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

Last night, I discussed how Joseph Ball really pressured Bonnie Ray Williams about what time he left the 6th floor. Ball wanted it to be early- the earlier the better, supposedly, to give Oswald enough time to do everything he had to do before shooting Kennedy. (And, it's getting increasingly harder to put that into words without cracking up.) 

Ball was like the 800 pounds gorilla, and Bonnie Ray wasn't a brash guy to begin with. His attitude seemed to be: "Whatever you say, Mr. Ball." The guy I like is Jack Dougherty because when Ball tried to pressure him about the long bag that Oswald supposedly carried, (and remember that Frazier's story was, and is, that Oswald was carrying it between his armpit and his cupped hand) Jack pretty much told Joe, in effect, "Fuck you, Moefoe."  That's right; Jack wouldn't budge.  

But, determining how long Bonnie Ray Williams was inadvertently guarding the 6th floor and keeping all intruders at bay is important. And one way we can do it is to approach it from a different angle. We know that Bonnie Ray didn't budge until he heard his pals James Jarman and Harold Norman milling around on the 5th floor. That's what provoked him to go down there.

There are a couple of guys on McAdams' forum who make a religion out of Jarman and Norman going up to the 5th floor. And they make it sound like it was VERY close to 12:30 that they arrived on the 5th floor. And I mean no more than a few minutes before 12:30. And if that's true, then Bonnie Ray was up on the 6th floor until practically the witching hour. 

But, let's look at Jarman's and Norman's own testimonies to see what they said about the timing of it. Remember that Jarman and Norman first went outside. And they were going to watch the motorcade from outside. So, they took viewing positions outside. They, like so many others, were going to watch the motorcade from outside. 

Mr. BALL - Where did you stand? 
Mr. JARMAN - I was standing over to the right in front of the building going toward the west. 
Mr. BALL - Were you on the sidewalk or curb? 
Mr. JARMAN - On the sidewalk. 
Mr. BALL - The sidewalk in front of the Texas School Book Depository Building? 
Mr. JARMAN - Yes, sir. 
Mr. BALL - How long did you stand there? 
Mr. JARMAN - Well, until about 12:20, between 12:20 and 12:25. 

So, Jarman said he was outside until at least 12:20. And remember that, he had to start from west of the Entrance and walk to the corner of Houston, and then down Houston Street to the back of the building, and then to the back door to re-enter the building, and then take the elevator up to the 5th floor. As I time it in my mind, it doesn't get him up to the 5th floor until shortly before 12:30. And Bonnie Ray had to hear him pacing the floor up there before he would chose to leave the 6th floor.  What about Harold Norman?

Mr. BALL: Who was standing with you and Junior on the Elm Street sidewalk?
Mr. NORMAN. I remember it was Danny Arce.
Mr. BALL. And who else?
Mr. NORMAN. I remember seeing Mr. Truly and Mr. Campbell. They were standing somewhere behind us, not exactly behind us but they were back of us.
Mr. BALL. Anybody else? Mr. NORMAN. Well, I believe Billy Lovelady, I think. He was sitting on the steps there.
Mr. BALL. He was?
Mr. NORMAN. Yes. That is about all the employees I remember seeing out there. There were more people out there.
Mr. BALL. Did you stay there?
Mr. NORMAN. Well, we stayed there I believe until we got the news that the motorcade was coming down, let’s see, is that Commerce, no Main, We went back in the building, James Jarman and I.
Mr. BALL.. Where did you go when you went in the building?
Mr. NOBMAN. We got the east elevator. NO ; the west.
Mr. BALL. The west elevator?
Mr. NORMAN. The west elevator. And went to the fifth floor.

So, he seemed to be saying that they remained out in front until they got word that that the motorcade was coming down Main. Main is a long street, but I presume he meant that they got word that that motorcade was close to Houston on Main, meaning that it was about to enter Dealey Plaza. That's when he and Jarman began walking around the building to re-enter through the back door and ride the elevator up to the 5th floor. So, how long before the motorcade passed the building did they do that? Well, all I can say is: not long.

So, the fact that people talk about this as though it happened just a few minutes before the shooting seems to be confirmed. And that means that Bonnie Ray Williams remained on the 6th floor until just a few minutes before. 

Of course, it has reached the point of utter nonsense to refer to Oswald going up to the 6th floor, but we know that someone was up there, brandishing a rifle, and some reported seeing a second person up there. They could not have gone there until Bonnie Ray Williams left. So, were they waiting for him to leave? But, why would they do that? Why would they assume he was going to leave? Not even Bonnie Ray thought he was going to leave. It was a last minute thing. He heard the trampling below and figured that must be his friends, so he left to join them. 

So, what happened? I think the most likely thing is that the intruders, who invaded the 6th floor, got there very late- just before the shooting and after Bonnie Ray Williams left, and that they were witless of him, and he was witless of them. They just didn't cross paths. The Sniper's Nest must have been set up well in advance. Maybe it was done the night before. Here is a picture of it:

That is the Sniper's Nest right there at the back and center of the picture in front of the double windows. That could have existed for a long time, even before that morning. It could have been set up the night before. It wouldn't have stood out. Why should it? What stands out to me a lot more than that is that stack of books 7 boxes high. 7 boxes????? Count them. They are 7 boxes high there on the right. Who stacks boxes of books that high? And how did they do it? I mean: there were no ladders there, so how did they build that tower? We shall have to talk further about this.