Forums
| Forum Home > JFK > Proof That Prayer Man is Oswald & Is Holding His Imperial Reflex 620 Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Member Posts: 273 |
Greetings ROKC members! I'm new to this forum but have been researching the JFK assassination for ~40 years. I'm 58 and remember the assassination and that entire 3 day-glued-to-the-B&W-tv-set-weekend, like it was yesterday. Greg promised you I would post my Prayer Man/Imperial Reflex camera research over a year ago, so I ask your forgiveness about the long delay in posting it. I had intially planned on posting it here but a trusted author friend suggested I post it a website of my creation so I would get credit for my work. Alas, that was my plan...but in the intervening months I had a lot going on politically and personally, fighting for marriage equality here in the US – a culmination of our community’s decades long struggle, and mine as an activist since 1975 and then fighting and rolling back Indiana’s despicable SB 101 - the “right to discriminate law” - passed by our Tea Party Governor and his Republican supermajority in the state legislature this spring. In addition, I’ve had frequent family health problems to attend to as an only child with with elderly parents. But finally, here is the very long summation of my Prayer Man research - so long i had to divide it in 1/2 due to post character limits. So get a cup of coffee or tea and settle in. I hope you will find it thoroughly thought provoking, and I look forward to the comments and suggestions of all the ROKC members! This is how it all started…. In mid-April 2013, after stumbling upon the edforum’s PM thread, reading some of Sean’s brilliant posts and viewing the enhanced PM photos and animated gifs, I was immediately hooked and convinced PM is LHO. I feel this is the most fascinating, consequential and paradigm shifting JFK research in my lifetime. I had seen a PM photo a few years back but it was incredibly blurry – it looked nothing like LHO and had none of Sean’s supporting work: the early affidavits, testimonies and news stories, so I had dismissed it immediately as just another Cinque-esque “doorwayman.” But, coincidentally, a few months before finding Sean’s PM thread, I had been engrossed in learning about the life and work of the eccentric, deceased, and now world-famous Chicago street photographer, Vivian Maier, and her Rolleiflex TLR camera (Twin Lens Reflex), which I later realized she held in the classic “Prayer Man” style – either at waist level, chest level, or eye level. Prior to this I had never paid much attention to these old-fashioned cameras and only vaguely recalled seeing photographers using them in old film clips. Moreover, I knew nothing about HOW they worked – which, in addition to PM's "stance", became central to how I eventually concluded that the persistent bright white spot between PM’s hands was specifically coming from a TLR camera lens - the upper "reflex" lens to be precise. So, thanks to Vivian Maier, upon seeing this improved PM photo I realized instantly that PM was holding a TLR camera - not an apple or a pop bottle. I immediately searched through photos of LHO’s cameras and realized his Imperial Reflex 620, was a TLR. (And how coincidental that the IR was manufactured in Chicago – the longtime home of Vivian Maier!) This started me on an exciting and sleepless 3 week quest... I began blowing up and studying the clearest existing PM stills, as well as taking many, many screen captures from Wiegman and Darnell youtube videos, blowing them up, and searching them for the outlines of just such a camera. I wasn’t disappointed! I was already convinced the “box” he was holding was a TLR camera based upon his “PM stance”, but then I set out to find proof that it was an Imperial Reflex 620. I searched 100’s of photos on a TLR collector’s historical site and realized the IR 620 was unique in two regards: But, then I had an incredible “ah ha!” moment. In looking for photos of the IR 620, I found many of them and other TLR’s for sale on ebay. I suddenly noticed, if positioned just so, facing a light source and turned toward the viewer, the top lens reflected back a bright white light – just like PM’s camera did – while the bottom lens remained completely dark. This set me on a search of the inner workings of TLR cameras to find an explanation for this strange phenomenon. Then during the first week of May 2014 I excitedly wrote several times to my FB friends whose expertise and integrity I valued and trusted most, Gayle Nix Jackson and Greg Parker, to share my findings up to that point, while swearing them to secrecy. Here are some excerpts of what I said: …it came to me that he is not only holding a camera but a particular camera: his Imperial Reflex camera. If you don’t know, this camera went missing after the assassination then was mysteriously returned a couple of months later by Robert Oswald (of whom I’ve always been suspicious!). It’s an old fashioned TLR (twin lens reflex) camera which one normally holds down at belly or chest level and sights by looking down into the viewfinder on top.
I’ve done some original research on this camera and how it works and have developed evidence backing a theory that LHO was taking photos with it on the steps both from the west corner of the doorway (where we see him in Darnell/Wiegman) AND farther east on the steps (as there is evidence of in the Martin and Towner films). [I have since discovered that there was ANOTHER photographer on the steps with a larger TLR camera - the bright round light is much larger in diameter than that coming from PM's camera, and it has a reflective rectangular nameplate/decoration at the bottom of the faceplate that can be seen clearly in some screen captures made from the Towner film. Prior to this discovery, I thought it might be PM's little TLR and I hypothesized that the round light appear larger because the cameramen - Towner and Martin - were the farther away from it's source than Wiegman and Darnell; and that the light emitted from the reflex lense was spreading out in much the same fashion as the light and image from a projector appears larger the farther away the screen is moved]. I’m sure this is as clear as mud to you right now. I’ll explain...
It has to do with the characteristic and unique way the top “reflex” lens of the Imperial Reflex [or any TLR camera] reflects light back at anyone looking at the front of the camera when the sun or an artificial light is shining on it – it looks like a bright, perfectly round LED flashlight! This was something I discovered quite by accident doing research on this camera – I had no idea it had this unique characteristic. Unlike modern cameras we are used to which are called SLR – Single Lens Reflex cameras – which have just one lens, the Imperial Reflex camera is what’s called a TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) – it has 2 lenses. The bottom one takes the photo but it has a separate top lens aka the “reflex” lens which acts to reflect the view up into a top viewfinder screen one looks down into. To do this it has a mirror behind the top lens at 45 degrees. But not only does this mirror reflect the view up into the viewfinder – I found it also reflects light back out through the front lens creating a bright perfectly round light like a flashlight! You can only see this if it’s pointed in your direction – not if it’s angled away from you…. [See the 45 degree mirror behind the reflex lens inside a TLR. Go to 2:45: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VowUMYP3aE] …And yes, indeedy!!! I gasped when I found a bright, perfectly round light in the Martin film (without being able to see the outlines of PM) just as we can see in the Darnell/Wiegman stills. It is much larger in diameter, however, than that seen in the Darnell/Wiegman but it’s like a beam from a flashlight. It’s farther east on the top step near where Molina was standing … I can find no other source for this light seen in Martin and can’t imagine what else could be causing it if it’s not the reflection of light from the reflex lens (it’s definitely NOT the light up on the ceiling of the entryway, btw)… …In the Martin film the light is bright and perfectly round like an LED flashlight ...Why is it bigger? I am left with the hypothesis that its diameter is larger due to Martin being a further distance away from its source than Darnell and Wiegman. I’m not an optics expert - though I had my share of physics in college but that was 35 yrs ago –however, my educated guess is that the farther away one is from this lens the light reflection spreads out and appears to be larger due to the magnifying reflex lens in front. [Later I discovered it has to be a different, larger TLR with a larger reflex lens - not PM's camera - since one can clearly see a horizontal rectangular white/chrome nameplate or decoration near the bottom edge of the faceplate of the camera]. …In the meantime I think this is what is going on. Just as when you move a movie projector closer to the screen the image is smaller and the farther away you move it the bigger it gets. Here are a couple of optics schematics for the TLR: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/images/edex_phy_lens.jpg Here's an animated gif from the Martin film on the Unger site to show you what I’m talking about:
As I said, one can’t see PM [or rather, the other photographer] himself in Martin as one can in the Darnell/Wiegman PM stills. He is deep in the shadows here. However, in the enlargement N.B. there is a small whitish object just to the left (anatomical right) of the round white light which I think could be his right hand holding the camera, being illuminated slightly by sunlight. You have to enlarge the photo to see the “hand”. …In addition to finding this bright white light in Martin I also found it in Towner in the same basic area farther east on the top step! Rather than being perfectly round, however, it is a stretched out oval. IMO this is due to Towner and LHO panning their cameras to follow the limo as it passed them. Whether or not “LHO” is panning his camera, Towner is definitely panning his, so the whole Towner video has some motion blur which would stretch out this circle of light. Here is a still from Towner capturing the bright white light. [You can also occasionally see a smaller round white light which at times is also blurred and elongated – is this evidence of PM's smaller IR 620 in addition to the much larger white light from the TLR of the other photographer on the steps? I believe so.]:
Also in the Towner video if you pause the video repeatedly by quickly tapping on the spacebar, the successive frames show the white light becomes more oval/elongated as Towner’s camera pans to the left. : [I've uploaded manyTowner screen captures to a new ROKC photo file: "Prayer Man's Imperial Reflex 620 Proof". Please take a look!]
...If indeed, LHO was taking photos while standing right there next to Frazier et al can you imagine how nervous this would have made them? To know that they could have even been captured in some of HIS photos! The camera would HAVE to be disappeared and the photos would HAVE to be destroyed... It might seem a little (or a lot) off the wall at first to posit that LHO could be not only “with Bill Shelley out front,” just as he said he was, but that could have been taking pictures. But, if you keep an open mind and think about it, it is entirely consistent with everything we know about him: he loved JFK and he loved taking photos. One can imagine that if he knew JFK was coming by the TSBD he would want to capture a picture or two of the event. I’m not sure I believe Piper (or was it Jarman?) who reported that LHO asked him that morning about the motorcade and was told, purportedly for the first time, that it would be coming down Elm – that could be a lie to help cover up for the fact that he DID actually know about JFK’s motorcade and route and had, in fact, even brought his camera to take pictures of it. | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
Continued... In the meantime, Marcy emailed me the IR 620 dimensions I requested: IMPERIAL REFLEX 620 CAMERA - DIMENSIONS Height with viewing hood closed: 5 5/16" Height with hood open: 7" Depth of camera body (not including lenses): 3" Depth of camera body (including lenses) 3 1/2" Width of the front: 2 3/4" Diameter across the top lens: 27/32" Viewfinder on top/under hood: 17/16" square Big red film advance knob- protrusion from right side camera: 5/8" Big red film advance knob - diameter of base: 31/32" Big red film advance knob - diameter of face: 3/4" RATIO OF HEIGHT WITH HOOD OPEN TO WIDTH = 2.5454... I did more research using the dimensions and proportion I made to test my hypothesis and then emailed Greg and Gayle again the next day. Needless to say, I was just a wee bit excited! Subject: OMFG! I have proof it IS the Imperial Reflex! GAYLE, GAYLE, GAYLE!!!! & GREG, GREG, GREG!!!!, OMG!! I can’t believe it! I’ve pretty much proved PM is holding the Imperial Reflex using the dimensions the Imperial Reflex owner sent me today! No, I have proved it! First I made a ratio of the height (with the hood up) to the width of the Imperial Reflex using the actual camera dimensions. H/W = 7 inches/2.5 inches = 2.5454 Then I pulled up the clearest version I could find of the camera in a PM graphic – I used the one you said you could “see” the outlines of. I blew it up on my screen. Then measured the height and the width and turned it into a ratio. (You should have seen me doing this. To sort of stabilize the lines/edges of the camera for my eye to make it easier to measure, I used address labels and stuck them gently up on my laptop screen so I’d be able to peel them back off, then measured between the address labels. LOL! Am I dedicated, or what?!) Anyway...here is the result: 2-7/8 inches /1-1/8 inches = 2.875 inches/1.125 inches = 2.5555 !!!!!! Holy shit! That’s unbelievably close! Almost a 1:1 ratio – almost 1.0! 2.5454/2.5555 = 0.9960!! Then I did another one – this time the really blurry one I made (I’ve attached it so you know which one I’m talking about) – I had to blow it up bigger to see the edges. 4 inches /1-9/16 inches = 4/1.5625 = 2.56 !!!!!! Again... almost 1:1. 2.5454/2.56 = 0.9943 I’m on a roll... on top of that since the that photo is about a 3/4 sideview of PM holding his camera, with his right side to us, I went on a mission looking for the BIG RED Film Advance Knob on the right side of the Imperial Reflex above PM’s right hand. And...hold on to your hats! : I FOUND IT!!! See attached! Be aware it is very dim and blurry, I had to blow it up about 400% to bring it out...but let your eyes focus in on it and you WILL see it! It is freaking amazing! When I found it I almost cried! I included a handy dandy inset of an actual Imperial Reflex with an arrow indicating the knob for the pixilated-impaired! (Gayle...) [I uploaded it in the new ROKC photo file: "Prayer Man's Imperial Reflex 620 Proof". You'll have to enlarge it extremely - by holding down "CTRL" while rolling the mouse wheel forward slowly - you'll see nothing at first, then suddenly it will pop out at you!] Do you know what this means???!!!! He WAS taking pictures! IMO, this explains ALL the mystery and murkiness surrounding the disappearance and reappearance of the Imperial Reflex camera! That convoluted WC report about it was totally unbelievable and now we know why! I have no doubt the DPD Intelligence (Adamick, Senkel and their ilk) took it. Ripped the film out. And then either destroyed it or have it buried in some vault in DC for perpetuity! Buell Frazier, Shelley, Lovelady, Truly & Molina (at least) were standing right there by him, or in Truly’s case walked by him and knew him, and had to have known he was there and taking pictures with his camera! Lee Oswald was so, so framed! It’s sickening. Just had to share! Too bad you guys live in Texas and Down Under or we could open a bottle of champagne! END QUOTE Recently, I’ve been thinking about why the camera appears so black in most of the blowups. How could this be if his IR was silver? If it was silver why isn’t it reflecting some light back? There is a black model of the IR 620. It makes me wonder if he didn’t actually own a black one, and for whatever - as yet unknown - reason, it was replaced by the DPD or FBI with the silver one Robert Oswald allegedly “found”? I’m aware of the major problems with Marina Oswald’s veracity in her testimony but, is it possible this is why Marina said she thought the Imperial Reflex was black? One last thing... Buell Frazier you've got some 'splainin' to do!!! | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Moderator Posts: 1143 |
Fascinating!! And well worth waiting for. | |
|
-- "If God had intended for Man to do anything but copulate, He would have given us brains." - - - Ignatz Verbotham
| ||
|
Moderator Posts: 1915 |
Welcome Linda, great to have you around Very interesting post, going to dig deeper later today. The trick to post pix 1/ Upload to a (new) gallery 2/ Click on the pic or click show full size image 3 Rright click image / copy image url 4/ Go to post and use url for pic attachment Oh and Vivian Maier is one of my fave photographers, amazing body of work, great composition skills. I saw both docus, great stuff.
| |
|
-- _________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer Man The Movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0B8JhOe3KU Prayer Man website: http://www.prayer-man.com/ Prayer Man on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PMisLeeOswald
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
Thank you so much Terry! Glad you liked it! I duly noted your comment in the other PM thread about why I didn't post it long ago. Well, that got me going! | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
Thank you Barto! I couldn't figure out how to upload photos in my post - i tried to, but could only find the button to add a url "link" to an image. So i started uploading photos to the new PM/IR photo file hoping i would then somehow be able to insert them in my posts. Alas, that didn't work either. So i appreciate your help! If i had slept last night i would have thought of it eventually. | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Member Posts: 113 |
Hi Linda, Great stuff...
I’m on a roll... on top of that since the that photo is about a 3/4 sideview of PM holding his camera, with his right side to us, I went on a mission looking for the BIG RED Film Advance Knob on the right side of the Imperial Reflex above PM’s right hand. And...hold on to your hats! :
I FOUND IT!!! See attached! Be aware it is very dim and blurry, I had to blow it up about 400% to bring it out...but let your eyes focus in on it and you WILL see it! It is freaking amazing! When I found it I almost cried! I included a handy dandy inset of an actual Imperial Reflex with an arrow indicating the knob for the pixilated-impaired! (Gayle...) If you look at the movie clips/GIFs of PM there is one, where I posted some time ago, that it looks to me like PM may be winding something judging by the way his hands appear to be moving...I wonder... PS Welcome to the forum!!! EDIT: Found it here... http://www.reopenkennedycase.org/apps/forums/topics/show/13163914-prayer-man-gifs?page=4 | |
| ||
|
Member Posts: 179 | Great Post Linda. There's been some speculation that PM is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, I guess its impossible for him to be leaning and photographing at the same time. I'm on a phone but perhaps someone with a big monitor can use the above listed camera dimensions as a scale to estimate PM's height. Converting to centimeters, the camera is 17.78 by 6.35. If we can measure the length of PM's ulna bone running from elbow to wrist), we can extrapolate his height with this chart. http://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/must/must_page6.pdf | |
--
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
Thank you for the welcome Smee, and i'm glad you enjoyed my work! | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
Beowolf, thanks! Glad you liked it! He could be leaning up against the wall, to help steady himself i suppose, while taking pix. | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
I just realized in reading over my post that there is a broken link for the youtube video i posted showing the inner 45 degree mirror behind the reflex lens. Try this it works. Go to 2:45: | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Moderator Posts: 1239 |
Linda: It's great to finally meet you and to see your work! Stan. | |
| ||
|
Member Posts: 533 |
Welcome to the forum,Linda. Your research is very impressive.Enjoyed reading it. | |
| ||
|
Moderator Posts: 402 |
Hi Linda. It's great to see someone working to advance our understanding of the PM imagery. Your work is impressive. We all share a sincere hope for obtaining scans that will get the case reopened. Good luck to all in achieving that goal. | |
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
I thought about posting this post in a new thread, but it's closely related to the PM/Cameras topic at hand so i've decided to post it here. If anyone thinks it deserves it's own thread i'll be glad to move it or repost it - just let me know. I'm proficient on FB but am a newbie at forums and their intricacies and etiquette - so i'm open to guidance.
Between 46:00 and 54:30 Gary Mack repeatedly asks him about being out on the front steps, about who he was with and about CAMERAS! It was incredible! Mack was so repetitious about the camera questions and about who was standing up there near him that it really seemed to me that Mack KNOWS Oswald was out there and KNOWS he had a camera!!! It’s very interesting questioning. Why would he question him repeatedly about these things if he didn’t know or hadn’t heard from reliable sources that it was true?!! If it was just passing curiosity about the events of the day one or 2 questions about the people on the steps and about who had a camera would have been enough, and he would have taken Buell’s “no” answer at face value and moved on, IMO. Instead Mack made it a mini interrogation session! There were lots of nervous ticks, grammar meltdowns and heavy open mouth breathing (short of breath!)
“So these conspiracy theories that Lee Oswald was actually standing up there on the the steps with you and the other guys, is just SILLY, isn’t it?!”
Frazier says emphatically “Yes!” then goes on and on about the Altgens photo and how Lovelady isn’t Oswald, yada yada...
At 48:00 he is mouth breathing again. Gary Mack asks him: “When was the last time you SAW Lee?”
Around 51:30 Mack starts in on him with CAMERA questions!!!:
“Had you thought about bringing a camera?” Frazier said he didn’t even have one..yada yada.
“Maybe some of the others there in the crowd, maybe HE is, [sic] but if so I’m not aware of it.” Yada yada...then more and head scratching, mouth ticks, long pauses, “Ummms...” and lip licking.
Around 53:20:
“You were up there on the top step then. Was there anybody back there with you?”....
And again around 53:40:
“Was there anyone with a camera up where you were?”
Long pause again with the mouth tick ... then Frazier goes on and on again:
Finally around 54:00 in the guise of asking him a question Mack starts off telling Frazier who was out there with him:
“So you and Billy Lovelady and, who else was out in front there with you?” He replies:
“Bill Shelly and several of the other women from the offices was there”.
Mack then asks:
“So none of the other ORDER FILLERS were there with you?” [hmmm...like an order filler named LHO???]
He’s not having all these tics and heavy breathing during the non-radioactive parts of the interview – the questions about the steps and cameras nearly killed him!
| |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Moderator Posts: 1143 |
That's interesting... and in 2002, no less.
Could Gary have gotten this notion long before almost anyone else? It certainly seems like it... but then why didn't he do or say anything more about it?
After reading the rather long thread about reminiscences over at ED, it is rather hard to tell which way the man was leaning. But in 2002, it looks like he was leaning ON Frazier.
| |
|
-- "If God had intended for Man to do anything but copulate, He would have given us brains." - - - Ignatz Verbotham
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
Thank you, so much Jake! | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Member Posts: 273 |
Thanks Stan! It's great to meet you too! I lurked around the site the other night and read most of the other PM thread and was impressed by your posts! I also love your funny graphics! It's good to be here! | |
|
-- "This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ~ JFK, Civil Rights Speech, 6/11/63
| ||
|
Member Posts: 1 |
OMG Linda! You've done it!! The culmination of your hard work is even convincing to me who has no pixel analysis awareness at all! As you know, Buell Frazier and I are friends (Gary was even better friends with him) and I have asked him many times about Lee being on the steps. Each and every time he has answered with an emphatic "NO". I too have watched that video many times and I know in the early interviews, Buell has a hard time with being on camera, but I cannot dismiss your RN analysis of his answers. I'm so proud of you Linda! (and even more proud to be your friend) So....as you say Buell has some 'splaining to do but so do Shelley, Lovelady, Sarah Stanton and more. Also, why wouldn't LHO have just TOLD the authorities he was on the steps? That's what has always bothered me. If I were playing spy games and got caught in the crossfire of lies I would be singing to high heavens! Wouldn't you? I say you send this to Op-Ed so the world can see it! You have opened a new line of research, something we all should be striving to do but something you are actually doing. Brava my friend, not only with this, but with all the hard work you do to make the world a better place! Hugs, Gayle REOPEN THE JFK ASSASSINATION CASE IN TEXAS | |
| ||
|
Moderator Posts: 1411 |
Welcome to the forum, Linda! It's great to see you here. | |
| ||
You must login to post.