The shot sequence, bang......bang......bang?

[Pat Speer]

A couple of points, John.

Connally studied the Z-film for the WC, and told them he thought the first shot hit Kennedy around Z-190. A few weeks later, he spoke to newsman Eddie Barker. Here are his statements regarding the first shot:
"(6-22-64 interview on television station KRLD, most of which was re-broadcast on CBS 9-27-64) ?just as we turned, down by the courthouse, Nelly turned around and said to the President--she was so impressed by the warmth of the reception-- she turned around and said to the President, ?Well, Mr. President, you can?t say that Dallas doesn?t love you, too? and he said ?No I think that?s apparent? and or words to that effect... The crowds began to thin, but we were only about 5 minutes from the Trade Mart where the luncheon was to be held. Uh?so?we all more or less straightened up?uh, in the car ?uh, I did I know and maybe I should explain that a little bit by sayin? when you sit for a prolonged period of time as we were, facing one direction acknowledging the crowd why, when you get an opportunity where the crowd thins you kind of shift in the chair and straighten up. We had just done that. I had and I heard this shot and I say shot because I immediately thought it was a shot."

This brings me to Robert Croft. Croft's famous photo was taken at Z-160. He never said anything to indicate this photo was taken after the first shot. He made a point, however, of stating that his fourth and final photo (which didn't come out) was taken simultaneously with the fatal shot. This suggests, then, that he would have said something if his third photo was taken less than a half second after the first shot. And yet he said nothing. Near him, moreover, were two other photographers, Betzner and Willis. Betzner's photo was taken at Z-186. He said the first shot came just after. And Willis' photo was taken at Z-202. He said the first shot led him to click the camera. This is one of the many reasons some believe the first shot was fired circa Z-190.

[Jack Nessan]

Joe Elliot

?It is not true that ?No one? heard an early first shot.?


You would think there would be someone but it seems to be unanimous. Surprised me too.



What do we have to back up an early first shot miss?



1.   Governor Connally?s testimony, which is supported by the Zapruder film.



JBC 11/27/63 Parkland Hospital--- First statement made by JBC was the interview in the Parkland Hospital. JBC clearly states JFK was struck by the first shot which is exactly what Nelly, Jackie, Hill, and all the other eyewitnesses stated. His WC statement is completely opposite which leads you to question whether JBC really remembers exactly what happened. JBC goes from turning left and seeing JFK slump in the Parkland Hospital interview to turning right and not seeing JFK at all in the WC Testimony.


JBC: ?And then we had just turned the corner [from Houston onto Elm], we heard a shot; I turned to my left

I was sitting in the jump seat. I turned to my left to look in the back seat ? the president had slumped. He had said nothing. Almost simultaneously, as I turned, I was hit and I knew I had been hit badly.?

JBC always stated he only heard two shots. He never thought he was struck by the same bullet as JFK which is what Nelly and Jackie referenced in JBC crying out OH No No No, and Bill Newman and Bobbi Hargis both observed by JBC?s reactions to the first shot.

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JBC states where he was at on Elm Street when asked by Specter what he saw after he heard the first shot. The only child in the vicinity of the first shot was The Chisms 3 year old son which correlates to what the Chisms stated that the first shot was fired right before the limousine was in front of them.

Mr. SPECTER. When you turned to your right. Governor Connally, immediately after you heard the first shot. what did you see on that occasion?
Governor CONNALLY. Nothing of any significance except just people out on the grass slope. I didn't see anything that was out of the ordinary, just saw men, women, and children.

Chism:

?I am married and have three children. I was standing with my wife and three year old boy, we were directly in front of the Stemmons Freeway sign, as the motorcade rounded the corner from Houston onto Elm.
When I saw the motorcade round the corner, the President was standing and waving to the crowd. And just as he got just about in front of me, he turned and waved at the crowd on this side of the street, the right side; at this point I heard what sounded like one shot, and I saw him, "The President," sit back in his seat and lean his head to his left side. At this point, I saw Mrs. Kennedy stand up and pull his head over in her lap, and then lay down over him as if to shield him. ?


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2.   One of the seven strongest Zapruder camera jiggles, before z318. Four of the strong camera jiggles are associated with the limousine passing being the sign. Tests have shown that a subject passing behind another object will cause someone to jiggle the camera as if they just heard a loud noise. The three ?non-sign? jiggles correspond to z153, z222 and z312.



Jiggle Analysis on Zapruder, who thought there was only two shots, should conclude there was only two shots and that is what Dr Hartman concluded.

3. THE PANNING ERROR--BLUR ANALYSIS OF THE ZAPRUDER FILM*??.

81.   
82.   Using frame 310 as the time of the trigger pull, it is possible to determine that the sound from that shot would have reached Zapruder at frame 313-314: Zapruder was standing approximately 270 feet from the Texas School Book Depository window, sound travels slightly more than 1,100 feet per second. (29) and the sound of the shock wave from the bullet itself reached Zapruder slightly before the sound of the muzzle blast from the window. Finally, the pattern of jiggles that was discovered was compared with the results of the committee's acoustics study. The correlation between the jiggle analysis and the acoustics test is treated separately in an addendum to this report.
(e) Conclusion
83.   1. Two pronounced series of jiggles or blurs on the Zapruder film, one during frames 189-197, a time when other visual evidence suggests that President, Kennedy was first shot, (30) and another during the following impact of the head shot, may reasonably be attributed to the photographer's startle reaction to the sound of gunshots.

Zapruder WC testimony?He states there was only two shots

Mr. ZAPRUDER - Well, as the car came in line almost--I believe it was almost in line. I was standing up here and I was shooting through a telephoto lens, which is a zoom lens and as it reached about--I imagine it was around here--I heard the first shot and I saw the President lean over and grab himself like this (holding his left chest area).
Mr. LIEBELER - Grab himself on the front of his chest?
Mr. ZAPRUDER - Right---something like that. In other words, he was sitting like this and waving and then after the shot he just went like that.
Mr. LIEBELER - He was sitting upright in the car and you heard the shot and you saw the President slump over?
Mr. ZAPRUDER - Leaning--leaning toward the side of Jacqueline. For a moment I thought it was, you know, like you say, "Oh, he got me," when you hear a shot--you've heard these expressions and then I saw---I don't believe the President is going to make jokes like this, but before I had a chance to organize my mind, I heard a second shot and then I saw his head opened up and the blood and everything came out and I started--I can hardly talk about it [ the witness crying].


Mr. LIEBELER - Nobody should ever be ashamed of feeling that way, Mr. Zapruder. I feel the same way myself. It was a terrible thing.
Let me go back now for just a moment and ask you how many shots you heard altogether.
Mr. ZAPRUDER - I thought I heard two, it could be three, because to my estimation I thought he was hit on the second--I really don't know. The whole thing that has been transpiring--it was very upsetting and as you see I got a little better all the time and this came up again and it to me looked like the second shot, but I don't know. I never even heard a third shot.


Marilyn Sitzman was the assistant steadying Zapruder on the concrete abutment and she also states there was only two shots.
Marilyn Sitzman- Josiah Thompson interview she states there was two shots.

Sitzman: Try it again. There was nothing unusual until the first sound, which I thought was a firecracker, mainly because of the reaction of President Kennedy. He put his hands up to guard his face and leaned to the left, and the motorcade, you know, proceeded down the hill. And the next thing that I remembered correct ... clearly was the shot that hit him directly in front of us, or almost directly in front of us, that hit him on the side of his fa ... [sic]
Thompson: Where on the side of the head did that shot appear to hit? Sitzman: I would say it'd be above the ear and to the front.

Thompson: ....If she had to guess from which direction they came, she would have guessed to her left, but there was no distinction in direction of the sound or magnitude of sound with respect to the two shots


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3.   President Kennedy also turns to his right, although, of course, we have no testimony, during the z160?s.



JFK was waving at the people along the street. Mary Woodward said they called out to him and then he turned his head and looked and waved at her and her friends.

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4.   Rosemary Willis, who was trotting along, starts to slow down in the z160?s and comes to a stop by the z190?s, staring back in the general direction of the TSBD.



The statements of the adults along Elm including her war vet father don?t agree with the interpretation of Rosemarie's actions as to when the first shot occurred.

[Jack Nessan]

Well, I didn't present Rosemary Willis's running/stopping in isolation like that, like it alone was the only reason for a early missed shot. But if one does isolate it, I suppose it makes it seem less reliable.

I don't know for sure why Rosemary in particular decided to slow and ultimately stop, other than she once said it was in response to hearing the first shot.

And was the woman banishing a cane or umbrella with her right hand as she steps backwards? Or were both her arms simply wearing dark gloves?




There seems to be a closed umbrella shape dangling from the woman's left arm, but it's not in the path of the girl running.

I guess one of the ways to get "an early shot not heard by anyone" is to isolate Rosemary Willis, and then proclaim her account is suspect because of some long object supposedly in her path.

One of Rosemary's parents, her father Phil, did testify that the first shot caused Mrs. Kennedy to turn from his side of the street to the opposite side. She does this beginning in the low-Z170s.

    "In slide No. 4 he was looking pretty much toward--straight ahead,
     and she was looking more to the left, which would be my side of
     the street. Then when the first shot was fired, she turned to the
     right toward him and he more or less slumped forward, and it
     caused me to wonder if he were hit, although I couldn?t say."

Willis 04 was taken about Z133.

If you know of an eyewitness that states there was an early missed shot feel free to quote them. What is known is there was not a shot at this time because the eyewitnesses state where the first shot happened. It is any bodies guess as to why a running child would stop and look around. With all the adult eyewitnesses on Elm Street all stating where the first shot occurred and the reaction of JFK, why focus on the movements and statements of a child as being contradictory to all the adult statements. Do you really think she knew something no one else knew?


Phil Willis states when he took the picture (#5), which correlates to Z210, No need for all the guessing, he states exactly when the first shot happened and so did his oldest daughter and his wife Marilyn states the second shot as being the headshot and then just adds another shot at the end. Willis explained in a number of different ways that the first shot hit JFK.

Mr. LIEBELER. All right. Now, you are certain that the first shot was fired at approximately the time or shortly at approximately the time you took the picture that has been marked Hudson Exhibit No. 1; is that right?
Mr. WILLIS. I am positive.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember hearing the shot?
Mr. WILLIS. Absolutely. I, having been in World War II, and being a deer hunter hobbyist, I would recognize a high-powered rifle immediately.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you recognize this as a high-powered rifle?
Mr. WILLIS. Absolutely.
Mr. LIEBELER. And you heard it just about the time you took the picture that has been marked?


FBI Affidavit 6/23/64

WILLIS advised that at just about the  time that the
limousine carrying President Kennedy was opposite the Stemmons Freeway road
sign he heard a loud report and knew immediate1y it was a rifle shot
and knew also the shot "had hit.

------------------------------------------

Linda K Willis (older daughter)

Mr. LIEBELER. Did you follow the motorcade down Elm Street at all, or did you stand on the corner up toward Houston Street and watch from there?
Miss. WILLIS. I was right across from the sign that points to where Stemmons Expressway is. I was directly across when the first shot hit him.

Mr. LIEBELER. Now when you saw the President get hit in the head, did you hear any more shots after that?
Miss. WILLIS. Yes; the first one, I heard the first shot come and then he slumped forward?..

Miss WILLIS. No; when the first shot rang out, I thought, well, it's probably fireworks, because everybody is glad the President is in town. Then I realized it was too loud and too close to be fireworks, and then when I saw, when I realized that the President was falling over, I knew he had been hit. But I didn't know how badly.

--------------------------------------------

Marilyn Willis (FBI Report on 6-19-64) "...when the motorcade passed on Elm Street in front of where she was standing she heard a noise that sounded like a firecracker or a backfire. A few seconds later she stated she heard another report and saw the top of President Kennedy's head "blow off and ringed by a red halo." She stated she believes she heard another shot following this."

[Jack Nessan]

I struggled with the early missed shot. To miss the car entirely and also miss the spectators seems like a huge stretch especially if it was early and pretty close range. As a former Infantry soldier it had me really curious so I looked at it hard for a long time.

Connolly's statement works for an early missed shot as does Jackie Kennedy's and Nellie Connolly (sort of). Also Robert croft who took a photo prior to any shots. There are others I don't remember who. At least one claims to have seen something hit the road.

The car occupants testimonies matched with their movements in the Z film, together with Robert croft's statement would make the shot somewhere in the z150's in the Z film.

So realising it was maybe might be kinda possible left the question...how the hell could he miss??? Beats me. Maybe he was nervous and had an accidental discharge across the city who knows. Maybe there's a bullet hole somewhere in the 6th floor or he hit the tree. Who knows. Maybe the scope was way way off. It would have to be really off to miss the whole car at that range.

Someone who armour plated the limo after the assassination said there was a hole somewhere in the floor pan of the car, only visible with the seats and carpets removed. He didn't photograph it though so no corroborating support and it seems it was never investigated. Missed shot? Who knows.

Based on all that pondering and I wouldn't bet my life on it, but It does seem to me the first shot was early in the Z150's and he missed by a country mile for reasons unknown. Took me a while to come to it because I didn't want to believe it somehow but that's where I'm at. Oswald had that rifle lying around and being transported about in cars with luggage and furniture. Who knows if he ever even zeroed it. Seems unlikely to me he wouldn't but again who knows.

No different than a shot hitting the pole at Z132 or where ever that was proposed by Max Holland, an early missed shot was proposed solely as a way to explain the cycle time of the carcano, the problem is it never happened either.

[John Anderson]

So who to believe? Those who say two shots or those who say three shots?

[Gary Craig]

"Little Rosemary Willis running alongside JFK's Limo as the first shot rang out."

Willis family: Head shot came from right front

Willis photo #5 coincides with Z-205.

Mr. WILLIS. No, sir; I took that picture just seconds before the first shot was fired, to get back close up. Then I started down the street, and the regular weekly edition of Life magazine came out and shows me in about three different pictures going down the street. Then my next shot was taken at the very--in fact, the shot caused me to squeeze the camera shutter, and I got a picture of the President as he was hit with the first shot. So instantaneous, in fact, that the crowd hadn't had time to react.

[John Anderson]

And yet Willis also says...

Mr. LIEBELER. You couldn't tell whether he was hit by the first shot? You couldn't tell whether he had been hit by the first shot or the second shot or the third shot, or by how many shots he had been hit?
Mr. WILLIS. No, sir; except this one thing might be worthy of mention. When I took slide No. 4, the President was smiling and waving and looking straight ahead, and Mrs. Kennedy was likewise smiling and facing more to my side of the street. When the first shot was fired, her head seemed to just snap in that direction, and he more or less faced the other side of the street and leaned forward, which caused me to wonder, although I could not see anything positively. It did cause me to wonder.
Mr. LIEBELER. You say that the President looked toward his left; is that correct? Toward the side of Elm Street that you are standing on, or which way?
Mr. WILLIS. In slide No. 4 he was looking pretty much toward--straight ahead, and she was looking more to the left, which would be my side of the street. Then when the first shot was fired, she turned to the right toward him and he more or less slumped forward, and it caused me to wonder if he were hit, although I couldn't say.

And that's the thing. He says he heard three shots. He says the first shot happened at the Stemmons sign as he took slide 5, yet he says Jackie snapped her head in JFK's direction at the first shot. She can be seen clearly doing that at late z160's and continues looking at him until the throat shot happens. His (Willis) recollections don't match the Z film, or Jackie and Connolys statements.

The evidence is conflicting all round as we all know. What we must do at some point is decide which is reliable. Is the Z film accurate? If so who's testimonies can be corroborated by the film and testimony of others.

[Joe Elliott]

This brings me to Robert Croft. Croft's famous photo was taken at Z-160. He never said anything to indicate this photo was taken after the first shot. He made a point, however, of stating that his fourth and final photo (which didn't come out) was taken simultaneously with the fatal shot. This suggests, then, that he would have said something if his third photo was taken less than a half second after the first shot. And yet he said nothing. Near him, moreover, were two other photographers, Betzner and Willis. Betzner's photo was taken at Z-186. He said the first shot came just after. And Willis' photo was taken at Z-202. He said the first shot led him to click the camera. This is one of the many reasons some believe the first shot was fired circa Z-190.

Which brings me to Ike Altgens.

It?s funny. Whenever CTers wish to establish support for a later first shot, they site Hugh Betzner, or Philip Willis, or both, but never Ike Altgens.



Hugh Betzner took a photograph at z186, which he said was taken just before the first shot.

Phillip Willis took a photograph at z303, which he said was taken just after the first shot.

Taken together, Betzner?s and Willis?s memories mean a shot between z186 and z202.

However, Ike Altgens took a photograph at z255, which he said was taken just a fraction after the first shot. By which I believe he meant, a fraction of a second after the first shot, and not a fraction of a minute or a fraction of a fortnight.



Quote from Mr. Altgens of part of his testimony to the Warren Commission:

I made one picture at the time I heard a noise that sounded like a firecracker--I did not know it was a shot, but evidently my picture, as I recall, and it was almost simultaneously with the shot--the shot was just a fraction ahead of my picture, but that much---of course at that time I figured it was nothing more than a firecracker, because from my position down here the sound was not of such volume that it would indicate to me it was a high-velocity rifle.



Taken all three witnesses together, this means the first shot must have occurred:

** after frame 186

** and before frame 202

** and after frame 236

Clearly at least one of the witnesses has to be wrong. Perhaps all three witnesses are wrong.



What I believe the testimony of these three witnesses most strongly support is not when the first shot occurred, but the strong desire for the photographers to believe that their photograph was taken at a historically significant moment, if not at the time the President was struck in the head than as close as possible to the very moment the first shot was fired.