BOOK REVIEW -- "That Day In Dallas" By Richard B. Trask
David VP
Assassination-Related Photos
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963859536/sr=1-1/qid=1145311897
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Richard B. Trask's 1998 publication "That Day In Dallas: Three
Photographers Capture On Film The Day President Kennedy Died"
represents a follow-up volume (or kind of a 'sequel') to Mr. Trask's
earlier and outstanding 640-page book "Pictures Of The Pain", which
came out in 1994 and featured many previously-unpublished photographs
of the events surrounding President John F. Kennedy's 1963
assassination.
The paperback edition of "That Day In Dallas" contains 136 pages of
pictures and text on high-quality paper. It's a much shorter volume
than "POTP", to be sure -- but in some ways I treasure "That Day" even
more than the larger "Pain" book, in that most of the photos contained
within "That Day" are larger in size than what can be found in "POTP",
and therefore, via this larger-print format, the pictures can be
studied in greater detail. Plus, the clarity of virtually all of the
more than 110 photographs published in this book is pristine. These
pictures, all printed in black-and-white, are clear as the proverbial
bell.
What author Richard Trask has done in "That Day In Dallas" is to center
the book's attention on three individual photographers who each took a
series of dramatic (and ultimately historic) pictures "that day in
Dallas" ("that day", of course, being Friday, November 22, 1963, the
day of JFK's assassination).
The three cameramen chosen for this book's subject matter are:
Cecil Stoughton (the official White House photographer);
James "Ike" Altgens (a photographer for the Associated Press); and ...
Jim Murray (a local Dallas free-lance photographer).
Among these three photographers, Jim Altgens was the one who was the
closest (physically-speaking) to President Kennedy when gunshots filled
the air in sunny Dealey Plaza that Friday at 12:30 PM. Altgens was just
a few feet from JFK's limousine when the President was fatally struck
in the head by the rifle fire.
Unfortunately for Mr. Altgens, however, even though he had his eye to
his camera's viewfinder the instant that fatal blow to JFK occurred,
the veteran AP news photog was unable to squeeze his camera's shutter
to capture what may well have been the most important picture he would
have ever snapped in his life.
Quoting text from this book (page 66) -- "Speaking of the event over
two decades later, Altgens's memory was still vivid of the horror of
the moment and the later criticism by some. {Altgens said:} "The big
showdown came at the time JFK received the shot to the head. I had
pre-focused, had my hand on the trigger, but when JFK's head exploded,
sending substance in my direction, I virtually became paralyzed. This
was such a shock to me that I never did press the trigger on the
camera"."
Mr. Altgens did, however, capture on film two of the most widely-seen
still photographs of the assassination .... one of them being his
famous shot of the limousine on Elm Street just seconds before the
fatal bullet struck the President; and the other assassination-sequence
photo being a view of the limo just after the fatal rifle shot, showing
Secret Service Agent Clint Hill climbing onto the trunk of the
President's Lincoln convertible as he helped Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy
back into her seat after she had climbed onto the trunk just after her
husband was hit by the fatal bullet.
The pre-head shot motorcade picture snapped by Altgens is undoubtedly
one of the most-studied still pictures taken that day in Dealey Plaza,
and one that has sparked quite a lot of controversy among conspiracy
theorists. This book (in its softcover version) publishes that B&W
photo in its full, uncropped form on page #64.
The main "controversy" that has surrounded that James Altgens photo
centers on the image of a man seen standing in the doorway of the Texas
School Book Depository Building (in the background of the photo). Many
people examining the picture have claimed that the "Doorway Man" is Lee
Harvey Oswald (the man who was ultimately charged with killing
President Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Depository Building).
Obviously, Oswald couldn't be in two places at one time, both in the
doorway and on the sixth floor firing a rifle. The controversy was put
to rest when the "Oswald look-alike" in the doorway was determined
(without a shred of a doubt) to be Depository employee Billy N.
Lovelady. Lovelady testified later to the Warren Commission that it was
he (Lovelady) who was standing in the doorway watching the President
pass by the building.
But, to this day, many conspiracy theorists just can't seem to let go
of the idea that "Doorway Man" might still have been Lee Oswald
(despite Lovelady's own admission that it was definitely Lovelady
himself in the photo).
Besides the "Lovelady/Doorway" issue, some conspiracists (bent on
seeing assassins in every nook and cranny of every photograph taken
that day) also claim to see somebody with a rifle on the fire escape of
the Dal-Tex Building in the far background of the Altgens photo.
Many other fascinating details can be spotted within that crystal-clear
Altgens image of the limo on Elm Street. (Things that are actually
there, that is; not unsupportable paranoiac accounts of would-be
"killers" with rifles in the Dal-Tex.)
Mr. Altgens captured on film a monumental, and heartbreaking, moment in
history ... an image that has been frozen for all time via the $157
Nikkorex-F 35mm camera that Altgens took with him to Dealey Plaza on
11/22/63.
A JFK assassination buff could probably spend hours gazing at the
full-sized version of that Altgens photo on page 64 of this
publication, while poring over the information that can be found within
that remarkable image. .... Oftentimes that Altgens pic is severely
cropped (sometimes in order to blow up the background showing Doorway
Man/Lovelady), but the version in "That Day" gives us the whole photo,
from edge to edge, which shows (on the far right) the clapping hands of
eyewitness Charles Brehm, along with the visible shadows in the street
of Brehm and two other witnesses, Jean Hill and Mary Moorman.
This incredible picture also gives us a partial view of the President,
the First Lady, and Governor Connally in the limousine at a point which
equates to approximately Frame #255 of the infamous color home movie
taken by Abraham Zapruder, who was almost directly across Elm Street
from Jim Altgens' location during the assassination. The President and
Governor Connally had been hit by a rifle bullet less than two seconds
before Altgens snapped his picture.
JFK can easily be seen in the Altgens pic, through the limo's
windshield glass and just behind the car's rearview mirror. The
President is reacting to having just been hit by Lee Harvey Oswald's
second of three gunshots. The President's left arm, hand, and white
shirt cuff are fully visible in the photograph, plus Mrs. Kennedy's
gloved hand is also in view as she attempts to help her husband by
grabbing his left arm. Governor Connally, who had just been shot
through the back, chest, and wrist, can be seen in full left profile as
he reacts to his near-fatal wounds.
The smiling crowd along Elm Street, as seen via that picture, has not
yet had time enough to fully comprehend what was happening in the
President's car. Some non-victim reactions are visible in the photo,
however -- as two Secret Service Agents (Paul Landis and John Ready) on
the running board of the "Queen Mary" SS follow-up vehicle are seen
looking over their right shoulders toward the Depository Building (the
direction from which they heard gunshots). One of the motorcycle
officers in the motorcade (James Chaney) is looking directly into the
back seat of the limousine.
Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, are also
discernible in the Altgens picture, riding two cars behind JFK in
another Lincoln convertible. Behind LBJ's car is the Vice-President's
Secret Service follow-up car, a white four-door Mercury sedan, just
having made its turn from Houston Street onto Elm. The left rear door
of this SS sedan is ajar, which has led some people to think that
something "unusual" or "conspiratorial" was occurring within the
motorcade as a result of this "open door". However, that same open car
door can be seen in other motorcade photos snapped that day, including
one printed in this volume (on page #31). It was standard Secret
Service procedure to leave a door ajar to allow for quick exit from the
vehicle in case of trouble. (That rule would not apply to the
President's SS car, however, since it was equipped with running
boards.)
"That Day In Dallas" is a great place to find many seldom-seen November
22nd photographs, including several shots taken by Cecil Stoughton
outside and inside the Hotel Texas on the misty morning of 11/22/63,
with the large pics that grace pages 20 and 21 being two excellent such
examples.
Some of my other favorite photos in this book include.......
Page 26 -- An overview photo of the President's arrival at Love Field
in Dallas shortly after JFK and Jackie had stepped off of Air Force
One. This Stoughton pic was snapped from the front hatch of the Boeing
707 serving as "Air Force One" (SAM 2-6000).
Page 46 -- This Stoughton photo shows a rarely-published view of Air
Force One's cramped and witness-packed stateroom just prior to Lyndon
Johnson being sworn in as the 36th U.S. President.
Page 82 (bottom) -- A photo by Jim Murray, taken just a few minutes
after JFK was shot, which depicts a crowd of people gathered along the
dirt road (known as the "Elm Street Extension") that runs right in
front of the Book Depository. The west face of the Depository is
visible, as well as a portion of the front (south) side of the TSBD.
Page 93 -- Just ten minutes after the assassination, Jim Murray began
taking a series of pictures from the south side of Elm Street and
further south across from Commerce Street. Each of the photos in this
series shows the Book Depository in the background, and the large
"Hertz Rent-A-Car" sign atop the Depository. The picture on page 93
gives a wider overview of the post-assassination scene in Dealey Plaza
and shows the "temperature" reading on the Hertz sign (66 degrees).
Also visible are a number of cars on Elm Street, proceeding across the
pavement where (just minutes earlier) President Kennedy had been
fatally wounded. (I've often wondered WHY in the world the street
wasn't immediately blocked off to regular traffic by police; but it
wasn't.)
Page 94 -- Another terrific post-shooting still snapshot taken by Jim
Murray -- this one featuring the front entrance and all seven floors on
the southeast side of the Texas School Book Depository, including the
half-open "Sniper's Nest" window, out of which a rifle had been aimed
at the President a very short time before. The book carton that the
assassin used as a "rifle rest" can be seen in this photo.
Page 95 -- A very rare full-sized version of a photo (snapped by
Murray) showing teenaged eyewitness Amos Euins sitting in the back seat
of a police car in front of the Book Depository.
Page 101 -- Another offering from Mr. Murray's busy camera: a fabulous
"pose" here, showing a Dallas policeman standing in front of the
Depository, shotgun at the ready, looking toward the upper floors of
the building from where shots had been fired at the President. The
entire front facade of the TSBD is visible in this photo, which was
taken at a sharp angle to the front of the building.
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Any library of published materials pertaining to the events of
President Kennedy's assassination is most definitely incomplete if
"That Day In Dallas" by Richard B. Trask isn't part of such a
collection.
David Von Pein
February 2006