James Tague
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" Thomas Tague (born October 17, 1936, Plainfield, Indiana
) was a witness to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
in Dallas, Texas
on November 22, 1963. He received a minor wound on his right cheek during the assassination. He is the only person, in addition to Kennedy and Texas Governor John B. Connally, known to have been wounded by gun fire in Dallas' Dealey Plaza that day.
, at the south curb of Main Street, 520 feet (158 m) southwest of the Texas School Book Depository
. He was a few feet east of the eastern edge of the triple overpass railroad bridge, when Tague saw the Presidential limousine, and heard the first shot.
Like many other witnesses, Tague remembered hearing this first shot and likened it to a firecracker
. Tague later testified that the first shot he recalled hearing occurred after the Presidential limousine had already completed the 120-degree slow turn from Houston Street onto Elm Street and then straightened out. The motorcade then proceeded towards him.
Soon after the shots were fired Tague was approached by a Dallas sheriff detective, Buddy Walthers, who had noticed that Tague had specks of blood on his right facial cheek. (Tague also had a small left facial scab, caused by an unrelated event which occurred a week prior to assassination) The detective asked Tague where he had been standing. The two men then examined the area and discovered — on the upper part of the Main Street south curb — a "very fresh scar" impact that, to each of them, looked like a bullet had struck there and taken a small chip out of the curb's concrete. They came to the conclusion that one bullet ricocheted off the curb and the debris hit Tague. This curb surrounding the scar chip was removed and replaced on Saturday November 23, 1963 (the day after the assassination) and is now in the National Archives
. The scar chip was 23 feet 6 inches (7.2 m) east of the east edge of the Triple Underpass railroad bridge, about 20 (6.1 m) feet from where Tague stood during the attack. The detective told Tague it looked like a bullet had been fired from one of the Houston and Elm Streets intersection buildings and had hit the curb.
. When he gave his testimony, Tague initially stated that he was wounded on his facial cheek by either the second or third shot of the three shots that he remembered hearing. When the Commission counsel pressed him to be more specific, Tague testified that he was wounded by the second shot. When the Commission counsel asked Tague where he sensed was the source of the gun shots, Tague testified the shots originated "from the monument or whatever it was" which was the area of the North Pergola Monument, located on the grassy knoll, several hundred feet west of the Book Depository building.
Later, forensic tests by the FBI revealed that the chipped bullet mark impact location did not have any copper metal residue embedded in it. This strongly indicates that at the instant that the bullet or bullet fragment struck the curb, it did not have a military jacketed copper outer casing, such as those required by the 6.5 mm military jacketed copper encased bullets, allegedly, fired from the far eastern sixth floor window of the School Book Depository.
Sometime after being forensically examined by the FBI in 1964, the spectrographic slides containing the trace physical elements of the bullet embedded into the curb's chipped scar disappeared from the FBI evidence storage. The FBI later claimed (only after author/researcher/Congressional investigator Harold Weisberg filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit) that they had destroyed the spectrographic slides to save space within the FBI building.
A photograph of the curb taken by a FBI agent just before the curb stone was cut out of the street in August 1964 shows the curb had been patched before it was cut from the street. Tague, in his book Truth Withheld, has pictures of the scar taken on November 23, 1963, and as it sat in the National Archives in 1997. This photo, taken on November 23, 1963 shows no patch covering over the impact scar.
, concluded that the curb scar had been covered over with a foreign material.
In 1997, Tague visited the U.S. National Archives and personally examined the curbstone scar chip. Tague was also accompanied by a U.S. National Archivist. They both immediately agreed that the scar chip was covered up with a foreign-material patch over the scar chip (no documented record nor documented authorization exists of precisely who or what agency had the scar chip within its evidence chain, nor when the scar chip was covered up). Harold Weisberg had said the same thing about the scar chip being covered over after he first examined the scar chip in the late 1960s.
In 2003, Tague wrote a book, Truth Withheld (ISBN 0-9718254-7-5), detailing his experiences during and after the assassination.
Plainfield, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,396 people, 7,051 households, and 4,914 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,023.1 people per square mile . There were 7,449 housing units at an average density of 414.3 per square mile...
) was a witness to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
on November 22, 1963. He received a minor wound on his right cheek during the assassination. He is the only person, in addition to Kennedy and Texas Governor John B. Connally, known to have been wounded by gun fire in Dallas' Dealey Plaza that day.
The assassination
Tague had been driving to downtown Dallas to have lunch with a friend when he came upon a traffic jam due to the presidential motorcade. This caused him to stop his car, get out of it, and stand by Dealey PlazaDealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
, at the south curb of Main Street, 520 feet (158 m) southwest of the Texas School Book Depository
Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
. He was a few feet east of the eastern edge of the triple overpass railroad bridge, when Tague saw the Presidential limousine, and heard the first shot.
Like many other witnesses, Tague remembered hearing this first shot and likened it to a firecracker
Firecracker
A firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing to contain the explosive compound...
. Tague later testified that the first shot he recalled hearing occurred after the Presidential limousine had already completed the 120-degree slow turn from Houston Street onto Elm Street and then straightened out. The motorcade then proceeded towards him.
Soon after the shots were fired Tague was approached by a Dallas sheriff detective, Buddy Walthers, who had noticed that Tague had specks of blood on his right facial cheek. (Tague also had a small left facial scab, caused by an unrelated event which occurred a week prior to assassination) The detective asked Tague where he had been standing. The two men then examined the area and discovered — on the upper part of the Main Street south curb — a "very fresh scar" impact that, to each of them, looked like a bullet had struck there and taken a small chip out of the curb's concrete. They came to the conclusion that one bullet ricocheted off the curb and the debris hit Tague. This curb surrounding the scar chip was removed and replaced on Saturday November 23, 1963 (the day after the assassination) and is now in the National Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
. The scar chip was 23 feet 6 inches (7.2 m) east of the east edge of the Triple Underpass railroad bridge, about 20 (6.1 m) feet from where Tague stood during the attack. The detective told Tague it looked like a bullet had been fired from one of the Houston and Elm Streets intersection buildings and had hit the curb.
The Warren Commission and the FBI
Six months after the assassination, Tague was called to testify before the Warren CommissionWarren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
. When he gave his testimony, Tague initially stated that he was wounded on his facial cheek by either the second or third shot of the three shots that he remembered hearing. When the Commission counsel pressed him to be more specific, Tague testified that he was wounded by the second shot. When the Commission counsel asked Tague where he sensed was the source of the gun shots, Tague testified the shots originated "from the monument or whatever it was" which was the area of the North Pergola Monument, located on the grassy knoll, several hundred feet west of the Book Depository building.
Later, forensic tests by the FBI revealed that the chipped bullet mark impact location did not have any copper metal residue embedded in it. This strongly indicates that at the instant that the bullet or bullet fragment struck the curb, it did not have a military jacketed copper outer casing, such as those required by the 6.5 mm military jacketed copper encased bullets, allegedly, fired from the far eastern sixth floor window of the School Book Depository.
Sometime after being forensically examined by the FBI in 1964, the spectrographic slides containing the trace physical elements of the bullet embedded into the curb's chipped scar disappeared from the FBI evidence storage. The FBI later claimed (only after author/researcher/Congressional investigator Harold Weisberg filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit) that they had destroyed the spectrographic slides to save space within the FBI building.
A photograph of the curb taken by a FBI agent just before the curb stone was cut out of the street in August 1964 shows the curb had been patched before it was cut from the street. Tague, in his book Truth Withheld, has pictures of the scar taken on November 23, 1963, and as it sat in the National Archives in 1997. This photo, taken on November 23, 1963 shows no patch covering over the impact scar.
1983 - 2003
A 1983 documented study of the curb scar, conducted by an engineering firm hired by the Reader's DigestReader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, concluded that the curb scar had been covered over with a foreign material.
In 1997, Tague visited the U.S. National Archives and personally examined the curbstone scar chip. Tague was also accompanied by a U.S. National Archivist. They both immediately agreed that the scar chip was covered up with a foreign-material patch over the scar chip (no documented record nor documented authorization exists of precisely who or what agency had the scar chip within its evidence chain, nor when the scar chip was covered up). Harold Weisberg had said the same thing about the scar chip being covered over after he first examined the scar chip in the late 1960s.
In 2003, Tague wrote a book, Truth Withheld (ISBN 0-9718254-7-5), detailing his experiences during and after the assassination.
External links
- James Tague's Website
- Warren Commission Hearings, Testimony of James Tague.
- William M. Goggins, James Tague: Unintended Victim in Dealey Plaza.