Ex-D Ilas ,hief Curry Ti saLkyz,:1., Qtzess a...6,77 II By DAN CARMICHAEL. ----' said to himself "Well, we've get "railroad torpedo" used to signal train DALLAS 11.1PI) — The clouds had made now. The hard part's over. engineers. just parted, clearing the sky for a crisp, The motorcade was just a few hun- Crack! Crack! sunny Texas afternoon. dred feet from safety — just past the Before the sound of a third rifle shot The president waved and smiled as skyscrapers of downtown Dallas and had stopped echoing off the tall build- his motorcade moved past the fringes heading toward the security of a lags. Curry realized the truth. Someone of excited admirers. freeway. was shooting into the motorcade. Pollee Chief Jesse Curry, in the lead Crack! Someone in the presidential car car and worried abont an attempt to "What's that?" Curry asked, thinking shouted, "Let's get out of here." "embarrass" John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the sound was either a firecracker or a Horrified, his face contorted, Curry

*gm Curry lives quietly now but follows assassination controversy closely.

+16 Now Suspects JFK Plot grabbed his microphone and ordered: gant and surly type of individual. He "Get men on the of the underpass, see didn't seem to be frightened by all the what happened up there . . ." commotion that was going on. He seem- As the motorcade lurched forward ed unperturbed, unconcerned. I think he at high speed. Curry asked a motorcy- had some training in interrogation cle outrider, "What has happened in the methods." presidential car — has someone been Initially, a Dallas officer identified hit?" the rifle found in the. School Book De- "Yes," replied the officer — and pository as a German Mauser. But the Curry bad little doubt about who had gun which was to be used as evidence been hit. His fear was confirmed as the against Oswald was an Italian cars screeched to a halt at the emer- Mannlicher-Carcano. gency ramp of Parkland Hospital. "There was a mixup," conceded That was 13 years ago. Since then, Curry. "I think the deputy sheriff didn't things have changed. And so has Jesse carefully examine the gun at first. It Curry. was a human mistake." Retired, he follows the controversy Shortly after Kennedy's death, surrounding Kennedy's murder through Dallas FBI agent James Hosty spoke the media, occasionally speaking to with Dallas Police Lt. Jack Revill. He assassination researchers. said Oswald "is in our Communist file" had been in touch with "two known for- Thirteen years ago, Curry gave little credence to any suggestion of a con- eign subversive agents" within two spiracy. But today, he's not so sure. He does not believe accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was acting on his own initiative, even if he was — or wasn't weeks of the assassination and agents to the official Warren Commission — the lone gunman. "had information that this man was investigating the murder. It remained capable . .. of committing the He says the Dallas Police Depart- secret until September, 1975. ment protected Kennedy assassination." Oswald, while in custody two days as best it Curry immediately repeated the con- could under the circumstances. He won- after the assassination, was shot and versition to reporters. He said he soon ders why the FBI, which Oswald had killed by Jack Ruby. Ruby was admit- got call from Gordon. Shanklin, chief ted to the basement of City Hall, said contacted prior to the assassination, did of the Dallas FBI Bureau. not relay information to either his de- Curry, by "an act of God." partment or the Secret Service. Curry said he was told by Shanklin: Curry said the basement had been Curry says the route Kennedy's car "If you don't retract that statement im- followed was chosen for political pur- • mediately, I'm finished." properly sealed off, but an officer diso- poses, not security. Had the Dallas Po- beyed orders and left the ramp area for Wanting to help a frliend, Curry a few seconds and Ruby slipped in. lice Department chosen the- motor- agreed to tell reporters, "I can't attest cade's path, he says, Kennedy might be to the conversation of my own personal But speaking of a possible conspira- alive today. knowledge." cy, he says "I just don't know. I would- "I don't accept the idea that Oswald Now an attorney, Shanklin told UPI, n't say that he 10swaleil was part of was alone," says Curry. "I'm not saying "I never asked him to retract anything. someone was there in the window help- one or that he wasn't. I would think As I recall, I just gave him the facts." Castro could have been behind it. I ing him shoot. But he was influenced by Shanklin would not comment on why wouldn't be at all surprised if he told. other persons. Someone convinced him FBI information on Oswald was with- his people 'do what you can to get,. the president should be assassinated. I held from other agencies. "I did not Kennedy' because of U.S. attempts to don't know who these people are:' make policy," he said. kill Castro. Curry says the police department's Curry explained the circumstances "That's human nature, to react that investigation showed "no evidence of of his retraction in a registered letter way. To retaliate in kind." two gunmen. If there was another per- son, he sure got out of there (the Texas School Book Depository) fast." In retrospect, Curry concedes some aspects of the investigation of the mur- der should have been handled differently. Critics note not a single interroga- tion of Oswald was recorded, and that a Dallas policement made an incorrect identification of the rifle found on the sixth floor of the School Book Depository. Curry said the Police Department had sought funds from the city for a "recording room," but the request was rejected. "It was a matter of economics," he said. "We didn't have recording facili- ties and I guess nobody asked that it be recorded. The office wasn't equipped for it. And frankly, it didn't occur to me or to anyone to record it. Maybe it was stupid, looking at it now." He said Oswald was "a very arro-