CT's, in court how would you defend Oswald?

[John Mytton]

So, sitting on the window sill satisfies this requirement. Seems reasonable. Is there a problem with the window opening far enough? Would the window need to be fully raised to allow this or was it still low when this occurred?

So, sitting on the window sill satisfies this requirement. Seems reasonable.

Brennan saw Oswald sitting on the sill and he had the two guys directly below for comparison.

Is there a problem with the window opening far enough?

Probably.

Would the window need to be fully raised to allow this or was it still low when this occurred?

Perhaps, but if it was me I'd use the window and slide it up when I wanted to sit on the sill and slide it down as far as possible when I was taking the shots, but that's just me.

I reckon when Oswald was sitting on the sill he was trying to get a look down at who was where, and must have been a little worried when he saw Jarman and Norman walk back towards the building.

Btw I think you were onto something with Bonnie Ray, Bonnie Ray wouldn't have gone to the 6th floor and not go to the window which he later went straight to on the 5th floor that doesn't make sense, Bonnie Ray saw the assassin, no bones about it!

JohnM

[John Mytton]

Brennan is not a witness Belin would want to put on the stand for the simple reason that the more the investigation went on the more Brennan became a hostile witness and totally useless

Brennan's description which closely matched Oswald must have been the one broadcast on the Police radio about 15 minutes later.

VOLUNTARY STATEMENT. Not Under Arrest Form No. 86
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
COUNTY OF DALLAS, TEXAS
Before me, the undersigned authority, on this the 22 day of November A.D. 1963 personally appeared Howard Leslie Brennan, Address 6814 Woodard, Dallas, Texas Age 44 , Phone No. EV 1-2713
Deposes and says:

I am presently employed by the Wallace and Beard Construction Company as a Steam fitter and have been so employed for about the past 7 weeks. I am working on a pipe line in the Katy Railroad yards at the West end of Pacific Street near the railroad tracks. We had knocked off for lunch and I had dinner at the cafeteria at Record and Main Street and had come back to see the President of the United States. I was sitting on a ledge or wall near the intersection of Houston Street and Elm Street near the red light pole. I was facing in a northerly direction looking across the street from where I was sitting. I take this building across the street to be about 7 stories anyway in the east endof [sic] the building and the second row of windows from the top I saw a man in this window. I had seen him before the President's car arrived. He was just sitting up there looking down apparently waiting for the same thing I was to see the President. I did not notice anything unusual about this man. He was a white man in his early 30's, slender, nice looking, slender and would weigh about 165 to 175 pounds. He had on light colored clothing but definately [sic] not a suit. I proceeded to watch the President's car as it turned left at the corner where I was and about 50 yards from the intersection of Elm and Houston and to a point I would say the President's back was in line with the last windows I have previously described I heard what I thought was a back fire. It run [sic] in my mind that it might be someone throwing firecrackers out the window of the red brick building and I looked up at the building. I then saw this man I have described in the window and he was taking aim with a high powered rifle. I could see all of the barrel of the gun. I do not know if it had a scope on it or not. I was looking at the man in this windows at the time of the last explosion. Then this man let the gun down to his side and stepped down out of sight. He did not seem to be in any hurry. I could see this man from about his belt up. There was nothing unusual about him at all in appearance. I believe that I could identify this man if I ever saw him again.

/s/ H. L. Brennan

/s/ C. M. Jones
Notary Public, Dallas County, Texas

===========================================================================================================================

Attention Elm and Houston is reported to be an unknown white male, all squads. Attention all squads. The suspect in the shooting at approximately thirty, slender build, height five feet ten inches, weight one hundred sixty-five pounds, reported to be armed with what is thought to be a 30 caliber rifle. Attention all squads. The suspect from Elm and Houston is reported to be an unknown white male about thirty, slender build, five feet ten inches tall, one hundred sixty-five pounds, armed with what is thought to be a 30-30 rifle. No further description at this time, or information. 12:45.

JohnM

[Thomas Graves]

Insanity caused by watching I Led Three Lives, being duped by Ruskie propaganda into believing the Rosenbergs were innocent, and being sexually abused by Private Schrand in the Marine Corps.

-- MWT 

Oh yeah, and being MK-Ultra'd by the KGB for a couple of years in Minsk.

[Peter Kleinschmidt]

From the last second of viewable film to the last known gunshot( did the WC ever figure out where the Prez limo was precisely for each shot). LN's cling to Brennan as an eyewitness when Brennan description of a man in a window leads one to believe either Brennan was drunk  on the 22 of Nov. 1963 or the man he describes was slow as if all of a sudden time stood still when we are supposed to believe a gunman had to be swift for it to be possible.  "what would the defense do if Oswald was alive to defend?"
Answer; attempting to prosecute Oswald with this witness, Oswald would not need a defense.  Belin would need to go back to Iowa or wherever he was from and take law 101. There was a reason Belin was involved in this. He was not very bright

[Colin Crow]

I reckon when Oswald was sitting on the sill he was trying to get a look down at who was where, and must have been a little worried when he saw Jarman and Norman walk back towards the building.

Btw I think you were onto something with Bonnie Ray, Bonnie Ray wouldn't have gone to the 6th floor and not go to the window which he later went straight to on the 5th floor that doesn't make sense, Bonnie Ray saw the assassin, no bones about it!

JohnM

I suspect Jarman and Norman walking back might have been a little earlier than Brennan taking his position.

I believe BRW saw the assassin too. Just trying to work out a senario that was non-threatening enough for him to vacate his position but take up one a floor lower. Might he have seen Jarman and Norman heading back? Remember though he was not particularly close to those two. He was friends with Arce, from memory those two came from the other warehouse, and Givens too I think. They were also members of the floor laying crew, as opposed to Jarman and Norman.

[John Mytton]

I suspect Jarman and Norman walking back might have been a little earlier than Brennan taking his position.

I believe BRW saw the assassin too. Just trying to work out a senario that was non-threatening enough for him to vacate his position but take up one a floor lower. Might he have seen Jarman and Norman heading back? Remember though he was not particularly close to those two. He was friends with Arce, from memory those two came from the other warehouse, and Givens too I think. They were also members of the floor laying crew, as opposed to Jarman and Norman.

I suspect Jarman and Norman walking back might have been a little earlier than Brennan taking his position.

Jarman testified that they left about between 12:20 and 12:25 and Brennan said he got there about between 12:22 and 12:24, a bit of possible overlap?

I believe BRW saw the assassin too.

From the WC questioning tactics I think they also didn't believe Bonnie Ray.

Might he have seen Jarman and Norman heading back?

Maybe, he also could have heard voices on the floor below?

Remember though he was not particularly close to those two.

And I heard that Oswald wasn't exactly a bundle of laughs?

He was friends with Arce, from memory those two came from the other warehouse, and Givens too I think.

Williams maybe thought the voices and or noises were maybe someone that would have to be better company than Oswald?

They were also members of the floor laying crew, as opposed to Jarman and Norman.

Why did they employ Oswald during the off-season, were they advertising?
Truly also employed someone else the same day, considering that Oswald was taken on a random phone call, what are the chances that someone else was also employed in the off season and on the same day?
If Norman knew there was a guy with a bolt action rifle firing while the President was going by, what would possibly motivate Norman to move even 1 inch from the opposite corner to the stairs and elevator? Wouldn't you just wait for the cops or perhaps they could be heroes and storm the 6th floor but they do neither and move closer to the stairs? Did they know it was Oswald and when they saw/heard him go down the stairs they knew the assassin was gone?

JohnM

[Colin Crow]

Jarman testified that they left about between 12:20 and 12:25 and Brennan said he got there about between 12:22 and 12:24, a bit of possible overlap?

From the WC questioning tactics I think they also didn't believe Bonnie Ray.

Maybe, he also could have heard voices on the floor below?

And I heard that Oswald wasn't exactly a bundle of laughs?

Williams maybe thought the voices and or noises were maybe someone that would have to be better company than Oswald?

Why did they employ Oswald during the off-season, were they advertising?
Truly also employed someone else the same day, considering that Oswald was taken on a random phone call, what are the chances that someone else was also employed in the off season and on the same day?
If Norman knew there was a guy with a bolt action rifle firing while the President was going by, what would possibly motivate Norman to move even 1 inch from the opposite corner to the stairs and elevator? Wouldn't you just wait for the cops or perhaps they could be heroes and storm the 6th floor but they do neither and move closer to the stairs? Did they know it was Oswald and when they saw/heard him go down the stairs they knew the assassin was gone?

JohnM

As for the timing of Jarman and Norman vs Brennan, I think Brennan saw the ambulance leave as he took up position, might be wrong, but I think not far apart in any event. Brennan did see Norman and Jarman on the fifth a bit later. Obviously at a time after BRW had vacated the SN and was on his way down.

The unfinished lunch suggests to me that BRW was interrupted and left quickly. Perhaps he put the chicken down and went to investigate something, then left his lunch behind.

As for their movements, the corner they started in provides no means of escape. Then again moving to the SW corner gave then a viewing spot for Elm, the railyards, as well as the elevators and stairwell. The elevator was taken from the fifth while they were there and BRW saw Baker rush past to grab the East elevator. Only then did they go down. Seeing the women on the 4th likely gave them some confidence the danger was decreased.

[Steve Howsley]

Good discussion John and Colin. Together you've opened up an area that has bothered me for a long time. I think you are both on to a real possibility. It might be too early to ask seeing as it's being fleshed out at the moment but at some point the question of why BRW didn't speak up once he knew Oswald was in custody. An obvious possibility is that he didn't want to be known as the guy who could have averted the assassination if only he had drawn attention to the 6th floor by frantic waving and gesturing from the 5th.