Acoustic Evidence

[John Corbett]

Yes, I've read Corbett's latest reply. I think it's so evasive, childish, and uninformed that I see no need to respond to it. I would, however, like to follow up (1) on my comments on Lattimer's position on how long it would have taken JFK to react to his non-fatal wounds and (2) on the issue of how long it would have taken for Connally's body to visibly react to the bullet's impact.

JFK and JBC visibly reacted at the same moment, Z226, when both suddenly flipped their arms upward in perfect unison.

'Nuff said.

In fact, come to think of it, Lattimer was talking about an involuntary movement, i.e., the Thorburn reaction, which is a neurological reflex associated with spinal injury. Lattimer said that JFK assumed the Thorburn Position after he was hit, and that the Thorburn reaction would have taken around four frames to happen, which is why he said JFK was hit by no later than Z221.

Lattimer might have been under the impression that JFK was visibly reacting when he reappeared at Z225, something I believed for many years and I think most people still believe. However, a close examination of enlarged frames tell us that JFK's right arm was still moving DOWNWARD at Z225. We know that by comparing JFK's right arm in Z224 to the position it was in at Z225. Although JFK's face doesn't appear until Z225, his right arm is visible at Z224. Looking at the Z-film at normal speed and without magnification, it does seem JFK was already reacting when he reappeared at Z225 which would tell Lattimer JFK was hit no later than Z221 and possibly before. However, the simultaneous reaction of JFK and JBC at Z226 comes 4 frames after Z222 which establishes that as the LATEST the two men could have been hit, and they might not have been hit until Z223 or possibly during the brief gap between Z222 and Z223 when the film was advancing one frame.

The estimated response time has been state to be ABOUT 200 milliseconds. This is, of course, and estimate. It would be a truly remarkable coincidence if the response time was not only a round number, but an integer. 200 milliseconds for a response is likely a good ballpark number to work with. The witness who said that each frame of the Z-film was 56 milliseconds was apparently using 18 fps as the speed of the camera. 1000/18 comes out to 55.55555... which does round up to 56 milliseconds. However using 18.3 fps, 1000/18.3 comes out to 54.6448... milliseconds. I know it's quibbling, but that is a more accurate figure. 200 milliseconds is roughly 3.66 frames which no surprisingly, is also not an integer. For this reason, a reaction at Z226 is compatible with a single bullet strike at either Z222, Z223, or during the gap between those two frames.

The above is a perfectly logical explanation of the timing and physics involved, which is why MTG chooses to label it as "childish and uninformed". That's his typical response to critical questioning which challenges his long-held conspiracy dogma. It's his excuse for dodging the critical questioning.

Now, of course, Lattimer's claim that Kennedy assumed the Thorburn Position starting in Z225 is demonstrably wrong, as has been pointed out by numerous scholars over the years.

I find it amusing that MTG refers to everyone who agrees with him as a scholar while he has a wide array of epithets for those who dare to challenge his claims.

The point is that Lattimer acknowledged that an involuntary movement in response to injury would take around four frames. Forensic literature on the Thorburn reaction says it happens "immediately" and "instantaneously" after the required spinal injury occurs. Posner says "Kennedy's Thorburn response from spinal damage . . . came between one-tenth to two-tenths of a second after the bullet hit him, which translates to 1.8 to 3.66 Zapruder frames."

In terms of the time it would have taken for Connally's torso to show visible movement in response to the force of the bullet's impact, this would have taken no more than four Zapruder frames, or about 220 milliseconds. This matches perfectly with Connally's selection of Z234 as the moment impact, since his right shoulder starts to be driven downward in Z238.

JBC's arm flip at Z226 matches perfectly with a bullet strike in the Z222-223 window. So does JFK's sudden raising of his arms at the same frame. It's doesn't matter whether it was a Thorburn response or not. He was reacting to getting shot.

I asked Google AI, "If a bullet hits your back how long will it take your torso to show a visible reaction?" Google AI answered that the visible reaction will occur "within milliseconds of the impact" and that "the physical response is governed by the laws of physics and biomechanics rather than a conscious delay":

"Within milliseconds" WOW, that's really narrowing it down.

When a bullet strikes the torso, a visible reaction begins instantly, within milliseconds of the impact. The physical response is governed by the laws of physics and biomechanics rather than a conscious delay.

So the idea that Connally's dramatic shoulder drop in Z238-242 is a "delayed reaction" to a hit at Z222-224 is unreasonable and unscientific. Jim Moore, one of the most honest WC apologists around, freely acknowledges the sharp right shoulder drop in Z238-242 . He theorizes that JFK's arm and hand movements in Z224-237 are in response to being hit with bits of concrete and/or metal from the bullet that hit the pavement behind the limo, and that the alleged SBT hit occurs at Z237:

And again, MTG ignores the very obvious shoulder drop by JBC at Z225, 2-3 frames after he was shot.

Governor Connally himself studied the Zapruder film and picked frame 234 as the moment of the bullet’s impact upon his back. In the film itself, less than a third of a second after Connally says he was hit, one can see the dramatic effect of the bullet’s impact. Between frames 237 and 238, the bullet strike is evident as the Governor’s right shoulder collapses, his cheeks suddenly puff, and his hair is disarranged. Indeed, between the two frames, the slope of the Governor’s right shoulder suddenly drops by about twenty degrees. . . .

MTG continues to ignore the fact that JBC could only judge when he was hit by looking for when he made the reaction he remembered. He was unaware of his involuntary arm flip at Z226 which was a reaction to the bullet which struck his wrist 3-4 frames earlier.

The problem Dr. Lattimer, the Warren Commission and HSCA investigators share is the sudden drop of Connally’s right shoulder at frames 237-238. Portions of the human frame don’t suddenly drop 20 degrees without some significant outside force acting upon them. And, when you consider that this shoulder drop took place within an eighteenth of a second, that outside force must have been very significant indeed. Impact on the Governor’s back, then, most likely took place at Zapruder frame 237. Interestingly enough, Connally’s doctors also reviewed the Zapruder film and placed the moment of impact at about frame 236. . . .

I guess JBC's Z225 shoulder drop was in anticipation of the bullet that was about to hit him in the back.

I believe that President Kennedy shared Tague’s experience. Doubtless the bullet hitting the concrete only a few feet from the President showered President Kennedy with bits of concrete and possibly metal fragments. . . .

Pelted or forcibly struck by bits of concrete and metal, he lived the next two seconds in a daze. His right arm, which had been waving to the Elm Street crowd, froze in place. By the time he emerged from behind the road sign and back into Zapruder’s view, his hands were rising to cover his face. (Conspiracy of One: The Definitive Book on the Kennedy Assassination, 2018 edition, pp. 167-169, 197-198)[/font]

JFK's right hand did not freeze in place. There was almost nobody left on Elm St. to continue to wave to. Perhaps Joe Biden would have continued to wave to non-existent spectators, but JFK's cognitive decline wouldn't begin for another 6 seconds.

This is actually the least ridiculous version of the SBT that has been offered by WC apologists. Of course, it, too, is fatally flawed because of the conflicting trajectories, because of the narrow wound path through Connally's chest, because of the wound-ballistics evidence that CE 399 could not have done all the damage required by the SBT, and because of the disclosures that the back wound had no exit point, that there was no hole in the tie and no nick on the tie knot's left or right edge, and that the back wound was well below the throat wound, etc.

MTG has been spewing that  for 35 years. No reason to expect him to stop now.

However, at least this version of the SBT offers a non-ludicrous explanation for JFK's Z200-237 reaction, offers a non-ludicrous explanation for the location of the rear JFK clothing holes, and acknowledges the obvious implications of the Z238-242 right shoulder drop.

Conspiracy of One was one of the first books i read when I started to study the JFK assassination in depth. As a newbie, I was susceptible to quite a bit of nonsense and Moore's book had plenty of that. Fortunately, I quickly learned to apply a healthy dose of skepticism to future books I read on the subject, such as Plausible Denial, Mafia Kingfish, and Best Evidence to name a few. These books have been relegated to history's clearance table while the WCR still stands as the definitive account of the JFKA.

For information on why JFK's reaction in Z224-232 does not even come close to a Thorburn reaction, see the following articles:

"Dr. Lattimer and the Great Thorburn Hoax"

"John Lattimer Never Quit"

I have no opinion on whether JFK's reaction to the bullet that went through his torso was a true Thorburn response or not. It doesn't matter whether it was or was not. It is a reaction to having been shot which is what matters. I have seen similar responses by football players, usually quarterbacks, who absorb violent blows to the head. The most recent example was by Oregon QB Dante Moore, who took a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit by a USC defender as Moore was sliding to the ground. His hands both went up in front of him as he lay motionless on the ground. Was that Thorburn? I don't know. I don't care. It was the dirtiest play I've seen so far this season.

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=video+dante+moor+taking+helmet-to-helmet+hit&refig=6abe5312f4b7486d9a41c960342c6c00&pc=EDBBAN&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dvideo%2bdante%2bmoor%2btaking%2bhelmet-to-helmet%2bhit%26form%3dANNTH1%26refig%3d6abe5312f4b7486d9a41c960342c6c00%26pc%3dEDBBAN&mmscn=vwrc&mid=1BF68749DDB0129E50B71BF68749DDB0129E50B7&FORM=WRVORC&ntb=1&msockid=08ca9e78bd9f11f1bfd566f2f7247be1

[John Corbett]

Well said, Steve. Michael T. Griffith: you are aware that Steve single-handedly proved the Dictabelt did not record Dealey Plaza gunfire more than 40 years ago? Give it a rest, dude.

Cut MTG some slack. The findings of the BBN acoustics team is the closest thing the CTs have for credible evidence that somebody other than Oswald took part in the assassination, so it's not surprising that he continues to cling to it no matter how many flaws in that finding are pointed out to him.

[Jarrett Smith]

Cut MTG some slack. The findings of the BBN acoustics team is the closest thing the CTs have for credible evidence that somebody other than Oswald took part in the assassination, so it's not surprising that he continues to cling to it no matter how many flaws in that finding are pointed out to him.

The acoustics are wrong because the shots don't match up either way. I believe in a conspiracy, but the data is incorrect.

[Michael T. Griffith]

The acoustics are wrong because the shots don't match up either way. I believe in a conspiracy, but the data is incorrect.

This is no reason to reject the acoustical evidence. Even if we assume the Zapruder film is pristine and ignore all the scientific evidence of alteration, the acoustical evidence does not require us to believe that the dictabelt recorded all the shots that were fired during the assassination, as the HSCA's acoustical scientists themselves explained. Thus, the alleged inability to sync the dictablet with the Zapruder film cannot logically invalidate the acoustical evidence.

It certainly cannot explain the scientifically proven presence of gunfire N-waves and gunfire windshield distortions on the dictabelt; nor can it explain the amazing timing-movement correlations between the dictabelt's impulse patterns and the test-firing impulse patterns identified by the BBN scientists, correlations that were so powerful that even the NRC/NAS panel admitted there was 93% probability they occurred because the dictabelt recorded gunfire in Dealey Plaza during the shooting.

So the idea that Connally's dramatic shoulder drop in Z238-242 is a "delayed reaction" to a hit at Z222-224 is unreasonable and unscientific. Jim Moore, one of the most honest WC apologists around, freely acknowledges the sharp right shoulder drop in Z238-242 . He theorizes that JFK's arm and hand movements in Z224-237 are in response to being hit with bits of concrete and/or metal from the bullet that hit the pavement behind the limo, and that the alleged SBT hit occurs at Z237:

Governor Connally himself studied the Zapruder film and picked frame 234 as the moment of the bullet’s impact upon his back. In the film itself, less than a third of a second after Connally says he was hit, one can see the dramatic effect of the bullet’s impact. Between frames 237 and 238, the bullet strike is evident as the Governor’s right shoulder collapses, his cheeks suddenly puff, and his hair is disarranged. Indeed, between the two frames, the slope of the Governor’s right shoulder suddenly drops by about twenty degrees. . . .

The problem Dr. Lattimer, the Warren Commission and HSCA investigators share is the sudden drop of Connally’s right shoulder at frames 237-238. Portions of the human frame don’t suddenly drop 20 degrees without some significant outside force acting upon them. And, when you consider that this shoulder drop took place within an eighteenth of a second, that outside force must have been very significant indeed. Impact on the Governor’s back, then, most likely took place at Zapruder frame 237. Interestingly enough, Connally’s doctors also reviewed the Zapruder film and placed the moment of impact at about frame 236. . . .

I believe that President Kennedy shared Tague’s experience. Doubtless the bullet hitting the concrete only a few feet from the President showered President Kennedy with bits of concrete and possibly metal fragments. . . .

Pelted or forcibly struck by bits of concrete and metal, he lived the next two seconds in a daze. His right arm, which had been waving to the Elm Street crowd, froze in place. By the time he emerged from behind the road sign and back into Zapruder’s view, his hands were rising to cover his face. (Conspiracy of One: The Definitive Book on the Kennedy Assassination, 2018 edition, pp. 167-169, 197-198)

This is actually the least ridiculous version of the SBT that has been offered by WC apologists. Of course, it, too, is fatally flawed because of the conflicting trajectories, because of the narrow wound path through Connally's chest, because of the wound-ballistics evidence that CE 399 could not have done all the damage required by the SBT, and because of the disclosures that the back wound had no exit point, that there was no hole in the tie and no nick on the tie knot's left or right edge, and that the back wound was well below the throat wound, etc.

However, at least this version of the SBT offers a non-ludicrous explanation for JFK's Z200-237 reaction, offers a non-ludicrous explanation for the location of the rear JFK clothing holes, and acknowledges the obvious implications of the Z238-242 right shoulder drop.

Some might wonder why Moore's version of the SBT has not been accepted by very many WC apologists. That's a good question, and the answer says a lot about the lone-gunman camp.

For one thing, Moore's book, first published in 1990 (and reprinted in 2018), did not receive the gushing endorsements and widespread promotion from legacy news media outlets that Posner's error-riddled book Case Closed received when it was published in 1993. Many amateur WC apologists who post in online JFKA discussion forums have either never heard of Moore's book or have never read it.

Most WC apologists who have read Moore's book, or who at least know about his version of the SBT, don't accept his SBT because it poses some serious problems for the most popular version of the SBT, i.e., the Z221-224. I suspect that some of them reject Moore's SBT for the additional reasons (1) that Moore's explanation for the Tague wounding contradicts Posner's and Max Holland's explanations, and (2) that it also requires the pavement bullet to do double duty by assuming the bullet not only sent a fragment streaking toward the Tague curb but sent pieces of concrete and possibly metal streaking toward JFK starting at Z187.

I know one of the reasons that many WC apologists don't like Moore's SBT is that Moore frankly admits that the pre-Z224 bunched-clothing theory is ridiculous on its face and that it is refuted by hard photographic evidence. Moore correctly observes that the only time JFK's coat and shirt were markedly bunched was the timeframe between Z225 and Z237. He contends that the coat and shirt were bunched enough from Z225-237 to account for the low location of the rear bullet holes and for the back wound's location several inches higher. This is actually a plausible argument, but most SBT believers reject it because their SBT requires a Z221-224 magic-bullet hit. 

Moore believes that JFK's Z200-237 reactions were in response to being sprayed by concrete chips and possibly metal fragments that were sent flying by the bullet that hit the pavement near the limo, and that the SBT hit occurred at Z237.

This brings us to another reason that most WC apologists don't accept Moore's SBT: To his great credit, Moore views as decisive Connally's selection of Z234 as the moment of impact, and he freely acknowledges that Connally's right shoulder is forcefully driven downward starting in Z238. He posits that the impact occurred at Z237, but he allows that Connally may have been correct and that Z234 is the earliest Connally could have been hit. These credible, science-based, and photographically confirmed arguments are wholly unacceptable to published WC apologists and amateur lone-gunman theorists alike because they destroy the Z221-224 SBT.

[John Corbett]

This is no reason to reject the acoustical evidence. Even if we assume the Zapruder film is pristine and ignore all the scientific evidence of alteration, the acoustical evidence does not require us to believe that the dictabelt recorded all the shots that were fired during the assassination, as the HSCA's acoustical scientists themselves explained. Thus, the alleged inability to sync the dictablet with the Zapruder film cannot logically invalidate the acoustical evidence.

Got any PLAUSIBLE explanations for why the Dictabelt only recorded SOME of the shots? That implies that there were MORE than 4 shots, yet the consensus among the witnesses was still that there were only three.

It certainly cannot explain the scientifically proven presence of gunfire N-waves and gunfire windshield distortions on the dictabelt; nor can it explain the amazing timing-movement correlations between the dictabelt's impulse patterns and the test-firing impulse patterns identified by the BBN scientists, correlations that were so powerful that even the NRC/NAS panel admitted there was 93% probability they occurred because the dictabelt recorded gunfire in Dealey Plaza during the shooting.

By "scientifically proven", you mean asserted emphatically.

Some might wonder why Moore's version of the SBT has not been accepted by very many WC apologists.

Nothing to wonder about. Moore's version was FUBAR as was most of his analysis. It's almost as bad as yours.

That's a good question, and the answer says a lot about the lone-gunman camp.

Yes it does. It says we know how to weigh evidence in a way that makes sense.

For one thing, Moore's book, first published in 1990 (and reprinted in 2018),

It got reprinted? Why? That makes as much sense as making a sequel to Ishtar.

did not receive the gushing endorsements and widespread promotion from legacy news media outlets that Posner's error-riddled book Case Closed received when it was published in 1993. Many amateur WC apologists who post in online JFKA discussion forums have either never heard of Moore's book or have never read it.

Posner's book wasn't exactly worthy of a Pulitzer, even though it was a finalist. He made some contributions but there were some flaws as well.  There was a good deal of  in that book as well.

The best defense of the WCR of course is Vincent Bugliosi's Reclaiming History. Not only did it give a full throated defense of the WCR, it completely demolished all the popular myths that had gained popularity up until the time it was published. Of course new myths keep popping up which Reclaiming History couldn't have addressed.

Most WC apologists who have read Moore's book, or who at least know about his version of the SBT, don't accept his SBT because it poses some serious problems for the most popular version of the SBT, i.e., the Z221-224. I suspect that some of them reject Moore's SBT for the additional reasons (1) that Moore's explanation for the Tague wounding contradicts Posner's and Max Holland's explanations, and (2) that it also requires the pavement bullet to do double duty by assuming the bullet not only sent a fragment streaking toward the Tague curb but sent pieces of concrete and possibly metal streaking toward JFK starting at Z187.

The only part of that which Moore got right is the POSSIBILITY the missed shot ricocheted off the pavement and continued down range to injure Tague. There is simply no proof of what injured Tague. Just guesswork.

I know one of the reasons that many WC apologists don't like Moore's SBT is that Moore frankly admits that the pre-Z224 bunched-clothing theory is ridiculous on its face and that it is refuted by hard photographic evidence. Moore correctly observes that the only time JFK's coat and shirt were markedly bunched was the timeframe between Z225 and Z237. He contends that the coat and shirt were bunched enough from Z225-237 to account for the low location of the rear bullet holes and for the back wound's location several inches higher. This is actually a plausible argument, but most SBT believers reject it because their SBT requires a Z221-224 magic-bullet hit. 

That is one of the least flaws in Moore's book. I'm embarrassed to admit that as a newbie, I actually gave Moore's book some credence at the time. The WCR took the one correct lane for explaining the JFKA. That meant any alternative explanation could not be correct. There is only one truth and the WC beat everyone to it.

Moore believes that JFK's Z200-237 reactions were in response to being sprayed by concrete chips and possibly metal fragments that were sent flying by the bullet that hit the pavement near the limo, and that the SBT hit occurred at Z237.

A silly hypothesis that I once gave more credence to than it deserved.

This brings us to another reason that most WC apologists don't accept Moore's SBT: To his great credit, Moore views as decisive Connally's selection of Z234 as the moment of impact, and he freely acknowledges that Connally's right shoulder is forcefully driven downward starting in Z238. He posits that the impact occurred at Z237, but he allows that Connally may have been correct and that Z234 is the earliest Connally could have been hit. These credible, science-based, and photographically confirmed arguments are wholly unacceptable to published WC apologists and amateur lone-gunman theorists alike because they destroy the Z221-224 SBT.

That shows Moore was not very good at applying critical thinking to the available evidence. JBC was simply wrong about when he was hit because he based his belief on when he made his secondary reaction to having been shot, a reaction which followed his immediate reflexive action of flipping his right arm into the air which he did 3-4 frames after he was shot. Connally wasn't far off. He was hit about 2/3 of a second before he thought he had been hit.

[Michael T. Griffith]

This is no reason to reject the acoustical evidence. Even if we assume the Zapruder film is pristine and ignore all the scientific evidence of alteration, the acoustical evidence does not require us to believe that the dictabelt recorded all the shots that were fired during the assassination, as the HSCA's acoustical scientists themselves explained. Thus, the alleged inability to sync the dictablet with the Zapruder film cannot logically invalidate the acoustical evidence.

It certainly cannot explain the scientifically proven presence of gunfire N-waves and gunfire windshield distortions on the dictabelt; nor can it explain the amazing timing-movement correlations between the dictabelt's impulse patterns and the test-firing impulse patterns identified by the BBN scientists, correlations that were so powerful that even the NRC/NAS panel admitted there was 93% probability they occurred because the dictabelt recorded gunfire in Dealey Plaza during the shooting.

I should add that WC apologists fail miserably when it comes to matching their three shots with the Zapruder film. For starters, they must ignore three shot reactions visible in the film because they only have three shots to use. The Zapruder film shows at least six reactions to gunfire, three of which are obviously wound reactions.

"Reactions to Six Shots in the Zapruder Film"

This article is a condensed version of chapter 5, "Too Many Shot Reactions in the Zapruder Film," in my book A Comforting Lie: The Myth That a Lone Gunman Killed President Kennedy.

WC apologists must ignore or lamely evade reactions that refute the single-bullet theory (SBT), such as the dramatic drop of Connally's right shoulder drop in Z238-242. To deal with the shoulder drop, they offer three lame contradictory explanations: the shoulder drop is an optical illusion, or the shoulder drop is a delayed reaction to the alleged Z221-224 SBT hit, or the shoulder drop actually starts in Z224. It is a tossup as to which explanation is the most implausible and unscientific.

WC apologists must also ignore or lamely evade the bullet that hit the grass near the manhole cover on Main Street. They offer three implausible answers to the evidence for the grass bullet: a piece of JFK's brain somehow flew over the limo's roll bar and windshield and then veered leftward and hit the grass; or, a fragment from the lone-gunman scenario's missed shot magically hit the grass and then skipped onward to hit the Tague curb spot; or, it was all just a big misunderstanding over a hole in tghe grass that was made before the shooting.

Dr. Josiah Thompson has offered a sync of the dictabelt's shots with the Zapruder film, and it is credible if you assume (1) that four shots were fired, (2) two bullets hit JFK's head from different directions, and (3) that the Zapruder is authentic. The second assumption is on very solid ground, since there is considerable evidence that JFK's head was hit twice.

Personally, as I've said, given the scientific evidence that the Zapruder film has been altered, and given the probability that the dictabelt did not record all the shots that were fired, I see no need to spend time trying to sync the dictabelt with the Zapruder film, and the Zapruder cannot logically be used as evidence against the dictabelt (even if we assume the film is pristine).

 

[John Corbett]

I should add that WC apologists fail miserably when it comes to matching their three shots with the Zapruder film. For starters, they must ignore three shot reactions visible in the film because they only have three shots to use. The Zapruder film shows at least six reactions to gunfire, three of which are obviously wound reactions.

"Reactions to Six Shots in the Zapruder Film"

This article is a condensed version of chapter 5, "Too Many Shot Reactions in the Zapruder Film," in my book A Comforting Lie: The Myth That a Lone Gunman Killed President Kennedy.

WC apologists must ignore or lamely evade reactions that refute the single-bullet theory (SBT), such as the dramatic drop of Connally's right shoulder drop in Z238-242. To deal with the shoulder drop, they offer three lame contradictory explanations: the shoulder drop is an optical illusion, or the shoulder drop is a delayed reaction to the alleged Z221-224 SBT hit, or the shoulder drop actually starts in Z224. It is a tossup as to which explanation is the most implausible and unscientific.

To make an argument that silly, you have to ignore the fact that JBC's shoulder drop began at Z225, 2-3 frames after he was hit.

WC apologists must also ignore or lamely evade the bullet that hit the grass near the manhole cover on Main Street. They offer three implausible answers to the evidence for the grass bullet: a piece of JFK's brain somehow flew over the limo's roll bar and windshield and then veered leftward and hit the grass; or, a fragment from the lone-gunman scenario's missed shot magically hit the grass and then skipped onward to hit the Tague curb spot; or, it was all just a big misunderstanding over a hole in tghe grass that was made before the shooting.

No hard evidence has ever been produced that a bullet hit the grass at the location in question. An unexplained hole in the grass is not evidence a bullet struck the grass. A lot of people heard that a bullet had been found in the grass at the location in question, but no one actually saw such a bullet recovered. This is nothing more than a baseless rumor.

Dr. Josiah Thompson has offered a sync of the dictabelt's shots with the Zapruder film, and it is credible if you assume (1) that four shots were fired, (2) two bullets hit JFK's head from different directions, and (3) that the Zapruder is authentic. The second assumption is on very solid ground, since there is considerable evidence that JFK's head was hit twice.

There is no medical evidence that JFK's head was hit twice. That's pure speculation. If Tink Thompson offered a synchronization of the Dictabelt recording to the Z-film, why won't you post it hear for all of us to see. Could it be that it is too absurd even for you to post?

Personally, as I've said, given the scientific evidence that the Zapruder film has been altered,

You keep asserting that without ever posting such evidence. I wonder why.

and given the probability that the dictabelt did not record all the shots that were fired, I see no need to spend time trying to sync the dictabelt with the Zapruder film, and the Zapruder cannot logically be used as evidence against the dictabelt (even if we assume the film is pristine).

Translation: MTG knows there is no way to plausibly sync the BBN's supposed shots to the Z-film and he knows there is no credible evidence the Z-film has been manipulated. He continues to assert what he cannot prove. SOP for MTG. I've seen his act going back to 1991 and it never changes. He keeps recycling the same old long ago debunked myths regarding the JFKA.