Mr. Lane.

Now, in reference to the rifle, there is on file--I assume that you have it or copies of it--in the Dallas district attorney's office or the police office in Dallas, an affidavit sworn to by Officer Weitzman, in which he indicates that he discovered the rifle on the sixth floor of the Book Depository Building at, I believe, 1:22 p.m., on November 22, 1963.
Now, in this affidavit, Officer Weitzman swore that the murder weapon--that the weapon which he found on the sixth floor was a 7.65 Mauser, which he then went on to describe in some detail, with reference to the color of the strap, et cetera.
Now, the prosecuting attorney, of course, took exactly the same position, and for hours insisted that the rifle discovered on the sixth floor was a German Mauser, adding the nationality. A German Mauser is nothing at all like an Italian carbine. think almost any rifle expert will indicate that that is so.

I have been informed that almost every Mauser--and I am not able to document this, unfortunately, but I am sure that you have easy access to rifle experts--that almost every German Mauser has stamped upon it the caliber, as does almost every Italian carbine.

Mr. Rankin.

Do you know the difference between the two?

Mr. Lane.

Do I know the difference?

Mr. Rankin.

Yes.

Mr. Lane.

I know the difference between an Army M-1 and an American carbine those are the only two weapons I fired--during the war. No, I don't know anything about rifles, other than those two rifles, which I used at one time.
I think it is most interesting to note that when Oswald was arrested we were informed immediately that he had an alias--his last name was Lee in that alias--as well as a great deal of material about his political background and activities on behalf of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, and his defection to the Soviet Union, et cetera. But the alias was raised immediately. The following day, on the 23d, when it was announced by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, that Oswald had purchased an Italian carbine, 6.5 millimeters, under the assumed name, A. Hidell, then for the first time the district attorney of Dallas indicated that the rifle in his possession, the alleged murder weapon, had changed both nationality and size, and had become from a German 7.65 Mauser, an Italian 6.5 carbine. And, further he indicated then for the first time that they knew of another alias

maintained by Lee Oswald. In addition to the name Lee, which they discovered, they said, by going to the home where he lived--the house where he had lived in Dallas, where he rented a room, a rooming house, they discovered there he had secured the room under the name Lee. Mr. Wade stated that on Oswald's person, in his pocketbook, was an identification card made out to A. Hidell, and I have seen pictures of this reproduced in either Time magazine or Newsweek, or one of the weekly news magazines--I believe it was one or the other--with a picture of Oswald appearing on this card, plainly indicating that Oswald had the alias A. Hidell to Mr. Wade.
I think it is interesting that the name Lee as an alias was released immediately, although some investigation was required to secure that alias. But the name A. Hidell, was not released as an alias, although that was present and obvious by mere search of Oswald's person when he was arrested.

Mr. Rankin.

Can you give us the time of the release of the information about the alias, A. Hidell.

Mr. Lane.

That was on November 23.

Mr. Rankin.

And how about Lee?

Mr. Lane.

November 22. The first release of the name A. Hidell came from the district attorney's office after the FBI had indicated that Oswald had purchased an Italian carbine under that name.
If I were permitted to cross-examine Mr. Wade, which evidently you hare decided that I shall not be permitted to do, and Officer Weitzman, I would seek to find out how about the most important single element in probably this case or any other murder case, physical evidence, the murder weapon, in a ease which I am sure is Mr. Wade's most important case--how he could be so completely in error about this.