I just looked at the picture and you can tell it is a M 14 as I remember them. I own a AR 15 and that is not an AR IMHO. I have not ever heard of any witness who saw him standing in my research at the 6th Floor Museum. I will ask around. Again, if he was the shooter, the SS guys in the front seats would have known as they would have been almost deaf for a while whith earaches from the shot. Why no testimony about that in any reports? I will take my common sense over what Menninger reports. AR 15 vs. M 14? I just think it is a M 14 from the fuzzy picture. I’ll take your word on that. Minor point. The agents in the front seat not ever saying that a gun went off behind their heads I will bet money on.
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.