Search the Community

Here is a forwarded question from Jeff Carter, who has been working with me on the 5o Reasons series: Watching same-day TV coverage of the assassination and I am curious when Oswald was first identified by name in the media. The earliest I have found is interesting. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbiS7AaUDfA (at aprox 2 minutes 45 seconds). Footage originates from ABC's network studio in New York, where news anchor Don Goddard is on camera with network VP and former Eisenhower press man James Hagerty. Over the course of several segments, Hagerty had been making a case that this has the appearance of a well-planned conspiracy. He is finishing up a discussion of the difficulties of Secret Service protection in large-city motorcades when Goddard says: "Well, this adds one to the case for conspiracy then. and the Dallas Police are apparently trying to add another - they have arrested a 24-year-old man, Lee Oswald in connection with a slaying of a Dallas policeman and presumably also the slaying of a secret service man in another part of Dallas which happened shortly before the President…" Hagerty inhales and cuts Goddard off to praise quick reaction by the Secret Service in speeding away from Dealey Plaza. (Based on eyewitness report from ABC reporter Bob Clark, who also interestingly said that the motorcade came to a complete halt, which Hagerty does not mention). (The story of a dead Secret Service man has been attached to the news from Oak Cliff up to this time, but soon is dropped. ) This sequence occurs soon after Zapruder's appearance on the local affiliate (WFAA-TV), which began approx 2:10 PM CST - so the Oswald ID as delivered by Goddard happens somewhere between 2:20 - 2:25 PM CST (certainly before 2:30). Not only that, Goddard appears to read this information from a piece of paper which has been sitting before him since they returned to air immediately following Zapruder. Interestingly, the local affiliate WFAA follows up about a half hour later with information attributed to DPD captain Pat Gannaway that the "suspect" worked at the TSBD and lived in Russia (WFAA Part 14). Oswald's name and age are not mentioned. Would this mean that Oswald's name and age was available to ABC's network office in NYC before it was announced to reporters in Dallas?