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

第五章 of this report.

This chapter presents evidence of Lee Harvey Oswald’s false statements during police interrogation following the assassination of President Kennedy, and evaluates the Commission’s case that Oswald also attempted to kill Major General Edwin A. Walker in April 1963. The chapter details paraffin test results, Oswald’s repeated lies about the rifle, revolver, aliases, the curtain rod story, his actions during the shooting, and the four categories of evidence linking him to the Walker shooting attempt: a note, photographs, firearms identification, and admissions to Marina Oswald.

Paraffin Tests on Oswald’s Hands and Cheek

On the evening of November 22, 1963, the Dallas Police Department conducted paraffin tests on Oswald’s hands and right cheek to determine whether he had recently fired a weapon. The results were positive for the hands and negative for the right cheek. Expert testimony before the Commission characterized the paraffin test as unreliable for determining whether a person has fired a rifle or revolver. Accordingly, the Commission placed no reliance on the Dallas police’s paraffin tests.

Oswald’s False Interrogation Statements

Oswald provided little information during his police questioning. When confronted with evidence he could not explain, he frequently resorted to statements known to be false. Although the Commission did not treat Oswald’s untrue statements as positive proof of guilt, it found they had probative value in assessing the weight of his denials. Because independent evidence showed Oswald repeatedly and blatantly lied to police, the Commission gave little weight to his denials that he assassinated President Kennedy and killed Patrolman Tippit.