Mr. LATONA. Yes, I am. This is a piece of brown wrapping paper that we
have referred to as a brown paper bag, which was referred to me for
purposes of processing for latent prints.
Mr. EISENBERG. And you examined that for latent prints?
Mr. LATONA. Yes; I did.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Chairman, may I have this admitted into evidence as
Commission Exhibit 626?
The CHAIRMAN. It may be admitted.
(The item referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 626 and
received in evidence.)
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Latona, do your notes show when you received this
paper bag?
Mr. LATONA. I received this paper bag on the morning of November 23,
1963.
Mr. EISENBERG. And when did you conduct your examination?
Mr. LATONA. I conducted my examination on that same day.
Mr. EISENBERG. When you had received it, could you tell whether any
previous examination had been conducted on it?
Mr. LATONA. When I received this exhibit, 626, the brown wrapper, it
had been treated with black dusting powder, black fingerprint powder.
There was nothing visible in the way of any latent prints on there at
that particular time.
Mr. EISENBERG. Were you informed whether any fingerprints had been
developed by means of the fingerprint powder?
Mr. LATONA. No; I determined that by simply examining the wrapper at
that particular time.
Mr. EISENBERG. Could you briefly describe the powder process?
Mr. LATONA. The powdering process is merely the utilizing of a
fingerprint powder which is applied to any particular surface for
purposes of developing any latent prints which may be on such a
surface.
Now, we use powder in the FBI only on objects which have a hard,
smooth, nonabsorbent finish, such as glass, tile, various types of
highly polished metals, and the like.
In the FBI we do not use powder on paper, cardboard, unfinished wood,
or various types of cloth. The reason is that the materials are
absorbent. Accordingly, when any finger which has on it perspiration or
sweat comes in contact with an absorbent material, the print starts to
become absorbed into the surface. Accordingly, when an effort is made
to develop latent prints by the use of a powder, if the surface is dry,
the powder will not adhere.
On the other hand, where the surface is a hard and smooth object, with
a nonabsorbent material, the perspiration or sweat which may have some
oil in it at that time may remain there as moisture. Accordingly, when
the dry powder is brushed across it, the moisture in the print will
retain the powder giving an outline of the impression itself.
These powders come in various colors. We utilize a black and a gray.
The black powder is used on objects which are white or light to give a
resulting contrast of a black print on a white background. We use the
gray powder on objects which are black or dark in order to give you a
resulting contrast of a white print on a dark or black background.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, Mr. Latona, how did you proceed to conduct your
examination for fingerprints on this object?
Mr. LATONA. Well, an effort was made to remove as much of the powder
as possible. And then this was subjected to what is known as the
iodine-fuming method, which simply means flowing iodine fumes, which
are developed by what is known as an iodine-fuming gun--it is a very
simple affair, in which there are a couple of tubes attached to each
other, having in one of them iodine crystals. And by simply blowing
through one end, you get iodine fumes.
The iodine fumes are brought in as close contact to the surface as
possible. And if there are any prints which contain certain fatty
material or protein material, the iodine fumes simply discolor it to a
sort of brownish color. And of course such prints as are developed are
photographed for record purposes.
That was done in this case here, but no latent prints were developed.
The next step then was to try an additional method, by chemicals. This
was subsequently processed by a 3-percent solution of silver nitrate.
The processing with silver nitrate resulted in developing two latent
prints. One is what we call a latent palmprint, and the other is what
we call a latent fingerprint.
Mr. EISENBERG. Can you briefly explain the action of the silver nitrate?
Mr. LATONA. Silver nitrate solution in itself is colorless, and it
reacts with the sodium chloride, which is ordinary salt which is found
in the perspiration or sweat which is exuded by the sweat pores.
This material covers the fingers. When it touches a surface such as an
absorbent material, like paper, it leaves an outline on the paper.
When this salt material, which is left by the fingers on the paper,
is immersed in the silver nitrate solution, there is a combining, an
immediate combining of--the elements themselves will break down, and
they recombine into silver chloride and sodium nitrate. We know that
silver is sensitive to light. So that material, after it has been
treated with the silver nitrate solution, is placed under a strong
light. We utilize a carbon arc lamp, which has considerable ultraviolet
light in it. And it will immediately start to discolor the specimen.
Wherever there is any salt material, it will discolor it, much more so
than the rest of the object, and show exactly where the latent prints
have been developed. It is simply a reaction of the silver nitrate with
the sodium chloride.
That is all it is.
Mr. EISENBERG. Do you frequently find that the silver nitrate develops
a print in a paper object which the iodine fuming cannot develop?
Mr. LATONA. Yes; I would say that is true, considerably so. We have
more success with silver nitrate than we do with the iodine fumes.
The reason we use both is because of the fact that this material which
is exuded by the fingers may fall into one of two main types--protein
material and salt material. The iodine fumes will develop protein
material. Silver nitrate will develop the salt material.
The reason we use both is because we do not know what was in the
subject's fingers or hands or feet. Accordingly, to insure complete
coverage, we use both methods. And we use them in that sequence. The
iodine first, then the silver nitrate. The iodine is used first because
the iodine simply causes a temporary physical change. It will discolor,
and then the fumes, upon being left in the open air, will disappear,
and then the color will dissolve. Silver nitrate, on the other hand,
causes a chemical change and it will permanently affect the change. So
if we were to use the silver nitrate process first, then we could not
use the iodine fumes. On occasion we have developed fingerprints and
palmprints with iodine fumes which failed to develop with the silver
nitrate and vice versa.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, Mr. Latona, looking at that bag I see that almost
all of it is an extremely dark brown color, except that there are
patches of a lighter brown, a manila-paper brown. Could you explain why
there are these two colors on the bag?
Mr. LATONA. Yes. The dark portions of the paper bag are where the
silver nitrate has taken effect. And the light portions of the bag
are where we did not process the bag at that time, because additional
examinations were to be made, and we did not wish the object to lose
its identity as to what it may have been used for. Certain chemical
tests were to be made after we finished with it. And we felt that the
small section that was left in itself would not interfere with the
general overall examination of the bag itself.
Mr. EISENBERG. That is, the small section of light brown corresponds to
the color which the bag had when you received it?
Mr. LATONA. That is the natural color of the wrapper at the time we
received it.
Mr. EISENBERG. And the remaining color is caused by the silver nitrate
process?
Mr. LATONA. That is correct.
Mr. EISENBERG. Does paper normally turn this dark brown color when
treated by silver nitrate?
Mr. LATONA. Yes; it does. It will get darker, too, as time goes on and
it is affected by light.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Latona, does the silver nitrate process permanently
fix the print into the paper?
Mr. LATONA. Permanent in the sense that the print by itself will not
disappear. Now, it can be removed, or the stains could be removed
chemically, by the placing of the object into a 2 percent solution of
mercuric nitrate, which will remove the stains and in addition will
remove the prints. But the prints by themselves, if nothing is done
to it, will simply continue to grow darker and eventually the whole
specimen will lose its complete identity.
The CHAIRMAN. May I ask a question here?
So I understand from that that this particular document that you are
looking at, or this bag, will continue to get darker as time goes on?
Mr. LATONA. Yes; it will.
The CHAIRMAN. From this date?
Mr. LATONA. That's right.
Mr. EISENBERG. Returning to the prints themselves, you stated I believe
that you found a palmprint and a fingerprint on this paper bag?
Mr. LATONA. That is correct.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you find any other prints?
Mr. LATONA. No; no other prints that we term of value in the sense
that I felt that they could be identified or that a conclusion could
be reached that they were not identical with the fingerprints or
palmprints of some other person.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you attempt to identify the palmprint and
fingerprint?
Mr. LATONA. The ones that I developed; yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. Were you able to identify these prints?
Mr. LATONA. I--the ones I developed, I did identify.
Mr. EISENBERG. Whose prints did you find them to be?
Mr. LATONA. They were identified as a fingerprint and a palmprint of
Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, Mr. Latona, what known sample of Lee Harvey
Oswald's prints, finger and palm, did you use in making this
identification?
Mr. LATONA. The known samples I used were the ones forwarded by our
office at Dallas, the Dallas office.
Mr. EISENBERG. Do you have those with you?
Mr. LATONA. I do.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Latona, you have handed me three cards, one of which
appears to be a standard fingerprint card, and the other two of which
appear to be prints of the palms of an individual. All these cards are
marked "Lee Harvey Oswald."
Are these the cards which you received from your Dallas office which
you just described as being the prints of Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. LATONA. They are.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I would like these admitted into evidence
as 627, 628, and 629. I would like the standard fingerprint card,
10-print card, admitted as 627.
The CHAIRMAN. It will be admitted.
(The item referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 627 and
received in evidence.)
Mr. EISENBERG. I would like the card which is--which appears to be the
left palm admitted as 628.
The CHAIRMAN. It will be admitted.
(The item referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 628 and
received in evidence.)
Mr. EISENBERG. I would like the card which is the right palm admitted
as 629.
The CHAIRMAN. That may be admitted.
(The item referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 629 and
received in evidence.)
Mr. LATONA. May I ask a question, please? Would it be possible to
accept copies instead of the originals?
The CHAIRMAN. They are identical?
Mr. LATONA. These are true and faithful reproductions of the originals
which Mr. Eisenberg has.
The CHAIRMAN. The originals, then, may be withdrawn, and the copies
substituted for them.
Mr. EISENBERG. Shall I mark those 627, 628, and 629 in the same manner
as the originals?
The CHAIRMAN. Exactly.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Latona, do you know how the known samples we have
just marked 627, 628, and 629 were obtained?
Mr. LATONA. How they were obtained?
Mr. EISENBERG. Yes. Can you tell the process used in obtaining them?
Mr. LATONA. You mean in recording the impressions?
Mr. EISENBERG. Yes, sir.
Mr. LATONA. Fingerprints are recorded by the use of a printer's ink,
heavy black ink, which is first placed on a smooth surface, such as
glass or metal, and it is rolled out in a smooth, even film. Then
the subject's fingers are brought in contact with the plate by a
rolling process, rolling the finger from one complete side to the
other complete side, in order to coat the finger with an even film of
this heavy ink. Then the finger is brought in contact with a standard
fingerprint card and the finger again is rolled from one complete side
to the opposite side in order to record in complete detail all of the
ridge formation which occurs on the tip of the finger, or the first
joint, which is under the nail.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you received a second submission of known prints?
Mr. LATONA. Yes; we did.
Mr. EISENBERG. When did you receive those?
Mr. LATONA. Those were received in the identification division on
November 29, 1963.