Texas State Department of (Fish) Parks and Wildlife
When I began a list of intelligence agencies and networks
that were certifiably present with agents on the ground at Dealey Plaza and in
the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD) at the time of the assassination, there
were a number of easily identifiable federal agencies like the CIA, Secret
Service, FBI, Army Intelligence, even
the Post Office, as well as the local Dallas Police, County Sheriff and Texas state
agencies like the Texas Rangers and – get this – The Texas Department of Parks and
Wildlife.
Now when I read some of the reports of first
responders, most were Dallas Sheriff’s Deputies, some of their reports
indicated they were accompanied by agents of the Texas Department of Parks and
Wildlife, who they were apparently meeting with in a conference nearby and had witnessed
the assassination.
The very day I posted that on my blog – I received
a note from Larry Haapanen, a retired university professor and military officer,
agreeing to allow me to post an article he co-wrote on the Air Force One radio
transmissions transcript they acquired decades ago, an article that stands up very well today, and posted below.
Larry asked me however, to make one correction - the
fact that Colonel James U. Cross - the former Air Force One pilot, White House
Communications Agency (WHCA) commander, and former military aide to Vice
President Johnson, later became – not the head of a Texas library, but rather –
he became director of the Texas State Department of Parks and Wildlife. A small
but possibly significant correction as I was at that time wondering if those
Game and Wildlife agents who entered the TSBD in the aftermath of the
assassination wrote any reports of what they did and found there.
As director of the WHCA, Cross was obstinate in
replying to a request for a copy of the Air Force One radio tapes or a
transcript – responding that such records “are not releasable to the public,”
and that was supposed to be the end of it.
Now I am curious as to what the Texas State Dept.
Game and Wildlife wrote in their reports and what the Assassinations Records
Review Board (ARRB) obtained from the State of Texas as far as official JFK
Assassination Records go.
I am also aware that a former Texas Ranger (Clint Peoples/ Clint Peoples ) had made a private investigation of
certain leads and loose ends and most certainly did file reports,
along with letters I am aware of from witnesses who wanted the Texas Rangers to know what
they knew – even though they felt threatened and in danger.
This is not an allegation that the Texas State Dept.
of Parks and Wildlife had anything to do with the assassination, but they had a
very distinct presence at Dealey Plaza and the TSBD, and I’d like to know what
they knew at the time and officially reported in their After Action Reports
they were required to write before the day was out.
While it is not mentioned in his Wiki profile or
official obit, Cross certainly did serve as director of the Texas State
Department of Game and Wildlife, and he leads us to where we might be able to
find some of the Dealey Plaza After Action reports, if there are any.
COLONEL JAMES UNDERWOOD CROSS (Later Brigadier
General USAF)
James Underwood Cross (April 25, 1925 – July
11, 2015) was a United States Air Force brigadier general and author
of Around the World with LBJ: My Wild Ride As Air Force One Pilot, White
House Aide, and Personal Confidant,[1] with
Denise Gamino and Gary Rice. He was a military aide and chief Air Force
One pilot under United States president Lyndon B. Johnson.[2]
Cross was born in Andalusia, Alabama on
April 25, 1925, to James Kenison Cross and Susie Jesse Wells Cross.[3] He
attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) for
two years before being recalled to active duty in the U.S. Air Force.[4] His
wife, Marie Campbell Cross of Austin, Texas died in February 2010 and
is buried in Pleasant Home, Alabama, near Andalusia.[5] They
had four children together; one child, June Rainwater, died in 2001. Cross died
on July 11, 2015 in Gatesville, Texas. Cross will be buried in Alabama next to
his wife.[6]
Professional life
General Cross was trained as a pilot by the U.S.
Army and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air
Forces [Note 1] in November, 1944. Cross began his military career flying
transport aircraft in World War II. After joining the Air Force
Reserve in 1946, he was recalled to active duty in 1948 and served at
military bases flying transport aircraft in the Philippines, South
Carolina, Newfoundland, and Delaware. Cross was sent to Bolling Air
Force Base in Washington D.C. in 1958, where he served as pilot for VIP
aircraft.[7] In
1961, he was appointed military aide and pilot to Vice President Lyndon
Johnson. Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in
November 1963, Johnson requested that Cross become qualified to fly the Boeing
707, the 707 being the airframe on which the USAF VC137 presidential
aircraft is based. He served as a co-pilot for one year and then served as
Armed Forces Aide and pilot to President Lyndon Johnson from 1965 to 1968.[8]
Photo: Major James Cross and President Lyndon
B. Johnson on the front lawn of the LBJ Ranch near Stonewall, Texas – LBJ
Library photo by Frank Wolfe
In August 2010, Cross arranged for one of the C-140 Lockheed
JetStar planes formerly used to transport President Johnson from the White
House to his Texas ranch to be loaned from the National Museum of the
United States Air Force refinished and relocated to the Lyndon B. Johnson
National Historical Park in honor of what would have been Johnson's 102nd
birthday.[9][10]
On February 23, 1962, Cross flew Vice President
Lyndon Johnson, then-Chairman of the National Space Council, to Grand
Turk Island, where Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn Jr., USMC had
splashed down in Friednship 7 after completing the Project Mercury space
expedition. Colonel Glenn joined Cross in the cockpit on the flight back
to Patrick Air Force Base, Florida.[11]
General Cross' military decorations include
the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States), Air
Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with oak leaf cluster, and
the Presidential Service Badge [4]
Notes
Even though the source at the US Air Force
archive states "Army Air Corps", by 1944 when Cross was
commissioned, the AAC had been reorganized and renamed the "US Army Air
Forces".
References
Cross, James U. (2008). Around the World with
LBJ. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71768-8.
Johnson, Lyndon (1971). The Vantage
Point. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. p. 482.
"Brigadier
General James U. Cross". Archived from the
originalon 26 June 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
"Marie
Cross - and had a brother named Aubrey Cross Obituary".
Austin American Statesman. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
"Remembering
General James "Jim" Cross". LBJ
Library. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
Baylor Media
Communications. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
Jones, Richard. "Hamilton
woman, Air Force One pilot rekindle friendship". Journal
News. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
"For
President Johnson's 102nd birthday, aircraft becomes showpiece acquisition at
LBJ Ranch". Associated Press. Retrieved 29
July 2013.
Cross, James (2008). Around the World With LBJ.
Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. pp. 37–38.
Frasketi, Joe. "The Grand Turk
Island Connection with The Project Mercury/Glenn Flight".
Retrieved 29 July 2013.
External links
Cross, James. "James U. Cross
Recollections". LBJ Library. Archived from the original (videotape) on
19 December 2001. Retrieved 29 July2013.
Remembering General James “Jim” Cross
Jul 11, 2015
The LBJ Presidential Library and the Johnson Family
Remember
General James "Jim" Cross
General James "Jim" Cross
1925 - 2015
Brigadier General James Underwood "Jim"
Cross, U. S. Air Force (Retired), of Gatesville, Texas, who was the chief Air
Force One pilot and official military aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson, died
Saturday, July 11, 2015 in Gatesville. He was 90 years old. Cross shared his
memories of years with President Johnson in his 2008 book, Around the
World with LBJ: My Wild Ride as Air Force One Pilot, White House Aide, and
Personal Confidant, written with journalists Denise Gamino and Gary Rice.
Lyndon Nugent, Lyndon Johnson’s grandson and a
pilot, was a close, personal friend of Cross. "Today America, the United
States Army, the United States Air Force, and the family of Lyndon Johnson
mourn the passing of James U. ("Jim") Cross, Brigadier General,
United States Air Force."
Cross was trained as a pilot by the U. S. Army and
commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Air Forces in November 1944. He
began his military career as a storied “Hump” pilot, flying C-46 heavy
transport aircraft over the treacherous Himalayas in World War II. After
joining the Air Force Reserve in 1946, he was recalled to active duty in 1948
and served at military bases in the Philippines, South Carolina, Newfoundland,
and Delaware. Cross was sent to Washington, D.C., in 1958, where he served as a
pilot for the U.S. Air Force’s Special Air Mission unit that flies the
president and other dignitaries. In 1961, Vice President Lyndon Johnson chose
Cross to be his regular pilot.
On February 23, 1962, Cross flew Vice President Lyndon Johnson, who was chairman of the National Space Council, to Grand Turk Island, where Project Mercury astronaut Colonel John Glenn had splashed down after completing the first American orbit of Earth. On the flight back to Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, Colonel Glenn joined Cross in the JetStar cockpit.
On February 23, 1962, Cross flew Vice President Lyndon Johnson, who was chairman of the National Space Council, to Grand Turk Island, where Project Mercury astronaut Colonel John Glenn had splashed down after completing the first American orbit of Earth. On the flight back to Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, Colonel Glenn joined Cross in the JetStar cockpit.
Following the assassination of President John F.
Kennedy in November 1963, President Johnson requested that Cross become
qualified to fly a Boeing 707, the main presidential aircraft. Cross qualified
to pilot the 707 in May 1964, and then served as Air Force One co-pilot for a
year with Colonel James Swindal, who had been President Kennedy’s personal
pilot. In 1965, Cross was promoted by President Johnson to chief Air Force One
pilot as well as Armed Forces Aide in the White House. He worked both full-time
jobs from 1965 to 1968, constantly changing from Air Force uniform to White
House business suit as the occasion warranted.
Cross described President Johnson as the
"ultimate back seat pilot." He depicted his job this way: "I
bucked the inviolate military chain of command to fly where and when he wanted.
Protocol, rules, and red tape couldn’t stop us. We did it his way, obstacles be
damned. He wasn’t always the most pleasant personality to be around, but he was
the best co-pilot in adventure anyone could ever have had."
While serving as Air Force One pilot for President
Johnson, Cross’s other hectic job as the White House military aide put him in
charge of supervising the President’s transportation fleet; running the White
House Mess; managing the President’s emergency spending fund; supervising Camp
David, the presidential mountain retreat in Maryland; hiring White House social
aides; helping the President with his wardrobe; responding to letters from
servicemen in Vietnam; and writing condolence letters to the families of
soldiers who died in that war.
One of the journeys Cross shared with President
Johnson made history – an around-the-world trip in the days before Christmas
1967. In his book, Around the World with LBJ, Cross said President Johnson
told him in mid-December that Christmas would be quiet, something Cross never
quite believed. His premonition was correct: that Christmas season Cross flew
President Johnson 26,959 miles and landed in seven countries and territories,
including a stop to visit U.S. troops in Vietnam and another stop to meet with
Pope Paul VI at the Vatican. The presidential entourage and a separate plane
for the press traveled around the world in four-and-a-half days, and Johnson
became the first president to circumnavigate the globe. The itinerary was
impromptu, without a definite plan.
Cross’s last official duty for President Johnson was very personal and somber. When the former President died of a heart attack on Jan. 22, 1973, official protocol called for an active-duty military officer to serve as escort for Mrs. Johnson to all funeral services and programs. Mrs. Johnson wanted a person she knew and trusted by her side and requested that the then-retired Cross be her escort. Fortunately, Cross still fit into his Air Force uniform. Mrs. Johnson held Cross’s steady arm for services at the LBJ Presidential Library, at the U.S. Capitol and funeral church in Washington, D. C., and at the burial at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas.
Cross’s last official duty for President Johnson was very personal and somber. When the former President died of a heart attack on Jan. 22, 1973, official protocol called for an active-duty military officer to serve as escort for Mrs. Johnson to all funeral services and programs. Mrs. Johnson wanted a person she knew and trusted by her side and requested that the then-retired Cross be her escort. Fortunately, Cross still fit into his Air Force uniform. Mrs. Johnson held Cross’s steady arm for services at the LBJ Presidential Library, at the U.S. Capitol and funeral church in Washington, D. C., and at the burial at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas.
To Lyndon Nugent, Cross was part of the Johnson
family. "Jim Cross was Lyndon Johnson’s confidant at the beginning of his
administration, and he was Lady Bird Johnson’s pillar of strength when Lyndon
Johnson was laid to rest. In the years since he has remained one of the closest
friends the Johnson family and Johnson Library have ever had. A great leader to
those privileged to serve with him, a great father to his family, and a great
friend to all who had the privilege to know him, Jim Cross is going to be
sorely missed."
After serving the president, Cross was promoted to Brigadier General and became Commander of the 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Austin, Texas. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States,) Air Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with oak leaf cluster, and the Presidential Service Badge.
After serving the president, Cross was promoted to Brigadier General and became Commander of the 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Austin, Texas. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States,) Air Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with oak leaf cluster, and the Presidential Service Badge.
In 2010, Cross helped arrange for one of the
Lockheed JetStar planes formerly used to transport President Johnson’s family
from the White House to his Texas ranch to be refurbished and relocated to the
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. The plane, now on permanent
display, was unveiled in honor of what would have been the president’s 102nd
birthday on Aug. 27 that year.
James Underwood Cross was born in Andalusia,
Alabama, on April 25, 1925, and went by the name Underwood until the Air Force
forced him to use his first name. He attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute
(now Auburn University) for two years before being recalled to active duty in
the U. S. Air Force.
Cross is survived by three children and their
families: Jeanie (Bill) Stark of Round Rock, Texas; Joanie (Doug) MacLean of
Huntington Beach, California; John (Sherry) Cross of Liberty Hill, Texas; six
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. His eldest daughter, June Marie
Cross Rainwater, wife of David Rainwater, passed away in 2001. A granddaughter,
Chloe Ann Cross, died in 2006.
Services will be under the direction of Scott’s
Funeral Home in Gatesville, Texas. Cross will be buried in Alabama next to his
wife, Marie Campbell Cross, who passed away in February 2010.
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