The JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theories: Brookdale Investigates(Part I)

PRESENTED BY GREG CAGGIANO

Disclaimer The following presentations are not designed to prove that Lee Harvey

Oswald did not act alone, or acted contrary to official reports of the JFK Assassination, but to provoke discussion of various pieces of evidence and theories which have been purported over the years. This presentation will include a wide range of theories, from the farcical to the believable, including ones that have already been disproven and ones still open for investigation. The point is not just for us to conduct our own investigation and discussion, but to look at what people have believed at various times since 1963. There are hundreds of theories and hundreds of ways to interpret said theories and evidence. Our job is to make sense of what we can in order to further our own knowledge of the subject. We will be using photographic, audiovisual, and forensic evidence, as well as eyewitness accounts and interviews, and the pop-culture of assassination conspiracy theories. In no way is it possible to condense the entire assassination history and such theories into just two presentations. Feel free to use these two weeks as a guide for what to research in your own time and please contact me with any questions or for assistance in your further research outside the classroom.

Who benefits from JFK’s death?

Conspiracy theories are so popular and wide-ranging because many different people and agencies benefitted from his death Mafia CIA FBI Pro-Castro Cubans Anti-Castro Cubans Communists/Russians War Mongers with Interests in Vietnam Conservative Politicians Fiercely Opposed to Civil Rights

2013 Gallup Poll-61% of Americans believe there was a conspiracy (lowest in 50 years)-30% believe Oswald acted alone-9% are unsure

Visiting Dealey Plaza

Not what you might expect: souvenir hawkers and tourists everywhere, at night the area is overrun with homeless people

Pseudo “historians” hawking their self-published pamphlets and magazines One man claimed to witness the assassination There is an air of paranoia wherever you go The “headquarters” of investigator Robert J. Groden The Sixth Floor Museum at the TSBD is quite underwhelming

…and yes, they have a gift shop…

HOWEVER: if you immerse yourself in the atmosphere, even with all the craziness, you will still learn a lot and get a pulse for what people believe today

My Conclusion (excerpt from an article I contributed to HistoryBuff.Com)

“Listen long enough and you’ll hear how it was the mafia…or the CIA…or both. All working together. Possible? Yes, given it is well known that the CIA worked with the mob to try to kill Castro, and many of the politicians of the day had mob-ties. But, as always, where is the proof? Whenever you would ask one of [the hawkers] for something concrete, for something a little bit better (a question such as, “Well, how do you know for sure?”), they quickly fumble through the $20 pamphlet they are trying to sell you and point to a random picture and start going off on something else, or twist it in a way that you think they are answering your question. Be sure, they do indeed have an answer for everything. They are good at what they do. One theorist even went so far as to say it was JFK’s own father who initially started the talks of getting him killed, since his son would not honor any of the favors he promised to mob-boss friends. And again, as I said earlier, the witness who I talked to, who actually made the most convincing push, lost me when he suggested it was Ladybird Johnson who ordered the assassination.”

“One purported theory says a shooter hid in a storm drain and fired from the gutter under the street. One says that Oswald wasn’t a shooter at all, and there were two shooters (one on each end) of the sixth floor of the School Book Depository. Another says Oswald was one of the shooters, but of course wasn’t alone. A fourth one said that officer J.D Tippit was in on the plot as a member of the mob, and was sent out to kill Oswald by his home, but because Oswald got scared after realizing he was the fall-guy, killed Tippet instead. The man with the umbrella? He was signaling the death squad to get ready. In any event, they were all covered up in a synchronized effort between the CIA and the FBI’s director J. Edgar Hoover.”

The Day of the Assassination

A Warm Reception

Has breakfast at the Chamber of Commerce in Fort Worth earlier that morning

Given warm reception, presented with cowboy hat as a joke On a campaign fundraising tour of Texas and also trying to boost his

popularity there This unintentionally aids in his assassination

Flies to Love Field in Dallas where he is to take a Motorcade route to the Trade Mart for a luncheon

Lyndon Johnson is two cars behind Crowd is cheering him on. Seconds before he is killed, Mrs. Connally

remarks to him, “Mr. President, you can’t say they don’t love you here in Dallas.”

Initial Reaction to Shots Fired

Secret Service men in the car can be seen looking towards TSBD Other witnesses, including those in the motorcade also react by

looking to the front right of Kennedy’s limo Gov. Connally stated in a 1988 interview that he felt the shots

came from the front right, as did Sen. Ralph Yarbrough As Connally is shot, he cries out, “My God, they’re gonna kill us

all.” Mrs. Kennedy’s reactions as heard by John Connally:

“My God. I’ve got his brain in my hand.” “They’ve murdered my husband.”

Trauma Room 1

Kennedy rushed to Parkland hospital Most experts agreed he was dead before the car even reached the

underpass, but they try to resuscitate him Pronounced dead at 1 p.m. at Mrs. Kennedy’s insistence even though

he died much earlier because he had not yet been administered the last rights

There is an argument in the trauma room over where the autopsy will be taken place and who will conduct it

Dallas doctors and police argue it is a local crime and their jurisdiction while federal agents argue he is to be moved to Washington

Kennedy’s head is wrapped in a cloth and his body placed in a casket for transport

Early Stages of Investigation

Police seal of TSBD within 90 seconds and make their way upstairs

They find three shell casings by the window sill and a worn, rusty WWII-era Mannlicher-Carnano rifle

Early testing finds no fingerprints

Tippit and the Texas Theater

50 minutes later, Dallas police officer J.D Tippit is gunned down in a Fort Worth neighborhood

Moments later a man acting suspiciously is seen sneaking into the Texas Theater without paying for a ticket

Police arrive at theater and Oswald is pointed out in the crowd When confronted he punches an officer, pulls a pistol, but is then

subdued and acts as if nothing happened One arresting officer described him as a “cool” individual”

The Mysterious Interrogation of Oswald

During all his interviews and interrogation, nothing is ever recorded

Oswald claims he was in the 2nd floor lunchroom at the time of the assassination

This cannot be fully corroborated but he was seen there shortly before AND after the assassination. At no time did he seem nervous or out of breath (from running down 4 flights of stairs)

Has 2 ID’s on him when arrested: his own and one for Alex Hidell Police publicly parade him in front of TV cameras and state he is

without a doubt the assassin Claims he was not charged with that in his first TV interview

Death of Oswald By that Sunday, Oswald is to be transferred to the more secure

county jail It is made public to the press when he is to be moved Jack Ruby sneaks in to the basement and the rest is history It is possible that there would have been no thoughts of

conspiracy without Oswald’s murder

Jack Ruby

Dallas nightclub owner with ties to the mafia Makes several calls to high profile mafia leaders in the weeks before the

assassination Studying Ruby is difficult because there is so much exaggeration,

misinformation, and lies surrounding his mob connections that it is nearly impossible to determine just how powerful he was

Initially claims he killed Oswald to spare Mrs. Kennedy the trial: “That son of a bitch killed my president.”

Following his arrest, he grew increasingly nervous until he found as Oswald died. Then he was calm

He later changes his story, requesting protection in Washington and saying there were powerful forces at work that would see to his death if he was not moved to Washington

Medical Discrepancies

From the front or rear?

Dallas doctors agreed they felt it looked like the exit wounds were in the BACK of the head and neck/back area since that is where the damage was

Dr. Paul Peters: the right back part of the brain and tissue was missing

Were autopsy photos faked to show head intact? Scores of witnesses report they saw the back of the president’s

head blasted out Dr. Robert McClellan: 25% of the brain was missing. The rest of it

practically leaked out. Brain could not be sectioned for testing to show where the bullet came from.

Drs. Clark and Perry: “Gaping wound in back of head.” “Entrance wound in neck.”

Dr. Crenshaw: “Entrance wound in throat.” -Picture taken after trachea examination

Dr. Evalea Glanges (outside the hospital) Bullet hole in windshield, looked frontal

Charles Taylor Jr. (Secret Service) Small bullet hole in windshield, frontal entry

Paul O’Connor (medical orderly): Throat wound was believed to be entrance wound Picture published was taken after tracheostomy examination Penalty of court martial for revealing what he saw

16 doctors have testified thatthey never saw this photograph taken

THIS was the photo they remember being taken

Studio rendition

The Bethesda Autopsy

In Dallas, the driver for the funeral home placed the body in an ornamental bronze casket. The head was wrapped in a cloth

When it arrives at Bethesda, it is in a plain shipping casket and also a body bag

Top pathologists not called to conduct autopsy Instead, navy doctors Hayes and Boswell were called Administrative doctors who were near retirement with little autopsy

experience 33 people attended autopsy including admirals and generals No flow to autopsy

Where’s the brain?

Brain remnants sent to National Archives after autopsy 3 years later they were reported missing when Jim Garrison

requested access to it for his trial Also missing: the original photos and Kodachromes of the

President’s wounds

Food for Thought

The death of Dr. William Bruce Pitzer (Bethesda Naval Dr.) Confirmed by Lt. Col. Dan Marvin as having autopsy film and still

photos Evidence contradicted reports of a rear shot to the head Pitzer found dead in 1965, in his office, with a gunshot would to the

head (suicide)

Lee Harvey OswaldTHE MAN, THE MYTH, THE PATSY?

Spy, Agent, or Operative?

Oswald was a radio operator with a high security clearance Tracked U2 spy planes during the Cold War Serves for 3 years and is honorably discharged Weeks after discharge he revokes US citizenship and travels to Russia

claiming to be a defector with possible secrets to reveal Gary Powers U2 plane shot down over Russia shortly after He speaks fluent Russian Marina thought he was native Russian There was a fake defector program in the 1960’s. Could Oswald have been part of

it? Jim Garrison: “He worked for the CIA, part of a plot without knowing he would

be the patsy in the end. Probably told his mission was preventing an assassination.”

Mexico City Connection

Man claiming to be Oswald in Mexico City two weeks before assassination

Went to embassy wanting to get visa to visit Russia through Cuba This was not revealed to the public for years for fear of inciting a

war Castro connection never investigated

He seeks return to the United States, which is granted Ends up in New Orleans working for “Fair Play for Cuba Committee”

Office is attached to Guy Bannister’s (ex-FBI) office Oswald could have been working for Bannister as a guise

How strange is it for such a hardened communist and defector to have his headquarters literally across the street from the Office of Naval Intelligence, Secret Service, and center for the US Intelligence community in New Orleans?

Does TV interviews supporting Marxism His passion and involvement appear staged Openly talks about guns, specifically mail ordering rifles

Life Immediately Before Assassination

“Oswald was the perfect patsy. He looked guilty.”- Robert Groden

Gets job at Texas School Book Depository 6 weeks before assassination as an order filler

Had separated from wife Marina previously, but visited and stayed with her on weekends. During the week he lived alone in a boarding house under the name O.H Lee

Ruth Paine (Marina’s boarding house owner): Oswald was good with children Enjoyed watching football on TV Called Marina every night during the week Quiet and reserved

Wesley Buell Frazier

Co-worker of Oswald Drove him to Dallas every Monday and back home on Fridays Night before assassination, he asked if he would drive him home

on a Thursday, which he thought was odd Visit was unannounced, which Paine says struck her as odd since

he always called before coming

Morning of Assassination

Oswald oversleeps and barely catches his ride with Frazier Leaves money and wedding ring behind in a rush Has a two foot long package with him, which he brings in

Frazier’s truck Oswald’s rifle, though, was three feet long when disassembled

When asked what it was, Oswald says it was curtain rods Marina gave him

He tells Oswald the president is coming by the TSBD that afternoon and there is no comment or reaction

Coworkers remember him not acting differently than normal Carolyn Arnold sees him in 2nd floor lunchroom just minutes before the

assassination Motorcade was running 6 minutes late

Why take such a risk if he was indeed the assassin? Marion Baker is first officer to go inside TSBD He too sees Oswald in the 2nd floor lunchroom moments after the

assassination. He is calm and collected This is also confirmed by James Truly, the building manager

He would have had only 90 seconds to finish shooting, hide rifle, run down four flights of stairs past witnesses, make it into the lunchroom and then appear perfectly normal, not exhausted or unnerved

50 minutes after the assassination, J.D Tippit is killed in an Oak Cliff neighborhood Witness Helen Markham sees the two of them talking, then Oswald shooting him

However, witness testimony conflicts on Tippit shooting Different routes the killer took after shooting, color of clothing, number of shots

fired, physique Bullets could not be traced to Oswald’s pistol He then walks 6 blocks to Texas Theater unseen Oswald is seen entering theater between 1:00 and 1:07 by ticket attendant.

However, the official time of death for Tippit is between 1:07 and 1:10 p.m. Is someone wrong or was Oswald physically incapable of killing Tippit?

Oswald’s arrest

Speaks very little, except to say, “I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of.”

Is told by police he can duck on his way out of the theater to avoid being photographed (it was now public a possible suspect was in custody at theater). He repeats that he had not done anything except punching the police officer

Gunshot residue tests on Oswald immediately come back negative except for a small area on his right palm

Chief of Police can only tell the press he knows Oswald fired “a gun” that day, but cannot tie rifle or pistol to him

Interrogation over the next few days is not recorded or notated.

While in custody

Placed in 4 lineups (3 on Friday, 1 on Sunday) No one else ever resembles him by way of age, weight, clothing,

and even ethnicity Oswald complains and requests legal representation

Calls Ruth Paine twice: to ask for a lawyer and then asks to speak to Marina. She recalled how calm he was

Dallas PD writes on a file that Oswald killed Kennedy to “further worldwide communist conspiracy”. The White House vehemently objects because the topic is too volatile

Day of Oswald’s death

Before transfer, Officer Jim Leavelle jokes to Oswald, “If someone shoots at you, I hope they are as good a shot as you are.” Oswald laughs and says, “You’re being melodramatic. No one is gonna shoot at me.” He is killed 10 minutes later

As Oswald is placed on gurney and rushed to hospital, people are shoving at him, yelling and asking if he did it, trying to get a confession

He never admits to either killing, and dies at the hospital. Given blood transfusion and appears to come to life for a brief moment before passing away

Oswald’s Embalming and Burial

Paul Groody is chief mortician and claimed: Federal agents (unidentified) visited his funeral home after Oswald

had arrived for embalming They asked to be alone with the body and fingerprinted him Ink found on Oswald’s fingers and palms

Hours later it is reported on the news that Oswald’s palm print was found on rifle

Funeral held at Rose Hill Cemetery in Fort Worth Reporters needed as pall bearers because hardly anyone

attended Marina took her ring off and switched it with his

Groody Fuels Conspiracy Theories

Remarked to a friend 3 weeks after burial “We don’t know who we have in that grave” after he was asked if Oswald’s wrists had scars from a previously known suicide attempt. Groody does not remember seeing scars but admits he was not paying attention to the wrists

Body is exhumed in 1988 after years of inquiry and speculation Groody says he “over-embalmed” the body because he felt he would be exhumed

one day Also placed body in a concrete vault lined with asphalt which was hermetically sealed Upon inspection, the vault was cracked, and the casket was disturbed and horribly

rotted due to water damage Teeth are taken for identification, but takes 2 years (and well after the body is re-

buried) to indentify Here’s the juicy part: Groody did not notice autopsy scars on the head which were

present originally because Oswald underwent an autopsy

The pic that sealed the deal

Ruth Paine: “At no time did I suspect he had a gun. That picture showed up later.”Marina knew he had a rifle, but he never flaunted itSome theorists have argued that the head was “photo-shopped”Oswald himself claims he never posed for the picture, that it was his face on someone else’s body

The Evidence & Witnesses

The First Press Release

Malcolm Kilduff, assistant press secretary to Kennedy First details Kennedy’s wounds to the press as having been right

frontal entry to the throat and head

The Zapruder Film

Abraham Zapruder: home movie enthusiast Stood on pedestal to capture video while his secretary held him Zapruder makes three copies: 2 copies given to Secret Service, the other sold to Time

Life for $150,000 Robert J. Groden is one of the first to analyze the film in 1969 (and later does so for the

HSCA) There are discrepancies: when Dan Rather sees the film after it is first purchased, he

reports on TV that he saw the back of the president’s head “explode”. However, in the video itself, there is no rear blowout

Nearly every witness in Dealey Plaza saw a rear blowout, but why is it not present in the Zapruder Film? The head goes back and the entry appears to be at the front of the head, indicating a frontal shot, but there is no rear blowout. Was the film altered?

However, the film does still indicate a frontal shot Shown in public for the first time in 1969 at the Garrison trial of Clay Shaw. Aired on

ABC in 1975 on Good Night America

Links

Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq1PbgeBoQ4

Zoom & Slow Motion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU83R7rpXQY

Digitally Remastered Panorama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYWm26OLve8

Other Films

Orville Nix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU4mAVCprAU

Marie Muchmore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqSEDtDk8gA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMdreKlLhJY

Robert Bell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZDVD-vq-w

The Mary Moorman Photo

Analysis

Jack White and Gary Mack analyze the photo They found what they call “badgeman” near the Grassy Knoll

3 figures: “badgeman”, a construction worker, and another man Parking lot behind picket fence Gordon Arnold (witness) testimony:

Heard shot come from directly behind his head Hit the deck, and was shortly approached by a man who asked him for the film he

had in his camera Man had a gun and dirty fingernails Never identified himself but Arnold assumed he was an undercover cop Minutes before the shooting, he was standing in a different area and was told to

move. Realized later on that they were the Grassy Knoll shooters But can all this be seen in the Moorman photo?

Other Supporting Witnesses

Officer Joe Smith saw man on Grassy Knoll. Confronted him and was told he was Secret Service

Beverly Oliver (“Babushka Lady”) Closest to assassination Had footage taken by police, told it would be returned in 10 days, Footage never returned

Lee Bowers, railroad worker who had clear view of Grassy Knoll Testified to Warren Commission but his testimony was ignored Saw two men near the picket fence before assassination Bowers dies in car accident 2 years later on a deserted road

Sen. Ralph Yarbrough, riding in motorcade 2 cars behind Confirms Gordon Arnold’s story because he saw him hit the ground out of the corner of his eye

Ed Hoffman, standing near the freeway Saw puff of smoke near Knoll area and one man toss a rifle to another who then disassembled

it and put in tool box. Testimony ignored by FBI

Arguments Against Oswald

Could he fire three shots in less than 7 seconds from a bolt-action rifle against a moving target?

Many witnesses, including some whose testimony made it to the Warren Commission, reported that two of the shots were simultaneous. How is that possible with only one shooter?

Theory: Corsican MafiaPROPOSED IN 1988 BY AUTHOR/PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR STEVE RIVELE IN THE DOCUMENTARY SERIES THE MEN WHO KILLED KENENDY

Steve Rivele

Wanted to start an investigation Inquired with the FBI who pointed him in the direction of Corsican

drug trafficker Christian David David claims he was offered the contract by the Corsican mafia in

1963 but turned it down because he felt it was too dangerous In 1988, during a series of reluctant interviews, David opened up

on the plot

David’s story

3 killers contracted by leaders of Corsican mafia Offered only the first name of one of the killers since he was

dead and the other two were still alive at the time Eventually revealed the full name of one shooter: Lucien Sartis

Described as reckless, daring, and a risk taker Successful contract killer and drug trafficker Active in the 1960’s before being killed in 1972

The Plan

Planned in Marseilles before flying to Mexico City Picked up by representatives of the Chicago mob Housed in a safe house Spent days photographing and studying Dealey Plaza They would set up a crossfire with three guns Two in buildings behind the car, one near the front David claimed Sartis always wore a disguise, and he could have

possibly been wearing a policeman’s uniform that day

Amount of shots

David’s claim on the number of shots is consistent with the more “realistic” of conspiracy theories 1st shot: rear, hit Kennedy in back 2nd shot: rear, missed Kennedy and hit Connally 3rd shot: fired by Sartis from Grassy Knoll, hit Kennedy in head 4th shot: missed car

3 guns, 4 shots. 3 hits, 1 miss. 2 shots were simultaneous.

Aftermath

Assassins left Dealey Plaza in the chaos Stayed in Dallas safe house for 10 days Flew to Montreal and then back to France David says Sartis wanted to fire from the bridge but instead went

to Grassy Knoll because it was too open Also says Sartis used an exploding bullet which would cause a

larger wound with no traces of the bullet Team of assassins paid in heroin

Origin of Contract

Contracted by Carlos Marcello of the Chicago mafia and passed it on to Santos Trafficante

It was then contracted to Corsican hitmen to distance the American mob from the killing

Organized by Antoine Geurini David also named Sauveur Pironti and Roger Bocognani as the

other two shooters

CIA’s Involvement

According to Rivele and David, the CIA did not plan the assassination but helped to cover it up out of fear of blackmail

CIA and US Intelligence agencies had strong connections to the mafia and would have looked bad on them if it got out the same mafia who worked with them to try to kill Castro killed Kennedy

Problems with Conspiracy

Sauveur Pironti and Roger Bocognani (who were both still alive in 1988) had strong alibis and threatened legal action against the production company

Lucien Sartis’ whereabouts at the time are a little foggy The two men claim Sartis was in jail at the time but there is no

official record of that Steve Rivele and the network apologized for the mistake, but

Rivele still maintains that Sartis was involved and fired the kill shot

The Documentary Series that Caused a Frenzy

1. "The Coup D'Etat" (1988/ 1991)

2. "The Forces Of Darkness" (1988/ 1991)

3. "The Cover-Up" (1991)

4. "The Patsy" (1991)

5. "The Witnesses" (1991)

6. "The Truth Shall Set You Free" (1995)

7. "The Smoking Guns" (2003)

8. "The Love Affair" (2003)

9. "The Guilty Men" (2003)

Next week…

The Most Compelling Conspiracy Photo Analysis Deaths of Key Witnesses The Confessions of James Files and E. Howard Hunt The Trial of Clay Shaw Lyndon Johnson and the Military Industrial Complex A Wild and Wacky Story from Oswald’s alleged mistress More Conspiracy Theory Odds and Ends