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

MacRae! You don't own the man's testimony. It's not yours. And if you think you deserve something for it, check with Joseph Backes. He's got a proscenium arch with your name on it. 

Now, in regard to this statement by Secret Service Agent Kelley, let's analyze it point by point:

First, he says that Oswald said he traveled by bus to the theater. It sounds direct, doesn't it? So, did Oswald say that or not? I don't assume Kelley made it up because why would he? So either Oswald said it or Kelley misunderstood what Oswald said. 

Did Oswald say he transferred to "other buses"? Buses? Plural? 

That isn't in the Fritz notes. And there's no evidence of anybody spotting him on any other buses. So, did Oswald really say it? 

I don't know, but since it conflicts with the Fritz notes, I'm inclined to doubt it. I think we should consider the possibility that Kelley was mistaken about Oswald having said buses, plural. 

Next, Kelley says Oswald denied bringing a package to work or saying anything about curtain rods to Frazier. That I definitely think we should accept because others reported the same thing about Oswald, that he said those things, made those denials. 

Next, he accused Oswald of changing his story. But as soon as Fritz asked him if he also rode a cab, Oswald told him that he did. 

If Oswald rode the bus and cab, would he have any reason to lie about the cab part? 

But, from that point on, Kelley reported the account of the bus and cab rides exactly as it appeared in Fritz' notes. And I don't assume that Kelley saw Fritz notes; therefore, for him to cite the same information including the exact cab fare makes me think Oswald really said those things. Note that William Whaley reported the cab fare as 95 cents rather than 85 cents, and the Idiot Sparrow took that to be a deliberate lie. Yeah, I guess Oswald didn't want to come across as a big spender.

But this is important because it does establish from two sources that Oswald did say he rode the bus and cab. That means that if there was a conspiracy to create a phony bus and cab ride, Oswald was part of it.  If it's phony then not only did the Dallas Police and the Secret Service and the FBI lie about it but so did Lee Harvey Oswald. 

The rest of the Kelley statement corresponds exactly with what Fritz wrote in his 2nd personal notes. 

And note that it states in Fritz' notes that T.J. Kelly was there; (he left out the e). So, I think this confirms quite a lot. 

As the notes read, the first time Oswald mentioned his clothes, he said he changed his pants; the second time he said pants and shirt. He definitely did not change his shirt since we can see his arrest shirt on him in the doorway. And, my understanding is that despite his having mentioned stuffing his dirty pants and shirt in a drawer or hamper, they were never found. 

So did Oswald tell some relatively minor lies to the police? It appears so, although it's hard to understand why. I don't claim to know why. But, note that mostly there is good confirmation between what Kelley reported and what Fritz wrote down in private notes to himself. 

And what that confirmation does is make even more solid the most important note that Fritz ever made: Out with Bill Shelley in front. Kelley wasn't at that interview, so I can't fault him for not mentioning it. But, Oswald definitely said it to Fritz, and it can only mean one thing: that Oswald was out in front during the motorcade when JFK passed and Shelley was there. Together with the Altgens photo, it is Oswald's iron-clad alibi.