JFK conspiracy theory 101 - a lesson in ambiguity

Reuters ^ | Fri 21 November, 2003 | Jon Herskovitz

[yonif]

DALLAS (Reuters) - The shots rang out in Dallas 40 years ago, and the students' research papers on assassination conspiracy theories were due on the desk of Southern Methodist University professor Tom Stone earlier this week.

Stone has been teaching a course for 10 years on the John F. Kennedy presidential assassination at SMU, a university in Dallas located a few miles north of where Kennedy was gunned down on November 22, 1963.

The course called "On the Trail of the Assassin(s)" considers the assassination as a work of critical reading, teaching wide-eyed college youths in the English department that there is no absolute truth, but a whole lot of ways to navigate through contradiction.

"If I went into class the first day and said, 'This is really a course on critical reading and critical thinking,' the students would probably run for the door," Stone said.

Stone, who sports a full beard and a voice big enough to fill a classroom even when he speaks in hushed tones, describes himself as a child of the 1960s.

He said he started the course because he wanted to teach students some of his views on the assassination, but over the years realised the history of JFK's fateful day in Dallas was an exceptional platform to teach students that there were numerous ways to interpret a text.

The class is possibly the only college course on the Kennedy assassination that is a part of an English literature curriculum.

"Students begin to read more sceptically and more critically, which is a basic tool for an English class," Stone said. In the Kennedy case, for every fact there is a counter fact. The evidence is internally contradictory. They never reach certainty and the comfort of a clear-cut right answer."

HOLLYWOOD, HISTORY, AND FIRST-YEAR LIT.

Most of the students have little knowledge of the details of the assassination and Stone introduces them to Kennedy, the political storms of his administration and conspiracy theory by showing them Oliver Stone's (no relation) 1991 film "JFK."

The film presents a narrative where an elaborate conspiracy that touches on the Mafia, the CIA, the military industrial complex and even former president Lyndon Johnson as being in some way behind Kennedy's assassination. It has been derided by some critics as straying too far from historical fact in order to show a well-polished fiction.

Just as the 20 or so students in the class are studying the arguments of Oliver Stone's film, Stone at SMU springs "Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK," a book by Gerald Posner, on his students.

Posner tries to put all the conspiracy theories to rest and he argues that through a sober and thorough reading of the evidence, it is clear that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in gunning down Kennedy.

Students are asked to research one aspect of the assassination -- such as the controversy of supposedly doctored photographs or the possible involvement of the Mafia.

Historical records such as the evidence provided to the Warren Commission and to a special committee of the U.S. House of Representatives are used by students for their papers and for oral presentations they make to the class.

James Scott, 19 of Beaumont, Texas and Amy Wilson, 18 of Boerne, Texas are students in the class who are leaning toward the arguments of the conspiracy theorists. They have yet to visit Dealey Plaza, where the assassination took place, or the Sixth Floor Museum, the most authoritative display of the event. The museum is situated in the Texas School Book Depository Building, the site from which Oswald is suspected of shooting Kennedy.

Teacher Stone subscribes to the theory of Oswald as a single gunman, who was probably encouraged or influenced by an outside force. He said after the course that the students are usually evenly divided between those who see Oswald acting alone as the gunman and those who see a conspiracy of some sorts behind the assassination.

"The thing about the Kennedy case is because there are no definite answers, people read their own concerns into it," Stone said. After the course, students should have picked up an important lesson on education.

"You are going to know more and understand less."

[Timesink]

Then why did over 40 people standing within 5 to 30 yards of the exact spot where the shooting occurred ALL point directly to the same spot on the G.N., under the tree and right at the covering wooden fence?

Echos. An equal number of people, if not more, were pointing to the sixth floor of the depository.

[kellynla]

Kennedy was not shot in the back of the head. He was shot in the his right front forehead which blew out the back of his head and he was also shot in his throat. Well we're only fifteen minutes into the ABC program and they conveniently omitted the fact that the top of Kennedy's head was blown clear out and from the right front. More liberal BS...

[South Dakota]

>>>>>>>>>To me, all one needs is to do is watch the Zapruder film close up of the frontal head shot to know that he was also shot from the front. More than one gunman. Oswald was only one caught. The Warren report felt it was tidier to close it out then leave the case open. Also, sloppy FBI work but then this was 1963 and these folks were not prepared for this in Dallas, Texas. I trust my eyes much more than I trust "ol single bullet". But I do respect other FReeper's opinions.


19 posted on 11/20/2003 10:10 PM MST by plain talk<<<<<<<<<<

To know that there was a conspiracy all one has to do is look at the Zapruder footage and the massive trauma to the right temple of Mr. Kennedy's head. The offical autopsy photos show NO TRAUMA to the right temple area

[ntnychik]

Last night I watched the A&E tape done 15 years ago which presents four hours of the live NBC TV broadcast from when it began 11 min. after shots rang out. Many witnesses are interviewed while they are still standing at the scene. Two reporters in different cars behind the President's speak of two shots from behind and above them, and a third shot which came from another location. Jean Hill (red coat in Zapruder film) is interviewed at the site. Kennedy was looking at a dog near her. He was opposite her when the first shot occurred. She described him bringing his bent arms up to his "chest" (looks like neck to me on Zapruder). The reporter, who has already heard the shots were from the depository, asks her where the first shot came from. She points directly across to the knoll and says very assuredly "from over there." Reporter is looking funny and the anchor team in NY is rolling its eyes and going "Huh?" She is asked again. Even more determinedly she points to the knoll like the reporter's an idiot and says right over there, straight across from me.

Another interesting early tidbit was a reporter at Parkland who spoke to the President's personal physician. He brusquely said, "It was a shot to the temple, simple as that."

There are many interesting interviews on feed from the Ft. Worth affiliate with reporters and witnesses on site in Dallas.

The tape is a culture shock of low-tech malfunctioning equipment, bad set, and chaos in reporting.

[Timesink]

Kennedy was not shot in the back of the head. He was shot in the his right front forehead which blew out the back of his head and he was also shot in his throat. Well we're only fifteen minutes into the ABC program and they conveniently omitted the fact that the top of Kennedy's head was blown clear out and from the right front. More liberal BS...

Here on the East Coast, the show ended two hours ago. They don't get around to discussing the head shot until the last 10-15 minutes. But when they do, there's no room left to wiggle. Oswald, three shots, from the sixth floor of the Depository. It's the only possibility.

[LouD]

G.N.

What the hell is the G.N. - The Grassy Knoll, perhaps?

that far up

The sixth floor? I've had walk-up apartments that high. It's sixty feet. I'll tell you what: You stand sixty feet away, in an area bordered by large stone buildings, and I'll shoot 7.62 rounds in your general direction, and you tell me if it sounds like a "popping noise," okay?

[neb52]

I saw a TV special on either A&E or the Hitler Channel. It was an interview of an Italian mafia hitman. He said he was went to a meeting two other assasians were there. He was shown who his next target would be in which he declined the job, saying" he refused to assasinate a head of state". He went on to say that the other two assasians took the job. He supports the three shooter theory, saying that they must of picked up a third shooter after he declined. As to the question who issued the contract. He said that it came from a mafia family in the US to a mafia family in Italy to find the assasians outside of the US. The guy is verified as being a true hitman and lives in Brazil now. So he did have some creditability. It was very interesting. I have always support the theory that it was a mafia.

[texasbluebell]

Another interesting early tidbit was a reporter at Parkland who spoke to the President's personal physician. He brusquely said, "It was a shot to the temple, simple as that."

I find it highly amusing that invariably on the JFK threads, one or more of the so-called "experts" will soon pay a visit to try to discredit the ER attending docs who actually treated Kennedy, insisting that those who saw his wounds didn't know/remember what they were doing.

These "experts" then proceed to berate anyone who doesn't agree with the party line. I'll check back tomorrow to see if one of them decides to berate you and me for these comments.

[texasbluebell]

Did you really say the Hitler channel? Very funny slip! LOL!

[texasbluebell]

I really needed that laugh right now, so many of these JFK threads are so frustrating, with people name-calling and ridiculing and berating those who won't bow to the Official Lie.

[xp38]

The one good thing about all the conspiracy theories is that it keeps a lot of nuts off the streets with a hobby to occupy their time as they while away the years. Sort of like trekkies. The Posner book says there are even conventions for assassination buffs.

[kellynla]

Like I said, the ABC program is total liberal horse manure. Kennedy took a headshot from the front that took out the back of his head. And anybody that tells you different doesn't know the first thing about ballistics. If Oswald had shot Kennedy in the back of the head, the whole front of Kennedy's face would have erupted all over Governor Connelly's backside. Instead the back of Kennedy's head and brains were blown out all over the trunk of the limo. Now if Oswald or anybody could do that from the school book depository I'll buy them a new house! Oswald was nothing more than a "patsy".

[TakeChargeBob]

The ABC program presented their point of view with a new techno version of the trajectory. They gave a credible argument for their viewpoint. The key to their argument was the "proof" of the possibility of the single bullet theory as well as the possibility of firing 3 shots within the 8 seconds. Additionally, the motive for Oswald seemed reasonable. They even had Oswald's brother on who spoke about Oswald's motive. Oswald's brother noted that if there was any way his brother was innocent he would have spoken up. (Some proof!) Someone without knowledge about various facts would come away with a definitive belief that there was only 1 gunman - Oswald.

To further their point they attempted to debunk some of the conspiracy theories. One of their main issues was the refutation of the Oliver Stone movie JFK. They did this by discrediting Jim Garrison. To me the JFK movie is a red herring. There is much more compelling evidence that needs to be explained. Another motive they tried to debunk was the fact that Castro was involved. Their conclusion was Castro's comment that the US was looking for justification to invade Cuba and that if he tried to assasinate the president that would provide the justification. (The program did note that the Warren Commission was not told about the plot from the Kennedy administration to go after Castro.)The last item that was refuted was the sound of 4 bullets from an open mike of a policeman on a motor cycle. This was brought up in the last week of the Congressional Committee on Assasination. The testimony to the committee from the audio experts was that there was a greater than 95% probability that 4 shots were fired. The ABC program refuted this by saying the policeman had to be within a narrow circle for the conclusion to be certain. They proved that the policeman was approximately 100 yards away. They said that the audiologists declined to comment.

Unfortunately, the program was extremely deficient in describing the contrary viewpoints. In fact, there was no one on the program to refute their arguments or conclusions.

Here are a few omissions:
1. They showed frame by frame shots to illustrate the plausibilty of the magic bullet theory. I would have liked to see them have a known skeptic forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht(I think that's his name) to comment on their conclusion.

2. ABC omitted the frame by frame analysis of the final bullet in which Kennedy's head snapped back. They showed this near the end of the program (not in detail slow motion) and just commented that when hit in the back of the head the head could either snap back or forward. For me, I needed to understand the physics of this better.

3. The worst omission was the eyewitness comments from a number of key individuals. The history channel had a number of interesting programs on this week. They included many different possibilities of conspiracies. Most compelling was the following issues:

a. The doctors at Parkland spoke about the back of Kennedy's head blown apart. This was also consistent with some of the eyewitness accounts at Dealy Plaza as well as a person who was at the autopsy in Bethesda Md. The official autopsy photo showed Kennedy's skull in tact with a small bullet wound.

b. A number of eye witnesses spoke about the fact that they were convinced that the shot came from behind the grassy knoll. One woman's photograph was enhanced to show shadows outlining a servicemen in uniform holding a camera and several people behind the fence, one of which was in a policman's uniform. The history channel had an expert who reviewed the photograph and found these people. the program also found the serviceman in the picture who said that he heard a shot from behind. In fact, he said the men took his film.

c. Botched autopsy. Why wasn't the best working on the autopsy. The eyewitness noted that the persons committing the autopsy did not usually perform autopsies. There was eyewitness accounts of the fact that the Dallas expert was not allowed to perform an autopsy.

d. Missing evidence - Kennedy's brain is missing. Additionally, there are a number of other items such as confiscated film missing.

There are a number of other issues. The ABC program ignored them as well. One person on the program commented that there was millions of pages of evidence and testimony from the congressional Committee on Assasination and refute the conspiracy theorists by saying that they are are not satisfied with the millions of pages but are concerned with what was not included. This again is a comment intended to mislead. The key is that critical issues are not addressed at all.

The newsmedia has been deficient. We are left with a toally inadequate explanation. I would like to see a program that puts out a coherent analysis with the latest science. In addition, we need to have the government held to account, i.e. what does the FBI have? Is there explanation as to evidence that they may have.

[JoJo Gunn]

I don't have any dog in this hunt. Saw the ABC special. Considering in general how open a space it was, and the sounds of traffic, people hollering while waving, etc, it's still hard for me to reconcile the old films and stills of people pointing behind the knoll, and thinking it was an "echo".

[neb52]

You never heard that before! It comes from the fact that they show WWII shows and specials almost 24/7. I don't remember when I heard that first. LOL! But the History Channel is one of my favorite channels. Especially the show Mail Call or Modern History.

[sultan88]

"Kennedy was in Marilyn Monroe the week before he was shot."

Chuckle. Of course Marilyn Monroe died in 1962.

[ntnychik]

Triangulation is the most logical way. Sure to succeed, and you drive everyone crazy trying to figure out what came from where. It's how the Marines do it, it evidently is how the mafia does it. It explains the witnesses at Dealey Plaza and at Parkland Hospital. It explains the wounds.

The Lehrer Report on PBS tonight had a Gallup pollster who showed that 75% of Americans consistently since the '70's believe there was a conspiracy. Lehrer re-phrased this statistic as 2/3, LOL!! A bunch of pundits, professors and navel gazers talked for at least ten minutes about this phenomenon. JFK was just so huge on the world stage that we can't bear a twerp like Oswald taking him out. We have to have a grand conspiracy to provide the balance we need to absorb the loss of such a president, yadda yadda. Not one person mentioned the EVIDENCE. We have a problem with the EVIDENCE (and those guys who will come on tonight and flame us).

[ntnychik]

It was pretty funny watching the Warren Commission try to tell John Connally how and when he got shot. John heard the president get shot, turned fully around in his seat, turned all the way back, then got shot. There wasn't a witness who didn't get told that they didn't see what they saw.

I'll be looking for those pesky flamers ;]

[Oztrich Boy]

One woman's photograph was enhanced to show shadows outlining a servicemen in uniform holding a camera and several people behind the fence, one of which was in a policman's uniform. The history channel had an expert who reviewed the photograph and found these people. the program also found the serviceman in the picture who said that he heard a shot from behind.

But either the "enhancement" was bogus or the soldier (Gordon Arnold) is lying, or both.

Arnold appears in no other photograph of the scene. His explanation is that he threw himself on the ground after the first shot, and then heard other shots pass overhead.

The trouble with that story is that the photograph he is "enhanced" from was taken by Mary Moorman just after the final head shot at Zapruder f.313 (Kennedy's skull is visibly damaged). And everbody agrees that that z.313 was the final shot of the day.

Yet the "Arnold" image, created by enhancing shadows on a tiny section of a black and white polaroid, is visibly standing bolt upright.

And if that "enhancement" is bogus, then "badgeman" is probably not there either.

[Oztrich Boy]

I note that I made post #39 on the two newest JFK threads.

Just a coincidence?