Arnold Rowland was a witness to the Kennedy assassination. He said that 15 minutes before the assassination, he saw a man on a six floor window, on the opposite side of the building as the supposed snipers nest with a rifle.

Here is his statement:

VOLUNTARY STATEMENT. Not Under Arrest Form No. 86
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
COUNTY OF DALLAS, TEXAS

Before me, the undersigned authority, on this the 22nd day of November A.D. 1963 personally appeared Arnold Louis Rowland, Address: 3026 Haggerly [sp?] St., Dallas, Texas, Age: DOB: 4-29-45, Phone No. FE 7 1861, POB: Corpus Christi, Texas.
Deposes and says:

I am a student at Adamson High School in Dallas, Texas. I am employed on weekends at the Pizza Inn located on West Davis Avenue in Dallas. At approximately 12:10 PM today, my wife Barbara and I arrived in downtown Dallas and took position to see the President’s motorcade.

We took position at the west entrance of the Sheriff’s Office on Houston Street. We stood there for a time talking about the security measures that were being made for the president’s visit in view of the recent trouble when Mr. Adelai [sic] Stevenson had been a recent visitor to Dallas. It must have been 5 or 10 minutes later when we were just looking at the surroudding [sic] buildings when I looked up at the Texas Book [cross-out — Suppository?] building and noticed that the second floor from the top had two adjoining windows which were open, and upon looking I saw what I thought was a man standing back about 15 feet from the windows and was holding in his arms what appeared to be a hi [sic] powered rifle because it looked like it had a scope on it.

He appeared to be holding this at a parade rest sort of position. I mentioned this to my wife and merely made the remark that it must be the secret service [sic] men.

This man appeared to be a white man and appeared to have a light colored shirt on, open at the neck. He appeared to be of slender build and appeared to have dark hair. In about 15 minutes President Kennedy passed the [cross-out] spot where we were standing and the motorcade had just turned west on Elm heading down the hill when I heard a noise which I thought to be a back fire [sic].

In fact some of the people around laughed and then in about 8 seconds I heard another report and in about 3 seconds a third report. My wife, who had ahold of my hand, started running and dragging me across the street and I never did look up again at this window.

This statement is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

/s/ Arnold L. Rowland

Subscribed and sworn to before me on this the 22nd day of Nov A. D. 1963/s/ Rosemary Allen , Notary Public, Dallas County, Texas

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth338653/

In “Reclaiming History” Bugliosi wrote that Arnold Roland’s tale of seeing a man holding a rifle “at parade rest” 15 minutes before the assassination shouldn’t be believed – and that such a statement was ridiculous. Bugliosi points out that people who knew Roland said he was a liar and exaggerator.
Further- some witnesses say there was an African American man seen in the so-called snipers window before the shooting started.

These 2 stories might seem to contradict the warren commission story.

But do they????

I like what Bill Brown said of this, that Oswald probably WAS on the opposite side of the 6th floor, waiting for (hoping that) the other man would leave. If not, maybe Oswald would have used a window on the other side of the sixth floor to shoot from.

And as far as Rowlands “ridiculous“ description of the man as being at “parade rest”. I found his FULL statement and what he actually said was he saw a man standing “at a parade rest kind of stance”. That could mean the man in the window was simply holding a rifle down at his side. Which isn’t ridiculous at all.

His wife’s affidavit:

Mr. BELIN. All right, you said you noticed a man across the street fainted.
Anything else that you and your husband noticed?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Well, my husband and I were talking about Mr. Stevenson’s
visit and the way the people had acted, and we were talking about security measures, and he said he saw a man on the sixth floor of the School Book Depository Building, and when I looked up there I didn’t see the man, because I didn’t know exactly what window he was talking about at first.
And when I found out which window it was, the man had apparently stepped
back, Mr.
because I didn’t BELIN. Which
see him.
window was it?
Mrs.
Mr. BELIN. As you face the building?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. It would be the window to the south side of the building?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Would it be on the eastern part of the south side or the western
ROWLAND. It
was the far left-hand window.
part of the south side?
Mrs. RowLA&‘~. West.
Mr. BELIN. Would it be the farthermost
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes; the farthermost west pair of windows.
Mr. BELIN. The farthermost west pair of windows. What did your
say to you?
west window?
husband
Mrs. Mr. Mrs.
ROWLAND. Well, we assumed that it was a Secret Service man. BELIN. But what did he say, if you remember?
ROWLAND. He told me that he saw a man there who looked like he was a rifle, and that it must be a security man guarding the motorcade.
holding
Mr. BELIN. Is there anything else that you can remember that he told you?
Mrs.
Mr.
Mrs.
Mr. BELIN. What do you mean “generally agree”? Did you see the man? Mrs. &W-ND. No; I didn’t see the man, but I said I guess that was what
it was.
Mr. BELIN. You mean you agreed that he must have been a security ofleer? Mrs. RO~LAX?D. Yes.
ROWLAND. No.
BELIN. What did you do when he told you that?
ROWLAND. Nothing. I just generally agreed with him.
181

Mr. BELJN. I notice you are not wearing glasses now. Do you wear glasses?
Mrs.
Mr.
Mrs.
Mr.
Mrs. ROWL4ND. No; I saw the window plainly, and I saw some people hang-
ing, looking out of some other windows, but he said that the man was stand- ing in the background.
Mr. BELIN. Did he say about how far back?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I think he said about 12 feet, I don’t know exactly.
Mr. BELIN. Did he say how much of the man he could see?
Mrs. ~OWLASD. Apparently he could see at least from the waist up, because
he said that the man was wearing a light shirt, and that he was holding the
ROWLAND. BELIN. Are
Yes; sometimes.
you near-sighted or far-sighted? ROWLAND. Near-sighted.
BELIN. Did
you have any trouble looking at this window?
rifle Mr.
at
a port arms position.
BELIN. Did he ROWLAND. He
say whether the man was Frhite or colored? said he thought he was white.
Mrs.
Mr. BELIN. Did he say whether the man was an old man or a young man? Mrs. ROWLAND. He said a young man.
Mr. BELIN. Did he say whether the man was fat or thin?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He said he was either tall or thin. I mean, if he was tall,
he could have been well built, but if he was not very tall, then he was thin. Mr. BELIN. Did he say whether or not the man had on a hat?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I don’t think he said whether he did or not. But if he had
seen a hat, I think
he would have said he say what color hair
so.
the man had?
was this
by
that he saw
~Mrs. ROWLAND.
Mr. BELIN.
Mrs. ROWLAND. Not that I remember, except that he was wearing a light
Mr.
Mrs. ROWLAND. Mr. BELIN.
Did
About this?
Did
BELIN.
I am not positive.
how
many minutes
before
the motorcade came
the the
center window. The windows nearer the center.
Mrs. BELIN. On some floor lower than the sixth floor, which you think was
Mrs. Mr. Mrs.
ROWLAND. BELIN. Did ROWLAND.
About the fourth
floor. something
About he say
15 minutes. anything else
about the man?
colored shirt or jacket.
Mr. BELIN. Did he say anything about any other people in any other windows? Mrs. ROWLAND. No; I don’t think so.
Mr. BELIN. Now, did you notice any other people standing in any other
windows or leaning
Mrs. ROWLAND.
Mr. BELIN. Later
Mrs. ROWLAND. I saw some people either earlier or later looking out the
windows.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember anything about any of the people you saw? Mrs. ROWLAND. Some of them were colored men. I don’t think I saw any
women.
Mr. BELIZV. Did you see any white men?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I am not positive.
Mr. BJSLIN. Do you remember WThere you saw any of these Negro men?
Mrs. ROWLAND. On a lower floor, about the fourth floor, I think, and nearer
out?
I am not sure if I did at that moment.
on?
fourth floor?
you and your We may have
husband said
comment
about about
these there
other men?
watching, Mr.
I am not sure.
BELIN. Did you particularly
sixth
floor
watch the
that you had seen or your husband had seen a person on the sixth floor?
Mrs. ROWLAND. We looked at it for a few minutes, but we didn’t look back, and when we heard the shots, we didn’t look back up there. I grabbed his hand and started running toward the car.
Mr. BELIN. Let me ask you this now. From the time that you saw or your husband said he saw a man on the southwest part of the sixth floor, which
182
being
other of
people the fact
because

you say was about 1.5 minutes before the motorcade came by, how much longer did you look back up at the building?
Just about 2 or 3 minutes. that?
Shout 2 minutes.
Mr. BELIN. SO that would be up to a time of about 13 minutes before the motorcade came by?
Mrs. RO~LXSD. Yes.
Mr. BF,LIN. Did you ever look back at the building after that period of time? Mrs. ROWLAND. I may have glanced at it, but I don’t remember looking
back for the purpose nf seeing the man.
Mr. BELIN. All right, or any man there?
Mrs. ROWLAKD. Any man there.
Mr. BELIN. What were you doing from the 13 minutes on before the motor-
cade came until the time it came?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Just talking and looking.
Mr. BELIN. Where were you looking?
Mrs. RO~LAXD. At the street and the other people. and we talked about
Mrs.
Mr.
Mrs.
hh. RELIN. You
Mrs. street
Mr. Mrs. Mr.
before anyone Mrs.
around at the
remember about seeing in the building, or did you talk any more about the man with the rifle?
ROWLAND. BELIN. Sfter
ROWLASD.
Mrs.
mean about 2 minutes after that time? ROWLAND. Yes.
some men who were carrying cameras.
Mr. BELIN. Sow when you were standing watchin,
a the motorcade or stand- ing watching the street scene, do you remember if your husband was to your
right or to your left? Was he closer towards the School Book Depository Building?
Mrs.
Mr.
Mrs.
Mr. BELIX. Talking to you?
ROWLASD. No; he was to my left most of the time, I think. BELIN. What was he doing?
ROWLAND. Just standing there talking.
Mrs.
Mr. BELIN. Do vou know whether or not if he ever looked back at the building? Mrs. ROWLAND.- I wouldn’t know for certain.
Mr. BELIS. Did he ever tell you he was looking back at the building?
ROWLAND. Yes.
Mrs.
Mr.
Mrs.
Mr. BELIN. Was he generally looking at you when he was talking with you?
ROWLAND. No.
BELIE’. Did ROWLAND.
you ever notice him looking back at the building? Not that I remember.
ROWLAND. Sot necessarily. or at the building.
BELIN. Or at anything?
the motorcade came by?
He might have been
looking
very much about what happened
ROWLAND. Yes.
BELIN. Anything else at
that place then that you Did your husband say
specifically anything
afterward. Mr. Mrs.
ROWLAND. I really don’t remember I mean it was just-
BELIN. I mean between, in the 15
minutes preceding the