Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Dulles, would you care to take a look at that?
Mr. LATONA. Here you are going to see several clear prints but it is
only one that we have identified, and that is the one directly under
the arrow.
Mr. DULLES. I see four there, or five.
Mr. LATONA. It is the little one here in the middle, right here.
Mr. DULLES. Is it this one here, right there?
Mr. LATONA. No; the one next to it.
Mr. DULLES. That one there?
Mr. LATONA. That is right.
Mr. DULLES. What are all these other fingerprints?
Mr. LATONA. They are all other fingerprints.
Mr. EISENBERG. There were a total of 13 identifiable prints on the box,
did you say?
Mr. LATONA. That is right. Those are not Oswald's prints.
Representative BOGGS. Those may have been other people opening the box?
Mr. DULLES. The box was carried around probably.
Mr. LATONA. Yes.
Mr. DULLES. When it was first put there and moved.
Mr. EISENBERG. Could you put your finger on that box, Mr. Latona, in
the way that the finger was placed?
Mr. DULLES. How do you think he was carrying that box?
Mr. LATONA. I don't know.
Mr. EISENBERG. Is your finger now placed in the way the finger was
placed to create the impression? It is pointing with the fingernail
towards the arrow and in the same line as the arrow, with just the tip
of the finger on the box.
Mr. DULLES. Everybody seems to have held that box.
Mr. LATONA. It is a little one right there.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Murray, do you want to take a look?
Representative BOGGS. You have not identified any of these others?
Mr. LATONA. No.
Mr. EISENBERG. Let the record show that Commissioners Dulles and Boggs
and Mr. Murray are looking at that fingerprint, and have apparently
satisfied themselves----
Mr. MURRAY. The portion shown to me appears to be part of a fingerprint.
Mr. EISENBERG. They have satisfied themselves that the print is on the
box.
Now, therefore, to recapitulate: You found on this carton 641 the left
palmprint and the right index fingerprint of Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. LATONA. That is correct.
Mr. EISENBERG. One other thing. Getting back to the palmprint, marked
"A," could you show us how a hand would lie to produce that print?
Mr. LATONA. In the position of the palm pointing towards the arrow.
Mr. EISENBERG. Pointing towards the arrow, that is, in the opposite
direction that the arrow points?
Mr. LATONA. That is right.
Mr. EISENBERG. But in the same line as the arrow. Your hand is parallel
with the line but covering that completely?
Mr. LATONA. Yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. And although it covers it, I would say that the arrow
would fall in the midline of the palm, is that right?
Mr. LATONA. That is right.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, Mr. Latona, did you prepare a chart showing some of
the points which led you to the conclusion that the latent palmprint
found on 641 was identical with the inked palmprint submitted to you by
the Dallas police?
Mr. LATONA. I had charts prepared; yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. These were prepared under your supervision?
Mr. LATONA. They were.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Chairman, may I have that chart admitted as 646?
Mr. DULLES. It will be admitted.
(The chart referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 646, and
received in evidence.)
Mr. EISENBERG. What is the magnification?
Mr. LATONA. Approximately eight times.
Mr. EISENBERG. Is the magnification equal on both sides?
Mr. LATONA. Both sides; the inked palmprint and latent palmprint both
the same.
Mr. EISENBERG. Is that true of all of the charts that you have
submitted and will be submitting this morning?
Mr. LATONA. That is true.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Latona, could you point out some of these points? I
think in the interest of time it would be better if you took several of
the points instead of all 13 points you have marked.
Mr. LATONA. I believe you will find this will be a little bit more
difficult to see in view of the fact that the ridge formations are cut
up a little bit more. However----
Mr. DULLES. Would you put that over there. You have identified 13
points of similarity?
Mr. LATONA. Yes; 13 have been drawn but there are quite a few others.
Mr. EISENBERG. You have marked 13 in other words, is that it, Mr.
Latona?
Mr. LATONA. Sir?
Mr. EISENBERG. You have marked 13?
Mr. LATONA. Yes.
Mr. DULLES. On this exhibit?
Mr. LATONA. That is right. Here, for example, is an easy one to
show up, this point No. 1 as compared to point No. 1 here, and its
relationship to point No. 2, the relationship of point No. 2 to point
No. 3.
Looking over here we find that there is a relationship between points
Nos. 1 and 2, one, two, three, four, five, one, two, three, four, five.
Then there's a relationship of one ridge between point 1--or rather
between point 2 and point 3, both points going in the same general
direction.
Point No. 3 is below point No. 2. Also the point No. 2 is what is
referred to as a short ending ridge. We look over here and we see that
point No. 2 is a short ending ridge.
Point No. 3 is below that. Then we notice that there is another point
which is one point removed--one ridge removed--from point No. 3 which
we have not charted, which shows up very definitely in that position
there. Then there is point No. 4, which is another piece of a ridge,
point No. 4 here.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Latona, when you testify in court do you generally
discuss every marked point?
Mr. LATONA. No.
Mr. EISENBERG. Just the more salient points?
Mr. LATONA. Just to give a general idea as to how these comparisons
are made, more or less for demonstration purposes, because the actual
comparison is the same, the relationship is a determination of the
relationship with the others, and just by an examination, that would be
borne out if each and every point was gone into in detail.
Mr. EISENBERG. With you permission, Mr. Chairman, I would like to move
on to the next chart since we do have witnesses waiting who have to
return to New York.
Mr. DULLES. Right.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you prepare a chart, Mr. Latona, of the
fingerprint----
Mr. LATONA. Yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. Which was found on the carton 641?
Mr. LATONA. Here is the chart, which is of the right index fingerprint
of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. EISENBERG. Was this prepared by you or under your supervision?
Mr. LATONA. They were. The enlargement here is approximately 10 times
both in the inked print and in the latent print.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Chairman, may I have this admitted as 647?
Mr. DULLES. It shall be admitted.
(The chart referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 647, and
received in evidence.)
Mr. EISENBERG. Would you discuss again just a few of the more salient
points, Mr. Latona?
Mr. LATONA. Here, starting first of all with the apparent pattern type
itself, it is readily discernible. You can see that these are what we
term whorl-type prints. This point No. 1, for example, is a small ridge
which terminates at this point which has been indicated by the figure
No. 1.
It is related by being joined onto point No. 2, which is the end of the
black line going upward. Then one ridge to the left, one ridge removed
and to the left and a little bit above is point No. 3. Here the same
thing occurs in the inked print.
Point No. 4 is related to point No. 3 by one ridge removed and is
upward and one ridge to the left.
Mr. DULLES. And similarly you have identified up to 10 points of
similarity?
Mr. LATONA. These you can see rather easily that they appear.
Mr. EISENBERG. If there are no further questions on the carton 641 I
will move on to another exhibit.
I now hand you a carton, somewhat larger in area than the 641 which
we were just discussing, with various markings on it which I won't
discuss, but which is marked Box "D" in red pencil at the upper
left-hand corner of the bottom of the box.
Are you familiar with this carton, Mr. Latona?
Mr. DULLES. Has that been admitted?
Mr. EISENBERG. It has not so far been admitted.
Mr. LATONA. This Box D, I received this along with Box A for purposes
of examining for latent prints.
Mr. EISENBERG. Was that examined by you or under your supervision for
that purpose?
Mr. LATONA. Yes, it was.
Mr. EISENBERG. When was that received?
Mr. LATONA. That was received on the 27th of November 1963.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Chairman, may I have this admitted as 648?
Mr. DULLES. What date?
Mr. LATONA. 27th.
Mr. EISENBERG. That is 5 days after the assassination?
Mr. LATONA. Yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. May I have this admitted as 648?
Mr. DULLES. It shall be admitted.
(The box referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 648, and
received in evidence.)
Mr. DULLES. Can you identify it in some further way? I think there are
some markings on here.
Mr. EISENBERG. There is "Box D." It is a little hard to read. It says
"1 40 N TH&DO"----