Roger Craig

[Jack Nessan]

He didn't dispute the time and the process of when he entered the building. My point was Alyea didn't enter the TSBD right away. Also remember Craig first ran to the Grassy Knoll and then went across Elm St. before eventually going to the TSBD on being Alyea's filming of the 6th floor. It was over an hour before the gun was found.

It could have been two hours what is the difference. The time is irrelevant to searching for the assassin and then the weapon.

There were quotes presented, supposedly by Alyea, from Kritzsberg's book, a book Alyea states was not accurate. Alyea's account is the same as Boones.

The first thing the DPD did was try and locate the assassin, then they looked for the weapon. Remember they had no idea what they were looking for or where. It was dark enough they felt the need to bring in lights.

[John Iacoletti]

In what he calls "the sixth-floor scam," Alyea described a chaotic investigation that didn't exactly go by the book but was later "cleaned up" in official reports.
Before taking crime-scene photos, for example, a detective dropped the spent shell casings back on the floor, as if they had never been picked up, Alyea said.
"Obviously his photos aren't right," he said. "He couldn't put them where they had been because he had never seen them."


. . .

But Alyea was shocked by police reports — some written by officers who he said weren't even there — that failed to mention how the crime scene was treated in the early, hectic phase of the case."The lies," Alyea said. "The lies bother me. The historical record is not accurate."

— “Cameraman followed police as they searched for sniper”, Tulsa World, Nov 22, 2013
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/jfk-assassination-cameraman-followed-police-as-they-searched-for-sniper/article_9679af95-d45f-502b-b094-2a09bc29c16f.html

[Paul J Cummings]

I was responding about the time frame of how DPD could've have staged the 6th floor. Someone said it wasn't possible given how "quickly" Alyea went to the 6th floor to film. Also he didn't dispute the time of when he started the process which was over an hour.

It could have been two hours what is the difference. The time is irrelevant to searching for the assassin and then the weapon.

There were quotes presented, supposedly by Alyea, from Kritzsberg's book, a book Alyea states was not accurate. Alyea's account is the same as Boones.

The first thing the DPD did was try and locate the assassin, then they looked for the weapon. Remember they had no idea what they were looking for or where. It was dark enough they felt the need to bring in lights.

[Walt Cakebread]

Here is Alyea's take on Kritzberg's book. Not exactly an endorsement.

A correspondent asked Tom Alyea about the accuracy of the above material and forwarded Alyea's response:

Thanks for sending me the material from Connie Kritzberg's "Secrets from The Sixth Floor." I never read the book. Many years ago she interviewed me about what I saw during the search. I gave her some pictures to use in her story. This is the first time I have seen the story. I regret to say that there are some inaccuracies, which is to be expected in an interview. You must remember that she was not on the sixth floor. She was at her desk in the city room at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper. It is disjointed and out of sequence, which makes it difficult to follow. This is often the case when the interviewer asks the questions and was not at the scene. Connie is a friend of mine, and a good reporter, but I did not see the final draft before it went to press. There is always the possibility that I failed to make my answers clear, and she derived a different meaning. Please remember that these short statements contained little detail and circumstances behind the situation.

"...I ran on upstairs with the Secret Service men. Then other units came in - the Riot Squad. I thought I was going to film a gun fight. They ran to the 4th floor and I went with them. Some of the other units went to the top of the building. They were conducting a systematic search. It boiled down to the sixth floor. After awhile it was obvious that the assassin was not in the building. They looked for the gun. I filmed 400 ft. of film of the Secret Service men looking for the assassin, climbing over boxes, over the rafters, and the actual finding of the gun. At the time it was suspected that the assassin had stayed quite a time there. There was a stack with a stack of chicken bones on it. There was a Dr. Pepper bottle which they dusted for fingerprints. The fingerprints were not Oswald's. You know how he piled the boxes up? The gun was found across the length of the room from where he fired. It was stashed between boxes. I had difficulty in filming. They did not want me closeto the window or to the gun. I asked permission to go to the window to film. A Secret Service man said, 'You are close enough.' I asked the Secret Service man to take pictures of the stashed gun. I set the camera but he wiggled the camera. I got a picture of them taking the gun from the hiding place and dusting it for fingerprints. After this the Crime Lab man, Captain Will Fritz - and I have footage of this - pulled the bolt back and a live round came out. They dusted the gun for fingerprints. This was my third camera. They wouldn't let me out of the building and they wouldn't let anyone else in. I never saw my film on the air because I had to get the film to someone outside. This was the first film from there. We had Mal Couch's film of the crowd but not of the President being hit. [How did you get the film out?] There's a story for you. I actually handed it out through the door but it had been publicized over the air and established everywhere that I had thrown it out of the building through a window. I hesitate to tell you the real story. I started to throw it out of the building but being so close and knowing that we had the other film, I wanted our station to be the first to show a film of the assassination. A A.J. L'Hoste was under the window. I yelled out to him. In actuality I tossed the film out the front door to Ron Reiland who had gotten back from covering the apprehension of Oswald at the Texas Theater. This was another ABC exclusive. There were 2 policemen at the Depository door. They were not sure that I should get things outside. Ron was outside and I was inside. One of the policemen there called a Lieutenant and while they were calling him, I threw the film out....."

Thanks for sending me the material from Connie Kritzberg's "Secrets from The Sixth Floor." I never read the book. Many years ago she interviewed me about what I saw during the search. I gave her some pictures to use in her story. This is the first time I have seen the story. I regret to say that there are some inaccuracies, which is to be expected in an interview. You must remember that she was not on the sixth floor. She was at her desk in the city room at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper. It is disjointed and out of sequence, which makes it difficult to follow. This is often the case when the interviewer asks the questions and was not at the scene. Connie is a friend of mine, and a good reporter, but I did not see the final draft before it went to press. There is always the possibility that I failed to make my answers clear, and she derived a different meaning. Please remember that these short statements contained little detail and circumstances behind the situation.

"...I ran on upstairs with the Secret Service men. Then other units came in - the Riot Squad. I thought I was going to film a gun fight. They ran to the 4th floor and I went with them. Some of the other units went to the top of the building. They were conducting a systematic search. It boiled down to the sixth floor. After awhile it was obvious that the assassin was not in the building. They looked for the gun. I filmed 400 ft. of film of the Secret Service men looking for the assassin, climbing over boxes, over the rafters, and the actual finding of the gun. At the time it was suspected that the assassin had stayed quite a time there. There was a stack with a stack of chicken bones on it. "There was a Dr. Pepper bottle which they dusted for fingerprints. The fingerprints were not Oswald's."
Alyea writes this statement as if the police were looking for evidence to use against Lee Oswald ....but at the time the Dr Pepper bottle was dusted for prints they were simply looking for evidence and they did find prints on the Dr Pepper bottle, but they made no attempt to identify those prints until after Lee was arrested. The police have never revealed who had drank the Dr Pepper......    


You know how he piled the boxes up? The gun was found across the length of the room from where he fired. It was stashed between boxes. I had difficulty in filming. They did not want me closeto the window or to the gun. I asked permission to go to the window to film. A Secret Service man said, 'You are close enough.' I asked the Secret Service man to take pictures of the stashed gun. I set the camera but he wiggled the camera. 'I got a picture of them taking the gun from the hiding place'

Here Alyea writes as though he got a single photo of (" I got a picture" ) but we've all seen his movie camera footage of detective  Day picking up the rifle FROM THE FLOOR  and holding it up to Captain Fritz.

 
and dusting it for fingerprints. After this the Crime Lab man, Captain Will Fritz - and I have footage of this - pulled the bolt back and a live round came out. They dusted the gun for fingerprints.

Here Alyea writes as though they dusted the rifle twice looking for prints..... Detective Day dusted the rifle for prints only once and that was AFTER he and Captain Fritz Checked the rifle for live cartridges.....

I have footage of this - pulled the bolt back and a live round came out.

Alyea writes as though he has film footage of Captain Fritz PULLING THE BOLT BACK and a live round "came out"... (I'd love to see that footage)

Alyea does NOT accurately describe the actions of a man extracting a live round from a carcano.....He said that Fritz simply pulled the bolt back and the live round "Came out" .  This wording indicates that  the bolt was not closed and latched, and the film footage does in fact agree with Alyea's words and that footage does show that the bolt was NOT closed and latched

Others who witnessed Fritz open the breech of the carcano have also said the the live round simply fell to the floor at Captain Fritz' feet .....   Big F--ing deal you say....  So What?   
 The fact that the bolt was not  latched and the live round simply dropped out of the carcano indicates that the live round was NOT served up to the face of the bolt by the cartridge elevator and the live round was not married to the face of the bolt.   The live round was NOT  EXTRACTED and flipped up and away from the rifle by the action of the ejector. ( it simple fell out of the rifle)

I can only hope that this isn't too technical for the average reader.....  But it is a FACT that the carcano was NOT fired that day. 

Alyea continues.....This was my third camera. They wouldn't let me out of the building and they wouldn't let anyone else in. I never saw my film on the air because I had to get the film to someone outside. This was the first film from there. We had Mal Couch's film of the crowd but not of the President being hit. [How did you get the film out?] There's a story for you. I actually handed it out through the door but it had been publicized over the air and established everywhere that I had thrown it out of the building through a window. I hesitate to tell you the real story. I started to throw it out of the building but being so close and knowing that we had the other film, I wanted our station to be the first to show a film of the assassination. A A.J. L'Hoste was under the window. I yelled out to him. In actuality I tossed the film out the front door to Ron Reiland who had gotten back from covering the apprehension of Oswald at the Texas Theater. This was another ABC exclusive. There were 2 policemen at the Depository door. They were not sure that I should get things outside. Ron was outside and I was inside. One of the policemen there called a Lieutenant and while they were calling him, I threw the film out....."

[Walt Cakebread]

I was responding about the time frame of how DPD could've have staged the 6th floor. Someone said it wasn't possible given how "quickly" Alyea went to the 6th floor to film. Also he didn't dispute the time of when he started the process which was over an hour.

Alyea was on the sixth floor at 1:22 when Boone called out "Here's the gun"" or "We've found the gun" he went immediately to the NW corner and was there at 1:25.....

[Walt Cakebread]

Since mentioning Tom Alyea here are his own words from Tom Alyea Facts and Photo's from Connie Kritzbergs "Secrets from the Sixth Floor Window pg 39-46.

"I do however know that Officer Mooney was present when the rifle was found because I took film of him at the scene. He is shown talking to another detective, but this was nearly an hour after the sniper's location was found at the window."

"Fritz then walked to the casings, picked them up and held them in his hand over the top of the boxes for me to get a close-up shot of the evidence. I filmed about eight seconds of a close-up shot of the shell casings in Captain Fritz's hand. I stopped filming, and thanked him. I do not recall if he placed them in his pocket or returned them back to the floor, because I was preoccupied with recording other views of the crime scene. I have been asked many times if I thought it was peculiar that the Captain of Homicide picked up evidence with his hands. Actually, that was the first thought that came to me when he did it, but I rationalized that he was the homicide expert and no prints could be taken from spent shell casings. Therefore, any photograph of shell casings taken after this, is staged and not correct. It is highly doubtful that the shell casings that appear in Dallas police photos of the crime scene are the same casings that were found originally."

"Nothing in the way of evidence was found so we retraced our search back down, floor by floor. Shortly after we arrived back on the 6th floor, Deputy Eugene Boone located the assassin's rifle Salmost completely hidden by some overhanging boxes near the stairwell. I filmed it as it was found. In my shot, the figure of Captain Fritz is standing within the enclosure next to the rifle."

It was over an hour before they found the rifle. So for those of you who think Alyea was Johnny on the spot filming he himself said this in regards to the time of finding finding the rifle. While I admit I used the wrong words in saying "recreated" the more accurate way of saying gun and bullets were staged. I was thinking of how the famous photograph of raising the US flag on Iwo Jima was recreated to mark the event for photo and filming. I do acknowledge staging is a better phrase then recreating the scene. For that I apologize.

Since mentioning Tom Alyea here are his own words from Tom Alyea Facts and Photo's from Connie Kritzbergs "Secrets from the Sixth Floor Window pg 39-46.

Connie Kritzberg misunderstood some of what Tom Alyea told her.    A better source is Tom Alyea's own publication, in which he tells about witnessing detective Day using cellophane tape to lift a "print" from the wooden stock of the carcano and then placing that lift of the "smudge" which Lt. Day imagined might be a palm print on a white index card.

[Paul J Cummings]

yeah lower end of my ballpark would be about 50 minutes give or take.

Alyea was on the sixth floor at 1:22 when Boone called out "Here's the gun"" or "We've found the gun" he went immediately to the NW corner and was there at 1:25.....

[Mitch Todd]

[...]

Alyea does NOT accurately describe the actions of a man extracting a live round from a carcano.....He said that Fritz simply pulled the bolt back and the live round "Came out" .  This wording indicates that  the bolt was not closed and latched, and the film footage does in fact agree with Alyea's words and that footage does show that the bolt was NOT closed and latched

Others who witnessed Fritz open the breech of the carcano have also said the the live round simply fell to the floor at Captain Fritz' feet .....   Big F--ing deal you say....  So What?   
 The fact that the bolt was not  latched and the live round simply dropped out of the carcano indicates that the live round was NOT served up to the face of the bolt by the cartridge elevator and the live round was not married to the face of the bolt.   The live round was NOT  EXTRACTED and flipped up and away from the rifle by the action of the ejector. ( it simple fell out of the rifle)

I can only hope that this isn't too technical for the average reader.....  But it is a FACT that the carcano was NOT fired that day. 

The extraction process on a Carcano is an entirely human-powered operation. As such, the vigor with which the cartridge is ejected is completely controlled by the hand pulling on the bolt. Pull hard, the case hits the ejector hard and gets flung out fast and far. Pull slow, and the case doesn't get much of a fling. Pull slowly enough, and the ejector will have little noticeable effect. You can even stop pulling the bolt before the case even hits the ejector at the end of the bolt's travel, and the case might just be liable to fall out of the extraction claw on its own if you hold it right. In short, the cartridge just falling is no indication whether the rifle had been fired or not.