Hank Farmer
An African American Dealey Plaza bystander wearing a dark apron, who was called "Black Apron Man" or "Waving Man," was identified by Pat Speer as "Hank Farmer."
Speer's work can be found at https://www.patspeer.com/chapter-7b-more-pieces-in-the-plaza.
Here is what Speer says of this man:
Hank Farmer is a rarely-discussed witness who is presumed to have stood in the plaza on the south side of Elm. (11-22-63 FBI memo from Joe Pearce to Dallas Special Agent-in-Charge J. Gordon Shanklin. This memo was never forwarded to FBI headquarters, but was discovered by researcher Harold Weisberg in the Dallas FBI office's files, which he'd gained access to as a result of a FOIA lawsuit.) "Today at 5:36 PM, HANK Farmer, 2862 Toronto, telephone Melrose 7-1637, Dallas, Texas; telephonically contacted the Dallas FBI Office, and advised he was standing on the southeast corner of Elm and Houston Streets at the time when President KENNEDY was shot. He stated he saw KENNEDY hit by the bullet and felt that bullet entered KENNEDY's face. He stated he then saw Governor CONNALLY shot and this shot entered CONNALLY's back. FARMER stated therefore, it is his opinion that the two shots were fired by two individuals from opposite directions. FARMER stated he wishes to speak to an agent with this Bureau and states he will not talk to the Dallas PD." (A handwritten note at the bottom of this memo says "This man interviewed at Dal PD 11/22/63 by buagent and PD detective." This note is signed "C. Brown". Intriguingly, no record of such an interview exists in the FBI or DPD files.) (12-14-63 FBI report on a 12-12 interview, CD205 p.34) "Mr. Hank Farmer...advised he is a service station attendant at the Brock Station...on November 22, 1963, at approximately 12:15 P.M., he arrived at the Dallas County Courthouse to pay taxes. He was unaware that there was to be a presidential motorcade passing by. He waited in the park at the corner of Houston and Elm Streets and watched the motorcade come west off Main Street on to Houston Street and then west on Elm. He stated he saw President Kennedy appear to fall over in the car and then he saw Governor Connally also appear to fall over. He did not hear any shots fired and did not know what happened. There was confusion with many people running in all directions, and then the President's car drove off at a high rate of speed. Farmer stated that he did not know what happened but thought that both men had been shot; however, he did not hear any shots." Analysis: while Farmer's interpretations of the direction from which the shots were fired is interesting, he, apparently did not hear the shots themselves. As a consequence, his words carry little weight. Even so, it is intriguing that the FBI report failed to report Farmer's impression the head shot came from in front of Kennedy. That people started running after Connally fell into the car but before the limo sped off is also intriguing, as it re-affirms our impression that the crowd panicked after the fatal head shot, and not before. Too vague.
Now, in 2020, while going through this stuff for the one-millionth time, it suddenly hit me who Farmer was in the assassination photos and films, and where he was standing during the shooting. I mean, he would have to have been standing pretty close to Kennedy and Connally to note the reactions of the men to the shots, without actually hearing the shots, right?
As a consequence, I believe Farmer is the man in the light blue overalls on the south side of Elm, the man some have called "Clapping Man" due to his continuing to clap and look the other way as Kennedy and Connally rode past.
Here he is in a much-lightened frame from the Zapruder film. From this you can tell that he is a black man with gray hair.
An African American Dealey Plaza bystander wearing a dark apron, who was called "Black Apron Man" or "Waving Man," was identified by Pat Speer as "Hank Farmer."
Speer's work can be found at https://www.patspeer.com/chapter-7b-more-pieces-in-the-plaza.
Here is what Speer says of this man:
Hank Farmer is a rarely-discussed witness who is presumed to have stood in the plaza on the south side of Elm. (11-22-63 FBI memo from Joe Pearce to Dallas Special Agent-in-Charge J. Gordon Shanklin. This memo was never forwarded to FBI headquarters, but was discovered by researcher Harold Weisberg in the Dallas FBI office's files, which he'd gained access to as a result of a FOIA lawsuit.) "Today at 5:36 PM, HANK Farmer, 2862 Toronto, telephone Melrose 7-1637, Dallas, Texas; telephonically contacted the Dallas FBI Office, and advised he was standing on the southeast corner of Elm and Houston Streets at the time when President KENNEDY was shot. He stated he saw KENNEDY hit by the bullet and felt that bullet entered KENNEDY's face. He stated he then saw Governor CONNALLY shot and this shot entered CONNALLY's back. FARMER stated therefore, it is his opinion that the two shots were fired by two individuals from opposite directions. FARMER stated he wishes to speak to an agent with this Bureau and states he will not talk to the Dallas PD." (A handwritten note at the bottom of this memo says "This man interviewed at Dal PD 11/22/63 by buagent and PD detective." This note is signed "C. Brown". Intriguingly, no record of such an interview exists in the FBI or DPD files.) (12-14-63 FBI report on a 12-12 interview, CD205 p.34) "Mr. Hank Farmer...advised he is a service station attendant at the Brock Station...on November 22, 1963, at approximately 12:15 P.M., he arrived at the Dallas County Courthouse to pay taxes. He was unaware that there was to be a presidential motorcade passing by. He waited in the park at the corner of Houston and Elm Streets and watched the motorcade come west off Main Street on to Houston Street and then west on Elm. He stated he saw President Kennedy appear to fall over in the car and then he saw Governor Connally also appear to fall over. He did not hear any shots fired and did not know what happened. There was confusion with many people running in all directions, and then the President's car drove off at a high rate of speed. Farmer stated that he did not know what happened but thought that both men had been shot; however, he did not hear any shots." Analysis: while Farmer's interpretations of the direction from which the shots were fired is interesting, he, apparently did not hear the shots themselves. As a consequence, his words carry little weight. Even so, it is intriguing that the FBI report failed to report Farmer's impression the head shot came from in front of Kennedy. That people started running after Connally fell into the car but before the limo sped off is also intriguing, as it re-affirms our impression that the crowd panicked after the fatal head shot, and not before. Too vague.
Now, in 2020, while going through this stuff for the one-millionth time, it suddenly hit me who Farmer was in the assassination photos and films, and where he was standing during the shooting. I mean, he would have to have been standing pretty close to Kennedy and Connally to note the reactions of the men to the shots, without actually hearing the shots, right?
As a consequence, I believe Farmer is the man in the light blue overalls on the south side of Elm, the man some have called "Clapping Man" due to his continuing to clap and look the other way as Kennedy and Connally rode past.
Here he is in a much-lightened frame from the Zapruder film. From this you can tell that he is a black man with gray hair.
Hank Farmer, as Speer identifies him, is the near bystander on the far side of the car, looking behind the limousine towards the rest of the motorcade.
It's not Speer's analysis of Hank Farmer's accounts that's of as much interest as that reference to a bullet striking Kennedy's "face." Where in the face is not specified, but where else but the forehead?
The memo from Joe Pearce that Speer references above can be found at https://i0.wp.com/www.prayer-man.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FBI-Hank-Farmer-Nov-22-1963-BK-Malcolm-Blunt-Archives-scaled.jpg:
Hank Farmer, as Speer identifies him, is the near bystander on the far side of the car, looking behind the limousine towards the rest of the motorcade.
It's not Speer's analysis of Hank Farmer's accounts that's of as much interest as that reference to a bullet striking Kennedy's "face." Where in the face is not specified, but where else but the forehead?
The memo from Joe Pearce that Speer references above can be found at https://i0.wp.com/www.prayer-man.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FBI-Hank-Farmer-Nov-22-1963-BK-Malcolm-Blunt-Archives-scaled.jpg:
So what do we get from all this? Farmer saw the first two shots: the first one striking Kennedy "in the face" (the forehead entrance), and the second one striking Connally in the back.
Any "302" forms or other documents related to the 11/22/63 interview that occurred with apparently with FBI agent Joe A. Pearce and DPD Detective "C. Brown," as noted in the handwritten notation on the memo, does not seem to exist at this time. The 12/14/63 report based on a 12/12/63 FBI interview is too vague to say much of anything.
So where is that 11/22/63 interview report?
Probably hiding with, or destroyed with, the original Zapruder Film, the description of "street features" used to create the mic-placement diagram for the HSCA acoustical tests, Kennedy's brain, the original un-altered X-rays (remember that December, 1963 Secret Service "burn party"?)
Do you see why I'm so angry? And rather than coming clean, people like me get labeled as "Conspiracy Theorist Kooks"
Aaaaaggggggghhhhhhh!!!!
Any "302" forms or other documents related to the 11/22/63 interview that occurred with apparently with FBI agent Joe A. Pearce and DPD Detective "C. Brown," as noted in the handwritten notation on the memo, does not seem to exist at this time. The 12/14/63 report based on a 12/12/63 FBI interview is too vague to say much of anything.
So where is that 11/22/63 interview report?
Probably hiding with, or destroyed with, the original Zapruder Film, the description of "street features" used to create the mic-placement diagram for the HSCA acoustical tests, Kennedy's brain, the original un-altered X-rays (remember that December, 1963 Secret Service "burn party"?)
Do you see why I'm so angry? And rather than coming clean, people like me get labeled as "Conspiracy Theorist Kooks"
Aaaaaggggggghhhhhhh!!!!