12:37 pm Patrolman J. J. Hill:
"Get some men up here to cover this school depository building. It's believed the shot came from, as you see it on Elm Street, it would be upper right hand corner, second window from the end."Anyone hearing this would focus on this window:
Now!
Just before Patrolman Hill's dispatch, at 12:36 pm, we get this from Sergeant D. V. Harkness:
"I have a witness that says that it came from the 5th floor of the Texas Book Depository Store."At least that's what the transcript says, and the audio does sound rather like 'fifth'.
But!
If you listen to the start of Sergeant Harkness' dispatch-----------
https://soundcloud.com/dallasnews/jfk-dallas-police-dispatch-1------------he announces his number. One could easily make the mistake of thinking he is saying '250'. But he's not. His number is 260.
By the same token, he may also be saying '
sixth floor of the Texas Book Depository Store' a couple of seconds later.
I wonder whether the following might explain the remarkably long time it took for the 6th floor 'Sniper's Nest' to be found:
The first two dispatches identifying the window lead police to the
7th floor southeast corner, 2nd window from the right.
(Note: many people looking at the building from the outside started counting floors by the presence of windows------i.e. what we know as 'sixth floor' they counted as 'fifth floor'; what we call 'seventh floor' they saw as 'sixth floor'.)
Benign interpretation: the initial dispatches were erroneous or were interpreted erroneously.
Sinister interpretation: the second window on the 7th floor was indeed pulled up as JFK proceeded down Elm, and a rifle was indeed pointed out of it.
Those minded to favor the latter interpretation will note that note that DPD photographed precisely this area, and (as far as the record shows) this area alone, of the seventh floor::
Why was the southeast corner of the seventh floor of interest to them?
