The (Altered) Robert Croft Photo
Croft 3 from https://www.jfkassassinationgallery.com/displayimage.php?album=27&pos=8
Robert Croft purportedly took four pictures of the President’s motorcade from his position on Elm Street. The first of these cannot be found online. The second will be presented at the bottom of this article. The third is purported to be the well-known image above. The fourth—well, that one turned out blank.
Robert Croft was certain that he had snapped a picture at the instant of the (or “a”) head shot. Like a good citizen, he turned his undeveloped film over to the government authorities when it was known that the Secret Service, etc., were seeking any available pictures for their “investigation.” However, when Croft got his (developed) pictures back, one of them was blank—the head shot he was certain he had photographed. Croft was told that his “camera must have malfunctioned” when he took that one picture.
I don’t buy the camera malfunction story. I think it was just too difficult to alter, so it was made to disappear entirely.
According to the Powell Tribune newspaper article “Silent Witness: Powell native snapped famed JFK photo” (https://www.powelltribune.com/stories/silent-witness-powell-native-snapped-famed-jfk-photo,5102)
“(Croft) said he was winding his camera to get as many photos as possible. He took three, and was trying to snap a fourth when he heard a shot ring out in the concrete canyon of Dealey Plaza.
“Croft told Trask (Richard Trask, Pictures of the Pain) the photo was “taken simultaneously with the shot which killed the President,” according to the book.
“Then, the area was in pandemonium, he said.”
“Croft told Trask (Richard Trask, Pictures of the Pain) the photo was “taken simultaneously with the shot which killed the President,” according to the book.
“Then, the area was in pandemonium, he said.”
Aside from the quote that the photo was “taken simultaneously with the shot which killed the President,” the rest is not exact quotes from Croft, but taken from other sources. Croft himself “has chosen to remain silent about (the assassination) for the most part, and few local residents are aware of what he witnessed.” Aside from speaking to Trask, Croft declined to participate in numerous other interviews.
To quote the “Silent Witness” article:
To quote the “Silent Witness” article:
“According to the book, “Matrix for Assassination: The JFK Conspiracy,” Croft took a fourth photo at the scene. He believed it was snapped at the exact moment as sthe devastating head shot struck Kennedy.
“But when he received his photos back from the FBI, this slide was “a complete blank.”
“The FBI told him his camera appeared to have malfunctioned at that moment.”
Croft’s photos were first examined by the FBI, according to a Secret Service memo, after he turned his film over to the Denver FBI office.”
“But when he received his photos back from the FBI, this slide was “a complete blank.”
“The FBI told him his camera appeared to have malfunctioned at that moment.”
Croft’s photos were first examined by the FBI, according to a Secret Service memo, after he turned his film over to the Denver FBI office.”
Regarding the idea that the picture might have been altered, the article says this:
“Trask said he very much doubts the FBI tampered with the photo. Others, in the conspiracy-thick world of the JFK assassination, are not as convinced.
In that last section above, when “Trask said he very much doubts the FBI tampered with the photo,” who is the “he” who doubted the tampering? Grammatically speaking, the “he” would refer to “Trask,” not Croft. Which makes me want to know what Croft, the “Silent” witness, might have had to say about his pictures directly.
I myself am of the opinion that the photo was altered, for reasons I explain below. I wonder if perhaps the reason Croft remained the “Silent” witness was because he knew the photo had been altered. But that is my speculation. (One of the ways in which the cover-up was assisted was by the silence of witnesses who didn’t want to speak up against the government, perhaps out of fear of being labeled a “kook.” Again, this is my speculation of why Croft remained silent, but I believe it is correct.
Because here is what I see in the Croft photo, indicating alterations:
I myself am of the opinion that the photo was altered, for reasons I explain below. I wonder if perhaps the reason Croft remained the “Silent” witness was because he knew the photo had been altered. But that is my speculation. (One of the ways in which the cover-up was assisted was by the silence of witnesses who didn’t want to speak up against the government, perhaps out of fear of being labeled a “kook.” Again, this is my speculation of why Croft remained silent, but I believe it is correct.
Because here is what I see in the Croft photo, indicating alterations:
Roy Kellerman:
Just look at Kellerman’s head and neck. Did you ever see such an oddly shaped head and neck? Try looking at a friend from a similar perspective. Can you maneuver yourself or your friend to any angle where you can see an image like this, going from the left ear to the base of the neck, angling inward like this as the image moves down? Kellerman’s neck doesn’t fill his collar properly. The right side of the head looks good, but the left side…does not.
And what’s with the reflection in the window below Kellerman? A bystander looking to the left ahead of the car, when the main attraction (the President) is behind Kellerman, to the right?
And what’s with the reflection in the window below Kellerman? A bystander looking to the left ahead of the car, when the main attraction (the President) is behind Kellerman, to the right?
Governor Connally:
Here, I’ve blocked the left side of Connally’s head to illustrate that with the outline of his right ear that is visible in the image, Connally should be looking to the right! Especially with the way he is leaning forward in his seat. Connally said that he turned to the right immediately after the first shot, and was in the process of turning to his left, just to the left of facing center, when he felt the impact of the bullet that hit him. I think that in the original image, Connally was in the process of turning to his right, with the back of his head facing the camera.
I’m not sure what the light-colored dot in his head above the middle of the collar is supposed to be, but it doesn’t make any sense here.
I also see some vertical lines, one running just where the right edge of his neck is, to the top of the head, and one running more or less parallel to it, running to the right of the ear, just off of the body. Whether those are artifacts, or exactly what they are, I can’t say. But I’m pretty sure Connally was pasted into the image via composite editing.
I’m not sure what the light-colored dot in his head above the middle of the collar is supposed to be, but it doesn’t make any sense here.
I also see some vertical lines, one running just where the right edge of his neck is, to the top of the head, and one running more or less parallel to it, running to the right of the ear, just off of the body. Whether those are artifacts, or exactly what they are, I can’t say. But I’m pretty sure Connally was pasted into the image via composite editing.
Jacqueline Kennedy:
Something seems “off” with Jackie. The forehead over her left eye looks bulbous, and there is a white-ish pinwheel shape at the top-right ecge of her forehead bulge. Above that, the texture of her hat changes, from what looks like a relatively smooth fabric, to a very “bumpy” fabric. Her left arm likewise undergoes a sudden change from a smooth-appearing fabric, to a darker “bumpy” fabric. The edge where her hat meets her hair seems to take a downward dip that does not match the previous arc of the hat/hair line. Her throat looks odd, too, as if she has premature “crepe” age lines.
The President:
Now we come to The Man himself. I’ve included the area behind him, because what is that black cloud behind his head?
In addition to that odd “black cloud,” there are a number of odd features on the man himself—including the fact that he has no features. Where is his eye? His nose might be blocked by Jackie’s hair, but check out his jaw line and his neck. The sun should be shining on him fully, and there would certainly have been some shading, but that “less than” sign (<)mwhere his jaw meets his neck is just…odd. There is a dark line above the white line of his shirt collar, giving his neck the appearance of having a “fat roll.”
The back of his head seems to have an odd appearance, as well. I am certain that the blow-out hole was on the right side, not so much the left, but maybe there was a scalp tear that was being covered up?
The back of his head seems to have an odd appearance, as well. I am certain that the blow-out hole was on the right side, not so much the left, but maybe there was a scalp tear that was being covered up?
Croft 2:
The famous image attributed to Croft is purportedly the third photo that he took. Number 4 was purportedly the head shot, the one where his “camera must have malfunctioned.” Croft photo number 1 doesn’t seem to exist on Internet space, anywhere. However, Croft 2 does. Finally, let’s take a look at the difference in quality between the above image, and the one below, purportedly taken just before the Croft 3 image.
Here is Croft 2:
Here is Croft 2:
Croft 2 from https://www.jfkassassinationgallery.com/displayimage.php?album=27&pos=3
Since the limousine is at the beginning, rather than the end, of its turn onto Elm Street, I have no reason to suspect that this picture was altered. Both are supposed to have come from the same camera, just seconds apart, on the same roll of film. But look how drastically different the quality of the color is between the two pictures. In Croft 3, the colors are more vibrant; here, they’re more muted. In Croft 3, the light seems evenly distributed top to bottom. Here, there is a dark streak across the body. Do I think the two images came from the same roll of film only seconds apart? Hell, no. Although Croft 2 might be authentic, I’m convinced that Croft 3 is the product of photographic forgery.
So that’s what I see. Just as Linda Willis was certain that one of her father’s images had been “physically altered because something showed in it that the Secret Service did not want known,” I am certain that the Croft image was altered.
So that’s what I see. Just as Linda Willis was certain that one of her father’s images had been “physically altered because something showed in it that the Secret Service did not want known,” I am certain that the Croft image was altered.