Marrion L. Baker
Marrion Lewis Baker was part of the motorcade, he was one of escorting motorcycle police officers. His position was further behind the Presidential Limo near the three camera cars. He becomes famous for being captured by two camera men Malcolm Couch & James Darnell while running towards the Texas School Book Depository. The footage ends with Baker just about to reach the pavement in front of the TSBD.
Marrion Baker claimed in his WC testimony that upon seeing the birds fly off the roof of the TSBD, DPD patrolman Marrion L. Baker parked his motor cycle next to the pavement on the corner of Main and Elm and dashed towards the front steps of the building. This movement was recorded by Couch and Darnell.
Here is Baker on the evening of the 23rd, the second floor lunch room encounter has been official for at least 6 hours. Baker looks like he cannot bear to look at him as becomes evident in the video below.
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Baker’s handwritten statement on Nov 22nd mentions the 3rd or 4th floor about an encounter with an individual and who Truly vouched for. Most researchers point out this anomaly which doesn’t get repeated at all at any later date. What is being omitted is the fact that Baker signed the statement in a typed version as well, therefore reconfirming his encounter on the 3rd or 4th floor of the TSBD. Therefore this 3rd/4th floor encounter cannot be discounted that easily.
What also needs to be taken into consideration is that a 4th floor encounter is not very likely since Dorothy Garner was near the stairs, after Victoria Adams and Sandra Styles had descended them. That is unless someone else descended from higher up, coming down and being confronted by Baker and Truly and Dorothy Garner testified to this and it has been suppressed, but there is no evidence of this whatsoever. The only thing that can be accounted for is that Dorothy Garner saw Baker and Truly come up after Victoria Adams and Sandra Styles had gone down.
Baker does the re-enactment for the Warren Commission which is an utter shambles, according to the report: In an effort to determine whether Oswald could have descended to the lunchroom from the sixth floor by the time Baker and Truly arrived Commission counsel asked Baker and Truly to repeat their movements from the time of the shot until Baker came upon Oswald in the lunchroom. . . . On the first test, the elapsed time between the simulated first shot and Baker’s arrival on the second-floor stair landing was one minute and 30 seconds. The second test run required one minute and 15 seconds.
A test was also conducted to determine the time required to walk from the southeast corner of the sixth floor to the second-floor lunchroom by stairway [Oswald could not have used the elevator.]. . . . The first test, run at normal walking pace, required one minute, 18 seconds; the second test, at a “fast walk” took one minute, 14 seconds. (R152)
From the Couch and Darnell films we know that Baker did not park his bike and ran towards the front steps of the TSBD 10/15 seconds after the final shot. If you study the re-enactment by the Secret Service of Oswald’s supposedly descend to the 2nd floor lunchroom then anyone can note that this is being done at the most leisurely pace ever! FF to 22:12:
Below is Baker’s paperwork.
The affidavit that is taken down by the FBI the day before the Warren Report is presented to LBJ by the Warren Commission is another startling piece, and why would anyone do this at such a late notice unless they are scared and need to cover their rear end….. The threat of the 2nd floor lunchroom encounter lie being exposed made them come up with this, even after Baker’s Warren Commission testimony.
- In his first affidavit he mentions an encounter on the 3rd or 4th floor. He makes no mention of a lunchroom, instead describing the encounter in an open area.
- Baker’s statement is typed up and signed by him. He had plenty of time to think it over when signing the typed up statement.
- Lee Oswald is in view of Baker while his statement is taken, at no time does Baker point him out as the man he encountered on the 3rd / 4th floor.
- Marvin Johnson who takes Baker’s statement writes in his report On about the 4th floor Officer Baker apprehended a man that was walking away from the stairway on that floor.
- The day before the Warren Report is presented to Lyndon Johnson the FBI write down another statement and in this he cannot keep his facts straight “or third floor” and “drinking a coke” are stricken through with Baker’s initials above them.
Major Starvis Ellis, who rode in the front of the motorcade relayed his talks after the assassination with and he said
This officer (as told by ELLIS) stated he was directly under the building when the shots. were fired. They blocked the main, entrance and after the supervisor arrived he started up the stairs. The building was the Book Depository. Upon going up the stairs, he and the supervisor encountered someone on either the third or fourth floor. This person was drinking water from the water cooler — he did not stop because the supervisor advised the officer that the man was en employee. MAJOR ELLIS stated this officer later identified the man by the water cooler as LEE HARVEY OSWALD!
Baker’s testimony in front of the Warren Commission went of the record 5 times no less.
There are some telling bits during Baker’s Warren Commission testimony.
The first bit with regards Oswald, during his interrogation and what he was wearing.
Representative BOGGS -Let me ask one other question. You later, when you recognized this man as Lee Oswald, is that right, saw pictures of him?
Mr. BAKER – Yes, sir. I had occasion to see him in the homicide office later that evening after we got through with Parkland Hospital and then Love Field and we went back to the City Hall and I went up there and made this affidavit.
Mr. BELIN – Now, you did see him later at the police station, is that correct?
Mr. BAKER – Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN – Was he wearing anything that looked like Exhibit 150 at the police station?
Mr. BAKER – He did have a brown-type shirt on that was out.
Mr. BELIN – Did it appear to be similar to any clothing you had seen when you saw him at the School Book Depository Building?
Mr. BAKER – I could have mistaken it for a jacket, but to my recollection it was a little colored jacket, that is all I can say.
Mr. DULLES – You saw Oswald later in the lineup or later
Mr. BAKER – I never did have a chance to see him in the lineup. I saw him when I went to give the affidavit, the statement that I saw him down there, of the actions of myself and Mr. Truly as we went into the building and on up what we are discussing now.
(At this point Senator Cooper entered the hearing room.)
Mr. BELIN – Officer Baker
Mr. DULLES – I didn’t get clearly in mind, I am trying to check up, as to whether you saw Oswald maybe in the same costume later in the day. Did you see Oswald later in the day of November 22d?
Mr. BAKER – Yes, sir; I did.
Mr. DULLES – Under what circumstances? Don’t go into detail, I just want to tie up these two situations.
Mr. BAKER – As I was in the homicide office there writing this, giving this affidavit, I got hung in one of those little small offices back there, while the Secret Service took Mr. Oswald in there and questioned him and I couldn’t get out by him while they were questioning him, and I did get to see him at that time.
Mr. DULLES – You saw him for a moment at that time?
Mr. BAKER – Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN – At the time you got up there was there any elevator on floor number two that you can remember, if you can remember? Maybe you cannot remember, I don’t know.
Mr. BAKER – Evidently–now, I didn’t look, evidently it wasn’t because it seemed to me like the next floor up Mr. Truly said let’s take the elevator.
Baker says they got the elevator one floor above where the encounter occurred. The elevator was on five, as stated. Even tho Belin specifically mentions the second floor, Baker places the encounter one floor below where they caught the elevator. The fourth floor. This creates another issue: Dorothy Garner who stayed on that very same floor and was near the stairs. In the Martha J. Stroud document there is no mention of this and her actual testimony is nowhere to be found.
Marrion Baker in The Men Who Killed Kennedy.
Jerry D Rose writes an article for the Third Decade Magazine in Sept 1984, in this he heavily questions Baker’s run.