Portrait of Chief Curry

The cover of Chief Curry's novel revealing his personal JFK assassination file. 

The Life of Chief Curry

Chief of Dallas Police Jesse Curry was a significant figure in the JFK assassination and in the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald.  Before these events transpired, however, he was just a regular boy from Texas. Born on October 3, 1913, Chief Curry grew up in Dallas with his father, a Baptist minister, and mother.  He graduated high school in 1933 and planned to study optometry, however, he eventually went into the dry-cleaning business. Chief Curry never planned on becoming a cop. But in 1936, when the Dallas Police Department was hiring officers temporarily, Chief Curry decided to join the force.  After his time as a temporary officer had ended, the police asked Curry to remain on the force, and he accepted. Chief Curry’s son, Gene, stated that his father initially accept the job not for the prestige of being a police officer but to earn a living.

Although Chief Curry was a member of the Army Air Corps and had a passion for flying, he will forever be remembered as the police chief who let the President die and let Jack Ruby kill Lee Harvey Oswald in his own building.  Chief Curry would later go on to publish a limited novel of his accounts of the assassination and defend his department for their role in the investigation.  FBI special agent James Hosty went so far as to accuse the Dallas police of covering up the truth as to how Ruby got into the basement due to their shame for the murder of Oswald.  All of Chief Curry's friends agreed that the deaths of Kennedy and Oswald shortened his life and diminished his career. After the deaths of JFK and Oswald, many questioned Chief Curry’s ability to fulfill his duty as the Chief of the Dallas Police Department.  Despite these doubts, his boss, Elgin Crull, City Manager of Dallas, reinforced his faith and trust in Chief Curry and defended his status with the force. Nevertheless, Chief Curry had a tumultuous career and emerged as a significant figure in the JFK assassination.      

This image shows Chief Curry waiting outside Parkland Hospital while the President was being treated for his wounds. 

Chief Curry seen on the plane where LBJ was inaugurated after the death of JFK. 

Role in JFK Assassination

Chief Curry was the designated driver of one of the cars with the President during the parade.  He called the hospital to notify them of the emergency and he directed the other cars to Parkland Hospital because he was familiar with the route.  In his testimony, Curry reads:   

Mr. CURRY - "After I noticed some commotion in the President's car and a motorcycle officer ran up aside of me and I asked him what had happened and he said shots had been fired, and I said, "has the President been hit or has the President's party been hit? And he said, "I am sure they have."
I said, "Take us to the hospital immediately," and I got on the radio and I told them to notify Parkland Hospital to stand by for an emergency, and this is approximately, I would say, perhaps a couple of miles or so to Parkland Hospital from this, and we went to Parkland and I notified them to have them to be standing by for an emergency, and we went out there under siren escort and went into the emergency entrance.
As I recall, I got out of the car and rushed to the emergency entrance and told them to bring the stretchers out, and they loaded the President, President Kennedy and Governor Connally onto stretchers and took them into the hospital.
Mrs. Kennedy, I went into the hospital, and I know she was outside the door of where they were working with the President, and someone suggested to her that she sit down and she was very calm, and she said, "I am all right. Some of your people need to sit down more than I do."
But everyone was very concerned. I remained around the hospital. I was contacted by some of the special sergeants who asked me to stand by in my car and get another car and take the President, then Vice President Johnson to Love Field."

In an interview, Chief Curry suggests that there was more than one shooter at the scene.  He states that there may have also been a shot from the front due to the projection of blood and brain matter, but there is no proof.  It is interesting to analyze Chief Curry's opinion because he was in one of the motorcades and he had a primary perspective of the tragedy.  Additionally, he is a police officer with extensive training, so he is one of the best people to ask for accurate information regarding the origin of the shots.    

Once JFK was declared dead, Chief Curry was assigned to furnish cars for LBJ and other personnel to return to Love Field.  He was present for the inauguration of LBJ aboard Air Force One.  After the Oath of Office was taken, he returned to the Dallas Police Station to oversee the Oswald investigation. 

After the assassination  of JFK, the media and public began to blame the Dallas PD for the assassination of the President.  Despite the worldwide criticism that the department received, Chief Curry continuously stated that it was the responsibility of the Secret Service for the safety of the President, insinuating that it was their fault for the assassination and not the Dallas Police Department's fault.  

Chief Curry's testimony on the press during the Oswald investigation. 

Role in the Oswald Assassination

Chief Curry learned of Oswald’s arrest around 1 o’clock on November 22 while he was at Parkland Hospital for JFK.  His officers approached him about the arrest due to the murder of Officer J.D. Tippit, yet Chief Curry remained at the hospital until JFK was officially pronounced dead.

Chief Curry had no major part in the interrogation of Oswald.  This is strange because usually the Chief of Police would take the lead on a case of this gravity.  Instead, Captain J.W. Fritz conducted the interrogation of Oswald. Chief Curry was in the room once or twice but he never asked any questions.  The interrogation was not recorded by the Dallas PD (it is unclear whether or not the FBI or CIA might have recorded it) but there are no public files of Oswald's interrogation [testimony]. 

Chief Curry went on to describe Oswald as arrogant and having a distaste for authority.  He stated that Oswald used his telephone privileges to call a New York number for an attorney, but since the attorney would not be able to represent him, he requested an attorney from the Civil Liberties Union to represent his case.  When asked if Oswald was read his rights, Chief Curry responded by saying "I don't recall, sir."  If this was true, then it was a direct violation of the Constitution and Oswald had grounds to claim a mistrial if he so desired. 

Nevertheless, Oswald was kept in the basement of the Dallas Police Department.  The police planned to transfer Oswald until he was unexpectedly murdered by Dallas nightclub owner, Jack Ruby.  Chief Curry was publicly accused of being the person who revealed Oswald's transfer time to the press, thus allowing Ruby to be present.  It was rumored that Chief Curry told the press, "You better be here about 10:00 AM."  Chief Curry disputes this accusation and claims he never revealed the time of Oswald's transfer.          

Interview after Oswald was shot:

Curry: “Oswald expired at 1:07 pm”

Reporter: “He died?”

Curry: “He died at 1:07 pm.  We have arrested the man. The man will be charged with the murder”

Reporter: “Who is it?”

Curry: “The suspect’s name is Jack Rubenstein, I believe.  He goes by the name Jack Ruby. That’s all I have to say. I have no other statement to make at this time.”

Cheif Curry's testimony from the Warren Commission, highlighting his most used words. 

Chief Curry bombarded by the media seeking answers of the Oswald investigation. 

Curry’s Testimony in Warren Commission

Curry's testimony in the Warren Commission was not to the standards of a Chief of Police.  Throughout the interview he stated, "I do not recall," 23 times.  As a trained police officer and the Chief of Police, he should have been able to restate the information verbatim even in light of the extreme circumstances.  

Throughout the testimony, Curry recalled the events that transpired during both the JFK and Oswald assassinations.  An interesting section of the testimony was his account regarding the media.  He stated that the press had always had a good and healthy relationship with the Dallas PD, so they did not want to affect these relations with the arrest of Oswald.  This is why there are many pictures depicting the press in the halls of the department's building.  However, he went on to say:

Mr. CURRY - "I have talked to my staff and said if we were ever faced with a thing of such magnitude again that we would not permit the press to come into the building. We would designate a place outside for them and we would just have to take the heat that was given to us by the press for not permitting them in there, but in view of what had happened that we would never permit this to occur again.
That we would, permit them to have representatives but they would be required to choose their representatives to be present, say, in these hallways or inside the buildings, and the rest of them would be excluded.
And regardless of how they treated us in the press for this decision, that is the way it would be in the future."

It was also revealed that Chief Curry did not play a role in the investigation of Oswald, the President's assassin, or in the investigation of Ruby, Oswald's assassin.  As the Chief of Police, this lack of involvement is unacceptable.

Image of Chief Curry's home in present day and the distance from his residence to the Police Department. 

Locations (Dallas PD basement/building, Curry's home)

Building of PD: City hall is split into 4 different sections.  The basement is principally the police offices; the first floor is the courts/traffic violations bureau; the second floor is city planning commission; and the third floor is criminal investigation.

The plan for Oswald's transfer was to have him led through the back of the building into armored cars which would then take him to the County Jail. The police wanted Oswald's transfer to be discreet to avoid danger to Oswald.  Nevertheless, Jack Ruby shot Oswald in the basement of the police station, inflicting a wound that would eventually prove to be fatal.    

Conclusion 

Chief Curry was a key investigator in the assassinations of both JFK and Oswald.  As a man who had never wanted to become a cop, he did the best he could in a situation that was forced upon him and his department.  He did not conduct a perfect investigation, or even a competent one, but the last time a President was assassinated was over 50 years earlier.  For the circumstances and trauma he faced, his role should never be forgotten.