Hi, just wondered if I could have some opinions, please and thank you.
I've followed, with much interest, the current debate on other forums regarding whether or not Mr. Zapruder's film has been altered, and a few things have caught my attention, the first of which follows...
Regarding whether motorcycle officer James Chaney passed the limousine has left me with a bit of a head scratcher. In the first instance, the Zapruder film does not show this, but 'IF' said film was altered to remove this, then that would be understandable, but to me that seems a stretch. However, neither the Nix, Bell, Daniel or Paschall films show a motorcycle anywhere near Curry's car, or the limo, as it reaches the underpass. What are visible in the Bell film, are three motorcycle officers who seem to be at a standstill, or slow crawl, on the west side of the underpass near the Stemmons freeway sliproad, with another motorcycle officer parked side-on, to their left. I have included some photos, from Mr Unger's gallery, of three motorcycle officers taken from the west side of the underpass as the limo approaches (Mr. Unger, if you read this, I sincerely hope you do not object to me using images from your site, if so, I will cease and desist).
As you will notice, the caption states that one of the riders is officer Chaney, (personally I don't know if it is or not so I would need confirmation from someone who does). Now, I am no photographic or film expert, but i'm hard pushed to believe for an instant that either the Paschall or Bell films are altered in anyway, so how, and when, has Chaney managed to reach this point in the time frame alloted, especially as he stated he witnessed the head shot, and the fact that the Nix film shows the two bikes to the right rear of the limo, one of which i'm assuming to be Chaney, slowing or coming to a stop at the point in time when the limo has started accelerating? Even allowing Chaney a stop/ slow rolling conversation to relay info to the lead car, he is in a position at the Stemmons entrance before the limo has cleared the underpass as seen here in a frame from Mark Bell's film.
Neither SA Kellerman nor SA Greer mention a motorcycle passing in front of them in their Warren Comission testimonies, and the statements or testimonies of the lead car occupants are, by my reckoning, also pretty vague as to the timing of this. Only Chief Curry has stated that the officer was Chaney, but his recollection of WHEN this happened, in my opinion, seems questionable. Here's a couple of examples :
April 15th 1964 WCXII (page 28), Chief Curry : "...and at that time I looked in my rear view mirror and I saw some commotion in the President's caravan and realized that probably something was wrong, and it seemed to be speeding up, and ABOUT (emphasis mine) this time a motorcycle officer, I believe it was officer Chaney rode up beside us...."
He also reiterates this point in testimony, April 22nd 1964 WCIV (page 161) ....
Rep. Ford : 'Did you get this order over the PA system before the second and third shots'?
Curry : " I don't believe so, I am not sure. I am not positive. Because they (shots) were in rapid succession. But after I noticed some commotion in the President's car and a motorcycle officer ran up aside of me....I said "Has the President been hit...?" And he said "I am sure they have", I said "Take us to the hospital immediately." 'and I got on the radio and told them to notify Parkland'
At no point does Curry state where the limo is in relation to the motorcycle officer.
WCVII (page 346) ( Forrest V Sorrels, statement Nov 28th 1963)
Sorrels : 'I noted that the President's car had accelerated it's speed and was fast closing the gap between us. A motorcycle officer pulled up alongside of the car and Chief Curry yelled "Is anybody hurt?" '....By that time we'd had gotten (unreadable) the underpass when the President's car pulled up alongside, and at that time Chief Curry's car had started to pick up speed...'
Sorrels states that a bike pulls alongside them, but, again, seems pretty vague as to when, in my opinion.
WCVII (page 548) Testimony dated May 7th 1964, Forrest V. Sorrels : 'Within about 3 seconds, there were two more similar reports. And I said. "Let's get out of here" and looked back, all the way back, then, to where the President's car was, and I saw some confusion, movement there, and the car just seemed to lurch forward. And, in the meantime, a motorcycle officer had run up on the right-hand side and the chief yelled to him, "Anybody hurt?"...'And by that time we had gotten almost in under the underpass, and the President's car had come up and was almost abreast of us. When I saw them get so close, I said, "Let's get out quick," or "Get going fast," or something to that effect. In other words, I didn't want them to pass us, because I knew we were supposed to be in front.'
Both the McIntyre pic, above, and frames from the Daniel film, however, show that the limo did overtake the lead car.
WCXVII (page 629) statement of Winston G. Lawson, 23rd Nov 1963, Lawson : ....'I believe I heard two more sharp reports and looking back saw people scurrying away from the route, as though they were taking cover. Almost immediately the President's car leaped ahead. We also rapidly accelerated'.
No mention of any motorcycle, but the first admission that the limo has overtaken the lead car as verified by McIntyre/ Daniels..
WCXVII (page632) statement of Winston G. Lawson, 1st Dec 1963, Lawson : ...'I heard the first loud, sharp report and in more rapid sucession two more sounds like gunfire...Both the President's car and our lead car rapidly accelerated almost simultaneously. I heard a report over the two-way radio that we should proceed to the nearest hospital'....'A motorcycle officer pulled alongside our lead car....''
Now mentions motorcycle, but no mention of JFK's limo overtaking the lead car. Now, the two cars have apparently accelerated in unison, and by the timeline of his statement, the bike has pulled up besides them AFTER the limo has started accelerating.
WCXIV (pages 353/4) testimony of Winston G. Lawson,
Dulles : What was the lead car doing at this time?
Lawson : The car that I was in, sir?
Dulles : I thought you were in the second car.
Stern : The pilot car
Dulles : The pilot car, not the lead car.
Lawson : The pilot car was up ahead of us, so appeared other things I recall noting a police officer pulled up in a motorcycle alongside of us, and mentioned that the President had been hit. When the President's car leaped ahead, although there was quite a distance, not quite a distance but there was some distance between the two cars, they came up on us quite fast BEFORE (emphasis mine) we were actually able to get in motion. They seemed to have a more rapid acceleration than we did.
Dulles : Did they actually pass you?
Lawson : No, sir ; they never did. We stayed ahead of them....
So, now Lawson testifies that the car leaped ahead before they could get going, but never actually passed them. What? The poor guy seems confused, like he can't remember what story he's been told to say, again, in my opinion. This also says the lead car had practically stopped at, or in, the underpass.
Secret Service Agent Sam Kinney (driver of the follow-up car behind JFK's limo) — indicates, via his report to Chief Rowley, that Greer hit the gas after the fatal head shot to JFK and after the President's slump to the left toward Jackie. [18 H 731-732]. From the HSCA's 2/26/78 interview of Kinney: "He also remarked that 'when Greer (the driver of the Presidential limousine) looked back, his foot must have come off the accelerator' Kinney observed that at the time of the first shot, the speed of the motorcade was '3 to 5 miles an hour.'"
No mention of a stop, just a slowing down. If anyone would notice brake lights on the limo, it would have been Kinney.
Interestingly, of all the witnesses cited as having seen the limo slow or stop, very few, if any, has said that Chaney rode forward at this time. No 'lay witnesses' mention anything of a motorcycle breaking away from the motorcade at the time of the head shot, how come? Am I missing something?
Thoughts?
Thanks, Calli.
'Jumping out of trees that tall is not an easy task, regardless of age (it’s easier to just fall out of it)' --- Keller Jackson
