Assassination Video from Upper Floors of Dal-Tex Building

[Robert Prudhomme]

From the Warren Commission testimony of Inspector J. Herbert Sawyer, DPD, April 8, 1964:

"Mr. BELIN. Is there anything else you can think of that occurred at the Texas School Book Depository that afternoon while you were there that might have any relevancy about where the shots came from, other than what you have told thus far?

Mr. SAWYER. Well, I had heard some of the officers come to me and said there was supposed to be, somebody told them about a woman that had taken some pictures of that window, and then one of the sergeants came to me, and I am not sure who the sergeant is now, but anyway he said that there was on the building immediately west east, I am sorry cast of the Texas School Book Depository, that a man up in one of the upper windows up there was taking some moving pictures of what had gone on.

Mr. BELIN. Did you ever contact this man? Do you know what his name is?

Mr. SAWYER. No; I don't know his name. The sergeant told me that the man would not give them the pictures, that he was waiting for the Secret Service or the FBI, I forget which now, and I sent the sergeant and two men back over there with instructions to bring that man and his pictures to me.

When they got back over there, Forrest Sorrels of the Secret Service was already there, and at least they so reported back to me, and was talking to this man.

So I told them to go ahead with their normal assignments and since Forrest was already there and talking to him, I knew that that part would be taken care of.

Mr. BELIN. You don't know what his name was or what the results of it was?

Mr. SAWYER. I don't know."

This would be a very interesting video for JFK researchers to examine, if it still exists. Has anyone ever heard if it survived being "taken care of" by the Secret Service?

[Bjørn Gjerde]

Hi!

That would probably be the Tom Alyea film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94APWcGDMyY

Robin Unger has several frames from the film, including one from inside one of the elevators, which I hadn't noticed before.

http://www.jfkassassinationgallery.com/displayimage.php?album=23&pos=3

Bjørn Gjerde

[Chris Scally]

Robert,

The mystery man taking movie pictures was, of course, Abraham Zapruder, whose business premises were on the 4th and 5th floors of the Dal-Tex building.

As he made his way back to his office through the Plaza after the shooting, Zapruder had met with Dallas Morning News reporter Harry McCormick, who told Zapruder that the Secret Service would want to see his film, and McCormick immediately went off in search of Forrest Sorrels, the Secret Service SAIC in Dallas.

A few minutes later, Beatrice Hester, one of Zapruder's employees, who had been filmed in the Plaza by Zapruder prior to the arrival of the motorcade, told a DPD officer about Zapruder's film, and the police went to Zapruder's office in an effort to obtain it. However, as he had already agreed with Harry McCormick that he would give the film to the Secret Service, Zapruder refused to turn it over to the DPD officers. By the time Sawyer heard back from his officers, Sorrels had arrived at Zapruder's office, so Sawyer left it to him and the rest of the story is, as the saying goes, history.

Chris.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Chris Scally

[Bjørn Gjerde]

Chris,

You are correct, of course. I didn't read the title of the tread or the testimony carefully enough and confused it with the upper (6th) floor of TSBD. Sorry.

BG

[Chris Scally]

No problem, Bjorn, you are very welcome. Just glad I could help.

Chris.

[Robert Prudhomme]

Robert,

The mystery man taking movie pictures was, of course, Abraham Zapruder, whose business premises were on the 4th and 5th floors of the Dal-Tex building.

As he made his way back to his office through the Plaza after the shooting, Zapruder had met with Dallas Morning News reporter Harry McCormick, who told Zapruder that the Secret Service would want to see his film, and McCormick immediately went off in search of Forrest Sorrels, the Secret Service SAIC in Dallas.

A few minutes later, Beatrice Hester, one of Zapruder's employees, who had been filmed in the Plaza by Zapruder prior to the arrival of the motorcade, told a DPD officer about Zapruder's film, and the police went to Zapruder's office in an effort to obtain it. However, as he had already agreed with Harry McCormick that he would give the film to the Secret Service, Zapruder refused to turn it over to the DPD officers. By the time Sawyer heard back from his officers, Sorrels had arrived at Zapruder's office, so Sawyer left it to him and the rest of the story is, as the saying goes, history.

Chris.

Of course, this makes perfect sense. I actually had read that Zapruder had an office in the Dal-Tex Building, but I never made the connection here. From Sawyer's testimony, I understood it to be that someone was actually filming the motorcade from the upper floors of the Dal-Tex Building. Oh well.