Proving the passage was clear.

[Tim Nickerson]

Tim,

I don't see myself as a CT, I don't believe in any conspiracy theories.
I just think that there are sizeable gaps in the evidence that the investigation should have cleared up.
I think it very unlikely that they asked about viewing the stairs and this information has been hidden and not revealed in any report, that would in fact be believing a CT (albeit a post shooting CT). I tend to not blame on malice what is explainable as negligence.

1) As per this tread, the failure to confirm that the path was clear to traverse, especially once they knew of Adams (and Garner's, if Stroud doc is genuine) testimony.
2) That they left Hine and Reid with contradictory testimonies, especially given the use of Reid in confirming Oswald's path and timing. Hine testifies to returning an empty office area, and seeing Reid reenter with others. Reid enters by herself and makes no mention of Hine. Reid was the senior staff member, who left Hine to cover for her staff on the phones, I find it personally incredible that her first action on re-entry was not to find Hine (who had volunteered to cover other staffs role) and inform her what had happened. Your in charge, you leave someone to cover for your team, you've just seen the President shot, the staff you left is absent but she doesn't seem to be the least bit concerned. Each of them should have been challenged with the others story, as it seems implausible that they both be true.


I won't go rehash all the other not fully explored issues but these two bug me, as they could and should have been resolved.

Anthony, I apologize if I offended you with my use of the CT label. It's a term that I apply with a wide brush. One that often covers those who don't actually have a theory of their own but who just question the primary conclusion of the Warren Commission.

For now, I just want to address the part of your post that I've bolded. Hines' testimony may appear to conflict with Reid's but there are a couple of parts of her testimony that you have overlooked or left out.

Mr. BALL. Mrs. Reid told us she came in alone and when she came in she didn't see anybody there.
Miss HINE. Well, it could be that she did, sir. I was talking on the phones and then came the policemen and then came the press. Everybody was wanting an outside line and then our vice president came in and he said "The next one that was clear, I have to have it and so I was busy with the phone.
...............................
Mr. BALL. Do you have any definite recollection of Mrs. Reid coming in?
Miss HINE. No, sir; I only saw four or five people that came by and they all came and were all talking about how terrible it was.
Mr. BALL. Do you remember their names?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Who were they?
Miss HINE. Mr. Williams, Mr. Molina (spelling), Miss Martha Reid, Mrs. Reid, Mrs. Sarah Stanton, and Mr. Campbell; that's all I recall, sir.


Her testimony is rather contradictory in itself don't you think?
 

[Colin Crow]

Do you see any other alternative, Colin. For Tim's/LNs later time, for Dorothy Garner to see Baker and Truly "coming up" the staircase only after A&S have been seen  "heard" going down the staircase, the time would have been at least 6 min post shots, after Baker and Truly came down from the roof of the TSBD using the EAST elevator. The East elevator has a solid back, so the only way to see anyone on the elevator from the 4th floor office would be from the exit door nearest the passenger elevator. Dorothy Garner, however, supposedly went to stand near the rear staircase and was looking out the WEST window nearby the staircase. So from that angle, could NOT have seen anyone on the EAST elevator whom remained IN the elevator, as did Baker and Truly. They did NOT exit, as I remember.

Don't think women at west windows on 4th floor could see through to east elevator. Seem to remember a solid back would prevent that. Bah....now I am going to have to check if Sawyer interacted with Baker and Truly when they were descending on the elevator.....I seem to remember something like that occurred. I have a timeline for Sawyer back at front of TSBD after returning from 4th floor.

[John Iacoletti]

Mr. BALL. Do you have any definite recollection of Mrs. Reid coming in?
Miss HINE. No, sir; I only saw four or five people that came by and they all came and were all talking about how terrible it was.
Mr. BALL. Do you remember their names?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Who were they?
Miss HINE. Mr. Williams, Mr. Molina (spelling), Miss Martha Reid, Mrs. Reid, Mrs. Sarah Stanton, and Mr. Campbell; that's all I recall, sir.

Her testimony is rather contradictory in itself don't you think?
 

It seems to be. Perhaps it was Mrs. Carol Reed that she saw?

[Martin Weidmann]

Martin, I pretty sure that we already went over that some time ago. It's possible that Oswald had stepped just inside the door to the vestibule leading to the lunchroom proper and stopped there until seeing the police officer pop into view. On an early descent, Adams and Styles would have been ahead of Oswald, not behind him.

But you said earlier;

"Oswald was able to follow behind"

which is what I responded to.

[Anthony Clayden]

Mr. BALL. When you came back in did you see Mrs. Reid?
Miss HINE. No, sir; I don't believe there was a soul in the office when I came back in right then.
Mr. BALL. Did you see anybody else go in through there?
Miss HINE. No, sir; after I answered the telephone then there was about four or five people that came in.
Mr. BALL. Was there anybody in that room when you came back in and went to the telephone?
Miss HINE. No, sir; not to my knowledge.
Mr. BALL. Did you see Mrs. Reid come back in?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; I think I felt sure that I did. I thought that there were five or six that came in together. I thought she was one of those.
Mr. BALL. Mrs. Reid told us she came in alone and when she came in she didn't see anybody there.
Miss HINE. Well, it could be that she did, sir. I was talking on the phones and then came the policemen and then came the press. Everybody was wanting an outside line and then our vice president came in and he said "The next one that was clear, I have to have it and so I was busy with the phone.
Mr. BALL. From the time you walked into the room you became immediately busy with the phone?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; sure was.
Mr. BALL. Did you see Oswald come in?
Miss HINE. My back would have been to the door he was supposed to have come in at.
Mr. BALL. Were you facing the door he is supposed to have left by?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Do you recall seeing him?
Miss HINE. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Do you have any definite recollection of Mrs. Reid coming in?
Miss HINE. No, sir; I only saw four or five people that came by and they all came and were all talking about how terrible it was.
Mr. BALL. Do you remember their names?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Who were they?
Miss HINE. Mr. Williams, Mr. Molina (spelling), Miss Martha Reid, Mrs. Reid, Mrs. Sarah Stanton, and Mr. Campbell; that's all I recall, sir.
Mr. BALL. Miss Hine, this will be written up and it will be submitted for your signature if you wish, or you can waive signature right now; which do you prefer? Do you have any choice?
Miss HINE. Well, I would prefer to see it.


Maybe Hine was unsure or maybe she felt she shouldn't be asserting her direct boss was lieing.

The office space was not large. Keep in mind that she describes the desk she was sitting as "front row middle" and facing away from the rear door Oswald entered in by, and so it was facing the entrace to that area. Also to get into the office area you had to walk along past the counter, traversing most of the office space from south to north before entering.

[Alan Ford]

Maybe Hine was unsure or maybe she felt she shouldn't be asserting her direct boss was lieing.

The office space was not large. Keep in mind that she describes the desk she was sitting as "front row middle" and facing away from the rear door Oswald entered in by, and so it was facing the entrace to that area. Also to get into the office area you had to walk along past the counter, traversing most of the office space from south to north before entering.

 

And remember: Ms Hine urgently wanted to find out what the hell had happened outside. Had she seen Ms Reid she would been on her in a flash, looking for information. It never happened, because Ms Reid wasn't up there when she says she was.

[Tim Nickerson]

Mr. BALL. When you came back in did you see Mrs. Reid?
Miss HINE. No, sir; I don't believe there was a soul in the office when I came back in right then.
Mr. BALL. Did you see anybody else go in through there?
Miss HINE. No, sir; after I answered the telephone then there was about four or five people that came in.
Mr. BALL. Was there anybody in that room when you came back in and went to the telephone?
Miss HINE. No, sir; not to my knowledge.
Mr. BALL. Did you see Mrs. Reid come back in?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; I think I felt sure that I did. I thought that there were five or six that came in together. I thought she was one of those.
Mr. BALL. Mrs. Reid told us she came in alone and when she came in she didn't see anybody there.
Miss HINE. Well, it could be that she did, sir. I was talking on the phones and then came the policemen and then came the press. Everybody was wanting an outside line and then our vice president came in and he said "The next one that was clear, I have to have it and so I was busy with the phone.
Mr. BALL. From the time you walked into the room you became immediately busy with the phone?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; sure was.
Mr. BALL. Did you see Oswald come in?
Miss HINE. My back would have been to the door he was supposed to have come in at.
Mr. BALL. Were you facing the door he is supposed to have left by?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Do you recall seeing him?
Miss HINE. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Do you have any definite recollection of Mrs. Reid coming in?
Miss HINE. No, sir; I only saw four or five people that came by and they all came and were all talking about how terrible it was.
Mr. BALL. Do you remember their names?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Who were they?
Miss HINE. Mr. Williams, Mr. Molina (spelling), Miss Martha Reid, Mrs. Reid, Mrs. Sarah Stanton, and Mr. Campbell; that's all I recall, sir.
Mr. BALL. Miss Hine, this will be written up and it will be submitted for your signature if you wish, or you can waive signature right now; which do you prefer? Do you have any choice?
Miss HINE. Well, I would prefer to see it.


Maybe Hine was unsure or maybe she felt she shouldn't be asserting her direct boss was lieing.

The office space was not large. Keep in mind that she describes the desk she was sitting as "front row middle" and facing away from the rear door Oswald entered in by, and so it was facing the entrace to that area. Also to get into the office area you had to walk along past the counter, traversing most of the office space from south to north before entering.

Regardless of whether the office space was large or not, Miss Hine was not in that office for some time after the shooting. Read her full deposition.

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/hine.htm

[Anthony Clayden]

Hine did a loop around the south and west corridor, then walked back toward the counter and in the middle centre desk, looking at entrance through which everyone normally re-entered and through which both Reid said she entered and Oswald left. They both have to pass within feet of her, right across her line of sight. Of course you could have Reid meet Oswald and then follow Oswald back out the front, to then reenter from the front.

They could have asked her how long she was away from her desk? (Her testimony on face value would tend to less than around 2 minutes to cover the actions she reported performing)
They could have included her in the timed trials? (Along with Adams and Styles)
(Oddly **cough cough** they only choose to time Baker and Reid not anyone that might throw out their timeline.)
They could have asked the people she thought Reid had re-entered with, if Reid had re-entered with them? (Mr. Williams, Mr. Molina , Miss Martha Reid, Mrs. Sarah Stanton, and Mr. Campbell)
They could have asked Reid if she left the area after seeing Oswald?

So many way to clear it up, so many ways they could have passed down to us a resolved situation. No, they choose to go with a maybe your mistaken about seeing Reid reenter with others but didn't set out to sort how how Reid and Hines fail to see each other.