Assassination Witnesses Never Called to give Testimony at the Warren Commission

[Gary Craig]

[Jerry Organ]

The 1965 book "The Unanswered Questions About President's Assassination" by Sylvan Fox was one of the most widely-distributed books critical of the WC.

    "With Mrs. Hill at the time of the shooting was a friend of hers, Mary Moorman.
     Mrs. Moorman was in the same place at the same time. But she was never
     summoned to testify before the Warren Commission.
          Nor was Charles Drehm [sic], a Dallas carpet salesman who told the Dallas
     Times Herald he was about 10 feet from the President's car at the moment of
     the shooting. Drehm, the Times Herald said, "seemed to think the shots came
     from in front of or beside the President."
          Nor did the Commission call O.V. Campbell, the vice president of the book
     depository, who was standing in front of the building with Roy Truly, the
     depository, at the time of the assassination. Campbell was quoted in the
     Dallas Morning News as saying he "ran towards a grassy knoll west of the
     building" because he thought the shots were coming from there.
          Nor did the Commission call four women employed by the Dallas Morning
     News who were on the grassy knoll itself. One of the four, Mary Woodward,
     wrote an eyewitness account of the assassination for the Morning News.
     She said she and her three companions were sitting on the knoll overlooking
     Elm Street when they heard "a horrible, ear-shattering noise coming from\
     behind us and a little to the right."
Readers are left with the impression that witnesses were totally ignored by the Commission.

Moorman: Affidavit Nov. 22, 1963; FBI Report Nov. 23, 1963
           ( According to Wikipedia: "She was called by the Warren Commission to
             testify, but due to a sprained ankle, she was unable to be questioned." )

Brehm: FBI Report, Nov. 25, 1963
           ( "He also stated that it seemed quite apparent to him that the shots came
             from one of two buildings back at the corner of Elm and Houston Streets." )

Campbell: FBI Reports Nov. 24 and 28, 1963
          ( "At this time, he heard a loud report, which at first he considered to be a
             fire cracker or some object set off by a crank and believed the noise
             came from away from his building. This illusion, he explained, may have
             been due to the sound bouncing off the building and other objects in the
             vicinity. After hearing two more such reports, he realized they must have
             been rifle shots and since President KENNEDY's car had advanced just
             out of his vision, he went forward a few feet to observe this automobile" )

Mary Woodward: FBI Report Dec. 7, 1963
          ( "She stated that her first reaction was that the shots had been fired from
             above her head and from possibly behind her. Her next reaction was that
             the shots might have come from the overpass which was to her right.
             She stated, however, because of the loud echo, she could not say where
             the shots had come from, other than they had come from above her head.")

Mary Woodward is the smiling light-haired woman above the limousine's flag staff in the Altgens photograph, taken during the shooting. Above and behind Woodward is the Depository and Elm Street extension. Woodward was standing on the sidewalk, not sitting on the knoll, per Fox.

[Peter Kleinschmidt]

The 1965 book "The Unanswered Questions About President's Assassination" by Sylvan Fox was one of the most widely-distributed books critical of the WC.

    "With Mrs. Hill at the time of the shooting was a friend of hers, Mary Moorman.
     Mrs. Moorman was in the same place at the same time. But she was never
     summoned to testify before the Warren Commission.
        Nor was Charles Drehm [sic], a Dallas carpet salesman who told the Dallas
     Times Herald he was about 10 feet from the President's car at the moment of
     the shooting. Drehm, the Times Herald said, "seemed to think the shots came
     from in front of or beside the President."
        Nor did the Commission call O.V. Campbell, the vice president of the book
     depository, who was standing in front of the building with Roy Truly, the
     depository, at the time of the assassination. Campbell was quoted in the
     Dallas Morning News as saying he "ran towards a grassy knoll west of the
     building" because he thought the shots were coming from there.
        Nor did the Commission call four women employed by the Dallas Morning
     News who were on the grassy knoll itself. One of the four, Mary Woodward,
     wrote an eyewitness account of the assassination for the Morning News.
     She said she and her three companions were sitting on the knoll overlooking
     Elm Street when they heard "a horrible, ear-shattering noise coming from\
     behind us and a little to the right."

Readers are left with the impression that witnesses were totally ignored by the Commission.

Moorman: Affidavit Nov. 22, 1963; FBI Report Nov. 23, 1963
           ( According to Wikipedia: "She was called by the Warren Commission to
             testify, but due to a sprained ankle, she was unable to be questioned." )

Brehm: FBI Report, Nov. 25, 1963
           ( "He also stated that it seemed quite apparent to him that the shots came
             from one of two buildings back at the corner of Elm and Houston Streets." )

Campbell: FBI Reports Nov. 24 and 28, 1963
          ( "At this time, he heard a loud report, which at first he considered to be a
             fire cracker or some object set off by a crank and believed the noise
             came from away from his building. This illusion, he explained, may have
             been due to the sound bouncing off the building and other objects in the
             vicinity. After hearing two more such reports, he realized they must have
             been rifle shots and since President KENNEDY's car had advanced just
             out of his vision, he went forward a few feet to observe this automobile" )

Mary Woodward: FBI Report Dec. 7, 1963
          ( Woodward was standing on the sidewalk, not sitting on the knoll. )

Yes, they were totally ignored by the Warren Commission. And you highlighting some examples does nothing?

You selectively throw in front--- the sprained ankle excuse.
Like  Moorman notified the WC "I have a sprained ankle, I can't walk therefore I can't talk"   
and the WC responded "You get your ass down here right now young lady"

Here you go again trying to twist reality trying to make the unreasonable WC into the make-believe reasonable WC

I don't think you ever question anything.

[Mike Orr]

It seems like there was a selection of witnesses who had their observations and then people like the Newmans who were not called to testify . They say that a lawyer won't ask a question to a witness unless they already know the answer and of course there are those lawyers who just don't ask the pertinent question that would or should clear up a situation . The Parkland Doctors and the Bethesda Dr's would have made for somewhat of a good debate with them all sitting across from each other telling what they saw concerning the wounds on JFK . It's like Jackie Kennedy talking about what happened that day but her remarks about the head wounds on JFK were still put away for years to come until just about all of us are dead .

[Jerry Freeman]

VOLUNTARY STATEMENT. Not Under Arrest Form No. 86
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
COUNTY OF DALLAS, TEXAS

Before me, the undersigned authority, on this the 22nd day of November A.D. 1963 personally appeared Mr. J. C. Price, Address: 2602 Astor, Dallas, Age 62, Phone No. WH 1-1940. Bus. Terminal Annex, Gen. Service RI 8-5611, Ext 3105.
Deposes and says:

This day at about 12:35 PM I was on the roof of the Terminal Annex Bldg on the NE corner when the presidential motorcade came down Main to Houston, North on Houston and then West on Elm. The cars had proceeded west on Elm and was [sic] just a short distance from the Tripple [sic] underpass, when I saw Gov. Connelly [sic] slump over. I did not see the president as his car had gotten out of my view under the underpass. There was a volley of shots, and then much later, maybe as much as five minutes [sic!] later, another one. I saw one man run towards the passenger cars on the railroad siding after the volley of shots. This man had a white dress shirt, no tie and kahki [sic] colored trousers. His hair appeared to be long and dark and his agility running could be about 35 yrs [sic] of age. He had something in his hand. I couldn't be sure but it may have been a head piece. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

/s/ J. C. Price

Subscribed and sworn to before me on this the 22nd day of Nov A. D. 1963

/s/ [unintelligible]
Notary Public, Dallas County, Texas

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/price.htm
What is a "head piece"?

[Margaret Kelly]

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/price.htm
What is a "head piece"?

A hat apparently. Took me a long time to find that out. I think it might be in one of Prices other testimonies somewhere. Possibly his Clay Shaw testimony. The Clay Shaw testimony is very illuminating once he gives more details. His sighting is not of a shooter on the knoll as one would take it the way he describes it in his earlier accounts.

[Ray Mitcham]

A hat apparently. Took me a long time to find that out. I think it might be in one of Prices other testimonies somewhere. Possibly his Clay Shaw testimony. The Clay Shaw testimony is very illuminating once he gives more details. His sighting is not of a shooter on the knoll as one would take it the way he describes it in his earlier accounts.

I took  "headpiece" to mean some kind of headphone or piece of radio equipment. Just shows. Why would somebody say head piece rather than hat?

[Jerry Freeman]

A hat apparently. Took me a long time to find that out. I think it might be in one of Prices other testimonies somewhere. Possibly his Clay Shaw testimony. The Clay Shaw testimony is very illuminating once he gives more details. His sighting is not of a shooter on the knoll as one would take it the way he describes it in his earlier accounts.

MK Can you provide a link to this Price testimony at the Shaw trial?