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Author Topic: Was Dan Rather Correct?  (Read 3759 times)

Offline Duncan MacRae

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Was Dan Rather Correct?
« on: July 12, 2023, 12:17:56 PM »
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Was Dan Rather Correct?
« on: July 12, 2023, 12:17:56 PM »


Offline Dan O'meara

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2023, 04:36:27 PM »
Around the 20 second mark he states the film shows the Presidential limo making the left turn off Houston Street onto Elm Street.
It shows nothing of the sort. When the limo first appears it is already well down Elm Street.
This alone raises questions over whether or not he actually saw the original film.

Around the 40 second mark he describes JFK putting his right hand up to the side of his head, possibly to brush his hair at which time the first shot hits him.
There is a moment when JFK brushes his hair in the way Rather describes but it is way before the first shot hits him. When the limo first appears, at z133, JFK is brushing his hair back with his right hand which he then puts back down on the edge of the limo.
What is interesting is what Rather fails to describe - just before the first shot JFK turns to his right and begins to wave at the crowd to his right. This cannot be mistaken for brushing his hair. Less than two seconds after this he is hit by the first shot.
When describing JFK being hit by the first shot, Rather says "you can see him lurch forward" and gives a little shrug of his shoulders to mimic the action. In reality both of JFK's arms fly upwards, his elbows extended in a truly dramatic fashion. Apart from the headshot it is the most dramatic action that is seen in the Z-film.
Rather completely misses JFK waving to the crowd and the hyper-extension of JFK's elbows upwards. He also fails to spot JBC suddenly thrashing around at the same moment.

Around 1:20 Rather states that Jackie was looking in the other direction when JFK was first hit. Again, this is wrong. Mysteriously, she was looking in the other direction when JFK brushed his hair in the way Rather describes happening before the first shot. He appears to be somehow conflating two different events.
He goes on to state that Jackie seemed unaware of what was happening because she was looking the other way but that Connally turned right around in his seat, kind of reaching towards JFK, at which time "a shot clearly hit the Governor, in the front".
WTF?? What is he watching?

Around the two minute mark he has Nellie Connally throwing herself over JBC to protect him. Nothing like this is shown at any point.

Around 2:15 we come to the most glaring omission in Rather's tale - the headshot.
Inexplicably, Rather fails to mention that JFK's head explodes. This really is the standout moment in the Z-film. The graphic horror of it, the obviousness of what has happened. Like all the key moments in the Z-film, Rather seems to have missed it. He then has JFK's head moving violently forward, far from the "back and to the left" motion that has become the cornerstone of most conspiracy thinking.

In my opinion, the most likely explanation for why Rather got so much so wrong is that he hadn't seen the film at the time he made this broadcast. That he was recounting someone else's description of it.
That, or he was one of the worst reporters that ever existed.





Offline John Iacoletti

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2023, 02:19:21 AM »
Or, Rather saw a different film than the one we’re familiar with.

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2023, 02:19:21 AM »


Offline John Mytton

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2023, 03:17:05 AM »
Or, Rather saw a different film than the one we’re familiar with.

Rather, while mentioning an amateur photographer in a location just past the Depository, he never mentions anyone specifically and describes repeatedly seeing "films" and it's possible he saw different films than the Nix, Muchmore and Zapruder films, which should be noted ALL show the exact same events from multiple angles.



The following very interesting and well put together video also shows in addition to the three mentioned above, synchronised films by Bell, Bronson, Doorman, Hughes, Martin, Towner and Daniels. And the John Williams soundtrack fits well.


JohnM
« Last Edit: July 13, 2023, 07:44:56 AM by John Mytton »

Offline Bill Brown

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2023, 09:30:54 PM »
Rather most definitely viewed the Zapruder film.  He was not allowed to take notes and saw the film only once.  He then ran, literally ran, from the attorney's office (Zapruder's attorney) back to the KRLD studio.  He called New York and told them that they would need to go back and put in an offer to Zapruder's attorney for the rights to the film.

New York immediately decided to put Rather on the air to describe what he had seen on the film.

Rather described what he had seen.  He made mistakes.  He saw the film only once and made no notes.  In his autobiography, he said words to the effect of he challenges anyone to watch a short film, no notes, then race on foot a number of blocks back to the studio and immediately be put on the air to describe what he had seen, even though he was not prepared to do so.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2023, 09:31:35 PM by Bill Brown »

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2023, 09:30:54 PM »


Offline John Iacoletti

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2023, 07:49:16 AM »
So I guess Bill’s going with the “one of the worst reporters that ever existed” option.

Offline Walt Cakebread

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2023, 07:26:26 PM »
Rather most definitely viewed the Zapruder film.  He was not allowed to take notes and saw the film only once.  He then ran, literally ran, from the attorney's office (Zapruder's attorney) back to the KRLD studio.  He called New York and told them that they would need to go back and put in an offer to Zapruder's attorney for the rights to the film.

New York immediately decided to put Rather on the air to describe what he had seen on the film.

Rather described what he had seen.  He made mistakes.  He saw the film only once and made no notes.  In his autobiography, he said words to the effect of he challenges anyone to watch a short film, no notes, then race on foot a number of blocks back to the studio and immediately be put on the air to describe what he had seen, even though he was not prepared to do so.

Rather most definitely viewed the Zapruder film.

Rather described what he had seen.  He made mistakes.

Mistakes??..... or deliberate lies about what the film showed.    Rather said that JFK had turned around  to his right which exposed his throat to the gunman in the TSBD.     Was Danny Rather hallucinating??.....Or did he realize that his future in broadcasting  hinged on his reporting of the murder.

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Re: Was Dan Rather Correct?
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2023, 07:26:26 PM »