Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

chapter II. With the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the

Chapter II details forensic examinations of items linked to Lee Harvey Oswald, including counterfeit Hidell documents (Selective Service notice, Certificate of Service), a vaccination certificate, a Fair Play for Cuba Committee card, an unsigned Russian-language note, and the homemade paper bag found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. The chapter also introduces wound ballistics experiments conducted to evaluate whether the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle and Western Cartridge Co. bullets found at the scene could have produced the wounds sustained by President Kennedy and Governor Connally.

The Hidell Certificate of Service

Forensic experts examined the Hidell Selective Service System Notice of Classification and Certificate of Service and concluded both were counterfeits produced from photographs of Oswald’s genuine documents, with the original typed and handwritten material opaqued out of the negatives using a red opaque substance. The signature “Alek J. Hidell” was identified as Oswald’s handwriting, while the signature “Good Hoffer” was illegible but not inconsistent with Oswald’s writing. A photograph of Oswald was inserted into the lower left corner of the Hidell notice, and new information was typed into the resulting blanks, substituting values such as “GR” for “Blue” (eye color), “BROWN” for “Brn” (hair), “5’9”“ for “5’11”“ (height), and “155” for “150” (weight). On the Certificate of Service, the words “ALEK JAMES HIDELL” were typed in place of Oswald’s name, with sidelight photographs revealing the words had been stencil-typed at least twice before ribbon-typing to check centering. A photo of Oswald was inserted in the signature space for the local board, and dates “OCT. 13 1958” and “OCT. 12 1961” were typed in for the beginning and end of active service, though the impression was faint and other stenciled dates appeared under microscopic examination. Vertical and diagonal indentations resembling a capital “H” appeared in the signature blank, possibly made by a sharp, non-inking instrument. Experts concluded the counterfeiting required only elementary photographic knowledge and modest practice—perhaps half a dozen attempts—with retouching practice possible using the balance of negatives found at the Paine garage.

The Vaccination Certificate

A government-printed “International Certificates of Vaccination or Revaccination against Smallpox” was found among Oswald’s belongings at 1026 Beckley Avenue, Dallas, purporting to certify that “Lee Oswald” had been vaccinated by “Dr. A.J. Hideel” with a New Orleans P.O. Box address. Handwriting examiner Cole identified all handwriting and the “A.J. Hideel” signature as Oswald’s, while Cadigan identified all writing as Oswald’s except the Hideel signature, which he considered too distorted to identify. The stamped material, including the three-line “DR. A.J. HIDEEL/P.O. BOX 30016/NEW ORLEANS, LA.” stamp, was compared with a rubber stamping kit belonging to Oswald containing a stamp reading “L. H. OSWALD/4907 MAGAZINE ST/NEW ORLEANS, LA.” Cole found a perfect agreement in measurement and design between the certificate’s stamped letters and those of Oswald’s kit, concluding the kit could have produced the impressions but was not necessarily the only one capable. Cadigan concluded that the words “NEW ORLEANS, LA.” on the certificate had been stamped with Oswald’s rubber stamp but could draw no conclusion about the remaining stamped material. The circular impression resembling a seal was found to consist of the words “BRUSH IN CAN” printed in reverse, apparently made with the top of a solvent or cleaning fluid container, with a mottled center similar to the blank areas on a date stamp from Oswald’s rubber stamping kit.

The Fair Play for Cuba Committee Card

The Fair Play for Cuba Committee card bore two signatures, “L. H. Oswald” and “A. J. Hidell.” Both Cole and Cadigan identified the “L. H. Oswald” signature as Oswald’s handwriting but were unable to identify the “A. J. Hidell” signature. Cadigan noted differences suggesting someone other than Oswald authored it, and Cole believed the signature was somewhat beyond Oswald’s penmanship abilities. Based on a short English interlinear translation written by Marina Oswald, Cole felt she might have been the author, though the sample was insufficient for positive identification. In subsequent Commission testimony, Marina stated she was indeed the author of the Hidell signature, and Cadigan confirmed this by obtaining further samples of her handwriting and comparing them with the signature on the card.