The Zapruder Film Provenance

[Chris Scally]

In an earlier post, Bill Kelly asked: "And if this is page 14 - what is a part of where's the rest of it?"

Unfortunately, when I sent the single-page document about the "late 1963" examination of the film at NPIC to Bill, it had become detached in my files from the memo which accompanied it. That memo, from E.H. Knoche, Assistant to the CIA Director, to Robert B. Olsen, Senior Counsel, Commission on CIA Activities Within the United States, was dated 7 May 1975, and reads in part: "Attached is an addendum to our comments on the Hoch memorandum. The comments were sent to you on 29 April 1975. The addendum is keyed to Page 16 of the Hoch memo."

So my interpretation of the context of the document is that it is an addendum to a memo from the CIA Director's office to the Commission on CIA Activities Within the United States, and attempts to answer a question raised by Paul Hoch on page 16 of a memo which he had earlier sent to the Commission, and which had been referred to the CIA for attention.

So, my apologies, Bill, for any confusion caused - and, for what its worth, I believe the document refers to the Dino Brugioni NPIC event on the night of Saturday November 23, 1963.

Chris.

[Will Emaus]

Addendum to comment on Zapruder film

This is my retyping of a document that apparently accompanied the release of the yellow legal pads and remaining NPIC briefing boards to the Church Committee and/or ARRB.

What does anybody make of it?

Are they talking about either of the two Z-film jobs done at NPIC on the weekend of the assassination? Sounds like the first one - with Brugioni to me.

And if this is page 14 - what is a part of where's the rest of it?

Thanks to Chris Scally for this one.

BK

P. 14

Addendum to comment on Zapruder film:

In late 1963, the Secret Service brought a copy of the Zapruder film to Director McCone and asked to have the film analyzed technically, particularly with regard to anything

That could be learned from the film concerning elapsed time between rifle shots.

A laboratory at the National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC) was made available for the analysis late that same night. The film was analyzed in individual stop frames, and two sets of four briefing boards each were prepared by NPIC. Because the film had been taken in a spring-powered movie camera, it was not possible to determine precise time between shots without access to the camera to time the rate of spring run-down. We assume the Secret Service informed the Warren Commission about anything of value resulting from our technical analysis of the film, but we have no direct knowledge that they did so.

Secret Service representatives were present during the process of analysis and took the film and one set of briefing boards away with them that night. Mr. McCone retained one set of boards. The set was controlled carefully; very few people saw it. It was retired to a CIA records storage facility subsequently. This set has been recalled from storage and can be made available if required.

Blacked out square at the bottom middle of the page.

Bill, this seems pretty similar to Brugioni's account...

DB-He also said that the Secret Service was vitally interested in timing how many seconds occurred between various frames, and that Ralph Pearse informed them, to their surprise and dismay, that this would be a useless procedure because the Bell and Howell movie camera (that they told him had taken the movie) was a spring-wound camera, with a constantly varying operating speed, and that while he could certainly time the number of seconds between various frames if they so desired, that in his view it was an unscientific and useless procedure which would provide bad data, and lead to false conclusions, or words to that effect. Nevertheless, at the request of the two Secret Service agents, Ralph Pearse dutifully used a stopwatch to time the number of seconds between various frames of interest to their Secret Service customers.

I agree Will,

But why do they say "late 1963"? and "late that same night"?

Brugioni's event took place on the weekend of the assassination, probably on Saturday, as Zapruder delievered the SS copy to a jet at the Grand Prarie Naval Air Station at 10 PM Friday night, so it was in DC by midnight.

Lundahl briefed McCone on their analysis of the Z-film with the briefing boards early the next day. But when McCone went to brief LBJ, who was with McGeorge Bundy in the Situation Room, LBJ didn't want to be briefed and waved him off. There was nothing McCone could tell LBJ at that point that he needed to know. Especially the fact that the Zapruder film indicated there were two shooters and thus a conspiracy.

So when RFK crosses paths with McCone, after already accusing McCone's Cuban boys of being behind the murder, he looks McCone in the eye and asks for an honest report, and McCone tells him there were two shooters, based on Lundahl's analysis and briefing.

That's how and why RFK told Arthur Schlesinger that the FBI said there was no conspiracy, but the "CIA said there were two shooters."

That's what I believe was the conclusion of Lundahl's briefing - that the Z film indicates two shooters, and McCone was not given the opportunity to pass that on to LBJ, who didn't want to hear it.

BK

Bill, agreed...but then where this gets strange (to me anyways) is that Homer McMahon recognized his own handwriting on this page of the notes - http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...mp;relPageId=10

He said in the transcript that the processing information is in his handwriting, and then beneath that there are calculations on this page that correlate with the calculations made on previous pages relating to shot timing.

I thought that Brugioni said that the existing briefing boards themselves didn't match the ones he helped prepare and that in his session the boards only contained two frames per board. The earlier pages of the handwritten notes clearly describe more than two frames per board. That gives me the impression that the description in the addendum is referring to Brugioni's session but the notes themselves may be from McMahon's.

Thoughts?

Will

[William Kelly]

DOUG HORNE REPORTS AND GIVES INITIAL ANALYSIS:

I have reviewed the document attached to Chris Scally's e-mail.

I have never seen it before. (Which may be significant in and of itself---it is apparently not in flat 90A at the Archives, where the rest of the notes are today.)

After reviewing it I am convinced it refers to the creation of the surviving briefing board set---not to the Dino Brugioni briefing boards (which remain missing).

The involvement of McCone referenced in this document is not to be confused with the involvement of McCone in the Dino event. This document (apparently released to Hoch in 1976 or 78?) provides one new piece of information for me: although McMahon made three sets of prints, the document says only two SETS of briefing boards were made. Hmmmm...interesting, but I don't know whether I believe that or not. I suppose one set of prints could have been destroyed if not used.

Yes, "Eyeball to Eyeball" is a great source of information about Lundahl, since it was written by Dino.

PLEASE REMEMBER that I interviewed McMahon on the phone extensively before the recorded interview from which you made a transcript, and again afterwards, in the presence of Ben Hunter and the 4 panels in the Archives. (Those written reports are in the Archives, and are also published in Fetzer's book, MIDP.) The writeup in my book is an amalgamation of those THREE interviews, not simply a summary of the one recorded interview. The "certainty" in my book which seems to trouble your correspondent reflects ALL THREE INTERVIEWS, not simply the one recorded one.

AND ADDS:

The Homer McMahon prints were made BEFORE THE FUNERAL (per both Homer McMahon and Ben Hunter), and therefore had to happen Sunday night, since Dino is sure his event happened Saturday night.

In addition to making the prints for the four surviving briefing board panels on Sunday night, McMahon and Hunter also created the handwritten page in the NPIC noptes which list the frame numbers.

The rest of the notes they did not recognize, and did not create (i.e., the shot and timing analysis).

What we do not know with any precision is (1) exactly when the 4 surviving briefing board panels were created; and (2) when the shot and timing analysis notes were created at NPIC (the ones that reference LIFE magazine's Dec 6th issue and posit a three shot, 3-hit scenario).

The person .... is correct that Dino's event was Saturday night and was commissioned by McCone, who approached Lundahl about it. Lundahl then called Dino on the phone and the Saturday night event (Event I) kicked into gear.

Exactly when the actual briefing board panels were made is not that important to me, since I know the prints used to make them were created Sunday night.

Actually, I suspect that the briefing board panels (the four surviving ones) were probably made early AM Monday, Nov 25th, or the day after the funeral.

I believe the shot and timing analysis was conducted after the December 6th issue of LIFE hit the newsstands---which is usually several days prior to the official date of the issue.

Doug

Also, Many thanks to Chris Scully, Jerry Ellis, Will and Tom Scully for helping to develop these leads. - BK

Edited March 5, 2010 by William Kelly

[William Kelly]

So now, the consensus is that there were three Z film events at the NPIC, two during the weekend of the assassination and one after the publication of the Life Mag?

Also, does anyone have the reports on Horne's second interview with Hunter and McMahon?

Thanks,

BK

[Will Emaus]

So now, the consensus is that there were three Z film events at the NPIC, two during the weekend of the assassination and one after the publication of the Life Mag?

Also, does anyone have the reports on Horne's second interview with Hunter and McMahon?

Thanks,

BK

Bill, I was looking through the timelines and see a reference to when the FBI determined 18.3fps using Zapruder's camera (December 4th) but I don't see anything relating to when Life had Zapruder's camera.

http://books.google.com/books?id=T1IEAAAAM...;q=&f=false

The Life production cycle starts roughly a week before the date on the issue, so Paul Mandel's article in the December 6th issue of Life had to be completed by November 28th, and yet they already have 18fps in this article...so when did they have Zapruder's camera to determine 18fps?

Knowing when would help narrow down when the first opportunity was for the NPIC folks to have used Life's information...

it doesn't have to be when the magazine hits the streets, they could have gotten it directly from Life's staff.

[Chris Scally]

Will:

The dates on which the various camera speeds and individual frame numbers were known is as follows, to the best of my knowledge:

Zapruder told FBI Agent R.M. Barrett on December 4, 1963 that the Secret Service had access to his camera on the previous day for some unspecified “checking”, and Zapruder handed the camera over to Barrett on December 4. The camera had three standard speeds – animation (single frame), run (16 frames per second), and slow motion (48 frames per second).

We know that after Barrett got the camera on December 4, it went to the FBI lab for testing. On December 20, the lab reported that the “normal run speed” of the camera was actually 18.3 fps. The Warren Commission subsequently requested a more detailed study of the camera speed, which the FBI provided on February 3, 1964. That study showed that the fully wound camera (Zapruder said his camera was fully wound) ran at an average of 18.0 to 18.1 fps for the first 10 seconds, it gradually increased to 18.3 to 18.5 fps for the next 20 seconds, then gradually decreased to 18.1 fps for 10 seconds before the final 20 seconds, which ran at an average speed of 17.6 to 17.9 fps.

On January 27, the FBI began their examination of the film itself, using a second-generation copy. By January 30, FBI agent Lyndal Shaneyfelt had assigned frame numbers to the individual frames of the film.

In summary, then, the camera speed was naturally assumed to be the factory setting of 16 fps until December 20, 1963 when the FBI reported it to be 18.3 fps. More detailed/precise speeds were known by February 3, 1964, and the individual frame numbers were assigned January 27-30, 1964.

I cannot find any reference whatsoever to the camera being in the possession of Life at any point, so I don’t know where they could have heard the 18 fps speed before mid-December, at the earliest (remember, the standard camera setting was 16 fps).

Interesting.....

Chris.

[Will Emaus]

Will:

The dates on which the various camera speeds and individual frame numbers were known is as follows, to the best of my knowledge:

Zapruder told FBI Agent R.M. Barrett on December 4, 1963 that the Secret Service had access to his camera on the previous day for some unspecified “checking”, and Zapruder handed the camera over to Barrett on December 4. The camera had three standard speeds – animation (single frame), run (16 frames per second), and slow motion (48 frames per second).

We know that after Barrett got the camera on December 4, it went to the FBI lab for testing. On December 20, the lab reported that the “normal run speed” of the camera was actually 18.3 fps. The Warren Commission subsequently requested a more detailed study of the camera speed, which the FBI provided on February 3, 1964. That study showed that the fully wound camera (Zapruder said his camera was fully wound) ran at an average of 18.0 to 18.1 fps for the first 10 seconds, it gradually increased to 18.3 to 18.5 fps for the next 20 seconds, then gradually decreased to 18.1 fps for 10 seconds before the final 20 seconds, which ran at an average speed of 17.6 to 17.9 fps.

On January 27, the FBI began their examination of the film itself, using a second-generation copy. By January 30, FBI agent Lyndal Shaneyfelt had assigned frame numbers to the individual frames of the film.

In summary, then, the camera speed was naturally assumed to be the factory setting of 16 fps until December 20, 1963 when the FBI reported it to be 18.3 fps. More detailed/precise speeds were known by February 3, 1964, and the individual frame numbers were assigned January 27-30, 1964.

I cannot find any reference whatsoever to the camera being in the possession of Life at any point, so I don’t know where they could have heard the 18 fps speed before mid-December, at the earliest (remember, the standard camera setting was 16 fps).

Interesting.....

Chris.

Thanks Chris, I thought maybe it was just something I hadn't read about but it's pretty definite in my mind that Mandel's article had to be done by the 28th; and that's only because the Life production cycle was delayed by a day due to the late breaking information...it normally would probably be due a full 9 days before the date on the issue (November 27th).

Someone from Life could verify that but I'm sure they would use the 9th day for proofing before it hit the press on the evening of the 28th.

What I was wondering by asking was whether Life could have gotten the information over the weekend and in time for the Sunday night session with Homer...they certainly had the opportunity as early as the 23rd.

Will

[David G. Healy]

...

On January 27, the FBI began their examination of the film itself, using a second-generation copy. By January 30, FBI agent Lyndal Shaneyfelt had assigned frame numbers to the individual frames of the film.

In summary, then, the camera speed was naturally assumed to be the factory setting of 16 fps until December 20, 1963 when the FBI reported it to be 18.3 fps. More detailed/precise speeds were known by February 3, 1964, and the individual frame numbers were assigned January 27-30, 1964.

...

Those NPIC notes with Z-frame numbers (as discussed in HOAX and Doug Hornes Volume IV), some say those notes were drawn up the weekend (Nov 23rd/24th) of the assassination.... Is there a cite for Shaneyfelt assigning Zapruder film frame numbers by Jan. 30th 1964?

Thanks Chris....

Edited March 5, 2010 by David G. Healy

[William Kelly]

Gary Mack notes to Chris:

I saw your Zapruder camera reply on the Ed Forum and noticed a problem. The 16fps speed was factory set when that model camera was first introduced but, as Rollie Zavada explained in his report to the ARRB, the camera industry switched to 18fps in the early 60s. Zapruder’s camera, based on all the test results, was obviously built after the change over and was machined for the faster speed; as such, it operated normally at the time of the assassination. Marcel’s manual must be from an early camera manufacturing period: http://www.copweb.be/UsersManual/b&h-17.jpg As far as LIFE having access to Zapruder’s camera, I don’t of any evidence for that.

Gary Mack

[William Kelly]

Gary Murr wrote to David that:

You also appear to be having trouble grasping the significance of this point. You asked me how "that pesky old 8 weeks...square(s) up with the NPIC documents that have Z-frame numbers."? Well, that is the whole point. If the NPIC/CIA "textual materials" of attempted explanation for a variety of shooting scenarios pertinent to the Zapruder film are using Zapruder frame numbers assigned by Lyndal Shaneyfelt on January 30, 1964, then these same "textual materials" supplied by NPIC/CIA HAD TO HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED AFTER JANUARY 30, 1964. If that is true, and both Homer McMahon and Ben Hunter of NPIC claim that they had nothing to do with the construction of these various writings, indeed these calculations were done at a later date during the tenure of the Warren Commission, then how can these same textual materials and their Zapruder frame numberings be part of a conspiracy to alter the Zapruder film while at NPIC over the weekend of the assassination?(See the Records of the ARRB:"Contact Report", prepared by Douglas Horne, ARRB; dated 06/12/97: Also, "Meeting Report" prepared by Douglas Horne, ARRB, 06/18/97;Final Version; Topic:ARRB Staff Interview of Ben Hunter; ARRB Douglas Horne Files, Box 4, "Zapruder Film Issues.")

AND:

....In response to your immediate request for a citation in support of my contention that Lyndal Shaneyfelt constructed the Z-film numbering system universally accepted and utilized when discussing the Zapruder film on a specific date, January 30, 1964, I hopefully have attached two images taken from Shaneyfelt's worknotes he generated in conjunction with this specific aspect of his contact with the film of Abraham Zapruder. Unfortunately, this documentation is currently only available if one travels to NARA II in College Park, Maryland, the reason being that it is from one of the massive bulky lab files generated by that division of the FBI in conjunction with their examination of all evidence given to them that related to the assassination event. Shaneyfelt and others in the FBI lab, in particular fellow agent Robert Frazier, constructed numerous files of worknotes when they were examining evidence and this surviving documentation is both historically important, relevant, and useful in trying to ascertain a wide variety of matters pertaining to the issues of evidence and provenance. The two pages from the Shaneyfelt worknotes that he constructed in conjunction with the Zapruder film can be found in: 62-109060-4199, Box097B, Folder 7, and 62-109060-4199, Box 098, Folder 3. I have also spent some time over the last couple of days searching FBI documents accessible via the internet, in particular the Mary Farrell Foundation website, in an effort to ascertain if any of this material is available to the interested researcher. I suspect that Rex Bradford and others have not had the time to reproduce the materials from these numerous bulky files generated by the FBI lab, documentation that literally goes on for thousands and thousands of pages. However, I did stumble across one page from this same series of notes and if you have access to the FBI documents generated at the Mary Ferrell website you will find it as part of 62-109060-2348, the second page. You will note, once again, Shaneyfelts distinctive "LS" scrawl and the date of "1-30-64: affixed to this page, taken from the same workbook I possess a copy of and have reproduced pages for you in this reply.

I hope you find this of some interest.

Gary Murr

Attached image(s) Reduced: 24% of original size [ 1652 x 1905 ] - Click to view full image Reduced: 26% of original size [ 1486 x 1849 ] - Click to view full image

[Will Emaus]

Gary Mack notes to Chris:

I saw your Zapruder camera reply on the Ed Forum and noticed a problem. The 16fps speed was factory set when that model camera was first introduced but, as Rollie Zavada explained in his report to the ARRB, the camera industry switched to 18fps in the early 60s. Zapruder’s camera, based on all the test results, was obviously built after the change over and was machined for the faster speed; as such, it operated normally at the time of the assassination. Marcel’s manual must be from an early camera manufacturing period: http://www.copweb.be/UsersManual/b&h-17.jpg As far as LIFE having access to Zapruder’s camera, I don’t of any evidence for that.

Gary Mack

I understand the point in general but I don't think it addresses Life getting fps information before November 28th.

"...and from the movie camera's known speed of 18 frames a second -- two frames a second faster than it should have run"

It's pretty clear from that quote in Mandel's article that Life believed the camera should have run at 16fps also; so it stands to reason that they did in fact either test Zapruder's camera themselves (just reload it and film a clock to get "18") or talked to someone else who had, by November 28th.

The above quote would make absolutely no sense if Life thought the camera should have run at 18fps.

Also note that whoever did the NPIC notes also were positing a possible 16fps scenario in their timing analysis

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=8

That doesn't make much sense either if these notes were created after the FBI published 18.3fps on December 20th.

Will

Edited March 6, 2010 by Will Emaus

[William Kelly]

Zapruder Film Time Line

http://www.jfk.org/go/collections/about/zapruder-film-chronology

November 22, 1963 10:00 p.m.

Erwin Schwartz and Abraham Zapruder delivered two prints to SPIC Dallas Secret Service Agent Forrest Sorrels. Sorrels asked them to take one to the Dallas Naval Air Station in nearby Grand Prairie, where a jet was immediately dispatched to take the print to FBI investigators in Washington, D.C.

November 23, 1963 9:00 a.m.

Zapruder screened the film for Secret Service agents, then met with Stolley and agreed to sell only print rights of the film to Life. He expressed concern that the film not be exploited. Stolley left with the original film, which was couriered to Life's editorial office and printing center in Chicago (Zapruder kept the remaining print). Life personnel examined the film to decide which frames to publish. At some point, they accidentally damaged the original film in two places, and six frames were removed, leaving visible splice marks.

November 25, 1963

Life publisher C.D. Jackson, after viewing a copy of the Zapruder film in New York, instructed Stolley to purchase remaining television and movie rights for a price that eventually reached $150,000 plus royalties; the purchase included Zapruder's copy of the film made in Dallas the afternoon of the assassination. Zapruder donated the first $25,000 to the widow of Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit, who was killed 45 minutes after the assassination when he stopped Lee Harvey Oswald in the Dallas suburb of Oak Cliff.

November 28, 1963

Zapruder granted a brief radio interview to Don Michel of WRAL in Anna, Illinois.

November 29, 1963

Life published 31 black-and-white frames in its quickly revamped weekly issue, then printed nine frames in color two weeks later in a special memorial edition.

December 4, 1963

The FBI borrowed Zapruder's camera for testing.

December 20, the bureau concluded, "This camera when operated at normal 'run' speed operates at 18.3 frames per second." This "clock" was later used to determine the timing of specific events as seen in the film.

January 27, 1964

Warren Commission members studied copies of the Zapruder film for a week with members of the FBI and the Secret Service.

February 25, 1964

Life showed the original film several times to Warren Commission, FBI and Secret Service personnel, and then offered to make 35mm color slides of frames 171-334, which covered what was thought to be all of the assassination.

Agent Sorrels had left earlier when he heard that Oswald had been arrested but Zapruder was able to track him down around 10:00pm and handed over two copies of the film. Secret Service Agent Max Phillips in Dallas shipped one of the copies to Secret Service Chief Rowley in Washington, D.C. with the note, "Mr. Zapruder is in custody of the 'master' film." The other is handed over to the FBI who also ships it to Washington to be copied.

http://www.famouspictures.org/mag/index.php?title=Zapruder_Film

http://www.history-matters.com/analysis/Wi...p/Zapruder.htme

[The quality of the National Archives' photographic copy of this hand written report is so poor that many of its words cannot be made out in a scanned copy. Consequently, we have provided below a typed copy]

CD - 87 Folder 1

CO2 34030

11/22

9:55

To: Chief Rowley

From: Max D. Phillips

Subject: 8mm movie film showing President

Kennedy being shot

Enclosed is an 8mm movie film

taken by Mr. A. Zapruder, 501 Elm St., Dallas

Texas (RI8-6071)

Mr. Zapruder was photographing

the President at the instant he was shot.

According to Mr. Zapruder, the position of

the assassin was behind Mr. Zapruder.

Note: Disregard personel scenes

shown on Mr. Zapruder's film. Mr. Zapruder

is in custody of the "master" film. Two prints

were given to SAIC Sorrels, this date.

The third print is forwarded.

Max D. Phillips

Special Agent - PRS

Edited March 8, 2010 by William Kelly

[William Kelly]

Has anyone listened to these Sixth Floor Oral History Project interviews or read the transcripts? Thanks - BK

ZAPRUDER FILM

Phil Chamberlain Production supervisor at the Kodak lab in Dallas, Chamberlain encountered Abraham Zapruder when his film was brought in to be processed on November 22, 1963. Recorded September 21, 1994.

Joe Cook A photo technician specialist in Chicago, Cook processed film for Life magazine the weekend of the assassination and was invited to an early screening of the Zapruder film. In 2003, Cook was part of a team that examined the Mary Moorman photo for the Discovery Channel. Recorded September 4, 2003.

Dr. Darwin Payne A reporter for the Dallas Times Herald in 1963, Payne was in Abraham Zapruder's office shortly after the assassination and covered the events of that weekend, visiting the Texas School Book Depository and Oswald's rooming house in Oak Cliff. A prominent Dallas historian, Payne is now professor emeritus of communications at Southern Methodist University. Recorded January 20, 1995, November 21, 1999, October 23, 2003, and April 20, 2006.

Robert Drew A Life magazine editor and pioneer of American cinema verité, Drew made several documentaries about John F. Kennedy, including Primary (1960), Crisis (1963) and Faces of November (1964). Recorded January 9, 2004, and June 14, 2006.

John T. Harrison An executive at Kodak's Dallas lab in 1963, Harrison was on hand when Abraham Zapruder's film was processed and was among those who viewed the film the afternoon of the assassination. Recorded August 30, 1994.

Ann Johnson A waitress for Jetton's Catering, Johnson served at the Forth Worth breakfast and was on her way to serve at the planned Austin banquet when the assassination took place. Her husband, the late Peter Johnson, worked at the Dallas Kodak lab and kept slides of the Zapruder film as souvenirs. Johnson was interviewed with her daughter, Jean Johnson Brown. Recorded March 1,

Bruce Jamieson Jamieson was the owner of the Jamieson Film Company in Dallas, where three copies of Abraham Zapruder's film were made on November 22, 1963. Recorded February 23, 2000.

Myrna Ries The daughter of the late Abraham Zapruder, Ries saw the president arrive at Dallas Love Field and was with her father throughout the events of that weekend. Recorded March 4, 1997.

Erwin Schwartz The business partner of Abraham Zapruder, Schwartz was with Zapruder throughout that weekend and witnessed his contract with Life magazine. Recorded December 30, 1997.

Marilyn Sitzman A receptionist in Abraham Zapruder's office, Sitzman insisted Zapruder retrieve his camera to film the motorcade and then steadied him as he made his famous film of the assassination. Recorded June 29, 1993. Records for this Oral History: 6/29/1993

Richard B. Stolley The senior editorial advisor of Time, Inc., and the founding managing editor of People magazine, Stolley was the Los Angeles bureau chief for Life magazine in 1963. Immediately after the assassination, he traveled to Dallas and negotiated the magazine's purchase of the rights to the Abraham Zapruder film.

Patsy Swank A Dallas-based reporter for Life magazine in 1963, Swank is credited with alerting magazine officials that local dress manufacturer Abraham Zapruder had captured the assassination on film. Recorded June 11, 1996.

Josiah Thompson A prominent assassination researcher, Thompson was a consultant with Life magazine and wrote the 1967 book Six Seconds in Dallas. Recorded November 21, 1998.

Edited May 16, 2010 by William Kelly

[William Kelly]

Tink,

Have you read the transcripts or heard the tapes of any of these interviews?

Thanks, BK

Has anyone listened to these Sixth Floor Oral History Project interviews or read the transcripts? Thanks - BK

ZAPRUDER FILM

Phil Chamberlain Production supervisor at the Kodak lab in Dallas, Chamberlain encountered Abraham Zapruder when his film was brought in to be processed on November 22, 1963. Recorded September 21, 1994.

Joe Cook A photo technician specialist in Chicago, Cook processed film for Life magazine the weekend of the assassination and was invited to an early screening of the Zapruder film. In 2003, Cook was part of a team that examined the Mary Moorman photo for the Discovery Channel. Recorded September 4, 2003.

Dr. Darwin Payne A reporter for the Dallas Times Herald in 1963, Payne was in Abraham Zapruder's office shortly after the assassination and covered the events of that weekend, visiting the Texas School Book Depository and Oswald's rooming house in Oak Cliff. A prominent Dallas historian, Payne is now professor emeritus of communications at Southern Methodist University. Recorded January 20, 1995, November 21, 1999, October 23, 2003, and April 20, 2006.

Robert Drew A Life magazine editor and pioneer of American cinema verité, Drew made several documentaries about John F. Kennedy, including Primary (1960), Crisis (1963) and Faces of November (1964). Recorded January 9, 2004, and June 14, 2006.

John T. Harrison An executive at Kodak's Dallas lab in 1963, Harrison was on hand when Abraham Zapruder's film was processed and was among those who viewed the film the afternoon of the assassination. Recorded August 30, 1994.

Ann Johnson A waitress for Jetton's Catering, Johnson served at the Forth Worth breakfast and was on her way to serve at the planned Austin banquet when the assassination took place. Her husband, the late Peter Johnson, worked at the Dallas Kodak lab and kept slides of the Zapruder film as souvenirs. Johnson was interviewed with her daughter, Jean Johnson Brown. Recorded March 1,

Bruce Jamieson Jamieson was the owner of the Jamieson Film Company in Dallas, where three copies of Abraham Zapruder's film were made on November 22, 1963. Recorded February 23, 2000.

Myrna Ries The daughter of the late Abraham Zapruder, Ries saw the president arrive at Dallas Love Field and was with her father throughout the events of that weekend. Recorded March 4, 1997.

Erwin Schwartz The business partner of Abraham Zapruder, Schwartz was with Zapruder throughout that weekend and witnessed his contract with Life magazine. Recorded December 30, 1997.

Marilyn Sitzman A receptionist in Abraham Zapruder's office, Sitzman insisted Zapruder retrieve his camera to film the motorcade and then steadied him as he made his famous film of the assassination. Recorded June 29, 1993. Records for this Oral History: 6/29/1993

Richard B. Stolley The senior editorial advisor of Time, Inc., and the founding managing editor of People magazine, Stolley was the Los Angeles bureau chief for Life magazine in 1963. Immediately after the assassination, he traveled to Dallas and negotiated the magazine's purchase of the rights to the Abraham Zapruder film.

Patsy Swank A Dallas-based reporter for Life magazine in 1963, Swank is credited with alerting magazine officials that local dress manufacturer Abraham Zapruder had captured the assassination on film. Recorded June 11, 1996.

Josiah Thompson A prominent assassination researcher, Thompson was a consultant with Life magazine and wrote the 1967 book Six Seconds in Dallas. Recorded November 21, 1998.

[William Kelly]

Tink,

Have you read the transcripts or heard the tapes of any of these interviews?

Thanks, BK

It's interesting that you mention these oral histories, Bill. I've been corresponding with some folks about putting together a definitive time-line for the Z film and these would be a part of that. Is there anyway transcripts can be seen on the internet? My understanding is that the Z film was screened for the the Zapruder family over that weekend.

Josiah Thompson

Hi,

No they are not transcribed and posted on line, though it would be nice if they were.

At a time when the Sixth Floor is receiving the cache of records discovered in a safe at the DA's office, and promoting the fact that the local newspaper scanned the documents and had them placed on line for anybody whose interested to read, and as the City of Dallas did with their documents, the Sixth Floor would do the same. Especially with the recent theft of safes, you would think that they would try to promote the idea that they are better suited to handle such records than the National Archives and Records Administration.

There are federal laws that have been introduced and being considered that would make it manditory for all government agencies to post on line the most significant and most frequently requested records, but it doesn't appear that the government agencies really want to do this any more than the Sixth Floor wants to.

I am taking invitory of the Oral Histories that I want to read and will send them a check requesting these tapes/transcripts, and if I get a tape I will transcribe it myself for the Sixth Floor, just as I did my own, which they videotaped.

I think these Oral Histories are extremely important and have been harping on them for the past week or so, but it doesn't appear like anyone (other than Kathy) has acquired or read/heard any of them.

Perhaps the members of the Ed Forum can make it a little project and those who want to participate can request the records they are most interested in and then file a synopsis of what is there so everyone can know.

I think there are certainly enough people with interest in the Zapruder Film who can't call themselves experts on the subject until they actually read or hear what is among these oral histories. The same goes for the TSBD employees, Parkland witnesses, Oak Cliff witnesses, Dallas policemen, Ruby friends, the Honor Guard contingent, and of course the Cubans. They have interviews with a dozen Cubans. What do they have to say?

There's really a lot there, but if we just start with the Z-film witnesses, we could learn a lot.

Bill Kelly

Has anyone listened to these Sixth Floor Oral History Project interviews or read the transcripts? Thanks - BK

ZAPRUDER FILM

Phil Chamberlain Production supervisor at the Kodak lab in Dallas, Chamberlain encountered Abraham Zapruder when his film was brought in to be processed on November 22, 1963. Recorded September 21, 1994.

Joe Cook A photo technician specialist in Chicago, Cook processed film for Life magazine the weekend of the assassination and was invited to an early screening of the Zapruder film. In 2003, Cook was part of a team that examined the Mary Moorman photo for the Discovery Channel. Recorded September 4, 2003.

Dr. Darwin Payne A reporter for the Dallas Times Herald in 1963, Payne was in Abraham Zapruder's office shortly after the assassination and covered the events of that weekend, visiting the Texas School Book Depository and Oswald's rooming house in Oak Cliff. A prominent Dallas historian, Payne is now professor emeritus of communications at Southern Methodist University. Recorded January 20, 1995, November 21, 1999, October 23, 2003, and April 20, 2006.

Robert Drew A Life magazine editor and pioneer of American cinema verité, Drew made several documentaries about John F. Kennedy, including Primary (1960), Crisis (1963) and Faces of November (1964). Recorded January 9, 2004, and June 14, 2006.

John T. Harrison An executive at Kodak's Dallas lab in 1963, Harrison was on hand when Abraham Zapruder's film was processed and was among those who viewed the film the afternoon of the assassination. Recorded August 30, 1994.

Ann Johnson A waitress for Jetton's Catering, Johnson served at the Forth Worth breakfast and was on her way to serve at the planned Austin banquet when the assassination took place. Her husband, the late Peter Johnson, worked at the Dallas Kodak lab and kept slides of the Zapruder film as souvenirs. Johnson was interviewed with her daughter, Jean Johnson Brown. Recorded March 1,

Bruce Jamieson Jamieson was the owner of the Jamieson Film Company in Dallas, where three copies of Abraham Zapruder's film were made on November 22, 1963. Recorded February 23, 2000.

Myrna Ries The daughter of the late Abraham Zapruder, Ries saw the president arrive at Dallas Love Field and was with her father throughout the events of that weekend. Recorded March 4, 1997.

Erwin Schwartz The business partner of Abraham Zapruder, Schwartz was with Zapruder throughout that weekend and witnessed his contract with Life magazine. Recorded December 30, 1997.

Marilyn Sitzman A receptionist in Abraham Zapruder's office, Sitzman insisted Zapruder retrieve his camera to film the motorcade and then steadied him as he made his famous film of the assassination. Recorded June 29, 1993. Records for this Oral History: 6/29/1993

Richard B. Stolley The senior editorial advisor of Time, Inc., and the founding managing editor of People magazine, Stolley was the Los Angeles bureau chief for Life magazine in 1963. Immediately after the assassination, he traveled to Dallas and negotiated the magazine's purchase of the rights to the Abraham Zapruder film.

Patsy Swank A Dallas-based reporter for Life magazine in 1963, Swank is credited with alerting magazine officials that local dress manufacturer Abraham Zapruder had captured the assassination on film. Recorded June 11, 1996.

Josiah Thompson A prominent assassination researcher, Thompson was a consultant with Life magazine and wrote the 1967 book Six Seconds in Dallas. Recorded November 21, 1998.