MEMO OF INTERVIEW OF JACK L. PUTERBAUGH BY LARRY
HAAPANEN CONDUCTED ON SEPTEMBER 5, I97O, AT 4514 WESTBROOK LANE, KENSINGTON,
MARYLAND.
BACKGROUND:
In July 1970, I discovered in the March 1965 edition
of the Congressional Directory the following entry in the section on the
Agriculture
Department: "Food Trades Staff. - Jacob L.
Puterbaugh, 4514 Westbrook
Lane, Kensington, Md., 20795." (p. 523)
Having already learned that Jack Puterbaugh, one of
the occupants of the pilot car in President Kennedy's Dallas motorcade, lived
at that address in Kensington, this was my first indication that Puterbaugh had
worked for the Agriculture Department. I subsequently wrote to the Agriculture
Department, asking for any biographical information they might have for release
on Puterbaugh. While I received no written reply, on August 18, 1970,
Puterbaugh attempted to call me from Washington, D.C.
I received his message to call him, and the
following day reached him at his Washington number, which, it turned out,
belonged to an office of the Agriculture Department. I explained to Puterbaugh
my interest in the assassination and my desire to talk to him, and he invited
me to see him at his home in Kensington, Md. He said that no one, other than
one writer who was doing some research on Jerry Bruno, had ever interviewed him
about the assassination.
I talked to Phiterbaugh at his home from about 7:30
to 9:30 PM, Sept. 5, 1970. He appears to be in his mid-40s, about 6’1"
tall, heavy build, dark haired with long, heavy sideburns greying at the
temples. He is married and has three children.
DETAIIS :
FUTERBAUGH said that he was head of the Minnesota
Liquor Commission for about four years, and that during that time he handled
security arrangements for JOHN F. KENNEDY'S i960 campaign in Minnesota. He said
he subsequently went to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and was
close to Agriculture Secretary OROVILEE FREEMAN, former Governor of Minnesota.
He said that in September 1963 he did advance work for President KENNEDY'S
visit to Duluth, Minnesota.
FUTERBAUGH said that he was asked to do advance work
for President KENNEDY'S Dallas visit by TOM HUGHES, of FREEMAN'S office. He
said his main Job was to "divy up tickets" for the Dallas luncheon,
as well as to handle arrangements for the airport reception. He said he was
accompanied to Dallas by Special Agent LAWSON of the Secret Service and Mr.
BALES of the White House Communications Agency.
PUTERBAUGH said that his first stop in Dallas (after
his arrival there on November 12 , 1963) was the Dallas Times Herald, the newspaper
"less critical of President KENNEDY . He said he subsequently met with
representatives of the Dallas Citizens Council (which he referred to,
facetiously as the White Citizens Council"), which was to pick up the tab
for the luncheon honoring the President. He said the Citizens Council wanted to
have a small crowd at the luncheon.
PUTERBAUGH said STANLEY MARCUS was hesitant about
President KENNEDY'S visit because of what had happened during ADLAI STEVENSON'S
visit to Dallas.
PUTERBAUGH said that JERRY BRUNO, advance man for
the Democratic National Committee, had been in Dallas earlier, probably for
less than a day. He said that BRUNO kept calling him on the phone and bothering
him until he finally hung up on BRUNO, telling him not to call back until he
was ready to apologize.
PUTERBAUGH said that beginning on November 17, BETTY
HARRIS helped him with arrangements. He said that she was probably detailed to
help by JERRY BRUNO or BILL MOYERS. He said that she had worked with SAM BLOOM
of the Citizens Council.
PUTERBAUGH said that the Trade Mart was chosen for
the luncheon because it offered better security and was better situated in
relation to love Field than the alternative sites. He said that he had no part
in the actual selection of the site for the luncheon.
(NOTE: According to JAMES ROWLEY, Chief of the
Secret Service, Special Agent LAWSON was informed on November 14 by PUTERBAUGH
that the luncheon would be held at the Trade Mart. Cf. 18 H 715)
PUTERBAUGH said that Dallas labor people were not
satisfied with the way they were included in the reception at Love Field and as
a result they boycotted the reception. He said that BRAXTON BRYANT, a candidate
for Congress, showed up at Love Field with sin old lady in a wheel chair, and
that she was greeted by President KENNEDY following the Presidents arrival.
PUTERBAUGH said that he told the Citizens Council
that there was to be no presentation of gifts to President KENNEDY, but that
they went ahead and got two saddles and a program of the last presidential
visit to Dallas, and planned to present them to the President at the luncheon.
PUTERBAUGH mentioned that BILL MOYERS came to Dallas
on the Sunday preceding November 22.
PUTERBAUGH said that when the motorcade prepared to
leave Love Field, he was placed in the pilot car by Special Agent LAWSON. He
said that he sat on the right hand side in the back seat, and that he didn't
know the other occupants of the car. He said that he had been told by LAWSON
that there would be a total of four people in the car, but that it turned out
that there were five.
PUTERBAUGH said that the pilot car preceded the rest
of the motorcade by 4-5 blocks. He said that he remembers the friendly crowds
along the route, particulary some nuns with a group of school children. He said
that he remembers no stops along the route prior to the stop made on the
expressway. He said that he does recall noticing the Texas School Book
Depository and wondering, in jest, "is that where they burn books?"
He also remembers going under the Triple Underpass, and figuring that the
motorcade was roughly on time.
PUTERBAUGH said that the first radio transmission he
heard in the pilot car following the assassination was a call to "send all
available policemen to the Triple Underpass area." He said that at first
he thought someone might have thrown a tomato or something of that sort at the
motorcade, but then a call on the radio came asking Parkland to prepare for an
emergency .
PUTERBAUGH said that the pilot car stopped on the
expressway, then fell in behind the car containing Mayor CABELL and Congressman
ROBERTS.
He said that he doesn't recall any radio
transmissions being made from the pilot car while it was stopped.
PUTERBAUGH said that the pilot car stopped about 50
feet from the presidential limousine at Parkland, and that he got out and tried
to keep back unauthorized people. He said that he then got back into the pilot
car, and accompanied Special Agent FORREST SORREIS back to Dealy Plaza, the
siren going.
PUTERBAUGH said that he stayed in Dealy Plaza for
about 5 minutes, and then walked to the Sheraton Hotel, where he had been
staying while in Dallas. He said that he called his boss in the Agriculture
Department, JOHN BROWN, and told him that things were more serious than KENNEDY
being merely wounded. He said he had heard someone say at Parkland that it
looked very bad for the President, and had assumed that KENNEDY had been
killed.
PUTERBAUGH said that he doesn't remember anything
about the Secret Service agents in -the front seat of the presidential
limousine as it passed, but does recall seeing Mrs. KENNEDY'S pink dress, and
someone on the back of the limousine. He also remembers two men standing up in
the Secret Service follow-up car as it passed. He said that the presidential
limousine definitely went straight to Parkland. He said that he knows nothing
of any driver switch during the motorcade,
PUTERBAUGH said that he got a cab from the hotel to
Love Field, and arranged for pick-up of Special Agent LAWSON's baggage. He said
that while at LOVE FIELD, he saw one of the two Secret Service agents that had
flown into Dallas with the presidential limousine beating on the trunk of a car
with an ax, trying to get at something in the trunk. He said he had dinner with
the two agents following their arrival in Dallas with the limousine.
(NOTE: The two agents were Special Agents HICKEY and
KINNEY. Cf. 17 H 625.)
PUTERBAUGH said that he noted that Special Agent
LAWSON neither smoked nor drank, but he did not observe the drinking habits of
the other Secret Service agents.
PUTERBAUGH said he has some doubts about the validity of
the Warren Commission's findings, since "the ballistics stuff doesn't add
up." He said that he read some of the earlier books about the
assassination, but that going to school during the past 3 years has not left
him time to do any more reading on the subject. He said that his experiences
with the FBI — as head of the Minnesota Liquor Commission and in working for
the Department of Agriculture on the Billie Sol Estes case — has given him
doubts about the FBI's ability to satisfactorily investigate the assassination.
I showed FUTERBAUGH several photos and slides taken
at Love Field and in Dealy Plaza on November 22 , 1963. He was unable to
identify any of the persons shown in these views.
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