Morphing Memories

[Charles Collins]

That’s false. His first public telling of the story of seeing Oswald on Houston street (that I’m aware of) was in an interview with Gary Mack in 2002. “Steering Truth” was published in 2021.

That's not right, Charles. As John Iacoletti has mentioned above, Buell didn't wait quite 50+ years to start telling his "I saw LHO on Houston St." story. AFAIK, it was the interview below with Gary Mack in 2002 in which that particular addition to Buell's story first surfaced:

http://jfk-archives.blogspot.com/2015/07/jfk-assassination-arguments-part-979.html

Buell then, in later interviews (and in his book), started "adding" more things to his story (see link below):

http://jfk-archives.blogspot.com/2022/01/jfk-assassination-arguments-part-1349.html

Thanks guys, I stand corrected. So, it was only about 39-years after the assassination that Buell Frazier announced his morphed memory…

[Alan Ford]

While still barely teenagers but the drinking age lowered to 18 for a short while, some friends and I went to town to see an up and coming band (but mainly to drink beer). Here’s a photo of that band that was taken some 6-months before we saw them.




If you didn’t recognize them, that is Lynyrd Skynyrd before they became well known. Here is my memory of that night:

We got there early and snagged a table right in front of the stage, maybe 10 feet from the band. The pitchers of beer flowed all evening. Sometime later on one of our group said something like “Hey, there’s someone who looks like Mick Jagger.” I thought to myself “no way.” I don’t remember seeing Mick Jagger or anyone that looked like him. I do remember a discussion as we were returning to the car about how good Lynyrd Skynyrd was.

Now, here is the memory of one of my friends. He is currently a very healthy and fit individual and happily married and enjoying life. He “remembers” that Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones joined Lynyrd Skynyrd on the stage and performed together with them. Now, I will confirm that we were all young and foolish and had had too much to drink. I can only guess that my friend had repeated the story over the years and it morphed (like a fish story) into what he actually believes at this point in time 50-years later. I got away from the heavy drinking a few years after this episode. He continued to drink heavily until maybe 15-years ago. I didn’t see him for all those years but our paths crossed about 8-years ago. And he firmly believes he saw Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones that night 50-years ago. I have researched enough to say that there is no evidence that Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones were there that night. But I doubt that anyone could ever convince my friend that he didn’t see them.

Mr. Collins, I think this calls for one of your high-stakes 3D model projects.

In publishing your digital recreation of the music venue, could you please include details of stage elevation and other such crucial matters?

 

[David Von Pein]

Thanks guys, I stand corrected. So, it was only about 39 years after the assassination that Buell Frazier announced his morphed memory.

Correct. That is, unless Buell did some other lengthy interviews prior to the one in 2002. But I know of none. He did some very brief on-camera appearances for various JFK anniversary documentaries prior to '02, but no long interviews (that I know of).

Let me also add....

During his Warren Commission testimony in March of 1964, some four months after he wrote his 11/22/63 affidavit, Buell Frazier also said just what he had said in that Nov. 22 affidavit---that he had not seen Lee Oswald at all after the late morning hours on 11/22:

Mr. BALL - When was the last time you can remember you saw Lee?

Mr. FRAZIER - You mean on the 22nd?

Mr. BALL - On the 22nd, that day.

Mr. FRAZIER - Somewhere between it was after 10 and somewhere before noon, because I remember I was walking down to the first floor that day, that was the only time I went up on the elevator was, like I say, for a few minutes and, I put that box of books up and put it down, and I was on the first floor putting up books all day and I seen him back and forth and he would be walking and getting books and put on the order.

Mr. BALL - That was the last time you saw him all day?

Mr. FRAZIER - Right.

Mr. BALL - You didn't talk to him again?

Mr. FRAZIER - No, sir; I didn't.

[Alan Ford]

Correct. That is, unless Buell did some other lengthy interviews prior to the one in 2002. But I know of none. He did some very brief on-camera appearances for various JFK anniversary documentaries prior to '02, but no long interviews (that I know of).

Let me also add....

During his Warren Commission testimony in March of 1964, some four months after he wrote his 11/22/63 affidavit, Buell Frazier also said he had not seen Lee Oswald at all after the late morning hours on 11/22:

Mr. BALL - When was the last time you can remember you saw Lee?

Mr. FRAZIER - You mean on the 22nd?

Mr. BALL - On the 22nd, that day.

Mr. FRAZIER - Somewhere between it was after 10 and somewhere before noon, because I remember I was walking down to the first floor that day, that was the only time I went up on the elevator was, like I say, for a few minutes and, I put that box of books up and put it down, and I was on the first floor putting up books all day and I seen him back and forth and he would be walking and getting books and put on the order.

Mr. BALL - That was the last time you saw him all day?

Mr. FRAZIER - Right

Mr. BALL - You didn't talk to him again?

Mr. FRAZIER - No, sir; I didn't.

Mr. BALL - Oswald was standing in front of the east elevator?
Mr. LOVELADY - East, on back, the elevator back.
Mr. BALL - Did you see him?
Mr. LOVELADY - No; I didn't; I just heard his voice because---where those slats are in back of the elevator.
Mr. BALL - Did you ever see him again that day?
Mr. LOVELADY - No.

[Charles Collins]

Correct. That is, unless Buell did some other lengthy interviews prior to the one in 2002. But I know of none. He did some very brief on-camera appearances for various JFK anniversary documentaries prior to '02, but no long interviews (that I know of).

Let me also add....

During his Warren Commission testimony in March of 1964, some four months after he wrote his 11/22/63 affidavit, Buell Frazier also said just what he had said in that Nov. 22 affidavit---that he had not seen Lee Oswald at all after the late morning hours on 11/22:

Mr. BALL - When was the last time you can remember you saw Lee?

Mr. FRAZIER - You mean on the 22nd?

Mr. BALL - On the 22nd, that day.

Mr. FRAZIER - Somewhere between it was after 10 and somewhere before noon, because I remember I was walking down to the first floor that day, that was the only time I went up on the elevator was, like I say, for a few minutes and, I put that box of books up and put it down, and I was on the first floor putting up books all day and I seen him back and forth and he would be walking and getting books and put on the order.

Mr. BALL - That was the last time you saw him all day?

Mr. FRAZIER - Right.

Mr. BALL - You didn't talk to him again?

Mr. FRAZIER - No, sir; I didn't.

I don’t remember if Buell Frazier ever offered a reasonable explanation for why he testified to this (if he had really seen LHO after the assassination). I simply cannot imagine that he could have possibly forgotten that. I do know that some people have mental blocks regarding extremely traumatic events (Jackie Kennedy not remembering crawling onto the trunk lid is an example). But supposedly seeing LHO walking up Houston Street after the assassination wouldn’t fall into that category.

[Duncan MacRae]

Jean Hill, definitely. Ed Hoffman too.

[Dan O'meara]

My favourite morphing memory must belong to Bonnie Ray Williams.
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination Bonnie Ray completely forgets that after the men working on the sixth floor broke for lunch, he went back up to the sixth floor alone where he spent about 25 minutes having his lunch while waiting for the motorcade. Instead, his memory morphs into going down to the first floor, collecting his lunch and going back up to the FIFTH floor with Hank Norman and Junior Jarman. His time spent on the sixth floor alone, eating his lunch, seems to have vanished.
The very next day he is interviewed by the FBI and his memory once again morphs - this time he remembers going up to the sixth floor alone but not having his lunch. Instead, he had a quick look around, saw no-one was there and went down to the fifth floor. He was only on the sixth floor for about 3 minutes.
On January the 8th he is interviewed by the FBI again and his memory morphs again - he now remembers having lunch on the sixth floor, he is up there for about five minutes before going down to the fifth floor where he spends about 25 minutes with Hank and Junior waiting for the motorcade.
By the time of his 3/19/64 FBI interview his time spent on the sixth floor appears to have completely slipped his mind.
As impressive as his speed-morphing memory is up to this point, it's nothing compared to his WC testimony. When asked how long he was up on the sixth floor, Bonnie Ray replies "5, 10, maybe 12 minutes". Later in his testimony Bonnie Ray is asked what time he went down to the fifth floor, to which he replies "10 or 15 minutes after 12". He then breaks his speed-morphing memory record, after a single question:

Mr Ball: Approximately what time was it?
Mr Williams: Approximately 12:20, maybe.

From not remembering being on the sixth floor at all, to remembering he went up there but didn't have lunch, to remembering he went up there and did have lunch, to remembering he was up there for 3, 5, 10, 12 then 20 minutes, Bonnie Ray demonstrates a truly impressive ability to morph his memory.

[Alan Ford]

My favourite morphing memory must belong to Bonnie Ray Williams.
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination Bonnie Ray completely forgets that after the men working on the sixth floor broke for lunch, he went back up to the sixth floor alone where he spent about 25 minutes having his lunch while waiting for the motorcade. Instead, his memory morphs into going down to the first floor, collecting his lunch and going back up to the FIFTH floor with Hank Norman and Junior Jarman. His time spent on the sixth floor alone, eating his lunch, seems to have vanished.
The very next day he is interviewed by the FBI and his memory once again morphs - this time he remembers going up to the sixth floor alone but not having his lunch. Instead, he had a quick look around, saw no-one was there and went down to the fifth floor. He was only on the sixth floor for about 3 minutes.
On January the 8th he is interviewed by the FBI again and his memory morphs again - he now remembers having lunch on the sixth floor, he is up there for about five minutes before going down to the fifth floor where he spends about 25 minutes with Hank and Junior waiting for the motorcade.
By the time of his 3/19/64 FBI interview his time spent on the sixth floor appears to have completely slipped his mind.
As impressive as his speed-morphing memory is up to this point, it's nothing compared to his WC testimony. When asked how long he was up on the sixth floor, Bonnie Ray replies "5, 10, maybe 12 minutes". Later in his testimony Bonnie Ray is asked what time he went down to the fifth floor, to which he replies "10 or 15 minutes after 12". He then breaks his speed-morphing memory record, after a single question:

Mr Ball: Approximately what time was it?
Mr Williams: Approximately 12:20, maybe.

From not remembering being on the sixth floor at all, to remembering he went up there but didn't have lunch, to remembering he went up there and did have lunch, to remembering he was up there for 3, 5, 10, 12 then 20 minutes, Bonnie Ray demonstrates a truly impressive ability to morph his memory.

I had a vivid memory for years of having been at a Guns N' Roses concert at Madison Square Garden, but all my friends remembered it as a U2 show. They were such diehards that they threatened to murder me if I kept talking about Guns N' Roses. As time went on, my buried memories of the U2 show resurfaced.