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

Marina Oswald Name Spelling Testimony

Marina Oswald name spelling testimony concerns the transliteration of Oswald’s name from Russian into English. The evidence establishes that when translated from Russian the name was rendered “Alec,” while Oswald himself used the spelling “Alek” in his own correspondence, with supporting commission exhibits illustrating the variations in spelling across documents.

Forensic Analysis Evidence

Forensic analysis evidence is presented through the expert testimony and exhibits of James Cadigan, Alwyn Cole, William Waldman, Mitchell Scibor, and Harry Holmes, supplemented by commission exhibits 2957, 773, 788, 789, 791, 792, 793, 801, 802, 806–813, and 2004. The evidence includes detailed descriptions of the steps in the creation of the forged card, handwriting and fingerprint analyses, and comparative examinations linking Oswald to the rifle and to the forged identification card.

Paine and Oswald Personal Belonging Testimonies

Paine and Oswald personal belonging testimonies are drawn from Ruth Paine, Marina Oswald, and supporting deposition exhibits. The testimony covers Oswald’s clothing and personal items, the brown paper package in which the rifle was carried into the Depository, the curtain material, and the chain of custody of these items between the Paine home, the Depository, and the Dallas Police Department.

Oswald Photographic Evidence (CE 133 Series)

Oswald photographic evidence consists of the CE 133 series, including CE 133-A, 133-B, 134, 748, 749, and 750, with supporting testimony from Marina Oswald, Lyndal Shaneyfelt, Richard Stovall, and Guy Rose. The evidence shows Oswald holding a rifle and wearing a holster, the recovered negative of one of the pictures, and Shaneyfelt’s expert analysis confirming that the rifle in the photographs is the same Mannlicher-Carcano rifle found in the Depository.

Rifle Possession Witness Testimony

Rifle possession witness testimony establishes Oswald’s access to and ownership of the rifle. Testimony is drawn from Heinz Michaelis, Waldman, Marina Oswald, Ruth Paine, Michael Paine, and supporting exhibits including CE 134, 140, 1403, 1406, 2003, and 2046. The witnesses describe the package Oswald carried to the Paine home and then to the Depository, the rifle’s storage in the Paine garage, and Oswald’s possession and display of the weapon.

TSBD Physical Evidence

TSBD physical evidence concerns the layout and condition of the Texas School Book Depository, the movements of personnel and visitors on November 22, 1963, and the physical objects and prints recovered from the building. Testimony comes from Wesley Frazier, Ruth Paine, Michael Paine, Linnie Mae Randle, Cortlandt Cunningham, J. W. Fritz, and supporting exhibits including CE 139, 144, 429, 430, 434, 446, 449, 1304, 1305, 2003, 2008, and 2009. The evidence covers the freight elevator route, the lunchroom arrangements, the sixth-floor stairway, and the cartons that provided concealment for the shooter.

TSBD Rifle Discovery Witness Accounts

TSBD rifle discovery witness accounts detail the finding of the rifle on the sixth floor of the Depository. Testimony comes from Roy Truly, J. C. Day, Luke Mooney, Eugene Boone, Sebastian Latona, Arthur Mandella, Ronald Wittmus, Paul Stombaugh, Robert Lee Studebaker, and Lyndal Shaneyfelt, with supporting exhibits CE 142, 2637, 508, 637–639, 654, 673–676, 723, 726, 733, 734, 1077, 1301, 1302, 1306, 1308, 1309, 1312, 1977, 1980, 2011, 3135, and 364. The evidence establishes the precise location of the rifle between boxes, the fingerprints and palmprint recovered, the partial palmprint on the rifle, and the chain of custody from discovery to the Dallas Police Department.

Howard Brennan Eyewitness Testimony

Howard Brennan eyewitness testimony is presented in detail, covering Brennan’s observation of a man on the sixth floor of the Depository, the description of the man’s clothing and rifle, the subsequent identification of Oswald in police lineups, and Brennan’s statements regarding the firing of the shots. Supporting testimony comes from Forrest Sorrels, J. Herbert Sawyer, Harold Norman, James Jarman, W. E. Barnett, and exhibits including CE 477–479, 481, 482, 485, 486, 494, 715, 1301, 1974, 1991, 2005, and 2006. The evidence establishes Brennan’s positive identification of Oswald as the person he observed on the sixth floor.

Additional Depository Area Eyewitness Accounts

Additional Depository area eyewitness accounts include testimony from Ronald Fischer, Robert Edwards, Amos Euins, James Underwood, James Altgens, Lyndal Shaneyfelt, and Mrs. E. Roberts, with supporting exhibits CE 365, 367, 369, 900, 1407, 1408, 203, and 1413. The testimony covers observations of a man fitting Oswald’s description in various locations around the Depository and the subsequent photographic analyses of the Altgens and other photographs.