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

第四章

CHAPTER IV — The Commission evaluates the evidence underlying its conclusion regarding the identity of President Kennedy’s assassin, building on the prior chapter’s finding that the fatal shots were fired from a Mannlicher-Carcano 6.5-millimeter rifle (serial C2766) found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository.

The Assassin

The preceding chapter established that the bullets killing President Kennedy and wounding Governor Connally came from the southeast corner window on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository and that the weapon was a Mannlicher-Carcano 6.5-millimeter rifle, serial number C2766. This chapter sets out the evidence supporting the Commission’s conclusion about the assassin’s identity.

Evidence of Identity

The Commission evaluates eight categories of evidence: (1) ownership and possession of the assassination weapon, (2) how the weapon was brought into the Depository Building, (3) the identity of the person at the firing window, (4) the killing of Dallas Patrolman J.D. Tippit within 45 minutes of the assassination, (5) Oswald’s resistance to arrest and attempted shooting of another officer, (6) Oswald’s lies to police, (7) evidence linking Oswald to the attempted killing of Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker on April 10, 1963, and (8) Oswald’s demonstrated capability with a rifle.

Ownership and Possession of Assassination Weapon

This section addresses ownership and possession of the assassination weapon, beginning with the purchase of the rifle by Oswald, tracing it from the manufacturer to the distributor to the retailer, examining the mail-order transaction, and confirming Oswald’s possession through the post office box used for delivery, his use of the “Hidell” alias, counterfeit identification documents, the New Orleans activities conducted under that alias, a palmprint on the rifle barrel, and fiber evidence linking the rifle to Oswald’s shirt.