Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

Robert Groden took this photo of Billy Lovelady in 1976 for the HSCA. You can see how Lovelady had his shirt propped open. It doesn't look anything like Doorman's shirt, but it's something. 

You know that's not the usual arrangement of the shirt. Usually, it would be buttoned up except for the top button. You see the unsecured button, right? Look how far away it is from the other side of the shirt where the button hole is. You know that isn't normal.  Do you think the shirt had any tendency to lie like that spontaneously? Of course not. That is an arrangement that he contrived that day for that picture, and I'd be willing to bet that there was a hot iron involved. 

But, the question is: did he do any of that on 11/22/63?  Or did he just put his shirt on without doing anything to it and without giving it a moment's thought? To answer that question consider this: he went to work that morning to lay down plywood flooring on the dusty 6th floor of the Book Depository. So, why the hell would he primp his shirt like he was going to a square dance or hootenanny? 

I'm going to ask the men who are reading this: how many times in your entire life have you primped your shirt like that? I'll answer it first by telling you honestly that I have NEVER done it. Not once. What the hell for? To look fancy? I wouldn't do it even if I was going to a square dance or hootenanny. So, what should we rate the chances that Billy Lovelady did it on the morning of 11/22/63? 

We should rate the chances at 0. Not 1% Not .5%. But zero. There is no way that Lovelady did that on 11/22/63. He did it in 1976 and solely for the purpose of making himself look like Doorman. 

Obviously, it's nowhere close to duplicating Doorman's open sprawl. Notice also the high round t-shirt in contrast to Doorman's low notched t-shirt. Matching the t-shirt sailed completely over his radar. 

But, the other big question is: Why didn't Robert Groden say something to Lovelady about it? Why didn't Robert Groden stop him? Something like this: 

"What did you do to your shirt, Billy? That isn't the natural lay of the shirt. Normally, it would be buttoned to the top except for the very top button. Isn't that right? Isn't that true about 99% of the time? So, what are you saying? Are you saying that you did this on 11/22/63? You went to work at the warehouse with your shirt primped and pressed like that?  In an artificial sprawl, like you are some kind of dandy? To lay flooring? I don't believe it, Billy. And, if you didn't do it like that on 11/2263, then you can't do it today. That would be cheating, Billy. We're trying to get to the truth here. And you're messing with it."

"So, I want you to go home and wash the shirt, and then just wear it the way it's normally worn. Don't do anything to do it. Don't try to make it into anything. Wear it the way you wore it on 11/22/63. Don't play games with me, Billy. There's to be no tricks. I take what we are doing very seriously, and you should too. And don't try to pull a stunt like that again."