Richard Sprague
Encyclopedia
Richard E. Sprague was an American
computer technician, researcher and author. According to American journalist Dick Russell, who dedicated seventeen years to the investigation of John Kennedy assassination, Sprague was "the leading gatherer of photographic evidence about the Kennedy assassination". Sprague published his investigation in 1985 as The Taking of America.
in 1942 and after World War II
was employed as an engineer at Northrup Aircraft. Sprague worked as an advisor to Henry Gonzalez on House Resolution 203 which proposed the appointment of a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. He later served as a consultant to the first and second General Counsels of the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Sprague began investigating the Kennedys' assassination on his own in 1966 upon Zapruder film
.
Sprague served a year as photographic expert advisor in the investigations conducted by New Orleans District Attorney
Jim Garrison
. As First Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia Sprague run up a record of 69 homicide convictions out of 70 prosecutions. In 1968 he co-founded the Committee to Investigate Assassinations. Sprague later worked as a full time consultant to Battelle Memorial Institute
of Frankfurt
.
examined only five percent of 510 known still photos and films of the assassination and aftermath. For the tenth anniversary of assassination, Sprague contributed an article "The Framing of Lee Harvey Oswald
" (Computers and Automation, October 1973) that examined some of the photographic evidence against Oswald and featured several photos at the time not generally available. Sprague was able to obtain a copy of the full original photo, showing the floor beneath the one from where Oswald supposedly fired, which was cropped by the Warren Commission before merging into the report.
Much of the information in The Taking of America had been published by Sprague before in the magazines Computer and Automation and People and The Pursuit of Truth. According to Sprague's research, because of great oak
with dense crown
that crossed the trajectory
of the shot it is unlikely that Oswald could fire from the window where the rifle
was subsequently found. Sprague holds that there were six shots towards Kennedy, but he was hit only by four.
Sprague's analysis of Zapruder's film was used in "The Guns of Dallas" article by L. Fletcher Prouty
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
computer technician, researcher and author. According to American journalist Dick Russell, who dedicated seventeen years to the investigation of John Kennedy assassination, Sprague was "the leading gatherer of photographic evidence about the Kennedy assassination". Sprague published his investigation in 1985 as The Taking of America.
Life
Sprague graduated from Purdue UniversityPurdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in 1942 and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was employed as an engineer at Northrup Aircraft. Sprague worked as an advisor to Henry Gonzalez on House Resolution 203 which proposed the appointment of a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. He later served as a consultant to the first and second General Counsels of the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Sprague began investigating the Kennedys' assassination on his own in 1966 upon Zapruder film
Zapruder film
The Zapruder film is a silent, color motion picture sequence shot by private citizen Abraham Zapruder with a home-movie camera, asU.S. President John F...
.
Sprague served a year as photographic expert advisor in the investigations conducted by New Orleans District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Jim Garrison
Jim Garrison
Earling Carothers "Jim" Garrison — who changed his first name to Jim in the early 1960s — was the District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana from 1962 to 1973. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for his investigations into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy...
. As First Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia Sprague run up a record of 69 homicide convictions out of 70 prosecutions. In 1968 he co-founded the Committee to Investigate Assassinations. Sprague later worked as a full time consultant to Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the...
of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
.
Researches
In his article "The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: The Application of Computers to the Photographic Evidence" (Computers and Automation, May 1970) Sprague wrote that the Warren CommissionWarren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
examined only five percent of 510 known still photos and films of the assassination and aftermath. For the tenth anniversary of assassination, Sprague contributed an article "The Framing of Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
" (Computers and Automation, October 1973) that examined some of the photographic evidence against Oswald and featured several photos at the time not generally available. Sprague was able to obtain a copy of the full original photo, showing the floor beneath the one from where Oswald supposedly fired, which was cropped by the Warren Commission before merging into the report.
Much of the information in The Taking of America had been published by Sprague before in the magazines Computer and Automation and People and The Pursuit of Truth. According to Sprague's research, because of great oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
with dense crown
Crown (botany)
The crown of a plant refers to the totality of the plant's aboveground parts, including stems, leaves, and reproductive structures. A plant canopy consists of one or more plant crowns growing in a given area....
that crossed the trajectory
Trajectory
A trajectory is the path that a moving object follows through space as a function of time. The object might be a projectile or a satellite, for example. It thus includes the meaning of orbit—the path of a planet, an asteroid or a comet as it travels around a central mass...
of the shot it is unlikely that Oswald could fire from the window where the rifle
John F. Kennedy assassination rifle
In March 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald, using the alias "A. Hidell", purchased a 6.5 mm Carcano Model 91/38 rifle by mail order. He also purchased a revolver from a different company, by the same method...
was subsequently found. Sprague holds that there were six shots towards Kennedy, but he was hit only by four.
Sprague's analysis of Zapruder's film was used in "The Guns of Dallas" article by L. Fletcher Prouty
L. Fletcher Prouty
Leroy Fletcher Prouty served as Chief of Special Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President John F. Kennedy. A former colonel in the United States Air Force he retired from military service to become a banker, and subsequently became a critic of U.S...
.