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The JFK Assassination EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963 1 JFK BIOGRAP HY 2 THE P RES IDENT A RRIVES IN DA L L AS 3 THE MOTORCADE 4 S HOTS RING OUT 5 RAC ING TO PAR K L A N D H O SPITA L 6 HIS TORY OF THE T E XAS SC H O O L B O O K D E PO SIT O RY 7 THE S US P EC T 8 AN OFFIC ER DOW N . . . . T H E M URD E R O F J. D . T IPPIT 9 OSWALD FLEES A N D IS C A PT URE D 10 THE P RES IDENT IS D E A D 11 OSWALD IN C US T O DY 12 THE MURDER OF O SWA L D 13 OSWALD’S AS SASSIN : JAC K RUBY 14 THE WARREN CO M M ISSIO N 15 OTHER INV ES TIGAT IO N S 16 CONS P IRACY TH E O RIES
DESIGN & PRINTED BY
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The JFK Assassination (702)720-7974
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
JFK BIOGRAPHY J
ohn Fitzgerald Kennedy was born May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. His father, Joseph Kennedy, was an ambassador
to Great Britain as well as a businessman who some viewed as controversial. Young John Kennedy attended the private school, Choate, and graduated from what was known as Harvard College in 1940. John Kennedy, nicknamed “Jack”, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He commanded the patrol boat, PT-109, and led his crew to rescue after the boat was sunk by the Japanese in the Solomon Islands. “JFK”, as he was known, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts’ 11th district in 1946. In 1952, he defeated Henry Cabot Lodge moving up to the U.S. Senate. Senator Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier on September 12, 1953. The couple had two children; Caroline born in 1957 and John Jr. born in 1960. JFK was nominated by the Democratic Party to oppose Richard M. Nixon in the presidential race of 1960. Kennedy’s youthful charm, wit and vigor helped him win a narrow victory over Nixon. Jack Kennedy suffered from back trouble most of his adult life. While recovering from two serious back operations, Kennedy wrote “Profiles in Courage” which won the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for biography.
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The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
THE PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN DALLAS The day is Friday, November 22, 1963. President and Mrs.
rides in an armored limousine. There are three rows of seats
Kennedy and their party arrive aboard Air Force One at
in the President’s Lincoln convertible. In the front row are
Love Field, Dallas, Texas at 11:40am c.s.t. It had rained
two longtime Secret Service agents, William Greer, the
earlier in the day but now the skies are clear and sunshine
driver and Roy Kellerman. The middle row is comprised of
abundant. The temperature is 68 degrees. A crowd of about
two jump seats with Governor Connally sitting in front of the
2,000 wellwishers witnesses Air Force One touch down.
president while Nellie is seated in front of Jackie Kennedy.
This is the first time a U.S. president has visited Dallas since
The motorcade is ready to proceed to the Trade Mart by way
1948. Mrs. Kennedy emerges from a rear door in the plane
of downtown Dallas. The time is 11:55am.
wearing a pink Chanel suit and matching pillbox hat. Just a couple steps behind comes the President. Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson and wife, Lady Bird, are waiting on the tarmac to greet the President and First Lady of the United States of America. Governor John B. Connally of Texas and his wife, Nellie, join the Kennedys for the motorcade that will wind through residential neighborhoods into downtown Dallas and then on to the International Trade Mart where the President ultimately is to address a luncheon gathering of business people and civic leaders. The presidential party 5
THE MOTORCADE
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The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
The presidential motorcade through Dallas consists of 1
Secret Service do not want to make any stops nevertheless
motorcycle policemven, a lead car, the presidential car, - the
the President instructs them to do so on two occasions. As
presidential follow-up car, the vice-presidential J: car, the
the motorcade approaches downtown, a throng of spectators
vice-presidential follow-up car and five cars with dignitaries
greet the President. The Secret Service has their hands full
including Texas congressmen and the mayor of Dallas. The
keeping the crowds away from the presidential limousine. The
precise route of the motorcade is well known. The afternoon
plan is to proceed through downtown Dallas via Main Street.
edition of the Dallas TimesHerald of November 19, 1963
Houston Street awaits which marks the beginning of Dealey
spells out the route in d etail. Here is the exact description
Plaza. The motorcade turns right on Houston Street toward
of the route from the TimesHerald on the 19th: “From the
Elm Street where the Texas School Book Depository sits on the
airport, the President’s party will proceed to Mockingbird
corner. Shortly thereafter, the President’s limousine makes a
Lane to Lemmon and then to Turtle Creek, turning south
120-degree turn left on Elm Street to gain access to Stemmons
to Cedar Springs. The motorcade will then pass through
Freeway and on to the Trade Mart.
downtown on Harwood and then west on Main, turning back to Elm at Houston and then out Stemmons Freeway to the Trade Mart.” The motorcade travels about 25 miles per hour through the lightly populated outskirts of the city. The 7
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The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
SHOTS RING OUT S
hots are heard in Dealey Plaza exactly at 12:30pm local
Stemmons Freeway sign, the second shot to hit the President,
time. This is well documented because several witnesses
the fatal head shot, is visible on the now-famous Zapruder film.
note the time they hear the shots by the large electric clock
At the time the President is shot, Governor Connally visibly
on top of the school book depository, the location from
reacts to being hit as well. He sustains injuries by bullet wound
which many people think the shots originate. The President’s
to his back, the right side of his chest, his right wrist and his
limousine is moving about 11 miles per hour as it proceeds
left thigh. The President slumps forward as he is hit by the first
down Elm Street toward the triple overpass. President Kennedy
shot. He lists toward his wife to his left as she moves toward
is first struck in the back of the neck and in seconds is hit by a
him. When the fatal second shot hits, witnesses see Jackie
mortal rifle shot to the head, witnessed by many spectators who
Kennedy crawl onto the trunk of the presidential car. Special
stand along Elm Street and in Dealey Plaza. Pandemonium
Agent Clinton J. Hill tries successfully to mount the back of the
ensues. Some think they hear firecrackers or a car backfiring.
car. He pushes the First Lady back into her seat. Mrs. Kennedy
But most know these are rifle shots. Many scream. Many
would say later that she did not remember crawling out onto
run for cover. Many fall to the ground. One man, amateur
the trunk and coming close to falling off.
photographer, Abraham Zapruder, is filming the motorcade as the President is being shot. Although the first bullet to strike Mr. Kennedy is blocked from Zapruder’s view by the
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THE SUSPECT Lee Harvey Oswald was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 18, 1939 just two months after his father’s death. His mother was Marguerite Claverie Oswald. Lee had two older brothers. One was John Pic, a halfbrother from his mother’s
RACING TO PARKLAND HOSPITAL
previous marriage. The other, Robert Oswald, was a full brother who was five years older than Lee. At age 3, Lee was placed in an orphanage with his two brothers. A year later, his mother took Lee out of the orphanage and moved him to Dallas along with his two brothers. Lee Oswald started school in Benbrook, Texas but after his mother separated from her third husband, Lee was transferred to first grade in Covington, Louisiana. As Lee’s mother attempted to reconcile, the family moved to Fort
Secret Service Special Agent and limousine driver, William Greer, hears what he thinks is backfire from the police
Worth, Texas while Lee was still in the first grade. This pattern of instability in Lee Oswald’s young life continued when he
motorcycles. When he hears it again he knows something is wrong. Immediately he steps on the gas. Just seconds before, fellow agent and passenger, Roy Kellerman, hears the President utter, “My God I am hit”. Kellerman radios ahead to the lead car, “We are hit. Get us to the hospital immediately”. Governor John Connally, believing he is mortally wounded, is heard to cry out, “Oh, no, no, no. My God, they are going to kill us all”. Hearing word from Kellerman that the President has been hit, Chief of Police Jesse E. Curry and police motorcyclists lead the way to the hospital. The distance from Dealey Plaza to Parkland Hospital is approximately four miles. Agent Greer drives the presidential car at speeds of 70-80 miles per hour down Stemmons Freeway and arrives at the entrance to Parkland at about 12:35pm. President Kennedy and Governor Connally are wheeled in immediately. 10
The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
was twelve years old. His mother moved him to New York
30, 1961. Lee and Marina requested permission to leave the
City where Lee began having serious problems in school. Lee
Soviet Union together for the United States and on June 1,
refused to go to school and this chronic truancy landed him at
1962 they finally left Moscow. Oswald’s work history in the
Youth House, an institution for troubled teens. Lee exhibited
U.S. was spotty at best. He could never hold a job for long and
serious emotional and psychological problems. Social workers
always showed disdain for authority while at the same time not
assigned to his case described him as “seriously detached”
getting along with fellow employees. He and his wife fought
and “withdrawn”. When Lee was 14, his mother moved him
constantly and separated often. On April 6, 1963, Oswald lost
back to New Orleans. Lee Oswald dropped out of high school
his job at a photography firm and four days later attempted
and entered the U.S. Marines on October 24, 1956. Those in
to assassinate Major General Edwin A. Walker, an avowed
the military described him as a loner. In November of 1957,
anti-communist, at the Major’s home in Dallas. The enigmatic
he shot himself with a derringer and was courtmartialed. In
Oswald has always been at the center of the assassination
June of 1958 he was court-martialed again for fighting with
of President Kennedy whether you believe he was the lone
a sergeant. On September 11, 1959, Lee requested to be
gunman, a co-conspirator who was used as a patsy, or whether
released from active duty. Though not an expert with the M-1
you believe he was completely innocent. The lone assassin
rifle, Oswald did qualify once as a sharpshooter and once
theory is based on the premise that Oswald was a disturbed
as a marksman. Oswald began to embrace Marxism and on
individual. Lee Harvey Oswald died November 24, 1963 at
October 16, 1959 he traveled to Moscow for the first time. He
Parkland Hospital, Dallas after being gunned down by Dallas
obtained a visa and later applied for Soviet citizenship but was
nightclub owner Jack Ruby as he was being transferred from
rejected. He was ordered to leave the Soviet Union on October
city jail to county jail. Oswald died at the same place President
21, 1959. Immediately thereafter, he slashed his left wrist in
Kennedy died two days earlier.
an apparent suicide attempt. After being released from the hospital, Oswald went to the American Embassy to renounce his U.S. citizenship and request Soviet citizenship. The Soviet Union denied him but allowed him to stay on a yearto- year basis. While in the Soviet Union Oswald met a 19-year old Russian, Marina Prusakova. The couple married on April
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AN OFFICER DOWN... THE MURDER OF J.D. TIPPIT D
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allas police officer J.D. Tippit is a 39-year old married
5 foot 10 inches, weight 165 pounds”. It is now 1:15pm
father of three children in November 1963. He is a
c.s.t. Patrolman Tippit is heading east on 10th Street in the
World War II veteran, a paratrooper who earned the Bronze
central Oak Cliff area of southwest Dallas. Shortly after
Star. He has been on the Dallas police force for more than
crossing Patton Avenue, Tippit spots a man matching the
11 years. Back at the school book depository, police have
suspect’s description. He pulls his car alongside Oswald.
asked building superintendent Roy Truly to account for
Oswald leans in against the passenger door. Witnesses see
his warehouse employees. Only one is missing. Lee Harvey
Oswald talking to Tippit in a hostile manner. Tippit gets out
Oswald. Dallas police immediately radio a description of
of his cruiser and as he gets to the driver’s side front wheel,
the suspect to all officers. They are to be on the lookout
Oswald pulls out a . 38 revolver and pumps 3 shots into
for a “white male, approximately 30, slender build, height
Tippit’s chest, felling him instantly. Callously, and to ensure
The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
Tippipt is dead, Oswald walks around the patrol car, stands over Tippit and fires a coupe de grace into J.D. Tippit’s temple. Tippit is dead at the scene. D`omingo Benavides, an auto repairman, hears the shots and stops his pickup truck 25 feet from Tippit’s patrol car. Benavides uses Tippit’s car radio to call in the shooting. Dallas police get Benavides call at precisely 1:16pm. Several other witnesses view this horrific, violent act. Lee Harvey Oswald has just murdered a Dallas police officer in cold blood. It all happens just nine tenths of a mile from Oswald’s rooming house at 1026 North Beckley Avenue. 13
THE PRESIDENT IS DEAD O
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n November 22,1963, at 12:30pm c.s.t., according
pulsebeat. His face is ashen in color. His eyes are open and
to the radio log of the Dallas Police Department,
the pupils dilated with no reaction to light. His breathing is
Dallas Chief of Police Jesse E. Curry radios the police base
labored and irregular. The President has an extensive head
station with instructions to notify Parkland Hospital that
wound and another small wound to the lower third of his
a wounded President Kennedy is en route. The radio log
neck. Doctors decide to perform a tracheotomy by cutting
records Chief Curry as saying, “Go to the hospital. Parkland
the throat wound larger and inserting a tube to assist
Hospital. Have them stand by.” Shortly thereafter, Curry is
his breathing. Despite the best efforts of the physicians,
heard again, “Looks like the President has been hit. Have
President Kennedy shows no heart activity by 12:55pm c.s.t.
Parkland stand by.” At Parkland Hospital the scene is one
However, First Lady Jackie Kennedy does not want her
of chaos. A team of physicians directed by Dr. Malcolm O.
husband pronounced dead until a Catholic priest performs
Perry is ready to receive the President having been notified
the Last Rites. When this is done, President John Fitzgerald
by radio message from the Dallas Police Department.
Kennedy, 35th President of The United States, is officially
The President and Governor Connally are wheeled in on
pronounced dead at 1:00pm c.s.t. November 22, 1963. The
stretchers. President Kennedy has a faint heartbeat and no
President Is Dead
The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
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OSWALD IN CUSTODY L
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ee Harvey Oswald spends most of the last 48 hours of
lineup, more questioning and then about 8:40pm Oswald’s
his life at the Police and Courts Building in downtown
fingerprints and palm prints are taken. At 11:26pm, Fritz
Dallas which houses the Dallas Police Department and the
signs the complaint charging Oswald with the murder
city jail. After his arrest on the afternoon of November 22,
of President John F. Kennedy. Shortly after midnight,
1963 at the Texas Theatre in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas,
November 23rd, Oswald is taken to the basement assembly
Oswald is taken here where he remains until Sunday
room where he appears for several minutes before members
morning, November 24th. Policemen who arrested Oswald
of the press. At 12:20am, Oswald is delivered to the jailer
bring him to the third floor offices of the Police and Courts
who places him in a maximum security cell on the fifth floor.
Building around 2:00pm. This floor houses the homicide
Shortly after 1:30am Oswald is brought to the identification
and robbery bureau headed by Captain J. Will Fritz.
bureau on the fourth floor where he is arraigned again
Captain Fritz conducts the first of several interrogations.
before Justice of the Peace Johnston, this time for the
At 4:05pm, he is taken to the basement assembly room for
murder of President Kennedy. Captain Fritz interrogates
his first lineup. While waiting for the lineup, Oswald is
Oswald further in the late morning of November 23rd. From
searched and, along with other items, five cartridges are
1:10pm to 1:30pm Oswald’s wife, Marina and his mother,
removed from his pockets. He then goes back to Capt.
Marguerite, visit him in the fourth floor visiting area. At
Fritz for further questioning. At about 6:20pm, he is taken
3:30pm his brother, Robert, visits him in the visiting area for
back downstairs for another lineup and then back again to
ten minutes. At 5:30pm Oswald is visited by the president
Fritz’ office for more questioning. At approximately 7:00pm
of the Dallas Bar Association. On Sunday, November 24th,
on November 22nd, 1963, Capt. Fritz signs the complaint
Oswald is signed out of jail at 9:30am and taken to Capt.
charging Lee Harvey Oswald with the murder ofDallas
Fritz’ office for a final round of questioning. At 11:15am,
police officer J.D. Tippit. Oswald is formally arraigned
a transfer party takes Oswald from Fritz’ office so that the
before Justice of the Peace David L. Johnston. Another
prisoner can be transferred to county jail.
The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
OSWALD’S ASSASSIN
JACK RUBY
J
ack Ruby was born Jacob Rubenstein in Chicago, Illinois
Vegas Club. He attempted to establish another nightclub,
on April 25, 1911. His parents were both born in Poland
the Sovereign Club, but this too ended in failure. Until
but emigrated to the United States in the early 1900’s. His
Ruby’s assassination of Lee Oswald in 1963, he had been
father, Joseph, a carpenter by trade was known to be violent
arrested eight times for various misdemeanors and liquor
and was oftentimes arrested for assault and battery. Ruby’s
law violations stemming from his club activities. While living
childhood was turbulent. He frequently was a troublemaker
in Dallas, Ruby befriended many underworld figures and
in school. At age 11, he was sent to the Institute of Juvenile
also many Dallas police officers, some of whom frequented
Research to get psychiatric treatment. Chicago’s Juvenile
his clubs. One of his employees, Nancy Perrin Rich, once
Court decided he was not getting proper parental care
commented, “I don’t think there is a cop in Dallas that
and Ruby was sent to a foster home. After completing just
doesn’t know Jack Ruby. He practically lived at the police
the 8th grade, Ruby quit school in 1927. He began doing
station.” On the morning of November 24, 1963, Jack Ruby
various odd jobs to make a living including illegally scalping
slipped into the basement of police headquarters in Dallas
tickets to sporting events. He became known as a “street
where Lee Harvey Oswald was scheduled to be transferred
hustler” and it is rumored he worked for Al Capone. Ruby
to county jail. As Oswald approached the transfer car, Ruby
was drafted into the armed services on May 21, 1943. He
emerged and fired a single, fatal shot into Oswald’s stomach
served in the U.S. Army Air Forces at different airbases
in a scene broadcast live on national television. Ruby was
around the United States though he never saw any combat.
arrested immediately after the shooting. At trial, Ruby was
He was honorably discharged on February 21, 1946 having
convicted of murder and sentenced to death. During his trial,
attained the rank of private first class. Following his brief
Ruby claimed he killed Oswald because he “couldn’t bear the
stint in the military, Ruby returned to Chicago but not for
idea of the President’s widow being subjected to testifying
long. In 1947, he moved to Dallas, Texas where he started out
at the trial of Oswald”. Ruby’s conviction and sentence were
managing the Singapore Nightclub for his sister, Eva Grant.
later overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Around this time, Ruby borrowed money from a friend and
Jack Ruby died of a pulmonary embolism on January 3, 1967
bought the Silver Spur Club. He also purchased the Bob
at Parkland Hospital where Lee Harvey Oswald died and
Wills Ranch House, a western-style nightclub. The clubs
where President John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead.
were not successful and in 1954 he became part owner of the
Oswald’s Assassin: Jack Ruby 17
THE MURDER OF OSWALD L
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ee Harvey Oswald is now set to be transferred
70 police officers await Oswald as he steps off the
from the Police and Courts Building to the more
elevator. Three television cameras capture the event
secure county jail on Sunday morning, November
for millions of viewers as the transfer unfolds on live
24th. He is taken from Capt. Fritz’ office on the third
television. Suddenly, Dallas resident and nightclub
floor to the basement of the police headquarters
owner, Jack Ruby squeezes between a newsman and
for the transfer. Some members of the police feel
a detective and fires a single shot from a .38- caliber,
Oswald should be taken from the building by
snubnose revolver. The bullet hits Oswald in the
another exit while leaving the horde of media
abdomen just below his heart. As the shot is heard,
waiting in the basement. Some also think Oswald
a police detective recognizes Ruby and yells, “Jack,
should be transferred at an unannounced time but
you son of a bitch”. Oswald slumps to the concrete
Fritz knows that Chief of Police Curry, in his own
floor clutching his side and writhing in pain. Four
words, “wanted to go along with the press and not
plainclothes men pounce on Ruby and overpower
try to put anything over on them”. The night before,
him. Five minutes elapses before an ambulance can
Saturday, the public was informed of the estimated
be rolled in for Oswald. With sirens wailing, the
time of transfer of the prisoner. Curry had held a
ambulance speeds to Parkland Hospital followed
press conference stating that Oswald would be taken
by police and press cars. Oswald is wheeled into
to the county jail by armored truck. But Curry and
Parkland and immediately taken to an operating
Fritz had already agreed that the armored truck was
room at the other end of the building from where
to be used as a decoy. Oswald would actually ride in
President Kennedy was treated. Dr. Tom Shires, who
an unmarked police car. At approximately 11:20am
operated on Governor Connally, assumes command
Oswaldemerges from the basement elevator. His
and quickly reports that Oswald is in”extremely
right hand is handcuffed to the left hand of Detective
critical condition”. Governor Connally is still a
J.R. Leavelle. Leavelle is on Oswald’s right in a
patient at Parkland Hospital. At 1:07pm c.s.t., Lee
light suit. To Oswald’s left is Detective L.C. Graves
Harvey Oswald, alleged assassin of President John F.
in a dark suit. A throng of some 50 newsmen and
Kennedy, is dead.
The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
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THE WARREN COMMISSION O
ne week after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon Johnson established the President’s
Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy on November 29,1963. Unofficially known as The Warren Commission, its name derived from its chairman, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Earl Warren. Some notable members of the commission were Senators Richard Russell of Georgia and John Cooper of Kentucky as well as Congressmen Gerald Ford of Michigan and Hale Boggs of Louisiana. Numerous attorneys were commissioned including Arlen Specter who later went on to serve in the Senate. The Warren Commission’s 888-page final report was delivered to President Johnson on September 24, 1964. The Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing President Kennedy and wounding Governor Connally and that Jack Ruby also acted alone in killing Oswald two days later. The Commission’s findings have proven controversial and later studies have both challenged and supported those findings. According to published transcripts of President Johnson’s telephone conversations, some major government officials were opposed to forming this commission and some of the commission members were very reluctant to even take part. Their main concern was that such a commission would only create findings that were controversial. Their fears would later be proven valid. The Warren Commission
OTHER INVESTIGATIONS
OTHER INVESTIGATIONS
T
hree other official UnitedStates government investigations agreed with The Warren Commission’s
conclusion that two bullets struck President Kennedy from the rear. The three investigations were: a 1968 panel established by Attorney General Ramsey Clark, the 1975 Rockefeller Commission and the 1978-79 House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). The HSCA re-examined the evidence with the aid of a large forensics panel. The HSCA involved congressional hearings and ultimately concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President Kennedy, probably as a result of a conspiracy. The HSCA, using acoustic evidence, concluded that four shots were fired in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963. It concluded that Oswald fired shots number one, two and four and that an unknown assassin fired shot number three from near the corner of a picket fence that was above and to the right front of President Kennedy on what is known as the “grassy knoll” area of Dealey Plaza. This conclusion has been criticized because of its reliance on disputed acoustic evidence. The HSCA’s final report in 1979 agreed with The Warren Commission Report that two bullets caused all of President Kennedy’s injuries as well as the injuries to Governor Connally and that both bullets were fired by Lee Harvey Oswald from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository at 411 Elm Street in Dallas, Texas. The HSCA in 1979 also concluded in their final report that The Warren Commission was reasonably thorough and acted in good faith. However, the HSCA concluded that The Warren Commission did not adequately address the possibility of a conspiracy in the killing of President John F. Kennedy.
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The JFK Assassination
EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22 ND 1963
HISTORY OF THE TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY T
he present-day Dallas County Administration Building
found in the southeast corner of the sixth floor 45 minutes after
at the corner of Houston and Elm streets was The Texas
the shooting. A bolt-action 6.5 millimeter Italian Mannlicher-
School Book Depository at the time of the JFK assassination
Carcano rifle was found in the northwest corner of 29, 1981.
in November of 1963. The site of the building was first owned
The first five the sixth floor ten floors are home to minutes
by John Neely Bryan. During the 1880’s, Maxime Guillot ran a
later. county employees. The sixth floor houses The Following
wagon shop on the property. The Rock Island Plow Company
the JFK Museum known as shooting of the The Sixth Floor
bought the land in 1894 and four years later constructed a
president, many Museum. In 2002, the wanted the museum
five-story building. In 1901, the structure was hit by lightning
opened the edifice torn seventh floor as a down. Dallas gallery
which nearly burned it to the ground. It was rebuilt in 1903
for exhibits and County special events. acquired the building
and expanded to the seven story structure seen today. In
in 1977. The Dallas County Administration Building was
1937, Harold Byrd purchased the property and leased it to
dedicated on March
the Texas School Book Depository. This company distributed textbooks mostly for public schools in northern Texas and parts o Oklahoma. This iconic orange-brick building at 411 Elm Street is most famous, or infamous, for its link to the assassination of the 35th president of the United States. Following the assassination, the building became the focal point of public shock and grief. Government investigations showed shots were fired that fateful day from the I.. southeast corner of the sixth floor. Depository employee, Lee Harvey Oswald, who had only been working there a month, was the government’s primary suspect. Three spent cartridges were 21
THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES “....if you put the murdered President of the United States on one side of a scale and the wretched waif Oswald on the other side, it doesn’t balance. You want to add something weightier to Oswald. It would invest the President’s death with meaning, endowing him with martyrdom. He would have died for something...a conspiracy would, of course, do the job nicely.” ---William Manchester
T
he
horrific
assassination
of
the
35th
President of the United States, John F.
Kennedy, spawned numerous suspicions of a conspiracy to kill the President. The fact that the official government body assigned to investigate this assassination, The Warren Commission, concluded a lone gunman carried out the deed, only fueled further suspicions. The number of books written about the Kennedy assassination has been estimated to be well over a thousand. According to famed attorney,
Vincent
Bugliosi,
95%
of
those
books are “proconspiracy and anti-Warren Commission”. The JFK assassination has been referred to as the mother of all conspiracies. Public opinion polls have consistently shown
The Soviet Conspiracy The Warren Commission reported they found no evidence of a Soviet conspiracy. The House Select Committee on Assassinations also wrote, “The committee believes, on the basis of the evidence available to it, that the Soviet Government was not involved in the assassination of President Kennedy.” Some conspiracy theorists believe Nikita Khrushchev was responsible for the assassination in retribution for him having to back down during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Many Soviet officials believed there was a conspiracy but that it came from the ultra-right in the U.S. and not from the Soviet Union.
that most Americans believe there was a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy. Those same polls show there is no agreement on who may have been involved in such a conspiracy. In 2003, a Gallup poll conducted reported that 3 out of every 4 Americans do not believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Also in 2003, an ABC News poll revealed that 70% of those responding suspect the assassination involved more than one person. And in 2004, a Fox News poll found that two-thirds of Americans
Organized Crime Conspiracy The Mafia and anti-Castro Cuban exiles both had motive to want the President eliminated. Cuban exiles blamed Kennedy for the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. The Mafia had lucrative investments in Cuban casinos. The Mafia also disliked JFK’s brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, because of his assault on organized crime. Nevertheless, the HSCA stated,
thought the assassination involved a conspiracy
“The committee believes, on the basis of the evidence available to it, that
and 74% of Americans thought there was a
the national syndicate vvof organized crime, as a group, was not involved
cover-up. Although it would be impossible to document all of the conspiracy theories related to the assassination of President Kennedy, the following is a list of the most notable conspiracy theories with a brief description of each.
in the assassination of President Kennedy, but that the available evidence does not preclude the possibility that individual members may have been involved.
Cuban Conspiracy The Warren Commission investigated “dozens of allegations of a conspiratorial contact between Oswald and agents of the Cuban Government”. The Warren Commission concluded Cuba was not involved in the assassination. The House Select Committee on Assassinations stated, “The committee believes, on the basis of the evidence available to it, that the Cuban Government was not involved in the assassination of President Kennedy.” Nevertheless, many
CIA Conspiracy The HSCA stated that, “there was no indication in Oswald’s CIA file that he had ever had contact with the Agency”. However, many believe the CIA and FBI deliberately tampered with their files on Oswald and that they withheld information that could have alerted authorities in Dallas to the potential threat Oswald posed to President Kennedy.
conspiracy theorists believe Fidel Castro ordered the assassination in retaliation for the CIA’s attempt to assassinate Castro.
Secret Service Conspiracy
Israeli Conspiracy
The HSCA reported that it investigated “alleged Secret Service complicity in the assassination” and concluded the Secret Service
Shortly after the death of President Kennedy, word circulated of a
was not involved. The HSCA did go on to say however, “the Secret
Arab world. Adherents to this conspiracy theory believed Zionists
Service was deficient in the performance of its duties”. According to some, President Kennedy alienated southerners and many believe the Secret Service agents who were from the south were remiss in
“Zionist conspiracy” throughout the Middle East and much of the wanted to kill Kennedy because of his opposition to an Israeli nuclear program.
protecting the President.
Military-Industrial Complex
New Orleans Conspiracy
These conspiracy theorists simply argue that President Kennedy had
In 1966, New Orleans District Attorney, Jim Garrison, began an
planned to end the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and so he was
investigation into President Kennedy’s assassination. His investigation
targeted by those who would profit from a sustained military conflict
led him to believe that a group of right-wing extremists were involved in a
such as defense contractors and the Pentagon. Some believe Kennedy was assassinated because he was hoping to end the Cold War and seeking to make peace with the Soviet Union.
conspiracy to kill JFK. Lee Harvey Oswald had lived in New Orleans and had acquaintances there. Garrison believed New Orleans businessman, Clay Shaw, was part of a conspiracy to kill JFK and used Oswald as a patsy. On March 1, 1967, Garrison arrested Shaw and charged him with conspiring to kill the President. On January 29, 1969, Clay Shaw was brought to trial on these charges and was found not guilty.
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John Fitzgerald Kennedy May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963
US $20.00