Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Captain Fritz’s Public Assertions of Oswald’s Guilt

Captain Will Fritz gave fewer media interviews than Chief Curry, but still answered reporter questions and shared opinions on the investigation. On Saturday, he told reporters he was convinced beyond doubt that Lee Harvey Oswald had killed the President, and discussed limited evidence including the murder rifle, though his overall media contributions were far smaller than Curry’s.

Other Dallas Police Personnel Media Interviews

Dozens of other Dallas Police Department personnel, including high-ranking officials, detectives, and patrolmen who worked on specific parts of the case (such as Oswald’s arrest at the Texas Theatre and evidence searches at the Texas School Book Depository) freely gave interviews to news crews, with almost no one declining to speak or be televised. District Attorney Henry Wade observed that reporters “interviewed anybody” on the police force, following staff everywhere they went.

District Attorney Wade’s Press Statements and Errors

District Attorney Wade made numerous public statements and television appearances in the days after the assassination. At one point he stated he would not reveal case evidence to avoid prejudicing jury selection, but on other occasions shared inaccurate, inadmissible, and unsubstantiated details: he repeated the false claim that the murder rifle was a Mauser, said Oswald’s wife had told police a rifle was missing from the family’s garage the morning of the assassination, claimed Oswald had prepared for the assassination months in advance and practiced marksmanship with the rifle, and after Oswald was shooting held a lengthy formal press conference where he repeated multiple errors, including the false claim that a map in Oswald’s room was marked with the presidential motorcade route, and incorrectly stated that Oswald’s name had been broadcast to police in descriptions before his arrest.