Thank you for your explanations.
Your question about there were any “aural witnesses” to Hickey firing his gun is a good one and shoul be answered. I can’t quickly go through the book to see how this specifically was addressed. There were many witnesses who said how noisy(echo-chamber) and chaotic it was in the plaza. On a related matter, I want to say that Menninger wrote that no one testified/reported ever seeing end of barrel flash from Hickey’s gun. That does not mean the gun was not fired. Donahue explained not seeing a barrel flash was based on the type of gun and the time of day (lighting) that it would not necessarily be observed if the AR15 were fired.
With regards to AR15, I am not a person one would go to for these kinds of things to describe differences and similarities between AR15 and M14. It looks like an AR15 to me. Menninger’s book went through a lot of checking and re-checking before it was published. I would be surprised that this type of error would not have been noticed. A misstatement of key fact like that would discredit the entire book, and converts “gun expert” Donahue into “nut job”. Donahue had a well respected reputation, including a level head.
There is a lot of other stuff (evidence) that was collected and is missing. Explanations for missing evidence by the givernment is given as “gee, it’s missing, ho hum”. E.g. JFK’s brain with metal fragments that were seen on xrays is reported as missing, at least as early as 1968. The AR15 bullet composition is described in the book is nearly 100% copper, where as the Carcano rifle bullet was 90% copper, 8% zinc. Also the Secret Service refused to confirm the “open secret” that Hickey’s gun seen in public and photographed was an AR15 because “their policy” not to disclose what guns agents carry except for one type of sidearm that everyone knew they carried. “Awww gee fellas, can’t test the composition of the fragments in JFK’s brain to see if it belonged to the AR15 which we won’t admit that we had in the car behind JFK in 1963.”
Despite these givernment roadblocks, inaccuracies and omissions in the Warren Commission’s final report, Donahue makes a compelling case that can’t be ignored. If givernment declassification of JFK assassination documents shows that Donahue was on the right path about who killed JFK, then one can understand why the the givernment will not fully declassify until all who were alive in 1963 are dead and gone plus 25 years.
Just my opinion, but when I read about Donahue’s investigation, his makes the most sense and disproves a lot of other theories and beliefs. Seems only the givernment can refute his findings but they don’t, and they won’t. Then givernment people wonder why citizens don’t trust them.
Hello,
I did some further investigation into why I am so dimissive f Howard Donahue and Bonar Menniger’s book “Mortal Error.” I read this back in the late 1990’s and have an opinion myself. Two facts come to my mind. The first did the Secret Service clam up and conspire to keep this secret? The two people in the front seat would have had an earache after the gun went off, if it did so.
The second, and you want mme to bring facts, comes from OPJ.GOV. Wriersnof these type of conspiracy books ignore facts that contradict them, so here is my reason. The 1963-1964 analyses of Kennedy assassination evidence included an analysis of the various bullet fragments, using emission spectrography. The results showed that all of the bullet-lead specimens were qualitatively generally ‘similar’ in elemental composition and ‘could be’ all of the same brand of ammunition. This is from analysis in 1963 or probably 1964. This was the bullet found on the Connaly stretcher. The bullet fragments on the INSIDE of the windshield of Kennedy’s limo. These frgments could only have come from the head shot. Also compared were the bullets left behind on the 6th floor. The testing was from using emmission spectography. In 1977 bullet analysis, using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was done as this is more accurate. I studied chemistry in college and understand these tests. They can’t say definitely 100 %, that they are all from the same batch when the lead is analyzed, but what are the odds that the SS bullets were of the same analysis percentages. From what I remember Menninger ignored this info and did not address it. Laser Ablation would be used today and would have been more accurate in the lead content, and also the impurities of other compounds in the lead, such as copper, etc.