Nexus - 0306 - New Times Magazine-pages

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job...he was not only a well-educated and experienced movie man, but, additionally, in full knowledge of editing and produc- tion of documentaries. Evidence: filming the autopsy activities from various view angles,” said Col. Colman VonKeviczky, who studied at the UFA Film Academy in Berlin Babelsberg, was-head of the audiovisual division of the Royal Hungarian General Staff, cameraman and director of the 3rd US Anny at Heidelberg and member of the audiovisual department of the United Nations in New York.* eramen were on strike.‘ The cameraman agreed to be interviewed —_job...he was not only a well-educated and experienced movie by a major US TV network.! ‘ man, but, additionally, in full knowledge of editing and produc- In April 1996 Bob Shell was contacted by the US Air Force fol- _ tion of documentaries. Evidence: filming the autopsy activities lowing an enquiry from President Clinton's scientific adviser, Dr from various view angles,” said Col. Colman VonKeviczky, who John Gibbons. The USAF Captain told Shell that they had locat- _ studied at the UFA Film Academy in Berlin Babelsberg, was:head ed footage from the same stock in their archives and verified that of the audiovisual division of the Royal Hungarian General Staff, at least part of the Santilli material is genuine, and shows no —s cameraman and director of the 3rd US Army at Heidelberg and dummy and no human. They knew the cameraman's name—Jack = member of the audiovisual department of the United Nations in X—but asked Shell to forward an address, since the military | New York.* records building in St Louis had had a fire and many records had been lost. A search would be time-con- . : suming and expensive.® : 'f ‘ When we asked for details about The. USAF Captain told Shell that the crash site, we became convinced they had located footage from the that the cameraman indeed has an * * . excellent knowledge of the area in |» SAME stock in their archives and question. With Ray Santi as the verified that at least part of the intermediary—and Santilli did not soaps. aye 5 know anything about the area in | Santilli material is genuine, and question and insisted on calling | shows no dummy and no:human. Socorro "Sorocco"—he even described a ruined bridge that we could Jocate only on our third visit to used.° the area. He knew exactly what he was Leaders of 16 mm film were sent to talking about. Kodak Hollywood, London and Copenhagen and turned out to Although some have criticised the cameraman's technique in _ bear the symbols (a square and a triangle) used by Kodak either in the autopsy film, other military cameraman think this is exactly 1947 or in 1967.” the way they, too, would have filmed it. Two segments with three frames each, one clearly showing the "The cameraman keeps moving to get out of the way of the sur- autopsy room, were given to Bob Shell, editor of Shutterbug mag- geon and keeps trying to get the best perspective. The job of an _azine and also a phototechnical consultant for the FBI and the US army cameraman is to record a procedure on film, not to deliver courts. After a careful physical analysis, Shell confirmed the seg- beautiful pictures. And thal, here, is an adequate filmic protocol," _—_ ments to be pre-1956 16-mm film. In 1956 Kodak changed its said Dr Roderick Ryan, US Navy cameraman during the ‘40s and _film-base from acetate-propionate to triacetate, and the samples ‘50s who filmed many secret government projects including the were clearly on acetate-propionate film. The film type was Super atomic tests on Bikini Atoll.’ XX-Panchromatic Safety Film, a high-speed film used for indoor "Among these circumstances, no one could have made a better _— filming but which had a life-span of no more than two years, when cosmic radiation would cause a ‘fogging’ of the material. Shell is sure the film was exposed and developed within two years. This, at least, dates the film as pre-1958."' THE FILM STOCK Careful study of stills made from the original film and high-quality Betacam copies confirmed that the film was indeed shot on 16-mm mate- rial. The camera handling seen on the autopsy film indicates the use of a small, lightweight camera with fixed lenses (therefore, the out-of-focus close-ups), like the 16-mm Bell & Howell Filmo Camera used by US military cameramen in the '40s—the camera the cameraman claims he THE EQUIPMENT & OBJECTS IN THE AUTOPSY ROOM Everything in the film dates to the time in question. The telephone is an AT&T model from 1946,” and spiral cables had been optional since 1938 and standard for US Army telephones."? The wall clock is a model on the market since 1938,"* and the microphone is a 1946 Sheer Bros mike.'* The table with the instruments was standard equipment for a pathologist, as confirmed by Prof. Cyril Wecht, ex-President of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.'* The bone hammer was not unusual; nor was the Bunsen burner which, in autopsies, served the purpose of burning away body fat. . 62 « NEXUS OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1996