Mr. Belin.

Do you know what Commission Exhibit No. 637 is?

Mr. Day.

This is the trace of palmprint I lifted off of the barrel of the gun after I had removed the wood.

Mr. Belin.

Does it have your name on it or your handwriting?

Mr. Day.

It has the name "J. C. Day," and also "11/22/63" written on it in my writing off the underside gun barrel near the end of foregrip, C-2766.

Mr. Belin.

When you lift a print is it then harder to make a photograph of that print after it is lifted or doesn't it make any difference?

Mr. Day.

It depends. If it is a fresh print, and by fresh I mean hadn't been there very long and dried, practically all the print will come off and there will be nothing left. If it is an old print, that is pretty well dried, many times you can still see it after the lift. In this case I could still see traces of print on that barrel.

Mr. Belin.

Did you do anything with the other prints or partial prints that you said you thought you saw?

Mr. Day.

I photographed them only. I did not try to lift them.

Mr. Belin.

Do you have those photographs, sir? I will mark the two photographs which you have just produced Commission Exhibits 720 and 721. I will ask you to state what these are.

Mr. Day.

These are prints or pictures, I should say, of the latent--of the traces of prints on the side of the magazine housing of the gun No. C-2766.

Mr. Belin.

Were those prints in such condition as to be identifiable, if you know?

Mr. Day.

No, sir; I could not make positive identification of these prints.

Mr. Belin.

Did you have enough opportunity to work and get these pictures or not?

Mr. Day.

I worked with them, yes. I could not exclude all possibility as to identification. I thought I knew which they were, but I could not positively identify them.

Mr. Belin.

What was your opinion so far as it went as to whose they were?

Mr. Day.

They appeared to be the right middle and right ring finger of Harvey Lee Oswald, Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. Belin.

At the time you had this did you have any comparison fingerprints to make with the actual prints of Lee Harvey Oswald?

Mr. Day.

Yes, sir; we had sets in Captain Fritz' office. Oswald was in his custody, we had made palmprints and fingerprints of him.

Mr. Belin.

Is there any other processing that you did with the rifle?

Mr. Day.

No, sir.

Mr. Belin.

At what time, if you know, did you release the rifle to the FBI?

Mr. Day.

11:45 p.m. the rifle was released or picked up by them and taken from the office.

Mr. Belin.

Was that on November 22?

Mr. Day.

November 22, 1963.

Mr. Belin.

At what time did these same photographs which are the same as Commission Exhibit 720 and 721 of this print----

Mr. Day.

About 8 o'clock, somewhere around 8 o'clock, in that neighborhood.

Mr. Belin.

Of what date?

Mr. Day.

November 22, 1963.

Mr. Belin.

What about the lift which has previously been marked as Commission Exhibit 637?

Mr. Day.

About what?

Mr. Belin.

When did you turn that over to the FBI?

Mr. Day.

I released that to them on November 26, 1963. I did not release this----

Mr. Belin.

You are referring now----

Mr. Day.

On November 22.

Mr. Belin.

You are referring to Commission Exhibit 637?

Mr. Day.

Yes.

Mr. Belin.

Is there any particular reason why this was not released on the 22d?

Mr. Day.

The gun was being sent in to them for process of prints. Actually I thought the print on the gun was their best bet, still remained on there, and,