On the evening of November 23, 1963, a day after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, an unusual event took place in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of killing Kennedy, attempted to make a phone call from his jail cell. The person he tried to reach? A mysterious figure named John Hurt in Raleigh, North Carolina. This seemingly small detail has puzzled researchers and conspiracy theorists for decades. Let’s dive into this intriguing story and try to unravel the enigma surrounding John Hurt and Oswald’s attempted call.
The Raleigh Call: What We Know
The Phone Slip
The story of the “Raleigh Call” centers around a phone slip discovered by researchers. This slip, filled out by a switchboard operator at the Dallas Police Department, contained some crucial information:
- It was a collect call (the only type Oswald could make as a prisoner)
- The call was from Lee Harvey Oswald
- The person being called was John Hurt in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Two phone numbers were listed on the slip
This phone slip became a key piece of evidence, raising questions about Oswald’s connections and possible involvement with intelligence agencies.
The Switchboard Operators’ Account
Two switchboard operators, Mrs. Swinney and Mrs. Treon, were on duty that night. They had been told earlier that Oswald would want to make a call, and that two men would come to monitor it. When the call came through, both operators plugged in their headsets simultaneously.
Mrs. Treon, who answered the call, later provided a detailed account of what happened. Her testimony is considered highly credible, as investigators found no reason for her to invent such a precise story.
The Call That Never Happened
Interestingly, the call to John Hurt never actually went through. It was stopped before completion, leaving us to wonder why Oswald wanted to reach out to this man and why the call was prevented.
Who Was John Hurt?
The identity of John Hurt has been a subject of much investigation and speculation. Here’s what we know:
John D. Hurt: The Former Counterintelligence Agent
The most intriguing John Hurt uncovered by investigators was John David Hurt. Here are some key facts about him:
- He was a former special agent for the United States Army Counterintelligence Division
- He served in both Germany and Japan during World War II
- After the war, he was offered a commission to continue in counterintelligence but declined
- By the 1950s, his health had severely deteriorated, affecting his ability to work
The Other John Hurt
Interestingly, there was another John Hurt listed in the Raleigh phone directory at the time – John W. Hurd, a 24-year-old auto mechanic. However, given the counterintelligence background of John D. Hurt, most researchers focus on him as the likely intended recipient of Oswald’s call.
The Intelligence Connection
The fact that Oswald attempted to call a former counterintelligence agent raised many eyebrows. It seemed to support claims made by Senator Richard Schweiker, who stated that Oswald had “the fingerprints of intelligence all over him.”
The Cutout Theory
Victor Marchetti, a former CIA analyst, provided an interesting theory about the Raleigh Call. He suggested it was an example of standard “spycraft”:
- An intelligence agency running an agent (possibly Oswald) would give him a name and number to call if in trouble.
- This person (potentially John Hurt) would act as a “cutout” – someone who could relay messages without directly connecting the agent to his handlers.
- This setup protects the agency if the agent is caught.
Marchetti’s theory raises an important question: Was Oswald really working for American intelligence, or was someone trying to make him think he was?
The Aftermath of the Call Attempt
A Dead Man Walking?
Some researchers believe that Oswald’s attempt to call Hurt sealed his fate. By trying to reach out to a potential intelligence contact, he may have exposed connections that certain parties wanted to keep hidden.
The Official Investigation
The House Select Committee on Assassinations, which reinvestigated Kennedy’s death in the late 1970s, looked into the Raleigh Call. They described John David Hurt’s counterintelligence background as a “provocative fact.” However, their investigation didn’t lead to any definitive conclusions about the call’s significance.
Theories and Speculations
The Setup Theory
One theory suggests that Hurt wasn’t actually Oswald’s contact, but rather someone chosen to play the role of a cutout. The idea is that Oswald was given Hurt’s name and told to memorize it, not knowing there were two John Hurts in Raleigh. This could explain why two numbers were on the phone slip.
The Warning Letter
Some Dallas police officers claimed that a week or two before the assassination, they received a warning letter about a potential attempt on Kennedy’s life. Interestingly, it was allegedly signed by “Alex J. Hidell,” a known alias of Oswald. However, this letter mysteriously disappeared after the FBI searched the police headquarters following the assassination.
The Theater Incident
Another intriguing detail involves Oswald’s arrest at a movie theater. Witnesses placed him in the theater at a time that conflicts with the official timeline of events following Kennedy’s assassination. Some speculate that Oswald was trying to make contact with an intelligence handler at the theater.
The Lingering Questions
As we look back on the Raleigh Call and its connection to John Hurt, we’re left with more questions than answers:
- Why did Oswald try to call a former counterintelligence agent?
- Who stopped the call from going through, and why?
- Was Oswald genuinely involved with intelligence agencies, or was he being manipulated?
- How does the Raleigh Call fit into the larger picture of the Kennedy assassination?
A Piece of the Puzzle
The story of John Hurt and the Raleigh Call is just one small piece of the complex puzzle surrounding the Kennedy assassination. While it doesn’t prove or disprove any specific theory about who killed Kennedy, it does add another layer of intrigue to an already mysterious event.
As researcher Grover Proctor noted, “The more we look into what Schweiker told us back in the 70s about Oswald’s fingerprints of intelligence, the closer we’ll get to finding out what actually happened on that day.”
The Raleigh Call remains a tantalizing clue, reminding us that even decades later, there are still secrets to uncover about one of the most shocking events in American history. It challenges us to keep questioning, keep investigating, and never assume we know the full story.
