JFK Assassination Forum
JFK Assassination Plus General Discussion & Debate => JFK Assassination Plus General Discussion And Debate => Topic started by: Bill Brown on April 14, 2026, 02:25:52 AM
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I don't think Oswald had a "Mexico plan" beforehand. Once he got out of the building, what does he do? Does he head toward Oak Cliff right away? Nope. He heads east on Elm, deeper into the downtown area (and completely away from Oak Cliff). This one fact alone tells me that he had no escape plan; only to indeed escape.
I believe that once Oswald made it to Whaley's cab, the idea of going to retrieve his revolver appealed to him. Once he had his revolver, does he head to the theater and/or south into Oak Cliff? Nope. He stands at a bus stop outside the rooming house, very near the corner of Beckley and Zangs. This particular bus stop would allow him to catch a bus going north, back toward the downtown area, NOT south into Oak Cliff or Mexico. I believe he wanted to board the first bus to get him the hell out of the area.
Then, after standing near that very busy intersection (Beckley & Zang is an incredibly busy intersection), he thought better of it. He was on full display standing out there at that particular bus stop. He left his rifle behind. He was missing from the building in which he was supposed to be working. Has his face been on the news already? He's been on foot, bus and taxi for a half hour. He doesn't know what has (or has not) transpired during those thirty minutes. Obviously we know his face wasn't on the news but he doesn't know that. In my opinion, he shows the same paranoia when he doesn't pay for a ticket at the theater. He doesn't want Julia Postal to see his face. Has his face been on the news? What if she immediately recognizes him? Or, perhaps she'll see his face on the news while he's hiding out inside the theater and recognize that face as belonging to a guy she sold a ticket to earlier. By the way, it is this same paranoia (has my face been on the news already?) which I believe causes him to switch directions as he's walking along Tenth Street. He doesn't want the approaching officer (Tippit) to see his face. In my opinion, he also avoids walking past a law enforcement vehicle (Deputy Sheriff Unit #109) moments before the Tippit encounter as he's walking toward the library and/or bus stop outside the library.
My opinion is that the Jefferson Branch Library and/or the bus stop right outside that library was his goal once he decided to bail on the idea of standing at the very busy intersection of Beckley & Zangs. If one is standing outside the rooming house at 1026 N. Beckley and the goal is now the library and/or the bus stop outside that library, walking east on Tenth at Lansing Street (exactly where Tenth Street makes it's drastic curve) is the most direct route, along with another route which would have him walking down Marsalis for most of the way. But he doesn't want to walk down Marsalis, a very busy street.
I guess my point in all of this is that, again, in my opinion, maybe making a run for Mexico is only something which occurred to him once he decided to bail on the bus stop outside the rooming house. Obviously there is no way to know for sure. Only Oswald himself knows the answer. When it comes to trying to determine Oswald's thoughts and movements after the assassination, all any of us can do is speculate. However, some of us speculate based on what we know while others (like the "Oswald never got on the bus" crowd) discard the known facts and speculate with no basis or foundation.
As for the sixth floor...
As I've always seen it play out in my head, Oswald has the brown shirt tied around his waist, as people typically do when they're originally wearing two shirts but it becomes too warm for both. I believe Oswald is still contemplating which end of the sixth floor to shoot from and is over at the southwest end of the sixth floor when Bonnie Ray Williams unexpectedly arrives up on the floor, surprising him. Oswald is standing near the southwest corner as Williams is eating his chicken on the bone sandwich (what's up with that, by the way?) over near the southeast corner. The south face of the Depository is captured in aftermath photos and the far west sixth floor set of windows are open. Arnold Rowland sees a guy with a rifle standing back from that west end window and says the guy is wearing a light-colored shirt opened at the neck. Perhaps Oswald still has the brown shirt (CE-150) tied around his waist.
Williams finally leaves for the fifth floor and Oswald decides that the southeast corner window is the easier shot (which it certainly was, study sniper fire and lead). Whether he still has the brown shirt tied around his waist or it's simply lying on the floor in the sniper's nest or atop one of the boxes doesn't matter. After firing the shots, he grabs the brown shirt and uses it to wipe the rifle as he makes his way across the floor. This is why a tuft of fibers matching that shirt were found in the crevice of the rifle between the metal butt plate and the wooden stock. He reaches the stairs, stashes/hides the rifle haphazardly and proceeds to put on the brown shirt as he's going down the stairs. He probably has the shirt on by the time he reaches the fifth floor.
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By coincidence I was discussing this very point with Fred Litwin on his podcast which we recorded today but has not yet posted. I've made the same point many times over the years that anytime we are talking about what was going through Oswald's head at any given time, we are guessing. We spoke briefly about Oswald's motive and I gave my speculation about that without knowing whether my guess was correct or not.
We also talked about Oswald's mindset after leaving the TSBD. I happen to believe he was surprised he got out of the TSBD and had no plan. Fred pointed out that Oswald left most of his cash behind with Marina which seems an odd thing to do for a man who planned to go on the lam. I speculated he may have been attempting suicide by cop which could easily have been the result when he pulled his gun on the arresting officers. They would have been perfectly justified in killing Oswald on the spot but they acted with restraint and took him alive.
It would be fascinating to know what Oswald was thinking both before and after the assassination but he took those secrets to his grave and left the rest of us guessing.
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As for the sixth floor...
As I've always seen it play out in my head, Oswald has the brown shirt tied around his waist, as people typically do when they're originally wearing two shirts but it becomes too warm for both. I believe Oswald is still contemplating which end of the sixth floor to shoot from and is over at the southwest end of the sixth floor when Bonnie Ray Williams unexpectedly arrives up on the floor, surprising him. Oswald is standing near the southwest corner as Williams is eating his chicken on the bone sandwich (what's up with that, by the way?) over near the southeast corner. The south face of the Depository is captured in aftermath photos and the far west sixth floor set of windows are open. Arnold Rowland sees a guy with a rifle standing back from that west end window and says the guy is wearing a light-colored shirt opened at the neck. Perhaps Oswald still has the brown shirt (CE-150) tied around his waist.
Williams finally leaves for the fifth floor and Oswald decides that the southeast corner window is the easier shot (which it certainly was, study sniper fire and lead). Whether he still has the brown shirt tied around his waist or it's simply lying on the floor in the sniper's nest or atop one of the boxes doesn't matter. After firing the shots, he grabs the brown shirt and uses it to wipe the rifle as he makes his way across the floor. This is why a tuft of fibers matching that shirt were found in the crevice of the rifle between the metal butt plate and the wooden stock. He reaches the stairs, stashes/hides the rifle haphazardly and proceeds to put on the brown shirt as he's going down the stairs. He probably has the shirt on by the time he reaches the fifth floor.
The problem I see with this scenario is the shirt fibers wouldn't have been deposited on the butt plate of the rifle if the shirt was tied around his waist. I believe he had the shirt on and around his shoulders but completely unbuttoned which would also be a reasonable thing to do if it was too warm.
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Oswald is standing near the southwest corner as Williams is eating his chicken on the bone sandwich (what's up with that, by the way?)
A chicken on the bone sandwich is nothing I ever heard of, but apparently it's a southern thing? I found quite a few examples on the net.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Jnc69fQf/chicken-on-bone-sandwich2.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/1tcCLkKj/chicken-on-bone-sandwich.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/ydXQwMTw/chicken-on-bone-sandwich3.jpg)
JohnM
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More "Chicken-On-The-Bone Sandwich" Fun :) ....
The Bonnie Ray Williams KFC Special (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6vqYrh7Du5W8ur2f6_g30WtHFN3QwSNcJgYLr-x2pGM95y4vdOANGhn5K0dC910OX9JR-OH8iuJS2Q10Jh0vFGH4Nsycq0G9Ntq4aUIhKIf4hholuEhmuAb-IUR7DN9h_FCp44WVlwuZReEj7I6OuOZyPS1D5YPJYQknhDBufW2DTXGDcNiKofHz/s3000-h/The%20'Bonnie%20Ray%20Williams%20Special'%20KFC%20Menu%20Item%20(Saved%20Newsgroup%20Post%20From%202010).png)
The Chicken-On-The-Bone Conspiracy Theory (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lDLs1twHFW8mMV52gVef6j08BFf8wYB1r0CVn7bR1jpfQIXxa92KKhndEHlbEkKxiPw74cap0ZSIPQZf80N3o6oOtl-Ztk_LhpcBnvgDu5o6nGgHboXToZ6I2s6nP-e0zRY7Co0ElxZf-7FYD4QzSFqgwBA_D8LG0A3rk9gx_OC-z7eLIeTZ1Dm9/s4000/The%20Chicken-On-The-Bone%20Sandwich%20Conspiracy%20Theory.png)
JFK-Archives.blogspot.com/The Chicken-On-The-Bone Sandwich (https://jfk-archives.blogspot.com/2022/10/jfk-assassination-arguments-part-1357.html#The-Chicken-On-The-Bone-Sandwich)
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BTW,
Good opening post, Bill Brown.
Thank you.
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BB-
Verily, who knows?
It may be LHO expected a ride that did not show up. That may have led to LHO's "patsy" statement, which really meant, "I was left holding the bag."
Larry Hancock, a solid researcher, becomes uncharacteristically speculative, and posits LHO may have planned to hijack a plane from Love Field, to Cuba. That is where he was headed, Love Field, and that is why LHO sought his handgun.
By all accounts, LHO was a smart guy, whatever we think of him.
Did LHO really have no getaway plan?
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BB-
Verily, who knows?
It may be LHO expected a ride that did not show up. That may have led to LHO's "patsy" statement, which really meant, "I was left holding the bag."
Larry Hancock, a solid researcher, becomes uncharacteristically speculative, and posits LHO may have planned to hijack a plane from Love Field, to Cuba. That is where he was headed, Love Field, and that is why LHO sought his handgun.
By all accounts, LHO was a smart guy, whatever we think of him.
Did LHO really have no getaway plan?
Since nobody knows what Oswald was thinking at any given time before or after the shooting, any answer is speculation. My own speculation is Oswald did not expect to get out of the TSBD and he had no plan for the aftermath. The fact he left most of his cash with Marina seems to indicate that. If his plan was to go on the lam, he would have needed all the cash he had. Once he got out, his first thought was thought was to arm himself. Once he fetched his revolver, I have no idea where he was going. Once he killed Tippit, he had to know he would be the subject of an intense manhunt. The cops might not have known right away he was the suspect in the assassination, but they would be out to get a cop killer for sure. Maybe his intention was suicide by cop. Who knows. It's all guesswork.
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JC-
Sure, guesswork.
Larry Hancock posits LHO would not have needed US cash if he got to Mexico, by hijacking a plane from Love Field. LHO was planning a new life in Cuba.
I note that very few people suggest LHO, who was always impoverished, was simply induced by money to take some shots at JFK. Maybe so. LHO expected to get paid later, and escape, but was apprehended instead. And then murdered before he could talk.
If LHO had not encountered Tippit, who knows, maybe LHO would have escaped.
If LHO had even a simple car ride out of Dallas...there were no roadblocks set up.
Most researchers say LHO had high IQ. Was well read. Hard to believe LHO did not have, or agree to, an escape plan.
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JC-
Sure, guesswork.
Larry Hancock posits LHO would not have needed US cash if he got to Mexico, by hijacking a plane from Love Field. LHO was planning a new life in Cuba.
I note that very few people suggest LHO, who was always impoverished, was simply induced by money to take some shots at JFK. Maybe so. LHO expected to get paid later, and escape, but was apprehended instead. And then murdered before he could talk.
If LHO had not encountered Tippit, who knows, maybe LHO would have escaped.
If LHO had even a simple car ride out of Dallas...there were no roadblocks set up.
Most researchers say LHO had high IQ. Was well read. Hard to believe LHO did not have, or agree to, an escape plan.
If he was going to Love Field, he was headed in the wrong direction.
Oswald could conceivably have evaded the initial manhunt, but eventually he would have been caught, even if he had made it to Mexico. He wasn't going to get away for long.
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JC-
Probably so, LHO eventually would have been captured, although in the 1960s-era, anyone with a valid-looking passport could leave the country, even through US ports. No computer connections.
Could LHO, with a bleached Fu Manchu and hair, some elevator shoes, and a "valid" passport, leave the US, say after six months or a year?
James "Whitey" Bulger (16 years on the lam): The South Boston organized crime boss went into hiding in 1994 to avoid racketeering and murder charges. He was on the FBI's Most-Wanted list for 10 years, and a $2 million reward was offered—one of the highest for a domestic target—before he was finally captured in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.
But, as you say, LHO's behavior on 11.22 was inexplicable.
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JC-
Probably so, LHO eventually would have been captured, although in the 1960s-era, anyone with a valid-looking passport could leave the country, even through US ports. No computer connections.
Could LHO, with a bleached Fu Manchu and hair, some elevator shoes, and a "valid" passport, leave the US, say after six months or a year?
James "Whitey" Bulger (16 years on the lam): The South Boston organized crime boss went into hiding in 1994 to avoid racketeering and murder charges. He was on the FBI's Most-Wanted list for 10 years, and a $2 million reward was offered—one of the highest for a domestic target—before he was finally captured in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.
But, as you say, LHO's behavior on 11.22 was inexplicable.
No country in the world would have given Oswald asylum. His picture would have been seen all over the world. Even Castro would not have taken him in. Castro didn't survive for as long as he did by being stupid. He would have known by shielding JFK's assassin he would have given the US the excuse they needed to break the promise JFK made as part of the deal to end the Cuban Missile Crisis not to invade Cuba at any time in the future.
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JC-
Probably so, LHO eventually would have been captured, although in the 1960s-era, anyone with a valid-looking passport could leave the country, even through US ports. No computer connections.
Could LHO, with a bleached Fu Manchu and hair, some elevator shoes, and a "valid" passport, leave the US, say after six months or a year?
James "Whitey" Bulger (16 years on the lam): The South Boston organized crime boss went into hiding in 1994 to avoid racketeering and murder charges. He was on the FBI's Most-Wanted list for 10 years, and a $2 million reward was offered—one of the highest for a domestic target—before he was finally captured in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.
But, as you say, LHO's behavior on 11.22 was inexplicable.
Oswald might have evaded early capture had Johnny Brewer not alertly spotted him sneak into the Texas Theater. The cops would have had no reason to look there. Oswald could have sat through the double feature and by that time, it would have been getting dark. He could have easily left with the rest of the crowd without being noticed. Even if his picture had been posted on TV by then, and it probably would have, it's unlikely any of the theater patrons would have seen it. What Oswald would have done after that and how long he could have evaded capture is anybody's guess. Mine is the manhunt wouldn't have lasted more than a few days, if that long.
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TC-
I posted over at Ed Forum once that Brewer's account of LHO behavior strongly indicates LHO was a participant in the JFKA, or at bare minimum, knew enough about the JFKA to immediately conclude that he would look guilty in any investigation. Another reason I am banned over there.
Even Larry Hancock dances around the Brewer testimony. If LHO had no knowledge of the JFKA, and was only going to hijack an airplane...why was he acting so furtively, even before getting to Love Field?
Maybe I will re-post here.
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Oswald might have evaded early capture had Johnny Brewer not alertly spotted him sneak into the Texas Theater. The cops would have had no reason to look there. Oswald could have sat through the double feature and by that time, it would have been getting dark. He could have easily left with the rest of the crowd without being noticed. Even if his picture had been posted on TV by then, and it probably would have, it's unlikely any of the theater patrons would have seen it. What Oswald would have done after that and how long he could have evaded capture is anybody's guess. Mine is the manhunt wouldn't have lasted more than a few days, if that long.
Even if his picture had been posted on TV by then, and it probably would have, it's unlikely any of the theater patrons would have seen it.
Oswald's picture was on the TV, IIRC in the afternoon after the assassination but of course he was already arrested, there were Oswald photos published the next day and even those were from the halls of Dallas Police. I'm pretty sure Oswald's photo was in the paper when he defected or when he came back so there would have been AP photos(which were not a very good likeness) to be found if he wasn't captured, or perhaps the Police would release the New Orleans arrest photos which would have helped the public track him down.
Depending on his smarts and what photos were available to the press, Oswald may have been on the run for some time and Oswald having a revolver with about ten bullets would have any arresting Officer a likely target, as seen by what happened with Tippit and very nearly McDonald.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NFTqHB7t/Oswald-on-wfaa-tv-afternoon-of-assassination.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/tCwnb57k/pres40-small.jpg)
JohnM
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Oswald's picture was on the TV, IIRC in the afternoon after the assassination but of course he was already arrested, there were Oswald photos published the next day and even those were from the halls of Dallas Police. I'm pretty sure Oswald's photo was in the paper when he defected or when he came back so there would have been AP photos(which were not a very good likeness) to be found if he wasn't captured, or perhaps the Police would release the New Orleans arrest photos which would have helped the public track him down.
Depending on his smarts and what photos were available to the press, Oswald may have been on the run for some time and Oswald having a revolver with about ten bullets would have any arresting Officer a likely target, as seen by what happened with Tippit and very nearly McDonald.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NFTqHB7t/Oswald-on-wfaa-tv-afternoon-of-assassination.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/tCwnb57k/pres40-small.jpg)
JohnM
That smirk on Oswald’s face is the same expression I’ve seen on that kook that’s on trial for shooting Charlie Kirk.
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BTW,
Good opening post, Bill Brown.
Thank you.
Thank you, Sir.
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That smirk on Oswald’s face is the same expression I’ve seen on that kook that’s on trial for shooting Charlie Kirk.
If ever there was someone who deserved to be murdered, it was Oswald. I can't justify it legally, morally, or ethically, but I'm still glad Jack Ruby did it.
The photo of Oswald grimacing and clutching his stomach taken one second after Ruby's bullet ripped his guts apart never ceases to bring a smile to my face. It's been said, facetiously, that "He needed killing" is a legal defense in Texas. That would certainly apply to Oswald.
If not for Jack Ruby, Oswald likely would have cheated the executioner and still might be thumbing his nose at us from the Texas penitentiary at the age of 86. Thanks again, Jack.