Arnold Rowland's view

[Charles Collins]

I haven't paid a lot of attention to Arnold Rowland's testimony until very recently. One of the great aspects of having a 3-D computer model is being able to see how some things appear from various viewpoints. When reading Arnold Rowland's testimony, he is asked to describe, in great detail, the man he says that he saw with the rifle. So, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to test (with the 3-D computer model) whether or not he could have seen what he described. Here is some of his testimony:


Mr. SPECTER - What is your best recollection as to how far each of those windows were open?
Mr. ROWLAND - To the fullest extent that they could be opened.
Mr. SPECTER - What extent would that be?
Mr. ROWLAND - Being as I looked half frame windows, that would be halfway of the entire length of the window.
Mr. SPECTER - Is that the approximate status of those windows depicted here in Exhibit 356?
Mr. ROWLAND - Yes.
Mr. SPECTER - In which of those double windows did you see the man and rifle?
Mr. ROWLAND - It was through the window to my right.
Mr. SPECTER - Draw an arrow right into that window with the same black pencil please.

(Witness marking.)

Mr. SPECTER - How much, if any, or all of that rifle could you see?
Mr. ROWLAND - All of it.
Mr. SPECTER - You could see from the base of the stock down to the tip of the end of the rifle?
Mr. ROWLAND - Yes.
Mr. SPECTER - The barrel of the rifle?
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Mr. SPECTER - In what manner was the rifle being held by the man whom you observed?
Mr. ROWLAND - The way he was standing it would have been in a position such as port arms in military terms.
Mr. SPECTER - When you say port arms you have positioned your left hand with the left elbow of your hand being about level with your shoulder and your right hand.--
Mr. ROWLAND - Not quite level with my shoulder, and the right hand being lower on the trigger of the stock.
Mr. SPECTER - So the waist of the imaginary rifle you would be holding would cross your body at about a 45-degree angle.
Mr. ROWLAND - That is correct.
Mr. SPECTER - How long was the rifle held in that position?
Mr. ROWLAND - During the entire time that I saw him there.
Mr. SPECTER - Did you see him hold it in any other position?
Mr. ROWLAND - No, I didn't.
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Mr. SPECTER - What, if anything, did you observe as to the clothes he was wearing?
Mr. ROWLAND - He had on a light shirt, a very light-colored shirt, white or a light blue or a color such as that. This was open at the collar. I think it was unbuttoned about halfway, and then he had a regular T-shirt, a polo shirt under this, at least this is what it appeared to be. He had on dark slacks or blue jeans, I couldn't tell from that I didn't see but a small portion.
Mr. SPECTER - You say you only saw a small portion of what?
Mr. ROWLAND - Of his pants from his waist down.
Mr. SPECTER - Which half of the window was open, the bottom half or the top half?
Mr. ROWLAND - It was the bottom half.
Mr. SPECTER - And how much, if any, of his body was obscured by the window frame from that point down to the floor?
Mr. ROWLAND - From where I was standing I could see from his head to about 6 inches below his waist, below his belt.
Mr. SPECTER - Could you see as far as his knees?
Mr. ROWLAND - No.
Mr. SPECTER - And what is your best recollection as to how close to the window he was standing?
Mr. ROWLAND - He wasn't next to the window, but he wasn't very far back. I would say 3 to 5 feet back from the window.
Mr. SPECTER - How much of the rifle was separated from your line of vision by the window?
Mr. ROWLAND - The entire rifle was in my view.
Mr. SPECTER - In the open part of the window?
Mr. ROWLAND - Yes.
Mr. SPECTER - And how much of his body, if any, was in the open view where there was no window between your eyes and the object of his body?
Mr. ROWLAND - Approximately two-thirds of his body just below his waist.
Mr. SPECTER - Up to what point?
Mr. ROWLAND - Mid point between the waist and the knees, this is again in my proportion to his height that I make that judgment.
Mr. SPECTER - So from the waist, some point between his knees and his waist, you started to see hi clear in the window?
Mr. ROWLAND - Yes.
Mr. SPECTER - And from that point how far up his body were you able to see without any obstruction of a window between you and him?
Mr. ROWLAND - To the top of his head. There was some space on top of that where I could see the wall behind him.


Sometimes the details (like the ones that Rowland describes) are what can help determine whether or not he invented the sighting. For example, if we could determine that it would have been impossible for Rowland to see some of these details, we could discount his story. Interestingly, my experiment appears to verify that Rowland actually could have seen the details as he describes them. Here is an image that was generated by the computer program from Rowland's viewpoint to the window he indicated in his testimony. The figure is a generic one that is in a suit and tie. I have no way to adjust the arms and hands. I did adjust the height of the figure to 5'9" and place it about 6' inside the window.




I am beginning to believe that Arnold Rowland could have seen LHO standing at this window a few minutes before the motorcade arrived. The area was clear due to the flooring work in progress.

[Rick Plant]

I am beginning to believe that Arnold Rowland could have seen LHO standing at this window a few minutes before the motorcade arrived. The area was clear due to the flooring work in progress.

Mr. ROWLAND - He had on a light shirt, a very light-colored shirt, white or a light blue or a color such as that.

[Dan O'meara]

Mr. ROWLAND - He had on a light shirt, a very light-colored shirt, white or a light blue or a color such as that.

Brennan and Fischer also describe his shirt as being a very light colour, possibly white but not quite. Fischer describes it as possibly light yellow Brennan describes it as a "dingy" white. Only Edwards flat out describes it as white.

[Charles Collins]

Mr. ROWLAND - He had on a light shirt, a very light-colored shirt, white or a light blue or a color such as that.

Brennan and Fischer also describe his shirt as being a very light colour, possibly white but not quite. Fischer describes it as possibly light yellow Brennan describes it as a "dingy" white. Only Edwards flat out describes it as white.

Here is someone who saw him up close about 2-minutes after the shots were fired:

Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what clothes he had on when you saw him?
Mrs. REID. What he was wearing, he had on a white T-shirt and some kind of wash trousers. What color I couldn't tell you.

Seconds before that, in the lunchroom, he was reportedly wearing a jacket.

On the bus he was reportedly wearing a shirt.

In the taxi he was reportedly wearing a jacket.

Entering the rooming house he was reportedly in a shirt.

Leaving the rooming house he was reportedly wearing a jacket.

At the Tippit murder scene he was reportedly wearing a light-colored jacket.

A light-colored jacket was found between the murder scene and the theater.

At the theater he was wearing a shirt.

What appears to me to be the pattern is that LHO was intentionally changing his appearance. This would be much like the main character in one of the new TV shows that LHO reportedly watched, "The Fugitive". It also appears to me that some of the witnesses might have mistaken one of his shirts (which was worn not tucked into his pants) as a jacket. In fact, not too many years after this happened, I remember jackets that were in style which were made to look like shirts which were not tucked in. I had a brown and navy-blue plaid one.

[Dan O'meara]

Here is someone who saw him up close about 2-minutes after the shots were fired:

Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what clothes he had on when you saw him?
Mrs. REID. What he was wearing, he had on a white T-shirt and some kind of wash trousers. What color I couldn't tell you.

Seconds before that, in the lunchroom, he was reportedly wearing a jacket.

On the bus he was reportedly wearing a shirt.

In the taxi he was reportedly wearing a jacket.

Entering the rooming house he was reportedly in a shirt.

Leaving the rooming house he was reportedly wearing a jacket.

At the Tippit murder scene he was reportedly wearing a light-colored jacket.

A light-colored jacket was found between the murder scene and the theater.

At the theater he was wearing a shirt.

What appears to me to be the pattern is that LHO was intentionally changing his appearance. This would be much like the main character in one of the new TV shows that LHO reportedly watched, "The Fugitive". It also appears to me that some of the witnesses might have mistaken one of his shirts (which was worn not tucked into his pants) as a jacket. In fact, not too many years after this happened, I remember jackets that were in style which were made to look like shirts which were not tucked in. I had a brown and navy-blue plaid one.

Meant to say, excellent work with the 3D graphics.
Regardless of what side of the fence we're on, it's important this kind of tech can be applied to enhance our understanding of the situation.

[John Mytton]

When Oswald's brown shirt was in direct sunlight it appears much lighter, just compare the sunlit area on Oswald's shirt right next to the shaded area and the contrast is quite strong and then consider that the sunlit Oswald shirt on the 6th floor juxtaposed with the dark background of the 6th floor and it's clear why the many eyewitnesses said Oswald had on a light shaded shirt.





JohnM

[Charles Collins]

Meant to say, excellent work with the 3D graphics.
Regardless of what side of the fence we're on, it's important this kind of tech can be applied to enhance our understanding of the situation.

Thanks, I agree it is an important aid. I wish that I had more skills and could create something even better. But this tool has been very helpful for me. I appreciate the recognition.

[Charles Collins]

When Oswald's brown shirt was in direct sunlight it appears much lighter, just compare the sunlit area on Oswald's shirt right next to the shaded area and the contrast is quite strong and then consider that the sunlit Oswald shirt on the 6th floor juxtaposed with the dark background of the 6th floor and it's clear why the many eyewitnesses said Oswald had on a light shaded shirt.





JohnM

Yes, I agree. I also believe that he most likely had shed his shirt and was wearing the white T-shirt while exposed to the warm sunlight coming through the windows. And I believe that it is probable that he changed shirts when at the rooming house. He told the police that he did. And another similar but lighter shirt was found in his room.