Revill Basement Conversation
Hosty encountered Dallas police lieutenant Jack Revill in the basement and discussed the FBI's prior knowledge of Oswald.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
James Patrick Hosty, Jr Biography and Timeline — Page 2
Follow James Patrick Hosty, Jr through 98 dated historical records for United States of America.
James Patrick Hosty, Jr, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
98Distinct records
2 of 3Page
1963–1964Years on this page
1963
Revill Memorandum Records Conversation
Lieutenant Revill promptly prepared a memorandum recording his disputed conversation with Hosty about the FBI's prior knowledge of Oswald.
Revill Violence Claim Disputed
Revill later reported that Hosty said the FBI knew Oswald was capable of the assassination; Hosty repeatedly denied making that statement.
Soviet Embassy Information Reaches Hosty
Hosty received FBI information that afternoon concerning Oswald's recent communication with the Soviet Embassy in Washington.
Tippit Shooting Information Received
At about 1:30 p.m., Hosty received word that Officer J. D. Tippit had been killed and that a suspect was surrounded at a theater.
FBI
Receives the New Orleans FBI files & papers on Oswald
Note Memorandum Destroyed
Hosty later stated that a memorandum concerning Oswald's note was destroyed along with the original note after Oswald's death.
Hosty Address Book Entry Examined
Investigators established that Oswald's personal address book contained identifying information for Hosty, including his office contact details.
Hosty Data Entered in Address Book
Oswald's address book came to contain Hosty's name, FBI office information, telephone number, and automobile license number.
Oswald Complaint Note Delivered
Approximately two or three weeks before the assassination, Oswald delivered a note addressed to Hosty at the Dallas FBI office.
Oswald Note Assessed as Complaint
Hosty later recalled the Oswald note as complaining in tone and said he did not regard it as evidence that Oswald was prone to violence.
Oswald Note Retained
Hosty later testified that the note remained in the Dallas FBI office after he received it rather than being treated as an immediate security threat.
Hosty Entry Omitted From FBI Report
An FBI report transmitting entries from Oswald's address book to the Warren Commission omitted the entry containing Hosty's information.
Hosty Address Book Memorandum
Hosty dictated a memorandum in December recording that his identifying information had been found in Oswald's address book.
FBI
After the Kennedy assassination, Hosty did not disclose Oswalds letter about Marina to the Warren Commission and destroyed Oswalds letter on his superiors order. Because of this, Hosty attracted speculation as a possible conspirator in several conspiracy theories
Warren Commission
After the Kennedy assassination, Hosty did not disclose Oswald's letter about Marina to the Warren Commission and destroyed Oswald's letter on his superior's order. Because of this, Hosty attracted speculation as a possible conspirator in several conspiracy theories
Warren Commission
Later states that after the firing stopped she saw a white man wearing a brown overcoat and a hat running west away from the Depository Building in the direction of the railroad tracks.
Warren Commission
She has since stated when she saw a photo of Jack Ruby after his killing of Lee Harvey Oswald she now believes he was the man she saw running.
FBI
After the Kennedy assassination, Hosty did not disclose Oswalds letter about Marina to the Warren Commission and destroyed Oswalds letter on his superiors order. Because of this, Hosty attracted speculation as a possible conspirator in several conspiracy theories
1964
FBI Questions Address Book Omission
FBI headquarters questioned the Dallas office about why the Hosty entry had been omitted from the earlier report on Oswald's address book.
Warren Commission Advised of Hosty Entry
The FBI informed the Warren Commission that Hosty's name and related information appeared in Oswald's address book.
Supplemental Address Book Report
A later FBI report to the Warren Commission included the Hosty information that had been missing from the December submission.
Revill Dispute Published
Public reporting brought attention to Revill's memorandum alleging that Hosty had made a stronger statement about Oswald than Hosty acknowledged.
FBI Informant Allegation Denied
Hosty stated under oath that Oswald had not been his informant and that he knew of no FBI effort to recruit Oswald.
Hosty Address Book Entry Explained
Hosty explained how his name, telephone number, office information, and automobile license number could have reached Oswald's address book.
Internal Security Assignment Described
In Commission testimony, Hosty described his responsibility for FBI internal-security cases involving Lee Harvey Oswald and Marina Oswald.
No Oswald Interview Testimony
Hosty testified that he had never interviewed Oswald before President Kennedy's assassination.
Paine Contacts Explained to Commission
Hosty explained the purpose of his early-November contacts at Ruth Paine's home and the limited nature of his conversations with Marina.
Revill Statement Denied Under Oath
Hosty denied Revill's allegation that he had said the FBI knew Oswald was capable of assassinating President Kennedy.
Secret Service Referral Policy Discussed
Hosty's testimony addressed why Oswald had not been referred to the Secret Service under the FBI procedures then used for presidential threats.
Violence Assessment Explained
Hosty testified that before November 22 he regarded Oswald as a security concern but had no information identifying him as potentially violent.
Warren Commission Testimony
Hosty testified before the Warren Commission about the FBI's investigation of Oswald, his Paine-house contacts, and events on November 22.
Commission Explains Hosty Address Book Data
The Commission reported that Paine supplied Hosty's contact information to Oswald and that Marina supplied the license number recorded in his notebook.
Commission Records No Dallas Oswald Interview
The Warren Commission found that Hosty and other Dallas FBI agents did not interview Oswald between his October return to Dallas and November 22.
Commission Rejects FBI Informant Claim
The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald had not served as an FBI informant, consistent with Hosty's testimony and the Bureau files it reviewed.
Commission Reviews Secret Service Nonreferral
The Warren Commission examined whether the FBI should have referred Oswald to the Secret Service and recorded Hosty's explanation of Bureau procedures.
FBI
Hosty is one of 12 agents reprimanded for investigative improprieties after the release of the Warren Report, and was transferred to the FBI's Kansas City office until his mandatory retirement in 1979
Hosty Listed as Warren Commission Witness
The Commission's published witness list identified James P. Hosty Jr. as an FBI agent whose testimony appeared in the assassination hearings.
Warren Commission
Hosty is one of 12 agents reprimanded for investigative improprieties after the release of the Warren Report, and was transferred to the FBI's Kansas City office until his mandatory retirement in 1979
FBI
Hosty is one of 12 agents reprimanded for investigative improprieties after the release of the Warren Report, and was transferred to the FBIs Kansas City office until his mandatory retirement in 1979
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.