PATRICK COLLINS SAID:
Hi David,
Can you help on this one?....
In the chapter entitled "Summary of Oswald’s Guilt", Vincent Bugliosi writes on page 958 of Reclaiming History:
“If we are to believe Oswald’s story”……“claiming in one version that he was having lunch on the first floor of the Book Depository Building at the time of the shooting, and in another version that he was working on the sixth floor.”
Bugliosi is clearly making reference to a version of events that Oswald was working on the sixth floor at the time of the shooting, he does not however cite for the latter scenario.
It would seem that Bugliosi is saying that somewhere there is a statement from Oswald that he was up on the 6th floor when JFK was shot. This could either be a written statement from a witness such as [an] individual from the DPD or FBI or Secret Service for example, or a recollection in an interview on film or even word of mouth from an individual who heard Oswald make that assertion.
It may be a confused message and Oswald could have simply said he worked on the 6th floor leading up to the assassination. Anyway, I am not aware of any such statement from Oswald. Have you heard any such thing?
Thanks,
Patrick
DAVID VON PEIN SAID:
Go to page 957 of "Reclaiming History"....
"During Sunday's [11/24/63] interrogation Oswald slipped up and placed himself on the sixth floor at the time of the assassination. .... In his Sunday-morning interrogation he said that at lunchtime, one of the "Negro" employees invited him to eat lunch with him and he declined. .... He said before he could finish whatever he was doing, the commotion surrounding the assassination took place and when he "WENT DOWNSTAIRS," a policeman questioned him as to his identification, and his boss stated that he was one of their employees. .... WHERE WAS OSWALD AT THE TIME THE NEGRO EMPLOYEE INVITED HIM TO LUNCH, AND BEFORE HE DESCENDED TO THE SECOND-FLOOR LUNCHROOM? The sixth floor." -- Vincent Bugliosi; Page 957 of "Reclaiming History" [All emphasis Bugliosi's.]
PATRICK COLLINS SAID:
Have you any idea where Bugliosi gets the info? Is it Chief Curry's notes?
DAVID VON PEIN SAID:
Bugliosi uses Page 636 of the Warren Commission Report and Harry Holmes' testimony at 7 H 302.
But we must take Holmes' notes with a granule of salt, because the word "downstairs" isn't really a direct quote attributed to Oswald. It's a paraphrased report of the things Oswald said during his November 24 final interrogation with Holmes present.
I'm wondering: Did Oswald himself really say that he "went downstairs" just after the shots? Or was that something that was perceived to be the case by Holmes?
LHO did, of course, admit to being on the upper floors of the Depository building shortly before the shooting and he admitted that he asked Charles Givens to send an elevator back UPSTAIRS to him. That information can also be found in Harry Holmes' Warren Commission testimony at 7 H 302.
Plus, of course, Charles Givens himself testified that Oswald had been on the sixth floor at about 11:55 AM and had asked Givens to send an elevator back up to him [6 H 350-351].
So, Oswald obviously HAD to have travelled "downstairs" at some point around lunchtime anyway.
But Vince Bugliosi seemed convinced that Oswald "slipped up" with the "downstairs" reference. But I'm not entirely convinced that LHO did slip up. Perhaps he did; but perhaps not. A tape recording of Oswald's exact remarks sure would be nice to have.
[Also see this related discussion.]
David Von Pein
December 12, 2016
