a second shooter?
President Kennedy Wounds by Dr. Robert McClellan under CC-BY SA2.0
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When looking at the different conspiracies behind the killing of President John F Kennedy, one of the most popular beliefs is that a second shooter was involved. According to FiveThirtyEight, over sixty percent of Americans believe that there was outside foul play that does not involve the convicted shooter, Harvey Lee Oswald. In looking at the conspiracy, the goal is to educate as to why the “multiple shooters” theory was viable and the evidence behind the theory that continues to light the fire.
The first piece of evidence that would fuel the fire of the “multiple shooters" conspiracy theory comes from an article written by James Wilson of the Irish Central. In his article, he talked about the Kennedy assassination, but also included multiple sketches from one of the surgeons who was on the front lines attempting to save the life of President Kennedy. He referenced the drawing, illustrated by Dr. Robert McClellan, as the drawing had clear markings of where the surgeon had believed that Kennedy was shot from multiple directions. |
By breaking down the evidence provided by Dr. McClelland, many people started to believe that the government was hiding someone, or that someone had missed a piece to the puzzle along the way. The surgeon's observations directly contrasted with the evidence provided in trials. Oswald, the convicted shooter, was positioned in a building behind the president, so the question remained of who was shooting from the front, and from where.
Another piece of evidence that fed into the belief of multiple shooters was the release of footage from the shooting. In the footage, the president was initially shot from the back. This ended up being proven in investigations. Furthermore, once the first shot was hit, Kennedy’s head was thrown back violently, insinuating that another shot had hit him from the front. This evidence is still arguable to this day, as technology and forensics was not advanced enough to gain further information.
Another piece of evidence that fed into the belief of multiple shooters was the release of footage from the shooting. In the footage, the president was initially shot from the back. This ended up being proven in investigations. Furthermore, once the first shot was hit, Kennedy’s head was thrown back violently, insinuating that another shot had hit him from the front. This evidence is still arguable to this day, as technology and forensics was not advanced enough to gain further information.
Dan Rather's account from November 25, 1963
"If the death certificate would be given more credibility than the Warren Commission then a peculiar problem faces lone gunman theorists. How does a bullet, when entering the third thoracic vertebrae in a downward trajectory, leave the throat?" |
In the video above, we can see another recollection of the assassination which gave way to the conspiracy theory to arise. As he explained, the first shot had obviously seemed to come from the back, very consistent with other recollections of the assassination. However, he does recall that after the first shot, there had seemed to be a second shot that had violently thrown the president back in his seat -- causing his head to seemingly explode. |
On top of all the different accounts that believe that there was a second shooter, there is some legitimate scientific evidence behind all of it. Most notable is that Harvey Lee Oswald tested negative when given a paraffin test on his cheeks. At that time, when someone fired a weapon that was used, it left a residue on the cheeks of the shooter. In this case, there was no residue left on the cheeks of Oswald.
However, other evidence was given in the trials that would've initially disproved the current conspiracy theories. The testimony of Commander James J. Humes played a large role in coming to a conclusion as to if Oswald was the only shooter, or if there was another shooter from a different direction. Commander Humes was the lead doctor in charge of running the autopsy on President Kennedy, but his answers left many questions unanswered. On the right is exhibit 338 that was provided in the testimonial as to where Kennedy was "proven" to be shot, but the position of his head has sparked controversy among the common population. |
Exhibit 338 by James J. Humes, 1964. Public domain.
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bibliography
Enten, H. (2017, October 23). Most people believe in JFK conspiracy theories. FiveThirtyEight. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-one-thing-in-politics-most-americans-believe-in-jfk-conspiracies/
Gillon, S. M. (2017, October 30). Why the public stopped believing the government about JFK's murder. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/why-the-public-stopped-believing-the-government-about-jfks-murder
The JFK Myth, 50 Years Later. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/11/11/the-jfk-myth-50-years-later
Payne, G. C. (2018, June 21). Released JFK documents put to bed the lone gunman theory. Ovi Magazine. https://www.ovimagazine.com/art/15885
President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. (1964). Hearings before the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, volume II. https://history-matters.com/archive/contents/wc/contents_wh2.htm
Wilson, J. (2018, November 14). Sketches by JFK's surgeon raise possibility of two assassination shooters. Retrieved from https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/jfk-assassination-two-shooters
Gillon, S. M. (2017, October 30). Why the public stopped believing the government about JFK's murder. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/why-the-public-stopped-believing-the-government-about-jfks-murder
The JFK Myth, 50 Years Later. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/11/11/the-jfk-myth-50-years-later
Payne, G. C. (2018, June 21). Released JFK documents put to bed the lone gunman theory. Ovi Magazine. https://www.ovimagazine.com/art/15885
President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. (1964). Hearings before the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, volume II. https://history-matters.com/archive/contents/wc/contents_wh2.htm
Wilson, J. (2018, November 14). Sketches by JFK's surgeon raise possibility of two assassination shooters. Retrieved from https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/jfk-assassination-two-shooters