The Warren Report
The
Warren-Report
Note: All page references (except the table of contents) within the text have not been edited to be compatible with this formatted document.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents...... 1
Letter of Transmittal...... 9
Foreword...... 10
The Commission And Its Powers...... 10
The Investigation...... 11
Commission Hearings...... 12
The Commission's Function...... 13
The Commission's Report...... 13
Chapter I - Summary and Conclusions...... 15
Narrative of Events...... 15
Conclusions...... 25
Recommendations...... 29
Chapter II - The Assassination...... 31
Planning the Texas Trip...... 31
Advance Preparations for the Dallas Trip...... 31
Preventive Intelligence Activities...... 32
The Luncheon Site...... 32
The Motorcade Route...... 33
Dallas Before The Visit...... 34
Visits to Other Texas Cities...... 35
Arrival at Love Field...... 36
Organization of the Motorcade...... 36
The Drive Through Dallas...... 38
The Assassination...... 38
The Time...... 38
Speed of the Limousine...... 39
In the Presidential Limousine...... 39
Reaction by Secret Service Agents...... 40
Parkland Memorial Hospital...... 41
The Race to the Hospital...... 41
Treatment of President Kennedy...... 41
Treatment of Governor Connally...... 43
Vice President Johnson at Parkland...... 43
Secret Service Emergency Security Arrangements...... 44
Removal of the President's Body...... 44
The End of the Trip...... 45
Swearing in of the New President...... 45
Return to Washington, DC....... 45
The Autopsy...... 45
Chapter III: The Shots From the Texas School Book Depository...... 47
The Witnesses...... 47
Near the Depository...... 47
On the Fifth Floor...... 49
At the Triple Underpass...... 50
The Presidential Automobile...... 52
Expert Examination of Rifle, Cartridge Cases, and Bullet Fragments...... 52
Discovery of Cartridge Cases and Rifle...... 53
Discovery of Bullet at Parkland Hospital...... 53
Description of Rifle...... 53
Experty Testimony...... 54
The Bullet Wounds...... 54
The President's Head Wounds...... 55
The President's Neck Wounds...... 56
The Governor's Wounds...... 59
The Trajectory...... 61
Films and Tests...... 61
The First Bullet That Hit...... 62
The Subsequent Bullet That Hit...... 65
Number of Shots...... 65
The Shot That Missed...... 66
The First Shot...... 66
The Second Shot...... 67
The Third Shot...... 67
Time Span of Shots...... 68
Conclusion...... 69
Chapter IV - The Assassin...... 70
Ownership and Possession of Assassination Weapon...... 70
Purchase of Rifle by Oswald...... 70
Oswald's Palmprint on Rifle Barrel...... 72
Fibers on Rifle...... 73
Photograph of Oswald With Rifle...... 73
Rifle Among Oswald's Possessions...... 74
Conclusion...... 75
The Rifle in the Building...... 75
The Curtain Rod Story...... 75
The Missing Rifle...... 76
The Long and Bulky Package...... 77
Location of Bag...... 78
Scientific Evidence Linking Rifle and Oswald to Paper Bag...... 78
Conclusion...... 79
Oswald At Window...... 79
Palmprints and Fingerprints on Cartons and Paper Bag...... 80
Oswald's Presence on Sixth Floor Approximately 35 Minutes Before the Assassination...... 81
Eyewitness Identification of Assassin...... 81
Oswald's Actions in Building After Assassination...... 84
Conclusion...... 87
The Killing of Patrolman J. D. Tippit...... 88
Oswald's Movements After Leaving Depository Building...... 88
Description of Shooting...... 91
Eyewitnesses...... 92
Murder Weapon...... 94
Ownership of Revolver...... 95
Oswald's Jacket...... 96
Conclusion...... 97
Oswald's Arrest...... 97
Statements of Oswald During Detention...... 98
Denial of Rifle Ownership...... 99
The Revolver...... 99
The Aliases „Hidell“ and „O. H. Lee“...... 99
The Curtain Rod Story...... 100
Actions During and After Shooting...... 100
Prior Attempt to Kill...... 100
The Attempt on the Life of Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker...... 100
Richard M. Nixon Incident...... 103
Oswald's Rifle Capability...... 104
The Nature of the Shots...... 104
Oswald's Marine Training...... 105
Oswald's Rifle Practice Outside the Marines...... 106
Accuracy of Weapon...... 106
Conclusion...... 108
Chapter V - Detention and Death of Oswald...... 109
Treatment of Oswald in Custody...... 109
Chronology...... 109
Interrogation Sessions...... 110
Oswald's Legal Rights...... 111
Activity of Newsmen...... 111
On the Third Floor...... 111
Oswald and the Press...... 113
The Abortive Transfer...... 114
Possible Assistance to Jack Ruby in Entering the Basement...... 118
Adequacy of Security Precautions...... 120
News Coverage and Police Policy...... 124
Responsibility of News Media...... 129
Chapter VI - Investigation of Possible Conspiracy...... 131
Circumstances Surrounding The Assassination...... 132
Selection of Motorcade Route...... 132
Oswald's Presence in the Depository Building...... 133
Bringing Rifle Into Building...... 133
Accomplices at the Scene of the Assassination...... 134
Oswald's Escape...... 136
Background Of Lee Harvey Oswald...... 137
Residence in the Soviet Union...... 138
Associations in the Dallas-Fort Worth Community...... 149
Political Activities Upon Return to the United States...... 153
Contacts With the Cuban and Soviet Embassies in Mexico City and the Soviet Embassy in Washington, DC. 159
Investigation of Other Activities...... 165
Oswald Was Not an Agent for the U.S. Government...... 173
Oswald's Finances...... 174
Possible Conspiracy Involving Jack Ruby...... 177
Ruby's Activities From November 21 to November 24, 1963...... 178
Ruby and Oswald Were Not Acquainted...... 191
Ruby's Background and Associations...... 194
Conclusion...... 199
Chapter VII - Lee Harvey Oswald: Background and Possible Motives...... 200
The Early Years...... 201
New York City...... 202
Return to New Orleans and Joining the Marine Corps...... 204
Interest in Marxism...... 208
Defection to the Soviet Union...... 209
Return to the United States...... 212
Personal Relations...... 214
Employment...... 216
Attack on General Walker...... 217
Political Activities...... 218
Interest in Cuba...... 221
Possible Influence of Anti-Kennedy Sentiment in Dallas...... 223
Relationship With Wife...... 224
The Unanswered Questions...... 227
Conclusion...... 228
Chapter VIII - The Protection of the President...... 229
The Nature of the Protective Assignment...... 229
Evaluation of Presidential Protection at the Time of the Assassination of President Kennedy...231
Intelligence Functions Relating to Presidential Protection at the Time of the Dallas Trip.....231
Liaison With Other Government Agencies...... 240
Other Protective Measures and Aspects of Secret Service Performance...... 240
Recommendations...... 246
Assassination a Federal Crime...... 246
Committee of Cabinet Officers...... 247
Responsibilities for Presidential Protection...... 248
General Supervision of the Secret Service...... 250
Liaison With Local Law Enforcement Agencies...... 253
Manpower and Technical Assistance From Other Agencies...... 254
Conclusion...... 255
Appendix I - Executive Order No. 11130...... 256
Appendix II - White House Release...... 257
Appendix III - Senate Joint Resolution 137...... 258
Appendix IV - Biographical Information and Acknowledgments...... 260
Members Of Commission...... 260
General Counsel...... 261
Assistant Counsel...... 261
Staff Members...... 262
Acknowledgments...... 264
Appendix V - List of Witnesses...... 265
Appendix VI - Commission Procedures for the Taking of Testimony...... 279
Resolution Governing Questioning Of Witnesses By Members Of The Commission Staff...... 279
Resolution...... 279
Appendix VII - A Brief History of Presidential Protection...... 281
Before the Civil War...... 281
Lincoln...... 282
The Need for Protection Further Demonstrated...... 283
Development of Presidential Protection...... 285
Appendix VIII - Medical Reports from Doctors at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Texas.289
Commission Exhibit No. 392...... 289
Summary...... 289
Parkland Memorial Hospital Operative Record - John Connally Thoracic Surgery...... 290
Parkland Memorial Hospital Operative Record - Governor John Connally Orthopedic Surgery..291
Parkland Memorial Hospital Operative Record - John Connally Left Thigh Surgery...... 293
Parkland Memorial Hospital Operative Record - Lee Harvey Oswald Surgery...... 293
Appendix IX - Autopsy Report and Supplemental Report...... 295
Clinical Record - Autopsy Protocol...... 295
Clinical Summary...... 295
General Description of the Body...... 296
Missile Wounds...... 296
Incisions...... 297
Thoracic Cavity...... 297
Lungs...... 297
Heart...... 298
Abdominal Cavity...... 298
Skeletal System...... 298
Photography...... 298
Roentgenograms...... 298
Summary...... 298
Supplementary Report of Autopsy Number A63-272 President John F. Kennedy...... 299
Gross Description of the Brain...... 299
Microscopic Examination...... 300
Final Summary...... 300
Appendix X - Expert Testimony...... 302
Firearms And Firearms Identification...... 302
General Principles...... 302
Rifle Cartridge and Cartridge Cases...... 306
The Rifle Bullets...... 307
The Revolver...... 307
Revolver Cartridges and Cartridge Cases...... 308
Revolver Bullets...... 308
The Struggle for the Revolver...... 309
The Paraffin Test...... 309
The Walker Bullet...... 310
Fingerprints and Palmprints...... 310
Questioned Documents...... 312
The Mail Order for the C2766 Rifle, the Related Envelope, and the Money Order...... 314
Mail Order for the V510210 Revolver...... 314
Post Office Box Applications and Change-of-Address Card...... 314
The Spurious Selective Service System Notice of Classification and US. Marine Corps...... 314
Certificate of Service...... 315
The Hidell Notice of Classification...... 315
The Hidell Certificate of Service...... 316
The Vaccination Certificate...... 317
The Fair Play for Cuba Committee Card...... 318
The Unsigned Russian-Language Note...... 318
The Homemade Wrapping Paper Bag...... 318
Wound Ballistics Experiments...... 319
Purpose of the Tests...... 319
The Testers and Their Qualifications...... 319
General Testing Conditions...... 319
Tests on Penetration Power and Bullet Stability...... 319
Tests Simulating President Kennedy's Neck Wound...... 320
Tests Simulating Governor Connally's Chest Wounds...... 320
Tests Simulating Governor Connally's Wrist Wounds...... 321
Conclusions From Simulating the Neck, Chest, and Wrist Wounds...... 321
Tests Simulating President Kennedy's Head Wounds...... 322
Hairs and Fibers...... 323
General Principles...... 323
Photographs...... 325
Appendix XI - Reports Relating to the Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald at the Dallas Police Department 328
Report of Capt. J. W. Fritz, Dallas Police Department...... 328
Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald...... 328
Reports of Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation...... 332
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Report #1...... 332
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Report #2...... 333
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Report #3...... 335
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Report #4...... 335
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Report #5...... 337
Reports of Inspector Thomas J. Kelley, U.S. Secret Service...... 337
First Interview of Lee Harvey Oswald...... 337
Interviews with Lee Harvey Oswald on November 23, 1963...... 339
U.S. Secret Service- Preliminary Special Dallas Report #3...... 339
Report of U.S. Postal Inspector H.D. Holmes...... 342
Appendix XII - Speculation and Rumors...... 345
The Source of the Shots...... 346
The Assassin...... 348
Oswald's Movements Between 12:33 and 1:15 p.m...... 352
Murder of Tippit...... 353
Oswald After His Arrest...... 356
Oswald in the Soviet Union...... 357
Oswald's Trip to Mexico City...... 358
Oswald and U. S. Government Agencies...... 359
Conspiratorial Relationships...... 361
Other Rumors and Speculations...... 362
Appendix XIII - Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald...... 366
Early Years...... 366
Marines...... 373
Soviet Union...... 378
Fort Worth, Dallas, New Orleans...... 393
Mexico City...... 403
Dallas...... 407
Appendix XIV - Analysis of Lee Harvey Oswald's Finances from June 13, 1962, through November 22, 1963 411
Appendix XV - Transactions between Lee Harvey Oswald and Marina Oswald, and the U. S. Department of State and the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U. S. Department of Justice 412
Issuance of Passport in 1959...... 412
Oswald's Attempts To Renounce His U. S. Citizenship...... 412
Return and Renewal of Oswald's 1959 Passport...... 415
Negotiations Between Oswald and the Embassy...... 415
Legal Justification for the Return and Reissue of Oswald's Passport...... 420
Authorizations for Marina Oswald to Enter the United States...... 421
Negotiations Between Oswald and the Embassy...... 421
Legal Justification for the Decisions Affecting Marina Oswald...... 424
Oswald's Letter to Senator Tower...... 426
The Loan From the State Department...... 426
Oswald's Return to the United States and Repayment of His Loan...... 428
Issuance of a Passport in June 1963...... 429
Visit to the Russian Embassy in Mexico City...... 431
Conclusion...... 431
Appendix XVI - A Biography of Jack Ruby...... 432
Family Background...... 432
Childhood and Youth (1911-33)...... 433
Psychiatric Report...... 433
Placement in Foster Homes...... 434
Subsequent Home Life...... 434
Education...... 435
Activities...... 435
Temperament...... 436
Young Manhood (1933-43)...... 436
San Francisco (1933-37)...... 436
Occupations and Activities...... 437
Chicago (1937-43)...... 437
Military Activities (1943-46)...... 439
Postwar Chicago (1946-47)...... 439
Dallas (1947-63)...... 440
The Move to Dallas...... 440
The Change of Name...... 441
Nightclub Operations...... 441
Employee Relationships...... 442
Financial Data and Tax Problems...... 443
Other Business Ventures...... 445
Arrests and Violations...... 445
Police Associations...... 446
Underworld Ties...... 446
Travels...... 446
Character and Interests...... 447
Family Relationships...... 447
Social Relationships...... 447
Affection for Dogs...... 448
Religious Interests...... 448
Physical Activities and Violence...... 448
Generosity to Friends and the Need for Recognition...... 449
Appendix XVII - Polygraph Examination of Jack Ruby...... 450
Preliminary Arrangements...... 450
Administration of the Test...... 451
Interpretation of the Test...... 454
Letter of Transmittal
September 24, 1964
The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Dear Mr. President:
Your Commission to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, having completed its assignment in accordance with Executive Order No. 11130 of November 29, 1963, herewith submits its final report.
Respectfully,
Earl Warren, Chairman
Richard B. Russel
John Sherman Cooper
Hale Boggs
Gerald R. Ford
Allen W. Dulles
John J. McCloy
Foreword
PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON, by Executive Order No. 11130 dated November 29, 1963, created this Commission to investigate the assassination on November 22, 1963, of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. The President directed the Commission to evaluate all the facts and circumstances surrounding the assassination and the subsequent killing of the alleged assassin and to report its findings and conclusions to him.
The subject of the Commission's inquiry was a chain of events which saddened and shocked the people of the United States and of the world. The assassination of President Kennedy and the simultaneous wounding of John B. Connally, Jr., Governor of Texas, had been followed within an hour by the slaying of Patrolman J. D. Tippit of the Dallas Police Department. In the United States and abroad, these events evoked universal demands for an explanation.
Immediately after the assassination, State and local officials in Dallas devoted their resources to the apprehension of the assassin. The U. S. Secret Service, which is responsible for the protection of the President, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began an investigation at the direction of President Johnson. Within 35 minutes of the killing of Patrolman Tippit, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested by the Dallas police as a suspect in that crime. Based on evidence provided by Federal, State, and local agencies, the State of Texas arraigned Oswald within 12 hours of his arrest, charging him with the assassination of President Kennedy and the murder of Patrolman Tippit. On November 24, 1963, less than 18 hours after his arrest, Oswald was fatally shot in the basement of the Dallas Police Department by Jack Ruby a Dallas nightclub owner. This shooting took place in full view of a national television audience.
The events of these 2 days were witnessed with shock and disbelief by a Nation grieving the loss of its young leader. Throughout the world, reports on these events were disseminated in massive detail. Theories and speculations mounted regarding the assassination. In many instances, the intense public demand for facts was met by partial and frequently conflicting reports from Dallas and elsewhere. After Oswald's arrest and his denial of all guilt, public attention focused both on the extent of the evidence against him and the possibility of a conspiracy, domestic or foreign. His subsequent death heightened public interest and stimulated additional suspicions and rumors.
The Commission And Its Powers
After Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby, it was no longer possible to arrive at the complete story of the assassination through normal judicial procedures during a trial of the alleged assassin. Alternative means for instituting a complete investigation were widely discussed. Federal and State officials conferred on the possibility of initiating a court of inquiry before a State magistrate in Texas. An investigation by the grand jury of Dallas County also was considered. As speculation about the existence of a foreign or domestic conspiracy became widespread, committees in both Houses of Congress weighed the desirability of congressional hearings to discover all the facts relating to the assassination.
By his order of November 29 establishing the Commission, President Johnson sought to avoid parallel investigations and to concentrate fact-finding in a body having the broadest national mandate. As Chairman of the Commission, President Johnson selected Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States, former Governor and attorney general of the State of California. From the U. S. Senate, he chose Richard B. Russell, Democratic Senator from Georgia and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, former Governor of, and county attorney in, the State of Georgia, and John Sherman Cooper, Republican Senator from Kentucky, former county and circuit judge, State of Kentucky, and U. S. Ambassador to India. Two members of the Commission were drawn from the U. S. House of Representatives: Hale Boggs, Democratic U. S. Representative from Louisiana and majority whip, and Gerald R. Ford, Republican, U. S. Representative from Michigan and chairman of the House Republican Conference. From private life, President Johnson selected two lawyers by profession, both of whom have served in the administrations of Democratic and Republican Presidents: Allen W. Dulles, former Director of Central Intelligence, and John J. McCloy, former President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, former U. S. High Commissioner for Germany, and during World War II, the Assistant Secretary of War.
From its first meeting on December 5, 1963, the Commission viewed the Executive order as an unequivocal Presidential mandate to conduct a thorough and independent investigation. Because of the numerous rumors and theories, the Commission concluded that the public interest in insuring that the truth was ascertained could not be met by merely accepting the reports or the analyses of Federal or State agencies. Not only were the premises and conclusions of those reports critically reassessed, but all assertions or rumors relating to a possible conspiracy, or the complicity of others than Oswald, which have come to the attention of the Commission, were investigated.
On December 13, 1963, Congress enacted Senate Joint Resolution 137 (Public Law 88-202) empowering the Commission to issue subpoenas requiring the testimony of witnesses and the production of evidence relating to any matter under its investigation. In addition, the resolution authorized the Commission to compel testimony from witnesses claiming the privilege against self-incrimination under the fifth amendment to the U. S. Constitution by providing for the grant of immunity to persons testifying under such compulsion. Immunity under these provisions was not granted to any witness during the Commission's investigation.
The Commission took steps immediately to obtain the necessary staff to fulfill its assignment. J. Lee Rankin, former Solicitor General of the United States, was sworn in as general counsel for the Commission on December 16, 1963. Additional members of the legal staff were selected during the next few weeks. The Commission has been aided by 14 assistant counsel with high professional qualifications, selected by it from widely separated parts of the United States. This staff undertook the work of the Commission with a wealth of legal and investigative experience and a total dedication to the determination of the truth. The Commission has been assisted also by highly qualified personnel from several Federal agencies, assigned to the Commission at its request. This group included lawyers from the Department of Justice, agents of the Internal Revenue Service, a senior historian from the Department of Defense, an editor from the Department of State, and secretarial and administrative staff supplied by the General Services Administration and other agencies.