Physical evidence of the first shot (miss)

[Brian Roselle]

It’s kind of hard to imagine that this could be related to the first shot, but depending on its evaluation it might warrant further investigation.

In the Miller photo, a small blotch appears on the limo door next to the keyhole by Kellerman. Visually it appears positioned above the apparent reflected interface between the ground and the sky, so the sky appears to be in its background and it's not associated with the ground.
What comes to mind as possible sources of that mark might be:
-   A mark on the limo surface itself
-   A reflection of some object nearby in the air
-   An anomaly in the photo’s developing or printing, locally at that spot



Any thoughts? Are there other obvious explanations besides these?
This is the cleanest version of the photo I have which was originally printed in The Saturday Evening Post, issue date 12/4/63.

[Charles Collins]

It’s kind of hard to imagine that this could be related to the first shot, but depending on its evaluation it might warrant further investigation.

In the Miller photo, a small blotch appears on the limo door next to the keyhole by Kellerman. Visually it appears positioned above the apparent reflected interface between the ground and the sky, so the sky appears to be in its background and it's not associated with the ground.
What comes to mind as possible sources of that mark might be:
-   A mark on the limo surface itself
-   A reflection of some object nearby in the air
-   An anomaly in the photo’s developing or printing, locally at that spot



Any thoughts? Are there other obvious explanations besides these?
This is the cleanest version of the photo I have which was originally printed in The Saturday Evening Post, issue date 12/4/63.

Wow, that’s interesting! Will definitely be investigating. It appears to be large enough to warrant the attention of the folks who looked at the limo in Washington. However, I suppose it could have been debris that fell off or washed off.

[Richard Smith]

Wow, that’s interesting! Will definitely be investigating. It appears to be large enough to warrant the attention of the folks who looked at the limo in Washington. However, I suppose it could have been debris that fell off or washed off.

Don't see it on some other versions of that same picture.  I wonder if it is just an anomaly of that particular copy?  There are several clear photos of that area before the assassination and nothing in that area.

[Brian Roselle]

Richard you are right in that not all the Miller pictures show this detail. I think those are later copies that lost resolution as this one seems to match the early one published in the following Post magazine on Dec 14. The other pictures I have seen also don’t show that vertical blur in the middle of the door just behind it. The resolution of this picture appears just good enough to show that vertical blur which I believe is actually the antenna of an accompanying motorcycle cop. And to your point, when ruling out reflections from people near the limo, in all the higher resolution photos I have of the limo from Love field to before arriving in Dealey Plaza, I didn't see a sign of an abrasion or mark around that spot.

Charles also hit the nail on the head regarding Washington. I can see a mark in the Washington garage in the better FBI and Secret service photos. In fact in a high resolution picture at Parkland I copied from Robin Unger I also see it. It just seems interesting that it appears to show up after Dealey Plaza but not before.

[Richard Smith]

Richard you are right in that not all the Miller pictures show this detail. I think those are later copies that lost resolution as this one seems to match the early one published in the following Post magazine on Dec 14. The other pictures I have seen also don’t show that vertical blur in the middle of the door just behind it. The resolution of this picture appears just good enough to show that vertical blur which I believe is actually the antenna of an accompanying motorcycle cop. And to your point, when ruling out reflections from people near the limo, in all the higher resolution photos I have of the limo from Love field to before arriving in Dealey Plaza, I didn't see a sign of an abrasion or mark around that spot.

Charles also hit the nail on the head regarding Washington. I can see a mark in the Washington garage in the better FBI and Secret service photos. In fact in a high resolution picture at Parkland I copied from Robin Unger I also see it. It just seems interesting that it appears to show up after Dealey Plaza but not before.

Yes, it seems clear that it wasn't present before the assassination.  Given that some copies of that same photo don't show the damage that leaves the aftermath photos to confirm if it is an anomaly or possible product of the assassination.  Can you post the FBI/Secret Service pictures that you reference?  Thanks.

[Charles Collins]

Richard you are right in that not all the Miller pictures show this detail. I think those are later copies that lost resolution as this one seems to match the early one published in the following Post magazine on Dec 14. The other pictures I have seen also don’t show that vertical blur in the middle of the door just behind it. The resolution of this picture appears just good enough to show that vertical blur which I believe is actually the antenna of an accompanying motorcycle cop. And to your point, when ruling out reflections from people near the limo, in all the higher resolution photos I have of the limo from Love field to before arriving in Dealey Plaza, I didn't see a sign of an abrasion or mark around that spot.

Charles also hit the nail on the head regarding Washington. I can see a mark in the Washington garage in the better FBI and Secret service photos. In fact in a high resolution picture at Parkland I copied from Robin Unger I also see it. It just seems interesting that it appears to show up after Dealey Plaza but not before.

This is getting more and more intriguing….   

[Richard Smith]

It always seemed bizarre to me that they continued to use that car after the assassination.  You have to wonder what LBJ thought sitting in the same seat where his predecessor had been murdered.  I think even RFK rode in the car. 

[Charles Collins]

It always seemed bizarre to me that they continued to use that car after the assassination.  You have to wonder what LBJ thought sitting in the same seat where his predecessor had been murdered.  I think even RFK rode in the car.

The car should have been preserved for history. LBJ wasn’t smart enough to realize this. Like the war in Vietnam, he wasn’t smart enough to avoid the tragedy that it evolved into under his watch. Reading a book by Clint Hill titled “Five Presidents,” Clint relates that the Secret Service had limited resources and that it would have taken several years to design and build another limo to replace it. It seems obvious to me (in hindsight) that LBJ should still have done what ever was necessary to preserve the limo.