"Who Shot JFK" Discussion Guide

  1. Who did the investigation for the Warren Commission?
  2. What major conclusions did the Warren Commission reach?
  3. List some examples of evidence given in the tape used to support the Warren Commission theories.
  4. Name the other group and the date they investigated the Kennedy assassination.
  5. What conclusions did this second group reach?
  6. Give some examples of what the second commission found or used for evidence.
  7. Based on what you saw in the tape, what group do you think came up with the right conclusion?
  8. Certainly the tape was a bit graphic (gross) in spots. Do you feel it should or should not have been? Explain.
  9. Why are so many people still interested in this topic?

Kennedy Assassination Timeline

October 16

Lee Harvey Oswald takes a job at the Texas Book and Depository

November 22nd (Friday)

11:30am - Kennedy lands in Dallas
12:30pm - Oswald fires the fatal shots
1pm - Kennedy pronounced dead
1:15pm - Oswald shoots and fatally wounds J.D. Tippit as he attempted to question him
2:30pm - Oswald is captured inside a Dallas theater
2:38pm - Lyndon Johnson is sworn in as President
Evening - Kennedy's body is flown to Bethesda Naval Hospital for the autopsy

November 23rd (Saturday)

Dawn - Kennedy's body is taken to the East Room of the White House to lie in state

November 24th (Sunday)

Kennedy's body is taken to the Capitol Rotunda
11:21am - Jack Ruby shoots Oswald at the Dallas Police Headquarters

November 25th (Monday)

Kennedy's casket taken to St. Matthew's Cathedral for the funeral
Kennedy's body taken to Arlington National Cemetery where it is buried and the eternal flame lit

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Who shot JFK? - the evidence

The Warren Commission (1964)

The House Committee (1977)

bulletOswald acted alone and was the assassin.
bulletThe shots came from behind and above JFK
bullet2 shots hit JFK
bulletIt could have been a conspiracy
bulletA second gunmen may have taken part, but missed
bulletOswald's prints were found on the rifle
bulletOswald had ordered the rife (based on handwriting)
bulletThree spent cartridges were found and boxes had been stacked by the window
 
bulletOswald was an expert marksmen; he could have fired rapidly
bullet"The Single Bullet Theory" - Oswald fired 3 shots. The first missed, the second Kennedy and Connally, the last one hit Kennedy in the head.
bulletThe bullet's path zig zagged
bulletBoth men could have been leaning
bulletThe shots came from above and behind
bulletThe bullet slowed down going through Kennedy and then hit Connally
bulletRear entry wounds
bulletOswald could no have fired 3 shots in that length of time (takes 3-4 seconds per shot)
bulletConnally said he and Kennedy were hit by separate shots
bulletThe bullet's trajectory was flat and the angle of the shot couldn't have hit both men
bulletThe bullet found on the stretcher  wasn't damaged
bulletThe Zapruder film doesn't support the single bullet theory (the men had separate reactions)
bulletThe shots came from the the front and side
bulletFront entry wounds
bulletNo grassy knoll assassin
bulletPictures are inconclusive
bulletWitnesses heard 3 shots
bulletRear wound would cause head to jerk back
bullet"Crosstalk" invalidates the motorcycle recording
bulletPhotos show a grassy knoll gunman
bulletEye witnesses saw a gunman
bulletEar witnesses heard 4 shots
bulletA hit in the rear of the head pushes head forward
bulletMotorcycle recorded 4 shots

Kennedy's Body

bulletThe Bethesda autopsy doctor was a rookie and did a poor job
bulletA small rear entry wound could have caused a large exit wound on the side of the head
bulletThe Dallas doctors widened the frontal neck wounds (they performed a tracheotomy)
bulletThe scalp could have been pulled back to examine the skeletal bone (thus a large wound for the picture)
bulletThe Dallas doctors were trying to save his life not investigate the causes of death
bulletA rear entry wound could leave a large hole

Kennedy's Body

bulletBethesda autopsy showed large rear neck and head wounds - proof of frontal entry
bulletThe Dallas doctors made mistakes
bulletNurse Well testified that the Dallas doctors didn't make alterations and no surgery had been done
bulletNurse Audrey Bell testified that it was a small rear entry wound
bulletOne Dallas doctor said that Kennedy had been shot from the front
bulletThe body was tampered with?
bulletA different casket
bulletIn a body bag