Warren Commission (04 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (04 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. DULLES. The witness has certified to the fact that these are true
photographs of the prints that we have seen.
Representative BOGGS. And the witness has also certified that those are
Oswald's prints?
Mr. LATONA. No; I cannot certify to that.
Mr. EISENBERG. Do you want to explain that?
Mr. LATONA. As I am not the one that fingerprinted Oswald, I cannot
tell from my own personal knowledge that those are actually the
fingerprints of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. EISENBERG. But you can certify that those prints are identical with
the prints on the card which bears the name of Lee Harvey Oswald which
was furnished to you?
Mr. LATONA. That is right.
Mr. EISENBERG. We will get other evidence in the record at a subsequent
time to show those were the prints of Oswald. Mr. Latona, you were
saying that you had worked over that rifle by applying a gray powder to
it. Did you develop any fingerprints?
Mr. LATONA. I was not successful in developing any prints at all on the
weapon. I also had one of the firearms examiners dismantle the weapon
and I processed the complete weapon, all parts, everything else. And no
latent prints of value were developed.
Mr. EISENBERG. Does that include the clip?
Mr. LATONA. That included the clip, that included the bolt, it included
the underside of the barrel which is covered by the stock.
Mr. EISENBERG. Were cartridge cases furnished to you at that time?
Mr. LATONA. They were, which I processed, and from which I got no
prints.
Mr. EISENBERG. Therefore, the net result of your work on Exhibit 139
was that you could not produce an identifiable print?
Mr. LATONA. That's correct.
Mr. DULLES. May I ask one question? Does the Secret Service do
fingerprinting work, or do they turn it over to you--turn to you for
all of that?
Mr. LATONA. I think they do some of their own, and on occasion we
will do some for them, too. Primarily I think they do their own. I am
not too familiar with the Secret Service as to how elaborate their
laboratory is.
Mr. EISENBERG. So as of November 23, you had not found an identifiable
print on Exhibit 139?
Mr. LATONA. That is right.
Mr. EISENBERG. I now hand you a small white card marked with certain
initials and with a date, "11-22-63." There is a cellophane wrapping,
cellophane tape across this card with what appears to be a fingerprint
underneath it, and the handwriting underneath that tape is "off
underside of gun barrel near end of foregrip C 2766," which I might
remark parenthetically is the serial number of Exhibit 139. I ask you
whether you are familiar with this item which I hand you, this card?
Mr. LATONA. Yes; I am familiar with this particular exhibit.
Mr. EISENBERG. Can you describe to us what that exhibit consists of,
that item rather?
Mr. LATONA. This exhibit or this item is a lift of a latent palmprint
which was evidently developed with black powder.
Mr. EISENBERG. And when did you receive this item?
Mr. LATONA. I received this item November 29, 1963.
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