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(Testimony of Lyndal L. Shaneyfelt)
Mr. Eisenberg.
Mr. Shaneyfelt, does this photograph, Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 5, more closely resemble the Detroit Free Press photograph, which is Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 4, or the Life photographs, Shaneyfelt Exhibits Nos. 2 and 3?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
It corresponds to the reproduction in the Detroit Free Press, Exhibit No. 4, and not as well to the reproduction on Exhibit No. 2, which is the Life magazine. In fact, the reproductions on Exhibits Nos. 4 and No. 5 both have two white specks along the right leg between the knee and the right foot, centrally located in that area one above the other, that do not appear in the original photograph, which is Commission Exhibit 133-A, and do not appear in the Life magazine reproduction on either Exhibit No. 2 or 3. This would indicate to me that these two photographs may have originated from the same basic source or basic print.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Now, in fact, the credit under Shaneyfelt No. 5 says, "Copyright 1964, Detroit Free Press," is that correct?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
That is correct.
Mr. Eisenberg.
But is the picture identical in all respects to the Detroit Free Press picture?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
No; the retouching, particularly around the breech of the rifle in Exhibit No. 5, which is the Newsweek reproduction, is different than the retouching on the reproduction in Exhibit No. 4, the Detroit Free Press.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Does the reproduction around the breech, that is, just below Oswald's left hand, correspond to anything you have ever seen on a rifle, Mr. Shaneyfelt--that is, the four or five roughly parallel lines?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
No; it doesn't correspond to anything that I recall having seen on a rifle.
Mr. Eisenberg.
What do you think the genesis of all those lines would be?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
I believe that they are possibly the artist's interpretation of how the rifle may have looked in that area, since the photograph being retouched was indistinct in that area.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Would you say that would be likely to have been done by a person not familiar with rifles?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
That is a possibility, but I wouldn't be able to state that with any degree of certainty. That is one possibility.
Mr. Eisenberg.
I also see that Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 4 has an arrow pointing to the revolver, which is not present in Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 5, is that correct?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
That is correct.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Can you explain why Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 5 differs from Exhibit No. 4, although it seems to be substantially similar, and in fact Newsweek credits its photo to the Detroit Free Press, which is .the Shaneyfelt Exhibit No. 4 picture?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
Yes; I would attribute these differences to the differences in retouching. Since it would be normal procedure in publications of this type for each publication to do its own retouching for its own reproductions, they would normally receive the picture in an unretouched condition from whatever source is available, such as the Associated Press, or, as in Exhibit No. 3, the credit to the Detroit Free Press, and after receiving the unretouched photograph, would then add the retouching that they desired to have on the photo before making the halftone reproduction.
Mr. Eisenberg.
The area to the right of Oswald's shoulder and head, that is, to the left of the shoulder and head as we look at the picture, appears to be retouched or airbrushed out in the same way in both pictures. Would that be your conclusion?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
Yes; with one exception, that while the airbrushing is generally similar, it appears in the Detroit Free Press, which is Exhibit No. 4, as a light area against a black shirt, while in Newsweek, Exhibit No. 5, it appears as a black area against a rather dark shirt, with a light highlight added along the shoulder to make the area stand out against the background.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Is it your conclusion, then, that two separate retouchings were done to accomplish that effect, one retouching by the Newsweek people and one retouching by the Detroit Free Press people?
Mr. Shaneyfelt.
I have no foundation on which to base a positive statement in that regard, but this is suggested by the variations that are present.
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