Charles Brehm

[Charles Collins]

I looked for an 11/22/63 affidavit by Charles Brehm. But so far, all I have found is an FBI report taken on 11/24/63. In “No More Silence” by Larry Sneed, Charles says that he and his son were put in a police car in front of the TSBD, shortly after the assassination, and taken to the police station for questioning. It sure seems to me that the police would have made a report and hopefully taken an affidavit from Charles Brehm. I have seen a video on YouTube that appears to be Charles Brehm in a police station shortly after the assassination being interviewed. In the video, Charles indicates only two shots. Yet, two days later in the FBI report Charles indicates three shots (with the third shot missing everything) after the shot that hit JFK’s head. So, I am wondering where (if there is one) Charles’ 11/22/63 affidavit can be found.

This thread might be a good place to post links to all the known items pertaining to Charles Brehm.

Here is a link to his FBI report from 11/24/63:

https://www.jfk-assassination.net/russ/testimony/brehm.htm

Here is a link to the YouTube video of Charles Brehm I discussed above:

Here is a link to the book “No More Silence” by Larry Sneed (which includes a chapter on Charles Brehm):

https://untpress.unt.edu/catalog/sneed-no-more-silence/



If you have any more information regarding Charles Brehm (especially any 11/22/63 affidavit, etc), feel free to post it. I can add links, etc to the above list as needed.

[Charles Collins]

Charles Brehm is mentioned in this interview with Mark Lane:

"Playboy Interview: Mark Lane." Playboy: February 1967. pp. 45 & 47:

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White%20Materials/White%20Magazines%20And%20Articles/Playboy%20Interview%20of%20Mark%20Lane/Item%2001.pdf

Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20240331152035/http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White%20Materials/White%20Magazines%20And%20Articles/Playboy%20Interview%20of%20Mark%20Lane/Item%2001.pdf


Charles Brehm interview with The Free Lance-Star:

Eyewitness Satisfied With Warren Report. The Free Lance-Star. VOL. 82, NO. 275. 22 November 1966. p. 1:

https://web.archive.org/web/20240331153240/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PeBNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DIsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4851%2C5611369

Internet Archive: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PeBNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DIsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4851%2C5611369

Thanks!

[Steve M. Galbraith]

Charles: A list of the Dallas Police records on the assassination can be found here:  https://dallascityhall.com/government/citysecretary/archives/Pages/Archives_1991-001.aspx

If you download that list you can see that the affidavits would be in Boxes 2, 3 and 5. But going through them I can't find an affidavit from Brehm. I would think if one existed if would be there. They have many of the other affidavits.

A pdf file (it's 282 pages) that is easier to search is here: https://www.drivehq.com/file/DFPublishFile.aspx/FileID11144483625/Keykd7k0u52fu92/1991-001 Consolidated line-item inventory.pdf

You can also do a search here: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ That has links to a number of photos of Brehm but no mention of any affidavit. My guess is that if one was done it was lost. Brehm was interviewed by the police but I can't find any record/notes of that either.

My guess is one doesn't exist.

Side bar: It's puzzling why so many people on Elm Street near the third shot/grassy knoll area said they heard two shots. It seems the people closer to the building, up from Elm near the turn off Houston, were the main three shots witnesses. Merriman Smith, Bell, Pierce Allman.

[Dan O'meara]

There are pictures and footage of Buddy Walthers escorting Brehm and Amos Euins to the Sheriff's department to have their affidavits taken.
Bill Decker's report contains all the affidavits taken that day. They start on page 467 and are in alphabetical order.
Euin's affidavit is in there but nothing for Brehm.

https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pdf/WH19_Decker_Ex_5323.pdf

It's weird one.
Brehm seemed determined to tell everyone about what he'd seen. Pat Speer records half a dozen interviews he did with various reporters and newsmen.
It's very difficult to imagine he didn't give an affidavit that day but it would appear he didn't as there is no record of one.

[Charles Collins]

Thanks for the replies guys.

It is obvious that Brehm was taken to the sheriff’s office. Here is a snip from “No More Silence” by Larry Sneed:

From there I was taken over to the jail and kept for a couple of hours so I could answer their questions.


It does appear that Brehm was questioned by the authorities. I cannot imagine that they would have questioned Brehm and not have made a record of it. So, although it is hard to accept, maybe it did get lost in the confusion.

I think it would be interesting to see what he told them. Especially since in the video (apparently taken shortly after the assassination) he indicated only two shots; but he indicated three shots in the subsequent FBI interview. However, he seems sure about the third missed shot in the Larry Sneed interview. Yet, he says this to Larry Sneed:

At this time, I might say that I did not stand there, basically, and count shots. There were events that were accompanied by shots, and the events are lodged in my mind more so than the shots because of the President’s motion when he was hit, with the shot in the head and the wild shot that was going away from the place; everything that stands out in my mind was a consequence of the shots. I never thought of them as, “There was a shot! What did it do?” It was always, “What happened?” and it was because of the shot fired from up there.

I think that the fact that Brehm relates events (ie: JFK’s reactions) to each shot makes Brehm’s memory appear, at least to me, to be credible. We will probably never know for sure all the details that we want to know. But I think Brehm is a witness that had an excellent vantage spot; and, due to his war time battle experiences, he knew some aspects of gunfire that most people will never know, so his account should be given considerable weight. I sure would like to see what he told the authorities on 11/22/63.

[Charles Collins]

The Stemmons Freeway sign obstructs the view from Zapruder’s camera for about 1-second. When JFK emerges from behind the sign it appears that he is reacting to being shot. So JFK’s exact position when the bullet struck him in the back base of the neck cannot be seen in the Zapruder film. I think that Brehm should have had a good vantage point to see JFK during the time he is obstructed from Zapruder’s camera by the Stemmons sign. And sure enough, Brehm indicates he did when he says JFK was leaning forward when struck. Here’s a snip from the FBI report which I bolded and underlined for emphasis:



Here’s a snip from Brehm’s account on 11/24/63 as indicated in the FBI report:

After the President's automobile had rounded the corner into Houston Street, he picked up his five-year-old son and ran across the grass from Main Street over to the downhill curved portion of Elm Street which leads from Houston Street to the Stemmons Expressway. He and his son stood right at the curb on the grass and saw the President's car take a wide swing as it turned left from Houston Street into Elm Street.

When the President's automobile was very close to him and he could see the President's face very well, the President was seated, but was leaning forward when he stiffened perceptibly at the same instant what appeared to be a rifle shot sounded. According to BREHM, the President seemed do to stiffen and come to a pause when another shot sounded and the President appeared to be badly hit in the head. BREHM said when the President was hit by the second shot, he could notice the President's hair fly up, and then roll over to his side, as Mrs. KENNEDY was apparently pulling him in that direction.

BREHM said that a third shot followed and that all three shots were relatively close together. BREHM stated that he was in military service and he has had experience with bolt-action rifles, and he expressed the opinion that the three shots were fired just about as quickly as an individual can maneuver a bolt-action rifle, take aim, and fire three shots.



I think it is remarkable that Brehm provided these details shortly after the assassination (before the WC provided this type of detail in their report, or even existed). It is difficult for me to discern, but Don Roberdeaux’ map indicates that JFK turned his head sharply to the left (he was looking to his right prior to this) just before he disappears behind the Stemmons sign (as seen in the Zapruder film). I have an idea that the left turn of JFK’s head might indicate that he noticed JBC trying to turn around to see JFK and so JFK might have been turning towards JBC and starting to lean forward to be able to communicate better with him when they were both hit. (These things happening quickly while they were obscured from view by the Stemmons sign.) Then as we see JFK emerge from behind the sign he could be “stiffening up” as Brehm describes. It is just an idea of what might have happened, I am not trying to say that it did happen this way.

[David Von Pein]

[Charles Collins]

Thank you very much David. That second interview (the one on radio) seems to answer my question about whether or not on 11/22/63 Brehm was saying there were two shots or three. He definitely said three in the radio interview. Do we know the circumstances of the radio interview? The time and place it was conducted, etc? I am just curious. And in the Mark Lane interview Brehm says he definitely made a statement to the Sheriff’s office. But one has apparently not been found in the records.