A time to receive and give (CE399)

[Dan O'meara]

My interpretation of the evidence regarding CE 399 is that at some point this bullet was introduced into the chain of custody.
It may not necessarily have been the case but after examining the evidence I felt it was the best interpretation, the one that made sense of the many anomalies surrounding this aspect of the case.
In order for this to be the case the bullet, CE 399, would have to be fired from the MC in order to match the rifle. However, this couldn't have been done until the rifle reached the FBI lab in Washington on Saturday morning.
By Saturday evening an evidence report compiled by Frazier and signed by Hoover was sent to Chief Curry:



At the end it identifies Q1, the bullet supposedly found on the stretcher, as "a 6.5 millimeter Mannlicher-Carcano rifle bullet. Specimen Q1 weighs 158.6 grains. It consists of a copper alloy jacket with a lead core".
The weight and general description of the bullet is identifies it as CE 399. Which means that if the bullet was indeed a plant it must have been fired from the rifle on the Saturday, before the evidence was returned to Dallas Saturday night.
Until now it has been a matter of pure speculation that the rifle was fired that day in order for it to be possible to produce a bullet which could be planted in the chain of custody.
Whilst trying to track down a decent copy of a photo of the evidence that was taken by Vince Drain to Washington I came across an article by Ken Rahn documenting Drain's recollection of the assassination, which includes this passage:

"...I was taken by helicopter over to the Justice Building and landed on the White House lawn. During this time, I had an armed guard from the Air Force until I got safely into the Justice Building.
I talked to Mr. Hoover briefly and then watched them do a lot of the experiments such as firing the rifle, looking for prints, ballistic markings, hairs, fibers, blood stains and anything else that later, down the road, might be relevant to evidence which could be used in the prosecution.
By around midnight on Saturday night, they had the plane ready to go..."

It would appear that at some point on Saturday the FBI lab was in possession of bullets fired from the MC found on the 6th floor.

PS: Does anyone have a decent copy of a photograph of the evidence Drain took from Dallas on Friday night?

[Tim Nickerson]

Well the authors aren't going to admit that's what happened. 

What's in the rest of the phone transcript of their call to Odum? Is there a transcript for their visit to Odum?

Some requests from the Commission didn't warrant FD-302s. ( Link ) FD-302s are normally done for criminal cases that could lead to a trial; Odum probably had an active case load of such investigations. Which is why he later thought he would have prepared a 302 for the requests from the Commission, when he probably only relayed what he was told to the author of the AirTel.

Possible Tomlinson forgot about the July 1964 visit or thought the interviewer in 1966 wanted to know about the first time he was shown the bullet after the assassination.

Bardwell Odum ultimately deferred to the FBI documentation. He essentially told Thompson that if FBI documents say that he showed CE-399 to Wright and Tomlinson, then he did indeed. He also recalled being in Wright's office sometime after the assasination.

[Martin Weidmann]

Bardwell Odum ultimately deferred to the FBI documentation. He essentially told Thompson that if FBI documents say that he showed CE-399 to Wright and Tomlinson, then he did indeed. He also recalled being in Wright's office sometime after the assasination.

Then why is his name not mentioned in the chain of custody for CE399?

[Tim Nickerson]

Then why is his name not mentioned in the chain of custody for CE399?

Why would it be? The bullet didn't really need a chain of custody anyway. Also, it had already been examined by the FBI and admitted into evidence during WC testimony.

[Martin Weidmann]

Why would it be? The bullet didn't really need a chain of custody anyway. Also, it had already been examined by the FBI and admitted into evidence during WC testimony.

Then why did Specter introduce the bullet into evidence (during Humes' testimony) subject to later authentication?

Mr. SPECTER - Doctor Humes, I show you a bullet which we have marked as Commission Exhibit No. 399, and may I say now that, subject to later proof, this is the missile which has been taken from the stretcher which the evidence now indicates was the stretcher occupied by Governor Connally.

And why did the WC ask the FBI for authentication by way of the chain of custody? You know, the reason for which Odum was allegedly given the bullet to begin with?

Are you actually arguing that Odum's name didn't have to be in the chain of custody of CE399 when the sole purpose for him allegedly having it in the first place is to establish a conclusive chain of custody? Really?

[John Iacoletti]

If hearsay in an anonymously written letter with an FBI letterhead at the top says so, then it must be true.

LOL

[Tim Nickerson]

Then why did Specter introduce the bullet into evidence (during Humes' testimony) subject to later authentication?

Mr. SPECTER - Doctor Humes, I show you a bullet which we have marked as Commission Exhibit No. 399, and may I say now that, subject to later proof, this is the missile which has been taken from the stretcher which the evidence now indicates was the stretcher occupied by Governor Connally.

I don't know why.

And why did the WC ask the FBI for authentication by way of the chain of custody? You know, the reason for which Odum was allegedly given the bullet to begin with?

Is that what it was for?  Authentication by way of the chain of custody? How do you know?

Are you actually arguing that Odum's name didn't have to be in the chain of custody of CE399 when the sole purpose for him allegedly having it in the first place is to establish a conclusive chain of custody? Really?

Yes, that's what I'm arguing. Really.