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Denis Morissette

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Posts posted by Denis Morissette

  1. This is the summary of what the audio I had. I think there was a second audio tape on the shelves when I was at NARA. Maybe that part was on that cassette.

     

    DURAN, SYLVIA

    CASSETTE 1, SIDE 1 (39 minutes)

    0:02: Please explain how you obtained a job at the council?

    0:35: How did you know ___________ at this time?

    1:01. Because of his occupation, he knew your husband. Correct?

    1:18. When was the first time you came on the job?

    1:40. For how long did you keep working there?

    1:50. For how long after the JFK assassination did you keep working there?

    1:54. Sylvia: Only 2 days.

    1:58. During that time, what were the hours of operation?

    2:28. Was the councll open for visitors outside operating hours?

    Sylvia: No.

    2:38. Would you please give us the layout of the counsel at that time?

    CUTS OFF. 

    3:09. Late September 1963. We knew from you the other day that a man named Lee came.

    3:42. Do you remember if he came many times?

    Sylvia: 3 times.

    3:49: Do you remember the dates?

    Sylvia: No

    4:12: Were these on different dates?

    Sylvia: Same day.

    4:21. On the first visit, what did the man say and what you said in response?

    Sylvia. Wanted a visa to go to Cuba.

    5:25. Did he tell you what country he wanted to go to?

    Sylvia: Soviet Union.

    5:45. Did you suggest to him an alternative to get this visa?

    6:30. I understand you don’t have a distinct recollection of what you told Oswald, but you assume you told him that he needed to have friends in Cuba.

    7:05: CUTS.

    7:13. Is there any chance that he was at the council more on more than one day?

    Sylvia: No.  I read in Reader’s Digest that he was there at three different days. Friday, Saturday and Monday. That’s not true.

    7:48. Could have he come the first time on Thursday, and then on Friday?

    Sylvia: No. He came on the same day.

    8:18. Would it be consistent with your normal procedures that to type the application on his first visit even if he did not have a photo of himself?

    Sylvia. No. 

    8:39: In other words, you would have ensured you had a photo of him before starting that you type the application?

    Sylvia: Yes.

    9:02. Did he tell you where he lived at the time?

    Sylvia: No.

    9:11. Was it a problem that he did not have an address in Mexico City?

    10:03. On his second visit, you typed the application, ________, _____ picture _____. Is that correct? Then what did you do with it?

    11:14: Did he sign it in your presence?

    Sylvia: Yes.

    11:23. Anything occurred on the second visit?

    Sylvia: No. He said he was friends with the Cuban Revolution Party, that he worked in Russia, he had a card of the New Orleans FPFC, etc

    12:55. What was said or occurred to force him to show you all these?

    13:32. Did anyone tell him it would be good he produces all those documents?

    Sylvia: No.

    CUTS at 14:26.

    14:42. You said that after the second visit, he tried to get a visa from the Russian embassy. When did he return?

    Sylvia: After. 5 or 6.

    15:10. That was not during the normal hours. Correct?

    Sylvia: Correct. 

    15:19. How were you able to talk to him?

    15:25. Sylvia: The doorman came up to me telling me that someone here that does not speak Spanish. “Can I send him to you”, the doorman asked.

    15:55. Did you go to the gate?

    Sylvia: No. Some other people did.

    Discussion goes on regarding where the man located when he was around the building.

    16:54. The man said he already had his Russian visa. I told him it would not be possible to give him the Cuban visa because he had to wait for the answer from Cuba.

    17:20. Did he show you the Russian visa?

    Sylvia: No.

    18:16. The Russian embassy told you that he did not have a visa, but just applied for it. Correct?

    Sylvia: Yes.

    18:39. Sylvia. He got angry, was almost crying.

    20:12. Sylvia.  I felt sorry for him. He was cute and looked desperate.

    20:27. Has he ever told you he spoke or understood Spanish?

    Sylvia: No.

    20:45. Asks if her working days include Saturday.

    Sylvia: Yes.

    20:55. Is it possible that he came back on Saturday morning? How can you be sure he did not?

    Sylvia: No. Because I told you before. He was easy to remember. He was married to a Russian woman, he lived in Russia.

    21:46. I understand that. But I don’t understand how that really answers… CUTS.

    21:58. What about the events make you sure he did not come back on Saturday?

    22:07. Sylvia: Because I remember the type. CUTS

    22:19. Silence.

    22:30. Anything else you can recall about the possibility that he had the intention of killing President Kennedy?

    Sylvia: No.

    22:53. Let me read something to you. An extract from the book Clearing the Air written by Daniel Schorr published in 1977. It says in it that Fidel Castro said that Oswald came to the Cuban embassy. He said on his second visit, “Someone ought to shoot that President Kennedy”. Then Oswald said, “Maybe I’ll try to do it”. Do you remember that?

    24:38. Sylvia: I don’t remember.

    25:03. Do you think this conversation could have occurred, but you could have forgotten about it?

    25:57. Do you remember Oswald blamed the US or JFK for his inability to enter Cuba?

    26:48. Who was Lee angry at?

    27:32. On the 3rd visit, you had suspicious about Oswald’s documents?

    29:37: CUTS.

    29:45. Have you ever seen him after the 3rd visit? Either in person or by telephone?

    Sylvia: No.

    30:15. Anyone overheard the conversations?

    30:35. Anyone present during the conversation?

    30:47. CUTS OFF.

    31:08. Did you ever hear a conversation inside or outside the embassy about the possibly of Oswald killing JFK?

    Sylvia: No.

    32:15. What were your personal feelings towards JFK?

    Discussion goes on until 36:55 on the feeling of the pro-Castro Mexicans towards JFK.

    36:55. Did you ever hear any Cuban counsollors?

    37:31. When the news came that JFK got killed, and you heard the name of the Oswald. Is there anything that you made you realize that you could have known that Oswald would kill JFK?

    Sylvia: No. He was a weak man. He was not the kind of a man to kill the president.

    39:07. So based on your contact with him, you still think he did not kill JFK?

    Sylvia: I don’t think so.












     

  2. 5 minutes ago, James DiEugenio said:

    Does this include the question by Eddie Lopez near the end of the interview when he asked her: 

    How tall was the man you talked to about the in transit visa? 

    She asked Cornwell to stand up and said, "He was about that tall."

    A mild giggle broke out.

    Gary is about 5' 6" on a good day.

     

    I'll check my summary of the interview. I don't remember that part.

  3. If Boone found the Mauser, then who found the Carcanno?

    Can you name at least one officer who saw 2 rifles being found or examined on the 6th floor? All photos and films inside and outside the TSBD show a Carcanno. Any photo of the Mauser? Craig told a reporter in 1968 that he did not know the rifle type because he did not know foreign rifles. How come he was able to recall 3 years later that it showed Mauser on the rifle? Why did Carl Day tell me that only one rifle was found? 

    Who brought the Mauser out of the TSBD and at what time? 

    If Weitzman insisted that it was a Mauser but never mentioned the Mauser stamp on the rifle? Wouldn't have it more credibility to the Mauser story?

    Weitzman's affidavit does not say that it was a Mauser. It says it was a Mauser bolt-action. Isn't a Carcanno a Mauser bolt-action?

    Roger Craig claimed that that either Day or his assistant took photos of the Mauser. Where are those photos? If you have them, can you post them here? Has anyone of you contacted the DPD or the City of Dallas to obtain copies of them?

  4. 4 hours ago, Tommy Tomlinson said:

     Sorry Denis, I missed this reply.

    That's interesting to know. If people knew he was sensitive about it it suggests it may have come up on occasion.

    My google-fu is weak today, any idea for a link to something that points out what time Barnett took up his position?

    Thanks for asking since it led me to learn that Barnett's 6FM oral history is online.

    https://emuseum.jfk.org/objects/38314/we-gene-barnett-oral-history

  5. 25 minutes ago, Lance Payette said:

    Oh, OK, gotcha. I forgot the thread was about Lifton. Did Michael tell Lifton why he thought Fritz had slapped him?

    Maybe Michael told Lifton, but Lifton did not tell us. It's on audio tape. Someone at NARA was assigned yesterday to assist me on getting the audio.

  6. 2 minutes ago, Lance Payette said:

    Are you responding to me? If the slap occurred - which I have no particular reason to doubt, given Fritz's treatment of Frazier - what would this tell us about anything? OK, in the aftermath of the assassination, Fritz was something less than a pussycat. I'm not aware that Lifton made clear why Michael said Fritz had slapped him, but in any event why would we think this tells us anything about the Paines? Did Fritz's treatment of Frazier tell us anything about Frazier?

    I'm just adding something that has to do with Paine and Lifton. I wanted to know what people think of this. That's all. It's something Lifton brought up a few months ago. He had never related this slap with the alleged slap attempt on Frazier. Fritz beating up suspects was brought up by DPD Captain George Butler in 1968. He said that he would have beaten up Oswald had the FBI agents not being present during the interrogations. These are just allegations from a Garrison team member.

  7. Officer W.E. Barnett covered the TSBD doorway thinking that officer Joe Smith would be covering the back entrance, which he did not. Joe Smith ran to the grassy knoll where he was informed by a lady that "they shot from the bushes". I doubt that Smith got any problems because of that.  

    Ellis asked me to be gentle on Baker if I ever talked to him on that issue. Baker was very sensitive on that issue. I never did.

  8. From Andrej:

    «I looked at the photograph you posted. While the person standing on one of the lower steps has a light-coloured hair like Mrs. Stanton had, this person does not appear obese, at least as far as I can judge from this photograph. Mrs. Stanton would not stand with both her feet on an narrow area of one tread because she was extremely obese, weighing some 300 pounds.

    The coïncidences do happen. It could be that a blonde-haired lady came in to the doorway at some point after the shooting for being curious or becaused she worked in the Depository.

    I can make a reply to your post in Prayer Man thread if you wish. »

  9. Chris Davidson emailed me back with a reply. I asked him a week ago if he minds me reposting it. I have not received any answer back. I feel safe to share it with you. No confidential or for-your-eyes-only info as far as I can see. He also included a collage.

    Denis,

    She appears to be 3 steps down from the landing = 3 x 7.25” = 21.75”

    Glass door frame is approx 84” high - 3” solid aluminum trim above door(estimate) = 81”

    Her head height touches the center glass door handle.

    The handle is at the halfway point at 40.5”

    40.5” + 21.75” = 62.15” = 5’2” approx.

    In the photo/frame you supplied, I lightened the shadow area(red box) and another woman is back there.

    These might be the same two women I pointed out in the Willis photo awhile back.

    Don’t know for sure.

    https://s4.gifyu.com/images/Denis.png

  10. 20 hours ago, Gerry Down said:

    Thanks.

    Here is a link to the original HSCA hand written notes for anyone that is interested:

    https://web.archive.org/web/20190608170748/http://www.jfkassassinationfiles.com/HSCA-180-10109-10154.pdf

    Those handwritten notes are important as they include a diagram at the end showing where Ellis was at the time of the shooting. The drawing shows him to be alongside the drivers door area of the lead car. So apparently what happened was that he was in this general location when he heard/ saw the first shot, then veered his motorcycle off to his right a little to communicate through the drivers window to Curry that something had occurred. And this is when the next two shots went off. 

    I'm glad that my defunct website is still useful.

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