the railroad yard to try to determine what happened in there and hold everything secure until Homicide and other investigators should get there." that Decker knew that the grassy knoll hit team would make a clean, quick getaway (within 60 seconds) and that his officers wouldn't get there until well after that (75+ seconds).

And that with attention focused on the grassy knoll area, the Depository hit team would have sufficient time for their own getaway.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Richard Gilbride

[Paul Trejo]

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 6:54 AM, Richard Gilbride said:

Gene Kelly: ...how the police were co-opted into facilitating the operation. Controlling the crime scene, managing evidence, and limiting bystander action (even intimidating witnesses)... a masterstroke of operational strategy... some form of intelligence orchestration.

3 guys the plot absolutely depended on, in my opinion, were Fritz, Decker & Day. Without their complicity the fact would get exposed that there were multiple shooters. And a high-level government conspiracy.

They were central to the plot. Failure was not an option for them. If they screwed up & got caught the whole house of cards would come down. And each of these 3 guys had to know, in advance, the basic game-plan of the plot (location of shooters, their escape routes, coverup story that would frame Oswald).

Mayor Earle Cabell was their immediate superior in the Dallas political power structure and has to be considered as one of their enablers- it was his OK or persuasion or tacit agreement that brought them into the plot. Another possibility is LBJ's behind-the-scenes henchman Ed Clark. And/or LBJ aide Cliff Carter. This Texas power structure looks to me as even more critical than the role of intelligence agencies.

And I'm reasonably sure that when Decker made this 12:30 broadcast on Chief Curry's mike, just after the shots: "Have my office move all available men out of my office into the railroad yard to try to determine what happened in there and hold everything secure until Homicide and other investigators should get there." that Decker knew that the grassy knoll hit team would make a clean, quick getaway (within 60 seconds) and that his officers wouldn't get there until well after that (75+ seconds).

And that with attention focused on the grassy knoll area, the Depository hit team would have sufficient time for their own getaway.

The trouble with Earle Cabell is that he didn't have the military, paramilitary or special services training that such an orchestration would require.

However, in Dallas, there was such a man -- also motivated in his hatred for JFK, who had sent this man to an insane asylum only one year prior.

That man was Ex-General Edwin Walker -- the only US General to resign from the US Army in the 20th century, forfeiting his Army pension.

Ex-General Edwin Walker had run for Texas Governor in 1962, but he was all washed up in Texas politics by January 1963, because JFK had sent Walker to an insane asylum.

The only people who would follow General Walker now were the Underground, Radical Right, and especially the armed, Minutemen -- some members of whom were active in the Dallas Police Department and Sheriff's Office.

Who could orchestrate such a diverse group to Assassinate JFK when he drove through Dallas?    Who could persuade the Dallas FBI and the Dallas Secret Service to play along with the Dallas Bubba Network.   One man -- a military leader from childhood -- Ex-General Edwin Walker.

See the recent book by Jeff Caufield: General Walker and the Murder of President Kennedy: the Extensive New Evidence of a Radical Right Conspiracy (2015).

Regards,
--Paul Trejo