James Norwood interview of Jack Puterbaugh

 Interview with Jack Puterbaugh (November 4, 2013)


THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013, AT THE WALKER PLACE, 3701 BRYANT AVENUE SOUTH, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55409.  PRESENT FOR THE INTERVIEW WERE BARBARA DOWNHAM, JAMES NORWOOD, JACK PUTERBAUGH, AND JACK'S FRIEND, RICK ANDERSON.  THE INTERVIEW LASTED FROM APPROXIMATELY 1:10PM UNTIL 2:20PM.


(A)  AS A CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE IN THE EARLY 1960S, JACK PUTERBAUGH HELPED TO PROVIDE SECURITY FOR JOHN F. KENNEDY ON TWO VISITS TO THE STATE OF MINNESOTA IN 1960 AND 1963.  FROM THE 1960 "BEAN FEED," JACK SHOWED US A PHOTO WITH PUERBAUGH (IN GLASSES) ALONGSIDE SENATOR KENNEDY.  THE PHOTO MAY BE SEEN AS WELL ON THIS SITE: http://current.mnsun.com/2013/10/on-the-scene-of-the-jfk-assassination-it-was-chaos/  PUTERBAUGH ALSO RELATED HOW DURING THE DRIVE TO DULUTH IN 1963, PRESIDENT KENNEDY ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A THOUGHTFUL STATEMENT ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF A RURAL FARM, INADVERTENTLY SHOWING HIS IGNORANCE OF AGRARIAN LIFE IN THE MIDWEST.

(B)  AS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, PUTERBAUGH WAS INVITED TO DALLAS AS AN ADVANCE MAN FOR THE PRESIDENT'S VISIT IN NOVEMBER, 1963.  HIS ROLE WAS NOT SO MUCH IN PROVIDING SECURITY TO THE PRESIDENT AS IT WAS IN ARRANGING THE GUEST LIST FOR THE LUNCHEON AT THE DALLAS TRADE MART.  HE TOLD US ABOUT A PRELIMINARY DRIVE THROUGH DEALEY PLAZA, BUT HE NEVER ONCE MENTIONED ACTUAL SECURITY OPERATIONS (CROWD CONTROL, CLOSING WINDOWS ON TALL BUILDINGS, ASSIGNMENTS OF POLICE OFFICERS).  AS HE INFORMED US, HIS MAIN TASK WAS IN THE ASSIGNING OF TICKETS FOR THE LARGE GATHERING OF 2,500.  THERE IS NOTHING TO SUGGEST THAT PUTERBAUGH HAD THE POWER TO DETERMINE THE MOTORCADE ROUTE (A TASK OF THE SECRET SERVICE) OR THE SITE OF THE LUNCHEON (THE KEY DECISION-MAKER IN SETTLING ON THE TRADE MART WAS APPARENTLY GOVERNOR JOHN CONNALLY).  PUTERBAUGH SPOKE OF THE THREE-PART FACTIONAL STRIFE IN TEXAS POLITICS AT THE TIME WITH THE CONSERVATIVE WING LED BY GOVERNOR CONNALLY, THE CENTRIST POSITION REPRESENTED BY VICE-PRESIDENT JOHNSON, AND THE LIBERALS LED BY SENATOR RALPH YARBOROUGH.

(C)  WHEN I ASKED PUTERBAUGH WHETHER THE SCHEDULING OF THE LUNCHEON AT THE WOMEN’S BUILDING MIGHT HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN SAVING THE PRESIDENT’S LIFE, DUE TO ITS LOCATION IN A DIFFERENT PART OF DALLAS THAN THE TRADE MARE, PUTERBAUGH RESPONDED THAT HE BELIEVED THE MOTORCADE WOULD HAVE TRAVELED ALONG THE SAME ROUTE TO REACH THE WOMEN’S BUILDING.  I POINTED OUT THAT THE LOGICAL ROUTE TO THE WOMEN’S BUILDING FROM LOVE FIELD WOULD HAVE PASSED THROUGH DEALEY PLAZA FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, BYPASSING THE HAIRPIN TURNS FROM MAIN TO HOUSTON AND FROM HOUSTON TO ELM.  PUTERBAUGH UNDERSCORED THAT HE WAS NOT TASKED WITH PROVIDING SECURITY TO THE PRESIDENT.  HE RECALLED THAT WHEN HE MADE A TRIAL RUN, DRIVING THROUGH DEALEY PLAZA WITH WINSTON LAWSON, PUTERBAUGH CRACKED A JOKE TO THE EFFECT THAT “THE SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY MUST BE THE PLACE WHERE THEY BURN THE BOOKS DOWN HERE!”

(D)  PUTERBAUGH WAS PRESENT AT LOVE FIELD WHEN AIR FORCE ONE LANDED IN DALLAS.  HE OBSERVED THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY DEBORD THE PLANE.  PUTERBAUGH THEN ENTERED THE MOTORCADE IN ONE OF OF THE LEAD CARS.

(E)  EN ROUTE TO THE TRADE MART, PUTERBAUGH'S VEHICLE WAS WELL AHEAD OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE PILOT CAR.  BY THE TIME HE REACHED THE STEMMONS FREEWAY, HE WAS OUT OF VIEW OF DEALEY PLAZA AND NEVER WITNESSED THE SHOOTING.  HE ONLY HEARD A REPORT ON THE CAR RADIO THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS BEING RUSHED TO PARKLAND HOSPITAL.

(F)  ALONGSIDE HIM IN THE LEAD VEHICLE WAS SS AGENT WINSTON LAWSON, AS WELL AS OTHERS WHOSE NAMES JACK COULD NOT RECALL.  THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO PARKLAND HOSPITAL WHERE JACK WITNESSED THE STRICKEN PRESIDENT CARRIED INTO THE TRAUMA ROOM.  PUTERBAUGH RECALLED SEEING MRS. KENNEDY AND HER PINK DRESS.  HE DID NOT RECALL ANY DETAILS OF THE WOUNDS OF THE PRESIDENT AND COULD NOT PROVIDE A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE LIMOUSINE, OTHER THAN THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SIDING AND THE ROOF, WHICH HE CALLED "THE BUBBLE TOP."

(G)  UPON LEARNING OF THE DEATH OF THE PRESIDENT, PUTERBAUGH RETURNED TO HIS HOTEL (THE DOWNTOWN SHERATON).  EN ROUTE TO THE HOTEL, HE PASSED THROUGH DEALEY PLAZA AND OBSERVED THE "COMPLETE CHAOS" OF PEOPLE MILLING ABOUT IN NEARLY EVERY DIRECTION.  WHEN I ASKED HIM IF HE OBSERVED ANY ATTEMPTS OF THE DALLAS POLICE TO CORDON OFF THE CRIME SCENE, HE SAID THAT HE SAW NO ROPES OR TAPE IN THE AREA OF THE STREET, PLAZA, OR BUILDINGS.

(H)  PUTERBAUGH LEFT DALLAS IMMEDIATELY BY PLANE FOR WASHINGTON, D.C.  WHEN I ASKED HIM IF HE HEARD ANY "GOSSIP" IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH, HE REPLIED THAT HE DID NOT.

(I)  WHILE NEVER CALLED BY THE WARREN COMMISSION, PUTERBAUGH DID TESTIFY FOR THE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS (HSCA) IN THE LATE 1970S.  BY THIS TIME, HE WAS BACK IN MINNESOTA.  IN THE HSCA INTERVIEW, THE QUESTIONS WERE VERY GENERAL AND JACK COULD NOT RECALL SPECIFIC DETAILS FROM THE BRIEF INTERVIEW.

(J)  PUTERBAUGH STRONGLY BELIEVES THAT THE JFK ASSASSINATION WAS A TURNING POINT IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY.  HE CITES THE LONG STRING OF PRESIDENTS THAT HAVE FAILED TO RISE TO THE LEVEL OF IDEALISM OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY.  FOR PUTERBAUGH, THE LONE EXCEPTION WAS PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER.