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Bolo Boffin

(23,796 posts)
66. Howard Brennan saw Lee Oswald shooting at President Kennedy.
Sat Nov 23, 2013, 03:53 AM
Nov 2013

Here's my thread summarizing Bugliosi's evidence of Oswald as only shooter.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11354552

Here's Brennan's testimony to the Warren Commission:

http://jfkassassination.net/russ/testimony/brennan.htm

Mr. BRENNAN. Well, as the parade came by, I watched it from a distance of Elm and Main Street, as it came on to Houston and turned the corner at Houston and Elm, going down the incline towards the railroad underpass. And after the President had passed my position, I really couldn't say how many feet or how far, a short distance I would say, I heard this crack that I positively thought was a backfire.
Mr. BELIN. You thought it was backfire?
Mr. BRENNAN. Of a motorcycle.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you observe or hear?
Mr. BRENNAN. Well, then something, just right after this explosion, made me think that it was a firecracker being thrown from the Texas Book Store. And I glanced up. And this man that I saw previous was aiming for his last shot.
Mr. BELIN. This man you saw previous? Which man are you talking about now?
Mr. BRENNAN. The man in the sixth story window.
Mr. BELIN. Would you describe just exactly what you saw when you saw him this last time?
Mr. BRENNAN. Well, as it appeared to me he was standing up and resting against the left window sill, with gun shouldered to his right shoulder, holding the gun with his left hand and taking positive aim and fired his last shot. As I calculate a couple of seconds. He drew the gun back from the window as though he was drawing it back to his side and maybe paused for another second as though to assure hisself that he hit his mark, and then he disappeared.
And, at the same moment, I was diving off of that firewall and to the right for bullet protection of this stone wall that is a little higher on the Houston side.


I think the fair use restriction doesn't apply here and I can reproduce more of the testimony:

Mr. BELIN. Do you remember how many people were in the lineup?
Mr. BRENNAN. No; I don't. A possibility seven more or less one.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
Did you see anyone in the lineup you recognized?
Mr. BRENNAN. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. And what did you say?
Mr. BRENNAN. I told Mr. Sorrels and Captain Fritz at that time that Oswald--or the man in the lineup that I identified looking more like a closest resemblance to the man in the window than anyone in the lineup.
Mr. BELIN. Were the other people in the lineup, do you remember--were they all white, or were there some Negroes in there, or what?
Mr. BRENNAN. I do not remember.
Mr. BELIN. As I understand your testimony, then, you said that you told him that this particular person looked the most like the man you saw on the sixth floor of the building there.
Mr. BRENNAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. In the meantime, had you seen any pictures of Lee Harvey Oswald on television or in the newspapers?
Mr. BRENNAN. Yes, on television.
Mr. BELIN. About when was that, do you believe?
Mr. BRENNAN. I believe I reached home quarter to three or something of that, 15 minutes either way, and I saw his picture twice on television before I went down to the police station for the lineup.
Mr. BELIN. Now, is there anything else you told the officers at the time of the lineup?
Mr. BRENNAN. Well, I told them I could not make a positive identification.
Mr. BELIN. When you told them that, did you ever later tell any officer or investigating person anything different?
Mr. BRENNAN. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. When did that happen?
Mr. BRENNAN. I believe some days later--I don't recall exactly--and I believe the Secret Service man identified hisself as being Williams, I believe, from Houston. I won't swear to that-whether his name was Williams or not.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
Mr. BRENNAN. And he could have been an FBI. As far as I remember, it could have been FBI instead of Secret Service.
But I believe it was a Secret Service man from Houston.
And I--
Mr. BELIN. What did he say to you and what did you say to him?
Mr. BRENNAN. Well, he asked me he said, "You said you couldn't make a positive identification."
He said, "Did you do that for security reasons personally, or couldn't you?"
And I told him I could with all honesty, but I did it more or less for security reasons--my family and myself.
Mr. BELIN. What do you mean by security reasons for your family and yourself?
Mr. BRENNAN. I believe at that time, and I still believe it was a Communist activity, and I felt like there hadn't been more than one eyewitness, and if it got to be a known fact that I was an eyewitness, my family or I, either one, might not be safe.
Mr. BELIN. Well, if you wouldn't have identified him, might he not have been released by the police?
Mr. BRENNAN. Beg pardon?
Mr. BELIN. If you would not have identified that man positively, might he not have been released by the police?
Mr. BRENNAN. No. That had a great contributing factor--greater contributing factor than my personal reasons was that I already knew they had the man for murder, and I knew he would not be released.
Mr. BELIN. The murder of whom?
Mr. BRENNAN. Of Officer Tippit.
Mr. BELIN. Well, what happened in between to change your mind that you later decided to come forth and tell them you could identify him?
Mr. BRENNAN. After Oswald was killed, I was relieved quite a bit that as far as pressure on myself of somebody not wanting me to identify anybody, there was no longer that immediate danger.
Mr. BELIN. What is the fact as to whether or not your having seen Oswald on television would have affected your identification of him one way or the other?
Mr. BRENNAN. That is something I do not know.
Mr. BELIN. Mr. Brennan, could you tell us now whether you can or cannot positively identify the man you saw on the sixth floor window as the same man that you saw in the police station?
Mr. BRENNAN. I could at that time I could, with all sincerity, identify him as being the same man.
Mr. BELIN. Was the man that you saw in the window firing the rifle the same man that you had seen earlier in the window, you said at least a couple of times, first stepping up and then going back?
Mr. BRENNAN. Yes, sir.


(1) There is no credible evidence, direct or circumstantial, that any suspected group actually did. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #1
(2) Any entertainment of a conspiracy by them would have been "reckless, irrational, and dangerous." Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #2
(3) Since there's no credible evidence against the "usual suspects," who else? Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #3
(4) The implausibility of keeping such a conspiracy secret. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #4
(5) The complexity of any proposed JFK assassination conspiracy argues against it working. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #5
(6) If Oswald was part of a conspiracy, they waited a long time to bring him aboard. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #6
(7) Oswald's conduct in the month before the assassination (until Nov 19) precludes a conspiracy. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #7
(8) Oswald's actions on the evening of November 22 preclude a conspiracy. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #8
(9) Oswald wasn't the kind of person anyone would hire to be the point person. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #9
(10) Oswald wasn't the kind of person who would work with or for a conspiracy. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #10
(11) Those who then knew Oswald and Ruby rejected the idea either acted in concert with others. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #11
(12) The Warren Commission's conclusions were supported by JFK's brothers and son. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #12
(13) Oswald never showed any evidence of having a mysterious source of money. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #13
this ^^^^^ treestar Dec 2013 #71
(14) Oswald's rifle is evidence of no conspiracy. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #14
(15) No group would have let Oswald use a rifle so easily traceable to him. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #15
(16) Any group who hired Oswald would want him to escape, but no silencer? Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #16
(17) The use of a military rifle that could not use soft-point bullets argues against conspiracy. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #17
(18) Conspirators would not have chosen someone with Oswald's shooting expertise. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #18
(19) Oswald had no track record as a hit man with any suspected organization. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #19
Keep 'em coming! n/t zappaman Apr 2013 #20
Will do! n/t Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #22
I enjoy your Kennedy posts cpwm17 Apr 2013 #21
Thanks! n/t Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #23
(20) Oswald's attempt to kill Edwin Walker argues against conspiracy. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #24
(21) Oswald's desire to blow up the Dallas FBI office argues against conspiracy. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #25
(22) Oswald would not have done anything to draw attention to himself before the hit. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #26
(23) Oswald's many applications for employment in October preclude a conspiracy. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #27
(24) Oswald could easily have been assigned to a different TSBD building. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #28
(25) Oswald applied for another job at the beginning of November. Bolo Boffin Apr 2013 #29
(26) The oft-noted tree in Oswald's sight line argues against conspiracy. Bolo Boffin May 2013 #30
(27) Oswald's extreme isolation in the weeks before the assassination argue against conspiracy. Bolo Boffin May 2013 #31
(28) A conspiracy would have made sure Oswald was unavailable for any interrogation. Bolo Boffin May 2013 #32
(29) Oswald not bringing his revolver to work on Thursday is evidence of his acting alone. Bolo Boffin May 2013 #33
(30) Oswald never offering to turn state's evidence supports no conspiracy. Bolo Boffin May 2013 #34
(31) Almost all of the "usual suspects" would have to have enlisted the others. Bolo Boffin May 2013 #35
(32) Oswald had no extensive contact with any of the "usual suspects." Bolo Boffin May 2013 #36
such thorough and total bullshit NoMoreWarNow May 2013 #37
Which part? n/t zappaman May 2013 #38
#32 in particular NoMoreWarNow May 2013 #39
I think Bugliosi, as smart a man as he may be, has absolutely no clue NoMoreWarNow May 2013 #40
....and little of human and group psychology Frank_Norris_Lives May 2013 #41
Nice assertion. Care to back it up with evidence? Bolo Boffin May 2013 #43
What???????????????? Frank_Norris_Lives May 2013 #45
Oswald joined the Marines. Yes. And how did he perform in the Marines? n/t Bolo Boffin May 2013 #47
Nice assertion. Care to back it up with evidence? n/t Bolo Boffin May 2013 #42
the evidence is that he can't see one of the most obvious conspiracies and NoMoreWarNow May 2013 #44
That's not evidence. That's another assertion. Bolo Boffin May 2013 #46
It's easy to not see the conspiracy NoMoreWarNow May 2013 #48
Glass houses. n/t Bolo Boffin May 2013 #49
Yep. It's even funny. ocpagu May 2013 #51
"we all expect criminals to willingly confess their crimes..." Bolo Boffin Nov 2013 #58
We expect somebody to talk, though treestar Dec 2013 #72
Those are a bunch of illogical, fallacious reasoning. n/t ocpagu May 2013 #50
Thank you for your opinion. n/t Bolo Boffin May 2013 #53
Who wrote this material? ... Is it copyrighted? Trajan May 2013 #52
It's why I rewrote the vast majority of it. Bolo Boffin May 2013 #54
Kicked for the anniversary cpwm17 Nov 2013 #55
The anniversary of what? MrMickeysMom Nov 2013 #56
(hey, you may not be aware of this, but this Friday Bolo Boffin Nov 2013 #57
Oh, really? MrMickeysMom Nov 2013 #59
The reason I did that was to give each reason its own subthread Bolo Boffin Nov 2013 #60
Rather than put it into one post… yes, I see... MrMickeysMom Nov 2013 #61
It is all in one thread. Bolo Boffin Nov 2013 #62
It's unfortunate that you can't distinguish a post from a thread... MrMickeysMom Nov 2013 #63
"Well, thanks for the kick" is what I'm supposed to say at this point Bolo Boffin Nov 2013 #64
"Witnesses saw him in the commission of both crimes." Ghost in the Machine Nov 2013 #65
Howard Brennan saw Lee Oswald shooting at President Kennedy. Bolo Boffin Nov 2013 #66
Thanks, but that testimony has more holes in it than a spaghetti strainer, and it's full of Ghost in the Machine Nov 2013 #67
He was farsighted, Ghost. Bolo Boffin Nov 2013 #68
Ok, I've read some of the "53 Reasons" post, but I still have to say it's full of holes.... Ghost in the Machine Nov 2013 #69
Nice looking? Only his mother could think LHO was nice looking. Ace Acme Nov 2013 #70
And why it had to be Oswald?(y porqué tuvo que ser Oswald?) conectad0 Jan 2015 #73
House Select Committee on Assassinations, 1979 shawnehamilton Jan 2015 #74
Welcome to DU! zappaman Jan 2015 #75
pssssst…. MrMickeysMom Jan 2015 #78
I used to think there was a Conspiracy, until.. MicaelS Jan 2015 #76
Me too. zappaman Jan 2015 #77
Don't tell me… since you became a disciple of... MrMickeysMom Jan 2015 #79
I think Lee Harvey was not guilty frankfacts Feb 2015 #80
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