Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. KennedyUnited States. Warren Commission
History
Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
On November 22, however, before surrendering possession of the rifle
to the FBI Laboratory, Lieutenant Day of the Dallas Police Department
had “lifted” a palmprint from the underside of the gun barrel “near
the firing end of the barrel about 3 inches under the Woodstock when I
took the Woodstock loose.”[C4-52] “Lifting” a print involves the use of
adhesive material to remove the fingerprint powder which adheres to the
original print. In this way the powdered impression is actually removed
from the object.[C4-53] The lifting had been so complete in this case
that there was no trace of the print on the rifle itself when it was
examined by Latona. Nor was there any indication that the lift had been
performed.[C4-54] Day, on the other hand, believed that sufficient
traces of the print had been left on the rifle barrel, because he
did not release the lifted print until November 26, when he received
instructions to send “everything that we had” to the FBI.[C4-55] The
print arrived in the FBI Laboratory in Washington on November 29,
mounted on a card on which Lieutenant Day had written the words “off
underside gun barrel near end of foregrip C2766.”[C4-56] The print’s
positive identity as having been lifted from the rifle was confirmed
by FBI Laboratory tests which established that the adhesive material
bearing the print also bore impressions of the same irregularities that
appeared on the barrel of the rifle.[C4-57]
Latona testified that this palmprint was the right palmprint of
Lee Harvey Oswald.[C4-58] At the request of the Commission, Arthur
Mandella, fingerprint expert with the New York City Police Department,
conducted an independent examination and also determined that this
was the right palmprint of Oswald.[C4-59] Latona’s findings were also
confirmed by Ronald G. Wittmus, another FBI fingerprint expert.[C4-60]
In the opinion of these experts, it was not possible to estimate the
time which elapsed between the placing of the print on the rifle and
the date of the lift.[C4-61]
Experts testifying before the Commission agreed that palmprints
are as unique as fingerprints for purposes of establishing
identification.[C4-62] Oswald’s palmprint on the underside of the
barrel demonstrates that he handled the rifle when it was disassembled.
A palmprint could not be placed on this portion of the rifle, when
assembled, because the wooden foregrip covers the barrel at this
point.[C4-63] The print is additional proof that the rifle was in
Oswald’s possession.
Fibers on Rifle
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