Mr. EISENBERG. This is Exhibit 142.
(At this point Representative Boggs entered the hearing room.)
Mr. DULLES. Both the palmprint and the fingerprint are on Exhibit 142.
Mr. EISENBERG. Yes--marked "A" and "B" respectively.
Mr. Latona, one further question on this subject. When you testify in
court, do you frequently testify on the basis of the photographs rather
than the original object?
Mr. LATONA. If the originals are available, I would prefer that they be
brought into court. If they are not, then photographs are used--plus
the original negative of the latent prints which were photographed.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, Mr. Latona, I hand you Commission Exhibit 139
which, for the record, consists of the rifle found on the sixth floor
of the TSBD building, and which was identified yesterday as the
rifle--and the day before yesterday--as the rifle which fired the fatal
bullets, and I ask you whether you are familiar with this weapon?
Mr. LATONA. Yes; I am.
Mr. EISENBERG. And did you examine this weapon to test--did you examine
this weapon to determine whether there were any identifiable latent
fingerprints on it?
Mr. LATONA. I examined the weapon to determine whether there were any
identifiable latent prints on the weapon.
Mr. EISENBERG. When did you receive the weapon?
Mr. LATONA. On the morning of November 23, 1963.
Mr. EISENBERG. And when did you proceed to make your examination?
Mr. LATONA. I proceeded to make my examination that same day that I
received it.
Mr. EISENBERG. Can you tell us what techniques you used?
Mr. LATONA. Well, the technique that I used first was simply to
examine it visually under a magnifying glass, a hand magnifying glass,
primarily for the purpose of seeing, first of all, whether there were
any visible prints. I might point out that my attention had been
directed to the area which we refer to as the trigger guard on the left
side of the weapon, Commission Exhibit 139.
Mr. EISENBERG. The trigger-guard area?
Mr. LATONA. The trigger-guard area.
Mr. EISENBERG. Which actually, in the case of this particular weapon,
is the area in which the magazine is inserted at the top; is that
correct? You are looking at the weapon now, and the magazine comes out
the bottom of what is called the trigger-guard area, which would be a
trigger guard on another weapon.
Mr. LATONA. That's correct. There had been placed over that area a
piece of cellophane material. My attention had been directed to it, to
the effect that a prior examination had been made of that area, and
that there were apparently certain latent prints available--visible
under that area.