GERMAN MAGAZINE ATTEMPTS TO TIE HOWARD HUNT/FRANK STURGIS TO THE DALLAS ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY.
Originator: CIA
From: CHIEF, E/G
To: O/DDO
Document date: 01/07/1975
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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104-10256-10277*

2023 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

7 January 1975

MENORANDUM FOR: 0/DDO (Attn: Mr. (Burns)

SUBJECT

:

German Nagazine Attempts to Tie Howard Hunt/

Frank Sturgis to the Dallas Assassination of

President Kennedy

1.

Recent publicity against CIA in the U.S. has stimu-

lated

the German weekly Der Stern to intensify previous

efforts to tie Howard Hunt

and Frank Sturgis to the Dallas

assassination of President Kennedy.08 According to (CASHAKER/1,

a cooperative senior editor of Stern, the magazine plans to

fly reporter Gera Heidemann to Dallas about 9 January for

The reporter working on the story at Stern,

Frank Heigl, claims to be in touch with "dissident CIA

staffers who were forced out after Dallas."

Heigl sup-

posedly picked up these contacts in Ankara and Frankfurt.

2. In October 1974, Der Stern paid Dallas photographer

Jack Beers $1,000 for copies of pictures he had taken of

persons being led away by the police from the book depost-

tory after the assassination of President Kennedy.

The naga-

zine was attempting to identify Watergate defendants Howard

Hunt and Frank Sturgis with persons shown in the Dallas

photographs to build up a story implying Hunt (and by

To buttress

this conjecture,

the magazine hired Professor Rainer Knuss-

mann of

the Anthropological Institute

of the University of

Hamburg to do a "scientific" comparison of the Dallas photos

with stock shots of Hunt and Sturgis. His findings are that

there is a high probability that Hunt and Sturgis could be

identical with two persons shown in the Dallas snapshots

translation on the

the matter should be pursued further.

A summary

translation of the Knussmann findings is attached.

03

Whites

J. Hahn

Chief,

E/G

Attachment:

As Stated, Herewith

E2 IMPDET

CL BY 057018

SECRET

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Officially Registered Court

•Expert

for Hereditary Biology

Prof. Di. Rainer Knussmann

Examining Laboratory

Duesseldorf, Markenstr.

5

TO:

ATTENTION:

TRANSLATION

The Editorial Board of the STERN

Frank P. Heigl

2 Hamburg 1

Pressehaus

SUBJECT:

Personnel Identification "Watergate" (Your reference

Number

FPH/RAD)

Dear Herr Heigl:

I refer to our conversation of 29/10/74 and your written

assignment of 5/11/74 and set forth in the following the

principles of poly-symptomatic resemblance analysis based

on

ANTHROPOLOGICAL IDENTITY EVALUATION

whether the persons, Frank Stergis and Howard Hunt are

identical to persons shown in comparative photographs.

A. Introduction

1.: Material

With your letter of 5/11/74 a-total-of-47 -

photographs in different formats and differing sharpness were

sent me.

After telephone re-querying with Frau Radiziwills

9 further photos were sent to me.

I have designated the

back sides, lower left, of these 56 shots with green symbols

with numbers where

different snapshots were in question.

I added small letters in cases where different enlargements

of detail from

the same snapshot were involved.

In the

following report I will refer to these designations of the

photos.

(Comment: the total report 1s 37 pages, ot

which onlv the introduction and conclusion

were provided. The translation commences

with page 35)

* Secretary at STERN.

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-2.

d. Conclusions

The given question about the identity of

Deergis and Hunt with the two designated persons on the

Site (DS) pictures can only be answered clearly to

the extent that a firm identity denial is not possible from

the photographic documentation placed at my disyosal. In

this connection there is a noticeable discrepancy in the

amount of protrusion of the ear in the photos of the man

who could be Hunt which, however,

fails by far to be suf-

ficient for a sure negative identification.

In all, the resemblance analysis with

respect to both persons led to a clear majority of positive

resemblance factors, which above all for Stergis were in

part very convincing.

Since it concerned a clearly estab-

lished similiarity in relatively rare distinguishing marks.

Because of the indifferent quality of the source photos

which handicaps a scientific comparison and because of

unsimiliarities which cropped up in the course of the

analysis--though these were nearly all of minor nature

--the total result is not adequate for the establishment

of an absolutely sure identity.

Such a result from photo

materials such as were furnished me is in principle very

diffic..lt to achieve.

symptoms

of identity neverthe-

less are so convincing that it must be advised

in any case

that the material be pursued further.

A successful identity

establishment could truly be expected if photos of Stergis

and Hunt, which should be obtainable, were prepared showing

the subjects

from the same head angle and under similiar

lighting as in DS photos.

The probable identity from the resemblance analysis

is given a special weight because the margin of error is

significantly reduced when both Hunt and Stergis are

analyzed in combination.

This is on the common sense ground

an accidental resemblance between Stergis or Hunt

on the one side and one of the persons shown in the DS pictures

would be understandable, there

very narror probability

that Sterois accidentally resembles one and Hunt accidentally

the other of both persons shown in the DS photos.

Possibly what is finally expected of me is a precise

probability quotient for the

possible identity of Stergis and

i Hunt

with.the.questioned persons

on the DS pictures.

Such

a numerical

probability estimate can certainly be produced

by mathematics

but would show a

to give a

•Preliminary evaluation I estimate that the verifie

false exactness.

resemblance between

Stergis and the questioned person il in

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- 3 -.

the DS photos has a probability of 0.1 (10% error, that is

• 90% for an identity). The similiar value for lunt

being

#2 I estimate at 0.3 (that is 30% chance of error

and 70% probability of identity). From this a theoretical

error probability for the combined results figures at only

0.03 (that is 3%, therefore, 97% probability).

In closing I should like to assure you that in prepa-

ration of this evaluation I have taken pains to work according

to the best conscience and knowledge without any political

presumptions. I hope I have served you with my evaluation

and send you

my sincere

respects.

Professor Dr. R. Knussmann

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