MENTESANA FILM

[Karl Kinaski]

 

I wonder if the Mentesana-film shotgun ( it lacks a scope) is the gun, brought down by officers from the roof (or seventh, or sixth floor) by the fire escape ladder on the eastside of the TSBD ... an action seen on a film by Jim Garrison. In his book ON THE TRAIL OF THE ASSASSINS Garrison says, that it was Richard Sprague, who showed him that film. Since the MENTESANA film shows two men on the fire escape latter, and  in another cut a group of men on the ground with a shotgun, I wonder if Garrison had seen the Mentesana film. A complete version of it, including the scene with the gun on the fire escape ladder ... obviously the Y-Tube- Mentesana film shows only some short cuts ... acc. to Garrison the film he saw ( with officers bringing down a gun on the fire escape ladder), was stored in the archive of the Western New England College, Springfield, Massachusetts. 

 

Another good point that the film seen by Garrison could have been a complete version of the Mentesana film is, that he says the gun he saw on film lacked a scope ... the Mentesana film gun lacks a scope ... 

Ernest Charles Mentesana died in 1969. He was 51. 

KK

[Karl Kinaski]

Further indication that the film Garrison saw was a complete version of the Mentesana film. In his book ON THE TRAIL OF THE ASSASSINS Garrison states that the film he saw (with the officers with a gun that lacks a scope on the fire escape ladder of the TSDB) was from a group called the DALLAS CINEMA ASSOCIATES. Mentesana was a member of the Dallas Cinema Associates. 

Quote from Oswalds 201 file: 

Charles Mentesana advised that  (...) he  (...) continued to the Katy Railroad Freight Depot near the Texas School Book Depository Building to pick up some salvaged food stuffs which he had previously purchased, and it was then that he learned of the shooting of President Kennedy. He said he then took several feet more of film of the turmoil in and around the Depository Building. He advised he sent this film to the Fox Film Company of Dallas for processing. Mentesana advised that he is a member of the “Dallas 8 mm Movie Club,” and, during the early part of January, 1964, a fellow movie club member, one Albert Bunnell, called him at the store and told him that he, Bunnell had been contacted by a Mrs. Irving Gewertz concerning the film sequences which he had taken of the motorcade. He stated Bunell told him that Mrs. Gewertz likewise had a series of film sequences and was interested in exchanging duplicates of film with others who had film of the motorcade and Mrs. Gewertz desired to view Mentesana’s film. Mentesana advised that, accordingly, he and Bunnell attended a meeting of several other film holders and, upon seeing his film on the screen, Mrs. Gewertz was interested in obtaining copies of his film in exchange for her copies, to which he agreed.

Mentesana advised that, subsequent to this original arrangement, Mrs. Gewertz organized a group, totaling eighteen in number, of various film holders, including himself and Albert Bunell, and that this organization incorporated itself, in March, 1964, under the name “Dallas Cinema Associates, Inc.” Mentesana advised he had attended all subsequent meetings of the corporation, and is under the impression the film is presently being prepared for marketing on the home-movie market.

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