Tink Thompson on Umbrella Man

I think it would be very uncomfortable if not impossible to sit in that position with a large radio tucked into a pocket or pants. The side shot of DCM does not show any such device beside him. If it is a radio, it must be in between TUM and DCM.

What could have been so urgent to require radio communication at that time after the assassination?

Why wouldn’t DCM at least collapse the antenna before walking around with it?

If TUM was covertly photographing the assassination, what use would it be?

One of the video clips I linked to above shows DCM (I’m pretty sure it’s him) walking across the grassy field south of Elm. He has a strange gait which suggests he had some kind of injury or was somewhat older. Of course, If I had a large radio with extended antenna in my back pocket, I’d probably walk funny as well.

greg_parker wrote:

Re communications.

If in 1963, if you wanted to communicate updates to someone interstate in real time using something other than a normal phone, how would you do that?

Re communications:
One practical approach that would have been within the reach of a local radio station's technical ability would have been to purchase a lease from the phone company on a dedicated phone line effective for a specified number of hours or days that would be patched through by the phone company from point A to point B anywhere in the US. Any audio equipment that looked like a 600 ohm termination to the phone line (same as a regular phone) could be connected on either end.This could be a microphone with amp, amp and speaker, tape equipment, radio equipment, whatever.

So the phone line termination point would be a fixed location in a building somewhere. Local radio equipment/ walkie talkie could then be connected to the phone line with a hand held  device carried by the roaving operative. While the phone line would have a duplex capability (two way voice simultaneously), because of the radio, the link would effectively be simplex (say "over" after each statement) or simply a one way narrative from the radio operative to whoever is listening in CA or wherever. This kind of an arrangement was in common usage.

Jake_Sykes wrote:

greg_parker wrote:

Re communications.

If in 1963, if you wanted to communicate updates to someone interstate in real time using something other than a normal phone, how would you do that?

Re communications:
One practical approach that would have been within the reach of a local radio station's technical ability would have been to purchase a lease from the phone company on a dedicated phone line effective for a specified number of hours or days that would be patched through by the phone company from point A to point B anywhere in the US. Any audio equipment that looked like a 600 ohm termination to the phone line (same as a regular phone) could be connected on either end.This could be a microphone with amp, amp and speaker, tape equipment, radio equipment, whatever.

So the phone line termination point would be a fixed location in a building somewhere. Local radio equipment/ walkie talkie could then be connected to the phone line with a hand held  device carried by the roaving operative. While the phone line would have a duplex capability (two way voice simultaneously), because of the radio, the link would effectively be simplex (say "over" after each statement) or simply a one way narrative from the radio operative to whoever is listening in CA or wherever. This kind of an arrangement was in common usage.

Yes Jake,

but the caveat on all of this would have been the size of the equipment used to do this portably.

If in 1963, if you wanted to communicate updates to someone interstate in real time using something other than a normal phone, how would you do that?


I'll have a look at this but I suspect it would have been almost impossible in '63 especially for a person off the street. Having said that who would've thought they could've linked live video back to earth from the moon in '69. Bless the Ozzies hey.

Thanks Jake and Mick.

Let me clarify further - it would not necessarily have to be someone on the street.

But it would have to be someone with the ability to get updates on the progress of the motorcade and the ability to get that info to someone in California in real time without it being via a telephone.

I had always thought it was interesting how they just sat down after it all happened. They had to have seen the gore mere feet away from them, yet they just sit down, looking around with poker faces. I highly doubt the black guy had any communication equipment on him.

It'd be much easier to put someone in a window blocks from the shooting with a pair of binoculars and then go to a pay phone nearby to report. Or the shooters themselves to report back. There'd really be no need to have someone that obvious wired up and giving live updates.

greg_parker wrote:Thanks Jake and Mick.

Let me clarify further - it would not necessarily have to be someone on the street.

But it would have to be someone with the ability to get updates on the progress of the motorcade and the ability to get that info to someone in California in real time without it being via a telephone.

Glad to Greg. I took 'no phone' to mean, not a traceable, traditional telephone. The dedicated line could be contracted covertly and covered up. The phone company no doubt kept two sets of books, that is if it was on a set of books at all. Anyway, beyond any such brand of phone line, it would I believe have had to be a military link of some kind. Not sure exactly what they had at the time but certainly something to span TX to CA.

Or.... a chain of shortwave radios. Not sure how far short wave could get at that time of day, but whatever the distance, that would be the spacing needed to get there via repeater stations.

My previous reply seemed to disappear into the aether.

One reason for wanting instant, firsthand information that the assassination was a success (definite kill) would be to short the stock market. Trades were not executed as swiftly in 1963 as today. By 30 minutes it would be too late. You might not be able to get this confirmation with binoculars from a window.

Several airline stocks were shorted prior to 9/11. The Securities and Exchange Commission investigated but did not find anything suspicious. I understand they then destroyed their records of the investigation.

If TUM and DCM had foreknowledge of the assassination, they showed better discipline than the guys who arrived with cameras (pre-smart phone days) at Liberty Park across the Hudson River from the WTC and took photos of each other celebrating with the burning towers in the background. Their celebration attracted the attention of neighbors who called the police. Eventually they were found and arrested. FBI released their report on the incident with confiscated photos with the faces redacted. Several of the neighbors stated that the celebrants arrived between 30 minutes and and hour before the first tower was hit indicating possible foreknowledge.

So I wouldn’t be surprised at all if TUM and DCM were there to taunt and possibly photograph the assassination.