Warren Commission
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
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
James Patrick Hosty, Jr Biography and Timeline — Page 3
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
3 of 3Page
1964–1997Years on this page
1964
1975
Congressional Note Inquiry
Hosty was questioned during congressional investigation of whether the FBI had withheld information about Oswald's note from the Warren Commission.
Congressional Withholding Inquiry
Congressional questioning examined why the existence and destruction of Oswald's note had not been disclosed to the Warren Commission
Hosty Recounts Destruction Order
In congressional testimony, Hosty maintained that he destroyed the Oswald note after being instructed to do so by his Dallas superior.
Hosty Says Note Contained No Threat
Hosty told investigators that he remembered the note as a complaint and did not recall language threatening violence against the FBI.
Note Contents Disputed
Congressional inquiry recorded conflicting recollections about whether Oswald's note was merely a complaint or contained a threat.
Receptionist Account Compared With Hosty
Congressional investigators compared Hosty's recollection of the note with a former Dallas FBI receptionist's more threatening account of its contents.
Shanklin Account Compared With Hosty
Investigators confronted the conflict between Hosty's claim that Shanklin ordered destruction of the note and Shanklin's denial of prior knowledge.
Oswald Note Destruction Becomes Public
Public and congressional attention focused on Hosty after disclosure that the note delivered by Oswald before the assassination had been destroyed.
1976
FBI Handling of Oswald Note Reviewed
Congressional investigators continued reviewing the Dallas FBI office's handling and destruction of Oswald's note to Hosty.
1978
HSCA Hosty Informant Testimony
Hosty told congressional investigators that Oswald had never been an FBI informant and that he would have known of any such Dallas relationship.
HSCA Questions Hosty Credibility
The House committee criticized aspects of testimony concerning the destroyed note and the omitted address-book entry while continuing its FBI review.
HSCA Reviews Hosty Address Book Entry
The House Select Committee on Assassinations examined why Hosty's information appeared in Oswald's address book and why it was omitted from an early FBI report.
HSCA Reviews Note Destruction
The House Select Committee examined Hosty's destruction of Oswald's note and the conflicting accounts of who ordered it destroyed.
HSCA Reviews Paine Contacts
House investigators reviewed Hosty's November 1963 contacts with Ruth and Marina Oswald when assessing allegations of an Oswald-FBI relationship.
1979
HSCA Rejects Oswald FBI Informant Allegation
The House Select Committee reported that it found no credible evidence that Oswald had been an FBI informant, despite unresolved concerns about record handling.
1996
Assignment Oswald Published
Hosty published Assignment: Oswald, presenting his account of the FBI investigation of Oswald and controversies surrounding his role in Dallas.
1997
Hosty Papers Donated to National Archives
Hosty donated papers concerning the FBI, Lee and Marina Oswald, the Kennedy assassination, and his Bureau career to the National Archives.
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.