September 1, 1964, at 200 Maryland Avenue NE., Washington, D.C., by Mr.
Norman Redlich, assistant counsel of the President’s Commission.
Mr. REDLICH. The purpose of today’s deposition is to take the testimony
of Lyndal L. Shaneyfelt, special agent with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
Mr. Shaneyfelt, you have previously testified in connection with the
Commission proceedings on April 23, 1964, and June 12, 1964, is that
correct?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. You still consider yourself under oath?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; I do.
Mr. REDLICH. You also appeared on one other occasion; is that correct,
Mr. Shaneyfelt?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. And that was the date when you testified in connection
with the reenactment that was conducted in Dallas?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. During your previous testimony, Mr. Shaneyfelt, you
testified concerning the retouching which, according to your testimony,
had been performed on the photograph which has heretofore been
designated as Commission Exhibit No. 133-A; is that correct?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes.
(Shaneyfelt Exhibits Nos. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 were so marked and
introduced.)
Mr. REDLICH. I hand you now an exchange of correspondence between
the Commission and Life magazine, which has been designated as
Shaneyfelt Exhibits Nos. 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, together with a
photograph furnished to the Commission by Life magazine which has been
designated as Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13, and I asked you to review this
correspondence.
For the record, Mr. Shaneyfelt, have you read this correspondence?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; I have.
Mr. REDLICH. This correspondence will show that the Commission advised
Life magazine of your prior testimony, and requested of Life magazine
the original photograph upon which the retouching was performed. Does
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13 purport to be that original photograph, Mr.
Shaneyfelt?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; it does.
Mr. REDLICH. And Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13 was forwarded to you by the
Commission for examination; was it not?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. The Commission asked you to examine that photograph in
order to describe in greater detail the actual retouching which was
performed on that photograph preparatory to publication; is that
correct?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is right.
(Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14 was marked and introduced.)
Mr. REDLICH. I now hand you another exhibit which is designated as
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14, and ask you to describe how it was made, and
what it purports to demonstrate?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14 is a chart that I prepared to
illustrate the retouching that I found in my examination of the Life
magazine photograph which is Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13. This chart
consists of three different photographs. Photograph A is a normal print
of Commission Exhibit No. 133-A. Photographs B and C are photographs
of the Life magazine picture, which is Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13, made
using special lighting technique in order to portray the retouching
that has been added to the Life magazine photograph, Shaneyfelt Exhibit
No. 13.
Mr. REDLICH. On each of these three photographs there appear a series
of numbers starting with No. 1, and running consecutively through No.
11; is that correct?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. Can you describe the significance of these numbers?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. The numbers with red arrows were placed on the
photographs to point to specific areas of retouching, and relate them
to these same areas of the photograph which is Commission Exhibit No.
133-A.
Mr. REDLICH. And as I understand it, using No. 1 as an example, the
arrow next to No. 1 in photograph A of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14,
points to the stock of the rifle as it appeared in the picture which
has heretofore been designated as Exhibit No. 133-A.
The arrow next to No. 1 in photograph B of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14
points to the same spot on the stock of the rifle and points to a
specific indication of retouching which you will subsequently describe?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. And the arrow next to No. 1 in photograph No. C of
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14 points to the same spot on the rifle; namely,
the stock, and is placed here in order to indicate in more specific
detail the type and manner of retouching which was done at this
particular location?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. Starting with No. 1 and going through No. 11, would you
describe the points on the picture and the type of retouching which was
performed?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes. Point No. 1 on all photographs, A, B, and C,
points to the stock of the rifle, particularly the top area of the
stock running from the butt of the rifle to the breech.
On photograph A this No. 1 area is rather indistinct but shows that the
rifle stock runs in a straight line from the butt up about two-thirds
of the way to the breech, where it curves down around a highlight that
is clearly visible on photograph A of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14. It
curves around that highlight and then recurves up to the breech.
In this same general area of No. 1 of photograph B, there is a dark
area which is an area of retouching that is on the photograph which is
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13, that runs from the butt of the rifle all the
way to the breech without any curve or recurve around the highlight.
The highlight is still present on this photograph. However, the
retouching line runs straight past and is a straight line of retouching
and does not follow the actual configuration of the rifle stock in that
area.
Mr. REDLICH. Just so the record is completely clear on this, Mr.
Shaneyfelt, the retouching marks which appear in pictures B and C of
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14, are the retouching marks which appear on the
photograph furnished to the Commission by Life magazine and which has
been designated as Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct. The retouching does not appear as
prominent in the Life magazine photograph, which is Commission Exhibit
No. 13, as it does in the photographs B and C of Shaneyfelt Exhibit
No. 14, because photographs B and C were made with special lighting to
bring out this retouching, but they are nevertheless, the points of
retouching are nevertheless, there on the Life magazine photograph.
Mr. REDLICH. And photographs B and C of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14 were
actually made from the photograph which is Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. Will you continue?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Photograph C of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14 shows at
point 1, which is the area of the upper edge of the stock of the rifle,
this straight line retouching going directly from the butt to the
breech without a recurve, and not in conformity with the actual contour
of the stock of the rifle in that area.
Points No. 2 in all photographs A, B, and C, point to the telescopic
sight of the rifle. In photograph B retouching is shown around this
point No. 2 where retouching has been added to enhance the detail
around the rifle scope. This is also shown clearly as retouching at
point 2 in photograph C.
Point No. 3 in photographs A, B, and C, in Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14,
refers to the area along the top of the rifle beyond the breech just
above Oswald’s left hand. There is a retouching line that runs from
Oswald’s hand to the point where the gun protrudes past his shoulder.
This is clear in photographs B and C at point No. 3.
Photograph A at point 3 shows how the photograph appears in that area
on Commission Exhibit No. 133-A.
Point No. 4 refers to the retouching along the lower edge of the right
arm of Oswald, and that area No. 4 of photographs B and C clearly show
this retouching along the edge of the elbow and a large spot just below
the elbow where a shadow between two fence posts has been removed in
order to show the contour of the elbow in better detail.
Point No. 5 refers to the shoulder area of the photographs A, B, and
C in Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14. The photograph A, point 5, shows the
shoulder as it is in Commission Exhibit No. 133-A, and point 5 in
photographs B and C shows the retouching along Oswald’s right shoulder.
Point No. 6 in photographs A, B, and C refers to the right side of
Oswald’s neck and chin area, and point 6 in photographs B and C clearly
shows the retouching along the right side of Oswald’s neck, and around
his chin and some slight retouching into, slightly into, his cheeks.
Point No. 7 in photographs A, B, and C, shows the area of the left side
of Oswald’s head where retouching has been added to the Life magazine
photograph, Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13
Mr. REDLICH. May I interrupt you there? You said where retouching has
been added to the Life photograph. Did you mean that or did you mean
that the Life photograph as published contained this retouching?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. I mean that the Life photograph as published contains
the retouching. That the retouching has been added prior to publication.
Point No. 7 refers to the retouching along the left side of Oswald’s
head in the hair area, and is clearly visible as retouching in the
photographs B and C at point No. 7.
Point No. 8 refers to an area of background to the right of Oswald’s
head, to the left of his head as the viewer looks at the picture. This
is an area, that has been airbrushed in order to lighten the background
so that the detail of the photograph in that area will be better.
Point No. 9 in photographs A, B, and C of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14,
shows an area directly below the rifle butt to the side of Oswald’s
right thigh where retouching has been added to decrease the darkness of
the shadow between two fence posts in that area.
This is evident in area 9 of photographs B and C. It is more clearly
shown in 9-C.
Point No. 10 in the three photographs on Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 14
shows the retouching between the thighs of Oswald. Photograph A shows
quite a dark area between the thighs, and this has been eliminated by
retouching as shown in 10-B and 10-C, and the retouching clearly shows
in 10-C.
Likewise, there is a dark shadow along the side of Oswald’s left knee
that has been eliminated by retouching or softened by retouching, and
this retouching shows in Exhibits B and C at point 11.
This represents the primary or outstanding areas of retouching that I
found from an examination of the Life magazine photograph, which is
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13.
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Shaneyfelt, when you discussed this photograph in
your prior testimony, you expressed your opinion to the effect that
the retouching which was done preparatory to the publication of the
photograph on the cover of Life magazine was normal and customary. On
the basis of your detailed examination of the retouching made from the
photograph as submitted to the Commission by Life magazine, would you
now care to state your opinion as to whether this is customary and
normal retouching in connection with the publication of a photograph?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes. It is my opinion, based on my examination of the
photograph, Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 13, that all of the retouching that
I found on this photograph I would consider to be normal, routine
retouching that is a normal part of the reproduction process.
Mr. REDLICH. In your prior testimony, you stated that on the basis of
your examination of the photograph which had been published in Life
magazine, it was your opinion that this photograph published in Life
magazine was the same photograph which has heretofore been designated
as Commission Exhibit No. 133-A, with the retouching that you have
described.
Now, today, on the basis of your detailed examination of this
retouching, is it still your opinion that the photograph which appeared
on the cover of Life magazine is a retouched photograph of the
photograph which has heretofore been designated as Commission Exhibit
No. 133-A?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes.
(Shaneyfelt Exhibits Nos. 15 and 16 were marked and introduced.)
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Shaneyfelt, I now hand you an exchange of
correspondence between the Commission and Newsweek, Inc., the
publishers of Newsweek magazine, which is marked Shaneyfelt Exhibits
Nos. 15 and 16, and ask you if you have had an opportunity to review
this exchange of correspondence?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; I have.
Mr. REDLICH. The record will show that in prior testimony appearing on
page 414 of volume 7 of the hearings of the Commission, you testified
concerning the retouching which had been performed on this photograph
prior to its publication in Newsweek magazine.
I may add that during the course of that prior testimony the page from
Newsweek containing a reproduction of that photograph was introduced
into evidence as Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 5.
Having reviewed the correspondence between the Commission and
Newsweek, Inc., I ask you whether you have anything to add to or any
testimony which you would like to correct having compared the Newsweek
correspondence and your prior testimony?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. No; I have nothing to add or nothing to correct. I
find the correspondence from Newsweek to be consistent with my prior
testimony.
(Shaneyfelt Exhibits Nos. 17, 18, and 19 were marked and introduced.)
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Shaneyfelt, I now hand you a letter from the New
York Times addressed to Mr. J. Lee Rankin, which has been marked as
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 17, and also hand you a photograph furnished
by the New York Times which has been designated as Shaneyfelt Exhibit
No. 18, and some printed material designated as Shaneyfelt Exhibit No.
19, also furnished by the New York Times, which is a caption and other
descriptive material concerning this photograph as used by the New York
Times when the photograph was published.
I also wish to point out for the record that the reproduction of the
New York Times photograph has previously been designated as Shaneyfelt
Exhibit No. 6 and was discussed by you on pages 416 and 417 of volume 7
of the hearings of this Commission.
Have you had an opportunity to review this letter from the New York
Times to Mr. Rankin?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; I have.
Mr. REDLICH. Do you find that the letter from the New York Times is
consistent with the testimony you have previously given concerning the
retouching which was performed by the New York Times preparatory to the
publication of this photograph?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; I do.
Mr. REDLICH. Is there anything that you would like to add to or correct
in your previous testimony in connection with this photograph?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. No; I have nothing to add or correct. I find the
correspondence and photograph to be entirely consistent with my
previous testimony.
Mr. REDLICH. And through all of your examination of the retouching that
was performed on the photograph which has been designated as Commission
Exhibit No. 133-A, you are still of the opinion that all of the
pictures which have been published and which you have identified, were
copies of Commission Exhibit No. 133-A, with the retouching performed
as you have heretofore described?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Shaneyfelt, the record of the testimony before this
Commission will show that in Commission Exhibit No. 133-A Lee Harvey
Oswald appears to be holding two newspapers.
The Commission asked the FBI, did it not, to examine Commission Exhibit
No. 133-A in order to determine the exact issues of the publications
which appear in the right hand of Lee Harvey Oswald in Commission
Exhibit No. 133-A, is that correct?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is right.
Mr. REDLICH. Did you perform the examination of Commission Exhibit No.
133-A in connection with this request of the Commission?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; I did.
(Exhibits 20, 21 and 22 were marked and introduced.)
Mr. REDLICH. At this time, I would like to introduce into the record
a copy of the Militant, which has been designated as Shaneyfelt
Exhibit No. 20, and a copy of the Worker, which has been designated as
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 21, a copy of a letter dated June 29, 1964 from
J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, to Mr. J. Lee Rankin, which is
a discussion of the results of your investigation in connection with
these two publications; and Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22.
I ask you to describe at this time by making reference to the exhibits
which I have heretofore designated, the results of your investigation
concerning the question of the specific issues of the two publications
held by Lee Harvey Oswald in Commission Exhibit No. 133-A?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22 is a chart that I made
better to illustrate the results of my examination, and it consists of
three photographs, lettered A, B, and C. The center photograph, being
photograph A, is an enlargement of the newspapers being held by Oswald
in Commission Exhibit No. 133-A. By an examination of this enlarged
photograph, I find it is possible to see the headlines and certain
portions of the two papers being held, one of them being the Militant,
and one of them the Worker.
I obtained copies of both of these papers for an extended period of
time, and went through them and found that the Militant for Monday,
March 11, 1963, which is volume 27, No. 10, and has been marked as
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 20, conforms to the copy of the Militant being
held by Oswald in picture A of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22.
Picture C of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22 is a photograph of the headlines
of that issue of that paper. In examining this material I found that
the Militant portion, printed on the upper right hand portion of the
page, is in the same location as in the photograph A of Oswald holding
the papers, as it is in the copy of the Militant which is Shaneyfelt
Exhibit No. 20.
In addition, the general configuration of the headlines in the center
column which read “Miss.,” abbreviation for Mississippi, “Racists
Shoot Down a Rights Worker,” those headlines are not readable in the
photograph of the newspaper being held by Oswald, but the general
configuration of the type is the same.
There is a photograph of Bertram Powers reproduced in the second column
near the top of the Militant for Monday, March 11, 1963, which is
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 20. The top of this photograph is visible in the
same location and has the same characteristics in the newspaper being
held by Oswald in photograph A of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22.
Mr. REDLICH. Before passing to the other publication, did you find that
in your examination of the prior issues of the Militant, that there was
considerable variation in the typography of the publication?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; I found the name block for the Militant did not
always appear in the upper right-hand corner. It was sometimes in the
left. Sometimes the headlines ran across the top of the name block
and there was great variety in the typography of the headlines of the
papers.
Mr. REDLICH. Do you recall the period of time of the issues that you
examined?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Approximately 1 year.
Mr. REDLICH. One year prior to what date?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Prior to November.
Mr. REDLICH. Would you say it was a period----
Mr. SHANEYFELT. End of November.
Mr. REDLICH. Approximately November 1962 to November 1963?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; through November 1963.
Mr. REDLICH. And it is your opinion that based upon an examination of
those issues and these photographs that the issue which appears in
Commission Exhibit No. 133-A is the issue of March 11, 1963?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct.
In the examination of the other newspaper held by Oswald in Commission
Exhibit No. 133-A, I reviewed issues of the Worker for approximately 1
year from November issues of 1962 through all of the November issues
for 1963, and found that the March 24, 1963, issue of the Worker, which
is volume 28, No. 124, matches the newspaper being held by Oswald in
Commission Exhibit No. 133-A.
Again, the enlarged photograph of this newspaper in photograph A of
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22, shows some of the type of the headlines and
the block of the title “The Worker.”
B photograph of Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22 shows this same area of the
headline of the March 24, 1963, issue of the Worker. The headline of
that newspaper, which has been designated as Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22,
is “War Hogs Fight At TFX Plane Profit Trough.”
In the photograph A of Oswald holding the paper on Shaneyfelt Exhibit
No. 22, you can clearly see the Worker and you can clearly see the “At
TFX” which is a part of the headline, and the bottom of the “W” of
the word “War,” and based on these characteristics, it is my opinion
that one of the newspapers being held by Oswald in Commission Exhibit
No. 133-A is the March 24, 1963, issue of the Worker which is the same
issue as Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 21.
Mr. REDLICH. Referring now, Mr. Shaneyfelt, to the letter which has
been designated as Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22, this letter indicates the
mailing dates and the approximate dates when these publications were
received in Dallas.
As I understand it, you did not take part in the investigation
which led to that aspect of the letter which has been designated as
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. That is correct. That investigation was done by agents
in our Dallas and other field offices.
Mr. REDLICH. I would like to read into the record at this time the
following paragraph from the letter which has been designated as
Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 22:
“It has been determined that the March 24, 1963 issue of ‘The Worker’
was mailed on March 21, 1963 by second class mail. It was also
determined that the March 11, 1963 issue of ‘The Militant’ was mailed
on March 7, 1963 by second class mail. Representatives of the U.S.
Post Office in New York City have advised that the above newspapers
transmitted by second class mail would take from six to seven days to
arrive in Dallas, Texas, under ordinary delivery conditions.”
The record will show that during the course of her testimony, Mrs.
Marina Oswald identified Commission Exhibit No. 2 as a photograph which
she believed to have been taken by her husband in connection with his
planning for the attack on Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker, which occurred on
April 10, 1963.
The record will also show that investigation has established that
Commission Exhibit No. 2 is a photograph of an alley running behind the
house of General Walker through which cars are able to drive into the
parking lot of a church adjacent to General Walker’s house.
It has also been established in prior investigation that the driveway
running off this alley to the left, as one looks at the photograph, is
the driveway of General Walker’s house.
Investigation has also established the approximate date on which this
photograph was taken by reference to the construction work being
performed on the large building appearing in the background of this
photograph.
Mr. Shaneyfelt, the Commission asked the FBI to examine this photograph
for the additional purpose of determining, if possible, the camera
which was used to take the photograph.
Did you perform this investigation for the FBI?
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Yes; I did.
(Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 23 was marked and introduced.)
Mr. REDLICH. I introduce into the record at this time an exhibit
designated as Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 23, consisting of two photographs,
and I ask you to describe the photographs and the results of your
investigation undertaken pursuant to the Commission’s request.
Mr. SHANEYFELT. Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 23 consists of two photographs,
A and B. Photograph A is an enlargement of Commission Exhibit No. 2
which is the photograph of the alley in back of the Walker residence.
Photograph B on Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 23 is an enlargement of a
negative which has previously been designated as Commission Exhibit
No. 752 that I personally exposed in the Duo Flex camera obtained from
Oswald’s possessions which has previously been designated as Commission
Exhibit No. 750.