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To: Paisan

While Vincent Bugliosi (tried Charles Manson and is the author of “Helter Skelter”) is a leftist, he also has a pretty good mind when he turns it to his specialty, which is law.

He wrote an excellent book about the JFK assassination called “Reclaiming History” that not only exhaustively dispelled nearly ever single assertion by the conspiracy theory people, but also buttressed most of the main points of the Warren Commission.

For example, one of the main contentions is that Oswald could have never fired as many shots as he did, as accurately as he did from the Mannlicher-Carcano. It was characterized as a cheap, inferior product, not accurate, and could not have done what it did. The Warren Commission not only showed contrary opinions from the US Army that the gun was not considered a cheap piece of crap (they considered it a capable weapon long before the assassination) but that a Marine Corps weapons expert could not only shoot the weapon as fast in an environment that simulated the range, speed, relative positions and size of target, but was able to improve on the shooting. (if I recall, the weapons expert said that Oswald likely used the iron sights instead of the scope, as he did during his evaluation of the weapon. Using the scope would have been more difficult in some respects)

But one of the best passages from the book describes how Oswald was giving a lecture to a large audience (in the hundreds) of high powered attorneys, and he posed a question to them: “How many of you believe that there was a conspiracy to murder JFK, and that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone?” The response was nearly every single hand in the room was raised.

He then said (I have to paraphrase, don’t have the book) “What if I could convince all of you, in sixty seconds or less, that you are not thinking correctly on the subject?” There was some commotion and loud murmuring from the crowd, and one of them said aloud: “We don’t think you can do it.”

So Bugliosi turned to someone on the stage with him and said “Okay, start timing”. He turned to the crowd and said “How many of you have ever read the Warren Commission Report?”

Only one or two hands went up. Bugliosi said: “As lawyers, isn’t it vitally important, perhaps most important, to weigh all the facts available and to hear both sides of the story before you come to a conclusion? I once had a country lawyer say to me, no matter how thin I make my flapjacks, there are still two sides to them.” He turned to the timer and said asked how much time was left. The timer said twenty seconds.

There wasn’t a single peep of dissent from the audience of assembled lawyers. He later said he wasn’t even questioning whether anyone had read the entire Warren Commission Report (all volumes) but only the summary.

Bugliosi’s point is that the JFK assassination was the most investigated crime in history, for a crime in which with the circumstances, witnesses and physical evidence at hand, he could have decisively convicted the perpetrator in few days under any other circumstances. He acknowledged that there are some inconsistencies, but as he mentioned in each of his other books I have read (”Helter Skelter” and “The Sea Will Tell”) there is no analysis of any event that does not have inconsistencies. The question is always whether those inconsistencies have enough relevance to counterbalance the solid evidence.


29 posted on 01/13/2013 6:29:38 AM PST by rlmorel (1793 French Jacobins and 2012 American Liberals have a lot in common.)
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To: rlmorel

I was doubter, until I read Bugliosi’s book


39 posted on 01/13/2013 8:18:35 AM PST by razorback-bert (I'm in shape. Round is a shape isn't it?)
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To: rlmorel

..the JFK assassination was the most investigated crime in history...

I’m with ya. I’ve actually read the Warren Report - not the 20 volume set - but the adequate and highly detailed summary, and have often referred to it when any new claim has been advanced.

Most important, with an alledged “conspiracy” supposedly involving many different branches of government OR organized crime OR foreign governments OR Marilyn Monroe, we are expected to believe that EVERYONE has been able to keep their mouth SHUT for 50 years !

Sad to say though, I can see the day, perhaps 50 years hence, JFK’s body will be exhumed, to satisfy another poorly researched conspiracy theory...


44 posted on 01/13/2013 8:56:02 AM PST by Paisan
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To: rlmorel

I have also read “Reclaiming History” and completely agree with your excellent post.


45 posted on 01/13/2013 9:04:26 AM PST by nicksaunt
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