If Oswald Was The Assassin, Did He Plan His Escape From The TSBD Very Well?

[Dan O'meara]

It's fascinating that these ace FBI agents haven't got anything to say regarding the contradictory nature of Jarman's statement. It's January and they still haven't got their story straight!
My suspicion of Williams is based on my best reading of the various testimonies which has him up on the 6th floor a lot longer than he ever admits to. The sixth floor crew finish up around 11:45 to 11:50am, Williams washes up, collects his lunch, gets a bottle of soda and heads straight up to the sixth floor. He is probably up there about 11:55 to 12:00pm. He doesn't go down to the fifth floor until he hears Norman and Jarman there.
Norman and Jarman are outside until the motorcade has turned on to Main Street which is minutes before it arrives at Dealey Plaza. They make their way to the Houston St. dock entrance and enter the building about 12:25, maybe later (it is interesting that Oswald reports seeing them enter the building as it has him in the Domino room at this time, a time by which the motorcade should have already arrived). They make their way up to the fifth floor and begin opening windows etc. and it is around this point Williams hears them.
If Williams was asked to vacate the 6th floor there is no reason for him to abandon his lunch. I get the impression the arrival of Norman and Jarman is a surprise and it is something Williams has to deal with and that's why he abandons it. That the half eaten chicken piece is initially found on a stack of boxes that forms part of the SN shows he was in this position when he abandoned it. The sniper must have surely been in position by this time with Williams stood right by him. There are a couple of indications that Williams didn't get down to the 5th until the Presidential limo was just turning off Main to Houston. This is about 12:28 to 12:29pm.
If Williams needed to be shifted it would surely have been before this time.
The lies of Norman and Jarman can be seen in the light of covering for Williams, whether this was done through misguided friendship or threat. The first affidavit of Williams is an outright lie. He specifically removes himself from the 6th floor and would have got away with it if it hadn't have been for the abandoned lunch. Later that same day the lunch becomes a major part of the 'cold-blooded assassin' story and Williams is in deep s%&t.
He is called in the very next day to give another statement (why, if he'd already given one), this time acknowledging he was on the 6th then went down to the 5th. In his WC testimony it is this second statement that is treated as his original statement. The first outright lie statement is ignored as if it never existed.
I strongly suspect that if Norman and Jarman had not made a late decision to go up to the 5th floor to watch the motorcade, Williams would have been stood right next to the sniper as he took his shots.

[Colin Crow]

It's fascinating that these ace FBI agents haven't got anything to say regarding the contradictory nature of Jarman's statement. It's January and they still haven't got their story straight!
My suspicion of Williams is based on my best reading of the various testimonies which has him up on the 6th floor a lot longer than he ever admits to. The sixth floor crew finish up around 11:45 to 11:50am, Williams washes up, collects his lunch, gets a bottle of soda and heads straight up to the sixth floor. He is probably up there about 11:55 to 12:00pm. He doesn't go down to the fifth floor until he hears Norman and Jarman there.
Norman and Jarman are outside until the motorcade has turned on to Main Street which is minutes before it arrives at Dealey Plaza. They make their way to the Houston St. dock entrance and enter the building about 12:25, maybe later (it is interesting that Oswald reports seeing them enter the building as it has him in the Domino room at this time, a time by which the motorcade should have already arrived). They make their way up to the fifth floor and begin opening windows etc. and it is around this point Williams hears them.
If Williams was asked to vacate the 6th floor there is no reason for him to abandon his lunch. I get the impression the arrival of Norman and Jarman is a surprise and it is something Williams has to deal with and that's why he abandons it. That the half eaten chicken piece is initially found on a stack of boxes that forms part of the SN shows he was in this position when he abandoned it. The sniper must have surely been in position by this time with Williams stood right by him. There are a couple of indications that Williams didn't get down to the 5th until the Presidential limo was just turning off Main to Houston. This is about 12:28 to 12:29pm.
If Williams needed to be shifted it would surely have been before this time.
The lies of Norman and Jarman can be seen in the light of covering for Williams, whether this was done through misguided friendship or threat. The first affidavit of Williams is an outright lie. He specifically removes himself from the 6th floor and would have got away with it if it hadn't have been for the abandoned lunch. Later that same day the lunch becomes a major part of the 'cold-blooded assassin' story and Williams is in deep s%&t.
He is called in the very next day to give another statement (why, if he'd already given one), this time acknowledging he was on the 6th then went down to the 5th. In his WC testimony it is this second statement that is treated as his original statement. The first outright lie statement is ignored as if it never existed.
I strongly suspect that if Norman and Jarman had not made a late decision to go up to the 5th floor to watch the motorcade, Williams would have been stood right next to the sniper as he took his shots.

I had never looked at the January FBI investigation in this light before. All were interviewed on the same day and by the same agents. The contradictions are apparent and corroborations lacking. My understanding was that Jarman and Norman were longtime work buddies. The teenager Williams was a recent employee (September?) and not very familiar with the other two. I think he had been transferred to the main building from the other warehouse to form part of the flooring crew. Note that Jarman and Norman were not part of that team.

Some interesting parts of Williams "story" on this occasion. He ate his lunch at noon on the sixth floor and joined Jarman and Norman about 12.05pm. This time he used the west elevator. If so this would create a huge problem for the lone nut scenario. If he did use the west elevator and shut the gates, it would mean that someone moved the east elevator from the sixth floor. It was located on the fifth floor when Truly and Baker took it to the roof after the shots.

Perhaps the unfinished chicken leg in the SN is indicative of him hearing something and going to investigate and failing to return.

The "sighting" of Jarman and Norman mentioned by Oswald under investigation is indeed intriguing.

[Alan Ford]

The "sighting" of Jarman and Norman mentioned by Oswald under investigation is indeed intriguing.

Indeed it is! An attempt was made to put the claim in Mr Oswald's mouth that he had actually eaten lunch with Messrs. Jarman & Norman.

[Dan O'meara]

Not sure what this means:

Mr. BALL. Did you go out of the building shortly after you came downstairs?
Mr. WILLIAMS. They wouldn't let anybody out of the building.
Mr. BALL. How long after you came down from the first floor were you taken over to the Police Department?
Mr. WILLIAMS. I couldn't give you the exact time, but it wasn't long.
Mr. BALL. You can't give me any estimate in minutes?
Mr. WILLIAMS. No, sir; I would not want to say

We see Williams outside the building 8 to 15 minutes after shots (according to Groden HSCA)



How does this fit in with his testimony?

[Colin Crow]

Not sure what this means:

Mr. BALL. Did you go out of the building shortly after you came downstairs?
Mr. WILLIAMS. They wouldn't let anybody out of the building.
Mr. BALL. How long after you came down from the first floor were you taken over to the Police Department?
Mr. WILLIAMS. I couldn't give you the exact time, but it wasn't long.
Mr. BALL. You can't give me any estimate in minutes?
Mr. WILLIAMS. No, sir; I would not want to say

We see Williams outside the building 8 to 15 minutes after shots (according to Groden HSCA)



How does this fit in with his testimony?

It means Williams was incorrect.....here is Jarman's version. Was he mistaken about who he ran outside with?

Mr. JARMAN - No, sir. I ran, then we ran to the front door.
Mr. BALL - You ran to the front door?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir; and out on the street.
Mr. BALL - You and who?
Mr. JARMAN - Harold Norman.
Mr. BALL - You and Harold went out there?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL - Did you ever see a fellow named Brennan?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL - Where did you see him first?
Mr. JARMAN - He was talking to a police officer.
Mr. BALL - How was he dressed?
Mr. JARMAN - He was dressed in construction clothes.
Mr. BALL - Anything else, any other way to describe him?
Mr. JARMAN - Well, he had on a silverlike helmet.
Mr. BALL - Hard-hat?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL - Did you stay out there very long?
Mr. JARMAN - Just a few minutes.
Mr. BALL - Then where did you go?
Mr. JARMAN - We heard him talking to this officer about that he had heard these shots and he had seen the barrel of the gun sticking out the window, and he said that the shots came from inside the building, and I told the officer that I believed that they came from inside the building also, and then he rushed us back inside.
Mr. BALL - The officer did?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir.

Mr. BALL. From the time that you went down on the first floor until you left the building to go home did you leave the building at all?
Mr. NORMAN. No; I didn't.

I believe in the movie from which the stills you posted were extracted that you can see Jarman being ushered inside. Simplest answer is that Jarman and Williams left via the front door and were ushered back inside after a short period that involved Brennan.

[Dan O'meara]

It means Williams was incorrect.....here is Jarman's version. Was he mistaken about who he ran outside with?

Mr. JARMAN - No, sir. I ran, then we ran to the front door.
Mr. BALL - You ran to the front door?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir; and out on the street.
Mr. BALL - You and who?
Mr. JARMAN - Harold Norman.
Mr. BALL - You and Harold went out there?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL - Did you ever see a fellow named Brennan?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL - Where did you see him first?
Mr. JARMAN - He was talking to a police officer.
Mr. BALL - How was he dressed?
Mr. JARMAN - He was dressed in construction clothes.
Mr. BALL - Anything else, any other way to describe him?
Mr. JARMAN - Well, he had on a silverlike helmet.
Mr. BALL - Hard-hat?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL - Did you stay out there very long?
Mr. JARMAN - Just a few minutes.
Mr. BALL - Then where did you go?
Mr. JARMAN - We heard him talking to this officer about that he had heard these shots and he had seen the barrel of the gun sticking out the window, and he said that the shots came from inside the building, and I told the officer that I believed that they came from inside the building also, and then he rushed us back inside.
Mr. BALL - The officer did?
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir.

Mr. BALL. From the time that you went down on the first floor until you left the building to go home did you leave the building at all?
Mr. NORMAN. No; I didn't.

I believe in the movie from which the stills you posted were extracted that you can see Jarman being ushered inside. Simplest answer is that Jarman and Williams left via the front door and were ushered back inside after a short period that involved Brennan.

Nice one Colin, was wondering about the guy going back inside. Jarman makes sense, Williams probably followed shortly after.
Fits the timeline with the boys coming down between 5 and 10 minutes after shooting.

[Alan Ford]

I believe in the movie from which the stills you posted were extracted that you can see Jarman being ushered inside. Simplest answer is that Jarman and Williams left via the front door and were ushered back inside after a short period that involved Brennan.

Martin Film:



Sidenote!------------Mr Lovelady's appearance here on the steps doesn't tally with any of his pre-HSCA statements.