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Jesse Curry...Stand-by Cop


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The Recollections of Jesse Curry---[reproduced from my archives]
 

Given months to prepare for his testimony, Chief Curry did rather poorly...

Quote

    Mr. RANKIN....When did you learn of the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald?
    Mr. CURRY - While I was out at Parkland Hospital.
    Mr. RANKIN - Do you know about what time that was, the day?
    Mr. CURRY - It was on the 22d and the best I recall it was around 1 o'clock or maybe a little after 1 o'clock.
    Mr. RANKIN - How did that come to your attention?
    Mr. CURRY - Some of my officers came to me and said they had arrested a suspect. in the shooting of our Officer Tippit.
    Mr. RANKIN - What else did they say?
    Mr. CURRY - They also told me a little later, I believe, that he was a suspect also in the assassination of the President.
    Mr. RANKIN - What did you do then?
    Mr. CURRY - I didn't do anything at the time.


The President had only just been pronounced dead at 1:00

Quote

    Mr. CURRY - And I returned to the city hall.
    Mr. DULLES - Did I understand correctly, how long were you at Love Field after the plane of the President left?
    Mr. CURRY - As I recall it was approximately an hour.
    Mr. DULLES - That is what I thought.
    Mr. CURRY - We waited there until the casket bearing the President, and then the cars bearing Mrs. Kennedy arrived, and it was, I would judge an hour perhaps.
    Mr. RANKIN - Then what did you do?
    Mr. CURRY - I returned to my office at city hall.
    Mr. RANKIN - Did you do anything about Lee Harvey Oswald at that time?
    Mr. CURRY - No


Quote

    Mr. CURRY - No. As I went into the city hall it was overrun with the news media.
    Mr. RANKIN - What did you do about that?
    Mr. CURRY - I didn't do anything.


Quote

    Mr. RANKIN - Did anyone of the police department give them permission [TV news cameras etc] to do this?
    Mr. CURRY - I noticed--well, I don't know who gave them permission because I wasn't there. When I returned they were up there.
    Mr. RANKIN - Did you inquire about whether permission had been given?
    Mr. CURRY - No; I didn't.


Quote

    Mr. RANKIN - Did you have anything to do with the interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald?
    Mr. CURRY - No, sir; I did not. I was in the office once or twice while he was being interrogated but I never asked him any question myself.
    Mr. RANKIN - Do you know who did?
    Mr. CURRY - Captain Fritz principally interrogated him, I believe.
    Mr. RANKIN - Was that his responsibility?
    Mr. CURRY - Yes; it was. There were several people in the office. It seems to me we were violating every principle of interrogation, the method by which we had to interrogate.
    Mr. RANKIN - Will you explain to the Commission what you mean by that?
    Mr. CURRY - Ordinarily an interrogator in interrogating a suspect will have him in a quiet room alone or perhaps with one person there.
    Mr. RANKIN - Is that your regular practice?
    Mr. CURRY - That is the regular practice.
    Mr. RANKIN - Tell us how this was done?
    Mr. CURRY - This we had representatives from the Secret Service, we had representatives from the FBI, we had representatives from the Ranger Force, and they were--and then one or two detectives from the homicide bureau. This was, well, it was just against all principles of good interrogation practice.
    Mr. RANKIN - By representatives can you tell us how many were from each of these agencies that you describe?
    Mr. CURRY - I can't be sure. I recall I believe two from the FBI, one or two, Inspector Kelley was there from Secret Service, and I believe another one of his men was there. There was one, I recall seeing one man from the Rangers. I don't recall who he was. I just remember now that there was one. Captain Fritz, and one or two of his detectives--this was in a small office.
    Mr. RANKIN - Did you do anything about this when you found out there were so many, did you give any instructions about it?
    Mr. CURRY - No; I didn't.


  So from what can be gathered here is that on Nov 22  1963-- Chief of Dallas Police Jesse Edward Curry just basically stood around and did nothing. He was the only prime official that did not take part in interrogating his own suspect. He allowed his office to be run amuck with reporters. He didn't know who was in and out of his own department. He didn't even order a tape recording so that he could examine an interview with a guy he accused of killing a patrolman and the President of the United States.
 

 

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