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

第三章 [C4-305] Euins, who was on the southwest corner of Elm and

Chapter III examines witness testimony placing individuals at the southwest corner of Elm Street during the assassination and tracks Lee Harvey Oswald’s movements through the Texas School Book Depository Building in the immediate aftermath. The chapter evaluates Euins’ eyewitness account of the shooter in the sixth-floor window, assesses the Altgens photograph that allegedly captured Oswald in front of the building, and reconstructs Oswald’s path from the sixth floor to his departure from the building through detailed witness testimony and timing reconstructions.

Euins’ Testimony on the Sixth Floor Shooter

Euins, positioned at the southwest corner of Elm Street, could not describe the shooter but noted a white bald spot on the man’s head as he lowered himself to aim. Euins provided conflicting accounts of the man’s race—signing an affidavit describing him as “white,” telling a radio reporter he was “colored,” and later clarifying before the Commission that he could not ascertain the man’s race and that “white” referred only to the bald spot. A Secret Service agent who interviewed Euins 20 to 30 minutes after the assassination confirmed Euins could neither describe the shooter nor identify his race. The Commission deemed Euins’ testimony probative as to the source of the shots but inconclusive as to the shooter’s identity.

Altgens Photograph and Lovelady Identification

The Commission evaluated the allegation that Oswald was photographed standing in front of the Depository Building when the shots were fired. Associated Press photographer James W. Altgens, standing on the south side of Elm Street between the Triple Underpass and the Depository, captured the image approximately two seconds after the shot that struck the President in the back. The man in the background alleged to resemble Oswald was identified as Billy Nolan Lovelady, who confirmed his own presence in the photograph. Buell Wesley Frazier and William Shelley, standing alongside Lovelady, corroborated this identification. The Commission concluded that Oswald does not appear in the Altgens photograph.