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A police mugshot of Jack Ruby, who
gunned down Lee Harvey Oswald.
Theorists believe he shot Oswald to
prevent him from revealing information
about a larger conspiracy.Some theorize that there was a
second shooter, on the “grassy
knoll” of Dealey Plaza. Theorists
also claim that the second bullet –
which hit Kennedy and Governor
Connally – would have been a
“magic bullet” because it seemed
to defy the laws of physics.
Theorists’ protestations are
supported by quotes from eight
doctors who opined that they had
observed an entry wound in thelower front area of Kennedy’s throat
with an exit wound in the back of
his skull. This belief was affirmed
by an emergency room nurse, a
radiographer, and two autopsy
technicians, who worked at a
trauma centre in Texas where
gunshot victims were often treated
and would have been accustomed
to assessing bullet wounds.
Secret Service Agent Clint Hill,
who was riding in the motorcade
when Kennedy was shot, originally
reported to the Warren Commission
that: “There was so much blood you
could not tell if there had been any
other wound or not, except for the
one large gaping wound in the rear
portion of the head.” Hill later
changed his mind about the
possibility of a second wound.
Some theorists do believe that
Oswald was a lone shooter, but still
believe in a conspiracy. The CIA,
the Secret Service, and foreign
governments have all been accused
of orchestrating the murder. ■ASSASSINATIONS AND POLITICAL PLOTS
The public must be
satisfied that Oswald
was the assassin.
Nicholas KatzenbachThe “magic bullet” took a seemingly
impossible path, striking Kennedy in
the neck and Connally in the wrist and
thigh. In spite of several theorist
diagrams suggesting otherwise, this
trajectory is explained by the fact that
Connally was actually sitting to the left
of Kennedy, with his body turned.- It penetrated the
president’s neck,
damaging a spinal
vertebra and the top
of his right lung. - After exiting
Kennedy’s throat, it
penetrated Connally’s
back, just under his
right armpit.
4. The bullet passed
through Connally’s
body, shattered his
right wrist, and finally
stopped in his inner
left thigh. - The bullet entered
the president’s back,
beneath his right
shoulder blade.
Kennedy Connally
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