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JFK Assassination Hearings - E. Aschkenasy & Mark Weiss, H.B. McClain
(01:00:57) Opens to Representative CHRISTOPHER DODD questioning acoustic experts ERNEST ASCHKENASY and MARK WEISS about areas of lee-way in their analysis, in particular Dodd is concerned about moving the concluded location of the grassy knoll shooter - Weiss responds that the shooter could move only within a radius of five feet from the concluded location and that after that matching wave patterns cannot be produced (01:04:45) Dodd has Aschkenasy explain with the chalk board as an illustrating surface what sort of movement of the knoll shooter's concluded location would make a wave pattern that does not resemble that recorded on the tape (01:08:20) Representative FLOYD FITHIAN brings up earlier committee review of photographs that show suspicious characters and objects around the grassy knoll, Chief Counsel Professor ROBERT BLAKEY jumps in and says that these photographs had been discounted by committee panels as inconclusive, however he then explains an exhibit of a photo of the motorcade going by the grassy knoll and points out the picket fence and area where Weiss and Aschkenasy have concluded a shot to have been fired from (01:11:20) Fithian asks how the limited sensitivity of the microphone which recorded the assassination and the fact that it was obscured in it's recording by the motorcycle windshield effected Weiss and Aschkenasy's conclusion that it was in fact a gun shot that was recorded - Weiss reponds that these factors were of little significance to their conclusion (01:14:15) Fithian quotes from Dr. JAMES BARGER's earlier testimony about his acoustical analysis of the assassination tape, Fithian wants to know how Weiss and Aschkenasy accounted for what Barger called false alarms or noises that resembled gun shots - Weiss responds that their analysis was done with a much smaller window of error and this allowed them to be certain the noises they were analysing were gun shots (01:16:54) Committee Chairman LOUIS STOKES recognizes Representative ROBERT EDGAR, Edgar discusses with Weiss the effect that different temperatures would have on his and Aschkenasy's conclusions - Weiss says it would really be negligible (01:20:22) Edgar asks if the two men's analysis wasn't done in a test tube, that it didn't consider all the factors impacting the enviroment at the time of the assassination: temperature, wind , people, etc. - Weiss responds that he feels that they accounted for all factors that they needed to (01:24:00) Edgar asks about the possibility that the shot in question was not an acoustical mirage or the the refraction/reflection of one of the other shots - Weiss responds that if it was it would have had to have some how come from the grassy knoll area, furthermore he adds these mirages occurr over much larger physical spaces (01:26:34) Stokes recognizes Fithian, Fithian confirms with the two men that it would have been easy for a police officer to accidentally turn on his microphone, Achkenasy tells a little anecdote about this - Fithian then asks if there were any changes to Dealey Plaza over the years that would have effected the echo structure - Weiss reponds no (01:29:57) Stokes recognizes Edgar, Edgar tries to make some analogies between falsely diagnosed sounds and ships being misdirected by beacons, they plummet in laughter - Edgar then ends up getting into a detailed discussion with Aschkenasy about how the two men can securely conclude the sound wave they examined was from a gun shot, Aschkenasy uses sound wave graphs to explain this (01:38:24) Edgar and Weiss discuss the 95% probability that their results are accurate - Weiss says this number is based solely on whether or not what they have idenitified as a gun shot is actually a gun shot (01:41:52) Dodd asks if they can be 95% sure that it was a rifle shot - Weiss and Aschkenasy respond that their main concern was the location of the muzzle blast and that they were less concerned with the particular kind of shot, other than that it produced a shockwave and thus was a supersonic shot (01:44:30) Weiss explains the sound and physics of a shockwave (01:45:10) Upon Dodd's request Blakey and Deputy Chief Counsel GARY T. CORNWELL describe what tests were done to determine if the possible shot from the grassy knoll was that of a rifle or pistol (01:48:32) Stokes recognizes Delegate WALTER FAUNTROY who confirms with Cornwell that a pistol could fire at or above super sonic speeds (01:49:50) Various requests are made by committee members of the two witnesses (01:51:15) Stokes recognizes Asckenasy and Weiss' opportunity to suppliment their testimony - Weiss thanks everyone (01:52:37) Stokes recognizes Professor Blakey, Blakey gives a long explanation of the work of the acoustics committee which investigated based on the tape of the assassination the question of how many shots Oswald could have gotten off within the diagnosed time frame, Blakey then segues to calling the next witness by explaining how the acoustics committee also wanted to figure out the location of the motorcycle which recorded the assassination, H.B. McClain was the driver of that motorcycle and Blakey introduces him (01:58:24) Stokes calls and swears in McClain, Cornwell is recognized to question McClain, Cornwell confirms McClain's background and that he was part of the 1963 motorcade (01:59:53) Cornwell introduces an exhibit, it is the plans for the police motorcycle escort of JFK's motorcade, Cornwell then discusses extensively with McClain McClain's and the escorts positioning relative to themselves and the motorcade
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht
New exhibits appear - diagrams of people's position within the car (15:51:10) Purdy asks how the people's positions were determined in the diagram - Wecht explains: review of film, consultation with people involved and witnesses (15:51:45) Purdy asks how in conjunction with bullet's normal path diagrams disprove single gun theory - Wecht responds bullet's courses remain straight unless disrupted by hard surface (15:52:43) Purdy asks if Connally could have held on to hat after getting shot in the wrist - Wecht responds "absolutely not," Wecht states that in last Zapruder photo you can see Connally still holding his hat 1.5 seconds after being supposedly being shot, even with nerve damage that did occur in wrist and after being shot through the chest (15:53:55) Purdy asks if it is Wecht's opinion that in this frame Connally has been shot - Wecht responds no (15:55:21) Two more photos of the Zapruder film are added (15:57:00) Purdy asks if Connally has now been struck in the new photos - Wecht answers yes and explains with the photo (15:57:13) Chair, Mr. STOKES, calls committee recess, for house vote - camera pulls out to reveal dispersing audience (15:58:25) Host of hearings, SAMFORD UNGAR, voices over court shot to announce recess (15:58:40)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Marina Porter/Oswald (Part II)
(02:43:13) Shot open to MARIANA [MARINA] PORTER, LEE HARVEY OSWALD's wife, being led to the witness seat, she is joined by a man on her right, he is a translator - the camera stays on her for the entire tape, new exhibits are introduced and given to her, the exhibits which soon come into view in blown up form are of two photos of Oswald posing with a rifle and holstered hand gun, Porter says she took the photographs upon Oswald's insistence (02:45:30) The camera used to take the photos is introduced and given to Porter - Porter cannot identify it as hers but has seen it before in court precedings (02:46:00) Porter is asked for the context of the photo - Porter again gives it saying that she made a comment that it was a funny picture to take (of him with his guns) (02:46:51) Porter is asked if she remembers the hand gun, she responds she cannot recall it and that this is possibly the first time she had seen both weapons (02:47:23) Porter is asked if Oswald appeared nervous when she took the photo - Porter responds he was angry with her because she was making fun of him (02:47:38) Several more questions are asked of Porter regarding the photo session: what was Oswald doing before and afterwords, what did she do afterwords, how many photos did she take, did she use a tripod, did Oswald mention assassinating anyone during the session, what time of year was it, what day of the week - all of which she answers with no stunning developments (02:50:06) ****weird skip in the film - time code remains the same but the image blinks for a moment (02:50:07) Another photo of Oswald is introduced, obviously from the same session as the setting is the same and he is again sporting his guns - Porter is asked more questions about this photo which she answers at no gain to the investigation (02:52:48) A new photograph is introduced as an exhibit (02:53:13) ****weird skip in the film - time code remains the same but the image blinks for a moment (02:53:14) Porter is asked if it is her handwriting on the back of this photograph - Porter responds no but the phrase (in Russian and thusfar not translated) sounds like something she would write, she goes on to describe inconsistencies between this writing and her own (02:55:05) ****skip in film - now Porter is describing an incident where Oswald was planning on seeing Nixon pass through town and taking him with him his gun, Porter describes his words as :"Nixon is coming to town and I just want to look", Porter says she argued with him that he didn't need his gun and he ended up staying home (02:55:45) A book is referenced, "Marina & Lee," in which Porter tells the outcome of the above story, she wrestled Oswald into the bathroom and locked him in to prevent him from going out, Porter is asked to describe this incident - she says she cannot remember the details of it but it as she described, she wrestled him into the bathroom and held him in, she adds though that if he really wanted to get out he could have (02:58:10) Representative RICHARDSON PREYER is recognized by Committee Chairman LOUIS STOKES - Preyer asks about a trip Oswald took on April 24, 1963 to New Orleans - Porter tells the committee that Oswald went to New Orleans to look for a job and that he had family there that might have been able to assist him (02:58:58) Preyer asks if the General WALKER shooting had anything to do with his moving to New Orleans - Porter says she does not know but she was glad he got away from Walker - Preyer asks if Oswald ever talked of moving to New Orleans before the Walker shooting - Porter responds that she doesn't remember (02:59:38) *****skip in film - Porter is now talking about Oswald's concern for some woman who had had several miscarriages or baby deaths (02:59:57) Preyer asks if Oswald talked about the Soviet Union during the New Orleans period - Porter answers yes that he said she should return or sometimes that they both should return (03:00:45) Preyer asks if Oswald talked about Cuba at this time - Porter responds that Oswald was engaged in some activities and that she saw him in the street with/distributing (?) a "Fair Play for Cuba Pamphlet" (03:01:04) Preyer asks if Oswald compared Cuba and the Soviet Union - Porter answers that he did and that he expressed his desire to check out Cuba as he had not already done so (03:01:31) Preyer asks if Oswald was ever gone from their New Orlean's apartment for more than a night - Porter responds that he was only gone one night during thier stay, and that night he was in jail (03:02:01) *****skip in film - Porter now says that Oswald was in a revolutionary mood and he expressed a desire to work for FIDEL CASTRO causes (03:02:25) Preyer says he wants to ask about three names, the first is CLAY SHAW - Porter says she did not know Clay Shaw's name until she had to testify for Mr. GARRISON in New Orleans, she adds that she does not know if Oswald knew Shaw - Preyer asks about GUY BANNISTER - Porter does not know him and does not know if Oswald knew him - Preyer asks if Porter knows DAVID FERRIE - Porter responds that the name sounds familiar but is cut off as the tape flies into hyper-speed
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
Goldsmith introduces new exhibits, they are all photographs of the book depository, all of them capturing the window from which Oswald was supposed to have fired from - Baden identifies and explains each photograph's significance, none of them give any clear image of the assassin but suggest a bit of movement and perhaps the trace of a person behind the identified window
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
Goldsmith asks if the Warren Commission did any similar photo enhancement - Groden responds he does not believe so
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
Goldsmith introduces a bunch of exhibits in an effort to answer the question whether or not the Warren Commission used photographic evidence to determine if Oswald was the lone assassin. The first two exhibits to be discussed by Groden are a photo of the motorcade and a blow up of it which perhaps shows an assassins rifle peeping out of a building window
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
"CONTAINS ZAPRUDER FILM CONTENT, REQUIRES PERMISSION* New photographs are introduced, unfortunately the tv camera does not focus on the one that is being explained first until the last minute - it is an image from the Zapruder film of the trees around which Groden believes there is a possible assassin, as he identified in the last two photos, in this image you can see a person's head Groden believes it is the same person and he thinks perhaps he is holding a rifle. Goldsmith asks what effect blowing up a photograph has on the original image - Groden responds it gets fuzzy and the contrast is much exaggerated. Groden explains the second photo just introduced which he says shows the Zapruders taking their film and also the infamous grassy knoll assassin who Groden claims is in a classic military shooting position. Goldsmith asks Groden if any of these photos have been before scientifically enhanced and examined - Groden answers no. Goldsmith asks Groden what the House Committee's scientific panel will be looking for in the photographs of the crowd - Groden responds possible co-conspirators in the assassination, and an alibi for Oswald, as in an image of him in a place other than the suspected sniper's nest.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
Exhibits of motorcade crowd photograph with blow up of section that which might contain Miltere are introduced with a head shot of Miltere - Groden identifies and explains the photographs which contain a striking likeness.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
"CONTAINS ZAPRUDER FILM CONTENT, REQUIRES PERMISSION* Lights out, the same film sequence shown as before, this time with Groden's narration of the events.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
Shot opens to MICHAEL GOLDSMITH questioning ROBERT GRODEN, Photo Optics Expert, who is accompanied by CHRIS GRODEN, he asks them to state for the record the number, timing, and direction of shots as concluded by the Warren Commission - Groden responds that 3 shots were fired and gives corresponding timings to different miss/hit combinations - Goldsmith sums up timing range to between 4.8 and 7.9 seconds.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
"CONTAINS ZAPRUDER FILM CONTENT, REQUIRES PERMISSION* Lights off, film roles, first take is Zapruder film normal just slowed down, second and third take are zoomed in on the car and much slower.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Vincent P. Guinn (Conclusion)
Duplicate footage of Master 3634.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part III)
Exhibit introduced which Baden explains is a diagram prepared by the Parkland surgeons of the path of the bullet through Connally for the Warren Commission - the panel agreed with the diagram's interpretation (11:08:00) Klein and Baden discuss a Dr.GREGORY who worked on Connally's wrist - he was unavailable for interview by the panel as he is deceased - Baden describes the bullet's path through Connally's wrist (11:09:45) Baden shows how the suit jacket sleave of Connally reflect the bullet's entrance location in the wrist (11:11:15) New exhibit introduced - a blow up of an X-ray of Connally's wrist, the fracture of which is very evident - Baden identifies and describes it, pointing out white spots which represent fragments of the bullet left in the wrist (11:12:40) Baden explains the report of Dr. SHIRES (?) who worked on Conally's thigh and holds up Connally's trousers which have in them, in the corresponding place to the bullet hole in the thigh, a hole in them (11:15:00)
LAWMAKERS - "JFK State of the Union"
U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivering State of the Union Address to joint session of Congress, calling for the creation of the Peace Corps. Congressmen listening to President Kennedy speak.
JFK Assassination Hearings - E. Aschkenasy & Mark Weiss (Part IV)
(02:02:40) Opens to discussion between E. ASCHKENASY, MARK WEISS, and Representative FLOYD FITHIAN about the acoustic tests and evidence used in these tests (02:03:48) Committee Chairman LOUIS STOKES recognizes Representative ROBERT EDGAR, Edgar says that his questions will be of a more technical nature as he is representing his and the questions of various scientists and legal experts who have all reviewed earlier testimony and reports of Weiss and Aschkenasy, Edgar's first question is how much of a factor was temperature in the experiments of Weiss and Aschkenasy - Weiss explains how they took it into account in their analysis (02:07:56) Edgar asks if the temperature during the assassination would have effected the speed at which the sound waves traveled - Asckenasy responds that its effect would have been insignificant because of the short distance and time in which the sound waves traveled and echoed (02:12:30) Stokes asks whether Weiss and Aschkenasy can determine the trajectory of the bullet - Weiss responds that the data they analyzed provides no more information on this other than the fact that the microphone picked up a shock wave meaning the gun fired from the knoll would have been in the general direction of the motorcade (02:15:06) Stokes recognizes Representative RICHARDSON PREYER, Preyer asks how Weiss and Aschkenasy accounted for the fact that the police tape of the assassination was recorded at a 5% slower speed than it happened in real-life - Weiss explains how they factored this into their analysis (02:19:35) Preyer asks about the use of new technologies to eliminate from the tape low level noises - Weiss says that they did not do this in their analysis (02:20:49) Stokes recognizes Representative SAMUEL DEVINE, Devine confirms that in sinking the tape to the Zapruder film one would have to take into account the fact that the shot was traveling at a super sonic speed and therefore would have likely hit its target before the sound was heard, he then asks Weiss if different experts can interpret facts differently - Weiss responds that this is true only if there is room within the facts for different interpretations (02:23:16) Stokes recognizes Delegate WALTER FAUNTROY, Fauntroy cofirms new technology or methods that have not undergone scientific scrutiny were not used in reaching Weiss and Aschkenasy's conclusions, Fauntroy then asks the Committee where they got their temperature figure for that day in Dallas (02:24:10) Blakey gives the committee the source of the temperature, Blakey then asks if one knows all the factors that the committee has come to about the three other shots fired by Oswald, their velocity, trajectory and points of impact could one then determine the temperature from this - Weiss seems disturbed by the proposition, he says it is possible to do but would involve a lot of new calculations and take some time (02:26:38) Fauntroy confirms that Aschkenasy and Weiss could calculate the temperature from the above given information - Weiss says they could do it but goes on to stress the relative insignificance of the temperature in their calculations (02:28:54) Edgar jumps in with another temperature question which Weiss and Asckenasy fend off (02:30:47) Stokes recognizes Representative CHRISTOPHER DODD who asks first about discrepancies between the map used in the men's calculations, Dodd then asks if a recreation with a motorcycle, gun shot and microphone would help substantiate things - Weiss responds that such a recreation would only give you a very similar echo structure to the one Weiss and Aschkenasy produced - Dodd then asks about the effect of moving the concluded location of the grassy knoll shooter - Weiss' response is cut short by the end of the tape
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
Opens with analysis of X-ray of Govenor JOHN CONNALLY'S wrist displayed on exhibit easel - Dr. CYRIL H. WECHT arguing that bullet that broke this "large" bone and previously broke the rib of govenor could not have emerged in such good shape (16:29:30) Good quote by Wecht about discovery of operating surgeon working on Conally's chest found five inches of that rib bone "literally pulverized" (16:30:37) DONALD PURDY asks Wecht if it is his opinion that bullet 399 could not have broken Connally's rib - Connally answers that bullet 399 could have caused damage to rib alone, Purdy asks could it have caused the other injuries to Connally as well - Wecht answers yes (16:31:00) Wecht returns to seat from exhibits and Purdy asks if possible that the bullet hitting Connally's back could have passed through anything else - Wecht answers no (16:32:38) Wecht claims that fact that scar on Conally's back is in a horizontal plane is more consistent with the shot being fired from the right rear side, entering with some degree of a tangential nature (16:32:38) Purdy inquires about Wecht's disagreement with forensic findings that there was only one bullet fired, he asks if president struck by second bullet how soon after was this shot fired - Wecht answers simultaneous to other shot (16:32:55)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
Wecht states that the wrist alone would have caused more deformation than is present in bullet 399 (16:49:40) Cornwell asks for bullet 399 back from Wecht (16:50:45) Camera on Wecht as Cornwell drops bullet after asking if he dropped it the 2 foot distance from his hand to the desk if it would damage the bullet, Cornwell then asks what the velocity of the fall was (16:52:10) Cornwell wants to know velocity at which bullet would deform - Wecht says he cannot put forth guess, but that the government should have done velocity tests with Mannlicher-Carcano rifle - Cornwell asks if Wecht can calculate the velocity at which the bullet would deform - Wech says it's possible - Cornwell asks if Wecht can calculate velocity necessary to shatter bone - Wecht says it's possible (16:53:10) Cornwell asks if velocities calculated above are different, could the bullet shatter bone but not be deformed - Wecht says he cannot answer such a hypothetical question (16:55:12) Turn to exhibit 254, an image of five bullets with various degrees of deformities - Cornwell asks Wecht to explain the relation of deformity to velocity of bullet - explained by Wecht bullets used in tests conducted by Warren Commission, fired out of Mannlicher-Carcano rifles at goat carcasses and human wrists - Cornwell asks for estimates of bullets' speed at various points in path through Connally - Wecht gives estimates based on assumption that bullet traveled through Kennedy first (16:56:25)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
Cornwell wants to know if comparison between bullet 399 with images of bullets in exhibit worthwhile as velocities between two could be different - Wecht answers no and goes on to explain velocities of bullets in image and what they were fired at (16:58:35) Cornwell wants to know what effect it would have on Wecht's doubt of the single bullet theory if it could be proved that bullet 399 did hit Connally's wrist - Wecht insists a test should be done in which velocities of bullets fired at cadaver wrists according to different bullet scenarios and judge by the results whether bullet 399 was possible as the "single bullet" (16:59:00)
JFK Assassination Hearings - E. Aschkenasy & Mark Weiss (Part III)
(01:09:03) Weiss explains further that they know that the wave pattern corresponds to a gun shot because of the uniqueness of its echo pattern, Weiss then goes on to explain in detail a unique attribute of the gun shot waves which was due to the fact that the initial sound was obstructed from reaching the microphone by the motorcycle windshield (01:16:07) Chairman LOUIS STOKES tells Weiss and Aschkenasy the "historical importance" of their testimony in stating that there was a shot fired from the grassy knoll and therefore a second shooter and likely a conspiracy, Stokes then asks what sort of scrutiny will Weiss and Aschkenasy's work come under - Weiss gives a long response, listing all the factors that he and Aschkenasy took into account when conducting their analysis, Weiss feels confident they left nothing out (01:22:12) Stokes confirms with Weiss that the two men have determined that 4 shots were fired in Dealey Plaza (01:23:23) Stokes asks if Weiss and Aschkenasy did anything in their tests that could not have been done in 1963 - Weiss responds no (01:25:00) Stokes asks why Dr. JAMES BARGER did not come to the same conclusions as Weiss and Aschkenasy - Weiss explains that his tests left him with a significantly larger margin of error (01:28:31) Stokes recognizes Representative RICHARDSON PREYER who first confirms that the acoustic tests performed by the two men are objective science, and then asks if the what Weiss has identified as a bullet shot could not have been a motorcycle back-firing - Weiss said it could have been, but that it would have to have been a motorcycle up on the grassy knoll, this receives much laughter from the gallery (01:33:00) Preyer asks about the number of peaks above the noise level Weiss affiliated with the gun shots - Weiss explains the peaks and their relation to his calculations
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Committee Chairman LOUIS STOKES recognizes Representative FLOYD J. FITHIAN to question the witness, Fithian asks Sturdivan to clear up a discrepancy between his description of the entrance wound in Governor JOHN CONNALLY and a description received in earlier testimony from others - Sturdivan explains where his description of the wound is coming from, a drawing done by one of the Parkland Hospital doctors of an ellipse, he then explains what the elliptical shape means as far as the bullet's path is concerned: it had an exaggerated yaw, or angle of spin, meaning it had to have hit something previous to reaching Connally.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Fithian confirms his understanding of earlier test data shown in exhibits about the effect of yaw on the bullet's path when traveling through simulated soft tissue.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Fithian asks various questions about the explosion of the head and the movement of the skull fragments - In response Sturdivan sums up Fithian's questions as whether or not the explosion of the skull would have propelled the head backwards, Sturdivan answers that the opposing velocity imparted by the propulsion of the skull fragments would have been incidental.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Fithian asks if a dry skull is harder than a living one - Sturdivan answers the opposite is true.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Sawyer confirms he understands correctly the correlation between the velocity needed for a bullet to deform and the velocity needed by a bullet to shatter a bone - Sturdivan agrees with his explanation and adds that yesterday's testimony of Dr. MICHAEL BADEN also confirms this relationship, Baden had mentioned hand gun bullets that he had examined that had broken bones but not themselves been deformed.