The First Shot

[Pat Speer]

Pat Speers apparently interprets Hugh Aynesworth’s words differently. Spinning them to try to imply that they indicate a shot after the fatal head shot. However, Aynesworth’s story is not sworn testimony, it is most likely an anecdotal comment from another witness (because Aynesworth could not have seen this from his position), and Bill Rives gave license to the reporters to include anecdotes, etc.. 

 

Huh. Aynesworth's original account of his actions on the day of the shooting, found in the book you recently purchased, claims he saw Kennedy's head jerk with the second shot. He reports this in an eyewitness account--not in an account of the shooting as told by numerous witnesses. If you read through the book, furthermore, you'll find that the notes collected by his paper were all supposed to be personal accounts of the day of the shooting, and not news stories comprising the recollections of others.  Now, this was written before the publication of the Warren Report, and the gradual belief the last shot was the head shot. So it's understandable if Aynesworth backed away from his initial impression--lord knows many other witnesses did as much.

Now, could Aynesworth have even seen Kennedy at the time of the head shot? Good question. Probably not. The possibility exists, then, that he just added the bit about seeing Kennedy's head jerk to impress his boss--Aynesworth was at that time a young ambitions reporter and he may very well have noticed how those closest to the action (or claiming to be closest to the action, a la Dan Rather) received a boost in credibility, and stature, within the journalistic community. (See Barbie Zelizer's Covering the Body).

Now, as to my personal feelings regarding Aynesworth's credibility... When I created my witness database, many if not most CTs were of the mind-set Aynesworth was not even in Dealey Plaza at the time of the shooting--I mean, where were his notes, his interviews, etc, and why hasn't he ID'ed himself in a photo, etc... But, from reading his many statements over the years, I've come to believe he was just where he said he was (at least some of the time), mid-block on the east side of Houston and Elm.

So why do I think as much? Aynesworth is a dyed-in-the-wool Oswald did-it guy. And yet he has been consistent in claiming the last two shots were bunched together. If he'd made up his story, it seems he would have changed it to fit the nonsensical 160-224-313 scenario pushed by most LNs these days. But he hasn't. So I tend to believe it is his genuine impression the last two shots were bunched together.

In any event, upon re-reading Aynesworth's account, I noticed something I should have included on my website--that Aynesworth placed himself in the vicinity of a large black woman wearing a pink dress. Such a woman should be easy to spot in the crowd along Houston. I took a quick look and was unable to find her. Maybe someone with an interest in supporting Aynesworth's credibility could find her, and then find him nearby.

[Gerry Down]

Now, as to my personal feelings regarding Aynesworth's credibility... When I created my witness database, many if not most CTs were of the mind-set Aynesworth was not even in Dealey Plaza at the time of the shooting--I mean, where were his notes, his interviews, etc, and why hasn't he ID'ed himself in a photo, etc... But, from reading his many statements over the years, I've come to believe he was just where he said he was (at least some of the time), mid-block on the east side of Houston and Elm.

I find it difficult to believe he was in all the places he said he was:

In Dealey Plaza during the shooting
At the Texas Theate during Oswalds arrest
In the basement when Oswald was shot

Could it be that he was jut a young reporter and he made this stuff up in order to build up his image in the eyes of his employer and make a name for himself? And he has since been stuck with having to go along with the debacle?

His Wikipedia page says the following:

Aynesworth has been reported to have "interviewed John F. Kennedy in the shower [and] Lyndon B. Johnson in bed".[3] According to one report: "He also tracked down the person who stole "most of" eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes' money, chased James Earl Ray all over the South and into Canada after he shot the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr."[3] According to Aynesworth, he was asked to serve as a pallbearer for Jack Ruby and played basketball with Fidel Castro.[3] He said that he was playing outside of Havana: "And all of a sudden, this Jeep drives up and a bearded gentleman gets out and puts on his tennis shoes and joins us. I'd been having trouble getting an interview, and after that, it came a little easier. I told him that I would let him win."[3]

[Walt Cakebread]

In this interview with Aynesworth he basically opens it with saying he didn't see JFK at the time of the assassination'

JFK did react within a fraction of a second of being hit. This first reaction is recorded in Zapruder and is dealt with in this thread. The head jerk is a reference to the headshot. JFK is indeed hidden behind the sign when hit at z223 but by z224 onwards enough of him is visible to ascertain when his first reaction to being hit took place.

The danger of using JFK's right arm position as he emerges from behind the sign to indicate a reaction to being shot is dealt with in this thread. It is his left arm position that indicates his reaction more accurately

I doubt that JFK would have reacted to being shot in the head.....The head shot "short circuited" all brain functions....In essence JFK was dead at that instant.   JFK DID react to being shot in the throat....  And that reaction is seen in the Altgen's photo.

I have seen videos ( Nazi Films) of men being being executed by a shot to their head.....  They do not react to the shot.....They simply drop dead.

[Charles Collins]

Huh. Aynesworth's original account of his actions on the day of the shooting, found in the book you recently purchased, claims he saw Kennedy's head jerk with the second shot. He reports this in an eyewitness account--not in an account of the shooting as told by numerous witnesses. If you read through the book, furthermore, you'll find that the notes collected by his paper were all supposed to be personal accounts of the day of the shooting, and not news stories comprising the recollections of others.  Now, this was written before the publication of the Warren Report, and the gradual belief the last shot was the head shot. So it's understandable if Aynesworth backed away from his initial impression--lord knows many other witnesses did as much.

Now, could Aynesworth have even seen Kennedy at the time of the head shot? Good question. Probably not. The possibility exists, then, that he just added the bit about seeing Kennedy's head jerk to impress his boss--Aynesworth was at that time a young ambitions reporter and he may very well have noticed how those closest to the action (or claiming to be closest to the action, a la Dan Rather) received a boost in credibility, and stature, within the journalistic community. (See Barbie Zelizer's Covering the Body).

Now, as to my personal feelings regarding Aynesworth's credibility... When I created my witness database, many if not most CTs were of the mind-set Aynesworth was not even in Dealey Plaza at the time of the shooting--I mean, where were his notes, his interviews, etc, and why hasn't he ID'ed himself in a photo, etc... But, from reading his many statements over the years, I've come to believe he was just where he said he was (at least some of the time), mid-block on the east side of Houston and Elm.

So why do I think as much? Aynesworth is a dyed-in-the-wool Oswald did-it guy. And yet he has been consistent in claiming the last two shots were bunched together. If he'd made up his story, it seems he would have changed it to fit the nonsensical 160-224-313 scenario pushed by most LNs these days. But he hasn't. So I tend to believe it is his genuine impression the last two shots were bunched together.

In any event, upon re-reading Aynesworth's account, I noticed something I should have included on my website--that Aynesworth placed himself in the vicinity of a large black woman wearing a pink dress. Such a woman should be easy to spot in the crowd along Houston. I took a quick look and was unable to find her. Maybe someone with an interest in supporting Aynesworth's credibility could find her, and then find him nearby.

The request memo by Bill Rives specifically says: “Include anecdotes, personal observations and anything else that will reflect the tone of the time as well as indicate the thoroughness of our coverage.”

Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that (in light of Hugh Aynesworth’s position and lack of a line of sight to the limo during the shooting) the description he provided of seeing JFK after he was shot was an anecdote he obtained from another witness. His notes are written in a fashion that makes it appear to be his own description. But his position and later claims that he couldn’t see the limo during the shooting say otherwise.

Don Roberdeau’s map pinpoints Aynesworth’s position. I don’t know how he confirmed it. But it is a good place to start a visual search of the photographic records.

[Walt Cakebread]

Huh. Aynesworth's original account of his actions on the day of the shooting, found in the book you recently purchased, claims he saw Kennedy's head jerk with the second shot. He reports this in an eyewitness account--not in an account of the shooting as told by numerous witnesses. If you read through the book, furthermore, you'll find that the notes collected by his paper were all supposed to be personal accounts of the day of the shooting, and not news stories comprising the recollections of others.  Now, this was written before the publication of the Warren Report, and the gradual belief the last shot was the head shot. So it's understandable if Aynesworth backed away from his initial impression--lord knows many other witnesses did as much.

Now, could Aynesworth have even seen Kennedy at the time of the head shot? Good question. Probably not. The possibility exists, then, that he just added the bit about seeing Kennedy's head jerk to impress his boss--Aynesworth was at that time a young ambitions reporter and he may very well have noticed how those closest to the action (or claiming to be closest to the action, a la Dan Rather) received a boost in credibility, and stature, within the journalistic community. (See Barbie Zelizer's Covering the Body).

Now, as to my personal feelings regarding Aynesworth's credibility... When I created my witness database, many if not most CTs were of the mind-set Aynesworth was not even in Dealey Plaza at the time of the shooting--I mean, where were his notes, his interviews, etc, and why hasn't he ID'ed himself in a photo, etc... But, from reading his many statements over the years, I've come to believe he was just where he said he was (at least some of the time), mid-block on the east side of Houston and Elm.

So why do I think as much? Aynesworth is a dyed-in-the-wool Oswald did-it guy. And yet he has been consistent in claiming the last two shots were bunched together. If he'd made up his story, it seems he would have changed it to fit the nonsensical 160-224-313 scenario pushed by most LNs these days. But he hasn't. So I tend to believe it is his genuine impression the last two shots were bunched together.

In any event, upon re-reading Aynesworth's account, I noticed something I should have included on my website--that Aynesworth placed himself in the vicinity of a large black woman wearing a pink dress. Such a woman should be easy to spot in the crowd along Houston. I took a quick look and was unable to find her. Maybe someone with an interest in supporting Aynesworth's credibility could find her, and then find him nearby.

Aynesworth's accounts aren't worth anything.....  If you're looking for facts and spending money in your quest..... You won't get a nickel's worth from Aynesworth.

[Jerry Organ]

Aynesworth's accounts aren't worth anything.....  If you're looking for facts and spending money in your quest..... You won't get a nickel's worth from Aynesworth.

Aynesworth did a credible job with the Henry Lee Lucas false confessions. I watched the 2019 Netflix series on that called "The Confession Killer". Maybe it took one to know one, as in Aynesworth being a Texas blowhard who exposed what the Texas Department of Public Safety blowhards were doing.

Aynesworth reminds me a bit of Phil Willis, the Texas blowhard who exaggerated the worth of his Z202 slide, claiming it was taken simultaneously with the first shot. That misled the Warren Commission, along with countless JFK assassination buffs.

[John Tonkovich]

Aynesworth did a credible job with the Henry Lee Lucas false confessions. I watched the 2019 Netflix series on that called "The Confession Killer". Maybe it took one to know one, as in Aynesworth being a Texas blowhard who exposed what the Texas Department of Public Safety blowhards were doing.

Aynesworth reminds me a bit of Phil Willis, the Texas blowhard who exaggerated the worth of his Z202 slide, claiming it was taken simultaneously with the first shot. That misled the Warren Commission, along with countless JFK assassination buffs.

One major difference.
Willis has photographic proof.
Aynesworth has none.

[Charles Collins]

Huh. Aynesworth's original account of his actions on the day of the shooting, found in the book you recently purchased, claims he saw Kennedy's head jerk with the second shot. He reports this in an eyewitness account--not in an account of the shooting as told by numerous witnesses. If you read through the book, furthermore, you'll find that the notes collected by his paper were all supposed to be personal accounts of the day of the shooting, and not news stories comprising the recollections of others.  Now, this was written before the publication of the Warren Report, and the gradual belief the last shot was the head shot. So it's understandable if Aynesworth backed away from his initial impression--lord knows many other witnesses did as much.

Now, could Aynesworth have even seen Kennedy at the time of the head shot? Good question. Probably not. The possibility exists, then, that he just added the bit about seeing Kennedy's head jerk to impress his boss--Aynesworth was at that time a young ambitions reporter and he may very well have noticed how those closest to the action (or claiming to be closest to the action, a la Dan Rather) received a boost in credibility, and stature, within the journalistic community. (See Barbie Zelizer's Covering the Body).

Now, as to my personal feelings regarding Aynesworth's credibility... When I created my witness database, many if not most CTs were of the mind-set Aynesworth was not even in Dealey Plaza at the time of the shooting--I mean, where were his notes, his interviews, etc, and why hasn't he ID'ed himself in a photo, etc... But, from reading his many statements over the years, I've come to believe he was just where he said he was (at least some of the time), mid-block on the east side of Houston and Elm.

So why do I think as much? Aynesworth is a dyed-in-the-wool Oswald did-it guy. And yet he has been consistent in claiming the last two shots were bunched together. If he'd made up his story, it seems he would have changed it to fit the nonsensical 160-224-313 scenario pushed by most LNs these days. But he hasn't. So I tend to believe it is his genuine impression the last two shots were bunched together.

In any event, upon re-reading Aynesworth's account, I noticed something I should have included on my website--that Aynesworth placed himself in the vicinity of a large black woman wearing a pink dress. Such a woman should be easy to spot in the crowd along Houston. I took a quick look and was unable to find her. Maybe someone with an interest in supporting Aynesworth's credibility could find her, and then find him nearby.

In any event, upon re-reading Aynesworth's account, I noticed something I should have included on my website--that Aynesworth placed himself in the vicinity of a large black woman wearing a pink dress. Such a woman should be easy to spot in the crowd along Houston. I took a quick look and was unable to find her. Maybe someone with an interest in supporting Aynesworth's credibility could find her, and then find him nearby.

I would certainly like to hear Hugh Aynesworth explain the discrepancies. But like I said earlier, I don’t want to be the one to confront him with this. He is still around as far as I know. And he isn’t hard to look up. If you want to use this account as “evidence” and that he is describing what he himself saw, then perhaps you might want to be the one to contact Aynesworth and have him confirm or deny your claim.

In the meantime I remembered a description in Howard Brennan’s book “Witness to History” which was written around 1987 that has a certain amount of similarity to what Hugh Aynesworth wrote in the account in question in 1964. From page 13 in Howard Brennan’s book:

Just then a woman close to me screamed in full realization of what was happening. She uttered something like, “Oh, my God!” But even as she did my eyes darted back to that solitary figure who was changing history.

Yes, I know it is not exactly the same description that Aynesworth wrote in 1964. But the use of the word darted when describing eye movements is interesting. How many witnesses have used that word in their accounts? I don’t recall any others off the top of my head. And if Aynesworth was doing what he claims he was doing immediately after the shooting (taking notes of his interviews) and he heard Brennan use that word, he might have jotted it down in his notes. If so, and if Aynesworth was using his notes when writing the account as requested by his editor, he might have decided to use that word in the account.

Yep, it is a stretch, and only my conjecture. And I could be completely wrong and it could only be a coincidence. But there is a certain similarity that I find interesting.