Posts: 3,228
Threads: 1,566
Likes Received: 0 in 0 posts
Likes Given: 0
Joined: Aug 2009
hi Paul, this below was information he shared with lifton, there is also a copy of his info sent in to the news centre, if i can find it, there has also been work done on his information that appears to verify the throat shot, hope all is going well,been some time, best b
QUOTE
NOV.01..1965 : Telephone conversation between David Lifton and the=20
"Associated Press photographer/news photo editor/wire photo operator,=20
James WILLIAM ALTGENS," Ike"......
<QUOTE>
He was friendly on the phone and mentioned quite casually that just =
before the
motorcade came by, a number of people suddenly appeared behind the wall =
on the knoll. (84) He added that he thought it was an odd place to watch =
the parade
from since the car would speed up right there as it entered the Stemmons
Freeway. This was new, exciting information, but I was worried that =
Altgens
might be confusing this recollection with his description of people on =
the
overpass, which was mentioned in his Warren Commission testimony. But he
assured me he was talking about the wall on the grassy knoll--to the =
right of
the stairs when one faced the knoll.
When I asked Altgens if there were any police among the "people" he saw, =
he
replied, "I seem to remember that there were. (85)
(84) Author's memo, 11/1/65 conversation with Altgens
(85) Ibid
here's a bit more; James Altgens can be seen in Zapruder frame 345 just to the east =
of Malcolm Summers.=20
(11-22-63 eyewitness account, presented as an AP dispatch and =
found online) "There was a burst of noise - the second one I heard - and =
pieces of flesh appeared to fly from President Kennedy's car. Blood =
covered the whole left side of his head. Mrs. Kennedy saw what had =
happened to her husband. She grabbed him exclaiming, "Oh, No!". =
(11-22-63 announcement on WFAA that the President had been shot) =93An =
Associated Press photographer, James Altgens=85reports he saw blood on =
the President=92s head. The AP man said he heard two shots but that he =
thought someone was shooting fireworks until he saw blood on the =
President.=94 (11-22-63 AP report preceding the announcement of =
Kennedy's death and found in the Frederick Maryland News) "AP =
Photographer James W. Altgens said he saw blood on the President's head. =
Altgens said he heard two shots but thought someone was shooting =
fireworks until he saw the blood on the President. Altgens said he saw =
no one with a gun." (11-22-63 news bulletin on WBAP, shortly after the =
AP report) "The Associated Press reports from Dallas that President =
Kennedy was shot today just as his motorcade left the downtown section. =
Mrs. Kennedy is said to have jumped up and grabbed her husband and cried =
"Oh, no!" as the motorcade sped off. Photographer J.W. Altgens of the =
Associated Press said that he saw blood on the President's head. The =
photographer said he heard two shots but thought someone was shooting =
fireworks until he saw the blood on the President. He said he saw no one =
with a gun." (11-22-63 AP dispatch, as reprinted in Cover-Up) =93At =
first I thought the shots came from the opposite side of the street. I =
ran over there to see if I could get some pictures...I did not know =
until later where the shots came from." (5-24-64 article in the New York =
Herald-Tribune) "I was about 30 feet in front of the President's =
limousine on Mrs. Kennedy's side. I remember hearing what I thought was =
a firecracker at the instant I snapped the picture. I was going to make =
another picture, the one I was really set up for, when I realized what =
had happened and I froze, aghast." (6-5-64 FBI report, CD 1088 p.1-6) =
=93at about the instant he snapped the picture, he heard a burst of =
noise which he thought was firecrackers=85 he does not know how many of =
these reports he heard=85After taking the above photograph=85he heard =
another report which he recognized as a gunshot. He said the bullet =
struck President Kennedy on the right side of his head and the impact =
knocked the President forward. Altgens stated pieces of flesh, blood, =
and bones appeared to fly from the right side of the President=92s head =
and pass in front of Mrs. Kennedy to the left of the Presidential =
limousine. Altgens stated Mrs. Kennedy grabbed the President and Altgens =
heard her exclaim =93Oh, no!=94 as the president slumped into her lap. =
Altgens said he also observed blood on the left side of the =
President=92s head and face.=94 (7-22-64 testimony before the Warren =
Commission, 7H517-525) =93I made one picture at the time I heard a noise =
that sounded like a firecracker=97I did not know it was a shot, but =
evidently my picture, as I recall, and it was almost simultaneously with =
the shot=97the shot was just a fraction ahead of my picture, but that =
much=97of course=97at that time I figured it was nothing more than a =
firecracker, because from my position down here the sound was not of =
such volume that it would indicate to me it was a high velocity =
rifle=85it sounded like it was coming up from behind the car from my =
position=97I mean the first shot, and being fireworks=97who counts =
fireworks explosions? I wasn=92t keeping track of the number of pops =
that took place, but I could vouch for number 1 and I can vouch for the =
last shot, but I can not tell you how many shots were in between. There =
was not another shot after the President was struck in the head.=94 (on =
the head shot) =93up to that time I didn=92t know that the President had =
been shot previously. I still thought up until that time that all I =
heard was fireworks and that they were giving some sort of celebration =
to the President by popping these fireworks. It stunned me so at what I =
saw that I failed to do my duty and make the picture I was hoping to =
make.=94=20
(Interview with CBS broadcast 6-26-67) =93As I was getting ready =
to make some pictures why I heard this noise-- I thought it was a =
firecracker explosion=97but I just went ahead and made the picture which =
shows the President right after he was struck by a bullet, struck in the =
neck, the first shot, and this was the picture that the Warren Report =
later fixed as being made two seconds after the shot was fired. And as =
they got in close to me, I was prepared to make the picture=97I had my =
camera about at eye level=97that=92s when the President was shot in the =
head. And I do know that the President was still in an upright position, =
tilted, favoring Mrs. Kennedy. And at the time that he was struck by =
this blow to the head, it was so obvious that it came from behind. It =
had to come from behind because it caused him to bolt forward, =
dislodging him from this depression in the seat cushion, and already =
favoring Mrs. Kennedy, he automatically fell in that direction.=94 (No =
More Silence, p.41-59, published 1998) =93I only recall the President =
hit once that I can vouch for because that first camera shot=85made any =
definite conclusion uncertain. But this particular one where he was hit, =
the head shot, was obvious to everyone that it was a shooting, not =
fireworks. I don=92t know how many shots there were. If I were guessing, =
I would figure that was probably the third shot. In other words, he was =
hit when I was taking the picture, and the fatal shot should have been =
somewhere around the third shot, and that should have been the =
last=85The tissue, perhaps bone, a lot of fragments, all came my =
way=85But the majority of the mass that was coming from his head came =
directly like a straight shot out my way on to the left in a straight =
line. When he fell over into her lap, the blood was on the left side of =
his face. There was no blood on the right hand side which suggested to =
me that the wound was more to the left than it was to the right.=94 =20
=20
