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Whether you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone or think that John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 was the result of a huge government conspiracy, there’s no question that Dallas is the place where it all went down. Since that’s where I was last week, of course I had to check out the Grassy Knoll.
As a side note, when we were consulting the GPS system in our rental car, we weren’t totally sure how to look up the site of JFK’s assassination. We didn’t know it had taken place at Dealey Plaza and didn’t know what the name of the museum was (or, in fact, that there even was a museum). We jokingly wondered if it would be listed under “Grassy Knoll” in the GPS Yellow Pages. Guess what? It was.
Anyway, when we got to Dealey Plaza, we discovered the Sixth Floor Museum, a museum dedicated to JFK’s life, death and legacy. The museum is, as its name implies, on the sixth floor of what used to be known at the Texas School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots that killed Kennedy (or didn’t fire the shots, depending on your theory). Maybe it’s just me, but I found it rather morbid that the museum was housed in the very place JFK’s (possible) killer holed up to shoot him.
At the museum, I learned some interesting facts about the events surrounding that fateful day.
• Lee Harvey Oswald was an employee at the Book Depository at the time.
• There were concerns about the President’s safety in Dallas because United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson has been hit with a protest sign and spat on in the city less than a month earlier.
• Minutes before JFK was shot, a local T.V. station announced that it was clear that any worries about anti-Kennedy activists in Dallas were completely unfounded.
• A Presidential car with a bulletproof top didn’t exist then, although plans for one were in the works.
• The only video known to exist of the entire event is the Abraham Zapruder video, which he sold to Life magazine for $150,000. He also turned a copy of the film over to the Secret Service.
• Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President an hour and 38 minutes after President Kennedy was pronounced dead. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy stood next to him wearing the same clothes she was wearing when her husband was shot approximately two hours earlier.
• JFK’s funeral took place on November 25th, 1963 – his son’s third birthday.
• Lee Harvey Oswald was pronounced dead two days and seven minutes after President Kennedy was pronounced dead.
• The plaza is named for George Bannerman Dealey who published the Dallas Morning News for a number of years. He also was a key player in helping to revitalize the Dealey Plaza area.
• Buildings in Dealey Plaza have not been changed since 1963, which is really noticeable when looking at the extremely modern Dallas skyline behind it.
And, oddly, available in the gift shop were action figures of not just of JFK, but also Abraham Lincoln, Uncle Sam, and…. Laura Bush?? (Is it just me, or is that a strange combo?)
Well, I’m hesitant to ask, but what do you think? Single shooter? Government conspiracy? JFK is actually still alive and hanging out in a bar somewhere with Elvis and Tupac??
Previous Armchair Field Trips:
• The Corn Palace
• Portugal
• The International Spy Museum
• Utah
• Intercourse, Pennsylvania
• Ogunquit, Maine
• Aquinnah, Massachusetts
Comments (27)
Comment
I don’t believe he acted alone. There has been much evidence showing it was physically impossible for him to get off that many shots with accuracy. Also, the Zapruder film clearly shows Kennedy’s head jerking backwards as if hit from the front.
posted by gus on 10-18-2007 at 2:07 pm
there was a second gunman and as seen in the zapruder film, the other assasin was the driver, secret service agent william greer.
download the video and fast forward it to the scene where the presidential limo slows down before the sign and as the limo passes that, the driver whips out the gun, checks it, and then fires which ultimately was the scene that kennedy’s brains were blown off his head.
posted by tj on 10-18-2007 at 2:17 pm
The best place to visit is the Conspiracy Museum a few blocks away from the Plaza. Entertaining and creepy? Definitely!
posted by J2daQ on 10-18-2007 at 2:21 pm
Gus, there’s been plenty of evidence shown that it was not only possible, but likely that Oswald could have gotten three shots off with that accuracy. I don’t know where you’re getting your information.
And if you analyze the Zapruder film frame by frame, you clearly see Kennedy’s head jerking FORWARD before it jerks backward.
Let’s look at Oswald real quickly. The man was a Communist, an unhinged lunatic who was constantly starved for attention and would never in a million years be trusted with keeping his mouth shut over any part he had in killing the PRESIDENT, of all people. It makes no sense to think that the CIA, Castro, the Cubans, etc., would hire LHO to carry out a mission demanding that much secrecy before and after the assassination took place.
JFK conspiracies are completely baseless. Oswald acted alone. That’s it.
posted by Tim on 10-18-2007 at 2:46 pm
There is an explanation for why Kennedy’s head jerked back toward the shooter. Teller (of Penn & Teller fame) wrote an essay about it a few years ago. He wrote, “Roughly: the movement imparted by the goop pouring out the exit wound created a sort of jet stream that was stronger than that of the tiny hole made by the entrance wound. So the head moved back towards the shooter.”
posted by Tea4Two on 10-18-2007 at 2:48 pm
I was a conspiricy believer until I went to the 6th floor. Then it became obvious that even a shooter with limited experiance could have made that shot.
I now think that Oswald, a failure at everything else in his life, saw the chance to become immortal and took it.
I think that all the conspiricy beliefs are just “wishfull thinking” by people and/or groups that wanted Kennedy dead.
posted by Carl B. on 10-18-2007 at 2:48 pm
I think conspiracies are great mental games, but ultimately I don’t believe in most of them.
posted by Stew on 10-18-2007 at 3:14 pm
If you are into conspiracy, or just want another side of the story, check out this book:
Double Cross: The Explosive, inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America
by Sam and Chuck Giancana
It’s the biography of ‘Moody’ Giancana, written by his younger brother and nephew. It’s very interesting and has a lot of info about the Kennedys.
posted by Zoe S. on 10-18-2007 at 3:18 pm
If you are into conspiracy, or just want another side of the story, check out this book:
Double Cross: The Explosive, inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America
by Sam and Chuck Giancana
It’s the biography of ‘Mooney’ Giancana, written by his younger brother and nephew. It’s very interesting and has a lot of info about the Kennedys.
posted by Zoe S. on 10-18-2007 at 3:23 pm
I didn’t go into the Sixth Floor Museum, but I did go to the Grassy Knoll. What’s interesting is that–at least when I was there–all that exists to mark the spot is a small plaque at the base of the hill which reads something like “A Site f National Significance.”
posted by Trevor on 10-18-2007 at 3:23 pm
President Kennedy was assassinated by unknown shooters. The Oswald we know of (there was a Lee Harvey Oswald and a Harvey Lee Oswald…both CIA assets) did not fire any shots and there is no evidence that he did.
The HSCA (Congressional committee) concluded that JFK was murdered as the result of a conspiracy.
Anyone interested in knowing more about this subject should visit the JFK Lancer site, Assassination Science site, The JFK Online Seminar site. Research on the faked photos of Oswald at Jack White’s site, and many many research sites can be easily found.
The rifle found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository has been proven to NOT have belonged to Oswald and tests done on him to see if he had recently fired a weapon proved negative.
Who killed JFK? The actual killers are still unknown, but the perps who planned the coup de’tat are most likely people from inside our own government.
posted by Bill Mcwilliams on 10-18-2007 at 3:32 pm
There is no proof whatsoever that the man we know as Lee Harvey Oswald fired ANY shots in Dealey Plaza.
There is a mountain of evidence which shows he was framed and at most was exactly what he said: “I’m just a Patsy.”
Use any decent search engine and you can find high-quality research that proves the U.S. Contressional Committee known as the HSCA, was exactly right when it concluded in 1979 that JFK was the victim of a conspiracy.
posted by Bill Mcwilliams on 10-18-2007 at 3:37 pm
I went to the book depository museum years ago. My first thought when I looked out the window was “hell, I could have made that shot”. The photographs make the distance seem much greater than it is.
The Discovery Channel had a show called Unsolved History that did an excellent episode on the Kennedy assassination that tested the conspiracy theories and pretty much proved Oswald could have done it alone.
I’m reasonably sure that Oswald acted alone. That being said, I wrote a term paper in college proving it was all a conspiracy orchestrated by LBJ. Pick the write sources, and you can prove anything.
posted by Camille on 10-18-2007 at 8:20 pm
A National Enquirer-type newspaper had a front-page article several years ago showing Kennedy as an old man in a wheelchair. That means he faked his death so he could be the Apocalyptic Beast in Revelation who was “miraculously” healed of a head wound to deceive the nations! Just as prophesied by Nostradamus! Or was that Edgar Cayce?
posted by Jim F on 10-18-2007 at 8:54 pm
I just want to say that I’m glad you (Stacy) didn’t conspire to hide the fact that you didn’t know Dealey Plaza even when it’s a fairly known fact and you work for a magazine devoted to knowledge. I’m not being condescending, I really did like that because there are too many fakers in this world. Hooray for learning stuff!
posted by dave taylor on 10-18-2007 at 9:27 pm
I think that Oswald was probably the only shooter, but after Jack Ruby shot him on national television I guess we’ll never know for sure because Oswald took the truth to his grave. Also,I think it’s pretty cool that Laura Bush has been honored by them putting her action figure amongst two great presidental action figures such as Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy ;)
posted by Melinda on 10-18-2007 at 11:09 pm
It sounds odd, but I believe that people actually feel better thinking that a conspiracy happened than one man was able to change world history by himself.
We want to think our leaders are safe - and somehow the idea that only a very well planned conspiracy could take one down.
posted by Elizabeth on 10-19-2007 at 7:41 am
My Grandfather was standing on the Grassy Knoll the day Kennedy was shot. He was a retired marine who had served in both WWII and the Korean war. He had extensive knowledge of firearms, and being able to distinguish what direction shots were coming from. I am not a conspiracy theorist, and do not believe in most of them, however he later told me that he distinctly heard shotsfrom his left, the Book Depository, and then his right. If you have not been to Dealy Plaza there is a parking lot at the top of the Grassy Knoll with a fence and bushes obscuring it. Everything I have seen on the subject plainly shows that L.H.O. fired the shot that killed Kennedy, however I must believe my Grandfather when he says shots were fired from two different areas.
posted by Neal on 10-19-2007 at 9:00 am
Speaking of conspiracies, who REALLY killed Crown Prince Rudolf and Baroness Mary at Mayerling? One could reasonably argue that Rudolf’s death eventually led to WWI. WWI and its aftermath (angry Germans and war-weary French & English pacifism) were what subsequently swept the Nazis into power and brought forth WWII, the Cold War, and the makeup of Europe today.
People like to develop alternate histories around “if Kennedy had not been assassinated”, but I think an alternate timeline without Mayerling would be a lot more interesting!
posted by Sid Morrison on 10-19-2007 at 9:19 am
I live in Dallas and only went to the sixth floor museum recently. I am a fan of blood and gore in movies but I found the museum to be very very morbid for my taste. A museum dedicated to a death! Particularly the large frame by frame of Jackie Kennedy after the gunshot.
posted by natalie on 10-19-2007 at 11:28 am
Mongo say conspiracy theorists stupid.
posted by Drew on 10-19-2007 at 12:12 pm
I can’t believe you actually wrote this terrible account of your travels to Dealy Plaza, and it seems, tongue in cheek and glib remarks about the assassination. As a Canadian, I am constantly amazed as how ignorant most American’s are of your own country’s historical facts. But if asked, you would probably know a celebrity’s birthday… Very sad of the intelligence of the USA. And in reading the remarks posted here, the future is grim for most of you.
ie; the last remark by Natalie that she is a fan of blood and gore but found this to be morbid… What Natalie, guess you wouldn’t like it to happen in real life but it’s ok to watch a simulation? You are definitely part of the problem…
posted by Sandra Perkins on 12-5-2007 at 9:48 pm
Look honey, a Canadian looking down on someone. How cute.
posted by Ira on 2-28-2008 at 3:41 pm
I don’t believe it’s a conspiracy. The issue had been beaten into the ground. The shot was possible, the governor, who was also shot, was turned at an angle, shown on the Zapruder film, that is consistent with the wounds sustained. Oliver Stone’s film was purposefully misleading. I don’t find any reason to believe that the exhaustive research done by the Warren Commission is incorrect or incomplete.
posted by bobthewalrus on 3-12-2008 at 12:27 pm
The governor’s position disproves any “magic bullet” theories.
posted by bobthewalrus on 3-12-2008 at 12:34 pm
The second gunman was Joe DeMaggio looking to avenge the death of Marilyn Monroe.
But seriously, if you’re gonna knock off the president and expect to get away with it you’d bring a gun with a silencer wouldn’t you? So the second gunman’s shots couldn’t possibly have been heard.
Anyway Grassy Knoll position has a major drawback in that you’d risk return fire from the Secret Service. Also you couldn’t be sure till the last minute that the Limo would even make that critical slow-down turn.
Even then if you hear gunfire from some other shooter - there were at least three unmuzzled shots - would you still want to take a shot? You’ve already deposited the first half of the payment, Why not just walk away while the getting’s good?
With JFK’s marginal health presumably well known by the intelligence community a peanut butter sandwich would’ve made a better murder weapon.
posted by CGB Spender on 3-25-2008 at 10:05 pm
There is a great book, 4 Days in November, by Vincent Bugliosi, one of the detectives that was on the JFK case in Dallas. It’s nothing but facts piled together into a minute by minute account of the events surrounding the assasination. It’s an easy read, as well as incredibly informative. It’s great if you want to know the “behind the scenes details that not many people know.”
posted by Sara on 7-3-2008 at 2:04 pm