Yes, Richard, it’s “open” except when there LOTS of cars lined up in rows which DO allow for cover as there were on Nov 22/63.
There’s the observation by Lee Bowers that he saw 2 men kind of loitering around behind that fence so, it’s so improbable that one of them could have been a gunman.
It’s the “HAT” that’s questionable because Bowers didn’t describe either man wearing at har (as far as I remember).
There also that unidentified man was seen flashing a secret service badge by some witnesses whom the SS cannot account for as they did not have Ann SS agents assigned that area of the GK.