What is James Chaney Looking Back at?

[David Josephs]

Hi David

The quote you give from Chief Jesse Curry is just a tad off. Here is the excerpt from his WC testimony:

"I heard a sharp report. We were near the railroad yards at this time, and I didn't know--I didn't know exactly where this report came from, whether it was above us or where, but this was followed by two more reports, and at that time I looked in my rear view mirror and I saw some commotion in the President's caravan and realized that probably something was wrong, and it seemed to be speeding up, and about this time a motorcycle officer, I believe it was Officer Chaney rode up beside us and I asked if something happened back there and he said, "Yes," and I said, "Has somebody been shot?" And he said, "I think so." So, I then ordered him to take us to Parkland Hospital which was the nearest hospital, so we took the President's caravan then to Parkland Hospital and they were the President, the Vice President and the Governor--were taken into the hospital and I remained at the hospital for--oh--some hour or so."

This allows more time for the limo stop and for Chaney to pass the limo and catch up to Curry in the lead car. Notice, as well, that Curry ordered Chaney to take "us" to Parkland Hospital and that they took "the President's caravan then to Parkland Hospital". It seems from this testimony that Chaney escorted the lead car and what was left of the motorcade behind it. Many people mistakenly believe Chaney was among the trio of lead motorcycles ahead of the limo but, I do not believe this to be true. Of course, Chaney may have raced ahead of the trio and led them to the hospital but, I have seen no photographic evidence to support this.

As you say, in the Altgens 6 photo, Chaney was not likely as far ahead as I first believed him to be. I did a careful examination of his words in the video and concluded that to "look back" contained several interchangeable meanings in Chaney's vernacular. To "look back", he did not have to look over his shoulder. He could have been "looking back" over his shoulder and then "looked back" at JFK by returning his gaze to the ahead position. However, despite the compression factor of the telephoto lens, I still think Chaney may have been further forward than the front fender of the followup car. As he stated in the interview, he did see JFK shot in the face, and this may have been difficult if he had been back beside the followup car. And where is Jackson? I almost wish some talented member could draw up an overhead view of the whole thing that would line up everyone and everything in that photo with Altgens' perspective.

P.S. Immediately after the passage from Curry's WC testimony I quoted above, I found this little tidbit on Tippit I never noticed before. As we all know, the WC maintained that Tippit was murdered between 1:11 and 1:15.

"At about 1:15 that day--this first incident occurred about 12:30 or so, and about 1:15 I was notified that one of our officers had been shot, and a few minutes later was told that he was dead on arrival at the hospital. At that time we didn't know who shot him."

On the link to page 1 of Curry's testimony we find this:

Mr. DULLES - Do you recall having told them that you had sent a radio order out to surround the book depository?
Mr. CURRY - I didn't do that, sir. That was one of my inspectors, I believe that gave that order. I was riding in the Presidential parade and approximately a hundred feet, I guess, ahead of the President's car, and when we heard this first report, I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from.
Representative FORD - What report are you talking about now?
Mr. CURRY - A sharp report as a firecracker or as it was it was the report of this rifle. We were just approaching an underpass, and there were some people around on each side of the underpass, up in the railroad yards, and I thought at first that perhaps this was a railroad torpedo, it was a sharp crack. Inspector--no, it wasn't Inspector, it was Lawson of the Secret Service and Mr. Sorrels of the Dallas office of the Secret Service, and Sheriff Bill Decker and myself were in this car.
Mr. DULLES - I may be anticipating.
Mr. RANKIN - That is all right, go right ahead.
Mr. CURRY - I said what was that, was that a firecracker, or someone said this, I don't recall whether it was me or someone else, and from the report I couldn't tell
whether it was coming from the railroad yard or whether it was coming from behind but I said over the radio, I said, "Get someone up in the railroad yard and check."
And then about this time, I believe it was motorcycle Officer Chaney rode up beside of me and looking back in the rear view mirror I could see some commotion in the President's car and after this there had been two more reports, but these other two reports I could tell were coming behind instead of from the railroad yards.


On link 2 we have your quoted text - which is not the same sequence he only just before described.... and completely contradicts the timeline HE established... HE radioed at 12:30 to get men to the RR yard...

Mr. CURRY - Well, on November 22, I was in the lead car of the Presidential caravan. With me were Secret Service Winston Lawson and Forrest Sorrels, and the sheriff of Dallas County, Bill Decker, and we were nearing the triple underpass in the western part of Dallas, and which is near Stemmons Express-way-it was necessary for us to move to Elm Street in order to get on the Stemmons Expressway to get the President's caravan down to the Trade Mart where they were going to have a luncheon.
I heard a sharp report. We were near the railroad yards at this time, and I didn't know--I didn't know exactly where this report came from, whether it was above us or where, but this was followed by two more reports, and at that time I looked in my rear view mirror and I saw some commotion in the President's caravan and realized that probably something was wrong, and it seemed to be speeding up, and about this time a motorcycle officer, I believe it was Officer Chaney rode up beside us and I asked if something happened back there and he said, "Yes," and I said, "Has somebody been shot?" And he said, "I think so." So, I then ordered him to take us to Parkland Hospital which was the nearest hospital, so we took the President's caravan then to Parkland Hospital and they were the President, the Vice President and the Governor--were taken into the hospital and I remained at the hospital for--oh--some hour or so.
At about 1:15 that day--this first incident occurred about 12:30 or so, and about 1:15 I was notified that one of our officers had been shot, and a few minutes later was told that he was dead on arrival at the hospital. At that time we didn't know who shot him. I was just told it was in Oak Cliff. I was still at the hospital at this time and I was told by some of the Secret Service people, I don't recall who, to get my car ready and another car ready to take the President--we were informed that President Kennedy had expired--and we were asked to have two automobiles standing by to take President Johnson to Love Field.



And we both agree there are nothing resembling motorcycles coming up along side Curry's car - let alone Chaney who obviously slows down to a stop after the shots and is possibly seen in the background of McIntyre.
This action requires the wholesale alteration of so many images I tend to think it happened much later in the drive to Parkland than testified to.... YET:

Mr[B]. SORRELS - [/B]I felt it was, because it was too sharp for a backfire of an automobile. And, to me, it appeared a little bit too loud for a firecracker.
I just said, "What's that?" And turned around to look up on this terrace part there, because the sound sounded like it came from the back and up in that direction.
At that time, I did not look back up to the building, because it was way back in the back.
Within about 3 seconds, there were two more similar reports. And I said, "Let's get out of here" and looked back, all the way back, then, to where the President's car was, and I saw some confusion, movement there, and the car just seemed to lunch forward.
And, in the meantime, a motorcycle officer had run up on the right-hand side and the chief yelled to him, "Anybody hurt?"
He said, "Yes."
He said, "Lead us to the hospital."

Mr. DULLES. The pilot car, not the lead car.
Mr. LAWSON. The pilot car was up ahead of us, so appeared other things I recall noting a police officer pulled up in a motorcycle alongside of us, and mentioned that the President had been hit.

DECKER does not mention anything from the LEAD CAR...