Representative Boggs.

How long will that condition remain?

Mr. Latona.

Going from one extreme to the other, it may remain for years; under other circumstances, it may not even last for 15 or 20 minutes.

Representative Boggs.

Why the difference?

Mr. Latona.

Because of the amount of material which was left and the condition of the material which was left. Basically, the material may be made up of protein material and salt and water--primarily water. If it is totally water, with very little salt or oily material, when the evaporation is effected, then it is complete--there Will be nothing left.

Representative Boggs.

You mean that it is gone?

Mr. Latona.

Right. On the other hand, if there is an oily matter there, we know that latent prints will last literally for years on certain objects.

Representative Boggs.

Well, just for purposes of information, if I make fingerprints there on the table, how long would they normally last?

Mr. Latona.

I don't know.

Representative Boggs.

Well, would there be any way to know?

Mr. Latona.

No, sir.

Mr. Dulles.

It depends on temperature, on the amount of moisture involved? What does it depend on?

Mr. Latona.

First of all, I saw him touch it, but I am not even sure he left a print there.

Representative Boggs.

Well, I can see it.

Mr. Latona.

As to the quality of the print, there again it is simply a matter of what material you have in your hands that made that print, as to how long it will last, how long it will take for it to evaporate.
Actually, when it dries out, it may, in itself, leave a print with such clarity that it would not even though it would not accept the powder, still by highlighting it, the way you did to see that the print was there, we could photograph it so it would come out just as clear as though it were black on white.

Representative Boggs.

Does the material that one touches have any effect?

Mr. Latona.

Very definitely. It depends on how hard or smooth the material is.

Representative Boggs.

Now, does a weapon lend itself to retaining fingerprints?

Mr. Latona.

This particular weapon here, first of all, in my opinion, the metal is very poorly finished. It is absorbent. Believe it or not, there is a certain amount of absorption into this metal itself. It is not finished in the sense that it is highly polished.

Representative Boggs.

So this would be conducive to getting a good print, or would it?

Mr. Latona.

It would not.

Representative Boggs.

I see---because it would absorb the moisture.

Mr. Latona.

That's right. Now, there are other guns--for example, Smith and Wesson, which have exceptionally nice finishes, the blue metal finishes are better surfaces for latent prints. Where you have a nickel-plated or silver-plated revolvers, where it is smooth--they are much more conducive to latent prints than some of these other things, say like the army type, the weapons used in wartime that are dull, to avoid reflection--things of that type--they are not as good.

Mr. Dulles.

I wonder if you would like to look at the fingerprints we have gone over. They are quite apparent there with the glass.

Representative Boggs.

I would like to look at them. That is all I want to ask right at the moment.

Mr. Dulles.

I would like to ask a general question.

Mr. Latona.

This is one of the fingerprints developed on the brown wrapper. It is this print here.

Mr. Dulles.

You can see these prints quite clearly, and the palmprint.

Representative Boggs.

This is a photograph of that?

Mr. Latona.

This is approximately a time and a half enlargement. This is the left index finger. Here is the palmprint that was developed.

Representative Ford.

Mr. Boggs each of us here, Mr. Dulles, Mr. Murray, and myself, have said on the record that we have seen the prints on the wrapping.