Mr. Gallagher. Fired or handled a recently fired weapon.
Mr. Redlich. Confining ourselves for the moment to the hand casts, does such a conclusion enable you to state that the person from whose hands these cases were made had in fact fired a revolver? The question I am asking you, Mr. Gallagher, is one designed to determine the extent to which the neutron activation technique is able to result in definitive judgments. Your initial answer was that the elements barium and antimony were present in these casts in an amount greater than would be expected from a person who had not either fired a weapon or handled a recently fired weapon. Are you able to, on the basis of this, make a judgment as to whether in fact the person from whose hands these casts were made had in your opinion fired a revolver, or handled a fired revolver?
Do you understand my question, before you attempt to answer it?
Mr. Gallagher. Well, first of all I reported that there was more on the hands than would be found on the hands of a normal individual who had not fired or handled a recently fired weapon. Now, I don’t quite get the point of your question.
Mr. Redlich. The point of my question is whether you are able, on the basis of this analysis, to express an opinion as to whether the person from whose hands these casts were made had fired a weapon.
Mr. Gallagher. It is my opinion that the person from whom these casts were removed may have either handled a fired weapon, or fired a weapon.
Mr. Redlich. I would like to introduce into the record a letter which I have marked Gallagher Exhibit No. 1.
(Gallagher Exhibit No. 1 was marked for identification.)
Mr. Redlich. This is a letter from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to J. Lee Rankin, general counsel of this Commission. Are you familiar with the contents of this letter, Mr. Gallagher?
Mr. Gallagher. Yes, sir.