JFK ASSASSINATION

DALLAS TEXAS Nov. 22, 1963

President KennedyPresident Kennedy

Jacqueline Kennedy

Texas Gov.John Connally

Nellie Connally

Secret Secret ServiceServiceRoy Roy KellermanKellerman

SecretServiceWilliam Greer

JFK’s Reason in Dallas

• Kennedy went to Texas in Nov. 1963 to help shore up some political ties and to establish himself as the front runner for Texas's electoral college vote in the 1964 election.

• Vice Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson came with him.

JFK’s Motorcade

• JFK arrived with his wife Jacqueline at LOVE FIELD (the Dallas airport) at approximately 11:20am Nov 22nd.

• His motorcade had been lined up already.• JFK’s motorcade would be from Love Field---To---

Dallas Business and Trade Mart (where he would have lunch)

• LBJ would be 2 cars back with his wife.• The lead car carrying 2 Secret Service Agents (Sorrels

and Lawson) who planned the route.

JFK’s Motorcade

• The route scheduled to be driven was as follows: – Left turn from the south end of Love Field to West

Mockingbird Lane– Right on Lemmon Ave– Right at the "Y" on Turtle Creek Blvd– Straight on Cedar Springs Rd– Left on North Harwood St– Right on Main St (staying straight on Main street) Into

Dealey Plaza– Through Triple Underpass– Right turn up ramp to North Stemmons Freeway, to Dallas

Trade Mart at 2100 North Stemmons

JFK’s Motorcade

Change of Parade RouteChange of Parade Route• Prior to Nov 22nd the Dallas newspapers published

the route of JFK’s motorcade so people would know where to line up.

• Secret Service though Main St. was the best option for Dealey Plaza because it was direct and offered numerous vantage points for spectators to see the president.

• However a slight problem existed.

JFK’s Motorcade

Change of Parade RouteChange of Parade Route• The most practical route to reach the Stemmons

freeway was to go alter the route to drive on Houston St. and Elm St..

• Elm St. (which passed directly in front of the Texas School Book Depository)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Dealey-plaza-annotated.png

JFK’s Motorcade

• This gave potential shooters a much clearer shot to Kennedy for several reasons.– 1. 1. The Motorcade would have to make two 90 degree

turns causing the motorcade to slow to less than 12 MPH creating an easier shot at the President.

– 2. 2. It brings the Motorcade closer to buildings (Specifically the Texas School Book Depository Building) --- only 65 feet away.

• If the motorcade had stayed on Main St. it would have been a much further shot and the Motorcade wouldn’t have had to slow down.

JFK’s Motorcade

• Shortly after the motorcade turned onto Elm St. (approximately 12:30pm) the motorcade passes the School Book Depository)

• The motorcade slows to less than 10 MPH on ELM• 12:33pm. 3 shots are fired.• President John F. Kennedy is hit 2x (one being a head

shot)• Governor John Connley is hit 3x (potentially by the

same bullet)• Hi quality footage of JFK Assassination

JFK’s Motorcade

• Secret Service Agent Clint Hill climbs onto the back of the Lincoln to keep Jacqui Kennedy from leaving and to protect her.

• The president’s car speeds onto the Stemmons freeway and heads toward Parkland Hospital.

• Doctor’s at Parkland Hospital performed CPR on the President (who was obviously dead instantaneously) but was pronounced dead at 1:00pm

• Walter Cronkite announces death of JFK

Immediate Aftermath

• Immediately after the assassination Lyndon B. Johnson was taken to Love Airfield and boarded Air Force One.

• At 2:38pm (Nov 22nd 1963) Lyndon Baines Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the USA.

Jackie Kennedy at LBJ’s side for the swearing in.

LBJ

SwORN

IN

JFKConspiracy theories

Lee Harvey Oswald

• Lee Harvey Oswald is the “alleged” lone assassin of President JFK.

• 12:33 JFK is shot.• 12:34 Lee Harvey Oswald leaves the TSBD and

boards a bus.– The bus he boards was not at an actual stop. – He pays the fair (bus driver claims he was white as a ghost)– Bus is stuck in traffic so at 12:40pm Oswald exits bus and

gets into a taxi cab.– Exits the cab around 1:00pm and walks the last few blocks

to a rooming house he was staying in.

Lee Harvey Oswald• He apparently went there to retrieve a jacket and

his .38 caliber pistol (which he mail ordered under an assumed name)—Alek Hidell

• 3/5ths of a block later in Oak Cliff residential area patrolman J.D. Tippit stopped Oswald and talked to him through the passenger window.

• Approximately 1:15pm Tippit exited the patrol car Oswald pulled his revolver and shot Tippit 4x in front of 3 eyewitnesses.

• Tippit was dead

Lee Harvey Oswald

• Oswald leaves the scene and ducks into John Brewer’s shoe store (apparently to avoided cop cars passing by)– Brewer thought Oswald was acting nervously.

• Oswald leaves the store and enters a nearby movie theater. He enters without paying for a ticket.

• Cops arrive and Brewer accompanies them to identify Oswald.– Radio description of the “suspect” fit Oswald’s

description.

Lee Harvey Oswald

• Officer McDonald approached Oswald in the theater and ordered him to stand up.

• Oswald said:– “Well it’s all over now”

• Oswald hits the officer.• Officer McDonald is able

to wrestle the gun away from Oswald and he is captured. (1:45pm)

Oswald’s seat in the Texas Theater

Lee Harvey Oswald

• Oswald was taken to Dallas Police Dept.• He was booked for the murder of Officer Tippit.

– Police Capitan Fritz was told of the suspect’s name and it was the same name missing from the employee check at the TSBD. (Oswald was then booked as a suspect in the murder of JFK)

• Oswald was interrogated at Dallas police HQ for 2 days. Constantly denying that he killed Tippit or JFK.

Lee Harvey Oswald

• He denied owning a rifle and pistol.

• He denied having a Selective Service card in his wallet with the name Alek Hidell.

• He denied having a package in the backseat of his coworker’s car the morning of the shooting

Lee Harvey Oswald

Oswald Recalls his whereabouts:Oswald Recalls his whereabouts:• Oswald said he was eating lunch at the 1st floor

cafeteria at the TSBD then went to the 2nd floor to get a coke. – Here he was questioned by a police officer.

• 2 days later when question again Oswald said he was working on one of the upper floors and went down to one of the lower floors where he encountered the policeman.

• He said he left the TSBD because of all the commotion he figured no work would be done today.

Lee Harvey Oswald

Oswald Recalls his whereabouts:Oswald Recalls his whereabouts:• Said he went home to change his clothes and got his Said he went home to change his clothes and got his

pistol because he just wanted to.pistol because he just wanted to.– Said you know how boys are if they have a gun they want to Said you know how boys are if they have a gun they want to

carry it.carry it.– Constantly called himself a patsy and said he was being Constantly called himself a patsy and said he was being

treated unfairly.treated unfairly.– Oswald says the pictures of him were fakes and that his face Oswald says the pictures of him were fakes and that his face

was placed over the body of someone else.was placed over the body of someone else.– It was found out later that his wife Marina actually signed A. It was found out later that his wife Marina actually signed A.

Hidell to his selective service card (why was never known)Hidell to his selective service card (why was never known)

Lee Harvey Oswald

• Oswald is prepared to be transferred to county jail.• He was handcuffed to Officer Leavelle.• At 11:21am Nov 24th 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald is shot

and killed by Jack Ruby (Rubenstein) a Dallas Night Club Owner.– This was done on LIVE TV!– Oswald died 2 days later at Parkland Hospital.

Ruby approaches Oswald

Ruby

Oswald

OfficerLeavelle

Killing of Lee Harvey Oswald

The Warren Commission

The Warren Commission

• Formed on Nov 29th 1963 by LBJ to investigate the assassination of JFK.– Officially called the “President’s Commission on the

Assassination of President Kennedy”

• It was chaired by Chief Justice (of the supreme court) Earl Warren

• It investigated the JFK assassination for approximately 1 year and then presented it’s findings to LBJ in 1964.

• It came to the conclusion that Oswald was the lone gunman and plotted the assassination and acted alone.

The Warren Commission

• It was an 888 page report published in 27 volumes.• All the commission’s records were to be transferred

to the National Archives and sealed for 75 year (till 2039)– This changed because of the Freedom of Information Act

(1966) and the JFK Records Act (1992)

• Approximately 98 % of the records in the Warren Commission have been released to the public. But 2017 is when the final portion is to be released to the public (tax)

The Warren Commission

Criticisms of the Warren Commission

• Lack of CIA Records.– CIA officials destroyed critical records relating to the

assassination of JFK. – Claimed that all the information couldn’t be divulged

because it was a matter of national security and could hurt potential governmental operations.

– Stated some of the information that was hidden could have been construed to lead to a conspiracy.

The Warren CommissionCriticisms of the Warren Commission

• Single Bullet Theory!!!! & Lone Gunman Theory– Concluded only 3 bullets were fired.– All came from the TSBD– 1 bullet missed the president’s motorcade completely– 1 bullet was a head shot– 1 final bullet caused 7 wounds between JFK and Connally.

(Demonstrate)– It passed through 15 layers of clothing, 7 layers of skin, 15

inches of tissue, through neck tie knot, through 4 inches of rib bone, and shattered the radius bone in a wrist and was found in pristine condition.

Magic Bullet

Magic Bullet

Bullet fired into a Goat carcassBullet fired into the wrist of a

human cadaver

Kennedy’s Autopsy

Entry Wound JFK’s Back Exit wound JFK’s neck

Kennedy’s Autopsy

JFK’s head wound JFK’s head wound top view

Kennedy’s AutopsyJFK Drawing of entry wound JFK drawing of head bullet path

Oliver Stone

• JFK: Back and To The Left• Oliver Stone’s back and to the left theory of multiple

gunman teams (conspiracy)---hollywood

Secret Service Conspiracy

• House Select Committee on Assassinations revealed that JFK did not receive adequate protection in Dallas from the Secret Service.

• Reports state that after the 1st shot SSA Greer (driver of JFK’s car) slowed the car to almost 5 MPH. While SSA Youngblood who was guarding LBJ had already covered LBJ with his body.

• SSA Hill was able to run and catch up to the car and jump in to push Jackie Kennedy down.

• SSA agent’s are highly trained!

Secret Service Conspiracy• James Fetzer points out 15 problems with the Secret

Service detail in Dallas.– Lack of Coverage of Open Windows– Lack of Military presence– Motorcycles out of position– Failure of SSA to ride on the back of JFK’s limo– Vehicles not in proper sequence– Failure to utilize best motorcade route– Bringing limo to a virtual halt after the first shots had been fired.– The driver washing out the back seat of the limo at Parkland

Hospital

Secret Service Conspiracy

James Fetzer points out 15 problems with the Secret Service detail in Dallas.

– Lack of Coverage of Open Windows– Lack of Military presence– The car was dismantled and rebuilt (as per LBJ’s order)– Driver’s testimony changing– Windshields being replaced in the car– YouTube - JFK assassination: Secret Service Standdown

Mafia Conspiracy

Carlos MarcelloCarlos Marcello• New Orleans Mob boss Carlos Marcello was thought to

believe to be in connection with JFK’s assassination• It was reported that Marcello was in connection with the

CIA during operation Mongoose and had many CIA ties in an attempt to help take out Castro.

– Documents never seen by the Warren Commission

– Marcello had his own interests in Cuba as well.• Robert Kennedy was putting pressure on the mafia by launching

the Kennedy Administration’s Anti-Mafia crusade.

Mafia Conspiracy

• Marcello had apparently threatened to assassinate JFK to circumvent the investigations of Robert Kennedy.

• It was also reported that several Mafia families helped work with JFK’s father to get JFK elected. (there were claims of some voting irregularities and rigging in several large mafia rich cities)

Mafia Conspiracy

• Jack Ruby (who shot Oswald on live TV) also had strong ties with the New Orleans mob Cappo Sam Giancana.Sam Giancana.

• Sam Giancana also had Sam Giancana also had his own “special” his own “special” relationship with JFK.relationship with JFK.

Mafia Conspiracy

• Judith Cambell Exner Judith Cambell Exner was a was a former former “gumar” “gumar” of Giancana of Giancana and was also a reported and was also a reported girlfriend/mistress of JFK.girlfriend/mistress of JFK.

• She was interviewed on Good She was interviewed on Good Morning America and asked if Morning America and asked if she ever carried messages she ever carried messages between Giancana and JFK and between Giancana and JFK and she said no….”Sam would never she said no….”Sam would never write anything down on paper.” write anything down on paper.” (So she didn’t deny there was a (So she didn’t deny there was a connection and she didn’t deny connection and she didn’t deny being with JFK)being with JFK)

Mafia Conspiracy• Christian David:Christian David:

– A Corsican Mafia (From Corsica—French Mafia) was interviewed about JFK’s assassination from jail

– Claimed he was offered the contract of killing JFK but turned it down.

– Claimed he knew of the 3 men who were contracted to kill JFK.

– Gave 1 name “Lucian Sarti” (Believed to be the one who fired from behind the fence on the grassy knoll)

– Christian David wouldn’t give the names of the other members because they were still alive (as of 1972) and that would violate cosa nostra code of conduct.

Mafia Conspiracy

• Christian David:Christian David:– David gave details of how the shooters were to be dressed David gave details of how the shooters were to be dressed

in official uniforms etc.in official uniforms etc.– In a separate interview Corsican Mafia member Michel In a separate interview Corsican Mafia member Michel

Nicoli who was in the Witness Protection Program Nicoli who was in the Witness Protection Program confirmed most of David’s testimony. (including details) confirmed most of David’s testimony. (including details)

Mafia Conspiracy

• Rose Cherami – A Louisiana prostitute and drug addict was picked

up 2 days before JFK’s assassination and told her arresting officer that JFK would be assassinated.

– Nobody believed her– After JFK was assassinated and after Jack Ruby

killed Oswald she told the officers how she had worked as a stripper in one of Ruby’s clubs and had slept with both men and this is how she found out about JFK’s assignation.

– Cherami was killed 2 years later being hit by a car.

• Beyond Conspiracy - Kennedy assassination