Witness Statements

Warren Commission (Apr8.64)

“Mr. HOLLAND. I heard a third report and I counted four shots and about the same time all this was happening, and in this group of trees—[indicating].

Mr. STERN. Now, you are indicating trees on the north side of Elm Street?

Mr. HOLLAND. These trees right along here [indicating].

Mr. STERN. Let’s mark this Exhibit C and draw a circle around the trees you are referring to.

Mr. HOLLAND. Right in there. [Indicating] There was a shot, a report, I don’t know whether it was a shot. I can’t say that. And a puff of smoke came out about 6 or 8 feet above the ground right out from under those trees. And at just about this location from where I was standing you could see that puff of smoke, like someone had thrown a firecracker, or something out, and that is just about the way it sounded. It wasn’t as loud as the previous reports or shots.

Mr. STERN. What number would that have been in the …

Mr. HOLLAND. Well, that would—they were so close together.

Mr. STERN. The second and third or the third and fourth?

Mr. HOLLAND. The third and fourth. The third and the fourth.

Mr. STERN. So, that it might have been the third or the fourth?

Mr. HOLLAND. It could have been the third or fourth, but there were definitely four reports.

Mr. STERN. You have no doubt about that?

Mr. HOLLAND. I have no doubt about it. I have no doubt about seeing that puff of smoke come out from under those trees either.”

…

“Of course, this was this sea of cars in there and it was just a big—it wasn’t an inch in there that wasn’t automobiles and I couldn’t see up in that corner. I ran on up to the corner of this fence behind the building.”

…

“Mr. STERN. When you ran behind the picket fence after the shots were fired, did you come near the area where the station wagon was parked?

Mr. HOLLAND. Went up to behind the arcade as far as you could go.

Mr. STERN. So, you would have passed where this station wagon was?

Mr. HOLLAND. Yes.

Mr. STERN. Or, that area?

Mr. HOLLAND. Yes; immediately, but I turned around, see, and went to searching in there for empty shells, and three or four agents there then and that is when I walked back to the car there and noticed the tracks there in one little spot.”

…

“Mr. HOLLAND. Sheriff’s department parks in there. District attorneys’ cars park in there. It is railroad property, but they let them park in there and save that 25 cents. Don’t put that down. Might get in trouble.

Now, do you want to know about the two policemen that were riding in that motorcade and one of them throwed the motorcycle down right in the middle of the street and run up towards that location with his gun in his hand.

Mr. STERN. Toward …

Mr. HOLLAND. The location that …

Mr. STERN. Where you saw the puff of smoke?

Mr. HOLLAND. Where I saw the puff of smoke. And another one tried to ride up the hill on his motorcycle and got about halfway up there and he run up the rest of the way on foot.

Mr. STERN. Go ahead. This is at the time of the …

Mr. HOLLAND. At the time of the …

Mr. STERN. That the shots were fired?

Mr. HOLLAND. The shots was fired.

Mr. STERN. Two motorcycle policemen who were in the motorcade?

Mr. HOLLAND. In the motorcade, and one of them throwed his motorcycle down right in the middle of the street and ran up the incline with his pistol in his hand, and the other motorcycle policeman jumped over the curb with his motorcycle and tried to ride up the hill on his motorcycle, and he—tipped over with him up there, and he ran up there the rest of the way with his …”

Warren Commission (Apr2.64)

“Mr. BALL. Did you see any activity in this high ground above Elm after the shot?

Mr. BOWERS. At the time of the shooting there seemed to be some commotion, and immediately following there was a motorcycle policeman who shot nearly all of the way to the top of the incline.

Mr. BALL. On his motorcycle?

Mr. BOWERS. Yes.

Mr. BALL. Did he come by way of Elm Street?

Mr. BOWERS. He was part of the motorcade and had left it for some reason, which I did not know.

Mr. BALL. He came up …

Mr. BOWERS. He came almost to the top and I believe abandoned his motorcycle for a moment and then got on it and proceeded, I don’t know.

Mr. BALL. How did he get up?

Mr. BOWERS. He just shot up over the curb and up.

Mr. BALL. He didn’t come then by way of Ell, which dead ends there?

Mr. BOWERS. No; he left the motorcade and came up the incline on the motorcycle.

Mr. BALL. Was his motorcycle directed toward any particular people?

Mr. BOWERS. He came up into this area where there are some trees, and where I had described the two men were in the general vicinity of this.”

Warren Commission (July22.64)

“Yes, sir. I started up the incline with—or, after the officers, because they were moving well ahead of me and I was moving behind them thinking perhaps if they had the assassin cornered I wanted a picture, but before I had gotten over one-quarter of the way up the incline, I met the officers coming back and I presumed that they were just chasing shadows, so to speak, because there was no assassin in the area apparently, but I didn’t learn the location of the sniper’s nest until I was en route out to Parkland Hospital to continue my assignment and I heard it on the radio, that the assassin’s nest was in the sixth floor window of the Book Depository Building.

After that I made a good look through this area to see that no one else had been hit. I noticed the couple that were on the ground over here with their children, I saw them when they went down and they were in the area and laid there some time after the Presidential car had disappeared.”

Affidavit Excerpt (Nov22.63)

“When I saw the motorcade round the corner, the President was standing and waving to the crowd. And just as he got just about in front of me, he turned and waved at the crowd on this side of the street, the right side; at this point I heard what sounded like one shot, and I saw him, “The President,” sit back in his seat and lean his head to his left side. At this point, I saw Mrs. Kennedy stand up and pull his head over in her lap, and then lay down over him as if to shield him.

And the two men in the front seat, I don’t know who they were, looked back, and just about the time they looked back, the second shot was fired. At this point, I looked behind me, to see whether it was a fireworks display or something. And then I saw a lot of people running for cover, behind the embankment there back up on the grass.”

Affidavit Excerpt (Dec18.63)

“As it passed in front of him he heard at least two shots and possibly three but no more. The first shot he thought was a firecracker until the second shot sounded and at that instant he saw the President slump over in the back seat of the Presidential limousine. On hearing the second shot he definitely knew the first was not a firecracker and was of the opinion the shots came from behind him.”

FBI Interview (Nov24.63)

“NEWMAN first thought the President and Governor were playing some kind of a game and suddenly realized they had been shot and that he was perhaps in the line of fire because officers started running toward the arcade directly back of him and his wife. He grabbed one child and his wife the other. They both lay down on the grass until after the procession passed.”

FBI Interview (Mar17.64)

“Mr. CLEMON EARL JOHNSON, Box 211 (Belt Line Road), Kleberg, Texas, was interviewed at 500 South Houston Street, Dallas, Texas, and furnished the following information:

Mr. JOHNSON stated he was employed as a machinist for Union Terminal Company, 500 South Houston Street, Dallas, and was so employed on November 22, 1963. On this date, he took up a position on the Elm Street viaduct overlooking the route taken by the Presidential motorcade on that date. Mr. JOHNSON stated his attention was attracted to the motorcycle escort and the automobile carrying President KENNEDY as this section of the motorcade came into his view. He stated he first realized something was wrong when the motorcycle began moving from their regular groups and at or just before this he heard sounds that could have been shots. Mr. JOHNSON stated at that time he did not know that it was shots and he could not say how many shots he heard. His attention remained on the vehicle carrying President KENNEDY and he observed this car until it sped away. Mr. JOHNSON stated that white smoke was observed near the pavilion, but he felt that this smoke came from a motorcycle abandoned near the spot by a Dallas policeman.

Mr. JOHNSON stated he did not know LEE HARVEY OSWALD and had met or seen JACK RUBY.”

FBI Interview (Nov24.63)

“He then observed the car bearing President KENNEDY to slow down, a near stop, and a motorcycle policeman rushed up. Immediately following this, he observed the car rush away from the scene.”

William E. Newman

FBI Interview (Nov24.63)

“NEWMAN first thought the President and Governor were playing some kind of a game and suddenly realized they had been shot and that he was perhaps in the line of fire because officers started running toward the arcade directly back of him and his wife. He grabbed one child and his wife the other. They both lay down on the grass until after the procession passed.”

Warren Commission (July13.64)

“I am completely aware of the people running up that hill. I saw the man throw the child on the ground and throw himself. I saw a woman in a bright green dress throw herself on the ground. I saw the policeman running up the grassy slope.”

Ochus V. Campbell

FBI Interview (Nov24.63)

“He then observed the car bearing President KENNEDY to slow down, a near stop, and a motorcycle policeman rushed up. Immediately following this, he observed the car rush away from the scene.”

William E. Newman

FBI Interview (Nov24.63)

“NEWMAN first thought the President and Governor were playing some kind of a game and suddenly realized they had been shot and that he was perhaps in the line of fire because officers started running toward the arcade directly back of him and his wife. He grabbed one child and his wife the other. They both lay down on the grass until after the procession passed.”