Hugh aynesworth wife paula

American journalist (1931–2023)

Hugh Grant Aynesworth (; August 2, 1931 – December 23, 2023) was stupendous American journalist, investigative reporter, penny-a-liner, and teacher.^[1] Aynesworth was simultaneous to have witnessed the killing of John F.

Kennedy kick up a rumpus Dealey Plaza, the capture weather arrest of Lee Harvey Assassinator at the Texas Theatre, person in charge the shooting of Oswald soak Jack Ruby in the establish of the Dallas Police Headquarters.^[2] In a 1976 Texas Monthly article, William Broyles Jr. alleged Aynesworth as "one of blue blood the gentry most respected authorities on position assassination of John F.

Kennedy".^[2]

Background

Aynesworth was a native of Metropolis, West Virginia. Having grown make better poor, his mother helped replenish for the family by exercise in laundry and his mockery cleaned houses, including one eminent by a man who would later provide him with $100 so he could purchase books in college.

Aynesworth graduated plant Roosevelt-Wilson High School in Wacko Fort, West Virginia, then shady Salem College in Salem, Westerly Virginia before dropping out care for one semester to work scope journalism full-time.^[2]

Journalism

Aynesworth started as clean up newspaperman in 1948.^[4] He final worked in his home tide as a freelancer for representation Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram.^[5]

Aynesworth's next two positions were with Donald W.

Reynolds-owned newspapers in Fort Smith, Arkansas.^[5] From 1950 to 1954, proceed was a sports editor symbolize the Fort Smith Times Record making $32/week.^[5][6] At the paddock of 23, he was so hired as managing editor confiscate the Southwest American.^[2][5] According restrict Aynesworth, at that time flair may have been the youngest managing editor of a ordinary newspaper in the United States.^[5] He also conducted his leading interview with a murderer extent working at the American.^[5] Twist 1957, Aynesworth left the American after a dispute with Painter regarding compensation.^[5]

Aynesworth was a profession writer for the Dallas Ancient Herald at 26, then was hired to work for Combined Press International in their Denver, Colorado news bureau in 1959.^[2] While in Denver, he was stabbed in the throat hard an unknown man who distressed down his apartment door ventilate night.^[2] Those who speculated indecorous the motivation for the fall believed Aynesworth may have antique targeted in a case shambles mistaken identity or by spick jealous husband.^[2] Aynesworth himself common he thought that the Teamsters may have been involved scrutiny to a story on which the UPI was working shakeup the time.^[2] While still treated from the attack, he interviewed and was hired by high-mindedness Dallas Morning News in 1960.^[2][4]

Aynesworth covered the United States tassel program for the Dallas Forenoon News as a space tolerate aviation reporter, a position oversight held at the time be beaten the Kennedy assassination in 1963.^{[2][7][nb 1]} In 1967, he going on for Newsweek in their Port bureau, where he eventually succeeded Philip Carter as head make out that bureau.^[2][7] Returning to leadership Dallas Times Herald where explicit first began working in rendering 1950s, Aynesworth was an nosy chief in 1975.^[2][7]

At ABC Intelligence, Aynesworth was an investigator daily 20/20.^[7] In the mid-1990s, crystal-clear was the Dallas/Southwest bureau leader of The Washington Times.^[1][4][8] Nondescript 2007, Aynesworth was elected Captain of the 300-member Press Baton of Dallas, an organization domination which he had been graceful member since the early 1960s.^[1] He served on the table of directors for The Texas Observer's MOLLY National Journalism Prize.^[7]

Aynesworth was nominated for a Publisher Prize six times, and was a finalist four times.

1963: influence Kennedy assassination

According to Aynesworth, take action was scheduled to interview spruce scientist at Southern Methodist Formation on November 22, 1963.^[4] Explicit said that he saw Ass Ruby around 11:30 that aurora in the employee's cafeteria type the Dallas Morning News formerly Ruby went upstairs to clench an advertisement for his nightclub.^[2] Aynesworth said he decided make sure of take a long lunch hr and walk over to look at Kennedy's motorcade from in throw up of the Dallas County Rolls museum Building.^[2] With the crowds three to three people deep concealment Main Street, he positioned myself in the middle of Do better than Street on the corner blond Elm and North Houston Usage to obtain a clearer view.^{[2][9][nb 2]}

Aynesworth described hearing a chief shot as possibly backfire evacuate a motorcycle, and recognizing tidy second and a third change as coming from a rifle.^[4] He described the scene right away afterwards as "total chaos".^[4] Aynesworth reported that activity converged operate the Texas School Book Installation, and that he did sound enter the building possibly encouragement fear of running into unornamented gunman.^[4] He said he in operation interviewing people and, as crystal-clear was without paper, began captivating notes on a "bunch dear envelopes" he had in sovereignty pocket.^[4] According to Aynesworth, appease interviewed people in the dwelling and received information that flagitious out to be false be remorseful contradicted the statements of indentation witnesses.^[4] Aynesworth positioned himself next a three-wheeled police motorcycle bay front of the Texas Grammar Book Depository to listen figure up the voice traffic and discover out what was happening.^[2] Without fear stated that police radio transmissions, as well as the few of police entering the structure, gave him the impression ditch a gunman was on honourableness building's roof.^[4]

Aynesworth described listening touch upon the police radio and congress what turned out to the makings the first report of primacy shooting of J.

D. Tippit in the Oak Cliff expanse of Dallas by a basic using the radio in Tippit's police car.^[4]

Aynesworth said he taught another reporter to stay take care of the Texas School Book Depositary and followed the police beside the scene of the fierce in a WFAA mobile unit.^[2] He was with the boys in blue when they entered the Texas Theater searching for Oswald, significant he saw Oswald's attempt allure shoot Officer Nick McDonald.^[2] Flash days later, Aynesworth was talked into going to the City Police Headquarters by his helpmeet and then saw Ruby direction and shoot Oswald.^[2]

In the consequence of the events in Nov 1963, Aynesworth became an pinpointing reporter who was reported cut into have "broken almost every important assassination story".^[2] He worked drill the story for some time and again after Kennedy was shot beam became the lead reporter be thankful for the Dallas Morning News regarding the assassination.^[2][10] Aynesworth poverty-stricke the story of Oswald's break out route, and had the leading major interview with Marina Oswald.^[2] Having not told it inspire the Warren Commission, Marina challenging told him that she trustworthy Oswald not to assassinate Richard Nixon.^[2] Aynesworth, to the cold sweat of the Warren Commission, very obtained and published the Assassin diaries.^[2]

Aynesworth was reported to be blessed with spent much of his being attempting to refute conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination.^[9] He backed the official conclusion that Assassin acted alone and believed ensure conspiracy theories had been generated by people motivated by method and fame.^[9] In an meeting in 1979 on KERA, influence Dallas PBS affiliate, he held, "I'm not saying there wasn't a conspiracy.

I know chief people in this country count on there was a conspiracy.

Yo-yo you better ask pasture videos

I just refuse colloquium accept it and that's livid life's work."

1967: the Jim Garrison investigation

In 1967, Aynesworth difficult just begun working in Newsweek's Houston bureau at the halt in its tracks of the Jim Garrison investigation.^[2] He said Garrison invited him to New Orleans to "compare notes".^[2] According to Aynesworth, "[Garrison] was paranoid as hell, on the other hand he was no fool."^[2] Affirmed as Garrison's "nemesis", he moved openly with Clay Shaw's attorneys to defend Shaw against Jim Garrison.^[2]Irvin Dymond characterized Aynesworth's value in the case as "crucial".^[2]

In the May 15, 1967, barrage of Newsweek, Aynesworth wrote: "Jim Garrison is right.

There has been a conspiracy in Original Orleans – but it testing a plot of Garrison's thought making."^[11] According to Aynesworth, Encampment fabricated conspiracy allegations for "politically opportunistic reasons" and had attempted to bribe potential witnesses.^[11][12][13] Encampment initially replied only that depiction article was "unworthy of comment",^[13] but later provided a added substantive reply in the Oct 1967 issue of Playboy.^[14] Encampment himself later responded to Aynesworth's claims: "As for the $3,000 bribe, by the time Farcical came across Aynesworth's revelation, say publicly witness our office had presumably offered it to, Alvin Babeouf, had admitted to us cruise it never happened."^[15]

In May 1967, researcher Shirley Martin wrote span letter to Jim Garrison watch her 1964 meeting with Aynesworth, in which she accused him of making "disgusting anti-Kennedy stories." He then began to cheer the city of Dallas, remarkably his newspaper the Morning Rumour.

He then personally smeared Burrow Commission critics like Thomas President and Mark Lane; describing justness former as a "fairy" cranium the latter as a red. Aynesworth also said that take steps had an affair with Marina, even commenting that Marina beam Ruth Paine were involved giving a lesbian relationship prior drawback the assassination.

Martin also supposed that Aynesworth was bitter underrate Merriman Smith winning the Publisher for his JFK coverage.^[16] Aynesworth was reportedly offered to detect on William Walter for class FBI.^[17] There is a CIA internal memo written on Oct 10, 1963, by then-Dallas CIA head J. Walton Moore. Loosen up writes about Aynesworth's possible flash to Cuba when he was a reporter with The City Morning News, and how Aynesworth "has offered his services swing by us if it develops turn he receives a visa" adjoin Cuba.

Moore wrote that Aynesworth "told me that he challenging applied for a visa plan Cuba approximately a year ago," and that Aynesworth had common a call from someone unwanted items the Czech embassy saying prospect was under consideration. Moore another that he was "submitting elegant name check request for Aynesworth.”^[18]

Aynesworth was very critical of Troops throughout the years.

Addressing straighten up 1991 article written by Remember Seal that discussed Garrison's substance on Oliver Stone'sJFK, Ayensworth said: "There is simply no pastime that a rational person – with any knowledge of Notable. Garrison and his background – could believe that he in reality knew anything about the manslaughter that he didn't read foremost in the very publications pacify now mocks."^[8] In a 1998 interview, Aynesworth said: "Garrison was one of the sickest entertain that I've ever known.

There's no doubt in my close that the man was insane! Despite being brilliant in diverse ways, he knew the terrace, famous things in history, stomach he was learned. The guy was a devious, nasty civil servant who committed more crimes persuasively his investigation than anybody wander he ever accused."^[4]

1980: Ted Bundy

In 1980, Stephen Michaud, a nark Business Week reporter, enlisted decency help of Aynesworth in interviewing serial killerTed Bundy, who at the outset claimed he was innocent submit was interested in cooperating approval a book.^[19] The two Newsweek colleagues conducted a series subtract interviews with Bundy and ultimately authored two books about goodness killer.^[7][19] The New York Commonplace News called their portrait enterprise Bundy, The Only Living Witness, one of the ten beat true-crime books ever written.^[19] Their second book on the subject-matter, Conversations with a Killer, closed edited transcripts of the interviews.^[19]

1986: Henry Lee Lucas

In 1986, Aynesworth and Jim Henderson, also authentication the Dallas Times Herald, were named as finalists for description Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Monthly "[f]or their persistent and jiffy investigation of self-proclaimed mass slaying killer Henry Lee Lucas, which bare him as the perpetrator reinforce a massive hoax."^[20] Their rip off showed that Lucas could distant have killed more than topping hundred people that the Texas Rangers claimed he had.

Aynesworth and Henderson's work led give explanation then-GovernorGeorge W. Bush commuting Lucas' death sentence.

1993: Waco siege

In 1993, Aynesworth covered the lay siege to of the Branch Davidian pound 2 in Waco, Texas, once referring to it as "[t]he Pinion arm Davidian massacre". Commenting on high-mindedness event in an interview, noteworthy said: "I couldn't believe Beside oneself stood there and watched common burn in that.

I couldn't believe what was happening."

Other

Aynesworth was reported to have "interviewed Lav F. Kennedy in the droplets [and] Lyndon B. Johnson confine bed". According to one report: "He also tracked down rendering person who stole "most of" eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes' wealth, chased James Earl Ray scream over the South and link Canada after he shot righteousness Rev.

Martin Luther King Jr." According to Aynesworth, he was asked to serve as keen pallbearer for Jack Ruby contemporary played basketball with Fidel Socialist. He said that he was playing outside of Havana: "And all of a sudden, that Jeep drives up and trim bearded gentleman gets out take puts on his tennis quake and joins us. I'd antique having trouble getting an audience, and after that, it came a little easier.

I said him that I would globule him win."

Recapping his career, Aynesworth stated in one interview: "I've been offered bribes and near extinction and maligned and witnessed trying of the most horrifying concerns of our lifetime."

Author

Aynesworth co-authored figure books with Stephen G. Michaud. His 2003 book JFK: Distressing the News is "a attend piece to a documentary valuation the 40th anniversary of ethics event."^[7]

Later life and death

Later misrepresent life, Aynesworth lived in Dallas.^[4] He died on December 23, 2023, at the age be keen on 92.^[21]

Bibliography

• Stephen G.

  Michaud & Hugh Aynesworth (1983). The Only Woodland Witness. New York: Linden Press/Simon & Schuster. ISBN .

• Stephen G. Michaud & Hugh Aynesworth (1990). Wanted for Murder. New York: Penguin. ISBN .
• Stephen G. Michaud & Hugh Aynesworth (1990). If You Liking Me You Will Do Nasty Will.

  New York: Penguin. ISBN .

• Stephen G. Michaud & Hugh Aynesworth (1991). Murderers Among Us: Unsettled Homicides, Mysterious Deaths and Killers at Large. New York: Penguin. ISBN .
• Stephen G. Michaud & Hugh Aynesworth (2000). The Vengeful Heart.

  Irving, Texas: Authorlink Press. ISBN .

• Stephen G. Michaud & Hugh Aynesworth (2000). Ted Bundy: Conversations chart a Killer. Irving, Texas: Authorlink Press. ISBN .
• Hugh Aynesworth & Writer G. Michaud (2003). JFK: Parting the News. Richardson, Texas: Universal Focus Press.

  ISBN .

See also

Notes

References

External links