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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. VI - Page 158« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Malcolm O. Couch)

Mr. Couch.
No; that's just about the only impression I had at the moment.
Mr. Belin.
Now, you related what you heard Bob Jackson say. Did anyone else say anything in the car?
Mr. Couch.
No one else said anything, that I recall, about a rifle, or anything.
Mr. Belin.
Where was the car when you saw this rifle being withdrawn?

Mr. COUCH. I'd say about 25 feet before we made the turn onto Elm. Our car was facing the south side of the building.
Mr. BELIN. All right. Then what happened after Bob Jackson made his exclamation and you saw what you just related?
Mr. COUCH. Well, I picked up my camera. As I recall, I had it in my hand, but it was down leaning against my legs. And I picked it up and made a quick glance at a setting and raised it to my eye. And---uh---you can see from my film that we're just turning the corner. We start the turn and we turn the corner, and you can see people running. As I recall, there's a quick glance at the front entrance of the Texas Depository Book Building. You can see people running and you can see about the first three cars, maybe four, in front of me as we complete the turn.
And then I took pictures of-uh-a few people on my left and a group, or a sweeping, of the crowd on my right standing on the corner.
Mr. BELIN. Did you take any pictures of the School Book Depository Building itself?
Mr. Couch.
Not of the south side at that moment. After we went, say, 50 to 75 feet on down Elm, uh---we began to hang on because the driver picked up speed. We got down under the---I think there's three trestles there, three crossings underneath the---uh---at the very bottom of Elm Street---
Mr. Belin.
Is that what they call the triple-underpass?
Mr. Couch.
Right And--uh--I think, as I recall, right after we'd made the turn on Elm, one or two of the fellows jumped out. But after we got all the way down underneath the three trestles we finally persuaded the driver--who wasn't too anxious to stop-to stop and-uh-we all jumped out. And I ran, I guess it was about 75 yards or a little more back up to the School Depository Building and took some sweeping pictures of the crowd standing around. I didn't stay there long.
Mr. Belin.
Did you take any pictures of the Depository Building entrance?
Mr. Couch.
No--uh--
Mr. Belin.
When you came back up there?
Mr. COUCH. Not with determination. I cannot recall at this moment whether some of my pictures I took when I ran back might have a sweeping shot of the entrance through a wide angle lens. But not with determination. I didn't plan to take pictures of it.
Mr. BELIN. Would these shots---these wide angle lens shots, if anyone were standing in front of the building or leaving the. building at that time, would you be able to identify them, or would they be too far away?
Mr. COUCH. They would be too far away. Possibly if the frames were blown up, one might determine if someone was standing there identify someone.
Mr. Belin.
About how many minutes after the last shot would you say you came back to take these pictures?

Mr. COUCH. Well, I'd say it took me--uh--maybe a minute and a half to get back to there after this third shot--because we weren't but seconds getting down underneath that underpass after we made the turn.
Mr. Belin.
Uh-huh.
Mr. Couch.
And---uh---I jumped out and ran back. So, I'd say not over a minute and a half.
Mr. Belin.
And then you started taking general sweeping shots of the area?
Mr. Couch.
Right.
Mr. BELIN. Were most of the shots directed at people along the side there as to what their reactions were, or were most of the shots directed at the School Book Depository Building?
Mr. COUCH. Mostly of the people standing around, the policemen and shots such as this.
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