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There was a great deal of interest within the assassination research community in late May, when newly uncovered motion picture film shot in Dallas on November 22, 1963 was broadcast on The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.
According to CBS, the stuff was "new" in the sense that its existence just recently became known. A call on the American public by the Assassination Records Review Board to give it any film or photographs of that dark day had apparently borne fruit.
But the claim that the film is new, or even significant, has been questioned by some researchers.
CBS showed the film over two nights, amid great hype and hoopla. Warren Commission supporter Richard Trask, author of Pictures of the Pain, was called on by CBS for expert analysis, as was historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. ARRB spokesman Tom Samoluk, who has called the film "a classic find," also appeared in the CBS coverage.
All told, there are some 45 minutes of black and white film clips. CBS aired a smidgeon of that --- a few minutes' worth, at best. Much was made by CBS of a shot in which the doomed President and the First Lady are seen holding hands. There are also shots of new President LBJ leaving Parkland Hospital, police taking several initial suspects and witnesses into custody, and Lee Harvey Oswald at the Dallas police station after his arrest. In addition, the footage shows Oswald's killer, Jack Ruby, at a press conference with Oswald on the night of the assassination. Ruby murdered Oswald two days later.
There were no shots of the motorcade under fire, but police and witnesses are seen running toward a rail yard to search for an assassin immediately ater the shooting, according to the Dallas Morning News.
This "new" film was apparently shot by KTVT cameraman Roy Cooper. As CBS tells the story, it never aired during KTVT's initial assassination coverage, and Cooper literally salvaged it from a cutting room wastebasket. Cooper kept the original and made a copy for a friend, Eli Sturges. They tried but failed to sell it secretly and the copy was stashed under Sturges' home for years. Relatives of Mr. Sturges came forward after hearing about the ARRB's request.
The Review Board reportedly cut a deal with CBS, giving the network an exclusive first broadcast of the film. It isn't clear what, if anything, the Board might have gotten in return.
The footage has been transferred to videotape at the National Archives, where it will be added to the JFK Collection and made accessible to researchers and the public.
There is said to be a much longer version of the Cooper film --- some two and a quarter hours, all told. Relatives of the late cameraman are reportedly interested in selling it, but haven't found a buyer. The Dallas-based Sixth Floor Museum has reportedly expressed interest in the longer version.
In spite of all the excitement over the 45 minute version, longtime researcher and photo expert Jack White says it contains nothing new, and that he saw the footage many years ago at Cooper's home. "I do not know what all the fuss is about," Mr. White wrote to a JFK email group. "Researchers have known about and/or seen this film for more than 20 years and dismissed it as largely unimportant. No serious JFK conspiracy researcher has been interviewed about it..."
But Richard Trask counters: "The film gives us some important, previously unavailable views which could add significantly to our understanding of what happened immediately after the assassination."
Fair Play doesn't understand how believers in the lone-nut theory can also believe this "new" footage can be all that significant, since there isn't anything in it that would alter their final judgement. But we'll confess right here to not being fully informed on this matter. Fair Play's editor was out of town when the film was shown on CBS, and so was unable to tape it, and saw it only once. Here, though, are the insights of FP contributor and ARRB expert Joseph Backes:
As far as I understand it, there was a strong desire on the part of Dan Rather and CBS News to acquire the film before the Review Board got it. I got the impression there was a race.The Dallas Morning News was trying to help CBS.
In a letter Tom Samoluk told me, "CBS and The Dallas Morning News were aware of the film before the Review Board and CBS personnel and a Dallas Morning News reporter had it in hand before the Review Board staff." Shades of the Zapruder film!
Mr. Samoluk went on to say, "CBS and The Dallas Morning News cooperation with the Board did not interfere with our efforts to acquire the film for the JFK Collection."
I think that Mr. Samoluk is being very diplomatic here. I was not in on the process, of course, but I find it hard to beleive that CBS and the Dallas Morning News were "cooperating" with the Review Board so that the Review Board would get the film.
I asked if CBS was trying to stake a claim on the film as it was produced by a CBS cameraman. Apparently not: "CBS is making no claims relative to the film and the donor has put no restrictions on the donation of the film." One wonders then what are the donor deed of gift regualtions they are still working on?
John Judge told me there is something called "Gaylord communications", I may have misspelled this as I never saw it spelled, that either has or is trying to lay claim to the film. I have no idea who or what Gaylord communications is, or who they represent. There was some piece of paper with that name attached with the videotape the ARRB was giving out.
I'll ask the ARRB about this.
There may be another open meeting later this month, June 25-26, most of which will be closed. I got the impression that a small part might be open. The film may be available by then.
On other matters the next Public Hearing of the ARRB will be in Los Angeles on September 27. Exactly where and when I don't know yet. I think they are still trying to work that out but Sept. 27 appears to be the target date. So start saving money folks so we can have a strong showing.
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