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What does the Altgens Photograph prove about the
Kennedy Assassination and the Warren Report?
The Altgens photôgraph taken at the time of the assassination
must have been the source of much anguish on the part of
the government personel working on the Kennedy assassination,
for not only did it show what appears to be Lee Harvey Oswald
in the doorway of the Depository Building, but, as Harold
Weisberg discovered, it shows the placement of the
presidential limousine in relation to the road marks, thus
precisely placing the picture. But I have nowhere seen in
the assassination literature a sound evaluation or analysis
of just what this means to the reconstruction of the
assassination. Harold Weisberg has had so much ground to
cover in his investigations that he eannot be expected to
delvee exaustively into each of the leads his workchas uncovered.
And because there was an element of inconclusiveness in his
treatment of this aspect of the case Josiah Thompson has
been able to ignore it in his reconstruction of theassassination
in Six Seconds in Dallas. It is high time that this source
of confusion and difference among the students of the assassinatin
was cleared up, and I propose to do so here.
to the first shot
The Altgens photograph clearly shows reaction ,on the part
of secret servicemen in the motorcade. These on the right
runningboard of the follow-up car behind the President's
limousine had turned their heads to look back over their
right shoulders, and the follow-up car behind the Vice-
President's ear had its door opened. There are other
evidences less obvious. It was imperative to the conclusions
of the Warren Report that this picture, which had been given
wide publicity, should be placed well after the assumed
beginning of the shooting. ThecReport assumed that the
beginning of the shooting was about frame 210 on the
Zapruder moving picture sequence, since that was the time
the president had come in sight of the window at which Oswald
was presumed to have been shooting, from behind the obscuring
F
tree. The Warren Report states that the Altgens picture
was taken at frame 255 of the Zapruder series; Weisberg
assumesthis to have been true, while yet making his discovery
that the full uncropped Altgens picture shows the presidential
limousine where the Warren Report asserted the Limousine was at Z210
as the time of the first shot. This means that either the
Warren Report's assertion as to the correlation of the
Zapruder pictures with the road was wrong, or that its
statement of the coordination of the Altgens photograph with
the Zapruder pictures was wrong, in ei ither case disproving the Report.
The
reaction to the shooting shown on the Altgens photograph,
located at the place on the road at which the Warren
,
Report had assumed to be about the place of the first shot,
ick would be full 45 frames off from what the Warren Report
had stated.
The question follows, why did the FB1 for the Warren
Report identify the Altgens photograph as being taken at
the same time as Zapruder's 255th moving picture frame?
The FBI's photographic expert, shaneyfelt, testified (5h158)
that Altgens' picture was taken "well past the signboard, well
past (Zapurder's) 249, which is the last frame we considered."
Commissioner McCloy responded, "well past|the evidence of reaction. It
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"ocrText": "What does the Altgens Photograph prove about the\nKennedy Assassination and the Warren Report?\nThe Altgens photôgraph taken at the time of the assassination\nmust have been the source of much anguish on the part of\nthe government personel working on the Kennedy assassination,\nfor not only did it show what appears to be Lee Harvey Oswald\nin the doorway of the Depository Building, but, as Harold\nWeisberg discovered, it shows the placement of the\npresidential limousine in relation to the road marks, thus\nprecisely placing the picture. But I have nowhere seen in\nthe assassination literature a sound evaluation or analysis\nof just what this means to the reconstruction of the\nassassination. Harold Weisberg has had so much ground to\ncover in his investigations that he eannot be expected to\ndelvee exaustively into each of the leads his workchas uncovered.\nAnd because there was an element of inconclusiveness in his\ntreatment of this aspect of the case Josiah Thompson has\nbeen able to ignore it in his reconstruction of theassassination\nin Six Seconds in Dallas. It is high time that this source\nof confusion and difference among the students of the assassinatin\nwas cleared up, and I propose to do so here.\nto the first shot\nThe Altgens photograph clearly shows reaction ,on the part\nof secret servicemen in the motorcade. These on the right\nrunningboard of the follow-up car behind the President's\nlimousine had turned their heads to look back over their\nright shoulders, and the follow-up car behind the Vice-\nPresident's ear had its door opened. There are other\nevidences less obvious. It was imperative to the conclusions\nof the Warren Report that this picture, which had been given\nwide publicity, should be placed well after the assumed\nbeginning of the shooting. ThecReport assumed that the\nbeginning of the shooting was about frame 210 on the\nZapruder moving picture sequence, since that was the time\nthe president had come in sight of the window at which Oswald\nwas presumed to have been shooting, from behind the obscuring\nF\ntree. The Warren Report states that the Altgens picture\nwas taken at frame 255 of the Zapruder series; Weisberg\nassumesthis to have been true, while yet making his discovery\nthat the full uncropped Altgens picture shows the presidential\nlimousine where the Warren Report asserted the Limousine was at Z210\nas the time of the first shot. This means that either the\nWarren Report's assertion as to the correlation of the\nZapruder pictures with the road was wrong, or that its\nstatement of the coordination of the Altgens photograph with\nthe Zapruder pictures was wrong, in ei ither case disproving the Report.\nThe\nreaction to the shooting shown on the Altgens photograph,\nlocated at the place on the road at which the Warren\n,\nReport had assumed to be about the place of the first shot,\nick would be full 45 frames off from what the Warren Report\nhad stated.\nThe question follows, why did the FB1 for the Warren\nReport identify the Altgens photograph as being taken at\nthe same time as Zapruder's 255th moving picture frame?\nThe FBI's photographic expert, shaneyfelt, testified (5h158)\nthat Altgens' picture was taken \"well past the signboard, well\npast (Zapurder's) 249, which is the last frame we considered.\"\nCommissioner McCloy responded, \"well past|the evidence of reaction. It"
}