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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. IV - Page 29« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Sebastian F. Latona)

Mr. Dulles.
What is your card system like? If this is too confidential I don't want to get anything in the record here that is too secret. We can take it off the record.
Mr. Latona.
Nothing is secret about our files.
Mr. Dulles.
How many characteristics do you file on a card so that when you find these characteristics you can go to the right cabinet and the right filing drawer and then pull out the right card in time?
Mr. Latona.
Literally they can break down into hundreds of thousands of groups.
Representative Boggs.
How many do you have on file?
Mr. Latona.
We have the fingerprints of 77 1/2 million people?
Representative Boggs.
That includes all of those who were in the Army, Navy
Mr. Latona.
15 million criminals and about 62.5 million what we call civil. I explained earlier that our files consist of two main files, it is criminal files and the civil files. In the civil files are the fingerprints of individuals, those prints that we have retained, who have been fingerprinted in connection with some civil affair like the services, for example, security, sensitive jobs, all types of applicants, alien registrations. Then we also will accept the fingerprints of just a private citizen who would like to have his prints on record for simply identification purposes.
They are in the category of 62.5 million. Criminal prints, 15 million.
(Discussion off the record.)
Representative Ford.
I have to leave, Mr. Dulles, will you take over as Chairman for the rest of the time that you can be here?
Mr. Dulles.
I will do so.
Representative Boggs.
May I ask a question which is not particularly pertinent to this particular witness, but how many prints on various things like these boxes and other paraphernalia that the Commission may now have in its possession have been identified as those of Oswald?
Mr. Latona.
Six all told.
Representative Boggs.
Six altogether?
Mr. Latona.
Six.
Representative Boggs.
That includes these?
Mr. Latona.
That is right.
Representative Boggs.
How many, three?
Mr. Latona.
Three so far.
Mr. Dulles.
(addressing Mr. Eisenberg). You have dealt with three so far?
Mr. Eisenberg.
Three so far. We should modify this. We are only introducing this morning evidence associated with the crime, directly with the crime. Now, there were many papers submitted to the identification division. I believe you did identify----
Mr. Latona.
Personal effects, wallet, pictures, papers, and things of that kind which in themselves bear. Oswald's prints, which they should because they belong to him.
Representative Boggs.
May I ask another question in this connection. A weapon of this type, in your examination do you .find a lot of other prints on it as well? You do not?
Mr. Latona.
No. First of all the weapon itself is a cheap one as you can see. It is one that----
Representative Boggs.
Is what?
Mr. Latona.
A cheap old weapon. The wood is to the point where it won't take a good print to begin with hardly. The metal isn't of the best, and not readily susceptible to a latent print.
Representative Boggs.
Was this weapon picked up first by the police?
Mr. Eisenberg.
Yes, sir.
Representative Boggs.
Did anyone touch it as far as you know?
Mr. Eisenberg.
No, no. It was picked up by a police officer attached to the Dallas police force first.
Mr. Dulles.
It came to you directly then from the Dallas police and not through the Secret Service?
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