Reactions to 6 Shots in the Zapruder Film

[Dan O'meara]

What does it matter where the shots came from in terms of establishing their existence? If there were six shots, or even just four shots, we know there had to be at least two gunmen. It is impossible to tell from the Zapruder film exactly where the shots originated, but we can clearly see reactions to six shots in the film, and four of those sets of reactions are beyond any rational, honest dispute. Again, four or more shots means there had to be at least two gunmen.

One of the few worthwhile contributions of the HSCA photographic evidence panel is that they discussed the science behind blur/jiggle analysis. Tests have proved that people will jiggle the camera in response to gunfire, even if they know the gunfire is coming, every single time.

A strong blur/jiggle episode starts at Z155.

A strong blur/jiggle episode starts at Z189.

A strong blur/jiggle episode starts at Z226.

A strong blur/jiggle episode starts at Z289.

Each of these blur/jiggle events is accompanied by visible reactions by bystanders and/or by limo occupants, and each of them occurs at a time when witnesses said they heard gunfire.

And, of course, these four events do not include the Z313-320 headshot.

A sound loud enough to cause a blur/jiggle around z155 would definitely have been picked up by the car full of SS agents in the follow up car. Zapruder shows this is not the case. The shot around z155 should be dismissed.

[Michael T. Griffith]

A sound loud enough to cause a blur/jiggle around z155 would definitely have been picked up by the car full of SS agents in the follow up car. Zapruder shows this is not the case. The shot around z155 should be dismissed.

Those SS agents were hung over and tired. They had been out partying very late the night before. They were hung over and operating on little sleep.

There are several good indications of an early shot in the film:

* Kennedy starts to turn his head rapidly from left to right at Z154.

* There is a significant blur episode at Z155.

* Connally starts to turn his head rapidly to the right at Z162.

* Several witnesses said the first shot was fired during the limo's turn onto Elm Street or just after it completed the turn.

* Rosemary Willis, running along the grass to the left of the limousine, starts to look back down Elm Street at around Z160, and by Z187-190 she has stopped and is looking back toward a point to the rear of the limousine.

[Dan O'meara]

Those SS agents were hung over and tired. They had been out partying very late the night before. They were hung over and operating on little sleep.

Clint Hill didn't look too hung-over or tired. I find it completely unacceptable to suggest that little Rosemary Willis was reacting to a potential gunshot whilst a car full of SS agents looked blearily on. Altgens 6 shows some of the agents showing a distinct reaction. In Altgens 6 we see agents Landis, Ready and Hickey looking over their right shoulders towards the TSBD, presumably in response to the sound of gunfire:


Landis - "I heard what sounded like the report of a high-powered rifle from behind me, over my right shoulder...", "My first glance was at the President, as I was practically looking in his direction anyway...", "I immediately returned my gaze, over my right shoulder."

Ready - "I heard what appeared to be fire crackers going off from my position. I immediately turned to my right rear trying to locate the source but was not able to determine the exact location."

Hickey - "I heard what seemed to me that a firecracker exploded to the right and rear. I stood partially up and turned to the rear to see if I could observe anything. "

Each agent describes their immediate reactions to hearing the first shot, turning to look over their right shoulders looking towards where they felt the sound came from. This is exactly what we see in Altgens 6. However, when we take a closer look at Zapruder we see
no meaningful reaction from them (Hickey looks briefly over the side of the car but then returns to his original position). The partial footage of the Z-film below focuses on the follow-up car. It runs from z133 to z207. At no point do we see any meaningful reaction from the agents mentioned above:



This is clear evidence the first shot did not take place before z207. As is the testimony of Rufus Youngblood who confirms it was the first shot that caused unnatural movements in the cars ahead if him.

Forget head movements, they are happening all the time.
Forget Rosemary Willis, she's a little girl trying to keep up with Jackie Kennedy.
You're assuming every jiggle/blur in Zapruder is a gunshot and this is absolutely refuted by the film itself.
[/quote]

[Michael T. Griffith]

Clint Hill didn't look too hung-over or tired.

MOST of the SS agents had been out partying very late the night before. Even the WC acknowledged this. Yes, Hill and one or two others did not party the night before, but most of them did.

I find it completely unacceptable to suggest that little Rosemary Willis was reacting to a potential gunshot whilst a car full of SS agents looked blearily on.

Well, that's too bad, but that's what we see in the film. Rosemary Willis had not been out partying the night before.

In  Altgens 6 shows some of the agents showing a distinct reaction. In Altgens 6 we see agents Landis, Ready and Hickey looking over their right shoulders towards the TSBD, presumably in response to the sound of gunfire:

Landis - "I heard what sounded like the report of a high-powered rifle from behind me, over my right shoulder...", "My first glance was at the President, as I was practically looking in his direction anyway...", "I immediately returned my gaze, over my right shoulder."

Ready - "I heard what appeared to be fire crackers going off from my position. I immediately turned to my right rear trying to locate the source but was not able to determine the exact location."

Hickey - "I heard what seemed to me that a firecracker exploded to the right and rear. I stood partially up and turned to the rear to see if I could observe anything. "

Each agent describes their immediate reactions to hearing the first shot, turning to look over their right shoulders looking towards where they felt the sound came from. This is exactly what we see in Altgens 6. However, when we take a closer look at Zapruder we see
no meaningful reaction from them (Hickey looks briefly over the side of the car but then returns to his original position). The partial footage of the Z-film below focuses on the follow-up car. It runs from z133 to z207. At no point do we see any meaningful reaction from the agents mentioned above:

This is clear evidence the first shot did not take place before z207.

That is not clear evidence at all. If anything, it shows that the SS agents were slow to react to the sound of gunfire and did not begin to react until the second or third shot, whereas others reacted far earlier. Again:

* Kennedy starts to turn his head rapidly from left to right at Z154.

* There is a significant blur episode at Z155.

* Connally starts to turn his head rapidly to the right at Z162.

* Several witnesses said the first shot was fired during the limo's turn onto Elm Street or just after it completed the turn.

As is the testimony of Rufus Youngblood who confirms it was the first shot that caused unnatural movements in the cars ahead if him.

Forget head movements, they are happening all the time.
Forget Rosemary Willis, she's a little girl trying to keep up with Jackie Kennedy.

Even when presented with filmed evidence, you can't admit the truth. People don't suddenly and rapidly turn their heads for no reason. That is not natural. They make rapid head movements in response to external stimuli.

You're assuming every jiggle/blur in Zapruder is a gunshot and this is absolutely refuted by the film itself.

No it is not "absolutely refuted." Where do you get that? All the strong blur episode in the film come at times when there are other indications of gunfire--either reactions by people or eyewitness accounts that shots occurred at those times.

Even if we, for the sake of argument, throw out the Z154-167 reactions, that still leaves four other clear sets of gunfire reactions:

2. Z186-207

3. Z226-232/Z233-240 (to be extra cautious, I'm combining these two into one)

5. Z290-305

6. Z313-320

Are you actually going to deny those very visible, obvious sets of reactions?

[Dan O'meara]

Even when presented with filmed evidence, you can't admit the truth. People don't suddenly and rapidly turn their heads for no reason. That is not natural. They make rapid head movements in response to external stimuli.

It's you who can't admit the truth. You skirt over the testimony of agents Landis, Ready and Hickey as to their immediate response as recorded in Altgens6 and confirmed by agent Youngblood's testimony to seeing abnormal movements in the Presidential follow up car after the first 'explosive' noise. Instead you think they just reacted slowly. We see the agents not reacting up to z207, over three seconds after a supposed shot at z145. Three seconds to react to the sound of gunfire?
It is the lack of reaction by these SS agents in Zapruder that refutes the idea of a shot at z145, not to mention the copious 'ear-witness' testimonies describing the first shot as being the one to which JFK reacted by throwing his hands up to his throat.

Even if we, for the sake of argument, throw out the Z154-167 reactions, that still leaves four other clear sets of gunfire reactions:

2. Z186-207

3. Z226-232/Z233-240 (to be extra cautious, I'm combining these two into one)

5. Z290-305

6. Z313-320

Are you actually going to deny those very visible, obvious sets of reactions?

I agree, let's throw out the Z154-167 reactions. On to the Z186-207 reactions from a shot you posit around z186.
The main argument of the HCSA panel for a shot here (apart from the dubious jiggle analysis) is JFK's reactions before he passes behind the Stemmons sign - a 'hand freeze' and a very sharp head turn from right to left.
Firstly, the hand freeze simply doesn't happen. JFK is waving then slowly brings his hand down in a normal way:

As far the rapid head turn, this is easily refuted.
One of the main arguments for a shot before JFK goes behind the Stemmons sign is a quick 'head-snap' from right to left, presumably a reaction to the sound of a shot. However, on closer examination I believe it can be shown no such head-snap occurs.
Look at the hairline of JFK in the following frames:



In the top pic (z207, just before he passes behind Stemmons sign) the parting in his hair on the left side of his head can just be made out. Certainly the way his fringe sweeps up to the parting is clearly visible.
In the second pic (z225, first full frame of JFK emerging from behind Stemmons) his parting is not so visible but the sweep of his hair up to it is.
In the bottom pic (z230, JFK facing straight ahead) the part of his forehead revealed by the sweep of his hairline up to the parting is no longer visible.
Far from turning to his left JFK is still looking to his right as he passes behind the Stemmons sign (z207).
There is no head-snap to the left and, therefore, no reason to suspect JFK is reacting to anything.

[Michael T. Griffith]

Quote a test showing people will only jiggle their camera while filming each time they hear a gunshot.

Have you read *anything* about the assassination? This is one of the more well-known, well-covered issues in the literature. So is your argument that Zapruder jiggled his camera *three times* "just because" and that he jiggled it three other times in response to gunfire, because your bankrupt theory does not allow for more than three shots? I mean, sheesh, at some point doesn't your brain kick in and say, "Wait a minute! This theory is just absurd!"?

Anyway, moving on from a lost cause (getting Beck to admit anything that conflicts with the lone-gunman theory), although I firmly believe the Zapruder film has been edited, I also believe it contains clear evidence of more than three shots, and that this is why the film, even after being edited, was suppressed.

One key piece of evidence in the film is JFK's dramatic reaction that begins at Z226, a good 20 frames after he has clearly begun to react to a previous external stimulus.

Beginning at Z226, Kennedy's upper body is visibly jolted sharply forward, and the position of his hands and elbows--particularly his elbows--changes dramatically, as they are flung upward and forward. The force and speed of his forward jolt and of the movement of his hands and elbows are quite startling when one watches the sequence from Z226-232 in slow motion. Second only to the head shot, this reaction is the most obvious in the Zapruder film, with Connally's Z236-232 reaction running a close third.

But here's the fatal problem for the lone-gunman theory: Kennedy clearly, clearly begins to react to a different external stimulus at around Z188, when his cheeks puff. At Z200, Kennedy's movements suddenly freeze and his right hand abruptly stops in the middle of a waving motion. He also begins to rapidly turn his head to the left toward his wife. By Z207 he has his hands up to his face. The HSCA PEP acknowledged these movements. They are obvious to anyone who is willing to allow their eyes to see them.

However, we see the obvious result of a bullet striking him in the back starting at Z226 when he is visibly knocked forward and his hands and elbows are flung upward and forward. This is clearly the back shot.

So, we have one non-fatal shot reaction from Z188-207, as even the HSCA photo evidence panel acknowledged. Then we have the second non-fatal shot reaction, the second-most obvious shot reaction in the film, from Z226-232. Then we have the head shot at Z313. And even the Warren Commission admitted there was  one missed shot. That's four shots right there, and that's not counting Connally's dramatic shot reaction from Z233-240 and the clear indications of shot reactions starting at around Z154.

[Dan O'meara]

It's you who can't admit the truth. You skirt over the testimony of agents Landis, Ready and Hickey as to their immediate response as recorded in Altgens6 and confirmed by agent Youngblood's testimony to seeing abnormal movements in the Presidential follow up car after the first 'explosive' noise. Instead you think they just reacted slowly. We see the agents not reacting up to z207, over three seconds after a supposed shot at z145. Three seconds to react to the sound of gunfire?
It is the lack of reaction by these SS agents in Zapruder that refutes the idea of a shot at z145, not to mention the copious 'ear-witness' testimonies describing the first shot as being the one to which JFK reacted by throwing his hands up to his throat.

I agree, let's throw out the Z154-167 reactions. On to the Z186-207 reactions from a shot you posit around z186.
The main argument of the HCSA panel for a shot here (apart from the dubious jiggle analysis) is JFK's reactions before he passes behind the Stemmons sign - a 'hand freeze' and a very sharp head turn from right to left.
Firstly, the hand freeze simply doesn't happen. JFK is waving then slowly brings his hand down in a normal way:

As far the rapid head turn, this is easily refuted.
One of the main arguments for a shot before JFK goes behind the Stemmons sign is a quick 'head-snap' from right to left, presumably a reaction to the sound of a shot. However, on closer examination I believe it can be shown no such head-snap occurs.
Look at the hairline of JFK in the following frames:



In the top pic (z207, just before he passes behind Stemmons sign) the parting in his hair on the left side of his head can just be made out. Certainly the way his fringe sweeps up to the parting is clearly visible.
In the second pic (z225, first full frame of JFK emerging from behind Stemmons) his parting is not so visible but the sweep of his hair up to it is.
In the bottom pic (z230, JFK facing straight ahead) the part of his forehead revealed by the sweep of his hairline up to the parting is no longer visible.
Far from turning to his left JFK is still looking to his right as he passes behind the Stemmons sign (z207).
There is no head-snap to the left and, therefore, no reason to suspect JFK is reacting to anything.

The reaction from Z226-232 (actually z225 is the very first reaction) is from the first audible shot, the shot which is assumed to have hit him high up in the back.
One last note on the reactions from z188-207, if hit in the back of the head by bullet fragments around z186, to imagine JFK hasn't reacted to this by reaching for his head in the full second we see him before he goes behind the Stemmons sign is totally unrealistic (IMO)

[Dan O'meara]

Don't get your knickers in a twist, Mike!

I've not heard that phrase for ages.