CT's, how did Oswald's rifle end up on the 6th floor?

[Charles Collins]

Charles, Curry up to the assassination had a brilliant career. From WIKIPEDIA: Curry joined the Dallas Police Department as a traffic officer on May 1, 1936, and worked his way up the ranks to become the chief of police on January 20, 1960. As Curry explained it to the Warren Commission, he worked his way up in "practically every assignment the police department has", and graduated from the Northwestern University Traffic Institute in 1945/6 and the FBI National Academy in 1951.
After the assassination of Oswald, Curry's career was pretty much ruined, he was held responsible and heavily criticised for Oswald getting shot during the transfer. Three years later he retired, ostensibly on health grounds but this may well have been a crock as he actually carried on working, in the private sector, for another twelve years. I've read, can't confirm, that he was very bitter towards the DPD and very short of money due to his early (forced?) retirement. He retired in 1966, the same year he released his book, died in his sleep 1978.
Hope that helps.

Thanks, yes it does. A friend once told me that he learned during his study towards a degree in industrial management that in the corporate world (and bureaucratic world) people usually climb the ladder to the level of their incompetence. I don’t know if that’s what happened to Curry or not. Just something that came to mind when I read your post.

[Bill Chapman]

I know by now that you call hard questions you can't answer "typical nonsense" but why did Day not mention the "tentative match of the palmprint to Oswald" in his WC testimony? By the time Day testified the information about the palmprint on an index card and Latona's match with Oswald were known. So, why did Day not testify that he made a similar match? Why did he say instead that he stopped processing after having lifted the print from the rifle? Did day lie in his WC testimony?

On the day of his WC testimony Day still wouldn't say it: Page 263 - Day: Maybe I shouldn't absolutely make a positive statement without further checking that. I think it is his, but I would have to sit down and take two glasses to make an additional comparison before I would say absolutely, excluding all possibility it is. I think it is, but I would have to do some more work on that.

That appears to be the same thing he told Fritz and Curry on 11/22/63. Also, Day states he told Vince Drain when he picked it up that there was a palm print on the barrel and pointed out the location to him. Add Drain to the list of people who were told.

I distinctly recall Day saying that the prints looked llked, tentatively, Oswald's.. and saying he wishes he had gone ahead and photographed them despite being told to stop. It seems he was confident in that tentative assassessment. Being told to stop should immediately raise an investigator's suspicions as to why, so why not take a chance and finish.
 

[Denis Pointing]

Thanks, yes it does. A friend once told me that he learned during his study towards a degree in industrial management that in the corporate world (and bureaucratic world) people usually climb the ladder to the level of their incompetence. I don’t know if that’s what happened to Curry or not. Just something that came to mind when I read your post.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but Curry was told by his superiors to allow plenty of press coverage, release maximum info and to 'show off' Oswald as much as possible. I can't help thinking the guy got a bum deal, was made a bit of a scapegoat.

[Charles Collins]

Yeah, I know what you mean, but Curry was told by his superiors to allow plenty of press coverage, release maximum info and to 'show off' Oswald as much as possible. I can't help thinking the guy got a bum deal, was made a bit of a scapegoat.

I think that you’re probably right about the scapegoat. He didn’t make all those decisions without some consultation. However, several of his detectives and Sheriff Decker said that they had tried to convince him not to try to transport Oswald in front of the press.

[Charles Collins]

I distinctly recall Day saying that the prints looked llked, tentatively, Oswald's.. and saying he wishes he had gone ahead and photographed them despite being told to stop. It seems he was confident in that tentative assassessment. Being told to stop should immediately raise an investigator's suspicions as to why, so why not take a chance and finish.

He understandably had to be frustrated with the earlier interruption for Marina to view the rifle and tired by the time he was instructed to stop. However I also think that he should have at least explained that he was midstream of processing the palm print and asked if he had enough time to get to a better stopping point.

[Denis Pointing]

I think that you’re probably right about the scapegoat. He didn’t make all those decisions without some consultation. However, several of his detectives and Sheriff Decker said that they had tried to convince him not to try to transport Oswald in front of the press.

Yeah, the security issues were appalling, both before and during the transfer. It's easy to see why so many believe the whole thing was a setup.

[Thomas Graves]

Perhaps I should have rephrased my comment better, because I never wanted to give the impression it was a quote in the book, but thanks for the exact quote. I was paraphrasing from memory. I am sure in my mind Curry did say the other part as well, but I can't instantly recall where or when he said it.

He said it, on film, to a reporter in a hallway, iirc.

(Excuse me if someone has already posted this -- I haven't read through the whole thread yet.)

-- MWT 

[Colin Crow]

Yeah, I know what you mean, but Curry was told by his superiors to allow plenty of press coverage, release maximum info and to 'show off' Oswald as much as possible. I can't help thinking the guy got a bum deal, was made a bit of a scapegoat.

Denis, I think the public parading (and associated press questioning) of Oswald was confined to day one. I believe after that there was some deal struck between the DPD and press that allowed them to see him being moved but no questions were to be asked.