Ayn Rand used to say that there are no contradictions in real life, and when you seem to be facing one, you need to go back and check your premises, because one of them has to be false.
And there is a seeming contradiction in Lovelady's testimony as reported. He said two things which cannot both possibly be true. He said that when he left the steps, he walked for 20 to 25 steps, and then he turned around and saw Truly and Baker entering the building.
He also said that it was 3 or 4 minutes later. So, which statement prevails?
In this case, it's easy to decide. And that's because the contradiction exists not just in his statement but in Joseph Ball's question. Read it:
Mr. Ball: Do you have any idea how long it was from the time you heard the three sounds (the shots) until you saw Truly and Baker going into the building?
Now, that is a nonsensical question. It's nonsensical because the time between the three shots (which is to say the last shot) and Truly and Baker going up the steps is an objective thing. It doesn't depend on Lovelady. His opinion, his recollection doesn't even factor into it. Independent means exist to determine the length of time between those two things. Why ask Lovelady?
The Warren Commission did its own tests, using Baker himself as the runner, and the fastest time they recorded for him reaching the lunch room (and note that he only went as fast as he thought he went on the day in question; it's not like he was running as fast as he could; he was trying to accurately duplicate what happened) and his encounter with Oswald was 74 seconds after the last shot. So, they measured the time span of him hearing the shots, getting off his motorcycle, running to the doorway, climbing the steps with Truly, proceeding to the back of the 1st floor where the elevators are, spending a few seconds trying to get the elevator to work, and then giving up on that, they took the stairs, and the time for all that to happen where he could see Oswald in the lunch room was 74 seconds after the last shot.
So, how could there have been 3 or 4 minutes between the time of the shots and Truly and Baker climbing the steps? It's impossible. It took less than half that much time for Truly to reach the lunch room.
It's interesting that when I go to John McAdams' posting of Lovelady's testimony to the Warren Commission, I don't find that statement that Bpete put up for Joseph Ball. Here's the link. See if you can find it.
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/lovelady.htm
Does it mean that there are different versions of Lovelady's testimony? I don't know. Maybe Bpete just made it up, part of his disinfo thing.
In McAdams' version, there is a reference to 3 minutes, but it's a little different.
Mr. BALL - You heard the shots. And how long after that was it before Gloria Calvary came up?
Mr. LOVELADY - Oh, approximately 3 minutes, I would say.
Mr. BALL - Three minutes is a long time.
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes, it's---I say approximately; I can't say because I don't have a watch; it could.
Mr. BALL - Had people started to run?
Mr. LOVELADY - Well, I couldn't say because she came up to us and we was talking to her, wasn't looking that direction at that time, but when we came off the steps--see, that entrance, you have a blind side when you go down the steps.
Mr. BALL - Right after you talked to Gloria, did you leave the steps and go toward the tracks?
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - Did you run or walk?
Mr. LOVELADY - Medium trotting or fast walk.
Mr. BALL - A fast walk?
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - How did you happen to turn around and see Truly and the policeman go into the building?
Mr. LOVELADY - Somebody hollered and I looked.
Mr. BALL - You turned around and looked?
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - After you ran to the railroad tracks you came back and went in the back door of the building?
Mr. LOVELADY - Right.
But, it's just as ridiculous because 3 minutes after the shots, Gloria Calvary would not have been informing Lovelady and the others of anything they didn't already know. There was a little confusion at first, but 3 minutes after the last shot, everybody in Dealey Plaza knew what happened. And again, the reference to Truly and the policeman going into the building could have been no more than 15 seconds after the last shot.
So, if Lovelady said that about 3 minutes, he was just confused. The reference to seeing Truly and Baker enter the building after Shelley and Lovelady left for the railroad tracks TRUMPS the bogus remark about 3 minutes, and the astute researcher will realize that and discard the latter statement.
(Note that in McAdams' version, there is no reference to 4 minutes.)
Shelley and Lovelady were part of the throng that descended on the railway area very soon after the shooting, almost immediately. Furthermore, we can even see them doing it and calculate the time that it was by looking at the Couch film. It was certainly not 3 minutes after the shooting. It happened right away.
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