Marilyn Sitzman

[Jack Nessan]

Here’s more information:

“About This Book”

  In May 1964, the top editors of the Dallas Morning News decided to collect the recollections of all staffers who took part in covering the Kennedy assassination.


Include anecdotes, personal observations and anything else that will reflect the tone of the time as well as indicate the thoroughness of our coverage,” assistant managing editor Bill Rives wrote in a memo to the staff. The original plan was for the writings to be published individually and not as part of one long narrative.



So, this may not be what you are looking for. But it does seem like (to me anyway) that they would tend to write that they heard a number other than three shots (if any of them did). None of them have said in these writings that I can find that they heard anything other than three shots.

Here is fun fact. There were 70 news reporters in Dealey Plaza, James Altgens is the only eyewitness news reporter, positioned 25 feet from the limo and he stated there were two shots. Everyone else is an earwitness. Despite the WC trying to get a three shot response from him, he told them he only heard two. Altgens news flash was read by Don Pardo on ABC after CBS's Walter Cronkite- Merriman Smith's three shot news flash.

Make sure when you are making these declarations that you understand how varied and influenced these people really were. There is no way to quantify these people's statements into categories without setting parameters that define them.

[Royell Storing]

Here is fun fact. There were 70 news reporters in Dealey Plaza, James Altgens is the only eyewitness news reporter, positioned 25 feet from the limo and he stated there were two shots. Everyone else is an earwitness. Despite the WC trying to get a three shot response from him, he told them he only heard two. Altgens news flash was read by Don Pardo on ABC after CBS's Walter Cronkite- Merriman Smith's three shot news flash.

Make sure when you are making these declarations that you understand how varied and influenced these people really were. There is no way to quantify these people's statements into categories without setting parameters that define them.

  Altgens also disputed where they placed him there on Elm St inside Dealey Plaza. He claimed he was further East on Elm St. His claim was based on his camera settings. He said based on where they were placing him on Elm St vs his camera settings, his picture of JFK through the Limo windshield with the TSBD doorway in the background would have never come out. Altgens also testified that after crossing Elm St, he then followed law enforcement UP the Knoll. None of this is captured on any JFK assassination images. 

[Lance Payette]

  Altgens also disputed where they placed him there on Elm St inside Dealey Plaza. He claimed he was further East on Elm St. His claim was based on his camera settings. He said based on where they were placing him on Elm St vs his camera settings, his picture of JFK through the Limo windshield with the TSBD doorway in the background would have never come out. Altgens also testified that after crossing Elm St, he then followed law enforcement UP the Knoll. None of this is captured on any JFK assassination images.

The earwitness/eyewitness debates remind of "The Invisible Gorilla." You are asked to count how many times the people dressed in white pass the basketball. In the middle of the video, a gorilla walks in. More than half of the viewers miss the gorilla, and many insist there was no gorilla when informed there was. There are many similar tests where some outrageously dressed character runs into a classroom, shoots the professor several times, and runs out. The students' recollections are all over the map.

The JFKA is like "the killer in the classroom" times 100, and Dealey Plaza is an almost perfect echo chamber.

https://www.npr.org/2010/05/19/126977945/bet-you-didnt-notice-the-invisible-gorilla

I really don't know how anyone misses the gorilla, but the giraffe is trickier.

[Lance Payette]

The best source of information is the physical evidence provided by the shells. One thing to remember is medias influence began almost immediately based on Walter Cronkite reading Merriman Smith’s news bulletin of three shots within in minutes of the assassination. Watch the Bill Newman interview and Jay Watson correcting them as to the number of shots, because he was there. Gayle Newman is reading the news bulletin in Jay's hand before she speaks.

The “chamber mark” on the side of the shells tells the story. If you don't understand what is meant by the FBI referring to the “Chamber Mark” on the side of the shells, find a gun guy and he will explain it. 

Read Josiah Thompson’s observation in Six Seconds in Dallas, (pages 140 –146 and the footnotes on page 178), of the other 30+ shells fired in the carcano by the FBI. CE 141 seals the deal by having the “chamber mark” on the side of it. It proves the expansion of the chamber due to heat and pressure is what makes the “chamber mark”. The FBI could verify the observation of Thompson by examining the shells and the carcano in the Smithsonian, but there is no need because they already verified it in the Hoover report to Rankin.

The book Phantom Shot proves what is in Six Seconds in Dallas and the book Six Seconds in Dallas proves what is in Phantom Shot.

While doing some reading on CE 543, the dented shell casing, I came across these two old threads on the Ed Forum. Tink Thompson participates on both (and in fact started one). The discussions get pretty technical, but I found them interesting

"An unfired cartridge?" (2007): https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/9276-an-unfired-cartridge/

'The provenance of CE 543 and Gary Murr's recent report" (2009): https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/14177-the-provenance-of-ce-543-and-gary-murr%E2%80%99s-recent-report/

They also serve as a somewhat depressing reminder of the quality of the discussions on forums such as this before the inmates took over the asylum. Now I return to the real world. 

[Royell Storing]

  Professionals are very conscience of their equipment. Whether it's a soldier with their weapon or a professional photographer with their camera/settings. Pros are perfectionists. They know their equipment.
  You notice that the WC Never questions an eyewitness as to seeing another assassination eyewitness? WC Never asked Zapruder if he saw Wiegman running Directly at him as we see on the Bell Film. Never asked Officer Hargis if he saw Altgens running across Elm St as he/Hargis was standing at the light pole. (Couch Film).  They wanted to avoid eyewitnesses Documenting who was where/when. They wanted to avoid JFK Assassination Eyewitnesses contradicting the assassination images. Altgens went out of his way to do exactly this.

[John Iacoletti]

The earwitness/eyewitness debates remind of "The Invisible Gorilla." You are asked to count how many times the people dressed in white pass the basketball. In the middle of the video, a gorilla walks in. More than half of the viewers miss the gorilla, and many insist there was no gorilla when informed there was. There are many similar tests where some outrageously dressed character runs into a classroom, shoots the professor several times, and runs out. The students' recollections are all over the map.

Our old friend Bill Chapman used to trot out the gorilla playing basketball trope.  Funny, we haven't heard from him in a while...

[Jack Nessan]

While doing some reading on CE 543, the dented shell casing, I came across these two old threads on the Ed Forum. Tink Thompson participates on both (and in fact started one). The discussions get pretty technical, but I found them interesting

"An unfired cartridge?" (2007): https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/9276-an-unfired-cartridge/

'The provenance of CE 543 and Gary Murr's recent report" (2009): https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/14177-the-provenance-of-ce-543-and-gary-murr%E2%80%99s-recent-report/

They also serve as a somewhat depressing reminder of the quality of the discussions on forums such as this before the inmates took over the asylum. Now I return to the real world. 

Forget the dented lip. This is not about the dented lip or the mark from the magazine follower. Wrong indentation and mark.

Read the book. Pages 140-146 and the foot notes to the chapter on page 178. This is about the "chamber mark" as noted by the FBI, nothing else, CE 543 lacks the "chamber mark" the 30+ others do not.

Funny Josiah knew of a key piece to the puzzle back in the mid 60’s, puts it into print in his book Six Seconds in Dallas, but apparently does not understand the relevance and significance of it because he cannot weave it into a conspiracy. In 1967, he felt it proved there was a shot from somewhere else that LHO only fired twice. He must have given up on that theory. Josiah giving up on his theory in no way diminishes the importance of his observation. He is the only person to view all these shells that were fired in the rifle, compare them, and write about them.

The bottom line based on his observations, CE 543 is the only shell that lacks the indentation referred to as the “chamber mark” by the FBI, whereas the next 30+ shell casings including the unfired cartridge all exhibit to some degree the “chamber mark”. The “Chamber Mark” is not the dented lip.  They are completely different, as is the mark from the magazine follower. READ THE BOOK.