On The Trail Of Delusion

[Steve M. Galbraith]

You’re correct. She said she took two but also inaccurately described how to use the Imperial Reflex camera (it operates differently than most cameras).

My broader point stands. Marina changed her stories too many times to be considered a good witness.

She even said at one point that she didn’t know Lee owned a rifle until they moved to New Orleans, which contradicted her later testimony about the backyard photos and the Gen. Walker incident.

She was a bad liar or had a poor memory but either way, she wasn’t a great witness.

But no one is relying solely on her account. There's physical evidence as well. The camera "signature", the negative, the handwriting on the back, the DeMohrenschildts presented one of the photos, et cetera. Look at the totality of evidence.

This is a classic example of, I think, bad and wrongheaded conspiracy thinking: it "looks" funny therefore it's suspicious and is evidence of something conspiratorial or sinister.

Oswald did everything he could to distance himself from that rifle. He told the police he never owned one while in the US (except perhaps for a .22), he said he didn't live on Neely Street where the photos were taken, he said the photos were faked, he said he didn't know anyone by the name of Hidell, he said he didn't bring a large package to work with him that day. It's another long list of evidence pointing towards his guilt.

Yes, this is what the interrogators said he said. So they lied? He did own a rifle? He did use the Hidell name? He did bring a large package with him? In either case, this is damning evidence.

[Bill Chapman]

But no one is relying solely on her account. There's physical evidence as well. The camera "signature", the negative, the handwriting on the back, the DeMohrenschildts presented one of the photos, et cetera. Look at the totality of evidence.

This is a classic example of, I think, bad and wrongheaded conspiracy thinking: it "looks" funny therefore it's suspicious and is evidence of something conspiratorial or sinister.

Experts do not exist to CTethists

[Fred Litwin]

JFK Revisited Uses Marina Porter to Mislead Viewers
Oliver Stone's so-called documentary, JFK Revisited, misuses an interview clip of Marina Porter to try and show her denying that she took the backyard photographs.

https://www.onthetrailofdelusion.com/post/jfk-revisited-uses-marina-porter-to-mislead-viewers

[Jon Banks]

I'll defer to the photographic experts who used technical methods to examine the photos over our - yours or mine or anyone's - eyeball interpretation. Wouldn't you?

Jon, you don't really think your judgment is superior to what the photographic experts did? Yes, maybe they are wrong - appeal to authority and all. But just saying your view is superior to theirs isn't persuasive.

And to clarify: their conclusion was, if I recall (too lazy to check right now) that it was "probably" the same rifle not that it definitely was.

I’m not arguing that the BYP are fake so no, I’m not questioning the experts’ view that the photos are authentic.

On the rifle in the BYP, the loop for the rifle strap is on the bottom of the rifle while the rifle found on the Sixth floor of the Book Depository had loops/straps on the side. I’ll post a photo later if I can find comparisons.

The remaining controversy regarding the BYP is, who took the pictures if not Marina? She has given very inconsistent testimony on the photos which suggests that either she lied about taking the pictures or she has a very poor memory.

[Jon Banks]

But no one is relying solely on her account. There's physical evidence as well. The camera "signature", the negative, the handwriting on the back, the DeMohrenschildts presented one of the photos, et cetera. Look at the totality of evidence.

This is a classic example of, I think, bad and wrongheaded conspiracy thinking: it "looks" funny therefore it's suspicious and is evidence of something conspiratorial or sinister.

Neither I nor the experts in the film, "JFK Revisited", argue that the Backyard photos are faked. You might want to watch the movie rather than argue with stuff that no one is saying.

The BYP is referenced in the movie to elaborate on the inconsistencies between the rifle Oswald allegedly ordered (and held in the BYP) compared to the rifle that was found on the Sixth floor of the Book Depository. The Sixth floor rifle doesn't appear to be the model that Oswald ordered. Maybe he was shipped a different model than the one he ordered but the rifle in the BYP doesn't appear to be the same as the Sixth Floor Rifle.

I agree with Fred's article about Oswald having rings on both hands. That was one of the weaker points in that section of the movie.

[Jon Banks]

It's pretty clear from Marina's HSCA testimony that she had no idea how many Backyard photos existed or how to use an Imperial Reflex Camera.

She wasn't able to say if she took 1, 2, 3, or 4 pictures (there were at least four).

She couldn't explain to the HSCA how to operate the camera (strange that she wouldn't remember the details of the first time she ever used a camera).

Still, she probably did take the photos but if that's true, why has her testimony been so inconsistent?

[Richard Smith]

It's pretty clear from Marina's HSCA testimony that she had no idea how many Backyard photos existed or how to use an Imperial Reflex Camera.

She wasn't able to say if she took 1, 2, 3, or 4 pictures (there were at least four).

She couldn't explain to the HSCA how to operate the camera (strange that she wouldn't remember the first time she ever used a camera).

Still, she probably did take the photos but if that's true, why has her testimony been so inconsistent?

I don't believe that she has ever been inconsistent on taking the BY photos.  She just couldn't remember exactly when or how many such photos that she took when asked many months later.   Many people couldn't remember exactly when they took a picture if you asked them months after the event.  That creates no ambiguity, however, about her taking them.  If even one is genuine, there would be no reason whatsoever for anyone to fake additional photos.   

[Jon Banks]

I don't believe that she has ever been inconsistent on taking the BY photos.  She just couldn't remember exactly when or how many such photos that she took when asked many months later.   Many people couldn't remember exactly when they took a picture if you asked them months after the event.  That creates no ambiguity, however, about her taking them.  If even one is genuine, there would be no reason whatsoever for anyone to fake additional photos.

Most people don’t forget details of the first time they did something. Especially if it was for an unusual occasion as strange as Lee’s backyard photos. How often did Lee ask her to take pictures of him posing with guns? Rare and emotionally stressful events aren’t easily forgotten.

No one in the film argues that the photos are fake.

The fact that they brought up the Backyard Photos while discussing the inconsistencies with the rifle imply that the producers of JFK Revisited accept that the BYP are authentic.