The Dictabelt: The part the FBI and DPD didn't transcribe

[Gil Jesus]

FBI and Dallas Police transcriptions end at 1:11 and resume at 1:14. The following is the radio traffic and transcription that they did not transcribe ( to the best of my discernment) : 

https://gil-jesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/no-transcription-111_114.mp4

Disp.       603
603         603
Disp.       Signal 16 the Gardner and Denver Company 4700 Shane Rd. ( 1:11 )
603         10-4
Disp.        65 meet him there.
65            65, 10-4.
16            16
Disp.        16
16            ( unintelligible )
Disp.         10-4, a squad needed ?
16              I don't think so.
45             45 returned to service
Disp.         10-4
65             Was that for 65 ?
Disp.         No 65, continue on your call, 4700 Shane
65             4700 Shane
21             21 Signal 7, 817 West Bayless ( 1 :11 )
VOICE:    AINT THIS BE WHETHER
Disp.         222
VOICE:     IN OR OUT
??????:     7 on West Ayres ?
Disp.         817
VOICE :    OH COTTA ( oh God ? )
65             65 Signal 9, 4916 Rival, Manager's office ( 1:12 ) 
Disp.         45
45             45
VOICE:    DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?
VOICE:    HEY
VOICE:    Signal 9, the manager's office, 4916 the Lap
VOICE:    DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?
                DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?
                DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?
                DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?
                DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?
                DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?
                DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?
?????? :   CAN YOU MEET ME AT FIRE RAM ?
?????? :   10-4

Transcription then resumes at 1:14.

Neither the FBI nor the Dallas police gave an explanation why these transmissions were not included in their transcripts.

The FBI version refers to these broadcasts as a "belt change", while the DPD version ignores them completely.

I'm particularly interested in why the FBI, who was supposed to be transcribing all of the radio traffic, failed to transcribe these broadcasts.

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Gil Jesus

[Chris Scally]

Gil:

The section of the recording that you have transcribed is essentially correct, but the recording you are using is many, many generations removed from the original dictabelt  recording. Also,the multiple repeats at the end of it come about because it covers the recording at the end of one dictabelt and the beginning of the next one, and there was a built-in automatic "overlap" in the recording of a few seconds, designed to ensure that no transmissions were lost during the cut-over from one belt to the next.

I will try to find the Michael O'Dell channel 1 recording in the next few days for you - I'm only a week home from hospital following heart surgery, and my energy / concentration levels are not the best right now, but I will try to find the recording for you as soon as I can.   

On the subject of the completeness of the FBI transcript - back in 2012-3, if I remember correctly, I took a careful look at the accuracy of those "verbatim" transcripts. The FBI transcript indicates that dictabelt #4 began at 11:37 and ended at 11:51, with dictabelt #5 beginning at 11:51 and ending at 12:40.  However, my study showed that of the last 144 actual transmissions on dictabelt #4, only 28 (19%) were transcribed by the FBI. Furthermore, the final transcribed transmission on dictabelt #4 occurred between 11:50 and 11:51, but the first transmission transcribed from dictabelt #5 does not actually occur until 12:06 – almost 180 transmissions later. Analysis of the number of actual transmissions and the number of transcribed entries reveals that only 15% of the transmissions on belt 5 (approximately 100 out of 600 transmissions) were transcribed, further emphasising the incompleteness of the FBI transcript.

hope this helps to answer your questions.

[Gil Jesus]

19 hours ago, Chris Scally said:

Gil:

The section of the recording that you have transcribed is essentially correct, but the recording you are using is many, many generations removed from the original dictabelt  recording. Also,the multiple repeats at the end of it come about because it covers the recording at the end of one dictabelt and the beginning of the next one, and there was a built-in automatic "overlap" in the recording of a few seconds, designed to ensure that no transmissions were lost during the cut-over from one belt to the next.

I will try to find the Michael O'Dell channel 1 recording in the next few days for you - I'm only a week home from hospital following heart surgery, and my energy / concentration levels are not the best right now, but I will try to find the recording for you as soon as I can.   

On the subject of the completeness of the FBI transcript - back in 2012-3, if I remember correctly, I took a careful look at the accuracy of those "verbatim" transcripts. The FBI transcript indicates that dictabelt #4 began at 11:37 and ended at 11:51, with dictabelt #5 beginning at 11:51 and ending at 12:40.  However, my study showed that of the last 144 actual transmissions on dictabelt #4, only 28 (19%) were transcribed by the FBI. Furthermore, the final transcribed transmission on dictabelt #4 occurred between 11:50 and 11:51, but the first transmission transcribed from dictabelt #5 does not actually occur until 12:06 – almost 180 transmissions later. Analysis of the number of actual transmissions and the number of transcribed entries reveals that only 15% of the transmissions on belt 5 (approximately 100 out of 600 transmissions) were transcribed, further emphasising the incompleteness of the FBI transcript.

hope this helps to answer your questions.

Yes thank you. It is troubling to know that the FBI transcripts were incomplete, given the seriousness of the crime and the need to present the evidence in a concise way.

But the radio broadcasts make no sense. Dispatch calls a unit, the unit responds, and then nothing ? It calls another unit and the unit doesn't respond ? A unit calls dispatch and their call is not answered ?

There may be an explanation for it missing from the transcripts, but it's missing from the broadcasts.

What kind of broadcasts are these ?

Is the signal 7 at 817 West Bayless or 817 West Ayres ?

Is the Signal 9 at 4916 Rival or 4916 the Lap ?

Where's the overlap designed so that they didn't lose any broadcasts ?

Was there no radio traffic between 1:12 and 1:14 ? And if there was, where is it ?

And what are we to make of the strange transmissions I've capitalized ?

There's a lot to unpack there.

As one who suffered a heart attack myself in 2002, I know how it knocks the hell out of you. Please accept my best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Edited October 8, 2023 by Gil Jesus

[Chris Scally]

Gil:

The best transcript I have for the period in question, based on the best extant recordings, is as follows:

    DIS:    603.
    603:    603.
    DIS:    Signal 16 at the Gardner and Denver Company, 4700 Scyene Road. 1:11. 
    603:    10-4.
    DIS:    65, meet him there.
    65:    65, 10-4.
    610:    610.
    DIS:    610.
    610:    We're going to be clear from this location. Only two of these little boys were fighting a while ago.
    DIS:    10-4. Squad needed?
    610:    You can disregard it.
    DIS:    45, return to service.
    45:    10-4.
    65:    Was that for 65?
    DIS:    No, 65. Continue on your call, 4700 Scyene.
    65:    4700 Scyene.
    DIS:    91, a Signal 7, 817 West Davis.  1:11. 
    91:    817 West Davis?
    DIS:    222.
    222:    En route.
    91:    7 on West Davis.
    DIS:    817.
    91:    Code 5.
    DIS:    45, Signal 9, 4916 Live Oak, manager's office. 1:12.
    45:    45.
    Car 5:    car 5, on 5.
    DIS:    Did you get it, 45?
    45:    Repeat.
    DIS:    Signal 9, manager's office, 4916 Live ... (End of Belt.)
    Unknown:  {Garbled} could be “Can you meet me at Fairground?” 
     Unknown:  “Go Ahead” (?)
    Unknown:   10-4.
    212:   212.
    DIS:   212.
    212:    Have you got another squad that can meet that unit at the dead end of Laws? I'm blocked in over here and can't get out.
    DIS:    Yes. Disregard. Have someone there now.
    212:    10-4.
    261:    261.
    DIS:    261.
    261:    I'm going to stay on these railroad tracks down at the end of Laws.
    DIS:    10-4.
    91?:    Did you receive? 222 was en route to West Davis?
    603:    603 out.
    DIS:    10-4, 603. 1:15

Now, to your other questions:

The Signal 7 refers to 817 West Davis, and the Signal 9 refers to 4916 Live Oak.

Your "VOICE:    AINT THIS BE WHETHER" is actually "817 West Davis?"

Your "VOICE:     IN OR OUT "seems to be "En route".

Your "VOICE :    OH COTTA ( oh God ? )" sounds like "Code 5" to me.

Your "VOICE:    DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?" is actually "Did you get it, 45?"

The numerous repeats of this "DID YOU GET YOUR 4-TRACK ?"/"Did you get it 45" is clearly where the original belt was slipping when it was being copied.

The overlap should be there, but it is possible that whoever made the copy from the original belt edited it out. I don't know that for certain, but it would explain what we don't hear it. Unfortunately, the original belt for the period in question is now badly damaged and deteriorated, so the copies are really all we have to work with today.

Finally, the fact that there are no time annotations given by the dispatcher between 1:12 and 1:15 simply means that the dispatcher did not announce them. There are many places in the recordings where the time annotations are missing, mostly in periods of heavy radio traffic. 

Many thanks for your prayers and good wishes - there are very much appreciated. This is my second surgery since Easter, and I'm running low on energy, so I'll finish for now, and look forward to your thoughts on the above. 

 

 

 

[Donald Willis]

We are all indebted to Chris Scally for his 3/31/97 article "DPD Dictabelts--Chain of Possession".  Posted on alt.conspiracy.jfk moderated.  I know I used it extensively.  

[Chris Scally]

Thanks, Donald - much appreciated!

[Pete Mellor]

On 10/7/2023 at 3:12 PM, Chris Scally said:

I'm only a week home from hospital following heart surgery, and my energy / concentration levels are not the best right now, but I will try to find the recording for you as soon as I can.   

Very best wishes for a speedy recovery Chris.  Seems ages since we last met in Canterbury.

[Chris Scally]

Thanks, Pete.

Yes, I think it must be 2016 since we were at Canterbury! Great friends, great times, and great memories - we still miss our "annual pilgrimage"!

Hope all is well with you.