Representative Ford. It will be introduced.
(The item referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 636 and received in evidence.)
Mr. Dulles. May I ask whether this was discovered immediately after the assassination—at what time did you discover this particular palmprint?
Mr. Latona. It was on the 23d of November, the day after.
Mr. Eisenberg. Using this chart, 636, Mr. Latona, could you demonstrate to us some of the points which led you to the conclusion that the latent palmprint on 142 was the palmprint of Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. Latona. The procedure in making this comparison was exactly the same as the procedure followed in connection with making the prior examination of the fingerprint. Now, the area which shows in approximately an eight-time enlargement, and is marked "Latent Palmprint Developed on Brown Homemade Paper Container," which is Exhibit 636, is roughly outlined on Commission Exhibit 631 in red, which is a photograph of the inked right palmprint of Lee Harvey Oswald.
This area below the little finger, or what we referred to as the ulnar portion of the palm—now, in making the examination or comparison, here again—first of all I would like to point out that there is a black line that goes right through—in an upward fashion—through the enlargement of the latent fingerprint. That line is caused by virtue of the fact that the palmprint which is developed is partially on a piece of tape as well as the wrapper itself. In other words, a part of the print is on a piece of tape and the other part is on the paper itself.
Mr. Eisenberg. Mr. Latona, could you show how the palm lay on the paper to produce that impression?
Mr. Latona. The palm lay in this fashion here.
Mr. Eisenberg. You are putting your right hand on the paper so that the fingers are pointing in the same direction as the arrow A?