Dan Rather's laughable account of what he thinks he saw in the Zapruder film

[Tom Graves]

Place yourself on the corner of Houston/Elm on the same side of Elm St as the TSBD. Look straight down Elm Street. If you are talking about the JFK back shot, I would say 35-40 yards would be accurate.

He said from the base of the building, not from the tip of the "island" in front of the building.

Regardless, why do so many people say the second shot (the shot that wounded both JFK and JBC around Z-222) travelled about 240 feet (80 yards) from the Sniper's Nest window to JFK's back?

[Charles Collins]

He said from the base of the building, not from the tip of the "island" in front of the building.

Regardless, why do so many people say the second shot (the shot that wounded both JFK and JBC around Z-222) travelled about 240 feet (80 yards) from the Sniper's Nest window to JFK's back?

The difference is the elevation of the sixth floor window. Plus the sniper’s window is on the east end of the TSBD building. Rather’s description is strictly the distance at ground level and probably from the west end of the TSBD building.

[Michael Capasse]

The difference is the elevation of the sixth floor window. Plus the sniper’s window is on the east end of the TSBD building. Rather’s description is strictly the distance at ground level and probably from the west end of the TSBD building.

Dan Rather was not in Dealey Plaza and his description was from Zapruders position.

[Michael Walton]

It was a joke how he described it. I'm not going to make a big deal about his use of the word "films." Did he see others, like the Nix film? Who knows? But it's not some sinister slip of the tongue with "films" like some of the crazies out there may make it out to be (e.g. "OMG! There's another film out there that we're still waiting to see showing Dick and Allen behind the wall giving Ruby directions to fire the shots! OMG!")

But I've always believed that, even at this point, with Oswald dead, the official message is starting at this point. Just like Ken O'Donnell saw some stuff, mere feet away from the shots, but was told by the FBI that he was wrong, that that isn't what he saw. And he quietly just didn't talk about it any more.

Good old Dan was young and ambitious, just like a lot of other TV "performers." I call them that because that's what they all are - performers. The newspaper people are the real reporters, though they, too, blew the assassination when they were fed the official line. Only the foreign press knew the truth and said as much.

Anyway, old Dan had just started in NY in '62 on a trial period, so he knew he had a good thing going and wasn't going to rock the boat. Just say what others are saying in the room - "...his head falls forward" etc. etc.

[Royell Storing]

He said from the base of the building, not from the tip of the "island" in front of the building.

Regardless, why do so many people say the second shot (the shot that wounded both JFK and JBC around Z-222) travelled about 240 feet (80 yards) from the Sniper's Nest window to JFK's back?

  Again, put this alleged "80 yards" into a general perspective that you can relate to. Do you think it is almost a football field from the corner of Elm & Houston/The Island down to the Stemmons Sign? Not even close. Gary Mack always made it a point to stress how TINY Dealey Plaza was. He was right. Like I said, if there was nothing in the way, YOU could throw a baseball from the TSBD to the Zapruder Perch. And you wouldn't drop a nut doing it. Always put these alleged distances into a perspective/venue you can relate to. A Football Field or Baseball Diamond is a good venue for me to envision. When it comes to height, an NBA Rim is 10 feet above the floor.

[Michael T. Griffith]

I find it interesting that Rather says, "the FILMS we saw.....". Mmmmmmm

What's especially interesting is that Rather was not the only one who saw the original film and who said it showed Kennedy being knocked forward, as I discuss in my article "Evidence of Alteration in the Zapruder Film."

Former FBI official and J. Edgar Hoover aide Cartha DeLoach recalled in his book Hoover's FBI that he watched the Zapruder film at FBI HQ the day after the shooting and that he saw Kennedy "pitching suddenly forward" in the film. Obviously, no such motion appears in the extant film.

Special Agent George Hickey, riding in the follow-up car, said the final shot made Kennedy "fall forward and to his left."

William Newman, who was standing on the Elm Street sidewalk right in front of the grassy knoll and who had one of the best views of the shooting, tried to tell New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison that JFK was knocked forward as if struck by a baseball bat, but Garrison would not believe him because the event was not in the film.

[Steve M. Galbraith]

Rather was asked about his, let's be charitable, inaccurate description of what the film showed and said this (this is from Alexandra Zapruder's book on the film):