Agency: HSCA
Originator: HSA
From: CURRY, JESSIE G.
Document date: 5/6/78
Document type: SUMMARY

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System:

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:g

10/7/201

AGENCY

RECORD NUMBER

RECORD SERIES

AGENCY FILE NUMBER

HSCA

180-10105-10388

NUMBERED FILES

014451

Released under the John

F.

Kennedy

Assassination Records

Collection Act of 1992

144 USC 2107 Notel.

Case#:NW 54756 Date:

10-31-2017

Document Information

ORIGINATOR:

FROM:

1O

TITLE :

HSA

CURRY, JESSIE G

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS

05/06/1978

DOCUMENT TYPE:

CLASSIFICATION

RESTRICTIONS

CURRENT STATUS

DATE OF LAST REVIEW :

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENTS

CURRY JESSIE E

DALLAS, TX

RUBY, JACK; BACKGROUND, FAMILIARITY WITH THE

POLICE

OSWALD; LEE; MURDER BY RUBY, TRANSFER TO COUNTY

DJAIL

RUBY, JACK, BACKGROUND, BUSINESS & FINANCIAL

*INTERESTS

GREEN, LOUIS

SUMMARY

Unclassified

3

Redact

10/25/1995

Box 258

NY 54756 DocId:32261319 Page 1

---

## Page 2

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

10/7/201

AGENCY: HSCA

RECORD NUMBER: 180-10105-10388

RECORD SERIES : NUMBERED FILES

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 014451

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: HSA

FROM:

CURRY, JESSIE G.

TO:

TITLE:

DATE:

PAGES:

05/06/1978

10

SUBJECTS :

CURRY JESSIE E.

DALLAS, TX

RUBY, JACK; BACKGROUND; FAMILIARITY WITH THE

POLICE

OSWALD, LEE; MURDER BY RUBY; TRANSFER TO COUNTY

JAIL

RUBY, JACK; BACKGROUND; BUSINESS & FINANCIAL

INTERESTS

GREEN, LOUIS

DOCUMENT TYPE: SUMMARY

CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS:

3

CURRENT STATUS:

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 10/25/1995

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENTS :

Box 258.

v9.1

HH 54756

DocId: 32261319 Page 2

1

---

## Page 3

KENNEDY

014451

INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

1. Identifying Information:

Name JessiE E CURRY

Address 2508 LOVING

City/State DALLAS, TEX

Date of Birth 10-3-1913

Social Security 460 z2/916

2. Physical Description:

Height 6-1

Weight 225

Ethnic Group

Date 5-6-78

10:45AM.

PLace Regal RoLE -HOLIDAY INN: RM 18

Telephone 214/327-6918

M or S

marria

Spouse

Bessie Margreet.

Children

color Eyes Blie Hair Grez

Special Characteristics

3.

4..

Personal History:

self employed

Present Employment: semi retired- investigative

Address

home address

Telephone

b. Criminal Record

1. Arrests

2. Convictions

Additional Personal Information:

a. Relative(s) : Name

Address

b. Area frequented:

c. Remarks:

Investigator JOSEPH J BASTERi-

HH 54756 DocId: 32261319 Padate

Form #4-B

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## Page 4

• :.

KENNEDY

SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS

Name

Address

Jessie Curry

2508 Loving

Dallas, Texas

Date 5-6-78

Time 10:45 A.M

Place Holiday Inn - Regal Row

Room #118

Interview:

Staff Investigators Joseph J. Basteri and Albert Maxwell

interviewed Jessie E. Curry who on November 22, 1963 was Chief

of Police of the Dallas Police Dept. and commanded a force of

1800 men. Curry entered the department in 1936 and rose up

through the ranks to Chief of Police in 1959. He retired in

1966 because of poor health.

Chief Curry gave us a brief history of the conditions

that existed in Dallas in prior years. The year 1936 was the

Centennial Year for Dallas and the town was wide open. It re-

mained that way until 1945 when Chief Carl Hanson took over the

reigns of the department and Will Wilson was elected the District

attorney. They and the city officials decided to clean up the

city and by 1948 Dallas was a clean city and remained that way

to present time.

Chief Curry had not known Ruby and had only one contact

with him--and that was when he rejected a renewal of his license

for a club that Ruby had owned on Ervay Street.

Curry did not

Interior sature an attir eyell

Typed Signature _Joseph J. Basteri and Albert Maxwell

Date transcribed

5/17/78

By: es

Form #4-A

H# 54756 DocId:32261319 Page 4

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## Page 5

Interview: Jessie Curry

2

recall the Club's name or what year this incident occurred.

The license was rejected because this club had excess arrests

for drunks and fights. Ruby had called Curry in an effort to

convince him that his Club had no more fights than other night

clubs in Dallas. Chief Curry was of the opinion that this

call did not alter his decision to suspend the license for a

certain period of time--Curry always followed a recommendation

of the Vice Squad in these matters.

Curry was quite certain that Ruby was never a registered

informant with his department. He remarked that it was quite

possible that Ruby may have had a detective friend that he was

giving information to. As far as any allegations that ruby had

access to DPD files, Curry termed this as absolutely ridiculous:

In the area of organized crime, Curry said that this

never existed in Dallas. The only gang that he knew about was

headed by Lois Green, a local man, and this was a loosely

organized organization. This

gang's criminal activity concen-

trated mostly on burglaries, gambling and safe cracking. This

gang never tried to influence the DPD in any manner. Chief

Curry had never heard Jack Ruby's name connected with the lois

Green

gang. During his administration, the DPD was free from

any political or outside pressure. Chief Curry stated that

when he became Chief, the town was clean and the police department

was free of corruption. He said that it remained that way until

HH 54756 DocId:32261319 Page 5

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## Page 6

Interview: Jessie Curry

3

the day he left office.

The large scale organized gambling that occurred was back

in the mid-forties with Benny Binion and his group which

included Harry Urban, Bob. Minyard and Lotta Milk. He estimated

the daily take for this policy operation, which was mostly

among Blacks, to be about $600 a day. Before this operation

could spread any further they decided to put an end to it.

Most of these men were eventually run out of town. Whenever

his department had received word that a member of any so-called

organized crime figure was in town, he would immediately dispatch

a police officer to inform this person that he was not welcome

in Dallas..

Chief Curry stated that therewere never any intelligence

files missing, he never heard of any such rumors nor had he

ever conducted any investigation to recover any such missing

documents.

It never came to Chief Curry's attention of any unusual

activity of police officers frequenting any of Ruby's clubs.

As far as any pay-offs of Ruby to Dallas police officers,

Chief Curry thought that this was most unlikely because there

was no need for Ruby to pay any police officer. He imagined

that Ruby may have bought an officer a drink or picked up a

tab now. and then, but that would be the extent of any payoffs.

Curry is certain that no police officer worked in Ruby's Club

because that was against police department regulations.. He

HN 54756 DooId:32261319 Page 6

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## Page 7

•Interview: Jessie Curry

4

suggested that perhaps Special Policeofficers may have worked

for ruby, as it was not against their regulations.

These

special police officers are not regular police officers and

they did not come under his jurisdiction. Their sole function

is to supervise dance halls.

The plans for the movement of Lee Harvey Oswald were

formulated by Chief Curry, Captain Fritz, of Homicide, Chief

Stevenson, head of Criminal Investigation, and Chief Lumpkin,

who headed the Jails and Services Division. Curry informed

us that no big plans were made, nor any official reports made,

but they just sat down and verbally discussed what would be

the best way to move LHO to insure his safety. Curry was aware

that many threats were made against Oswald and a group, whom

he could not identify, was attempting to seize him. These

plans were made sometime on Saturday, November 23, 1963.

There was never any decision made to move Oswald on Saturday evening.

Curry recallsa group of newsmen approaching him

on Saturday and wanted to know if it was necessary for them

to sleep there all night to insure that they would not miss

viewing the movement of Oswald. Chief Curry stated that he

told the news media that Oswald will be moved tomorrow morning

and if they returned by 10 AM Sunday morning they would not

miss anything. Chief Curry said that he was reluctant to have

the newsmen present during Oswalds transfer but was concerned

HN 54756 DooId:32261319 Page 7

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## Page 8

• Interview: Jessie Curry

about the adverse publicity his department would receive if the

news media were excluded.

Chief Batchlor was in charge of the security in the

basement and was instructed to thoroughly search the entire

basement, including even the air conditioning ducts. Also, men

were posted on all entrances of the building and basement to

insure that no one but authorized personnel and the news media

was allowed to enter. Also, there was a designated place for

the news media to be placed and that was behind the railing

separating the basement auto ramp from the garage. According

to Curry, there was no possible way anyone could have known

the exact hour that Oswald was to be moved, including Curry

himself.

That Sunday morning, he called Captain Fritz and told

him that whenever he was finished with the questioning of

Oswald…

they would set the plan of Oswald's movement

in motion. No one was fully briefed on the entire transfer

plan of IHO and about ten ranking offices knew only what their

specific supervising duties were. Chief Curry then received

a call from Captain Fritz informing him that he had completed

the interrogation of LHO. Curry informed Fritz that he was.

going downstairs to check to see if the security was in order

and that if he did not hear from him (Curry) in three or four minutes,

to bring Oswald downstairs. As Curry proceeded to go downstairs

HH 54756 DoId:32261319 Page 8

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## Page 9

• Interview: Jessie Curry

6

he received a call from Mayor Caball who was inquiring on the

status of their plan. While on the phone with the Mayor,

Captain Fritz evidently decided, not hearing from Chief Curry,

that it was alright to bring Oswald downstairs--which he did.

Minutes later Chief Curry was informed that Oswald had been

shot. Chief Curry stated that had he gone downstairs and seen

the reporters in areas off limits to them, he would have

halted

the entire transfer until they (reporters) were : moved

back into their designated area. Chief Curry could not conceive

why Batchelor had permitted the news media to roam on off-limits

areas.

Curry stated that he had a practice to always form a

special squad to investigate any unusual incident. After the

Oswald shooting he did just that and appointed Inspector J.H.

Sawyer to head it. Chief Curry said that there were no ill

feelings or dissension among any men in the department because

of this unit. Also no pressure was exerted

to disband the unit.

It was disbanded when the investigation was fully completed.

The purpose of this unit was to find out what caused the breakdown

in security allowing LHO to be shot and who was responsible,

if anyone, for any errors that may have occurred.

Chief Curry implied that he knew who made the mistake.

He continued that the investigation disclosed that Police Officer

Vaugh left his post to direct traffic in order that the decoy

NN 54756 DocId:32261319 Page 9

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## Page 10

• Interview: Jessie Curry

7

police vehicle could leave the basement. Curry assumed that

Vaugh took this action out of respect for It. Pierce, who was

the driver. Curry stated that he never blamed Vaughn for this

action nor did he think it advisable to single him out and

bring him up on departmental charges. Curry felt if he did

accuse Vaughnand single him out, then people would. think that

he had taken that action in order for the heat to be taken off

himself. This special unit, Curry said, was terminated after

it had conducted a full and thorough examination into the

operation security of the transfer of LHO on Nov. 24, 1963.

There was never any pressure brought to bear to disband this.

unit.. After all the leads were checked into and there was

nothing left to investigate, Captain Jones submitted a full

and complete report to my office. (Curry).

When asked'if there existed an intelligence report on

Ruby prior to his shooting of LHO, Chief Curry replied that

he did not know of any such file on Ruby and further more he

believed there would be no reason to keep such a file on Ruby

because he was only a small time night club owner.

At no time was any pressure put on the Dallas Police

Department by the FBI or any other governmental agencies, so

stated Chief Curry. He has never seen or recalled any special

orders by any governmental agencies governing any of his actions

during the period of the Presidential assassination.

HN 54756 DooId:32261319 Page 10

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## Page 11

Interview: Jessie Curry

8

Chief Curry did mention that the only trouble that

did arise with the FBI was when he released to the press

the news that the FBI was' aware of LHO's presence in the

Dallas area.

Several hours after making this statement,

Curry received a phone call from Gordon Shanklin, who was

the agent in charge of the Dallas office, suggesting that he

retract this statement. Chief Curry said he never made the

retraction because the statement was true (Note: for a full:

report on this incident see Interview Sheet #000813 by Gilbert

and Moriarty dated 3/13/77) •

Chief Curry acknowledged knowing Joe Civello, Joe

Campisi and John Grizzaffi, statling that he had gone to high

school with all three of them. He characterized Joe Civello

as being a businessman all his life (export and import) and

having the reputation of being a mob figure because of the

reputation of his father.. Curry believes that Civello's

father was active in organized crime years ago and Joe Civello

became acquainted with many of these mobsters. He continued

that Joe Campisi was never a gangster but had always been in

the restaurant business. He described Campisi as a sportsman

who liked to gamble but had nothing to do with any gambling

syndicate. John Grizzaffi is a small time gambler who would

love to be thought of as a big time hood.

Chief Curry was then asked about a Charles D. West who

HN 54756 DooId:32261319 Page 11

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## Page 12

• • Interview: Jessie Curry

was believed to be a Dallas detective and back in 1948 was

shot by a Cuban because he had incurred a large gambling.

debt in Cuba. Curry recalls this person and also the

incident but said that West was not a detective from the

Dallas Police Department. Instead, he was head of security for

the Murray Gin Company, whose president was a man by the name

of Donaugh. Prior to that, West had been a Texas Highway

Patrolman. Curry describes Donaugh as a person who loved

women, gambling and drinking. It seems that during that period

Donaugh had gone to New Orleans and met several girls who took

him to Cuba. While in Cuba he lost and owed $200,000 to $300,000

in gambling. Consequently, they would not let him out of the

country until West went down there and managed to get him out

of Cuba. While West was in Florida, Cubans had come looking for

him and shot him. West and Donaugh are now deceased.

14 54756

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