Could a Dallas cop have been one of the shooters?

[Guest Mark Valenti]

The following Dallas Police officers were off-duty on Friday, November 22, 1963 but most of them showed up in the vicinity of the TSBD at some point during the day:

Adamcik – He was at home that day and was due to be in court at 2 p.m. He arrived at the courthouse but it was closed. Later in the day, he went to LHO's house to investigate.

Barnes – He had a dentist apppointment at the time of the shooting. Later he drove to city hall, then went to the police station to check in. Later in the day he went to the TSBD.

James Bookhout – He was on leave. Before the shooting, he reportedloy went to a bank. He waited for the motorcade to pass. After the shooting, he heard sirens and reported for work.

Hicks – Was off-duty that day. His wife called him at home from work. He called the Dallas PD to report in case he was needed. Got to work by three. Went to TSBD.

Clint Lewis – He was home sick. Heard about the shooting. Went to work at TSBD. Then went to Texas Theater.

McMillon – He was home, asleep. A friend of his, Mickey Fuller, called him to tell about the JFK shooting. Stayed home except he believes he might have left his home to get a meal. Went to work next day.

Miller – He was off duty that Friday. He did not recall if he worked or not the next day. He was a very reluctant witness during the Warren hearings.

I started thinking that, after the shooting, the one person who would never arouse suspicion during the check of the TSBD would be someone in a Dallas police uniform.

Does anyone have insight into the character/background of any of these men that might shed light on their activities that day?

[John Geraghty]

There is the case of Harry Weatherford, who, according to Robert Groden in 'The Killing of a President', was on top of the county records building with a rifle.

Just another tidbit.

John

[Guest John Gillespie]

There is the case of Harry Weatherford, who, according to Robert Groden in 'The Killing of a President', was on top of the county records building with a rifle.

Just another tidbit.

John

_________________________

John,

Tidbit? Nugget! Thanks.

Later,

JG

Edited June 27, 2006 by John Gillespie

[Guest John Gillespie]

"Does anyone have insight into the character/background of any of these men that might shed light on their activities that day?"

__________________________________

Mark,

This is frustrating because of less-than-total-recall. However, about six to seven months ago someone had a brief thread regarding how the Keystone cops image of the DPD was something they actually nurtured because many of them were in the Intelligence Reserves. I'll do some digging.

Regards,

JG

Edited June 27, 2006 by John Gillespie

[Jack White]

Interview with former sheriff Bowles:

Question : I enclosed two photos of a man waiting for a station wagon some minutes after the assassination (published in COVER-UP, Gary Shaw). You can see a man on the grassy knoll and the station wagon coming toward him.

BOWLES : How could anyone seem to be waiting for a station wagon? Perhaps they were as easily waiting for a…whatever. If you are thinking about the station wagon which was supposed to have been seen leaving the area, there could have been several, as they were quite popular here. It definitely was not Oswald, as he was positively identified by the bus driver, and his presence (Oswald’s) was presumed confirmed by the bus transfer slip in Oswald’s possession. The transfer was in Oswald’s possession when he was arrested, and he made no alibi to disclaim ownership. Further, the transfer was traced to that bus operator, and it was a timely issue.

Question : Do you know about Deputy Sheriff Harry Weatherford waiting on the roof a building near assassination site with a rifle?

BOWLES : Yes, Harry Weatherford was on the roof with a second deputy, and he had a rifle. They were assigned there for security. My first recollection of the suggestion that Weatherford might have been implicated was from the imagination of Penn Jones who, so far as I know, never worried about the other deputy. It would seem strange that a hit man would be stationed with a living witness. It does not fit reason.

Question : Were there any rifles on the roof of the Texas School Book Depository?

BOWLES : There was no rifle on the roof. The only weapon found at the Texas School Book Depository was Oswald’s Italian Carcano and the wrapper it had been concealed in, but no curtain rods anywhere. All the references to a Mauser were the erroneous comment made by an unqualified observer. That person vaguely (meaning he had no personal knowledge) called the rifle a Mauser, as opposed to, say a 30-30, or a 30-06 or a .22 or what ever. In truth, he had no specific or factual reason to say Mauser; he just said it, and everyone zeroed in as though that individual suddenly became the world’s most renowned firearms identification expert. This was an inaccurate statement on his singular part. There was no Mauser.

Question : I enclosed a photo of a man picking up a bullet in the grass on Elm Street. Do you know the man?

BOWLES : I cannot reply to your scenario about Buddy Walthers and any others and anything they might have picked up, or, if anything, its disposition.

Question : Were the bullet casings found at the Tippit murder scene were from a revolver or automatic pistol? A witness of the murder first said that he could not say that Oswald was the one who shot Tippit. Some months later, he was shot in the head by Darrell Wayne Garner. Afterwards, the witness could identify Oswald as the shooter.

BOWLES : The empty casings found where Oswald dumped them were a mixed assortment of .38’s, the incorrect manufacturer for the UK licensed Smith & Wesson revolver purchased by, and in the possession of Lee Oswald when he was arrested. Further, the gun had been reloaded with, and Oswald had in his pockets, the same collection of ammunition. There is no factual record of any officer finding .45 casings. I have no knowledge of Darell Wayne Garner. To the contrary, it is rather conclusive that Oswald shot Tippit.

Question : The was a clipboard in Tippit’s car. Do you know where it is?

BOWLES : Who said that Tippit had a clipboard? There were no city issue clipboards, and it was not all that common for an officer to have one.

Question : I enclosed a photocopy of a page of a book (The Crime of the Century), a Dallas Police Department document says that just days before November 22, 1963, two policemen saw somebody aiming a rifle on the grassy knoll.

BOWLES : Advance staff of the Secret service, with Dallas P.D. Intelligence officers scouted the route to determine what safe guards were appropriate. I seem to recall one of these people pointing to the east. According to one’s imagination, he could have been ‘pointing’ rather than ‘aiming’. As a consequence of this routine security check, two uniformed officers were assigned to guard the railroad overpass. They were not carrying a rifle, and I don’t remember that they were not publicly named. More important, a document as you mention would in no manner be proof of anything, least of which, a conspiracy. Evidence is made of sterner stuff.

Question : I enclosed a blow-up of the Moorman that shows a policeman behind a fence on the grassy knoll. He seems to be shooting. The blow-up was made by Jack White.

BOWLES : The power of suggestion can do strange things. There was no police officer, in or out of uniform, nor was there any other person to fire a shot from the grassy knoll. President Kennedy was killed by a head-shot from the right rear, fired by Oswald from the Texas School Book Depository. Unfortunately for conspiracy buffs, that’s all there is to it.

[Jack White]

Interview with former sheriff Bowles:

Question : I enclosed two photos of a man waiting for a station wagon some minutes after the assassination (published in COVER-UP, Gary Shaw). You can see a man on the grassy knoll and the station wagon coming toward him.

BOWLES : How could anyone seem to be waiting for a station wagon? Perhaps they were as easily waiting for a…whatever. If you are thinking about the station wagon which was supposed to have been seen leaving the area, there could have been several, as they were quite popular here. It definitely was not Oswald, as he was positively identified by the bus driver, and his presence (Oswald’s) was presumed confirmed by the bus transfer slip in Oswald’s possession. The transfer was in Oswald’s possession when he was arrested, and he made no alibi to disclaim ownership. Further, the transfer was traced to that bus operator, and it was a timely issue.

Question : Do you know about Deputy Sheriff Harry Weatherford waiting on the roof a building near assassination site with a rifle?

BOWLES : Yes, Harry Weatherford was on the roof with a second deputy, and he had a rifle. They were assigned there for security. My first recollection of the suggestion that Weatherford might have been implicated was from the imagination of Penn Jones who, so far as I know, never worried about the other deputy. It would seem strange that a hit man would be stationed with a living witness. It does not fit reason.

Question : Were there any rifles on the roof of the Texas School Book Depository?

BOWLES : There was no rifle on the roof. The only weapon found at the Texas School Book Depository was Oswald’s Italian Carcano and the wrapper it had been concealed in, but no curtain rods anywhere. All the references to a Mauser were the erroneous comment made by an unqualified observer. That person vaguely (meaning he had no personal knowledge) called the rifle a Mauser, as opposed to, say a 30-30, or a 30-06 or a .22 or what ever. In truth, he had no specific or factual reason to say Mauser; he just said it, and everyone zeroed in as though that individual suddenly became the world’s most renowned firearms identification expert. This was an inaccurate statement on his singular part. There was no Mauser.

Question : I enclosed a photo of a man picking up a bullet in the grass on Elm Street. Do you know the man?

BOWLES : I cannot reply to your scenario about Buddy Walthers and any others and anything they might have picked up, or, if anything, its disposition.

Question : Were the bullet casings found at the Tippit murder scene were from a revolver or automatic pistol? A witness of the murder first said that he could not say that Oswald was the one who shot Tippit. Some months later, he was shot in the head by Darrell Wayne Garner. Afterwards, the witness could identify Oswald as the shooter.

BOWLES : The empty casings found where Oswald dumped them were a mixed assortment of .38’s, the incorrect manufacturer for the UK licensed Smith & Wesson revolver purchased by, and in the possession of Lee Oswald when he was arrested. Further, the gun had been reloaded with, and Oswald had in his pockets, the same collection of ammunition. There is no factual record of any officer finding .45 casings. I have no knowledge of Darell Wayne Garner. To the contrary, it is rather conclusive that Oswald shot Tippit.

Question : The was a clipboard in Tippit’s car. Do you know where it is?

BOWLES : Who said that Tippit had a clipboard? There were no city issue clipboards, and it was not all that common for an officer to have one.

Question : I enclosed a photocopy of a page of a book (The Crime of the Century), a Dallas Police Department document says that just days before November 22, 1963, two policemen saw somebody aiming a rifle on the grassy knoll.

BOWLES : Advance staff of the Secret service, with Dallas P.D. Intelligence officers scouted the route to determine what safe guards were appropriate. I seem to recall one of these people pointing to the east. According to one’s imagination, he could have been ‘pointing’ rather than ‘aiming’. As a consequence of this routine security check, two uniformed officers were assigned to guard the railroad overpass. They were not carrying a rifle, and I don’t remember that they were not publicly named. More important, a document as you mention would in no manner be proof of anything, least of which, a conspiracy. Evidence is made of sterner stuff.

Question : I enclosed a blow-up of the Moorman that shows a policeman behind a fence on the grassy knoll. He seems to be shooting. The blow-up was made by Jack White.

BOWLES : The power of suggestion can do strange things. There was no police officer, in or out of uniform, nor was there any other person to fire a shot from the grassy knoll. President Kennedy was killed by a head-shot from the right rear, fired by Oswald from the Texas School Book Depository. Unfortunately for conspiracy buffs, that’s all there is to it.

[John Dolva]

James Bookhout – He was on leave. Before the shooting, he reportedloy went to a bank. He waited for the motorcade to pass. After the shooting, he heard sirens and reported for work.

which bank?

[Nick Bartetzko]

Interview with former sheriff Bowles:

Question : I enclosed a photo of a man picking up a bullet in the grass on Elm Street. Do you know the man?

BOWLES : I cannot reply to your scenario about Buddy Walthers and any others and anything they might have picked up, or, if anything, its disposition.

Interesting how Bowles can readily dismiss the other questions posed to him and then say he cannot reply to this scenario. It implies he knows the answer, but cannot (or will not) reveal what he knows. But maybe I'm just being too cynical.

[Michael Hogan]

SA James Bookhout was an FBI Agent. Here is a portion of his testimony to the Warren Commission:

Mr. STERN - Were you on duty on November 22?

Mr. BOOKHOUT - Actually, I was on leave on that particular date. However, I had been requested to come to the office to handle some expedited dictation in a particular case. Having completed that, I left the office and proceeded to the Mercantile National Bank, where I transacted some personal business. Upon leaving the bank, it was momentarily expected that the President's motorcade would pass that area. I stood there for a few minutes, and as the motorcade passed I was actually unable to personally observe the President, due to the crowd on the sidewalk. While waiting for the crowd to thin, in order to cross the street, several separate sirens on the police squad cars were heard proceeding in the direction of the county courthouse. While crossing the street, some citizen with a transistor radio stated that it had just been announced that shots had been fired at the President's motorcade.

I immediately proceeded toward the office and observed two agents coming from the direction of the office, who advised that the office was trying to contact me and I was to proceed to the homicide and robbery bureau of the Dallas Police Department.

I immediately proceeded to the homicide and robbery bureau and contacted my office and was advised that I was to maintain liaison with the homicide and robbery bureau.

[John Geraghty]

Hi Mark,

As I recall there was no apparent source in Grodens book. In it he says that Weatherford was asked if he shot the president and responded "you son of a bitch, I've shot a lot of people". I don'tknow if it was taken out of context.

Perhaps someone in possession of a copy could enlighten us further. As I recall it is inside a small fact bubble.

John

[Greg Parker]

The following Dallas Police officers were off-duty on Friday, November 22, 1963 but most of them showed up in the vicinity of the TSBD at some point during the day:

Adamcik – He was at home that day and was due to be in court at 2 p.m. He arrived at the courthouse but it was closed. Later in the day, he went to LHO's house to investigate.

Barnes – He had a dentist apppointment at the time of the shooting. Later he drove to city hall, then went to the police station to check in. Later in the day he went to the TSBD.

James Bookhout – He was on leave. Before the shooting, he reportedloy went to a bank. He waited for the motorcade to pass. After the shooting, he heard sirens and reported for work.

Hicks – Was off-duty that day. His wife called him at home from work. He called the Dallas PD to report in case he was needed. Got to work by three. Went to TSBD.

Clint Lewis – He was home sick. Heard about the shooting. Went to work at TSBD. Then went to Texas Theater.

McMillon – He was home, asleep. A friend of his, Mickey Fuller, called him to tell about the JFK shooting. Stayed home except he believes he might have left his home to get a meal. Went to work next day.

Miller – He was off duty that Friday. He did not recall if he worked or not the next day. He was a very reluctant witness during the Warren hearings.

I started thinking that, after the shooting, the one person who would never arouse suspicion during the check of the TSBD would be someone in a Dallas police uniform.

Does anyone have insight into the character/background of any of these men that might shed light on their activities that day?

Mark,

kind of surprised no one has added Harry Olsen to the list.

I have read many accounts which say he was off duty on 11/22 due to breaking his kneecap a few weeks earlier.

According to his own testimony however, he was placed on light office duties after the accident and asked if they needed him to work that day. Obviously they didn't. Reads to me like he was in effect, asking for the day off -- ostensibly to guard an estate belonging to a relative of motorcycle cop who couldn't guard it due to being in the motorcade.

Incredibly -- some might say unbelievably -- Olsen could not remember the name of the other cop, the name of the owner of the estate, or the address of the estate, except that it was on 8th St about 4 blocks from Kay's place.

About the same distance in the opposite direction was Ruby's place.

Tippit's location at his last radio contact was corner of 8th and Lancaster.

Did the WC try and find the estate on 8th? No.

Did the WC try and find the motorcycle cop whose relative owned the estate? No.

It may be relevant here that CE 1763 contains an accusation by a con named Jack Hardee that Tippit was a frequent visitor to the Carousel in the company of a motorcycle cop. At least one other allegation made by Hardee was accurate: that Ruby pimped the girls. There is ample evidence that he tried to do this with Jada.

Recall also, that Oslen and Kay had a lengthy discussion with Ruby after the assassination - though it is a matter of some confusion as to whether this conversation took part late Friday night-early Saturday morning or Late Saturday night - early Sunday morning.

[Duke Lane]

Mark,

[i'm] kind of surprised no one has added Harry Olsen to the list.

I have read many accounts which say he was off duty on 11/22 due to breaking his kneecap a few weeks earlier.

According to his own testimony however, he was placed on light office duties after the accident and asked if they needed him to work that day. Obviously they didn't. Reads to me like he was in effect, asking for the day off -- ostensibly to guard an estate belonging to a relative of motorcycle cop who couldn't guard it due to being in the motorcade.

Incredibly -- some might say unbelievably -- Olsen could not remember the name of the other cop, the name of the owner of the estate, or the address of the estate, except that it was on 8th St about 4 blocks from Kay's place.

... Recall also, that Oslen and Kay had a lengthy discussion with Ruby after the assassination - though it is a matter of some confusion as to whether this conversation took part late Friday night-early Saturday morning or Late Saturday night - early Sunday morning.

The early morning conversation is ostensibly the reason for calling Olsen, putting Ruby in a distressed state of mind, bawling like a baby over "Jacqueline and the kids" and having to come back to Dallas for a trial. But the fact is that by his own word, he lied about it all from start to finish. He also lied about the "estate." The question is "to what end?" It was all so innocuous, why lie at all? His marriage to Kay also prevented her from testifying against him, and their flight to California prevented extradition (witness the Garrison trial).

[Duke Lane]

The following Dallas Police officers were off-duty on Friday, November 22, 1963 but most of them showed up in the vicinity of the TSBD at some point during the day:

...

I started thinking that, after the shooting, the one person who would never arouse suspicion during the check of the TSBD would be someone in a Dallas police uniform.

Does anyone have insight into the character/background of any of these men that might shed light on their activities that day?

Not offhand, but here's another question just for the sake of it: after Marrion Baker, who were the next five law enforcement (police, sheriff's deputies, FBI, etc.) personnel on the upper floors of the TSBD?

[Duke Lane]

I started thinking that, after the shooting, the one person who would never arouse suspicion during the check of the TSBD would be someone in a Dallas police uniform. ....

... here's another question just for the sake of it: after Marrion Baker, who were the next five law enforcement (police, sheriff's deputies, FBI, etc.) personnel on the upper floors of the TSBD?

Not sure = but I do wonder how easy it would have been for one of the Dallas officers to be one of the shooters and completely escape detection. After all, few people see them specifically go in the building after the shooting, they have a perfectly legit reason for being there, nobody thinks their presence is the least bit suspicious and they basically control the investigation. This is not to cast aspersions on the Dallas police force as a whole, it's just a tantalizing possibility.

It is ... which is why I asked who were the first law enforcement personnel on the upper floors. Marrion Baker was definitely first, and I'm thinking Luke Mooney was next, but before I say anything further, I just want to see if you - or anyone - might know about anyone else in between. Five is just a number I picked to cover all the bases.

[Jörgen Sjölén]

I am posting this link here since your are talking about DPD.

I know thats it is from mcadams site , you don´t need to comment that.

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/car10.htm

Why was tippet so far away from his patol area when he was killed?