Gov. John Connally Grips His White Stetson Hat at Z-272

[Andrew Mason]

(deleted)   

[Zeon Mason]

I’ve looked at some more of the Z-film frame by frame using the Costella edit which includes the area between the sprockets, and I’ve discovered that at Z212 2 SS agents beside and across from Clint Hill are still visible and they are looking forward.

Up to Z230, the SS agent behind Clint Hill is visible and at Z230 this agent is still looking forward.

The Willis girl has stopped and looks back by Z205 but 2 SS agents at Z212 haven’t turned their heads back and up to Z230, the SS agent next to Clint Hill had not turned his head back to look at TSBD.

Should there not have been some Clint Hill reaction from Z190-Z230 even if he was tasked with keeping his eyes focused on JFK?

So it seems to be a discrepancy in reaction time  by the SS agents up to at least Z230 versus the more immediate reaction of the Willis girl stopping running by Z200.

Plausible reasons  for this apparent discrepancy of reaction times between the SS agents and the Willis girl?

1. The SS agents were hung over from the Thursday night party and their nervous systems and senses were depressed?
2. The SS agents were desensitized by having heard occasional random motorcycle backfires occurring over the duration of the limo trip from the point of origin to entering Dealey plaza?
3. The Willis girl was reacting to something else other than a gunshot such as a motorcycle backfire?

[John Corbett]

I’ve looked at some more of the Z-film frame by frame using the Costella edit which includes the area between the sprockets, and I’ve discovered that at Z212 2 SS agents beside and across from Clint Hill are still visible and they are looking forward.

Up to Z230, the SS agent behind Clint Hill is visible and at Z230 this agent is still looking forward.

The Willis girl has stopped and looks back by Z205 but 2 SS agents at Z212 haven’t turned their heads back and up to Z230, the SS agent next to Clint Hill had not turned his head back to look at TSBD.

Should there not have been some Clint Hill reaction from Z190-Z230 even if he was tasked with keeping his eyes focused on JFK?

So it seems to be a discrepancy in reaction time  by the SS agents up to at least Z230 versus the more immediate reaction of the Willis girl stopping running by Z200.

Plausible reasons  for this apparent discrepancy of reaction times between the SS agents and the Willis girl?

1. The SS agents were hung over from the Thursday night party and their nervous systems and senses were depressed?
2. The SS agents were desensitized by having heard occasional random motorcycle backfires occurring over the duration of the limo trip from the point of origin to entering Dealey plaza?
3. The Willis girl was reacting to something else other than a gunshot such as a motorcycle backfire?

While we can only speculate why some people did not recognize the first shot as a gunshot and some did, being hungover would be way down on my list. There is zero evidence the agents were hungover. Jackie only remembered hearing two shots. Do you think she was hungover too. By belief is that after slowing down for the sharp turn from Houston onto Elm, all the vehicles, including the motorcycles began to accelerate. Maybe it was the roar of the motorcycles that muffled the sound of the first shot. Maybe the fact the first shot happened while the motorcycles were accelerating caused some to believe the first shot was a backfire. Some witnesses said they thought it was a firecracker. What we do know is that Glen Bennett recognized the first sound as a gunshot and for whatever reason, Clint Hill did not. He only remembers hearing two shots. He erroneously believes there was a shot while he was running to the limo and before the headshot that he didn't hear. It was actually the first shot he didn't hear. The two agents on the right running board are shown looking behind them in Altgens 6  which was taken in the early Z250s. That doesn't tell us when they actually turned their heads. The fact remains that most of the witnesses in Dealey Plaza remember hearing 3 shots which corresponds to the spent shells in the sniper's nest.

JBC was adamant until the day he died that he heard a shot before the one that hit him in the back. Since we see JBC start to turn to look over his right shoulder at Z164, 60 frames before we see his jacket bulge out, that's pretty solid evidence the first shot was the missed shot. What we don't have is definitive proof of when that first shot was fired. We don't know how long it took JBC to react. I feel strongly the first shot was fired in the Z147-148 window although I felt strongly for years that it was fired at Z151. I could be persuaded to change again if I was presented with compelling evidence. So far nobody has provided me with any such evidence.