JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
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
Goldsmith asks what basis did the Warren Commission have for the timing of the shots - Groden answers the Zapruder film and explains. Goldsmith asks what frame JFK shows a reaction - Groden answers and then explains other frame when JFK hit in the head, he then explains the minimum time necessary to fire and re-fire Mannlicher-Carcano rifle.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
Goldsmith asks what wounds were attributed to the two bullets the Warren Commission believes hit the limousine - Groden describes the targets and paths of the two bullets, one exploding the head of JFK the other taking the route of the single bullet theory through JFK's neck and the body, wrist and thigh of Governor JOHN CONNALLY.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
New exhibit introduced of diagram of men's positioning in the limousine from top view - Groden describes the moment JFK shot through the neck in relation to the Zapruder film, he then explains the diagram, drawn by a Warren Commission critic, as revealing the unlikelihood of the single bullet theory, the trajectories do not match up in that moment with the men's positions
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
Goldsmith asks aside from the positioning of the men what else does the Zapruder film reveal that is inconsistent with the single bullet theory - Groden answers that the men's reactions are not synced, JFK grabs his neck a good time before Connally reacts. Goldsmith asks how relative to the Zapruder film the Warren Commission came to the conclusion it did - Groden answers that the time elapsed between when JFK was possibly shot (on the film it is obscured by a road sign) in the neck and when Connally shows a response is too short a time for another shot to have been fired by the same gun. Goldsmith introduces the Zapruder film that is about to be shown to the committee - Groden explains that the first take will be the original film and the second will be one that has been slowed down and subjected to rotoscoping which he explains is a process by which the image has been centered on JFK and Connally and steadied. Groden explains what to look for in the film, particularly the reactions of both men and when they occur. Goldsmith gives the name of the copyright holder for the film and warns sensitive viewers to turn away.
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 - Robert Groden
"CONTAINS ZAPRUDER FILM CONTENT, REQUIRES PERMISSION* Lights on, Goldsmith introduces exhibits of five frames of Zapruder film. Groden identifies each exhibit and then describes them one by one in relation to the Zapruder film pointing out that it seems that Connally reacts a little later than JFK and actually appears to be turning to look back in reaction to the first shot. Goldsmith asks what the Zapruder film reveals about the direction of the shots - Groden says that JFK's head movement back suggests the possibility that a shot came from in front of the car. At Goldsmith's request Groden tells the committee what to look for as far as JFK's head movement is concerned upon a second viewing of the film.
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
Lights back on, Goldsmith asks about the Warren Commission's presentation of JFK's head movement from the Zapruder film - Groden explains that in their report they published the frames of the film out of sequence, obscuring the backward movement of the head, making it Groden explains, look as though JFK flew forward with the shot. Goldsmith asks if there is any photographic evidence to support the Warren Commission's finding of LEE HARVEY OSWALD having fired from the school book depository - Groden answers there were many photographs taken of the book depository.
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
Two more photographs of the motorcade are introduced - they are explained by Groden to be from behind the rear of JFK's limousine looking forward in their path toward the grassy knoll, a hill suspected of being the spot from which the shot was fired that exploded and knocked back JFK's head - Groden describes these photos as both revealing a figure on the knoll who witnesses later said they saw runaway, Groden says he is positioned just as he would need to be to have shot JFK's head and caused it to move back in the angle it did (from the shot of the photographs it is very hard to see anything where Groden claims there is a person)
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
"CONTAINS ZAPRUDER FILM CONTENT, REQUIRES PERMISSION* Groden explains the two main players in the conspiracy possibilities of the photographs: JOSEPH MILTERE (?) and the UMBRELLA MAN - the Umbrella man is the first one to be discussed, an exhibit of four sequential images of him as the motorcade passes by are shown and his reactions are explained and analyzed by Groden who finds him very suspicious, Groden mentions that this man was never identified. Groden gives the story of the possible conspirator Joseph Miltere who he describes as an ultra-right winger that had contact with an FBI informant, with this informant he shared plans to assassinate JFK via a shot from a rifle in an office building and including a patsy to take the fall, Groden goes on to say that there is a crowd photograph from Dealey Plaza which shows a man that looks a lot like Miltere.
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
New photographs are introduced, they are of a police parade of three men that Groden identifies as "the tramps", Groden explains that the tramps were three men who were arrested behind the book depository in a box car in connection with JFK's assassination, a report of their arrest was never written up so their identity remains a mystery, Groden speculates with others that two of them are Watergate henchmen: FRANK STURGIS and E. HOWARD HUNT, and if not Hunt this man has also been compared to FRED LEE CHRISTMAN, an ultra-righter and member of the Minutemen - a photographic comparison is exhibited in which the two tramps are compared to their suspected likenesses.