Mr. DULLES. Are they useful in other ways than but for the
psychological reasons you mentioned?
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. As far as whether or not a person has fired a gun?
Mr. DULLES. Yes.
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. No. Even with the mere handling of this weapon I could
pick up residues. One could not testify that a person has fired a
weapon because he had residues on his hands, which I showed you this
morning, for example.
There is a spot right there on my hand, and all I have done is empty
the weapon.
Representative FORD. Did the FBI conduct a paraffin test on Oswald?
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. No, sir; the Dallas Police Department did.
Representative FORD. The FBI did not?
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. We did not, sir.
Representative FORD. You didn't analyze it?
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. We did not. We obtained the paraffin casts and another
agent in the spectographic unit took them to Oak Ridge and had them
subjected to neutron activation, with which I am not familiar. But we
did not do the original examination and the reporting. I don't know
definitely as to what the Dallas Police Department did.
Mr. EISENBERG. It was under the supervision of the Dallas Police
Department. I think a doctor performed the test, I am not sure whether
it was a police doctor or not.
By the way, after the paraffin test is run, does the positive reaction
stay evident on the paraffin cast?
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. No, it does not, due to the fact you have to wash
it off. The solution of diphenylbenzidine is 70 percent sulphuric
acid. The solution we were using in these tests was .25 grams of
diphenylbenzidine to 100 ml. of 70 percent sulphuric acid, and
sulphuric acid is corrosive. In other words, the majority of the
solution is 70 percent sulphuric acid.
Mr. EISENBERG. So the casts as they are now don't show anything except
white paraffin?
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. That is correct.
Mr. DULLES. You have no further questions?
Mr. MURRAY. No, thank you, sir.
Mr. DULLES. Thank you very much, Mr. Cunningham. Thank you very much,
sir.