Richard E. Sprague

Richard E. Sprague (August 27, 1921 - January 27, 1996) was an American computer technician, researcher and author. According to American journalist Richard '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 1976-1985 as three editions of The Taking of America, 1-2-3.

Life

Born on August 27, 1921, Richard E. Sprague would graduate from Indiana's Purdue University in 1942. During World War II, he served with the U.S. Navy finishing with the rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade). After the war, he was employed as an engineer at Northrup Aircraft. By 1950, he had left Northrup to help co-found the Computer Research Corporation located in Hawthorne, California. By 1960, he had moved on to become the Director of Computer Systems Consulting for Touche, Ross, Bailey And Smart which would later be simply known as Touche Ross until 1989.

After the assassination of John F. Kennedy took place on November 22, 1963, Sprague finally began investigating the deed on his own in 1966 upon seeing the Abraham Zapruder produced Zapruder film.

Sprague served a year as photographic expert in the 1966-1969 investigations conducted by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison.

In 1968 he co-founded the Committee to Investigate Assassinations with Bernard Fensterwald. That same year, he also set up Sprague Research And Consulting.

Sprague later worked as a full-time consultant to Battelle Memorial Institute of Frankfurt, Germany.

On January 27, 1996, Richard E. Sprague died with his last known address in Virginia. However, he will be buried at the Washington Park East Cemetery, City of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Research On 11/22

In the May 1970 issue of Computers And Automation, Sprague said he used computer analysis of still photographs and movie film from Dealey Plaza to determine that four gunmen and at least 50 conspirators in Kennedy's assassination. He stated that the evidence indicated six shots were fired at John F. Kennedy. According to Sprague, the 35th U.S. President was hit by four of the shots, Connally was hit by another, and one missed. Five years later in September 1975, Sprague and L. Fletcher Prouty stated that their study of still photographs and film of the assassination revealed that no shots were fired from the Texas School Book Depository's sixth floor window and that Lee Harvey Oswald was framed by planted and altered evidence.

Much of the information in The Taking of America, 1-2-3 had been published by Sprague before in the magazines Computers And Automation and People and The Pursuit of Truth.

According to Sprague's research, because of the location of the great oak tree with dense crown that crossed the trajectory of the shot from the 6th Floor of the building onto Elm Street, it is unlikely that Lee Harvey Oswald could fire from the window near where the rifle was subsequently found.

Sprague's analysis of Abraham Zapruder's film was used in "The Guns of Dallas" article written by L. Fletcher Prouty.

External Links

• "Richard E. Sprague (ie: From where much of this material is drawn)"
• "Richard E. Sprague Papers"
• "The Umbrella System: Prelude to an Assassination", by Richard Sprague and Robert Cutler
• "FindAGrave for Richard E. Sprague"