(Testimony of Sebastian F. Latona)
Mr. Latona.
to the inexperienced eye by virtue of the fact that it almost coincides with that line there. You probably do not see that. And here is point No. 8, which is related to point No. 7 by the separation of those ridges in the same way. One, two, three, four----one, two, three, four. In its relationship to No. 9 here---just above and to the left, flowing in the same general direction. Here it is here. Then your point No. 10, which is tied into point No. 11 in this fashion here, and 12 and 13. All of them have the same relationship insofar as the intervention of ridges is concerned, the same general area, plus the fact that they all flow in the same general direction.
Picking up No. 14, which is going upward, to point No. 15, which stands out rather easily--15 here. To throw in just one point extra--see this little point here, that ends here?
Mr. Eisenberg.
That is to the upper right of 15?
Mr. Latona.
To the right and upward of 15.
Mr. Dulles.
So you really have 16 points there?
Mr. Latona.
Actually, there are more than that in here, which I have not even bothered to chart. The opinion here, without any question at all this latent print, which was developed on the brown bag marked "A"--142 was made by the right palm of Lee Harvey Oswald. And in my opinion, this identification is absolute. There is no question at all that only the right palm of Lee Harvey Oswald made this print, or could have made it.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Are there any further questions on the prints appearing on this bag?
Representative Ford.
Mr. Murray?
Mr. Murray.
May I suggest this, Mr. Chairman? Since the print on the bag may become obliterated, and since members of the Commission have already seen it, it might be advisable to put on the record that they have seen it, because in time to come it may not be visible to anybody.
Representative Ford.
Well I for one would be willing to state that I have personally seen that fingerprint through a glass on the bag--both the finger and the palm.
Mr. Dulles.
I would be. glad to concur that I also have seen the fingerprint and the palmprint to which Congressman Ford refers.
Mr. Eisenberg.
In that general connection, Mr. Latona, do you commonly make your fingerprint identifications on the basis of the object on which the latent print appears, or on the basis of a photograph of that object?
Mr. Latona.
Normally it is made on the basis of photographs. We work more or less like an assembly-line basis, and we do not have the time or the opportunity to work from the originals, as was done in this case this being quite an exceptional case. So the usual identification would be made this was made on the basis of the bag itself, rather than to wait and get finished photographs from our photographic laboratory.
If I recall correctly, this was on a Saturday---the 23d?
Mr. Eisenberg.
Yes; it was.
Mr. Latona.
We did not have our full staff there. We were called in to handle this case specially. There were no photographers available at that time for that particular purpose. Frankly, under the circumstances it would not have made any difference whether they were available or not. This had a priority over everything we were working on and naturally we had to proceed as fast as we could, in a sense, to render conclusions and opinions at that time.
Accordingly, the original comparisons were made directly from the wrapper, rather than a photograph, which was prepared subsequently to this.
Representative Ford.
The suggestion has been made, Mr. Murray, that perhaps you would like to look at that palmprint and the fingerprint on the wrapping, and you might make a statement the same as Mr. Dulles and I have made.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Could you point out to Mr. Murray, Mr. Latona, the two prints?
Mr. Latona.
Yes, sir. "A" is the fingerprint.
Mr. Dulles.
And the witness certifies that these are true photographs of the fingerprint and the palmprint that you have exhibited?
Mr. Latona.
Yes, sir.
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