Warren Commission (06 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (06 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. DILLARD. Perhaps, oh, just a few feet around the corner and it
seems we had slowed a great deal. It seems that our car had slowed down
so that we were moving rather slowly and perhaps just passed the turn
when I heard the first explosion.
Mr. BALL. Did you hear anyone in your car say anything?
Mr. DILLARD. Well, after the third shot I know my comment was, "They
killed him." I don't know why I said that but Jackson--there was some
running comment about what can we do or where is it coming from and
we were all looking. We had an absolutely perfect view of the School
Depository from our position in the open car, and Bob Jackson said,
"There's a rifle barrel up there." I said, "Where?" I had my camera
ready. He said, "It's in that open window." Of course, there were
several open windows and I scanned the building.
Mr. BALL. Which building?
Mr. DILLARD. The School Depository. And at the same time I brought my
camera up and I was looking for the window. Now, this was after the
third shot and Jackson said, "There's the rifle barrel up there," and
then he said it was the second from the top in the right-hand side, and
I swung to it and there was two figures below, and I just shot with
one camera, 100-mm. lens on a 35-mm. camera which is approximately a
two times daily photo twice normal lens and a wide angle on a 35-mm.
which took in a considerable portion of the building and I shot those
pictures in rapid sequence with the two cameras.
Mr. BALL. You shot how many pictures?
Mr. DILLARD. Two pictures.
Mr. BALL. With one camera or two different cameras?
Mr. DILLARD. Two different cameras--one daily photo, not extreme daily
photo, but twice the normal lens.
Mr. BALL. You say your cameras were ready? How were they ready?
Mr. DILLARD. Hung around my neck and held in my hand.
Mr. BALL. You brought them up and focused and shot?
Mr. DILLARD. Well, on the whole ride, I had been watching the tops of
buildings and watching for any signs or anything unusual which, of
course, is a newsman's chore on a parade like that. We were badly--in a
very bad position from our viewpoint to cover anything on the parade,
so we were all, as any news photographer is, rather tense when he is
covering a Presidential or an affair of that sort and he is trying to
get whatever pictures possible and watching for every possibility, and
so we all tried for a number of things. Incidentally, the only unusual
thing in the parade that I noticed was the President--I understand the
President stopped his car at Lemmon and Loma Alta, which is out in the
near suburbs of Dallas, as I understand, at the request of a sign that
said, "Mr. President, stop and shake hands with us." I jumped out of
the car--it was a convertible with the top down--and tried to run to
get pictures of it but by that time the parade started and I was unable
to get up that far.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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