JFK Conspiracy Theories IV: The One With The Whales

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I love how LNers just forfeit the hundreds of witness accounts to the CT crowd. Like they don't even want to bother interpreting it into something that could come close to supporting the official story.

Read this thread and the one immediate predecessor thread. We went through all this with another poster with a similar scenario to yours, Bob Harris. You are going to allege additional unheard (silenced) shots to account for the wounding of JFK and/or Connally next, aren't you?

So did Bob Harris. Because those men are wounded at approximately Zapruder frame Z223-4.

I just went to the account of the first Dealey Plaza witness I found (alphabetically) at http://jfkassassination.net/russ/wit.htm. A witness named Cecil Ault.

He puts the first and second closer together than the second and third. His story contradicts yours.

http://jfkassassination.net/russ/exhibits/ce2103.htm

== quote ==
Mr. AULT heard three loud reports which Mr. AULT immediately recognized as shots from a high-powered rifle. He noted that the first and second shots sounded to him close together and the third shot was spaced more after the second shot, the first two shots sounding close enough to be from an automatic rifle. Mr. ULT could not tell from what direction the rifle shots came.
== unquote ==

How do you account for this -- Except by saying some witnesses were mistaken?

Hank

EDIT: Looks like I missed James Altgens, who comes before Ault alphabetically. No matter - Altgens' account differs from yours in a number of ways, chief among them was he only swore to two shots, and was adamant the head shot was the last shot. So two witnesses, two different accounts, both different in significant ways from your reconstruction.
 
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I love how LNers just forfeit the hundreds of witness accounts to the CT crowd. Like they don't even want to bother interpreting it into something that could come close to supporting the official story.

Take it from me - no matter the issue, all witnesses (and all victims for that matter) are not equal.

Start here:

http://www.americanbar.org/content/...c_2013/33_demeanor_deception.authcheckdam.pdf

Ever hear of individuals faking their own victimization? Can you say Morton Downey Jr?

"In late April 1989, he was involved in an incident in a San Francisco International Airport restroom in which he claimed to have been attacked by neo-Nazis who painted a swastika on his face and attempted to shave his head.[16] Some inconsistencies in Downey's account (e.g., the swastika was painted in reverse, suggesting that Downey had drawn it himself in a mirror), and the failure of the police to find supportive evidence,[17] led many to suspect the incident was a hoax and a plea for attention.[4][18] In July 1989, his show was cancelled, with the owners of the show announcing that the last show had been taped on June 30, and that no new shows would air after September 15, 1989.[19]"

Tawana Brawley?

Tawana Glenda Brawley (born 1972) is an African-American woman from Wappingers Falls, New York, who gained notoriety in 1987–88 for accusing four white men of having raped her. The charges received widespread national attention because of her age (15), the persons accused (including police officers and a prosecuting attorney), and the shocking state in which Brawley was found after the alleged rape. She was found in a trash bag, with racial slurs written on her body and covered in feces. Brawley's accusations were given widespread media attention in part from the involvement of her advisers, including the Reverend Al Sharpton and attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason.[1]

After hearing evidence, a grand jury concluded in October 1988 that Brawley had not been the victim of a forcible sexual assault and that she herself may have created the appearance of such an attack.[2][3] The New York prosecutor whom Brawley had accused as one of her alleged assailants successfully sued Brawley and her three advisers for defamation.[3]


Individuals falsely confessing to infamous crimes isn't unknown:

http://www.thejuryexpert.com/2012/1...derstanding-the-mystery-of-false-confessions/

So the idea that you're asserting, that all claimed witnesses have to be taken with equal weight is not supported by the facts - their stories should be reviewed, but that doesn't mean that they must be accepted.
 
Ok... A thought experiment.

Given how many varying accounts are "forfeit" to the conspiracy theorists, how does a CT choose which of the variations is reliable? There are so many contradicting statements it would be pure folly to bad a theory on any one witness given how many are going to contradict them.

It does not matter how reliable or honest you think a witness is, you need some objective measure to show a description is more accurate than others.

It will always boil back to needing better evidence.

So... Why do CTs always rely so heavily on evidence that is contradictory and confused?

They don't choose at all- as you've said (and which seemed to baffle MicahJava), it's a god of the gaps scheme, which means uncertainty is the desired outcome, not any solution at all.

It's also a negation of the principle of consilience- eyewitness testimony is only a part of a totality of evidence which converges on a conclusion (and not even the most trustworthy or relied-on part). CTist methodology is to isolate the strands which converge, to treat every bit of evidence as if it's the totality, so if you can cast doubt on that bit, that isolated doubt becomes one that applies to the whole from which it's been separated.
 
MicahJava:

Bob Harris' first post is here.

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10737526#post10737526

As you appear to be proposing a scenario similar to his, you might want to read it from that point forward so as not to repeat stuff that already has been addressed.

The only difference I see at the moment is you put the third audible shot as a miss shortly after the head shot and he put the second audible shot as a miss shortly before the head shot.

He conjectured extra shooters and extra inaudible (silenced) shots. I suspect you are about to do the same. Let me know how your scenario differs from the Bob Harris scenario.

Hank
 
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Ok... A thought experiment.

Okay, I'll play. I was a hardcore JFK CTist for 20 years.

Given how many varying accounts are "forfeit" to the conspiracy theorists, how does a CT choose which of the variations is reliable?

The accounts that can be bent and cherry-picked to support the version of the assassination you've chosen to delude yourself into believing. You know, "Badgeman" = grainy photo interpretation, select witness statements, etc so it must be true. Wake up sheeple!


There are so many contradicting statements it would be pure folly to bad a theory on any one witness given how many are going to contradict them.

No, if you believe that there was a conspiracy then proving the conspiracy mandates that you ignore the body of evidence that show that there was not, and instead you focus on the navel lint that advances your point of view no matter how for you have to contort the data.

It does not matter how reliable or honest you think a witness is, you need some objective measure to show a description is more accurate than others.

In the real world this is true. In CT-Land there are trick that can be used, and many were born of the JFK CT.

Example: Witnesses who come forward years after the event to tell their story. This should always be a red flag in the real world, and their motivations need to be examined. These people often make their statements through Tabloids where they are paid to tell their stories. CTers ignore that part of the game and focus on the account given to see what matches their versions of the event. The only CTers who ask the hard question of those late-coming witnesses are the ones whose CT just got shot to pieces. In a way the process is self correcting, but enough bad information survives to pollute the picture.

It will always boil back to needing better evidence.

And this is the void that the JFK Cters use as their playground.

Over the years there have been documents declassified, former foreign agents retired who've provided their documents, and none of it showed a conspiracy in Dallas. There has never been anything concrete to even hint at a second shooter in Dealey Plaza.

I suspect that there are photos and Super 8 films tucked away forgotten in boxes all around Texas that will one day see the light which will further disappoint CTers. Babushka Lady's film is still out there.


So... Why do CTs always rely so heavily on evidence that is contradictory and confused?

It's a game. It's like being a theoretical expert on spitting fire without having the guts to actually do it. It's easy to push boundaries when your own mouth isn't full of kerosine. :thumbsup:
 
I suspect that there are photos and Super 8 films tucked away forgotten in boxes all around Texas that will one day see the light which will further disappoint CTers. Babushka Lady's film is still out there.

The problem with that you already know.

If they show the back of JFK's head has NOT been blown out (and they won't), then of course they are CIA-creations, i.e. recent FAKES created with modern technology.

If they show anything that can be interpreted as supporting a conspiracy, then they will be argued as legitimate.

And of course, some conspiracy theorists will argue both positions for the same film or photos, as they do now for the Altgens photo and the Zapruder film.

Altgen's photo: It's legit because it shows Oswald in the doorway. No, it's altered because it previously showed Oswald in the doorway, now it shows Lovelady in the doorway!

Zapruder film: It's legit because it shows JFK and Connally reacting too close together for Oswald to fire two shots and injurying them both. No, it's altered because it doesn't show the damage to the back of the head, or the limo stop!

Hank
 
Read this thread and the one immediate predecessor thread. We went through all this with another poster with a similar scenario to yours, Bob Harris. You are going to allege additional unheard (silenced) shots to account for the wounding of JFK and/or Connally next, aren't you?

There were certainly three loud shots. If there were additional shots, they wouldn't have to be literally silent to be confused with echoes. When a witness says "I heard three shots", they are really saying "I heard three LOUD shots". Suppression technology obviously wasn't as good as it is now, but it didn't need to be if suppressed shots are being crowded near the sounds a much louder shots.


So did Bob Harris. Because those men are wounded at approximately Zapruder frame Z223-4.

I don't think I would be so simplistic. HSCA's panel of photographic experts determined that Kennedy's actions at ~Z190+ are consistent with being struck by a bullet. At the very least, he may be reacting to a loud and startling gunshot. I also don't want to ignore the photographic evidence that Connally is shot at Z224. You may point out that Kennedy's hands can be seen to begin moving upwards at Z226 (the same frame as Connally's lapel flap), but honestly take a good look at frame Z225-226. Kennedy's hands were in front of his chest some time before he came from behind the sign, and his mouth is clearly open.

There is a pretty good case to be made that Kennedy was hit before Connally, or at least he was reacting to a loud and startling shot before one bullet passed both men at Z224 (I'm not here to argue if it did). I think It's already been established, via witness accounts, that there was no first shot before Z190. Connolly always swore that he heard a loud shot a moment before being hit by a bullet, however he never said that he actually heard the shot that struck him (he saw the Zapruder film and said that frame 234 was probably the moment he was struck). Again, this can be explained if suppressors were used.

I just went to the account of the first Dealey Plaza witness I found (alphabetically) at http://jfkassassination.net/russ/wit.htm. A witness named Cecil Ault.

He puts the first and second closer together than the second and third. His story contradicts yours.

http://jfkassassination.net/russ/exhibits/ce2103.htm

== quote ==
Mr. AULT heard three loud reports which Mr. AULT immediately recognized as shots from a high-powered rifle. He noted that the first and second shots sounded to him close together and the third shot was spaced more after the second shot, the first two shots sounding close enough to be from an automatic rifle. Mr. ULT could not tell from what direction the rifle shots came.
== unquote ==

How do you account for this -- Except by saying some witnesses were mistaken?

The most important part is this, which you left out: "Following the first shot Mr. AULT noted that President KENNEDY appeared to raise up in his seat in the Presidential automobile and after the second shot the President slumped into his seat."

Cecil Ault was only heard from once, and the FBI report isn't even his own words.

Of course, what you're doing is the oldest trick in the book. Most witnesses placed the last two shots close together, if not almost on top of eachother. Even the Warren Comission admitted that.

When you have over 200 witnesses all describing the same event, it is ridiculous to say that none of it matters.

EDIT: Looks like I missed James Altgens, who comes before Ault alphabetically. No matter - Altgens' account differs from yours in a number of ways, chief among them was he only swore to two shots, and was adamant the head shot was the last shot. So two witnesses, two different accounts, both different in significant ways from your reconstruction.

So what? He perceived one loud shot at ~Z190-224, and the 313 shot. I think the reason why there were many witnesses only remembering two shots is that, to some people, the last two shots were so close together they almost blended into one.

Do you agree that there was no first missed shot at ~Z160 or before?
 
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Take it from me - no matter the issue, all witnesses (and all victims for that matter) are not equal.

Start here:

http://www.americanbar.org/content/...c_2013/33_demeanor_deception.authcheckdam.pdf

Ever hear of individuals faking their own victimization? Can you say Morton Downey Jr?

"In late April 1989, he was involved in an incident in a San Francisco International Airport restroom in which he claimed to have been attacked by neo-Nazis who painted a swastika on his face and attempted to shave his head.[16] Some inconsistencies in Downey's account (e.g., the swastika was painted in reverse, suggesting that Downey had drawn it himself in a mirror), and the failure of the police to find supportive evidence,[17] led many to suspect the incident was a hoax and a plea for attention.[4][18] In July 1989, his show was cancelled, with the owners of the show announcing that the last show had been taped on June 30, and that no new shows would air after September 15, 1989.[19]"

Tawana Brawley?

Tawana Glenda Brawley (born 1972) is an African-American woman from Wappingers Falls, New York, who gained notoriety in 1987–88 for accusing four white men of having raped her. The charges received widespread national attention because of her age (15), the persons accused (including police officers and a prosecuting attorney), and the shocking state in which Brawley was found after the alleged rape. She was found in a trash bag, with racial slurs written on her body and covered in feces. Brawley's accusations were given widespread media attention in part from the involvement of her advisers, including the Reverend Al Sharpton and attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason.[1]

After hearing evidence, a grand jury concluded in October 1988 that Brawley had not been the victim of a forcible sexual assault and that she herself may have created the appearance of such an attack.[2][3] The New York prosecutor whom Brawley had accused as one of her alleged assailants successfully sued Brawley and her three advisers for defamation.[3]


Individuals falsely confessing to infamous crimes isn't unknown:

http://www.thejuryexpert.com/2012/1...derstanding-the-mystery-of-false-confessions/

So the idea that you're asserting, that all claimed witnesses have to be taken with equal weight is not supported by the facts - their stories should be reviewed, but that doesn't mean that they must be accepted.

Ummm...ok?
 
The problem with that you already know.

If they show the back of JFK's head has NOT been blown out (and they won't), then of course they are CIA-creations, i.e. recent FAKES created with modern technology.

If they show anything that can be interpreted as supporting a conspiracy, then they will be argued as legitimate.

And of course, some conspiracy theorists will argue both positions for the same film or photos, as they do now for the Altgens photo and the Zapruder film.

Altgen's photo: It's legit because it shows Oswald in the doorway. No, it's altered because it previously showed Oswald in the doorway, now it shows Lovelady in the doorway!

Zapruder film: It's legit because it shows JFK and Connally reacting too close together for Oswald to fire two shots and injurying them both. No, it's altered because it doesn't show the damage to the back of the head, or the limo stop!

Hank

I think the large hole in the back of the head most likely originated from Kennedy's hair making a shape that could give the illusion of a large hollowed out part of the head, as well as gravity moving blood and guts towards the back. I know that sounds like one of those BS explanations to shy away from something super suspicious, but that is really how it seems to have happened IMO (not to say that there was no medical evidence cover-up or fabrication).
 
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If only 1960's gun suppression technology was known about today. If it was many pages could have been posted on this very thread.
 
I think the large hole in the back of the head most likely originated from Kennedy's hair making a shape that could give the illusion of a large hollowed out part of the head, as well as gravity moving blood and guts towards the back. I know that sounds like one of those BS explanations to shy away from something super suspicious, but that is really how it seems to have happened IMO (not to say that there was no medical evidence cover-up or fabrication).

No. I am pretty sure it stems from people reading too much of what they want into ambiguous statements to the press, and only reading the interpretation that suits their claim into the documentary evidence.
 
If only 1960's gun suppression technology was known about today. If it was many pages could have been posted on this very thread.

It is:

https://archive.org/details/milmanual-silencers---principles-and-evaluations

The cans available circa the early sixties were primarily Maxim type or modified Maxim type suppressors, and modern mono-core wipeless designs weren't even on the horizon. Since there was no great consumer market back then and no military/LE market worth producing new designs for, suppressor designs were stagnate.
 
If only 1960's gun suppression technology was known about today. If it was many pages could have been posted on this very thread.

Yeah? Silenced rifles existed in the military years before. All that is needed to deceive the witnesses is for them to be muffled enough compared to the louder three shots.
 
Yeah? Silenced rifles existed in the military years before. All that is needed to deceive the witnesses is for them to be muffled enough compared to the louder three shots.

And to leave no other traces of their firing, like bullet fragments which wouldn't match LHO's weapon; and the conspirators would have to be sure in advance this would be the case.

Honestly, MJ; this has been done, for example, here and here (to start). You guys want to overturn the entire weight of history and consilience in this case without being willing to do any heavy lifting- hell, you won't even do the light lifting it takes to do a simple thirty-second forum search to see if your ideas have been already discussed here. CTists are such a lazy bunch...it really is not enough to just sit on your couch and spitball scenarios- "hey, I know! Silencers!" That's not how you solve mysteries, it's how you create them for movie plots.
 
And to leave no other traces of their firing, like bullet fragments which wouldn't match LHO's weapon; and the conspirators would have to be sure in advance this would be the case.

Uum, huh? You mean like that bullet which vanished into thin air after making a mark on the curb and making a superficial wound on James Tague's face? The mark on the curb which was paved over as an obvious clumsy attempt to cover up a missed shot?

There were early reports of a bullet found in the grass. There were also bullets and shell casings purportedly found in various places around Dealey Plaza. Those are discussed here under "Other Evidence of Multiple Guns":

http://www.ctka.net/pr1195-hewett.html

And here, page 345

http://krusch.com/books/Impossible_Case_Against_Lee_Harvey_Oswald.pdf


Honestly, MJ; this has been done, for example, here and here (to start). You guys want to overturn the entire weight of history and consilience in this case without being willing to do any heavy lifting- hell, you won't even do the light lifting it takes to do a simple thirty-second forum search to see if your ideas have been already discussed here. CTists are such a lazy bunch...it really is not enough to just sit on your couch and spitball scenarios- "hey, I know! Silencers!" That's not how you solve mysteries, it's how you create them for movie plots.

The postulation about silencers is more than warranted just by examining the situation in Dealey Plaza, but if you want a possible name, here you go: http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKwerbell.htm
 
Yeah? Silenced rifles existed in the military years before. All that is needed to deceive the witnesses is for them to be muffled enough compared to the louder three shots.

Silencers again?

We've covered them extensively in this thread already. They weren't practical for what happened in Dallas.

Period.

Before we drag them in so we can all beat this dead horse the fact is that there were only 3 shots fired. All rounds accounted for, and NO EXTRA BULLETS RECOVERED.

That's the key. A fourth round is all you need for a conspiracy, and there ain't one. Dealey Plaza has been swept with metal detectors off and on, and nobody's found another rifle round.

My biggest of my many issues with Harris is his lack of supporting research. I asked him to to provide examples of possible silencers or suppressors which were available in 1963 for use with a high powered rifle. He could not and did not. The CIA, KGB, MI6, and other clandestine agencies have long ago declassified their toys from the 1950s and 1960s, and they all had assortments of silenced weapons, but 99% were pistols, and the lone rifle at the time was a .45 which was not good at long range shooting.

However, I did find this picture of Carlos Hathcock taken in 1966:



Harris could have found this picture and thrown it in my face. It took me 90 seconds to locate on Google during the height of the debate. It is fundamental mistakes like this that draws his entire body of work into question as it did for all of the JFK CTers I allowed myself to get sucked into believing.

To the point of the Hathcock photo. He's using a .762 caliber rifle so the round is supersonic and will make a loud crack when fired. While it is not as loud as an unsuppressed weapon it is still loud. I cannot find any other photos of Hathcock using a silencer in the field, and I'm sure this is because he had switched to a more effective rifle which gave him better accuracy over long range.

Why the silencer idea in Dealey Plaza is bunk is that if there was a second shooter he would have had to had the same 6.5x52mm caliber rounds as Oswald. The round was mostly imported in 1963 and was used in Italian made rifles. Harder to disguise, and easier to find with metal detectors after the fact.:thumbsup:
 
There were certainly three loud shots. If there were additional shots, they wouldn't have to be literally silent to be confused with echoes. When a witness says "I heard three shots", they are really saying "I heard three LOUD shots". Suppression technology obviously wasn't as good as it is now, but it didn't need to be if suppressed shots are being crowded near the sounds a much louder shots.

I already suggested you read the thread in its entirety and the predecessor thread. I even provided a link to where Bob Harris first appeared arguing the same points you're arguing now.

While just a few posts ago, you were citing the witnesses and telling us how their testimony about the shots they heard leads inexorably to one conclusion, now you're saying the witnesses aren't reliable and they actually heard a lot more shots than they reported.

Doesn't that call into question your prior posts on this subject?



I don't think I would be so simplistic. HSCA's panel of photographic experts determined that Kennedy's actions at ~Z190+ are consistent with being struck by a bullet. At the very least, he may be reacting to a loud and startling gunshot.

At the point they concluded that, they were wedded to the acoustic evidence, and were trying to shoehorn three shots from Oswald into what the acoustic evidence supposedly indicated. Of course, the acoustic evidence was later exposed as nonsense, because the scientists involved (BB&N and W&A) were looking at the wrong portion of the tape...about one minute after the shots were fired.



I also don't want to ignore the photographic evidence that Connally is shot at Z224. You may point out that Kennedy's hands can be seen to begin moving upwards at Z226 (the same frame as Connally's lapel flap), but honestly take a good look at frame Z225-226. Kennedy's hands were in front of his chest some time before he came from behind the sign, and his mouth is clearly open.

JFK and Connally were struck by the same missile. Both the WC and the HSCA concluded that. If you differ, explain what happened in your scenario to each bullet, and where the shooters were, and provide the evidence for each. I'd love to hear it.



There is a pretty good case to be made that Kennedy was hit before Connally, or at least he was reacting to a loud and startling shot before one bullet passed both men at Z224 (I'm not here to argue if it did).

Well, that's an integral part of any recreation of the assassination, I would think.



I think It's already been established, via witness accounts, that there was no first shot before Z190.

I'm not sure about that.



Connolly always swore that he heard a loud shot a moment before being hit by a bullet, however he never said that he actually heard the shot that struck him (he saw the Zapruder film and said that frame 234 was probably the moment he was struck). Again, this can be explained if suppressors were used.

Or if he was struck by the second shot fired, and his body was overwhelmed by the sensation of being shot through the trunk, so much so that he simply didn't recall or didn't hear the second shot whatsoever, because his nervous system was overwhelmed at that point. The frames he picked are simply about a third of a second after he was actually struck.

And he didn't pick 234. He picked the range of Z231-234:
== quote ==
Governor CONNALLY. As we looked at them this morning, and as you related the numbers to me, it appeared to me that I was hit in the range between 130 or 131, I don't remember precisely, up to 134, in that bracket.
Mr. SPECTER. May I suggest to you that it was 231?
Governor CONNALLY. Well, 231 and 234, then.
Mr. SPECTER. The series under our numbering system starts with a higher number when the car comes around the turn, so when you come out of the sign, which was----
Governor CONNALLY. It was just after we came out of the sign, for whatever that sequence of numbers was, and if it was 200, I correct my testimony. It was 231 to about 234. It was within that range.

== unquote ==



The most important part is this, which you left out: "Following the first shot Mr. AULT noted that President KENNEDY appeared to raise up in his seat in the Presidential automobile and after the second shot the President slumped into his seat."

I was pointing out the conflicts between your putative scenario and a witness selected at random. We can continue this for all your witnesses, if you wish.



Cecil Ault was only heard from once, and the FBI report isn't even his own words.

I'm sorry, did you exclude all FBI witness reports on that basis, or is this just an after-the-fact criticism of what he's reported to have said?

And your criticism of James Altgens testimony is what, precisely?



Of course, what you're doing is the oldest trick in the book.

There is no trick. There are two witnesses selected at random... I took the first two witnesses (alphabetically) in Dealey Plaza that gave reports. Both conflicted with your scenario.



Most witnesses placed the last two shots close together, if not almost on top of eachother. Even the Warren Comission admitted that.

Read the prior thread through to this point. All that was covered with Bob Harris in detail.



When you have over 200 witnesses all describing the same event, it is ridiculous to say that none of it matters.

Where did I say anything of the sort? Please don't put words in my mouth.



So what? He perceived one loud shot at ~Z190-224, and the 313 shot. I think the reason why there were many witnesses only remembering two shots is that, to some people, the last two shots were so close together they almost blended into one.

See the discussion prior to your arrival. It might help. Also, I would also caution you to not put words in the witnesses mouths either. Altgens said nothing about shots at Z190-224 nor 313. That is your opinion of what he saw and heard. So make it clear in the future when you're claiming a witness said something, versus when you're interpreting their statement to fit your scenario.

Thanks!



Do you agree that there was no first missed shot at ~Z160 or before?

I think the possibility of a shot before Z155 or so is extremely remote.

Hank
 
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Silencers again?

We've covered them extensively in this thread already. They weren't practical for what happened in Dallas.

Period.

Before we drag them in so we can all beat this dead horse the fact is that there were only 3 shots fired. All rounds accounted for, and NO EXTRA BULLETS RECOVERED.

That's the key. A fourth round is all you need for a conspiracy, and there ain't one. Dealey Plaza has been swept with metal detectors off and on, and nobody's found another rifle round.

My biggest of my many issues with Harris is his lack of supporting research. I asked him to to provide examples of possible silencers or suppressors which were available in 1963 for use with a high powered rifle. He could not and did not. The CIA, KGB, MI6, and other clandestine agencies have long ago declassified their toys from the 1950s and 1960s, and they all had assortments of silenced weapons, but 99% were pistols, and the lone rifle at the time was a .45 which was not good at long range shooting.

However, I did find this picture of Carlos Hathcock taken in 1966:

[qimg]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h188/axxman300/carlos-hathcock_zps6eqnsemn.jpg[/qimg]

Harris could have found this picture and thrown it in my face. It took me 90 seconds to locate on Google during the height of the debate. It is fundamental mistakes like this that draws his entire body of work into question as it did for all of the JFK CTers I allowed myself to get sucked into believing.

To the point of the Hathcock photo. He's using a .762 caliber rifle so the round is supersonic and will make a loud crack when fired. While it is not as loud as an unsuppressed weapon it is still loud. I cannot find any other photos of Hathcock using a silencer in the field, and I'm sure this is because he had switched to a more effective rifle which gave him better accuracy over long range.

Why the silencer idea in Dealey Plaza is bunk is that if there was a second shooter he would have had to had the same 6.5x52mm caliber rounds as Oswald. The round was mostly imported in 1963 and was used in Italian made rifles. Harder to disguise, and easier to find with metal detectors after the fact.:thumbsup:

Even if that was true, why only stoop to manufactured weapons with silencers? When you have information that a brilliant firearms technician like Mitchell WerBel may have contributed to the crossfire in Dealey Plaza, what's the point of even arguing? If anybody could make the perfect weapon for that situation at that time, it was WerBel. The only thing him, or someone like him would have to do is create a weapon quieter than an extremely loud rifle similar to the MC. The witnesses can then be deceived into thinking they are hearing echoes associated with the three loud shots.
 
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It is:

https://archive.org/details/milmanual-silencers---principles-and-evaluations

The cans available circa the early sixties were primarily Maxim type or modified Maxim type suppressors, and modern mono-core wipeless designs weren't even on the horizon. Since there was no great consumer market back then and no military/LE market worth producing new designs for, suppressor designs were stagnate.

I was pointing out in an obtuse way that silencers have been covered here and MJ obviously hasn't done his homework.
 
Yeah? Silenced rifles existed in the military years before. All that is needed to deceive the witnesses is for them to be muffled enough compared to the louder three shots.

So are the witnesses unreliable, reliable, or both?

You previously cited the witness statements here, so presumably you thought they were reliable:
I think anybody would come to realize that there was no "first missed shot". I used to accept it, until I read this summary of the eyewitness accounts which show that the first shot had to come at around Zapruder frame 190-224.

http://www.patspeer.com/, chapter 5-9b

Now it appears you're calling them unreliable, in that they only heard some of the shots.

Hank
 
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Uum, huh? You mean like that bullet which vanished into thin air after making a mark on the curb and making a superficial wound on James Tague's face? The mark on the curb which was paved over as an obvious clumsy attempt to cover up a missed shot?

There were early reports of a bullet found in the grass. There were also bullets and shell casings purportedly found in various places around Dealey Plaza. Those are discussed here under "Other Evidence of Multiple Guns":

http://www.ctka.net/pr1195-hewett.html

And here, page 345

http://krusch.com/books/Impossible_Case_Against_Lee_Harvey_Oswald.pdf




The postulation about silencers is more than warranted just by examining the situation in Dealey Plaza, but if you want a possible name, here you go: http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKwerbell.htm

If you believe throwing Mitch Werbell into the mix scores points, it doesn't.

His name gets bandied about in public whenever someone needs a general purpose covert action boogeyman, but the one time someone got him into a court of law the case against him and his co-defendants fell apart.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_WerBell_III

Other exploits include an alleged, but unsubstantiated presence at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated; spearheading the 1965 Invasion of the Dominican Republic; being tried and acquitted on charges of conspiracy to marijuana smuggling[15] reportedly in association with Gerry Patrick Hemming and with the acquiescence of Lucien Conein; and providing physical security services and training for Lyndon LaRouche security forces.

Werbell's cans came onto the market considerably later than the assassination of JFK, and while his pistol caliber cans were effective for the job, those rifle caliber cans of his design (including the one on the M21 pictured in Axmann's post, M30 model iirc) were no great shakes, and his "pressure relief valve" chingadera was great for producing extra muzzle flash in dark or dim environments, something that isn't a good thing.
 
Uum, huh? You mean like that bullet which vanished into thin air after making a mark on the curb and making a superficial wound on James Tague's face?

Can you document this was a bullet, and not a portion of a bullet that had already struck something else first? Why are you claiming a bullet did this?



The mark on the curb which was paved over as an obvious clumsy attempt to cover up a missed shot?

Paved over? No, never happened. Why not cite the actual testimony on this point. By the way, on 11/22/63, where was the shot determined to come from? (if you know).


There were early reports of a bullet found in the grass.

Rumors, not reports. The actual witnesses there said they saw nothing of the sort.


There were also bullets and shell casings purportedly found in various places around Dealey Plaza.

Purportedly being the key word there.





The postulation about silencers is more than warranted just by examining the situation in Dealey Plaza, but if you want a possible name, here you go: http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKwerbell.htm

So you just throw out a name and all the problems with your argument go away? No, you don't get to speculate about silencers and then justify it after the fact by citing a conspiracy site's own speculations.

Hank
 
I already suggested you read the thread in its entirety and the predecessor thread. I even provided a link to where Bob Harris first appeared arguing the same points you're arguing now.

While just a few posts ago, you were citing the witnesses and telling us how their testimony about the shots they heard leads inexorably to one conclusion, now you're saying the witnesses aren't reliable and they actually heard a lot more shots than they reported.

Doesn't that call into question your prior posts on this subject?

No? The witnesses statements you pointed out aren't incompatible with the theory i subscribe to. I believe that the theory i subscribe to best matches the mass of the witnesses statements.


At the point they concluded that, they were wedded to the acoustic evidence, and were trying to shoehorn three shots from Oswald into what the acoustic evidence supposedly indicated. Of course, the acoustic evidence was later exposed as nonsense, because the scientists involved (BB&N and W&A) were looking at the wrong portion of the tape...about one minute after the shots were fired.

Calvin S. McCamy, spokesman for the HSCA photographic panel, testimony on 9/12/78 (describing Kennedy before he goes behind the sign):

"There is considerable blurring at this point. The President's arm is up in a waving position. His head is still toward the right. At this point there is considerable blur, and by here, it appears as though his head is beginning to turn quite rapidly to the left. His head is now to the left. That is only one-eighteenth of a second from one frame to the next. He continues to look toward the left. One barely sees his right ear toward the camera. It is quite clear he is here now looking directly at his wife. He and his wife can be seen looking at one another in this sequence. He now goes behind the sign, and only a fraction of a second later we see his hands moving upward. He has a gasping expression. His hands are in a classic position of a person who has been startled. He now begins to raise his arms into what I would call a defensive position. He may be clutching at the throat wound."

Some of the HSCA photographic panel's findings, listed in the HSCA 12 volumes:

(61) The Zapruder film was studied with care at each of the Panel's conferences..At the final conference, which took place in July 1978, the film was closely scrutinized by 20 photographic scientists who were either members of the Panel or contractors responsible for much of the committee's laboratory work (i.e. photographic enhancement, restoration, etc.).

(64) By a vote of 12 to 5, the Panel determined that President Kennedy first showed a reaction to some severe external stimulus by Zapruder frame 207, as he is seen going behind a sign that obstructed Zapruder's view.

(65) By a vote of 11 to 3, the Panel determined that Governor Connally first showed a reaction to some severe external stimulus by Zapruder frame 224, virtually immediately after he is seen emerging from behind the sign that obstructed Zapruder's view.

(70) At approximately Zapruder frame 200 , Kennedy's movements suddenly freeze; his right hand abruptly stops in the midst of a waving motion and his head moves rapidly from right to his left in the direction of his wife. Based on these movements, it appears that by the time the President goes behind the sign at frame 207 he is evidencing some kind of reaction to a severe external stimulus.

There is significant expert consensus that had nothing to do with the dictabelt evidence.


JFK and Connally were struck by the same missile. Both the WC and the HSCA concluded that. If you differ, explain what happened in your scenario to each bullet, and where the shooters were, and provide the evidence for each. I'd love to hear it.

The WC lied and said Kennedy's back wound was on his neck. The HSCA not only falsely concluded that the single bullet theory happened at ~Z190, but also concluded that Kennedy would have to be significantly leaning over for it to happen (which is not seen on the Zapruder film at Z224). Some people at the jfk forums are talking about creating a 3D recreation of Dealey Plaza that perfectly fits the photographic evidence (while making all of their data public, not limited to a few clips off of a propaganda TV program like Dale Meyers). If that happens, I'll see where that goes.

I'm not sure about that.

If there was a first missed shot around Z160, there would be witnesses who said "after that first loud shot, I saw Kennedy continue to smile and wave like nothing happened". Nobody remembered that happening.

Or if he was struck by the second shot fired, and his body was overwhelmed by the sensation of being shot through the trunk, so much so that he simply didn't recall or didn't hear the second shot whatsoever, because his nervous system was overwhelmed at that point. The frames he picked are simply about a third of a second after he was actually struck.

There almost certainly was no first shot before Z190-224


I was pointing out the conflicts between your putative scenario and a witness selected at random. We can continue this for all your witnesses, if you wish.

Okay. How about Roy Kellerman?

11/22/63 FBI interview: “he advised he heard a shot and immediately turned around, looking past Governor Connally…to the President. He observed the President slump forward and heard him say “Get me to a hospital.” Mr. Kellerman then heard Mrs. Kennedy say “Oh, no!” as the President leaned towards her… He stated he distinctly heard three shots. He advised he did not see the Governor get hit, nor did he observe the second bullet hit the President.”

11/27/63 FBI interview: “Towards the end of town, the vehicle came to a sharp right turn in the street. Few people were on either side at this time. In a matter of a block, the road veered to the left. There were extremely few people on either side of the road at this point. The vehicle was still going at the normal speed which Kellerman estimated to be approximately 15 miles per hour...Kellerman advised he does not recall passing the Texas State Book Depository Building. He advised the vehicle appeared to be going down a small decline at which time everybody in the car was seated. Kellerman said he heard a noise like a firecracker...Upon hearing a noise like a firecracker, he distinctly and positively heard the President say “My God, I’ve been hit.” Kellerman advised he immediately turned his head to the left rear and almost instantaneously heard two additional shots. Upon turning his head to his left, he observed President Kennedy with his left hand in back of him appearing to be reaching to a point on his right shoulder. The President fell on Mrs. Kennedy’s lap. She stated, “My God, what are they doing to you?” Governor Connally never said a word.”

3/9/64 Warren Commission: “As we turned off Houston onto Elm and made the short little dip to the left going down grade, as I said, we were away from the buildings, and where there was a sign on the side of the road which I don’t recall what it was and what it said, but we no more than passed that and you are out in the open, and there is a report like a firecracker, pop…as I turned my head to the right to view whatever it was or see whatever it was, I heard a voice from the back seat and I firmly believe it was the President’s 'My God! I am hit!,' and I turned around and he has got his hands up there like this (he put his hands up to his neck)…So, in the same motion I come right back and grabbed the speaker and said to the driver, 'Let’s get out of here, we are hit!,' and grabbed the mike and I said, 'Lawson, this is Kellerman… We are hit; get us to the hospital immediately.' Now, in the seconds that I talked just now, a flurry of shells come into the car.” (When asked about his recollection of Kennedy speaking out) "This noise which I attribute as a firecracker, when this occurred and I am in the process of determining where it comes because I am sure it came off my right rear somewhere; the voice broke in right then" (When asked if he heard Mrs. Kennedy say anything) "after the flurry of shots, I recall her saying, 'What are they doing to you?'" (When asked how long the shooting lasted, in seconds) "Three or four" (When asked how many shots were in the flurry) "I am going to say two, and it was like a double bang--bang, bang." (When asked again if this meant there were two shots after the first noise) “Yes, sir; yes, sir, at least.” (When asked the timespan between the first shot and the flurry) “I will estimate 5 seconds, if that.” (When asked to describe the second and third shots) “You have heard the sound barrier, of a plane breaking the sound barrier, bang, bang? That is it.” (When asked at what point Greer accelerated the limousine) “Our car accelerated immediately on the time—at the time—this flurry of shots came into it…Between the second and third shot.


I'm sorry, did you exclude all FBI witness reports on that basis, or is this just an after-the-fact criticism of what he's reported to have said?

I'm guilty of quoting FBI summaries of witnesses that closely describe how I think it happened, but the one your quoted is particularly vague, to the point where I'm wondering if that witness was just misquoted.

And your criticism of James Altgens testimony is what, precisely?

Nothing. He described two shots, and it probably sounded like two shots where he was standing.

Where did I say anything of the sort? Please don't put words in my mouth.

So we agree that the combined recollections of ~300 witnesses can paint a clear picture of what happened. Cool.

See the discussion prior to your arrival. It might help. Also, I would also caution you to not put words in the witnesses mouths either. Altgens said nothing about shots at Z190-224 nor 313. That is your opinion of what he saw and heard. So make it clear in the future when you're claiming a witness said something, versus when you're interpreting their statement to fit your scenario.

I am assigning Zapruder frames to what it seems like the witnesses are obviously describing. When a witness says something like "I heard the first shot, and saw Kennedy slump and raise his arms", they are obviously describing a shot at Z190-224.

I think the possibility of a shot before Z155 or so is extremely remote.

It is extremely remote. There is almost no evidence for any shot before Z190-224.
 
So are the witnesses unreliable, reliable, or both?

You previously cited the witness statements here, so presumably you thought they were reliable:


Now it appears you're calling them unreliable, in that they only heard some of the shots.

Hank

It's human nature. If "quieter" shots were used in conjunction with loud shots, you are most likely going to assume the shooting only consisted of the loud shots.
 
If you believe throwing Mitch Werbell into the mix scores points, it doesn't.

His name gets bandied about in public whenever someone needs a general purpose covert action boogeyman, but the one time someone got him into a court of law the case against him and his co-defendants fell apart.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_WerBell_III

Other exploits include an alleged, but unsubstantiated presence at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated; spearheading the 1965 Invasion of the Dominican Republic; being tried and acquitted on charges of conspiracy to marijuana smuggling[15] reportedly in association with Gerry Patrick Hemming and with the acquiescence of Lucien Conein; and providing physical security services and training for Lyndon LaRouche security forces.

What? Who says he was literally there for the shooting?

Werbell's cans came onto the market considerably later than the assassination of JFK, and while his pistol caliber cans were effective for the job, those rifle caliber cans of his design (including the one on the M21 pictured in Axmann's post, M30 model iirc) were no great shakes, and his "pressure relief valve" chingadera was great for producing extra muzzle flash in dark or dim environments, something that isn't a good thing.

Well, combine his skills well before then with the fact that silencers did exist in the military long before then, and I don't see the purpose of trying to argue that there's no way you couldn't get a rifle to be pretty quiet compared to something like the MC.
 
Can you document this was a bullet, and not a portion of a bullet that had already struck something else first? Why are you claiming a bullet did this?

What could it have hit before? If you're saying it might've been a fragment from the head shot, what's with the third shell case in the snipers nest?

By the way, there is evidence that thin tree branches could not deflect a hypothetical Oswald bullet, and that such a bullet would have caused way more damage to the curb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiUv2WQKBjo

Paved over? No, never happened. Why not cite the actual testimony on this point. By the way, on 11/22/63, where was the shot determined to come from? (if you know).

Of course the curbstone mark was patched over.

Before: https://i.imgur.com/1cyHGBv.jpg

After: https://i.imgur.com/TsZFEU9.jpg

I forgot where I read this, but I think the FBI gave the explanation that the patch was made by a street-sweeping vehicle, failing to realize that a street-sweeping vehicle subtracts mass from the street instead of adding it.

Rumors, not reports. The actual witnesses there said they saw nothing of the sort.

Of course there were reports. An unidentified blond-haired man was photographed bending over and picking up a small object. Oh don't worry, Buddy Walthers later testified that he didn't know nothing about no bullet. Surely a man who had a bomb explode outside of his house right around the time Jim Garrison was doing his investigation wouldn't have anything to hide!

Purportedly being the key word there.

None of them are as discredited as the MC shell casings and bullets in evidence, but that's none of my business.
 
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Uum, huh? You mean like that bullet which vanished into thin air after making a mark on the curb and making a superficial wound on James Tague's face? The mark on the curb which was paved over as an obvious clumsy attempt to cover up a missed shot?

There were early reports of a bullet found in the grass. There were also bullets and shell casings purportedly found in various places around Dealey Plaza. Those are discussed here under "Other Evidence of Multiple Guns":

http://www.ctka.net/pr1195-hewett.html

And here, page 345

http://krusch.com/books/Impossible_Case_Against_Lee_Harvey_Oswald.pdf




The postulation about silencers is more than warranted just by examining the situation in Dealey Plaza, but if you want a possible name, here you go: http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKwerbell.htm

Um, huh? What you have here is not evidence of anything, but suppositions that must be true in order to support "the theory [you] subscribe to" (which is what, BTW? Something a little more solid than what we've seen here so far, I hope). I mean...you do understand there's a difference between having evidence from which you reach a conclusion and having a conclusion from which you reach for evidence? (And, as I've said, nothing you've said here even rises to the level of evidence anyway- it's pure supposition, "possible" and "purportedly," mixed in with "early reports," as if those are unfailingly accurate)

And another part of your methodology seems to consist of that old CTist tried-and-true circle "there's no evidence of the conspiracy because the conspiracy covered it up." Fifty years and the best CTists can do is to re-tread the same old path...:rolleyes:
 
Um, huh? What you have here is not evidence of anything, but suppositions that must be true in order to support "the theory [you] subscribe to" (which is what, BTW? Something a little more solid than what we've seen here so far, I hope). I mean...you do understand there's a difference between having evidence from which you reach a conclusion and having a conclusion from which you reach for evidence? (And, as I've said, nothing you've said here even rises to the level of evidence anyway- it's pure supposition, "possible" and "purportedly," mixed in with "early reports," as if those are unfailingly accurate)

And another part of your methodology seems to consist of that old CTist tried-and-true circle "there's no evidence of the conspiracy because the conspiracy covered it up." Fifty years and the best CTists can do is to re-tread the same old path...:rolleyes:

Whatever, dude. Above I copypasta'd Roy Kellerman's testimony. Do you have a counter-witness for how you think it happened?

EDIT: And what exactly do you think the curb mark was?
 
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Whatever, dude. Above I copypasta'd Roy Kellerman's testimony. Do you have a counter-witness for how you think it happened?

EDIT: And what exactly do you think the curb mark was?

What I think is "whatever, dude." Fifty years, and still going over the same old ground- what a hobby. :rolleyes: Well, at least you guys are no actual danger to anyone...party on.
 
It's human nature. If "quieter" shots were used in conjunction with loud shots, you are most likely going to assume the shooting only consisted of the loud shots.

Why wouldn't the witnesses report both?

And, in fact, some witnesses did report the earliest shot sounding like a firecracker.

Hank
 
Why wouldn't the witnesses report both?

The sound of one would be indistinguishable from the echoes of another.

And, in fact, some witnesses did report the earliest shot sounding like a firecracker.

I'd say that the one that sounded like a "firecracker" would be considered a loud shot.
 
I've always wondered why people continue to bust out long debunked nonsense about what is, arguably (the battle of Gettysburg might come close) the most scrutinized thing in United States history. What the Foxtrot is wrong with such people?
 
No? The witnesses statements you pointed out aren't incompatible with the theory i subscribe to. I believe that the theory i subscribe to best matches the mass of the witnesses statements.

Could you tell us what that theory consists of? How many shots, from where, based on what evidence?

The witness statements I pointed to (the first two, alphabetically) disagree in part with your conjectures about what happened.

I pointed out where.



Calvin S. McCamy, spokesman for the HSCA photographic panel, testimony on 9/12/78 (describing Kennedy before he goes behind the sign):

"There is considerable blurring at this point. The President's arm is up in a waving position. His head is still toward the right. At this point there is considerable blur, and by here, it appears as though his head is beginning to turn quite rapidly to the left. His head is now to the left. That is only one-eighteenth of a second from one frame to the next. He continues to look toward the left. One barely sees his right ear toward the camera. It is quite clear he is here now looking directly at his wife. He and his wife can be seen looking at one another in this sequence. **He now goes behind the sign**, and only a fraction of a second later we see his hands moving upward. He has a gasping expression. His hands are in a classic position of a person who has been startled. He now begins to raise his arms into what I would call a defensive position. He may be clutching at the throat wound."

The hands moving upward and the gasping expression and the clutching at the throat wound are as JFK emerges from the sign. Z223 or thereabouts. The HSCA confirmed the viability of the single bullet theory. You want to cite the experts, but ignore their conclusions.


Some of the HSCA photographic panel's findings, listed in the HSCA 12 volumes:

(61) The Zapruder film was studied with care at each of the Panel's conferences..At the final conference, which took place in July 1978, the film was closely scrutinized by 20 photographic scientists who were either members of the Panel or contractors responsible for much of the committee's laboratory work (i.e. photographic enhancement, restoration, etc.).

(64) By a vote of 12 to 5, the Panel determined that President Kennedy first showed a reaction to some severe external stimulus by Zapruder frame 207, as he is seen going behind a sign that obstructed Zapruder's view.

(65) By a vote of 11 to 3, the Panel determined that Governor Connally first showed a reaction to some severe external stimulus by Zapruder frame 224, virtually immediately after he is seen emerging from behind the sign that obstructed Zapruder's view.

(70) At approximately Zapruder frame 200 , Kennedy's movements suddenly freeze; his right hand abruptly stops in the midst of a waving motion and his head moves rapidly from right to his left in the direction of his wife. Based on these movements, it appears that by the time the President goes behind the sign at frame 207 he is evidencing some kind of reaction to a severe external stimulus.

There is significant expert consensus that had nothing to do with the dictabelt evidence.

It also isn't evidence that JFK was struck at that time. A "severe external stimulus" could be simply hearing a gun shot and freezing. Still need your scenario.


The WC lied and said Kennedy's back wound was on his neck.

No, they didn't.


The HSCA not only falsely concluded that the single bullet theory happened at ~Z190

Because of the acoustic evidence they had, they didn't have much leeway with that. They had four impulses they thought were gunshots, but weren't.

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/reportvols/vol8/html/HSCA_Vol8_0025b.htm

The 'shots' were spaced at 0.0 seconds, 1.6 sec, 7.8 sec, and 8.3 seconds.

The 8.3 second 'shot' was aligned with the Z313 head shot. The other 'shots' were aligned at Z304, Z161, and Z190 (roughly). If you align the head shot with the third 'shot' from the acoustics study, you get 'shots' at Z170, Z199, Z313 and Z322.

Both reconstructions have a serious issue, because neither reconstruction puts a shot at about Z223 - when the two men are reacting to the single bullet that struck both men. So the HSCA had result that ultimately would be proved false, but they believed true, and tried to shoehorn their conclusions into that false result.

Hence their strained conclusions about a reaction before the men went behind the sign.


... but also concluded that Kennedy would have to be significantly leaning over for it to happen (which is not seen on the Zapruder film at Z224).

Here's the HSCA drawing: http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/reportvols/vol2/pdf/HSCA_Vol2_0912_3_Canning.pdf


If there was a first missed shot around Z160, there would be witnesses who said "after that first loud shot, I saw Kennedy continue to smile and wave like nothing happened". Nobody remembered that happening.

Nobody?


There almost certainly was no first shot before Z190-224

Have you read the thread starting with Bob Harris' first appearance yet?


Okay. How about Roy Kellerman?

11/22/63 FBI interview: “he advised he heard a shot and immediately turned around, looking past Governor Connally…to the President. He observed the President slump forward and heard him say “Get me to a hospital.” Mr. Kellerman then heard Mrs. Kennedy say “Oh, no!” as the President leaned towards her… He stated he distinctly heard three shots. He advised he did not see the Governor get hit, nor did he observe the second bullet hit the President.”

11/27/63 FBI interview: “Towards the end of town, the vehicle came to a sharp right turn in the street. Few people were on either side at this time. In a matter of a block, the road veered to the left. There were extremely few people on either side of the road at this point. The vehicle was still going at the normal speed which Kellerman estimated to be approximately 15 miles per hour...Kellerman advised he does not recall passing the Texas State Book Depository Building. He advised the vehicle appeared to be going down a small decline at which time everybody in the car was seated. Kellerman said he heard a noise like a firecracker...Upon hearing a noise like a firecracker, he distinctly and positively heard the President say “My God, I’ve been hit.” Kellerman advised he immediately turned his head to the left rear and almost instantaneously heard two additional shots. Upon turning his head to his left, he observed President Kennedy with his left hand in back of him appearing to be reaching to a point on his right shoulder. The President fell on Mrs. Kennedy’s lap. She stated, “My God, what are they doing to you?” Governor Connally never said a word.”

3/9/64 Warren Commission: “As we turned off Houston onto Elm and made the short little dip to the left going down grade, as I said, we were away from the buildings, and where there was a sign on the side of the road which I don’t recall what it was and what it said, but we no more than passed that and you are out in the open, and there is a report like a firecracker, pop…as I turned my head to the right to view whatever it was or see whatever it was, I heard a voice from the back seat and I firmly believe it was the President’s 'My God! I am hit!,' and I turned around and he has got his hands up there like this (he put his hands up to his neck)…So, in the same motion I come right back and grabbed the speaker and said to the driver, 'Let’s get out of here, we are hit!,' and grabbed the mike and I said, 'Lawson, this is Kellerman… We are hit; get us to the hospital immediately.' Now, in the seconds that I talked just now, a flurry of shells come into the car.” (When asked about his recollection of Kennedy speaking out) "This noise which I attribute as a firecracker, when this occurred and I am in the process of determining where it comes because I am sure it came off my right rear somewhere; the voice broke in right then" (When asked if he heard Mrs. Kennedy say anything) "after the flurry of shots, I recall her saying, 'What are they doing to you?'" (When asked how long the shooting lasted, in seconds) "Three or four" (When asked how many shots were in the flurry) "I am going to say two, and it was like a double bang--bang, bang." (When asked again if this meant there were two shots after the first noise) “Yes, sir; yes, sir, at least.” (When asked the timespan between the first shot and the flurry) “I will estimate 5 seconds, if that.” (When asked to describe the second and third shots) “You have heard the sound barrier, of a plane breaking the sound barrier, bang, bang? That is it.” (When asked at what point Greer accelerated the limousine) “Our car accelerated immediately on the time—at the time—this flurry of shots came into it…Between the second and third shot.

How about Roy Kellerman?

Did Kellerman explain anything further about this flurry?

Yes, he did.

== quote ==
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. Kellerman, you said earlier that there were at least two additional shots. Is there any area in your mind or possibility, as you recollect that situation, that there could have been more than two shots, or are you able to say with any certainty?
Mr. KELLERMAN. I am going to say that I have, from the firecracker report and the two other shots that I know, those were three shots. But, Mr. Specter, if President Kennedy had from all reports four wounds, Governor Connally three, there have got to be more than three shots, gentlemen.
Senator COOPER. What is that answer? What did he say?
Mr. SPECTER. Will you repeat that, Mr. Kellerman?
Mr. KELLERMAN. President Kennedy had four wounds, two in the head and shoulder and the neck. Governor Connally, from our reports, had three. There have got to be more than three shots.
Representative FORD. Is that why you have described--
Mr. KELLERMAN. The flurry.
Representative FORD. The noise as a flurry?
Mr. KELLERMAN. That is right, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Excuse me, do you have any independent recollection, Mr. Kellerman, of the number of shots, aside from the inference that you make as to how many points of wounds there were?
Mr. KELLERMAN. Could you rephrase that, please?
Mr. SPECTER. Yes. You have drawn a conclusion, in effect, by saying that there were four wounds for the President and three wounds for the Governor; and from that, you say there must have been more than three shots in your opinion or your view. But my question is: Do you have any current recollection of having heard more than three shots?
Mr. KELLERMAN. No. I don't. I will have to say "No."
Senator COOPER. Has that been your recollection from the very time of the shooting?
Mr. KELLERMAN. No, sir; it has been my opinion.
Senator COOPER. Not your opinion, but from the time of the shooting you think then that you heard only three shots, or did you--
Mr. KELLERMAN. Yes.
Senator COOPER. Or did you ever think that you heard more than three?
Mr. KELLERMAN. No, sir; I can't say that, sir.

== unquote ==

Kellerman's conclusion was there had to be "a flurry" of shots - but he only heard three. His conclusion came about because of what he learned later - the number of wounds to the President and the Governor. But he consistently said he only heard three shots, from 11/22/63 forward. In other words, he said he invented this flurry to explain away all the wounds.


I'm guilty of quoting FBI summaries of witnesses that closely describe how I think it happened, but the one your quoted is particularly vague, to the point where I'm wondering if that witness was just misquoted.

Of course, anything that points away from your theory must be a mistake. Altgens testimony? Also a mistake?


Nothing. He described two shots, and it probably sounded like two shots where he was standing.

But in your theory, there were more, weren't there? So he made mistakes in his perception, that's your explanation here?


So we agree that the combined recollections of ~300 witnesses can paint a clear picture of what happened. Cool.

Remember when I said don't put words in my mouth? You're still doing it.


I am assigning Zapruder frames to what it seems like the witnesses are obviously describing. When a witness says something like "I heard the first shot, and saw Kennedy slump and raise his arms", they are obviously describing a shot at Z190-224.

Make it clear you're doing that, and don't say the witness said that.


It is extremely remote. There is almost no evidence for any shot before Z190-224.

Have you read the thread?

Hank
 
The sound of one would be indistinguishable from the echoes of another.

And the tests that establish this are published where?

Or is this just your opinion?

And what you're saying is the witnesses perceptions are unreliable - yet a few posts above this, you're citing the witnesses perceptions as strong evidence. I think you need to make up your mind whether they are reliable or not.



I'd say that the one that sounded like a "firecracker" would be considered a loud shot.

Again, your opinion only, unsupported by any evidence. Cite the witnesses that said it sounded like a firecracker and tell us what the said about the other shots... did they say the others were louder, quieter, or about the same?

PS: You still owe us a scenario. How many shots, from where, doing what damage to whom?

Hank
 
Micah old Java, let me barge in long enough to ask:

If some cabal of politicians, criminals, businessmen, commies, and Cubans turned on one of their own and had him wasted way back then, why

why

why

why should anybody give a flying phogg today?
 
What could it have hit before? If you're saying it might've been a fragment from the head shot, what's with the third shell case in the snipers nest?

Josiah Thompson concluded it was most likely a fragment from the head shot back in 1967. What's your question about the third shell casing?


By the way, there is evidence that thin tree branches could not deflect a hypothetical Oswald bullet, and that such a bullet would have caused way more damage to the curb.

Okay, that eliminates a theory I'm not advancing. Thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiUv2WQKBjo

But bear in mind Robert Frazier of the FBI testified this way:
Mr. FRAZIER - .... I have seen bullets strike small twigs, small objects, and ricochet for no apparent reason except they hit and all the pressure is on one side and it turns the bullet and it goes off at an angle.


Of course the curbstone mark was patched over.

Before: https://i.imgur.com/1cyHGBv.jpg

After: https://i.imgur.com/TsZFEU9.jpg

I asked you to cite the testimony and you cite two photos taken under different lighting conditions and from different angles. Obviously, you have an opinion on what they show, but just as obviously, your opinion is meaningless here.


I forgot where I read this, but I think the FBI gave the explanation that the patch was made by a street-sweeping vehicle, failing to realize that a street-sweeping vehicle subtracts mass from the street instead of adding it.

You undoubtedly read it on a conspiracy site somewhere. Psst: They sometimes make stuff up.


Of course there were reports. An unidentified blond-haired man was photographed bending over and picking up a small object.

He was? You can see him picking something up in the photo? Or is he reaching down to touch something on the grass?



Buddy Walthers testimony to the WC was in 1964. Jim Garrison's investigation started three years later. I think your excuses need some work.
== quote ==
Mr. LIEBELER. There has also been a story, some sort of story that you were supposed to have found a spent bullet.
Mr. WALTHERS. Yes; that's what the story was in this book, and man, I've never made a statement about finding a spent bullet.
Mr. LIEBELER. And you never found any spent bullet?
Mr. WALTHERS. No; me and Allan Sweatt 2 or 3 days after the assassination did go back down there and make a pretty diligent search in there all up where that bullet might have hit, thinking that maybe the bullet hit the cement and laid down on some of them beams but we looked all up there and everywhere and I never did find one. I never did in all of my life tell anybody I found a bullet other than where it hit.

== unquote ==

There are no reports of anyone seeing a bullet... there are reports of rumors of a bullet.


None of them are as discredited as the MC shell casings and bullets in evidence, but that's none of my business.

I invite you to make a case for this bullet in the grass. There isn't one to be made.

Hank
 
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Could you tell us what that theory consists of? How many shots, from where, based on what evidence?

The witness statements I pointed to (the first two, alphabetically) disagree in part with your conjectures about what happened.

I pointed out where.

First loud shot at Z190-224, followed by two more loud shots close together, one coming slightly before or slightly after Z313.

How do you think it happened? You make it sounds like there was no assassination at all. It had to happen some way.

The hands moving upward and the gasping expression and the clutching at the throat wound are as JFK emerges from the sign. Z223 or thereabouts. The HSCA confirmed the viability of the single bullet theory. You want to cite the experts, but ignore their conclusions.

The HSCA placed the single bullet theory around Z190. They only conformed the viability if Kennedy was significantly leaning forward at the time of the shot, however such leaning is not seen as he emerges from behind the sign. JFK had a gasping expression with his hands in front of his chest some time before that.

It also isn't evidence that JFK was struck at that time. A "severe external stimulus" could be simply hearing a gun shot and freezing. Still need your scenario.

Ok? You think the SBT happened at Z224, right?

No, they didn't.

Uuuummm... yes they did? The wound was lower in his back, not on the base of his neck.

Because of the acoustic evidence they had, they didn't have much leeway with that. They had four impulses they thought were gunshots, but weren't.

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/reportvols/vol8/html/HSCA_Vol8_0025b.htm

The 'shots' were spaced at 0.0 seconds, 1.6 sec, 7.8 sec, and 8.3 seconds.

The 8.3 second 'shot' was aligned with the Z313 head shot. The other 'shots' were aligned at Z304, Z161, and Z190 (roughly). If you align the head shot with the third 'shot' from the acoustics study, you get 'shots' at Z170, Z199, Z313 and Z322.

Both reconstructions have a serious issue, because neither reconstruction puts a shot at about Z223 - when the two men are reacting to the single bullet that struck both men. So the HSCA had result that ultimately would be proved false, but they believed true, and tried to shoehorn their conclusions into that false result.

Hence their strained conclusions about a reaction before the men went behind the sign.

Most of the HSCA photographic panel believed that their findings stood independently from the dictabelt analysis at the time. Ironically, you sound like the conspiracy theorist saying that all of these experts could have been lead into concluding something that didn't happen so they can go along to get along.


Can you name anybody who saw that him smiling and waving after the first shot? You may be able to find a couple of witnesses who said they saw "Kennedy's right arm raise" after the shot, but on closer examination they are actually describing Kennedy's actions after Z224.

Have you read the thread starting with Bob Harris' first appearance yet?

Yeah, I was on here several weeks ago, and I initially agreed that Harris might be right about the Z285 shot.


How about Roy Kellerman?

Did Kellerman explain anything further about this flurry?

Yes, he did.

== quote ==
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. Kellerman, you said earlier that there were at least two additional shots. Is there any area in your mind or possibility, as you recollect that situation, that there could have been more than two shots, or are you able to say with any certainty?
Mr. KELLERMAN. I am going to say that I have, from the firecracker report and the two other shots that I know, those were three shots. But, Mr. Specter, if President Kennedy had from all reports four wounds, Governor Connally three, there have got to be more than three shots, gentlemen.
Senator COOPER. What is that answer? What did he say?
Mr. SPECTER. Will you repeat that, Mr. Kellerman?
Mr. KELLERMAN. President Kennedy had four wounds, two in the head and shoulder and the neck. Governor Connally, from our reports, had three. There have got to be more than three shots.
Representative FORD. Is that why you have described--
Mr. KELLERMAN. The flurry.
Representative FORD. The noise as a flurry?
Mr. KELLERMAN. That is right, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Excuse me, do you have any independent recollection, Mr. Kellerman, of the number of shots, aside from the inference that you make as to how many points of wounds there were?
Mr. KELLERMAN. Could you rephrase that, please?
Mr. SPECTER. Yes. You have drawn a conclusion, in effect, by saying that there were four wounds for the President and three wounds for the Governor; and from that, you say there must have been more than three shots in your opinion or your view. But my question is: Do you have any current recollection of having heard more than three shots?
Mr. KELLERMAN. No. I don't. I will have to say "No."
Senator COOPER. Has that been your recollection from the very time of the shooting?
Mr. KELLERMAN. No, sir; it has been my opinion.
Senator COOPER. Not your opinion, but from the time of the shooting you think then that you heard only three shots, or did you--
Mr. KELLERMAN. Yes.
Senator COOPER. Or did you ever think that you heard more than three?
Mr. KELLERMAN. No, sir; I can't say that, sir.

== unquote ==

Kellerman's conclusion was there had to be "a flurry" of shots - but he only heard three. His conclusion came about because of what he learned later - the number of wounds to the President and the Governor. But he consistently said he only heard three shots, from 11/22/63 forward. In other words, he said he invented this flurry to explain away all the wounds.

I quoted Kellerman because be recalled the second and third shots very close together, with the third shot being after the Z313 head shot. I think the mass of the eyewitness statements fit this scenario well.

Of course, anything that points away from your theory must be a mistake. Altgens testimony? Also a mistake?

Maybe? You have to accept a lot more mistakes in the witness record than I do.

But in your theory, there were more, weren't there? So he made mistakes in his perception, that's your explanation here?

What? There were three loud loud shots.

Remember when I said don't put words in my mouth? You're still doing it.

It's ridiculous to say otherwise.

Make it clear you're doing that, and don't say the witness said that.

Ok? ...

Have you read the thread?

Some of the earlier posts, yes. Why, what evidence is there for an early missed shot?
 
And the tests that establish this are published where?

Or is this just your opinion?

Yes, it is my opinion that one or two suppressed shots crowded after one loud shot can give the impression of one echoing shot.

And what you're saying is the witnesses perceptions are unreliable - yet a few posts above this, you're citing the witnesses perceptions as strong evidence. I think you need to make up your mind whether they are reliable or not.

The echoes of a loud gunshot are less loud than the gunshot itself. This has always been common sense with the exception of when people have to start explaining who 40% of witnesses perceived a shot from the grassy knoll area.

Again, your opinion only, unsupported by any evidence. Cite the witnesses that said it sounded like a firecracker and tell us what the said about the other shots... did they say the others were louder, quieter, or about the same?

You do think that the assassination was carried out by one weapon shooting in the same direction, right? If the witnesses say that the three loud shots sounded slightly different from eachother, it's not my problem.

PS: You still owe us a scenario. How many shots, from where, doing what damage to whom?

Hank

Hmm.

1. The first shot happened at 190-224.

2. I think that the idea of the three loud shots being evenly spaced is probably not true at all, the last two were most likely close together.

3. There seems to have been some action in the grassy knoll area. Some have pointed out that the area immediately behind the fence next to the pergola area is probably an awful hiding spot, and only one witness (Ed Hoffman) has claimed to see a gunman there. Even if Ed Hoffman was lying, I don't want to deny the witnesses who claimed to see a puff of smoke at that specific area. So, perhaps some kind of firecracker was set off there as a military-style deception.

Right here, however, is a brilliant hiding spot for a grassy knoll sniper:

tPv54FB.jpg


Not only do the trees, hedges and parked cars give a fair amount of privacy, but there is a storm drain right there where a shooter could have escaped from:

sewer1.jpg


Perhaps they could've even been sitting half-way in the storm drain, shooting through a gap between the wooden boards.
 
Josiah Thompson concluded it was most likely a fragment from the head shot back in 1967. What's your question about the third shell casing?

It just seems very unlikely that a bullet fragment could've gotten that far. If that's what you're saying, then where did the third shot go?

But bear in mind Robert Frazier of the FBI testified this way:
Mr. FRAZIER - .... I have seen bullets strike small twigs, small objects, and ricochet for no apparent reason except they hit and all the pressure is on one side and it turns the bullet and it goes off at an angle.

Apparently that couldn't happen with these kinds of bullets. Also, there was no first missed shot at a time where the thin tree branches would've blocked a trajectory from the sniper's nest.

I asked you to cite the testimony and you cite two photos taken under different lighting conditions and from different angles. Obviously, you have an opinion on what they show, but just as obviously, your opinion is meaningless here.

I forgot where, but I know that James Tague always swore that he knew the curb was patched up like that. I think it's a pretty commonly accepted fact that the curb was patched over for some reason.

He was? You can see him picking something up in the photo? Or is he reaching down to touch something on the grass?

Tomato, tomato.

Buddy Walthers testimony to the WC was in 1964. Jim Garrison's investigation started three years later. I think your excuses need some work.
== quote ==
Mr. LIEBELER. There has also been a story, some sort of story that you were supposed to have found a spent bullet.
Mr. WALTHERS. Yes; that's what the story was in this book, and man, I've never made a statement about finding a spent bullet.
Mr. LIEBELER. And you never found any spent bullet?
Mr. WALTHERS. No; me and Allan Sweatt 2 or 3 days after the assassination did go back down there and make a pretty diligent search in there all up where that bullet might have hit, thinking that maybe the bullet hit the cement and laid down on some of them beams but we looked all up there and everywhere and I never did find one. I never did in all of my life tell anybody I found a bullet other than where it hit.

== unquote ==

There are no reports of anyone seeing a bullet... there are reports of rumors of a bullet.

I think Jim Garrison might've tried to get an interview with Walthers. Why do you think a bomb exploded outside of his house around that time?

I invite you to make a case for this bullet in the grass. There isn't one to be made.

Hank

Initial news reports of a bullet found in the grass, with a picture of an unidentified authority examining and touching something in that area. Already we have more credible information than the cowlick entrance.

I already gave you physical evidence (the curbstone) that the authorities wanted to actively cover up physical evidence for additional shots. So I already gave you a suitable answer for your query on additional bullets found. And then there are those bullets/fragments/shell casings purportedly found in locations around the Plaza.
 
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