The aircraft touched down at Love Field on a beautiful autumn day; skies were blue and clear, the mood was that of much anticipation. The destination was to be the Dallas Trade Mart, where a speech would be made during that luncheon. The motorcade left the airport at 11:50 am.
The vehicles had already stopped twice to greet cititzens; it was now creeping at 11 miles per hour. In a case of serendipity, Agent Rufus Youngblood happened to look up at the clock atop a building and mentally noted: 12:30.
The building? The Texas School Book Depository.
Shots were heard. The entire event lasted roughly six to eight seconds — seconds that were to not only change the world, change the United States, but ultimately to change the way its citizens viewed its government. And the Age Of Conspiracy was born.
Texas Governor John Connally was hit in the wrist, shoulder and leg. President Kennedy’s wounds would be disputed from then until now. What is incontrovertible is that he officially died at Parkland Hospital four miles from Dealey Plaza.
CBS reporter Walter Cronkite, with much emotion, removed his glasses and said:
From Dallas, Texas, a flash, apparently official. President Kennedy died at 1:00 pm central standard time, two o’clock eastern standard time, some thirty-eight minutes ago.”
And a nation sat transfixed and stunned. 
Initially, certain frames of the Zapruder Film were never shown — such as the above frame where the bullet strikes President Kennedy’s head. Agent Clint Hill rushed to the presidential Lincoln and pushed Jacqueline Kennedy back into the rear seat, after she had climbed out of the back seat in an attempt to retrieve parts of her husband’s skull which had been sprayed behind. She said to Agent Hill: “I have a piece of his brain in my hand.”
Was this a conspiracy and who was involved? Who profited? Who benefited politically, and who benefited fiscally? Did Johnson benefit and was he involved? Were the Cubans involved? Was our government involved? Was the CIA involved? Was Organized Crime involved?
Why was it that it appeared everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong? What happened to Kennedy’s brain? What happened to his coffin? Why was Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated? What is it that Gerald Ford actually knows? What does Arlen Specter actually know?
It is still remarkably disturbing to people (like myself) who lived during those times that one person or a cabal of individuals could assassinate our President on our own soil, and that so much could go wrong in the ensuing investigation — and that we still hold no suspects.
President Kennedy died that day, as did the national feeling of a “New Frontier.”
Who was responsible?
Why do we not know conclusively?
And why are records, 43 years after the event, still sealed?
BZ
And to this very day, with everything we know, or think we know, I am STILL not even remotely convinced that Oswald did it…
Not from that distance, not with that angle of deflection, not on a moving target, not with an Italian, bolt action Army rifle, not with open sights and not with that much speed…
They never will make me believe THAT shot…
TF: I am with you. I don’t think that Carlos Hathcock, on his best day, could have pulled off a shot or a series of shots as is alleged via LHO. Nor with a piece of shit rifle like the bolt-action Mannlicher-Carcano.
In my opinion, Kennedy was struck by, at minimum, two riflemen from two different directions: from the front and from behind.
The Magic Bullet simply is that: a fantasy.
BZ
It is hard to believe that this is still such a mystery. Great post!!
After the three or so programs dealing with the physics, the experts, the recreations, we can truthfully say that: yes it is possible and even likely that Oswald did it on his lonesome, that his killer was more than slightly deranged, and that his killer was not what you would term a ‘normal person’ although commitment to an institution would help.
All of the forensic evidence that still exists points to it and is self-consistant in ways that could not be faked in that era. Out of all of this we have exactly one motorcycle officer who has faulty memory of exactly where he was within 30′ of the first shot.
Each part of the evidence has been examined by specialists who were not told what they were looking at and asked to come to conclusions.
Experts in bolt action rifles have had the exact same setup duplicated with skeletons in ballistics gel, in vehicles set up the same way and they are able to come to eerily similar results *including* a bullet resting on clothing. How many times does THAT need to be repeated with exact distances, exact speeds, exact obstacles, the exact same year and make of rifle with the exact type and load of cartridges?
When does the theorizing stop?
Kennedy became more beloved in death than he was in life and we have problems believing that one high and mighty can be brought down by one low and skilled trained sharpshooter. That balance in life does not seem fair: 1 fair and heroic man taken out by 1 nobody.
Welcome to America.
The poison from this erodes our support of that commonn effort of governance.
Unless you really want to start emulating the Middle East where *everything* is done by conspiracy. So that no one is to blame for anything…
AJ: I’m sorry, but I massively disagree with the Lone LHO theory. Oswald’s 1940 M91 6.5mm Carcano, despite the fact that it had a cheesy 4 X 18 scope, was a rifle not heralded then or now for its remarkable accuracy. I’ve had my hands personally on AK-47 knockoffs such as the Valmet or Daiwwoo, both semi-auto rifles, that proffered GREATER accuracy than a Carcano.
In terms of BARs (bolt action rifles) I’ve handled and fired a number of M-1 Garand custom models with both custom high grade factory as well as rounds from esteemed hand loaders. I’ve fired HRT rifles, custom Remingtons and massive exotics. I’ve worked for my agency as departmental Rangemaster, worked for the FBI and US Marshals and watched Marine and HRT BAR snipers at Quantico, and do not believe that LHO could have pulled off his shots with one lone Carcano BAR and a retinal-blurring scope in the amount of time required according to Zapruder.
In addition, having not only been in my own critical incident shooting but having investigated many others whilst a Homicide detective for my department, I am well versed in adrenaline, accuracy or the lack thereof, and the real physics involved in human reactions to bullet trauma.
In my opinion, Kennedy was struck from not only behind, but from ahead. The Carcano is, essentially, a POS with a POS scope. I do not believe that 1) Oswald was the equal of CH, 2) that he had exquisite equipment, 3) that the bodily reactions of Kennedy in his seat provide the slightest indicators of continuous rounds from his rear.
That dog, that logic, those physics, simply won’t in my training, education and experience, hunt.
BZ
For the record. I am absolutely convinced that Oswald did it and acted alone.
That Bullet wasn’t magic. I just went through two dudes.
I recieved some salient advice from a wise old mechanic, “Boy, shit aint gotta make sense!” I quit trying to over examine things that day.