The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

Introduction

_{The assassination of a President is the
most violent single act, short of war, which can be inflicted
upon American society. The President is our only nationally elected
official and is the individual embodiment of national hopes and
aspirations. It is through the President by which we each are,
individually and personally, linked to the fundamental ideals
of the Republic, idealized by the Founding Fathers and expressed
in the Constitution. The President represents each citizen and,
by extension, the Nation. Accordingly, a presidential assassination
is the most capital of crimes, for it is one inflicted upon every
citizen and one in which every citizen is a victim. The assassination
of a President is an assault against every citizen's right to
the Constitutional process of election and burgles each of their
vote. Consequently, a presidential assassination mandates not
only criminal investigation, but also creates the requirement
for a national inquest to define the political and constitutional
implications of such a crime. No stone can be left unturned, no
clue overlooked, no possibility ignored, in the investigation
of a presidential assassination.. For in the end, an assassination
is a both a murder and a coup d'etat. A failure to arrive at the
full and complete truth surrounding such a heinous act may resonate
for years and leave a legacy undreamed by the perpetrators.}

_{It has been over thirty years since the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy and there remain, among
a notable portion of the population, significant and disturbing
questions, some legitimate, regarding the how and the why of his
death. Untold millions of words have been published about the
crime, including a bibliography of those publications. Unfortunately,
those millions of words have failed to fully resolve the crime
in the minds of a very large percentage of the public. Central
to those millions of words are the texts and supporting materials
of government agencies, both federal and state, which have conducted
official investigations into the assassination. These investigations,
undertaken with the full legal authority granted only to governmental
institutions, such as subpoena power and completely unavailable
to the private sector, should have fully and completely revealed
the how and why behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The
fact that they failed is itself cause for question.}

_{The reason for this mistrust can be best
appreciated by recognizing that there have been four separate
and significant federal reports specifically addressing the assassination
of President Kennedy. Of those, three were by agencies of the
Executive Branch and one by the Legislative Branch. The three
Executive Branch reports are:}

_{Investigation of Assassination
of President John F. Kennedy, November 22, 1963}_{,
prepared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and published
on December 9, 1963. This investigative report, consisting of
five volumes, is also known as Warren Commission Document #1 (CD1).
The FBI issued a supplemental report on January 13, 1964 expanding
its original report. The supplemental report is also known as
Warren Commission Document #107 (CD107).}
_{Report of United States Secret
Service on Assassination of President Kennedy}_{,
prepared by the Secret Service and published on December 18, 1963.
This investigative report, consisting of two volumes, is also
known as Warren Commission Document #3 (CD3).}
_{Report of the President's Commission
on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy}_{,
prepared by the President's Commission on the Assassination of
President John F. Kennedy and published on September 24, 1964.
This investigative report is also known as the Warren Report (WR).
The report is supplemented by twenty-six volumes containing the
testimony of some 552 individuals with their associated exhibits
and an additional 3154 numbered exhibits.}

_{The Legislative Branch report is:}

_{Final Report of the Select
Committee on Assassinations. Findings and Recommendations}_{,
prepared by the Select Committee on Assassinations of the House
of Representatives and published on March 29, 1979. The report
is supplemented by twelve volumes of testimony and exhibits.}

_{Aside from reporting one dead President,
one wounded Texas Governor, and that the crime occurred in Dallas,
Texas on the afternoon of November 22, 1963, the above reports
have only one essential detail in common - they were prepared
by agencies of the federal government. Excepting that particular,
they have enormous differences which have fostered the national
disbelief regarding the facts surrounding the death of John F.
Kennedy. Excluding the Secret Service report which serves to explain
the actions of the Secret Service and its agents rather than report
on the crime, the other three reports attempt to solve the crime
and explain the events surrounding the assassination in Dealey
Plaza. Review of the principal findings of these reports, as outlined
in the following tables, reveals the basic dilemma - which, if
any, is correct. This difficulty presents profound problems to
the average citizen - which does one choose to believe. This quandary
has, in turn, been compounded by the profusion of conspiracy theories
which have proliferated in the years following the assassination.
Ultimately, the fact is that, at best, only one can be correct,
and sadly, at worst, all may be wrong.}

_FBI

_{(One Shooter, Three
Shots - Three Hits)}

_Shot	_Result	_{Recovered Bullets}
₁	_{Kennedy (Shallow back wound, bullet fell out on stretcher)}	_{CE399 (Kennedy's stretcher)}
₂	_{Connally (All five wounds)}	_Unidentified
₃	_{Kennedy (Head shot)}	_{Two fragments in car and fragments recovered during autopsy - not all recovered}

_{Warren Commission}

_{(One Shooter, Three
Shots - Two Hits, One Miss)}

_Shot	_Result	_{Recovered Bullets}
₁	_{Kennedy/Connally (Single Bullet Theory - seven non-fatal wounds in two men, bullet fell out on stretcher)}	_{CE399 (Connally's stretcher)}
₂	_{Kennedy (Head shot)}	_{Two fragments in car and fragments recovered during autopsy - not all recovered}
₃	_{Missed Shot (Can be first, second, or third, WR offers no conclusions}	_{Shaneyfelt Exhibit 16 - 21H457 - Portion of Dallas curbstone}

_{House Select Committee
on Assassinations}

_{(At Least Two Shooters,
At Least Four Shots, At Least Two Misses)}

_Shot	_Result	_{Recovered Bullets}
₁	_Missed	_{Shaneyfelt Exhibit 16 ??}
₂	_{Kennedy/Connally (Single Bullet Theory)}	_{CE399 (Connally's stretcher)}
₃	_{Kennedy (Head Shot)}	_{Two fragments in car and fragments recovered during autopsy - not all recovered}
₄	_Missed	_{Shaneyfelt Exhibit 16 ??}
₅₊	_{Undetermined number of additional missed shots}	_{Shaneyfelt Exhibit 16 ??}

_{The purpose of this database is to not
answer questions, raise a new, or support an old, theory. Rather
it is to simply offer a start point for further research by providing
a different view of presently available information to a world-wide
population. The largest data-collection was made by the Warren
Commission and it is that data which this effort presents. To
that end, if the material presented in the following databases
serves to allow individuals to construct their own views, based
on individual research rather than hearsay, it will have achieved
a positive effect.}

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