Morphing Memories

[Charles Collins]

Correct. That is, unless Buell did some other lengthy interviews prior to the one in 2002. But I know of none. He did some very brief on-camera appearances for various JFK anniversary documentaries prior to '02, but no long interviews (that I know of).

Let me also add....

During his Warren Commission testimony in March of 1964, some four months after he wrote his 11/22/63 affidavit, Buell Frazier also said just what he had said in that Nov. 22 affidavit---that he had not seen Lee Oswald at all after the late morning hours on 11/22:

Mr. BALL - When was the last time you can remember you saw Lee?

Mr. FRAZIER - You mean on the 22nd?

Mr. BALL - On the 22nd, that day.

Mr. FRAZIER - Somewhere between it was after 10 and somewhere before noon, because I remember I was walking down to the first floor that day, that was the only time I went up on the elevator was, like I say, for a few minutes and, I put that box of books up and put it down, and I was on the first floor putting up books all day and I seen him back and forth and he would be walking and getting books and put on the order.

Mr. BALL - That was the last time you saw him all day?

Mr. FRAZIER - Right.

Mr. BALL - You didn't talk to him again?

Mr. FRAZIER - No, sir; I didn't.

I don’t remember if Buell Frazier ever offered a reasonable explanation for why he testified to this (if he had really seen LHO after the assassination). I simply cannot imagine that he could have possibly forgotten that. I do know that some people have mental blocks regarding extremely traumatic events (Jackie Kennedy not remembering crawling onto the trunk lid is an example). But supposedly seeing LHO walking up Houston Street after the assassination wouldn’t fall into that category.

[Duncan MacRae]

Jean Hill, definitely. Ed Hoffman too.

[Dan O'meara]

My favourite morphing memory must belong to Bonnie Ray Williams.
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination Bonnie Ray completely forgets that after the men working on the sixth floor broke for lunch, he went back up to the sixth floor alone where he spent about 25 minutes having his lunch while waiting for the motorcade. Instead, his memory morphs into going down to the first floor, collecting his lunch and going back up to the FIFTH floor with Hank Norman and Junior Jarman. His time spent on the sixth floor alone, eating his lunch, seems to have vanished.
The very next day he is interviewed by the FBI and his memory once again morphs - this time he remembers going up to the sixth floor alone but not having his lunch. Instead, he had a quick look around, saw no-one was there and went down to the fifth floor. He was only on the sixth floor for about 3 minutes.
On January the 8th he is interviewed by the FBI again and his memory morphs again - he now remembers having lunch on the sixth floor, he is up there for about five minutes before going down to the fifth floor where he spends about 25 minutes with Hank and Junior waiting for the motorcade.
By the time of his 3/19/64 FBI interview his time spent on the sixth floor appears to have completely slipped his mind.
As impressive as his speed-morphing memory is up to this point, it's nothing compared to his WC testimony. When asked how long he was up on the sixth floor, Bonnie Ray replies "5, 10, maybe 12 minutes". Later in his testimony Bonnie Ray is asked what time he went down to the fifth floor, to which he replies "10 or 15 minutes after 12". He then breaks his speed-morphing memory record, after a single question:

Mr Ball: Approximately what time was it?
Mr Williams: Approximately 12:20, maybe.

From not remembering being on the sixth floor at all, to remembering he went up there but didn't have lunch, to remembering he went up there and did have lunch, to remembering he was up there for 3, 5, 10, 12 then 20 minutes, Bonnie Ray demonstrates a truly impressive ability to morph his memory.

[Alan Ford]

My favourite morphing memory must belong to Bonnie Ray Williams.
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination Bonnie Ray completely forgets that after the men working on the sixth floor broke for lunch, he went back up to the sixth floor alone where he spent about 25 minutes having his lunch while waiting for the motorcade. Instead, his memory morphs into going down to the first floor, collecting his lunch and going back up to the FIFTH floor with Hank Norman and Junior Jarman. His time spent on the sixth floor alone, eating his lunch, seems to have vanished.
The very next day he is interviewed by the FBI and his memory once again morphs - this time he remembers going up to the sixth floor alone but not having his lunch. Instead, he had a quick look around, saw no-one was there and went down to the fifth floor. He was only on the sixth floor for about 3 minutes.
On January the 8th he is interviewed by the FBI again and his memory morphs again - he now remembers having lunch on the sixth floor, he is up there for about five minutes before going down to the fifth floor where he spends about 25 minutes with Hank and Junior waiting for the motorcade.
By the time of his 3/19/64 FBI interview his time spent on the sixth floor appears to have completely slipped his mind.
As impressive as his speed-morphing memory is up to this point, it's nothing compared to his WC testimony. When asked how long he was up on the sixth floor, Bonnie Ray replies "5, 10, maybe 12 minutes". Later in his testimony Bonnie Ray is asked what time he went down to the fifth floor, to which he replies "10 or 15 minutes after 12". He then breaks his speed-morphing memory record, after a single question:

Mr Ball: Approximately what time was it?
Mr Williams: Approximately 12:20, maybe.

From not remembering being on the sixth floor at all, to remembering he went up there but didn't have lunch, to remembering he went up there and did have lunch, to remembering he was up there for 3, 5, 10, 12 then 20 minutes, Bonnie Ray demonstrates a truly impressive ability to morph his memory.

I had a vivid memory for years of having been at a Guns N' Roses concert at Madison Square Garden, but all my friends remembered it as a U2 show. They were such diehards that they threatened to murder me if I kept talking about Guns N' Roses. As time went on, my buried memories of the U2 show resurfaced.

[Dan O'meara]

Another speed-morphing memory champ is Billy Lovelady.
His first statement to police immediately after the assassination is that he was stood on the front steps of the TSBD building watching the motorcade when he heard the shots, saw the commotion, then went back into the building. That he teamed up with Shelley, walked down to the railroad tracks, watched what was going on for a few minutes then re-entered the building through the little-known side door to the west, has completely morphed out of his memory.
By the time of his WC hearing it has morphed back into his memory, that he and Shelley entered the building through the west door. However, by the time of the HSCA investigation, when confronted with an image of himself stood outside the front steps of the TSBD building taken approximately ten minutes after the shooting, Lovelady's memory morphs again as he admits he didn't actually re-enter the TSBD building for 15 to 20 minutes after the assassination (meaning Vickie Adams' testimony was indeed altered).

Amazingly, Bill Shelley's memory morphs in exactly the same way as Lovelady's
Less than two hours after the assassination, Shelley has also forgotten he went down to the railroad tracks with Lovelady, checked out what was going on for a few minutes, then re-entered the building through the west door. By the time of his WC interview his memory has similarly morphed to include the visit down to the railroad tracks and the west door. During their WC testimonies, a quite incredible piece of synchronised memory morphing occurs between Lovelady and Shelley - both men independently remember officer Baker arriving at the TSBD steps about three minutes after the shooting and not 20- 30 seconds as film evidence proves. Truly extraordinary.
Shelley also remembers entering the west door of the TSBD along with Lovelady - impossible if Lovelady didn't enter the building for 15 to 20 minutes after the assassination as his testimony and the film/photographic record indicate.

Synchronised speed-morphing memory champs - Lovelady and Shelley.