The Shifting Single-Bullet Theory--It Always "Works" No Matter What

[Andrew Mason]

Interesting, Bell could be the first person to be recorded as having been influenced by the news media—Merriman Smith.

According to Merriman Smith, Jack Bell’s first statement upon arriving at Parkland was that he wasn’t sure if any shots had been fired. (Sloyan, American Journalism Review, May 1997). By 12:41 PM, just four minutes after arriving at Parkland. Bell called in a report to the AP stating that three shots had been fired.  He went from not knowing to three shots. The car Smith and Bell were riding in was the first Press Pool car and was responsible for briefing the other reporters.

Sloyan did not say he interviewed Smith.  He was quoting some unknown source - possibly Bob Clark of ABC news - who described what Smith said to someone - ie. that he heard Jack Bell saying on the phone to his UPI office that he didn't know if there were any shots.  The uncertainty appears to be about whether they were shots, not the number. Smith was a gun enthusiast and recognized them as rifle shots but the other reporters may have been initially unsure. [The correct cite is AJR, May 1998  by the way.]

[Jack Nessan]

Ok, then the reference would be John and Nellie Connally's WC statements.  So your accusation that I made a patently false statement when I stated what they actually said, actually means:

1.  that I accurately stated what they said but
2.  I intentionally omitted your interpretation that they meant the opposite of what they said, and
3.  in so omitting your interpretation, I made a patently false statement.

Thanks for clarifying. It is important to understand the language the other person is using when engaging in a discussion.

Spare me the reprise or whatever that was. Snakebit attempt to evade comes to mind.

Your statement was patently false, and you know why. Isn’t that the reason for all this worming around. What was the first thing he did?

Andrew: “That IS what JBC said he did after hearing the first shot.  There is quite a lot of consistent evidence is that JFK is reacting that way to the first shot. If that is the first shot then we have pretty good evidence from both Nellie and JBC that he was not hit in the back with it.”

Still waiting for you to post the reason. You are dancing all around it but you just refuse to go there.

You need to add Jackie to the list. She corroborates the statement too.

You still have not posted the omitted part of Mary Woodward’s Dallas Morning News statement which locates the first shot based on JFK’s actions. She locates it in a largely different place than you.

[Jack Nessan]

Sloyan did not say he interviewed Smith.  He was quoting some unknown source - possibly Bob Clark of ABC news - who described what Smith said to someone - ie. that he heard Jack Bell saying on the phone to his UPI office that he didn't know if there were any shots.  The uncertainty appears to be about whether they were shots, not the number. Smith was a gun enthusiast and recognized them as rifle shots but the other reporters may have been initially unsure. [The correct cite is AJR, May 1998  by the way.]

You have all the time in the world to look this up, read this lengthy article, and realize I wrote Merriman Smith instead of Bob Clark, which in the grand scheme of things makes absolutely no difference, because they were both occupants of the car and both ways it ends up with Jack Bell making the statement, yet you cannot just finish posting the part of Mary Woodwards statement that you purposely omitted or the corroborating statements of JBC, Nellie, and Jackie. It must be because that they directly contradict your theory.

[Andrew Mason]

You have all the time in the world to look this up, read this lengthy article, and realize I wrote Merriman Smith instead of Bob Clark, which in the grand scheme of things makes absolutely no difference, because they were both occupants of the car and both ways it ends up with Jack Bell making the statement, yet you cannot just finish posting the part of Mary Woodwards statement that you purposely omitted or the corroborating statements of JBC, Nellie, and Jackie. It must be because that they directly contradict your theory.

It was you who used a triple hearsay statement to suggest that there were not three shots.  It is apparent from the article that such a statement by Bell questioning whether they heard any shots was not about the number of shots.

As far as Woodward's statement is concerned, what part did I not deal with? What corroborating statements of JBC and Nellie are you referring to? I have been asking for a reference and you seem to be unable to provide it. 

As far as Jackie is concerned, you tell us how many shots she said there were and what each one struck:

• Mrs. KENNEDY. You know, there is always noise in a motorcade and there are always motorcycles besides us, a lot of them backfiring. So I was looking to the left.I guess there was a noise, but it didn’t seem like any different noise really because there is so much noise, motorcycles and things. But then suddenly Governor Connally was yelling, “Oh, no, no, no.”
  Mr. RANKIN. Did he turn toward you?
  Mrs. KENNEDY. No; I was looking this way, to the left, and I heard these terrible noises. You know. And my husband never made any sound. So I turned to the right. And all I remember is seeing my husband, he had this sort
  of quizzical look on his face, and his hand was up, it must have been his left hand. And just as I turned and looked at him, I could see a piece of his skull and I remember it was flesh colored. I remember thinking he just looked as if
  he had a slight headache. And I just remember seeing that. No blood or anything. And then he sort of did this [indicating], put his hand to his forehead and fell in my lap.
  And then I just remember falling on him and saying, “Oh, no, no, no,” I mean, “Oh, my God, they have shot my husband.” And “I love you, Jack,” I remember I was shouting. And just being down in the car with his head in my lap. And it just seemed an eternity.
  You know, then, there were pictures later on of me climbing out the back. But I don’t remember that at all.
  ....
  
• Mr. RANKIN. Do you have any recollection of whether there were one or more shots?
  Mrs. KENNEDY. Well, there must have been two because the one that made me turn around was Governor Connally yelling. And it used to confuse me because first I remembered there were three and I used to think my husband didn’t make any sound when he was shot. And Governor Connally screamed. And then I read the other day that it was the same shot that hit them both. But I used to think if I only had been looking to the right I would have seen the flrst shot hit him, then I could have pulled him down, and then the second shot would not have hit him. But I heard Governor Connally yelling and that made me turn around, and as I turned to the right my husband was doing this [indicating with hand at neck]. He was receiving a bullet. And those are the only two I remember.
  And I read there was a third shot. But I don’t know. Just those two.
  

[Jack Nessan]

It was you who used a triple hearsay statement to suggest that there were not three shots.  It is apparent from the article that such a statement by Bell questioning whether they heard any shots was not about the number of shots.

As far as Woodward's statement is concerned, what part did I not deal with? What corroborating statements of JBC and Nellie are you referring to? I have been asking for a reference and you seem to be unable to provide it. 

As far as Jackie is concerned, you tell us how many shots she said there were and what each one struck:

• Mrs. KENNEDY. You know, there is always noise in a motorcade and there are always motorcycles besides us, a lot of them backfiring. So I was looking to the left.I guess there was a noise, but it didn’t seem like any different noise really because there is so much noise, motorcycles and things. But then suddenly Governor Connally was yelling, “Oh, no, no, no.”
  Mr. RANKIN. Did he turn toward you?
  Mrs. KENNEDY. No; I was looking this way, to the left, and I heard these terrible noises. You know. And my husband never made any sound. So I turned to the right. And all I remember is seeing my husband, he had this sort
  of quizzical look on his face, and his hand was up, it must have been his left hand. And just as I turned and looked at him, I could see a piece of his skull and I remember it was flesh colored. I remember thinking he just looked as if
  he had a slight headache. And I just remember seeing that. No blood or anything. And then he sort of did this [indicating], put his hand to his forehead and fell in my lap.
  And then I just remember falling on him and saying, “Oh, no, no, no,” I mean, “Oh, my God, they have shot my husband.” And “I love you, Jack,” I remember I was shouting. And just being down in the car with his head in my lap. And it just seemed an eternity.
  You know, then, there were pictures later on of me climbing out the back. But I don’t remember that at all.
  ....
  
• Mr. RANKIN. Do you have any recollection of whether there were one or more shots?
  Mrs. KENNEDY. Well, there must have been two because the one that made me turn around was Governor Connally yelling. And it used to confuse me because first I remembered there were three and I used to think my husband didn’t make any sound when he was shot. And Governor Connally screamed. And then I read the other day that it was the same shot that hit them both. But I used to think if I only had been looking to the right I would have seen the flrst shot hit him, then I could have pulled him down, and then the second shot would not have hit him. But I heard Governor Connally yelling and that made me turn around, and as I turned to the right my husband was doing this [indicating with hand at neck]. He was receiving a bullet. And those are the only two I remember.
  And I read there was a third shot. But I don’t know. Just those two.
  

Nice, now add Nellie and JBC's statements to Jackies. The collective statements of these three witnesses tell the story. If you can't tie them together I will.

Where is the omitted portion of Mary Woodwards Dallas Morning News article identifying the location of the first shot? It is much later than Z195.

It was you who used a triple hearsay statement to suggest that there were not three shots.  It is apparent from the article that such a statement by Bell questioning whether they heard any shots was not about the number of shots.

Triple Hearsay?  Bob Clark was also in the car and related the story. How is that any different than any other statement that has been taken? The point is Jack Bell goes from not knowing if it was even gunfire to stating three shots based on what? Did he use Merriman Smith's previously stated bulletin or his own knowledge of what a shot would sound like? The WC and HSCA both thought the witnesses were influenced by the media. Three shots started with Merriman Smith and then was widely dispersed by the media. You missed the substance of the article you read. The substance being how well-regarded Merriman Smith was by the fellow news reporters and that he was some kind of Gun aficionado. The people who were not under his influence, the eyewitnesses specifically the only news reporter who was an eyewitness, James Altgens, had a different number of shots. In the history of the assassination three shots has never led to any kind of understanding or resolution of what happened. That is because it never happened.
 

[Andrew Mason]

Nice, now add Nellie and JBC's statements to Jackies. The collective statements of these three witnesses tell the story. If you can't tie them together I will.

Where is the omitted portion of Mary Woodwards Dallas Morning News article identifying the location of the first shot? It is much later than Z195.

You have to try to fit Woodward's statement to other evidence. You are ignoring Phil Willis and other witnesses along Elm St who gave relative positions of the President at the time of the first shot.

It was you who used a triple hearsay statement to suggest that there were not three shots.  It is apparent from the article that such a statement by Bell questioning whether they heard any shots was not about the number of shots.

Triple Hearsay?  Bob Clark was also in the car and related the story. How is that any different than any other statement that has been taken?

When you are using a statement of someone for proof of its contents, if the statement is reported by a person who heard it said, it is hearsay. Now if it is reported by someone who heard someone refer to a hearsay statement, it is double hearsay. And if someone refers to that person's repetition of a double hearsay statement, it is triple hearsay. Not generally regarded as reliable evidence.

 In this case the fact you are attempting to prove is the state of Jack Bell's mind regarding his auditory perception of the events in Dealey Plaza. The alleged statement about his auditory perception was made by Jack Bell himself.  It was allegedly heard by Merriman Smith. So if Merriman Smith reported it, it would be hearsay.  But he didn't. Rather it was Bob Clark that heard Smith mention what he heard Bell say. That is double hearsay. But Clark did not write  the article. Sloyan heard Clark's statement about what Smith said Bell said and passed it along to the reader. That is triple hearsay

[Jim Hawthorn]

Mrs. KENNEDY. Well, there must have been two because the one that made me turn around was Governor Connally yelling. And it used to confuse me because first I remembered there were three and I used to think my husband didn’t make any sound when he was shot. And Governor Connally screamed. And then I read the other day that it was the same shot that hit them both. But I used to think if I only had been looking to the right I would have seen the flrst shot hit him, then I could have pulled him down, and then the second shot would not have hit him.

She was wrong. In the Zapruder film, we can see that she turned her head to the right at frames 173 to 193, just before she disappeared behind the Stemmons Freeway sign.

[Jack Nessan]

You have to try to fit Woodward's statement to other evidence. You are ignoring Phil Willis and other witnesses along Elm St who gave relative positions of the President at the time of the first shot.
When you are using a statement of someone for proof of its contents, if the statement is reported by a person who heard it said, it is hearsay. Now if it is reported by someone who heard someone refer to a hearsay statement, it is double hearsay. And if someone refers to that person's repetition of a double hearsay statement, it is triple hearsay. Not generally regarded as reliable evidence.

 In this case the fact you are attempting to prove is the state of Jack Bell's mind regarding his auditory perception of the events in Dealey Plaza. The alleged statement about his auditory perception was made by Jack Bell himself.  It was allegedly heard by Merriman Smith. So if Merriman Smith reported it, it would be hearsay.  But he didn't. Rather it was Bob Clark that heard Smith mention what he heard Bell say. That is double hearsay. But Clark did not write  the article. Sloyan heard Clark's statement about what Smith said Bell said and passed it along to the reader. That is triple hearsay

You were quoting Woodward and now you are not. She was specific as to when.

Bob Clark was in the car with Bell and Smith

Post the Connally’s testimony or is that the point of this evasion?