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Wearing your all white raincoat so you would stand out ( why would that be ) while everyone around you was in a dark suit and tie Couldn't be a beacon saying don't shoot me could it .
I lived one house down from Jim and his lovely wife growing up. They treated me like I was their own child; shared so many meals with them in their home over the years. I had the privilege of hearing both of these stories in detail over the years, never grew tired of hearing them, he had an unbelievable memory. You were one of the great ones Jim, you will be missed my friend.
This brings back memories for me. 92 years of age now, served in the Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers and Submarines. Have a high regard for our American cousins.
America is just a bunch of cowards now all the lovely blonde daughters are dating basketball players and rappers while the men work like slaves to pay taxes to a totally corrupt state.
Watched this man on live television, as Oswald was shot, moments forever to be etched in my memory, as a 17 year old high school student. Thank you for this remarkable interview.
What a hero the only thing I heard that I don't believe is that he saw the gun and Ruby before he shot if you watch the video he was looking to the right as Ruby approached on his left and 2 other officers grab Ruby before Jim reached for him. Still this man acted quickly and professionally he didn't even flinch with a gun being shot 1 ft from him incredible
I’m 17 right now it’s crazy to think about we grew up in completely different times But I love learning about history It teaches you life lessons thanks for sharing 🤝
I was twelve years old, watching this with my parents. The feeling I had is something I will never forget. It was something or someone else was involved in the killing of JFK. The man who killed JFK was just killed. I asked my parents what was happening. My mother said something is wrong.
As a route salesman for a Dallas/Ft. Worth vending company, I was filling the Coke machine in the Parkland Hospital cafeteria about a half hour before the motorcade rolled in. I was planning to stay and have lunch but the Friday special was liver and onions, and I NEVER order organ meat in a hospital cafeteria. If roast chicken had been the special, I would have been there when Kennedy arrived. By the way, I had filled the Coke machine in the lunchroom of the Texas School Book Depository that morning. That means that if the conspiracy theorists are correct and Lee Harvey Oswald was indeed in the cafeteria drinking a Coke moments after the assassination, it was placed in the machine by Yours Truly. The company I worked for closed early that day in observance of the national tragedy, so over the weekend, I had to make up the stops I didn't get to - including the Dallas Police Headquarters, which wasn't accepting deliveries on Saturday, so I postponed that one until Sunday. I'd just pulled my truck into the parking garage on Sunday when I spotted one of my regular customers, Jack Ruby -owner of the Carousel Nightclub where we had a couple of machines. He waved to me as I drove past. He was on his way on foot to somewhere in the garage.
@@thehaughtcorner Oh that's right. It's been so long ago, I guess my memory is starting to fail me. Now that I remember it, liver and onions was indeed the Friday lunch special. Thinking back, if I remember correctly, the Thursday lunch special was usually a tuna melt.
In all of the photos and video footage of Lee Harvey Oswald’s assasination, the Deputy Sheriff with him always stood out. It is absolutely amazing that he is still alive today, and that someone took the time and effort to interview him. Thanks for sharing this very special, historic interview here on UA-cam. :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
He passed away in 2019 at the age of 99. It's in the description under the title. I agree with you on someone taking the time to conduct an interview with him and sharing here on UA-cam.
My father was a DPD officer when this occurred. Dad was working nights at that time and was awakened by my Mother who was an off duty nurse at Parkland. Dad got up and listened to T.V. news for a bit and told my Mother that he was going to go ahead and get ready because he knew they would ALL be called in to work. DPD did just that about 2 minutes later.. Dad knew Jim Leavelle very good and always spoke highly of him. I was 3 months old at that time!! Those were crazy times!
Thanks for conducting and posting this interview. It is so interesting to hear an eyewitness account of some of history’s most important moments. A big thank you to Mr. Leavelle for his service in WW2 and to the people of Dallas. RIP sir.
I'M F... and F... TIRED of seeing Jim Leveale taking ALL the credit since 1963 because he was handcuffed to Oswald and all the interviews he gave. Detective L.C. Graves was ALSO there all the way grabbing Oswald's right arm. And it's detective L.C. Graves who wrestle to take the gun to Ruby's hand. All on tv and photos. Tired of Leveale and his brand new suit. We don't have interviews from L.C. Graves. He died in 1995 but he is as famous as Leveale... Maybe more because it's him who wrestle Ruby. Not the F... Leveale...
@@easyabc1404 Mmm do I denote something like a small amount of Jealousy in your comment' or an Ax to grind ABC.... Such and usually and mysterious Thought pattern in your comment??? Surely this Gentleman not in involved In some of the corruption Dallas police officers were known for.....
@@easyabc1404 L.C. Graves died in 1995. He wasn’t alive when Leavelle gave this interview. He did give one interview and it’s available on the Sixth Floor museum website.
I met him once. I was in prison in 86-88 I was 18and in the kick it program where I went all over tx to high schools talking to them about what prison life was for someone their age. And he senting a request to have me go to some schools around Beaumont Winnie and port Arthur.. was a really good guy. He told us the story about being handcuffed to oswal. Was a really good history lesson.
Yes they were. But they also didn't fight against the enemy at home that has since taken over. JFK assassination, RFK and so many others were wiped out in a coup. RFK Jr tweeted this also December 17th 2022. So ya'll can stay asleep. 🙏
This guy is a known liar who let a suspect I. The greatest killing in history die not only on his watch but handcuffed to him. Yeah what a hero as your daddy Donald says I like heroes who didn’t let their prisoners die.
I can’t imagine being involved in not one but two of the most shocking events in American history. Thank you Jim, for your service. And may you rest in God’s peace.
@jjglobe4706 ah yes, can you tell me the companies they worked for? Or were they just thugs acting tough til the law said “nope”. “He was an angel!!!!!!….. who also had a lengthy criminal history….but he was an angelllll!!!!!” 🙄
… like all o’y’all, I’ve seen many interviews over the years with this man.. He’s always struck me as such a kind, mature, professional, and respectful Texas gentleman.. we’re fortunate to have his accounts as a witness to history.
I've watched the "perp walk" of Oswald so many times over the years. So many people allowed to be so close to the alleged assassin of the President. Also how slowly they were walking down the hallway, almost setting up and waiting for Ruby to do his thing. Very strange.
And they had Kennedy in a convertible, with no bullet proof helmet or nuthin! And rifles had recently been invented a few hundred years earlier! WHAT WERE THEY TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH #stupidconspiracies
I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation as to how Ruby got into that garage in the first place. This was a guy who was supposedly about to be charged with the assassination of a President. The guy who shot James Garfield had better police protection than Oswald.
It was all a false flag operation, orquestrated by the government, Just like the asasination of M.L.K. and Robert Kenedy.....neither Oswald, Sirhan or James Earl Ray, comitéd those murders.....
Sorry Faye, but the president just got shot, got your suspect, you gonna slow walk him through a crowd? Give me a break, don't care if you think timed were different back then. I'm 69, remember the day. And even thought, how strange.
My Dad and I were watching the event live. I just turned 11. My dad just passed at 91 and we discussed this event many times with astonishment. Simply incredible that Ruby could have had such easy access. Fascinating interview , thank you for the UA-cam post .
I too was 11 at the time but... my intuition told me something wasn't right!! Also, He's misinformed or downright lying because he was told to!! Many different witnesses testified that Oswald and Tibbet could not have been seen together because the Timeline doesn't line up!! See testimony about the station wagon with 4 men inside that Tibbit questioned!! Witnesses testified about an agitated Tibbit was seen pulling cars over!! Oswald was on foot??
Why they walked Oswald through a crowd, why a crowd was even allowed to be there, makes you wonder if some in the government were culpable in Oswald's murder.
Forgive me if I'm being wordy, but I'll always wonder how Jack Ruby got to Oswald at the "right" moment. He claimed he was across the street (at a Western Union office) to wire money to one of his strippers. This allegedly occured about a minute before Oswald was brought downstairs. I also read that the time stamp on the money order corroroborated Mr. Ruby's statement. It seems plausible that he was in the basement for several minutes before he whacked Oswald. Ruby had almost unfettered access to Dallas Police headquarters, so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch that someone let him in.
Officer Tippet was a tragedy but you can't compare it to JFK. The man prevented nuclear war, with his whole deep state pressuring him to go to war with USSR. Him and Khrushchev wanted peace and were discussing disarmament through back channels before they were both removed by their deep states.
RIP, Jim. My dad was Navy Reserve during WW2 active duty took him into the Gulf of Mexico on a "Six Bitter" (YP-14) patrol vessel which he trained on in New Orleans and then later to the Philippines ... He was a Chief Petty Officer. Love you Dad, RIP and I WILL see you on the other side.
I'M F... and F... TIRED of seeing Jim Leveale taking ALL the credit since 1963 because he was handcuffed to Oswald and all the interviews he gave. Detective L.C. Graves was ALSO there all the way grabbing Oswald's right arm. And it's detective L.C. Graves who wrestle to take the gun to Ruby's hand. All on tv and photos. Tired of Leveale and his brand new suit. We don't have interviews from L.C. Graves. He died in 1995 but he is as famous as Leveale... Maybe more because it's him who wrestle Ruby. Not the F... Leveale...
Thank you for your Service to our Country, Mr. Leavelle...and especially your Autograph, 11/22/93. I was impressed you wore the same suit when Oswald was shot.
This was a great interview. When a person been under live fire in wartime, particularly during the Pearl Harbor sneak attack, and involved in rescuing pilots who didn't make successful aircraft carrier landings because of snatch cable failures, etc., and is a person has had police training and made detective, and then spent years dealing with sketchy, homicidal people, you have a man who will react without hesitation under pressure and who isn't paralyzed with fear because he's in a spot where someone might shoot him in the next 2 or 3 seconds. Fear for his own safety was never a consideration in doing his duty.
Anonymous it wasn't a sneak attack! Shame on the us gov for saying so! The Japanese ambassador to wash dc tried to give his war declaration to some office in DC that was closing! Some say fdr knew and used the attack to move a reluctant public into the war! He probably did know!
Pearl Harbor was only a steak attack to us minions. The higher ups knew it was coming but allowed it to happen so the public would be manipulated in supporting for another war.
I know that deputy lived a long life. He was shocked and totally caught off guard by that gunshot, his reaction forever captured on that photo. Lucky for him Ruby didn't shoot him too.
I remember that entire weekend so vividly. I was 16 at the time. Friday afternoon the announcement came over the PA system that Kennedy was shot and we were all dismissed I can't remember another time, other than 911 when EVERYONE was so united in shock and grief. I was watching the TV on Sunday with friends and family when suddenly.without warning Oswald was shot right there live on camera. The shock of that moment has remained with me my entire life.
It’s not like the DPD during this time were extremely corrupt. Ruby was just another lone nut in Dallas in 1963. If you believe what your government tells you.
When JFK was shot I was picking up medical records at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center prior to returning home to Dallas and listened to the live news of the shooting. The Navy booked me on a passenger train for the trip to Dallas. On Sunday afternoon as my train passed through east Dallas, we stopped on a railroad siding waiting for permission to continue on to the train station next to Dealy Plaza. We learned later the delay was the result of Oswald's shooting by Jack Ruby.
Holy cats. Leavelle was in the military when my dad joined the Navy in 1938-39. My dad was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked (but he obviously wasn't on the Arizona! He was on the USS Tangier, a seaplane tender, down in the engine room, where he was locked in, when they did that to keep a ship's engine room from being flooded if the ship got hit, but no one ever expected that in 1941. He thought the alerts and the explosions he heard were just one of those drills. They boogied it out of Pearl Harbor before the channel got blocked by the bigger ships although the Nevada beached herself so the other ships could get out... but my dad's ship got out before the Nevada was struggling to beach herself... trying to get out to sea, but my dad didn't have a clue what was going on...) My father was very amused that I was so impressed by him being at Pearl. I recall him laughing and exchanging glances with my older siblings (hippies, I was 6 at the time at Christmas when this daddy-daughter conversation took place. He was just like thinking it was no big deal. But he later joined the Pearl Harbor Survivor Club and went every year to Pearl Harbor reunions. I guess he felt maybe it was worth something after all if his littlest kid thought it was so awesome.)
I'M F... and F... TIRED of seeing Jim Leveale taking ALL the credit since 1963 because he was handcuffed to Oswald and all the interviews he gave. Detective L.C. Graves was ALSO there all the way grabbing Oswald's right arm. And it's detective L.C. Graves who wrestle to take the gun to Ruby's hand. All on tv and photos. Tired of Leveale and his brand new suit. We don't have interviews from L.C. Graves. He died in 1995 but he is as famous as Leveale... Maybe more because it's him who wrestle Ruby. Not the F... Leveale...
I was 9 when JFK was assassinated, and missed Oswald getting shot by seconds. I had just walked into a friend's house and walked in front of their TV the moment the shooting happened. My friend and his mom were watching the proceeding and yelled for me to get out of the way, I was blocking their view. I turned to see all the police officers wrestling Ruby to the floor. Even as a boy I realized something was wrong, how do you shoot someone in a police station with dozens of policemen? So, I have always believed they were silencing Oswald and that others were involved. Still believe that. I have always remembered this man, but didn't know anything about him until this video. Thank you so much for your service Sir. My ex's father was at Hickam Field that day, but he died before I ever had a chance to meet him, loved to have asked him about his experience.
One question that all interviewers fail to ask is: If Oswald was arrested and questioned at police headquarters on suspicion of killing a police officer, why weren’t there any notes taken, as no transcripts were recorded of what was said in these initial interviews. If it would have gone to court, his lawyer would have got Oswald off because the officers did a woeful job in not recording or taking notes of these early interviews. I would have thought if they were questioning him for shooting a fellow officer they would have followed everything by the letter to make sure he couldn’t get off on any kind of technicality. Their handling of things at police headquarters was terribly flawed, and made them look like a bunch of amateurs. How many times were suspects questioned about a murder in Dallas and everything was followed correctly…having a stenographer present taking short-hand notes and being able to provide transcripts of those interrogations? I would say EVERY time…except only on this particular occasion. Why? Unfortunately the whole (real) story will never be known.
This was 1963. Investigations didn’t work like that, additionally - there were Dallas PD notes about the arrest and they have been released along with other JFK related files.
> *"why weren’t there any notes taken"* J.W. Fritz took notes during his investigation. Anyone who has done even the slightest bit of research would know that.
Bless your heart! Thank you so so much for your service to our country sir. Every single veteran should be protected now, just as they protected this country, and its disgraceful the way they actually are treated! God bless you and yours sir ✌❤😇
Well, it does sort of make sense. I mean, when you want to make sure the guy about to be shot is properly positioned to accept the lead. Can't have him ducking or diving.
If I remember correctly I believe someone in that garage crowd ask Oswald before he was shot, “Did you kill Kennedy?” Oswald replied, “I’m just a patsy.” What do all of you who read this think of Oswald’s reply? What I find unusual is that Oswald was escorted by law enforcement personnel in the presence of civilians while in transit to wherever Mr. Leavelle was escorting him.
@@rucianapollard7098 not at all. Through document dumps over 20 years ago. It proved Oswald was Intelligence. Start with the 1950s FBI document written by Hoover describing the LEE HARVEY OSWALD PROJECT. Most of you are too lazy to find this and believe the Mockingbird media and a shill cop. Why do you think Leavelle wore a white suit? The Ruby shooting was planned for this controlled environment.
@@shadowwolf9503 Saw Ruby shoot Oswald on live tv. Never saw any on-duty police official dressed remotely close to the way Leavell looked that day I suspect Leavell was the marker for Ruby, and his look of horror to be rehearsed. Too many things add up...too few do not.
Yeah, I mean say what you want about the guy. Oswald did everyone involved a real solid by leaving all that awesome evidence. Move along folks, nothing to see here.
> *Oswald left every bit of evidence that could convict him* Lol, what do you expect? Oswald to take his riffle with him after shooting JFK? That sure wouldn't look suspicious. Would you expect him to take those boxes with all his fingerprints on them with him (the shooter's nest)? Lol.
Exactly. The photo taken the split second before oswald was shot shows Ruby with his gun drawn in right hand and everyone, including leavelle seems to be oblivious. If leavelle saw ruby with his gun in his left hand you would think he wouldn't have taken his eyes off him or pulled oswald behind him then and gotten another officer involved to stop ruby. But that didn't happen.
This is a pretty good channel!... I love these stories!.... And this type of History, basically "Word of Mouth" History that is right from the source, from the people that were actually there.... Damn, you just can't beat it!.... The one thing that younger generations need to remember and have respect for currently is our Older People!.... I'm pushing 50 years old and when I refer to "old people", I'm talking about people in their late 70's on up.... THEY LITERALLY SAVED THE WORLD!..... My Grandpa told me once that "You have no clue how bad it was and how close we came to needing to learn and speak Japanese or German"...
A lot happened that After noon in Dallas Texas November 22. 1963. Man I can't believe it's been 60years I was in the First Grade I remember it like it was yesterday.
That was a great account, thanks, just from the nuances within reminded me of Texas in the 1960's. I have lived there many times and returned for a number of trips just before this last stunt and it is a whole different scene. There is an intersection next to a childhood area that was a single paved road and the other dirt, today it towers the area with something like eight overpasses high. I was in Dallas also and it was strange the amount of immigrants from the other side of the world, I ran into a guy in a huge store and he was laughing that he found me there, I felt the same surreal feeling, what was really wild was the diametric driving, people who drive reckless and the petrified. Reminded me of LA!
Why did they have a guard to the right, left, and behind but none in front of Oswald? Why did they come out before the car was in place? Why didn't the put him in the waiting car and rush him to the hospital after being shot? Why did they drag him back inside and perform medical treatment that was guaranteed to speed up his death?
I was 8 years old when I watched Oswald get shot by Ruby on live TV, the first thing I said to my parents who we’re also watching was “I guess they didn’t want Oswald talking to anyone” my parents were a bit stunned when I said that. As an 8 year old child I knew something was not right. Needless to say I still believe that to this day. Oswald got silenced and Ruby died a few years later, obviously we will never know who did what or who actually killed Kennedy.
Yep, first rule of assassination...kill the assassin (or patsy if you will). Dead men tell no tales. Editing my comment. IMO no way Oswald pulled it off, not without help anyways.
I find it odd also I dont believe Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK I believe it was our own government they had to shut down Oswald so the CIA used Jack Ruby to do their cover up. It's also odd Jack Ruby went insane then dies later it's all we'll never know the truth about what happened they would never let us know anything about a banana republic.
Yeah seriously. Trusting your gut and being on guard when things don't add up are good things. I used to be one of those "trust the official narrative" types. Without totally realizing it, I basically dismissed people who challenged the "the truth" as unpatriotic / kooks / assholes, etc. Finally figured out I was the asshole lol.
Where was this police officer when a man w a gun got into the police station near the man who was charged w shooting the president while he was being transferred. Also amazing.
He was inside the police station getting ready to bring Oswald out to be transferred to another location. The shooting of Oswald did not take place inside the police station but in the basement where he was going to be put in a car. There was a lot of reporters there and Ruby had mixed in with them. I dont know about all of that policeman story about how he knew what was about to happen, he seemed just as surprised as everyone else.
Now that he has passed I can say this… He told me he worked for the Secret Service in a job where he would fly around in planes full of money as a guard. This was after the assassination. I looked using Google and never found a reference to this job. Seemed strange. Mr. Leavelle is a very well documented person.
I think Jim was misremembering this incident when he claimed that he observed Jack Ruby holding a gun prior to the shooting. When you look at photographs or footage of Oswald’s murder, Jim is clearly surprised by Ruby’s actions. Plus, any self respecting police officer who recognised a threat like this would’ve surely reacted immediately to that threat. Jim didn’t. Also, why is there no mention that the four bullets recovered from officer Tippit, were of two different incompatible calibres?
@@Chugg.Norris At the risk of being labelled a conspiracy theorist, I’d say that that’s a distinct possibility. The day that JFK was murdered, is the day that the CIA Morelocks took control of the game and I don’t think America has ever gotten past that. Had JFK survived, the CIA knew that their days were numbered, so I believe they were complicit in the conspiracy to assassinate the President, most likely aided and abetted by the mob (Sam Giancana, John Roselli and James Files).
I would have too say this is an excellent video....I'm 77 year's old And seen this Dallas Detective for Fifty years and his expression on his Face always etched in my brain after Seeing his expression after Jack Ruby assassination....Never knew his Back ground or what ever happened too Him after all those year's...... This video was simply amazing and extremely Rivivting....I was 18 at the time an hopefully 🙏 I'll live long enough TO KNOW THE TRUTH On JOHN F KENNEDY Assassination"
This is an amazing incredible human being, most of us will never be remembered past our grandchildren if we’re lucky enough and this man will be remembered for as long as the earth spins just incredible
"innocent" ? He blew away two people. How does that equate to 'innocent'? If you mean to say that you believe that he didn't act alone in the commission of his crime(s) then that is an entirely different story. Even if some form of 'mind control' was in play vis-à-vis Oswald's behavior, it wouldn't absolve him entirely of guilt in the affair.
He did kill officer J.D. Tippit, but as far as him killing Kennedy, I highly doubt it and I highly doubt he acted alone. In the end, Johnson undoubtedly had his hand in Kennedy’s assassination.
What an interesting man and an interesting interview. I remember seeing him grimace when Oswald was shot.. on the film when I was just a kid.. My father actually showed me that stuff and I was like 6 years old and my father said you don't understand now, but this is going to be history someday! He was right!
I only have 2 questions #1 was how did any person get that close to a suspect in a presidential assassination #2 how was Oswald seen in the window of the SBD when numerous people said he was in the break room during the shooting of Kennedy ?? The police should have never disclosed when Oswald was being moved never !! This man is to be thanked for his service but his name will always be attached to the Kennedy Assassination and the murder of LHO !!!
What you need to realize is that Texas in 1963 was a much, much simpler time. It wouldn’t have entered their minds that anyone would even attempt an assassination of the president. So what may look like a setup was just law enforcement doing their jobs as they always did and they were caught off guard. With the assassination of JFK, MLK and RFK, and Vietnam, we lost our innocence as a nation. A lot of the nihilism, cynicism and conspiracy mindset we see today can be traced back to that loss of innocence.
@@Mc.Garnagle life is a lot more ordinary than you give credit for. John Lennon signed his killer’s autograph, went to the studio and when returning to the Dakota saw Chapman and remarked to Yoko that he was still standing there. His car was usually driven through a gate into a courtyard but that night he got out at the curb. Chapman pumped five bullets into him. One of the greatest singer songwriters of the century killed just for being him. No need for a whacked out conspiracy. Simply murdered because someone wanted him dead. Same with Kennedy.
@@DJ-bj8ku I totally get what you're saying and philosophically I mostly agree with you. Bad people do bad things everyday. The vast majority of crimes are not owed to any grand diabolical plan. Hardcore conspiracy nuts cannot come to grips with the fact that we live in an inherently chaotic world with sharp edges. Conspiracy theories can be easily used as a security blanket for those who MUST believe there is a higher reason or orderliness to the insanity out there. But in real life there are often no easy answers available. They are inexplicable and even if there is an explanation it usually offers us little consolation or catharsis. Even the people responsible are often unable to truly understand why they do the things they do. So believe me, I get it. I'm not delusional. But I also do not find it unreasonable to maintain a working bullshit detector. Nor should I be expected to ignore it when it starts going off. The citizen should be organically distrustful of their government. I'm not readily disposed to automatically take the word of an apparatus that lies to me compulsively. Something that regards my unalienable rights as an impediment to the feathering of their own nest. The whole JFK thing is simply too problematic for me to wholly accept. That is just where my own ability to reason has taken me. I don't demand your agreement or think less of you for your disagreement. I just think we should be able to talk about these things in the open without fear of being labeled or automatically judged as cognitively bankrupt.
@@Mc.Garnagle Thanks for your thoughtful and well-articulated comment. I agree that we should be skeptical of government, but it’s been 60 years and I think most people now are either too young or don’t remember how much simpler life was in those days. I’m not saying it was Mayberry, but concerns over assassination were remote. Kennedy rode in a convertible with the top down. To today’s conspiracy-addled mind, that would be a sign of a setup because what important government official does that today? Yet the decision to ride with the top down is easily explained. It was a beautiful day and Kennedy wanted to connect as closely as possible with people lining the route. As for Ruby’s access, you can chalk that up to the chaos of the moment and Dallas PD not being prepared for this catastrophe. Getting back to Lennon, he roamed freely throughout New York in the ‘70s even when Nixon was trying to get him deported. After he was murdered, it became standard for celebrities to have an entourage. Ruby was like a Kyle Rittenhouse. He heard of the assassination and took matters into his own hands. Today everything is evaluated through the prism of conspiracy, and I realize that many don’t believe the Warren Commission findings, but I think there’s something about us that needs to assign big motives to match the enormity of events when simpler explanations will do.
Wow! What a life he has lived. So many bad experiences but historically huge experiences. So happy he’s still healthy it seems at his age. Honestly I’ve been thinking A LOT about the day that’ll sadly come when all These guys are gone.
He would occasionally make appearances at the 6th Floor Museum, Tippet family members would be in the audience and heckle him when he stated he believed Oswald killed Officer Tippit and was the lone assassin.
@@FOTAP97 i attended an event at the 6th Floor Museum. The forum was actually held the floor above it where he was to make an appearance and i only went to get his autograph(for a price). When i heard the heckling(intermingled with four letter words)as he identified them as Tippits family members and that they always follow him where ever he makes appearances, Tippits wife was still alive at the time. Unfortunately no one was allowed to record the event.
@@jeffreylc the fullest answer probably comes from Joseph McBride’s carefully researched book Into the Nightmare: My Search for the Killers of President John F Kennedy and Officer JD Tippit. There are several interviews of him posted to UA-cam as well.
The same geniuses that insisted Kennedy would go slowly in Dealy Plaza, in a convertible. When years later, Richard Nixon spoke to Helms and declared he knew who had Kennedy killed, there was no response. They would have loved to do it again, but they settled for Watergate.
Wow. I've seen this gentleman in that photo many times, but this is the first time I've heard his account of when Oswald was shot. Very glad he lived to tell the story. What an interesting life.
I'M F... and F... TIRED of seeing Jim Leveale taking ALL the credit since 1963 because he was handcuffed to Oswald and all the interviews he gave. Detective L.C. Graves was ALSO there all the way grabbing Oswald's right arm. And it's detective L.C. Graves who wrestle to take the gun to Ruby's hand. All on tv and photos. Tired of Leveale and his brand new suit. We don't have interviews from L.C. Graves. He died in 1995 but he is as famous as Leveale... Maybe more because it's him who wrestle Ruby. Not the F... Leveale...
It was essential Oswald never got to trial if the assassination was to be wrapped up successfully. When they bought a rifle in his name, they did not even buy anything capable of that sort of rapid fire or accuracy--they went for cheapest available--an old Italian Carcano carbine. A worn out one at that, and they left it to be discovered in a place from which the angle of shot was extremely unlikely.
Aquila Clemons saw a short stocky male standing over tippets reloading. She was never interviewed but threatened two days later by a guy wearing a gun if she said anything
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Wearing your all white raincoat so you would stand out ( why would that be ) while everyone around you was in a dark suit and tie
Couldn't be a beacon saying don't shoot me could it .
I lived one house down from Jim and his lovely wife growing up. They treated me like I was their own child; shared so many meals with them in their home over the years. I had the privilege of hearing both of these stories in detail over the years, never grew tired of hearing them, he had an unbelievable memory. You were one of the great ones Jim, you will be missed my friend.
Sounds like He lived a productive life
His wife and His Family...
Do you know if he was part of the motorcade? Some officers were already at the Trade Mart.
@@janetphillips2875 no he wasn't part of the motorcade. But don't quote me on that.
Where was this?
RIP jim
Very coherent and an almost perfect memory with such detail for a man that is 95 years old. Thanks for your service, James. RIP.
yea, do you know what you call 'details" to events you were not at? (like the Tippet shooting) delusional or lies...lol
Rest in peace!
Tells me that he is lying. He was probably involved...
@@Yoseman1 sure he was lying probably repeating for years .He memorized his answers for the news or whom ever.
Agreed. Excellent video
I'm so thankful that channels like this exist. The stories of the earlier generations need to be told and shared while they're still fresh in history
My sentiments exactly
We’re thankful for viewers like you Gumper.
Well said
And while they're still with us.
Gumper I was watching TV with my mom when Oswald was shot! We had just lost jfk ! It was one of my most shocking memories!
This brings back memories for me. 92 years of age now, served in the Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers and Submarines.
Have a high regard for our American cousins.
Thank you for your service. From your picture I can't tell you're 92 you must take good care of yourself.
America is not your cousin because The real America is brown native american not white
Zip it Lemus! You’re being disrespectful
@issac - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
America is just a bunch of cowards now all the lovely blonde daughters are dating basketball players and rappers while the men work like slaves to pay taxes to a totally corrupt state.
Watched this man on live television, as Oswald was shot, moments forever to be etched in my memory, as a 17 year old high school student. Thank you for this remarkable interview.
What a hero the only thing I heard that I don't believe is that he saw the gun and Ruby before he shot if you watch the video he was looking to the right as Ruby approached on his left and 2 other officers grab Ruby before Jim reached for him. Still this man acted quickly and professionally he didn't even flinch with a gun being shot 1 ft from him incredible
@@benkrauz725
He saw it. Proof is this photo.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruby_shoots_Oswald.jpg#/media/File:Ruby_shoots_Oswald.jpg
I’m 17 right now it’s crazy to think about we grew up in completely different times But I love learning about history It teaches you life lessons thanks for sharing 🤝
I was twelve years old, watching this with my parents. The feeling I had is something I will never forget. It was something or someone else was involved in the killing of JFK. The man who killed JFK was just killed. I asked my parents what was happening. My mother said something is wrong.
Me too. Same age. Awesome to see a piece of history. All live.
As a route salesman for a Dallas/Ft. Worth vending company, I was filling the Coke machine in the Parkland Hospital cafeteria about a half hour before the motorcade rolled in. I was planning to stay and have lunch but the Friday special was liver and onions, and I NEVER order organ meat in a hospital cafeteria. If roast chicken had been the special, I would have been there when Kennedy arrived. By the way, I had filled the Coke machine in the lunchroom of the Texas School Book Depository that morning. That means that if the conspiracy theorists are correct and Lee Harvey Oswald was indeed in the cafeteria drinking a Coke moments after the assassination, it was placed in the machine by Yours Truly.
The company I worked for closed early that day in observance of the national tragedy, so over the weekend, I had to make up the stops I didn't get to - including the Dallas Police Headquarters, which wasn't accepting deliveries on Saturday, so I postponed that one until Sunday. I'd just pulled my truck into the parking garage on Sunday when I spotted one of my regular customers, Jack Ruby -owner of the Carousel Nightclub where we had a couple of machines. He waved to me as I drove past. He was on his way on foot to somewhere in the garage.
Sorry, but the assassination was on FRIDAY, not Thursday.
@@thehaughtcorner Oh that's right. It's been so long ago, I guess my memory is starting to fail me. Now that I remember it, liver and onions was indeed the Friday lunch special. Thinking back, if I remember correctly, the Thursday lunch special was usually a tuna melt.
Id like to buy the world a coke and keep it com pany 🎶
@@orchunter8388 😊
In North Texas, we used Coke as a generic term for any kind of carbonated drink. A Coke machine might have several different kinds of drinks. Flavors.
In all of the photos and video footage of Lee Harvey Oswald’s assasination, the Deputy Sheriff with him always stood out. It is absolutely amazing that he is still alive today, and that someone took the time and effort to interview him. Thanks for sharing this very special, historic interview here on UA-cam. :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
He passed away in 2019 at the age of 99. It's in the description under the title. I agree with you on someone taking the time to conduct an interview with him and sharing here on UA-cam.
Actually he was a Dallas Police homicide detective.
Easier to find in a crowd if you needed to @wyattsaunders7731
Thank you for interviewing Mr. Leavelle. Such a great witness to 2 of the biggest American events of the 20th century!
A national treasure. Any person involved in this much history and his country's service, should be recognized.
My father was a DPD officer when this occurred. Dad was working nights at that time and was awakened by my Mother who was an off duty nurse at Parkland. Dad got up and listened to T.V. news for a bit and told my Mother that he was going to go ahead and get ready because he knew they would ALL be called in to work. DPD did just that about 2 minutes later.. Dad knew Jim Leavelle very good and always spoke highly of him. I was 3 months old at that time!! Those were crazy times!
Did your dad know JD Tippit, Jack Ruby, or any of the other main characters?
Dr. Krinkleweldon, Yes sir, he knew all of those you mentioned.
@@davidhedrick7226 Did your father have an opinion about who killed JFK? Was it the lone assassin LHO or multiple shooters?
Thanks for conducting and posting this interview. It is so interesting to hear an eyewitness account of some of history’s most important moments. A big thank you to Mr. Leavelle for his service in WW2 and to the people of Dallas. RIP sir.
Wow, he was 95 at the time of this interview. He aged really well. I hope I’m that sharp if I make it to that age. Great interview.
I'M F... and F... TIRED of seeing Jim Leveale taking ALL the credit since 1963 because he was handcuffed to Oswald and all the interviews he gave. Detective L.C. Graves was ALSO there all the way grabbing Oswald's right arm. And it's detective L.C. Graves who wrestle to take the gun to Ruby's hand. All on tv and photos.
Tired of Leveale and his brand new suit. We don't have interviews from L.C. Graves. He died in 1995 but he is as famous as Leveale... Maybe more because it's him who wrestle Ruby. Not the F... Leveale...
@@easyabc1404 Maybe Graves is camera shy and is OK with Leveale doing the interviews.
@@easyabc1404
Mmm do I denote something like a small amount of Jealousy in your comment' or an Ax to grind ABC....
Such and usually and mysterious
Thought pattern in your comment???
Surely this Gentleman not in involved
In some of the corruption Dallas police officers were known for.....
Same
@@easyabc1404 L.C. Graves died in 1995. He wasn’t alive when Leavelle gave this interview. He did give one interview and it’s available on the Sixth Floor museum website.
I met him once. I was in prison in 86-88 I was 18and in the kick it program where I went all over tx to high schools talking to them about what prison life was for someone their age. And he senting a request to have me go to some schools around Beaumont Winnie and port Arthur.. was a really good guy. He told us the story about being handcuffed to oswal. Was a really good history lesson.
Greatest generation. Real men. RIP.
Real men indeed. I miss that generation of men.
@@denabergman6543 me too. My dad was a wwii vet, navy. Passed away last July, age 95.
Yes they were. But they also didn't fight against the enemy at home that has since taken over. JFK assassination, RFK and so many others were wiped out in a coup. RFK Jr tweeted this also December 17th 2022.
So ya'll can stay asleep. 🙏
Someone needs to explain to me WHY this was "the greatest generation?" Simply because mainly The Soviet Union beat Germany?!?
This guy is a known liar who let a suspect I. The greatest killing in history die not only on his watch but handcuffed to him. Yeah what a hero as your daddy Donald says I like heroes who didn’t let their prisoners die.
I can’t imagine being involved in not one but two of the most shocking events in American history. Thank you Jim, for your service. And may you rest in God’s peace.
He was at the bombing of tulsa?
@J J Globe to many but goverment and people who work for them are not for us they for the rich and powerfull
@J J Globe probably because they deserved it
@jjglobe4706how many black people have killed other black people? Lay out all the statistics, not just the ones that build your soapbox to squawk from
@jjglobe4706 ah yes, can you tell me the companies they worked for? Or were they just thugs acting tough til the law said “nope”. “He was an angel!!!!!!….. who also had a lengthy criminal history….but he was an angelllll!!!!!” 🙄
The Big Hat Guy! Thank you for this post. This is the best way to study history--hear it from who was there. RIP Mr. Leavelle.
… like all o’y’all, I’ve seen many interviews over the years with this man.. He’s always struck me as such a kind, mature, professional, and respectful Texas gentleman.. we’re fortunate to have his accounts as a witness to history.
This gentleman saw more in his lifetime than many people could experience in 10 lifetimes.
Not really but you can think that
I've watched the "perp walk" of Oswald so many times over the years. So many people allowed to be so close to the alleged assassin of the President. Also how slowly they were walking down the hallway, almost setting up and waiting for Ruby to do his thing. Very strange.
And they had Kennedy in a convertible, with no bullet proof helmet or nuthin! And rifles had recently been invented a few hundred years earlier! WHAT WERE THEY TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH #stupidconspiracies
I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation as to how Ruby got into that garage in the first place. This was a guy who was supposedly about to be charged with the assassination of a President. The guy who shot James Garfield had better police protection than Oswald.
It was all a false flag operation, orquestrated by the government, Just like the asasination of M.L.K. and Robert Kenedy.....neither Oswald, Sirhan or James Earl Ray, comitéd those murders.....
That was the way things were back then. Things have changed.
Sorry Faye, but the president just got shot, got your suspect, you gonna slow walk him through a crowd? Give me a break, don't care if you think timed were different back then. I'm 69, remember the day. And even thought, how strange.
My Dad and I were watching the event live. I just turned 11. My dad just passed at 91 and we discussed this event many times with astonishment. Simply incredible that Ruby could have had such easy access.
Fascinating interview , thank you for the UA-cam post .
Because he was given access!! Remember he kept saying he was a "Patsy" they had to keep him quiet!!
I too was 11 at the time but... my intuition told me something wasn't right!! Also, He's misinformed or downright lying because he was told to!! Many different witnesses testified that Oswald and Tibbet could not have been seen together because the Timeline doesn't line up!! See testimony about the station wagon with 4 men inside that Tibbit questioned!! Witnesses testified about an agitated Tibbit was seen pulling cars over!! Oswald was on foot??
Why they walked Oswald through a crowd, why a crowd was even allowed to be there, makes you wonder if some in the government were culpable in Oswald's murder.
Sure does makes you wonder?????
Nope, just unbelievably incompetent. Oswald would've been safer in the Mayberry jail.
Lol, you think? 😂
Well hard to shot him a armor truck,remember Dallas police at this time were corrupt plus had most of these cases overturned
Forgive me if I'm being wordy, but I'll always wonder how Jack Ruby got to Oswald at the "right" moment. He claimed he was across the street (at a Western Union office) to wire money to one of his strippers. This allegedly occured about a minute before Oswald was brought downstairs. I also read that the time stamp on the money order corroroborated Mr. Ruby's statement. It seems plausible that he was in the basement for several minutes before he whacked Oswald. Ruby had almost unfettered access to Dallas Police headquarters, so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch that someone let him in.
History must NEVER be forgotten...
True, but history didn’t happen the way this man said it did.
Isn’t forgotten history exactly why MAGA have made racism and nazism the new orange
These midwits don't understand history. Only their feelings projected onto everything.
That's America.
Rest in peace Officer Tippit, the tragedy of his death gets overshadowed by the JFK assassination but that doesn't mean it was any less of a tragedy.
JFK and Tippit where murdered that day!!! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE???
the killing of JFK was so significant, because he had become personified, the hopes and dreams of an entire species.
Tippit was a traitor involved in the coup, and he got what he deserved.
@@peter5.056 huh?
Officer Tippet was a tragedy but you can't compare it to JFK. The man prevented nuclear war, with his whole deep state pressuring him to go to war with USSR. Him and Khrushchev wanted peace and were discussing disarmament through back channels before they were both removed by their deep states.
Such an incredibly detailed memory, I can barely recall what I had for lunch.
What a life people like him don't exist anymore. What a legend. If only we had more like him now. Lots of love old fella. Xx
Thank you for your service! We appreciate what you’ve done for our Country, many times over.
I think I learned as much in this video as I did in all the documentaries that I've watched about it. Peace, Love!!
RIP, Jim.
My dad was Navy Reserve during WW2 active duty took him into the Gulf of Mexico on a "Six Bitter" (YP-14) patrol vessel which he trained on in New Orleans and then later to the Philippines ... He was a Chief Petty Officer. Love you Dad, RIP and I WILL see you on the other side.
I'M F... and F... TIRED of seeing Jim Leveale taking ALL the credit since 1963 because he was handcuffed to Oswald and all the interviews he gave. Detective L.C. Graves was ALSO there all the way grabbing Oswald's right arm. And it's detective L.C. Graves who wrestle to take the gun to Ruby's hand. All on tv and photos.
Tired of Leveale and his brand new suit. We don't have interviews from L.C. Graves. He died in 1995 but he is as famous as Leveale... Maybe more because it's him who wrestle Ruby. Not the F... Leveale...
My dad was USN captain of a supply vessel based in Honolulu 1943-45, he was 22 in '43.
@@easyabc1404 Let it go, dude.
@@easyabc1404 Well if he was still alive in the Internet era I suppose he would do this kind of stuff like this dude.
These are the stories that make history so fascinating. Thank you.
Please make more!!
Thank you for your Service to our Country, Mr. Leavelle...and especially your Autograph, 11/22/93. I was impressed you wore the same suit when Oswald was shot.
Amazing first hand witness. 20th century comes alive thanks to such testimonies! Greatest respect for Mr Leavelle.
This was a great interview. When a person been under live fire in wartime, particularly during the Pearl Harbor sneak attack, and involved in rescuing pilots who didn't make successful aircraft carrier landings because of snatch cable failures, etc., and is a person has had police training and made detective, and then spent years dealing with sketchy, homicidal people, you have a man who will react without hesitation under pressure and who isn't paralyzed with fear because he's in a spot where someone might shoot him in the next 2 or 3 seconds. Fear for his own safety was never a consideration in doing his duty.
Never trust a cop. Dallas cops were in on it. Read about Tippit.
Anonymous it wasn't a sneak attack! Shame on the us gov for saying so! The Japanese ambassador to wash dc tried to give his war declaration to some office in DC that was closing! Some say fdr knew and used the attack to move a reluctant public into the war! He probably did know!
Anonymous yes the soldiers and public w event forewarned about the attack but the gov knew!
Pearl Harbor was only a steak attack to us minions. The higher ups knew it was coming but allowed it to happen so the public would be manipulated in supporting for another war.
great comment
Amazing information from this man on an historic event in history thank you for capturing this!
I know that deputy lived a long life. He was shocked and totally caught off guard by that gunshot, his reaction forever captured on that photo. Lucky for him Ruby didn't shoot him too.
I have never heard this man's testimony. Excellent video!
Better than reading a book, hearing his eye witness story. THANK YOU.
I was honored to meet investigator Leavelle when I worked for the Dallas PD. Better people don't exist...
I remember that entire weekend so vividly. I was 16 at the time.
Friday afternoon the announcement came over the PA system that Kennedy was shot and we were all dismissed
I can't remember another time, other than 911 when EVERYONE was so united in shock and grief. I was watching the TV on Sunday with friends and family when suddenly.without warning Oswald was shot right there live on camera. The shock of that moment has remained with me my entire life.
Very detailed recollections.
Why did the DPD allow all the press and Ruby into the police basement?
Freedom of the Press. Ruby just slipped in with them. They do the same thing today with the "Perp Walk"
It’s not like the DPD during this time were extremely corrupt. Ruby was just another lone nut in Dallas in 1963. If you believe what your government tells you.
That is one smart man. Love hearing his stories. So unfortunate his generation is quickly going away.
When JFK was shot I was picking up medical records at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center prior to returning home to Dallas and listened to the live news of the shooting. The Navy booked me on a passenger train for the trip to Dallas. On Sunday afternoon as my train passed through east Dallas, we stopped on a railroad siding waiting for permission to continue on to the train station next to Dealy Plaza. We learned later the delay was the result of Oswald's shooting by Jack Ruby.
Saw him actually get shot live on tv as a 12 year old; will never forget that.
Holy cats. Leavelle was in the military when my dad joined the Navy in 1938-39. My dad was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked (but he obviously wasn't on the Arizona! He was on the USS Tangier, a seaplane tender, down in the engine room, where he was locked in, when they did that to keep a ship's engine room from being flooded if the ship got hit, but no one ever expected that in 1941. He thought the alerts and the explosions he heard were just one of those drills. They boogied it out of Pearl Harbor before the channel got blocked by the bigger ships although the Nevada beached herself so the other ships could get out... but my dad's ship got out before the Nevada was struggling to beach herself... trying to get out to sea, but my dad didn't have a clue what was going on...) My father was very amused that I was so impressed by him being at Pearl. I recall him laughing and exchanging glances with my older siblings (hippies, I was 6 at the time at Christmas when this daddy-daughter conversation took place. He was just like thinking it was no big deal. But he later joined the Pearl Harbor Survivor Club and went every year to Pearl Harbor reunions. I guess he felt maybe it was worth something after all if his littlest kid thought it was so awesome.)
The police were protecting Oswald by putting him out front. Great.
@Farmer John great.
Had anything like that ever happened before? Live and learn.
@@elahward01 you are ignorant. Farmers in Washington, Oregon, and California sound like him?
@@donyoung7874 Doesn't apply to everything
Sometimes common sense works better
@@donyoung7874 Uhh, yeah...three times to be exact. The guy who shot James Garfield had better police protection. He at least made it to trial.
Excellent!
I’m so glad this was recorded for posterity.
I have always wondered who “that guy” was
We need more investigators like him, logical & cool under pressure
I'M F... and F... TIRED of seeing Jim Leveale taking ALL the credit since 1963 because he was handcuffed to Oswald and all the interviews he gave. Detective L.C. Graves was ALSO there all the way grabbing Oswald's right arm. And it's detective L.C. Graves who wrestle to take the gun to Ruby's hand. All on tv and photos.
Tired of Leveale and his brand new suit. We don't have interviews from L.C. Graves. He died in 1995 but he is as famous as Leveale... Maybe more because it's him who wrestle Ruby. Not the F... Leveale...
you know he couldn't keep the prime suspect in the Killing of a president alive for even 48 hours Right?
I was 9 when JFK was assassinated, and missed Oswald getting shot by seconds. I had just walked into a friend's house and walked in front of their TV the moment the shooting happened. My friend and his mom were watching the proceeding and yelled for me to get out of the way, I was blocking their view. I turned to see all the police officers wrestling Ruby to the floor. Even as a boy I realized something was wrong, how do you shoot someone in a police station with dozens of policemen? So, I have always believed they were silencing Oswald and that others were involved. Still believe that.
I have always remembered this man, but didn't know anything about him until this video. Thank you so much for your service Sir. My ex's father was at Hickam Field that day, but he died before I ever had a chance to meet him, loved to have asked him about his experience.
One question that all interviewers fail to ask is: If Oswald was arrested and questioned at police headquarters on suspicion of killing a police officer, why weren’t there any notes taken, as no transcripts were recorded of what was said in these initial interviews. If it would have gone to court, his lawyer would have got Oswald off because the officers did a woeful job in not recording or taking notes of these early interviews. I would have thought if they were questioning him for shooting a fellow officer they would have followed everything by the letter to make sure he couldn’t get off on any kind of technicality. Their handling of things at police headquarters was terribly flawed, and made them look like a bunch of amateurs. How many times were suspects questioned about a murder in Dallas and everything was followed correctly…having a stenographer present taking short-hand notes and being able to provide transcripts of those interrogations? I would say EVERY time…except only on this particular occasion. Why? Unfortunately the whole (real) story will never be known.
This was 1963. Investigations didn’t work like that, additionally - there were Dallas PD notes about the arrest and they have been released along with other JFK related files.
> *"why weren’t there any notes taken"*
J.W. Fritz took notes during his investigation. Anyone who has done even the slightest bit of research would know that.
Bless your heart! Thank you so so much for your service to our country sir. Every single veteran should be protected now, just as they protected this country, and its disgraceful the way they actually are treated! God bless you and yours sir
✌❤😇
When have you ever seen law enforcement handcuff themselves to a criminal? This made Oswald an easy target with no chance to escape
Oswald was killed without given a trial. What were they all trying to hide?
@@newlycreated1864 the fact he was not the only one or mabey he never did it at all
Well, it does sort of make sense. I mean, when you want to make sure the guy about to be shot is properly positioned to accept the lead. Can't have him ducking or diving.
@@newlycreated1864that he was set up.
If I remember correctly I believe someone in that garage crowd ask Oswald before he was shot, “Did you kill Kennedy?” Oswald replied, “I’m just a patsy.” What do all of you who read this think of Oswald’s reply? What I find unusual is that Oswald was escorted by law enforcement personnel in the presence of civilians while in transit to wherever Mr. Leavelle was escorting him.
I believe Oswald.
It's interesting that the one word that Oswald used, "patsy," launched a thousand conspiracy theories!!
@@rucianapollard7098 not at all. Through document dumps over 20 years ago. It proved Oswald was Intelligence. Start with the 1950s FBI document written by Hoover describing the LEE HARVEY OSWALD PROJECT. Most of you are too lazy to find this and believe the Mockingbird media and a shill cop. Why do you think Leavelle wore a white suit? The Ruby shooting was planned for this controlled environment.
If Oswald did it, why has the government not released all of the evidence about the case, instead of hiding it for the last 60 years?
@@shadowwolf9503 Saw Ruby shoot Oswald on live tv. Never saw any on-duty police official dressed remotely close to the way Leavell looked that day I suspect Leavell was the marker for Ruby, and his look of horror to be rehearsed. Too many things add up...too few do not.
Got to love how Oswald left every bit of evidence that could convict him.
Yeah, I mean say what you want about the guy. Oswald did everyone involved a real solid by leaving all that awesome evidence. Move along folks, nothing to see here.
No mention of other eyewitness accounts?
> *Oswald left every bit of evidence that could convict him*
Lol, what do you expect? Oswald to take his riffle with him after shooting JFK? That sure wouldn't look suspicious. Would you expect him to take those boxes with all his fingerprints on them with him (the shooter's nest)? Lol.
He didn't react until the shot rang out , infact he was looking the other way like all the other law enforcement were.
Exactly. The photo taken the split second before oswald was shot shows Ruby with his gun drawn in right hand and everyone, including leavelle seems to be oblivious. If leavelle saw ruby with his gun in his left hand you would think he wouldn't have taken his eyes off him or pulled oswald behind him then and gotten another officer involved to stop ruby. But that didn't happen.
Its all freemason oath stories.
People often recall things differently than they occurred. It doesn't mean they're evil, it's just how the human mind works.
@@porkyfedwell hmm.. I'm sure he's seen the video too ? It's akin to Dan Rather saying the opposite of to the left and back
That's because they knew exactly what was going to happen it was a setup
so, why wasn't such an important place (especially inside a police station) Not Secured ?
Inside job probably. Their really good @ it haven't you noticed. Despicable lying bastards!!
His killing was well planned. The video shows the officers all expected that
It was a different time back then. Things are done the way they are today because of the mistakes made through history.
This is a pretty good channel!... I love these stories!.... And this type of History, basically "Word of Mouth" History that is right from the source, from the people that were actually there.... Damn, you just can't beat it!....
The one thing that younger generations need to remember and have respect for currently is our Older People!.... I'm pushing 50 years old and when I refer to "old people", I'm talking about people in their late 70's on up.... THEY LITERALLY SAVED THE WORLD!..... My Grandpa told me once that "You have no clue how bad it was and how close we came to needing to learn and speak Japanese or German"...
A lot happened that After noon in Dallas Texas November 22. 1963. Man I can't believe it's been 60years I was in the First Grade I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was in 4th grade. I remember it all so clearly.
This channel is a look into the cracks of history books, humanizing so many stories
This elderly gentleman sure had all his stories well rehearsed and memorized.
Yes...But I'm not sure he spotted the gun Ruby was holding on the side of his leg with everything going on.
So he was lying?
thanks for your lifelong contributions to your country
@Sanctified and Saved Hello, how are you doing?
I am honored to watch this video!!!!!!
Fascinating to hear a first hand account of history! Thank you for sharing your story!
That was a great account, thanks, just from the nuances within reminded me of Texas in the 1960's. I have lived there many times and returned for a number of trips just before this last stunt and it is a whole different scene. There is an intersection next to a childhood area that was a single paved road and the other dirt, today it towers the area with something like eight overpasses high. I was in Dallas also and it was strange the amount of immigrants from the other side of the world, I ran into a guy in a huge store and he was laughing that he found me there, I felt the same surreal feeling, what was really wild was the diametric driving, people who drive reckless and the petrified. Reminded me of LA!
A great man. Rest in peace, Sir.
Why did they have a guard to the right, left, and behind but none in front of Oswald? Why did they come out before the car was in place? Why didn't the put him in the waiting car and rush him to the hospital after being shot? Why did they drag him back inside and perform medical treatment that was guaranteed to speed up his death?
Because hindsight is 20/20
@TheRealMachoSavage they were not supposed to bring him out until the car was in place.
I was 8 years old when I watched Oswald get shot by Ruby on live TV, the first thing I said to my parents who we’re also watching was “I guess they didn’t want Oswald talking to anyone” my parents were a bit stunned when I said that.
As an 8 year old child I knew something was not right.
Needless to say I still believe that to this day.
Oswald got silenced and Ruby died a few years later, obviously we will never know who did what or who actually killed Kennedy.
Well said
Yep, first rule of assassination...kill the assassin (or patsy if you will). Dead men tell no tales.
Editing my comment. IMO no way Oswald pulled it off, not without help anyways.
I find it odd also I dont believe Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK I believe it was our own government they had to shut down Oswald so the CIA used Jack Ruby to do their cover up. It's also odd Jack Ruby went insane then dies later it's all we'll never know the truth about what happened they would never let us know anything about a banana republic.
@@tkfarms4337 Ruby died from cancer from lung cancer in '67 aged 55. He wanted to talk. The powers to be wouldn't allow it. Aka Warren commission .
Yeah seriously. Trusting your gut and being on guard when things don't add up are good things. I used to be one of those "trust the official narrative" types. Without totally realizing it, I basically dismissed people who challenged the "the truth" as unpatriotic / kooks / assholes, etc. Finally figured out I was the asshole lol.
Classic Texas accent. I’ve lived in north and central Texas for 50 years and this accent is slowly dying it seems. Fascinating interview.
Where was this police officer when a man w a gun got into the police station near the man who was charged w shooting the president while he was being transferred. Also amazing.
He was inside the police station getting ready to bring Oswald out to be transferred to another location. The shooting of Oswald did not take place inside the police station but in the basement where he was going to be put in a car. There was a lot of reporters there and Ruby had mixed in with them. I dont know about all of that policeman story about how he knew what was about to happen, he seemed just as surprised as everyone else.
Just another reminder that Oswald never went to trial.
Hoover hated the Kennedys and he had the resources to pull this off, more so than the CIA or Mafia and Russia
Wow what a story from his perspective, good stuff and thanks for sharing.
We had the pleasure of Jim and his wife Tim for Thanksgiving. He was a friend of my father in laws.
Now that he has passed I can say this… He told me he worked for the Secret Service in a job where he would fly around in planes full of money as a guard. This was after the assassination. I looked using Google and never found a reference to this job. Seemed strange. Mr. Leavelle is a very well documented person.
He told me personally he thinks Oswald did it. I have doubts.
Thank you for sharing this.
I think Jim was misremembering this incident when he claimed that he observed Jack Ruby holding a gun prior to the shooting.
When you look at photographs or footage of Oswald’s murder, Jim is clearly surprised by Ruby’s actions. Plus, any self respecting police officer who recognised a threat like this would’ve surely reacted immediately to that threat.
Jim didn’t.
Also, why is there no mention that the four bullets recovered from officer Tippit, were of two different incompatible calibres?
And why was there no blood?
@@kensims4086 I’m guessing that’s because it was a real incident and not a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster.
CIA doing CIA things 🎉🎉
@@Chugg.Norris At the risk of being labelled a conspiracy theorist, I’d say that that’s a distinct possibility. The day that JFK was murdered, is the day that the CIA Morelocks took control of the game and I don’t think America has ever gotten past that. Had JFK survived, the CIA knew that their days were numbered, so I believe they were complicit in the conspiracy to assassinate the President, most likely aided and abetted by the mob (Sam Giancana, John Roselli and James Files).
I would have too say this is an excellent video....I'm 77 year's old
And seen this Dallas Detective for
Fifty years and his expression on his
Face always etched in my brain after
Seeing his expression after Jack Ruby assassination....Never knew his
Back ground or what ever happened too Him after all those year's......
This video was simply amazing and extremely Rivivting....I was 18 at the time an hopefully 🙏 I'll live long enough TO KNOW THE TRUTH On
JOHN F KENNEDY Assassination"
R.I.P. Mr. Leavelle. You were a true American hero. Godspeed.
Fartspeed
This is an amazing incredible human being, most of us will never be remembered past our grandchildren if we’re lucky enough and this man will be remembered for as long as the earth spins just incredible
As soon as I saw the Sheriff walk out with Oswald, I said to my wife, “They are going to kill him.” Then Boom, it was over! Lee IS innocent!
"innocent" ? He blew away two people. How does that equate to 'innocent'?
If you mean to say that you believe that he didn't act alone in the commission of his crime(s) then that is an entirely different story. Even if some form of 'mind control' was in play vis-à-vis Oswald's behavior, it wouldn't absolve him entirely of guilt in the affair.
I agree
He did kill officer J.D. Tippit, but as far as him killing Kennedy, I highly doubt it and I highly doubt he acted alone. In the end, Johnson undoubtedly had his hand in Kennedy’s assassination.
What an interesting man and an interesting interview. I remember seeing him grimace when Oswald was shot.. on the film when I was just a kid.. My father actually showed me that stuff and I was like 6 years old and my father said you don't understand now, but this is going to be history someday! He was right!
I was just a kid when we watched Jack Ruby step up and shoot Oswald in real time.
Young as I was i knew this was some kind of set up.
Same as me. Just a very little boy. My earliest memory of something live on t.v.
Amazing story’s Thanks for all your service!
Did you know that the late singer Meatloaf was a witness to events that occurred 11/22/1963? There's a great video of him discussing his involvement.
The real killers had to silence him..
I only have 2 questions #1 was how did any person get that close to a suspect in a presidential assassination #2 how was Oswald seen in the window of the SBD when numerous people said he was in the break room during the shooting of Kennedy ?? The police should have never disclosed when Oswald was being moved never !! This man is to be thanked for his service but his name will always be attached to the Kennedy Assassination and the murder of LHO !!!
What you need to realize is that Texas in 1963 was a much, much simpler time. It wouldn’t have entered their minds that anyone would even attempt an assassination of the president. So what may look like a setup was just law enforcement doing their jobs as they always did and they were caught off guard. With the assassination of JFK, MLK and RFK, and Vietnam, we lost our innocence as a nation. A lot of the nihilism, cynicism and conspiracy mindset we see today can be traced back to that loss of innocence.
The only thing Dallas PD forgot to do was ring a dinner bell. Oswald was being led into a shooting gallery.
@@Mc.Garnagle life is a lot more ordinary than you give credit for. John Lennon signed his killer’s autograph, went to the studio and when returning to the Dakota saw Chapman and remarked to Yoko that he was still standing there. His car was usually driven through a gate into a courtyard but that night he got out at the curb. Chapman pumped five bullets into him. One of the greatest singer songwriters of the century killed just for being him. No need for a whacked out conspiracy. Simply murdered because someone wanted him dead. Same with Kennedy.
@@DJ-bj8ku I totally get what you're saying and philosophically I mostly agree with you. Bad people do bad things everyday. The vast majority of crimes are not owed to any grand diabolical plan. Hardcore conspiracy nuts cannot come to grips with the fact that we live in an inherently chaotic world with sharp edges. Conspiracy theories can be easily used as a security blanket for those who MUST believe there is a higher reason or orderliness to the insanity out there. But in real life there are often no easy answers available. They are inexplicable and even if there is an explanation it usually offers us little consolation or catharsis. Even the people responsible are often unable to truly understand why they do the things they do. So believe me, I get it. I'm not delusional. But I also do not find it unreasonable to maintain a working bullshit detector. Nor should I be expected to ignore it when it starts going off. The citizen should be organically distrustful of their government. I'm not readily disposed to automatically take the word of an apparatus that lies to me compulsively. Something that regards my unalienable rights as an impediment to the feathering of their own nest. The whole JFK thing is simply too problematic for me to wholly accept. That is just where my own ability to reason has taken me. I don't demand your agreement or think less of you for your disagreement. I just think we should be able to talk about these things in the open without fear of being labeled or automatically judged as cognitively bankrupt.
@@Mc.Garnagle Thanks for your thoughtful and well-articulated comment. I agree that we should be skeptical of government, but it’s been 60 years and I think most people now are either too young or don’t remember how much simpler life was in those days. I’m not saying it was Mayberry, but concerns over assassination were remote. Kennedy rode in a convertible with the top down. To today’s conspiracy-addled mind, that would be a sign of a setup because what important government official does that today? Yet the decision to ride with the top down is easily explained. It was a beautiful day and Kennedy wanted to connect as closely as possible with people lining the route. As for Ruby’s access, you can chalk that up to the chaos of the moment and Dallas PD not being prepared for this catastrophe. Getting back to Lennon, he roamed freely throughout New York in the ‘70s even when Nixon was trying to get him deported. After he was murdered, it became standard for celebrities to have an entourage. Ruby was like a Kyle Rittenhouse. He heard of the assassination and took matters into his own hands. Today everything is evaluated through the prism of conspiracy, and I realize that many don’t believe the Warren Commission findings, but I think there’s something about us that needs to assign big motives to match the enormity of events when simpler explanations will do.
Wow! What a life he has lived. So many bad experiences but historically huge experiences. So happy he’s still healthy it seems at his age. Honestly I’ve been thinking A LOT about the day that’ll sadly come when all
These guys are gone.
Damnit. Just realized he has passed on. Rip. Thank you for capturing this interview
@Brad Brubaker Hello, how are you doing?
He would occasionally make appearances at the 6th Floor Museum, Tippet family members would be in the audience and heckle him when he stated he believed Oswald killed Officer Tippit and was the lone assassin.
Yeah, although he’s an interesting man he seems a little too soaked in The Lie.
But what would you expect from a true DPD insider?
@@FOTAP97 i attended an event at the 6th Floor Museum. The forum was actually held the floor above it where he was to make an appearance and i only went to get his autograph(for a price). When i heard the heckling(intermingled with four letter words)as he identified them as Tippits family members and that they always follow him where ever he makes appearances, Tippits wife was still alive at the time. Unfortunately no one was allowed to record the event.
So who do the conspiracy theorists claim killed Tippits if not Oswald??? Why heckle Leavelle?
@@jeffreylc the fullest answer probably comes from Joseph McBride’s carefully researched book Into the Nightmare: My Search for the Killers of President John F Kennedy and Officer JD Tippit. There are several interviews of him posted to UA-cam as well.
The family dont believe Oswald did it then? I dont either, but I never knew they didnt.
I'm from England but love this gentlemans accent..
Who's the genius that decided that it was a good idea to walk the most hated man on earth out through a public crowd?
Law enforcement are more careful today.
The same geniuses that insisted Kennedy would go slowly in Dealy Plaza, in a convertible. When years later, Richard Nixon spoke to Helms and declared he knew who had Kennedy killed, there was no response. They would have loved to do it again, but they settled for Watergate.
Wow. I've seen this gentleman in that photo many times, but this is the first time I've heard his account of when Oswald was shot. Very glad he lived to tell the story. What an interesting life.
I always remember him with his eyes wide open when he spots Ruby. The photo says it all
I'M F... and F... TIRED of seeing Jim Leveale taking ALL the credit since 1963 because he was handcuffed to Oswald and all the interviews he gave. Detective L.C. Graves was ALSO there all the way grabbing Oswald's right arm. And it's detective L.C. Graves who wrestle to take the gun to Ruby's hand. All on tv and photos.
Tired of Leveale and his brand new suit. We don't have interviews from L.C. Graves. He died in 1995 but he is as famous as Leveale... Maybe more because it's him who wrestle Ruby. Not the F... Leveale...
@@easyabc1404 we heard you the first time
@@giraffesareselfish9563 Yeah but MANY are deaf...
@@easyabc1404 we heard you the first time
Jim Leavelle was a down to earth and very nice person. Got to meet him at my dad's funeral.
The man next to LHO, the only man with a light colored suit. The easier for JR to spot in a crowded area with bad lighting.
Thank you for your Bravery and Service and Dios los bendiga Sir. 💖🙏😚
It was essential Oswald never got to trial if the assassination was to be wrapped up successfully. When they bought a rifle in his name, they did not even buy anything capable of that sort of rapid fire or accuracy--they went for cheapest available--an old Italian Carcano carbine. A worn out one at that, and they left it to be discovered in a place from which the angle of shot was extremely unlikely.
Plus the Magic Bullet would have never been able to travel that far from that kind of rifle.
This dude saw so much in his life. Imagine talking to someone today and they tell you what they were doing in the 1930s
Part of the unfortunate chain of events . Oswald will be proven innocent in the future and he I think he knows that
Being born in July of 96, I can't tell you how fascinating this is to me.
Cool Joey, what other personal information would you like to submit on UA-cam? Social Security Number maybe?
Why trust Jim Leavell?
Absolutely facinating account from someone who was closely involved with the case...
Aquila Clemons saw a short stocky male standing over tippets reloading. She was never interviewed but threatened two days later by a guy wearing a gun if she said anything
OF COURSE HE KNEW! HE was IN on it!! 😎
There's no honor in serving the devil but there is great honor in serving the Lord
Hail Satan. He is fun