Why the second floor lunch room encounter could not have happened

[Bob Prudhomme]

I'd have to disagree with the theory Baker and Truly delayed several minutes before going upstairs in the Depository. Gilbride makes a good point when he says the mundane detail of Baker getting stopped by the locked front desk swinging door is something that couldn't be made up by people fabricating a story. Besides, Baker said he thought the shots came from "up high". That means when he ran towards the front entrance he was intent on going up high and quick. Also, there were no witnesses to the delay. It also follows suit that Depository manager Truly, once seeing an officer run towards the building in his charge, would follow quickly to aid that officer.

Frazier might not volunteer anything about any movement of the police because of the understood situation of the power of the Dallas Police and not wanting to get involved. In Dallas the cops bear witness against you and not the other way around if you know what's good for you. Don't forget Frazier had a little meeting with the Dallas cops in his father's hospital room.


There is the possibility however that Baker took two minutes instead of one and a half. This would potentially allow a quickly-departing Adams and Styles to get out of the 1st floor just ahead of the arriving Baker and Truly and might solve that problem.

Meaningless arguments. B & T could just as easily have bumped into the counter four minutes after the last shot, as 30 seconds after. The story about the pigeons and the shot being up high has nothing to do with when he entered the building, either. In fact, from a security viewpoint, his energy would have been better spent securing all of the entrances to the building in those first few minutes, instead of rushing in blindly and allowing someone to escape. Perhaps this is what he was actually doing.

Roy Truly's story of following Officer Baker does not hold water, either.

From the Warren Commission testimony of Joe Molina:

"Mr. BALL. Did you go out on the street to see the motorcade?
Mr. MOLINA. Yes. I was standing on the front steps.
Mr. BALL. With whom?
Mr. MOLINA. Right next left of me was Mr. Williams and close to there was Mrs. Sanders.
Mr. BALL. Pauline Sanders.
Mr. MOLINA. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Did you see Roy Truly?
Mr. MOLINA. Yes; he was standing with Mr. Campbell; they were going out to lunch.
Mr. BALL. They were in front of you were they?
Mr. MOLINA. Yes."

"Mr. BALL. Did you see Mr. Truly go into the building?
Mr. MOLINA. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Where were you when you saw him go into the building?
Mr. MOLINA. I was right in the entrance.
Mr. BALL. Did you see a police officer with him?
Mr. MOLINA. I didn't see a police officer. I don't recall seeing a police officer but I did see him go inside.
Mr. BALL. Did you see a white-helmeted police officer any time there in the entrance?
Mr. MOLINA. Well, of course, there might have been one after they secured the building, you know.
Mr. BALL. No, I mean when Truly went in; did you see Truly actually go into the building?
Mr. MOLINA. I saw him go in.
Mr. BALL. Where were you standing?
Mr. MOLINA. Right at the front door; right at the front door.
Mr. BALL. Outside the front door?
Mr. MOLINA. Yes, outside the front door I was standing; the door was right behind me.
Mr. BALL. Were you standing on the steps?
Mr. MOLINA. Yes, on the uppermost step.
Mr. BALL. You actually saw Truly go
Mr. MOLINA. Yeah.
Mr. BALL. You were still standing there?
Mr. MOLINA. Yes.
Mr. BALL. How long was it after you heard the shots?
Mr. MOLINA. Oh, I would venture to say maybe 20 or 30 seconds afterwards.
Mr. BALL. Had somebody come up and said the President was shot before
you saw Truly go in?
Mr. MOLINA. No."

So, Joe Molina was standing right in the entrance to the TSBD, and likely had to get out of the way of people coming into the building. He sees Roy Truly come into the building, but does not see Officer Marrion Baker enter with him, despite the fact Baker is in uniform, which includes a white helmet, boots and jodhpurs.

Was Baker invisible?