The First Shot

[Andrew Mason]

You've been peddling your Theory for almost two decades, and no one has adopted it, except maybe a handful of (Grassy Knoll)-fence-sitters. True, it's very clever and novel, but at the end of the day, it's he-said/she-said cherry-picks, two-shot witnesses that you claim lost track of the shot in between, hair flutters and a flapping sun visor.

Jerry, the "theory" is that multiple witnesses independently reporting similar observations happens for a reason - and the reason is not because they were telepathically communicating the same hallucination.

Time for me to let folks in on what you're building up to. It apparently makes "more sense" Connally was hit in the torso about Z271 by a bullet that (and I appreciate the dramatic flair here) made Kennedy's hair flutter as it breezed on by. I don't know why everybody hasn't hopped on board. You're down to occasionally sticking a link to your PDF file rather than spelling out the parts of your Theory that are, yes, novel but ridiculous as well.

Again, Jerry, that is not a theory. It is an observation made by SA Hickey that is corroborated by the zfilm. It is also corroborated by the overwhelming preponderance of witness recollections that the second shot was followed by the third shot in rapid succession.

You think the second shot was 5 seconds before the third.  Perhaps you could explain how 5 seconds can even begin to resemble "two more shots in rapid succession" or  'just about as fast as you could expect a man to operate a bolt action rifle' or "Not more than 2 seconds. It was—they were real rapid" or "nearly just right back to back" or "the other two were real close" etc.

I don't see how witnesses behind Kennedy (where many in your paper are, including Bennett) could speak to what he was doing with his face and hands.

Witnesses directly behind JFK didn't mention his face or hands.  They said that after the first shot he moved left (Powers) or he slumped to the left (SA Hickey, SA Kinney).

[Andrew Mason]

Andrew, as I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong) you are proposing a first shot @z190-z200, a second shot @z271 and a third shot at z312/313.

There is an interesting detail in Altgens 6 that puts quite a strain on this timing. This is from Rufus Youngblood's original report:

"I heard an explosion--I was not sure whether it was a firecracker, bomb, bullet, or other explosion. I looked at whatever I could quickly survey, and could not see anything which would indicate the origin of this noise. I noticed that the movements in the Presidential car were very abnormal and, at practically the same time, the movements in the Presidential follow-up car were abnormal. I turned in my seat and with my left arm grasped and shoved the Vice President, at his right shoulder, down and toward Mrs. Johnson and Senator Yarborough. At the same time, I shouted
"get down!" I believe I said this more than once and directed it to the Vice President and the other occupants of the rear seat. They all responded very rapidly."

He hears "an explosion"
Has a quick look around
Notices 'abnormal movements' in the limo and follow-up car
Turns to LBJ and as he shoves him shouts at Mrs Johnson and Yarborough
"They all responded very rapidly"

This is from Hurchel Jacks (taken from your paper):

I heard a shot ring out which appeared to come from the right rear of the Vice
President’s car. Mr. Rufus Youngblood, the Secret Service Agent riding in my car
asked me what that was and at the same time he advised the Vice President and Mrs.
Johnson to get down. He climbed to the rear of the seat with the Vice President and
appeared to be shielding the Vice President with his own body. At that time I heard
two more shots ring out.


He hears a shot
Youngblood asks him what it was
Youngblood tells LBJ and Ladybird to get down
Youngblood jumps into the back to shield LBJ
two more shots ring out

Piecing these two statements together it is possible to come up with this scenario:

A shot rings out. Youngblood looks quickly around and asks "What was that?". He sees abnormal movements in the Presidential limo and follow-up car. He turns to the people in the back, tells them to get down and jumps in the back to shield LBJ. Two more shots ring out.

The last point - Youngblood getting into the back before the second shot - is confirmed in Youngbood's WC testimony:

"So I turned around and hit the Vice President on the shoulder and hollered, get down, and then looked around again and saw more of this movement, and so I proceeded to go to the back seat and get on top of him.
I then heard two more shots. But I would like to say this. I would not be positive that I was back on that back seat before the second shot. But the Vice President himself said I was."



The above pic is a detail from Altgens 6 taken at z255. In it I believe it is possible to discern Ladybird Johnson and Yarborough smiling away without a care in the world. This tells me that Youngblood is yet to yell at everyone in the back to get down. This means Youngblood has less than 0.9 of a second to tell everyone to get down and jump in the back to shield LBJ before a second shot at z271. This seems highly unlikely to me.
If the second shot is the headshot it gives Youngblood over 3 seconds to perform the same task which seems far more feasible (IMO).

Altgens 6 is a very important photo.  It is a fairly high resolution photo taken with a good telephoto lens so we can see a lot of detail from some distance.  Altgens said it was taken after the first shot and before any other shots were heard. This is corroborated by SA Taylor who was travelling in the VP security car on the left rear seat.  He said that the second shot occurred the instant he put his (left) foot out on the pavement when he exited the car. (18 H 782-83).  We can see in Altgens 6 (uncropped - you have cropped the VP security car out) that his foot is not yet on the pavement.  So not only do you have Altgens saying that his z255 photo is before the second shot, you have SA Taylor.  Hickey said he turned forward and was looking at the President at the time of the second shot and continued looking at him to see the third (head) shot.  He is still looking rearward in Altgens 6.

With respect to your point about Youngblood, it is not entirely clear but Altgens 6 could be showing Youngblood already climbing over the back seat because there is something over the seat blocking the view of VP Johnson.   Also, I can't tell if either of Yarborough or Ladybird are smiling.  They may be but they may also be puzzled at seeing Youngblood climbing over the seat - they both appear to be looking in his direction.

[Andrew Mason]

I would say Youngblood is turned to camera-left, maybe addressing Johnson, and that one of Youngblood's upper arms is raised such that it partially obscures our line-of-sight to Johnson. The top of Youndblood's shoulder is not much more higher above the top of the car doors than Yarborough's.

I am not sure why we can't see LBJ's face but we can't:


There appears to be something blocking it.  We can just see the top of LBJ's head.  The only thing that appears from the evidence is SA Youngblood climbing over top of him after the first shot.

[Andrew Mason]

I find it interesting that most of the SS Agents in the follow-up car all describe hearing only two shots (when most of the other witnesses say they heard three). And you have to ignore the evidence suggesting an earlier shot (than Z223) to believe that it was the first shot.

In this C-Span interview by Gary Mack, Clint Hill and Gerald Blaine ("The Kennedy Detail") maintain that there were three shots. Beginning at about 30:55 Clint Hill talks about the shots.  He admits that he did not hear the second shot but he accepts that there was a shot as he stepped off because other agents told him that (this is more fully recounted in the book).  Hill says the head shot occurred as he was just about to reach the limo. 

It is interesting that at 33:15 they both agree (Hill and Blaine) that all three bullets hit: the first hit JFK, the second hit Gov. Connally and the third hit JFK in the head.  They are quite adamant that the single bullet theory is wrong, that Oswald fired all the shots and there was no evidence of a conspiracy.

[Charles Collins]

In this C-Span interview by Gary Mack, Clint Hill and Gerald Blaine ("The Kennedy Detail") maintain that there were three shots. Beginning at about 30:55 Clint Hill talks about the shots.  He admits that he did not hear the second shot but he accepts that there was a shot as he stepped off because other agents told him that (this is more fully recounted in the book).  Hill says the head shot occurred as he was just about to reach the limo. 

It is interesting that at 33:15 they both agree (Hill and Blaine) that all three bullets hit: the first hit JFK, the second hit Gov. Connally and the third hit JFK in the head.  They are quite adamant that the single bullet theory is wrong, that Oswald fired all the shots and there was no evidence of a conspiracy.

Thanks for the link to the interview. I had seen it a while back but have learned a few things in the meantime. So it was good to revisit it again. I haven’t read “The Kennedy Detail” however it is now on the list of books that I want to read. I do have a copy of Clint Hill’s book “Five Days in November” and have read it. A review of his chapter “The Shots” beginning on page 103 finds that he only describes two shots. No mention of a third shot, period. “Five Days in November” has a copyright dated 2013. The Gary Mack interview was done in 2010. It seems to me that if Clint wanted to write about the third shot (that he didn’t hear) this book would have been his best opportunity to set the record straight. He apparently chose to completely avoid mentioning the shot that he didn’t hear. That choice leads me to believe that he is (quite understandably) not so sure about when that shot occurred and where it went.

 Also, it appears to me that Gary Mack was trying to “put words in Clint’s mouth” and that Clint finally (and emphatically) said that he only heard two shots. Clint (as did JBC) apparently chose to agree with Mrs. Connally’s opinion that the second shot hit JBC. However, both of these men (JBC and Clint Hill) have stated that they didn’t actually hear that shot. Hmmm...

Gerald Blaine stated that both Emory Roberts and Sam Kinney saw all three shots hit their marks. However, a review of both of their original reports state otherwise. I would like to know where Gerald Blaine got his information regarding this claim...

[Dan O'meara]

I appreciate that.  But we hold a small minority view on this board as both CTers and LNers don't like this evidence.   

The problem for most LNers is that the evidence does not fit with the first shot miss and second shot SBT which seems to be the current SBT scenario preference (it has changed over the years from a first shot SBT at around z207 preferred by the WC to a second shot SBT al la Dr. Lattimer/Gerald Posner at z223 or so). The 3 shot, 3 hit scenario (which was the original assumption by the FBI) is the only scenario that fits all of the evidence.   But the evidence is being discarded because it does not fit with what both LNers and CTers imagine that they can see happening to JBC by  z230.  Both camps believe they can tell he is hit in the torso by z230. CTers say he was hit around z230 on the second shot, the first being around z207 so there must have been 2 shooters.  The LNers say that JFK and JBC are both hit by the SBT second shot at z223 with the first phantom shot missing the entire limo and disappearing without a trace at about z150-160.  All the witnesses who recalled what JFK did immediately after the first shot, with the possible exception of SA Bennett, said that he reacted in a way consistent only with the way JFK is reacting when he emerges from behind the Stemmons sign in the zfilm.  No one said he continued to smile and wave, let alone for 2-3 seconds afterward. Not even Bennett.

SA Glen Bennett said in his initial notes written shortly after the events (CE 2112, 24 H 542):

"At this point I heard a noise that immediately reminded me of a firecracker. I immediately, upon hearing the supposed fire cracker, looked at the Boss's car. At this exact time I saw a shot that hit the Boss about 4 inches down from the right shoulder; a second shot followed immediately and hit the right rear high of the Boss's head."

That very much looks to me like two shots.  It could be that he was saying he heard the "supposed fire cracker" noise and immediately looked at the President and saw where a shot had hit - about 4 inches down from the right shoulder.  Or, as most LNers interpret it, he heard the loud fire cracker noise and then immediately saw the second shot hit Gov. Connally (without mentioning a second shot sound).  That is is an odd way to say it..  It is further complicated by the fact that the day after the events he gave a statement saying that there were three shots:

""At this point I heard what sounded like a fire-cracker. I immediately looked from the right/crowd/physical area/ and looked towards the President who was seated in the right rear seat of his limosine open convertible. At the moment I looked at the back of the President I heard another fire-cracker noise and saw the shot hit the President about four inches down from the right shoulder. A second shot followed immediately and hit the right rear high of the President's head."

Bennett does say that the third shot followed immediately after the shot that hit the president four inches down from the right shoulder.  So unless he thinks that 5 seconds (the time from z223 to z313) is "immediately" the second shot hitting JFK does not fit what is apparent in the zfilm.
Here are just some of the witnesses who said the last shot hit JFK in the head:

[SA Glen Bennett (quoted above)
Photographer Ike Altgens (7 H 517): "There was not another shot fired after the President was struck in the head. That was the last shot-that much I will say with a great degree of certainty."
SA George Hickey (CE 1024 18 H 762): "The last shot seemed to hit his head and cause a noise at the point of impact which made him fall forward and to his left again."
Governor Connally: (3 H 133): the third shot sounded, and I heard the shot very clearly. I heard it hit him. I heard the shot hit something, and I assumed again-it never entered my mind that it ever hit anybody but the President. I heard it hit. It was a very loud noise, just that audible, very clear.
Immediately I could see on my clothes, my clothing, I could see on the interior of the car which, as I recall, was a pale blue, brain tissue,
Nelly Connally (3 H 147): The third shot that I heard I felt, it felt like spent buckshot falling all over us, and then, of course, I too could see that it was the matter, brain tissue, or whatever, just human matter, all over the car and both of us.
David Powers (7 H 473: "I noticed then that the President moved quite far to his left after the shot from the extreme right hand side where he had been sitting. There was a second shot and Governor Connally disappeared from sight and then there was a third shot which took off the top of the President’s head")
SA Wm. Greer (2 H 119): Mr. SPECTER. Was it at about that time that you heard the third shot?
Mr. GREER. Yes, sir; just as soon as I turned my head.  [he is seen turning his head for the last time at about z305 just before the head shot]

While one can theorize that these witnesses are wrong and that there was a shot after the head shot, I prefer to stick with evidence.  Why the shooter would fire again after such an obvious hit also does not make much sense either.

What follows is based on the comprehensive witness analysis at Pat Speer's website. The analysis mainly focusses on what eye and ear-witnesses had to say about the shots - the amount, pattern, timing and whether there was a shot after the headshot at z313. From his analysis I count 26 witnesses he is confident identify a shot after the headshot, a further 8 who are probably describing such a shot and another 8 who are possibly describing a shot after the headshot.

John Templin
 In a letter to [Pat Speers], written in March. 1998, Templin related his experience at the time of the assassination: the motorcade past (sic] us about 15 to 20 feet we heard what appeared to be a motorcycle backfire. As it did, the President's shoulders came up and he slumped down slightly on the back of the seat … As the car went a few feet more, the second shot was fired hitting President Kennedy with such force that I could see his hair actually depart from his skull...My (sic) attention was to look behind us and see if we could see anyone or anything. We could not determine where the shots came from other than from our left.' Templin (continued in his letter): 'Did the first shot strike the President? Yes.' Interestingly enough, Templin pointed out to me that while he believed that only three shots were fired, he stated that 'the third shot missed everything.'
Marilyn Willis
(6-19-64 FBI report, CD1245 p. 44-45) “Mrs. Willis advised when the motorcade passed on Elm Street in front of where she was standing she heard a noise that sounded like a firecracker or a backfire. A few seconds following this she stated she heard another report and saw the top of President Kennedy’s head “blow off and ringed by a red halo.” She stated she believes she heard another shot following this.”
James Worrell
 (3-6-64 UPI article on Worrell in the Dallas Times-Herald) "He said he was standing directly below the sixth floor of the depository when he heard a shot. 'I looked up real quick and saw the barrel fire again. I looked to see where it hit and saw President Kennedy hit in the back of the head. Then I looked up again and saw it fire a third time.
J W Foster
(3-26-64 FBI report based upon a 3-25-64 interview, CD897 p.20-21) “Just as the vehicle in which President Kennedy was riding reached a point on Elm Street just east of the underpass, Patrolman Foster heard a noise that sounded like a large firecracker…he realized something was wrong because of the movement of the President. Another report was heard by Patrolman Foster and about the same time the report was heard, he observed the President’s head appear to explode, and immediately thereafter, he heard a third report which he knew was a shot.
Malcolm Summers
 (No More Silence p.102-107, published 1998) “ I heard three shots altogether…Then, when Jackie reached over and grabbed John, she was saying, “Oh, no! Oh, God no!” or something to that effect…Then I knew immediately that he had been hit…I thought he might have been ducking…When I heard her say that was after the second one had already hit.  Apparently, that was the head wound.…as to the spacing of the shots, there was much more time between the first one and the second two, the second and the third.  They were real close.”
Mary Moorman
 (11-22-63 article in the Dallas Times-Herald) "Mrs. Moorman, who snapped a picture just at the time the President was shot, and said: 'I took the picture exactly at the moment the shot rang out. My Polaroid shows Kennedy slumped over in the car and it shows Jackie leaning towards him. I heard Mrs. Kennedy say 'My God, he's been shot.' I heard another shot or two and I turned to my friend and we got on the ground.'"
Charles Brehm
The first one hit the president—there was no doubt whatsoever--because his face winced and he grabbed himself and he slumped down. I do believe without any doubt that the second one hit him because he had an immediate reaction with that second shot. I do know there was a third shot but as I said by that time I had grabbed my boy and started to go.
Hugh Aynesworth
(March-May 1964 account written for the Dallas Morning News, published in the 2013 book JFK Assassination: The Reporters' Notes.) "Then came the first shot. I looked instinctively at one of the motorcycles to see if it was an exhaust. A woman near screamed. I saw a face look into mine briefly with a lost look, much as mine must have been. Then another shot. This was a shot I knew. I recall darting my eyes to the President's open limousine, now slipping down Elm St. to the viaduct. The president jerked his head. I could not tell if he were looking to see what the noise was, but I recall thinking he was only jerking his head to wave at the people on the other side of the grassy slope. His hair seemed to jump up. Later I understood why. Some of the vehicles in the caravan seemed to come to almost a complete stop. Others crept along. I could not tell who was in charge. Then a third shot, clearer now, for I somehow almost expected it.
These are just a handful of the more unambiguous statements. It's not a question of theorizing these witnesses are wrong or the ones you quote are. They are clearly contradictory statements and this is the problem, these witness statements are useful up to a certain point but cannot be solely relied upon to give us a definitive answer about the timing of the shots. Anyone trying to ascertain the timing of the shots who uses witness statements is forced to cherry-pick. They can only be used to enhance arguments derived from other evidence (video, photographic etc).
As for your point about the missing third shot, I agree, it's a weakness of the model I am presenting, not an insurmountable problem but a problem none-the-less. Assuming all three shots are meant to be head shots - the first is close, the second is on the mark but the third, when the sniper's eye should be in, goes awry. I can speculate that perhaps, because the gap between the second and third shots is so tight this hurried shot missed it's mark or perhaps the sudden appearance of Clint Hill in the sniper's sights caused him to pull his shot at the last second or perhaps.... more speculation, which is all it is.

[Dan O'meara]

I am not sure why we can't see LBJ's face but we can't:


There appears to be something blocking it.  We can just see the top of LBJ's head.  The only thing that appears from the evidence is SA Youngblood climbing over top of him after the first shot.

I think the point Jerry is making is that Youngblood is still sat in the front seat. This has important implications regarding the timing of the shots.