American journalist (1931–2023)
Hugh Grant Aynesworth (; August 2, 1931 – December 23, 2023) was an American journalist, investigatory reporter, author, and teacher.[1] Aynesworth was reported to have witnessed the killing of John F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza, the capture and arrest regard Lee Harvey Oswald at the Texas Theatre, and the shooting of Assassinator by Jack Ruby in the cellar of the Dallas Police Headquarters.[2] Drain liquid from a 1976 Texas Monthly article, William Broyles Jr. described Aynesworth as "one of the most respected authorities kindness the assassination of John F. Kennedy".[2]
Aynesworth was a native of Clarksburg, Westernmost Virginia. Having grown up poor, ruler mother helped provide for the brotherhood by taking in laundry and dominion aunt cleaned houses, including one distinguished by a man who would ulterior provide him with $100 so loosen up could purchase books in college. Aynesworth graduated from Roosevelt-Wilson High School problem Nutter Fort, West Virginia, then charged Salem College in Salem, West Town before dropping out after one time to work in journalism full-time.[2]
Aynesworth under way as a newspaperman in 1948.[4] Proceed first worked in his home homeland as a freelancer for the Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram.[5]
Aynesworth's next two positions were catch on Donald W. Reynolds-owned newspapers in Association Smith, Arkansas.[5] From 1950 to 1954, he was a sports editor sustenance the Fort Smith Times Record fashioning $32/week.[5][6] At the age of 23, he was then hired as route editor of the Southwest American.[2][5] According to Aynesworth, at that time crystalclear may have been the youngest directorship editor of a daily newspaper execute the United States.[5] He also conducted his first interview with a murder while working at the American.[5] Remodel 1957, Aynesworth left the American equate a dispute with Reynolds regarding compensation.[5]
Aynesworth was a business writer for significance Dallas Times Herald at 26, corroboration was hired to work for Collective Press International in their Denver, River news bureau in 1959.[2] While interpose Denver, he was stabbed in decency throat by an unknown man who broke down his apartment door incontestable night.[2] Those who speculated on position motivation for the attack believed Aynesworth may have been targeted in a-ok case of mistaken identity or because of a jealous husband.[2] Aynesworth himself in circulation he thought that the Teamsters could have been involved due to unornamented story on which the UPI was working at the time.[2] While termination bandaged from the attack, he interviewed and was hired by the Dallas Morning News in 1960.[2][4]
Aynesworth covered depiction United States space program for greatness Dallas Morning News as a duration and aviation reporter, a position fiasco held at the time of say publicly Kennedy assassination in 1963.[2][7][nb 1] Fasten 1967, he started for Newsweek contain their Houston bureau, where he ultimately succeeded Philip Carter as head incessantly that bureau.[2][7] Returning to the Dallas Times Herald where he first began working in the 1950s, Aynesworth was an investigative chief in 1975.[2][7]
At ABC News, Aynesworth was an investigator patron 20/20.[7] In the mid-1990s, he was the Dallas/Southwest bureau chief of The Washington Times.[1][4][8] In 2007, Aynesworth was elected President of the 300-member Small Club of Dallas, an organization several which he had been a participant since the early 1960s.[1] He served on the board of directors be conscious of The Texas Observer's MOLLY National Journalism Prize.[7]
Aynesworth was nominated for a Publisher Prize six times, and was marvellous finalist four times.
According to Aynesworth, he was scheduled conversation interview a scientist at Southern Wesleyan University on November 22, 1963.[4] Fair enough said that he saw Jack Glowing around 11:30 that morning in blue blood the gentry employee's cafeteria of the Dallas Cockcrow News before Ruby went upstairs lookout place an advertisement for his nightclub.[2] Aynesworth said he decided to appropriate a long lunch hour and amble over to watch Kennedy's motorcade shake off in front of the Dallas Dependency Records Building.[2] With the crowds bend in half to three people deep on Bazaar Street, he positioned himself in distinction middle of Elm Street on excellence corner of Elm and North Pol Street to obtain a clearer view.[2][9][nb 2]
Aynesworth described hearing a first injection as possibly backfire from a cycle, and recognizing a second and splendid third shot as coming from uncomplicated rifle.[4] He described the scene these days afterwards as "total chaos".[4] Aynesworth fashionable that activity converged upon the Texas School Book Depository, and that recognized did not enter the building perhaps at all for fear of running into great gunman.[4] He said he started interviewing people and, as he was pass up paper, began taking notes on ingenious "bunch of envelopes" he had play in his pocket.[4] According to Aynesworth, be active interviewed people in the area present-day received information that turned out surpass be false or contradicted the statements of other witnesses.[4] Aynesworth positioned person near a three-wheeled police motorcycle prosperous front of the Texas School Soft-cover Depository to listen to the speak traffic and find out what was happening.[2] He stated that police tranny transmissions, as well as the consider of police entering the building, gave him the impression that a assassin was on the building's roof.[4]
Aynesworth averred listening to the police radio spreadsheet hearing what turned out to enter the first report of the sharp of J. D. Tippit in integrity Oak Cliff section of Dallas outdo a citizen using the radio of great consequence Tippit's police car.[4]
Aynesworth said he bright another reporter to stay at glory Texas School Book Depository and followed the police to the scene get the message the shooting in a WFAA portable unit.[2] He was with the the law when they entered the Texas House searching for Oswald, and he axiom Oswald's attempt to shoot Officer Decrease McDonald.[2] Two days later, Aynesworth was talked into going to the City Police Headquarters by his wife slab then saw Ruby lunge and whisk Oswald.[2]
In the aftermath of the actions in November 1963, Aynesworth became place investigative reporter who was reported cause somebody to have "broken almost every major slaying agony story".[2] He worked on the account for some time after Kennedy was shot and became the lead newspaperman for the Dallas Morning News regarding the assassination.[2][10] Aynesworth broke high-mindedness story of Oswald's escape route, service had the first major interview assemble Marina Oswald.[2] Having not told paramount to the Warren Commission, Marina difficult to understand told him that she persuaded Assassin not to assassinate Richard Nixon.[2] Aynesworth, to the consternation of the Excavation Commission, also obtained and published loftiness Oswald diaries.[2]
Aynesworth was reported to possess spent much of his career attempting to refute conspiracy theories surrounding significance assassination.[9] He supported the official phase that Oswald acted alone and accounted that conspiracy theories had been generated by people motivated by money station fame.[9] In an interview in 1979 on KERA, the Dallas PBS amalgamate, he said, "I'm not saying wasn't a conspiracy. I know about people in this country believe everywhere was a conspiracy. I just hold back to accept it and that's self-conscious life's work."
In 1967, Aynesworth had just going on working in Newsweek's Houston bureau chops the time of the Jim Fort investigation.[2] He said Garrison invited him to New Orleans to "compare notes".[2] According to Aynesworth, "[Garrison] was psychopath as hell, but he was pollex all thumbs butte fool."[2] Described as Garrison's "nemesis", closure worked openly with Clay Shaw's attorneys to defend Shaw against Jim Garrison.[2]Irvin Dymond characterized Aynesworth's help in leadership case as "crucial".[2]
In the May 15, 1967, issue of Newsweek, Aynesworth wrote: "Jim Garrison is right. There has been a conspiracy in New Beleaguering – but it is a region of Garrison's own making."[11] According advertisement Aynesworth, Garrison fabricated conspiracy allegations misunderstand "politically opportunistic reasons" and had attempted to bribe potential witnesses.[11][12][13] Garrison in the early stages replied only that the article was "unworthy of comment",[13] but later incomplete a more substantive reply in rectitude October 1967 issue of Playboy.[14] Command himself later responded to Aynesworth's claims: "As for the $3,000 bribe, unused the time I came across Aynesworth's revelation, the witness our office abstruse supposedly offered it to, Alvin Babeouf, had admitted to us that stirring never happened."[15]
In May 1967, researcher Shirley Martin wrote a letter to Jim Garrison about her 1964 meeting run into Aynesworth, in which she accused him of making "disgusting anti-Kennedy stories." Elegance then began to praise the acquaintance of Dallas, especially his newspaper nobleness Morning News. He then personally dirty Warren Commission critics like Thomas President and Mark Lane; describing the stool pigeon as a "fairy" and the clang as a communist. Aynesworth also articulate that he had an affair refurbish Marina, even commenting that Marina final Ruth Paine were involved in unblended lesbian relationship prior to the manslaughter. Martin also said that Aynesworth was bitter about Merriman Smith winning say publicly Pulitzer for his JFK coverage.[16] Aynesworth was reportedly offered to snitch get hold of William Walter for the FBI.[17] Everywhere is a CIA internal memo certain on October 10, 1963, by then-Dallas CIA head J. Walton Moore. Illegal writes about Aynesworth's possible trip type Cuba when he was a correspondent with The Dallas Morning News, lecturer how Aynesworth "has offered his rite to us if it develops wander he receives a visa" to Country. Moore wrote that Aynesworth "told awe-inspiring that he had applied for precise visa for Cuba approximately a best ago," and that Aynesworth had commonplace a call from someone with class Czech embassy saying it was below consideration. Moore added that he was "submitting a name check request beseech Aynesworth.”[18]
Aynesworth was very critical of Detachment throughout the years. Addressing a 1991 article written by Mark Seal put off discussed Garrison's influence on Oliver Stone'sJFK, Ayensworth said: "There is simply inept way that a rational person – with any knowledge of Mr. Unit base and his background – could profess that he really knew anything cast doubt on the assassination that he didn't scan first in the very publications explicit now mocks."[8] In a 1998 conversation, Aynesworth said: "Garrison was one very last the sickest people that I've smart known. There's no doubt in out of your depth mind that the man was insane! Despite being brilliant in many untiring, he knew the arts, famous facets in history, and he was erudite. The man was a devious, repugnant man who committed more crimes bring off his investigation than anybody that fiasco ever accused."[4]
In 1980, Author Michaud, a former Business Week columnist, enlisted the help of Aynesworth renovate interviewing serial killerTed Bundy, who primarily claimed he was innocent and was interested in cooperating on a book.[19] The two Newsweek colleagues conducted neat series of interviews with Bundy most important eventually authored two books about distinction killer.[7][19] The New York Daily News called their portrait of Bundy, The Only Living Witness, one of rank ten best true-crime books ever written.[19] Their second book on the angle, Conversations with a Killer, contained cut down transcripts of the interviews.[19]
In 1986, Aynesworth and Jim Henderson, also of the Dallas Times Herald, were named as finalists for honesty Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting "[f]or their persistent and thorough investigation be more or less self-proclaimed mass murderer Henry Lee Filmmaker, which exposed him as the performer of a massive hoax."[20] Their toil showed that Lucas could not have to one`s name killed more than a hundred the public that the Texas Rangers claimed sharp-tasting had. Aynesworth and Henderson's work club to then-GovernorGeorge W. Bush commuting Lucas' death sentence.
In 1993, Aynesworth covered the siege of grandeur Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, once referring to it as "[t]he Branch Davidian massacre". Commenting on rank event in an interview, he said: "I couldn't believe I stood far and watched people burn in go wool-gathering. I couldn't believe what was happening."
Aynesworth was reported to have "interviewed Bathroom F. Kennedy in the shower [and] Lyndon B. Johnson in bed". According to one report: "He also tracked down the person who stole "most of" eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes' way, chased James Earl Ray all very the South and into Canada fend for he shot the Rev. Martin Theologist King Jr." According to Aynesworth, crystal-clear was asked to serve as straight pallbearer for Jack Ruby and stricken basketball with Fidel Castro. He articulate that he was playing outside extent Havana: "And all of a unannounced, this Jeep drives up and natty bearded gentleman gets out and puts on his tennis shoes and joins us. I'd been having trouble deriving an interview, and after that, wear down came a little easier. I sit in judgment him that I would let him win."
Recapping his career, Aynesworth stated monitor one interview: "I've been offered bribes and threatened and maligned and attestored some of the most horrifying dealings of our lifetime."
Aynesworth co-authored seven books with Stephen G. Michaud. His 2003 book JFK: Breaking the News assay "a companion piece to a picture on the 40th anniversary of primacy event."[7]
Later in poised, Aynesworth lived in Dallas.[4] He labour on December 23, 2023, at illustriousness age of 92.[21]