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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. VI - Page 164« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Tom C. Dillard)

Mr. Ball.
How many explosions did you hear?
Mr. Dillard.
I heard three---the three approximately equally spaced.
Mr. Ball.
What is the best estimate of the position of your car with reference to the turn at Main and Houston when you heard the first explosion?

Mr. DILLARD. Perhaps, oh, just a few feet around the corner and it seems we had slowed a great deal. It seems that our car had slowed down so that we were moving rather slowly and perhaps Just passed the turn when I heard the first explosion.
Mr. Ball.
Did you hear anyone in your car say anything?
Mr. DILLARD. Well, after the third shot I know my comment was, "They killed him." I don't know why I said that but Jackson--there was some running comment about what can we do or where is it coming from and we were all looking. We had an absolutely perfect view of the School Depository from our position in the open car, and Bob Jackson said, "There's a rifle barrel up there." I said, "Where?" I had my camera ready. He said, "It's in that open window." Of course, there were several open windows and I scanned the building.
Mr. Ball.
Which building?
Mr. Dillard.
The School Depository. And at the same time I brought my camera up and I was looking for the window. Now, this was after the third shot and Jackson said, "There's the rifle barrel up there," and then he said it was the second from the top in the right-hand side, and I swung to it and there was two figures below, and I just shot with one camera, 100-mm. lens on a 35-mm. camera which is approximately a two times daily photo twice normal lens and a wide angle on a 35-mm. which took in a considerable portion of the building and I shot those pictures in rapid sequence with the two cameras.
Mr. Ball.
You shot how many pictures?
Mr. Dillard.
Two pictures.
Mr. Ball.
With one camera or two different cameras?

Mr. DILLARD. Two different cameras---one daily photo, not extreme daily photo, but twice the normal lens.
Mr. Ball.
You say your cameras were ready? How were they ready?
Mr. Dillard.
Hung around my neck and held in my hand.
Mr. Ball.
You brought them up and focused and shot?

Mr. DILLARD. Well, on the whole ride, I had been watching the tops of buildings and watching for any signs or anything unusual which, of course, is a newsman's chore on a parade like that. We were badly--in a very bad position from our viewpoint to cover anything on the parade, so we were all, as any news photographer is, rather tense when he is covering a Presidential or an affair of that sort and he is trying to get whatever pictures possible and watching for every possibility, and so we all tried for a number of things. Incidentally, the only unusual thing in the parade that I noticed was the President--I understand the President stopped his car at Lemmon and Loma Alta, which is out in the near suburbs of Dallas, as I understand, at' the request of a sign that said, "Mr. President, stop and shake hands with us." I jumped out of the car--it was a convertible with the top down--and tried to run to get pictures of it but by that time the parade started and I was unable to get up that far.
Mr. BALL. When you shot these two pictures of the Texas School Book Depository. Building, how far were you from the building, would you say?
Mr. Dillard.
From the window or from the---
Mr. Ball.
From the building. That would be, I suppose, a measurement along the street.
Mr. DILLARD. I would say it was just before we reached the corner of Elm and Houston Streets.
Mr. Ball.
You were south of Elm and Houston, were you?
Mr. Dillard.
Yes.
Mr. BALL. About how far? Well, perhaps as a photographer, you can give me a more accurate estimate this way; tell me how far you think your camera was from the upper windows when you shot that picture?
Mr. Dillard.
Oh, it wasn't over 50, 60 yards.
Mr. Ball.
Did you see anything in the windows?
Mr. Dillard.
No.
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