# The Big Question: JFK **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 16, 2003, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559 "2003-08-16T07:58:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/1 "2003-08-16T07:58:51Z")
Not that I blame him, but Cecil has apparently never hazarded a guess at what may be the historical question most in need of a Straight Dope answer: who killed John F. Kennedy? I’m not saying it wouldn’t be hard, since there are untold tons of literature and theories about the subject. But this November will mark 40 years since the assassination, and I’d say the time seems ripe. Anyone else think it’s worth a shot? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/2 "2003-08-16T08:09:38Z")
I’ve read the Warren Commission Report. I’ve read four books contradicting the Warren Commission Report. I’ve read three books supporting the WCR. Ready for my conclusion? Lee Oswald acted alone in shooting President Kennedy. Not a very surprising answer, but them’s the facts. Besides the Warren Commission Report, the one must-read is Gerald Posner’s _Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of President Kennedy_. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/3 "2003-08-16T08:19:46Z")
[The Warren Commission Report](http://www.archives.gov/research_room/jfk/warren_commission/warren_commission_report.html), on-line at the National Archives website. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/4 "2003-08-16T09:51:03Z")
Incredible shooting from Lee eh ? Single action rifle, how quick did he loose off those rounds at a moving target ? Especially want to know how to make one of those magic bullets ---
**Author:** ![Shirty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Shirty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirty)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/5 "2003-08-16T09:54:45Z")
Surprisingly, all you need is sugar, spice… ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/6 "2003-08-16T13:33:39Z")
I went to Dealy Plaza for the first time recently, the range from the sixth floor window to the points of impact were surprisingly close to me. The car was travelling very slowly, having just executed a very sharp left turn, and was travelling barely left-to-right and more bottom-to-top from the shooter’s perspective. I was trained in Marksmanship in the Marines, too, and those did not seem like unreasonable shots at all. The cycle time for the bolt action was fast, but not out of the realm of reason. I buy the lone gunman position. I do believe he had help, and I do believe this is headed to another forum, due to the nature of the subject. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/7 "2003-08-16T13:37:25Z")
Recall the DC “sniper”? Thise shots were not 500 yard shots, made by an elite special forces sniper type guy, they were more in the [100-175 meter](http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa102502a.htm) range. [quote] Police estimate that none of the D.C. sniper’s shots exceeded a range of 175 meters.but everyone was saying they were tough shots. They were not. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/8 "2003-08-16T14:20:49Z")
The best evidence suggests that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, killed the president, **and fired all three shots**. It’s not easy to accept for a lot of people, but that’s the fact. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/9 "2003-08-16T14:30:14Z")
But…but…but…_Oliver Stone_ and _Kevin_! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/10 "2003-08-16T16:23:59Z")
Here’s a fact that Garrison, Lane, Stone, and hundreds of other nuts don’t like to discuss: there were dozens of witnesses who actually watched Oswald shooting Kennedy. The buildings across the street form the Texas Book Depository were occupied and numerous witnesses were able to look into the window and clearly see Oswald. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/11 "2003-08-16T17:20:40Z")
The time frame between the shot that hit President Kennedy in the throat and the shot that hit him in the head was 7.1 to 7.9 seconds (as measured in the Zapruder film). It takes an average of 2.3 seconds to reload Oswald’s bolt-action rifle. We know from the testimony of three employees in the window below the sixth floor corner window at the Texas Book Depository that they heard three shots fired from above them, and heard three cartridge cases fall onto the wood floor above them. Of those witnesses in Dealey Plaza who gave an opinion about the number and direction of the shots, the great majority said three shots, and that the shots all came from one direction. ( **Little Nemo** , you overstate the [eyewitness testimony](http://www.archives.gov/research_room/jfk/warren_commission/warren_commission_report_chapter4.html#eyewitness). Three separate persons, not dozens, saw Oswald in the sixth floor window, one of whom, Howard L. Brennan, saw Oswald fire the last shot.) If the first or third shots missed the motorcade, Oswald needed to reload his rifle only once (2.3 seconds) in the 7.1-7.9 seconds between the two shots that hit Kennedy. Aiding Oswald was the fact that the car was moving in [almost a straight direction](http://www.exponent.com/multimedia/cases/jfk.html) away from him, and on a slight decline. (If a gunman and his target are on a level surface, the gunman must move his rifle upward as the target moves away.) He was also using a high powered scope on his rifle. As for the derided “magic bullet theory”, a [line projection](http://www.jfkfiles.com/jfk/html/sbtt.htm) from the inwound and outwound on Governor Connally’s torso does indeed lead to Kennedy’s throat wound. A [conical projection](http://www.jfkfiles.com/jfk/html/sbtc.htm). [More evidence](http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/sbt.htm) for the single bullet theory. And no, the bullet recovered at the hospital was not in “pristine” condition. [Photo 1](http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/ce399.gif). [Photo 2](http://www.posner.com/ce399.htm). (Never explained by conspiracy theorists is _why_ the conspirators would choose to plant a so-called “pristine bullet” instead of a well-mangled one.) [Conclusions from computer analysis of the scene in Dealey Plaza.](http://www.jfkfiles.com/jfk/html/concl.htm) ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/12 "2003-08-16T17:23:18Z")
Uncle Bill, Yes, sometimes the JFK Conspiracy theories can really go off the deep end. However, I think there are some questions that don’t have adequate answers. Oswald was firing a rifle that chambered a 6.5 mm cartridge - not what you’d call a “big gun”. Also, he was firing bullets that had a full metal jacket. Hollow points would have been more effective (lethal) for the job. Okay, let’s say he wasn’t too choosy about his ammo. If you’ve seen the Zapruder film, the damage to Kennedy’s skull is massive. Granted, getting shot in the head would do serious damage to anyone’s skull and brain. But would a 6.5mm full metal jacketed bullet be **that** destructive? Also, not to undermine your marksmanship, but I believe that marksman is not the highest rating. I believe “sharpshooter” is considered the best in the military. Oswald ranked at the marksman level. (In all fairness, “marksman” is pretty damned good too). Anyway, my questions just don’t seem to have been adequately answered by the “official” sources. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/13 "2003-08-16T17:28:03Z")
The DA who tried to find evidence of a conspiracy? From what I understand, he tried to find allkinds of people who (in his mind) were connected to the conspiracy, One of them (Clay Shaw) was questioned incessantly by Garrison…yet was aquitted by a jury. They ought to write a book about Garrison-he seems to have been a near-mental case! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/14 "2003-08-16T17:31:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wolf\_meister \* > \*\*Uncle Bill, > Also, not to undermine your marksmanship, but I believe that marksman is not the highest rating. I believe “sharpshooter” is considered the best in the military. \*\* Actually, the order of qualification for rifle is (lowest to highest): marksman, sharpshooter, expert. Or at least is was when I was in the Navy. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/15 "2003-08-16T17:47:38Z")
**wolf\_meister** , see [Appendix X](http://www.archives.gov/research_room/jfk/warren_commission/warren_commission_report_appendix10.html#head) of the Warren Commission Report for tests simulating President Kennedy’s head wounds, using Oswald’s rifle and identical bullets. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/16 "2003-08-16T17:53:01Z")
Off to Great Debates. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/17 "2003-08-16T18:33:24Z")
Ah well. I wasn’t hoping to start a debate over what happened (or proposing a particular theory) as much as I was proposing the question in hope Cecil would give it a whirl. Then again, I’ve seen surprisingly little discussion of this event on the boards in my time here, so it’s all good. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/18 "2003-08-16T19:20:35Z")
Anyone ever read the report of the House Select Committee on Assasinations? ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/19 "2003-08-16T19:23:02Z")
The House report concluded Oswald fired all the shots that hit the President, but there was a “probable” conspiracy based upon the sounds of an extra gunshot in a police recording that couldn’t have been made by Oswald. ---
**Author:** ![Jon\_the\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Jon\_the\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jon_the_Geek)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559/20 "2003-08-16T19:26:24Z")
I don’t know all of the details… but I remember my dad and I laughed out loud when we saw the scene in Stone’s _JFK_ with the view out the window of the book depository and how impossible that shot was. I’ve shot deer from much further away, without any Marine training. I think, like many conspiracy theories, the theorists are vastly underestimating what people are capable of. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-question-jfk/195559.md?page=2)