Dealey
Plaza - View from the Sniper's Nest
Embedded
w/ Snipers
[BK
Notes: This is a slightly revised article I wrote five years ago]
By
William Kelly
“In a
free society, counter-espionage is based on the practice most useful for
hunting rabbits. Rather than look for the rabbit, one posts oneself in a spot
where the rabbit is likely to pass and come to you."
- Alexander Hamilton (as attributed by Allen Dulles)
- Alexander Hamilton (as attributed by Allen Dulles)
The lead
Humvee in the convoy suddenly comes to a halt as it slips under a tree on the
edge of town, an empty tin can, hanging from a branch by a thin thread, dangles
in the breeze.
To the
untrained eye it is an empty tin can hanging from a tree, but to the trained
eye it’s a sure sign of danger – a makeshift wind gauge - a sniper’s wind
gauge, indicating a Level 2 or Level 3 sniper is operating in the area and probably
had you in their sights as you are in the sniper’s kill zone.
When
Uncle Sam contacted me for a special mission recently, I answered the call and
spent a few weeks in the field helping to train American soldiers, including
expert snipers, from whom I learned some things that can be applied to a better
understanding of the mechanics of what happened at Dealey Plaza on November 22,
1963.
Before
trying to figure out who the Sixth Floor Sniper was and why he did the things
he did, a few things must be understood about the nature of the sniper
profession.
Not a
new idea, the historical development of the sniper as a key surgeon in the
course of battle has only been perfected in the last half of the twentieth
century.
During
the Revolutionary War, at the Battle of Brandywine, near Philadelphia, a
British sniper from Scotland – Patrick Ferguson had General George Washington in his sights,
but decided not to shoot him in the back as he thought it ungentlemanly to do
so, thus sparing the life of the man who would win the revolution and be the
first president of the American republic.
[For
more on Patrick Ferguson see Washington at Brandywine – the Sniper that Didn’t
Shoot: http://jfkcountercoup2.blogspot.com/2017/02/washington-at-brandywine-sniper-that.html
]
At
Saratoga, a few months later, an American sniper with a Kentucky long rifle
shot and killed a British general, decisively altering the outcome of not only
that battle but the war.
On
eighteen and nineteenth century war ships, the marines were issued long barrel
rifles and placed in high mast crow’s nests from where they would shoot select
targets during battles, so friendly forces were forced to wear identifying
marks on their hats so not to be accidentally hit by the marine marksmen.
As
European gunsmiths refined the rifle and ammo, the abilities of marksmen
increased, though applying the weapon for assassination purposes didn’t become
effective until World War II, and increased steadily through the Korean War and
Vietnam, when the sniper came into his own.
Snipers
played pivotal roles on the Russian front during World War II, where Russian
women were said to be the best snipers. The snipers refined their abilities in
Korea, but it wasn’t until Vietnam (1965-1973) when the Level One sniper came
into his own, specially recruited, trained, equipped and sent into the field on
specific missions.
Historically
the assassination of Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich in 1942 was carried out as
a military style ambush of his motorcade and car as they made a sharp turn on a
Prague street. The Chech partisans who conducted the operation were led by two
Britishc
trained commandos who were parachuted back into their homeland to carry out the attack, as depicted in the movie Operation Anthropoid.
trained commandos who were parachuted back into their homeland to carry out the attack, as depicted in the movie Operation Anthropoid.
[For
more on Heydrich’s assassination - https://www.private-prague-guide.com/article/assassination-of-reinhard-heydrich/ / https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/assassination-butcher-prague-reinhard-heydrich.html
]
The
British SOE – Special Operations Exercutive – had a plan to have a sniper and
his spotter kill Hitler as he walked from his rural home to a tea house, as he
was known to do almost daily. But the tide of war had changed, Hitler was
making bad decisions and they decided to let him continue to do so. The German
military brass however, had other ideas and tried to kill him with explosives
that failed on July 20, 1944, an assassination and coup attempt that the CIA “studied
in detail” to use against Castro. A study they have since lost.
Then
there are the failed attempts to kill Charles deGaul and Fidel Castro. DeGaul
was the target of the elusive assassin known as the Jackel – (See movie “Day of
the Jackel”), who was hired by the OAS – disgruntled French military officers
who were against deGaul’s policy of freeing the French colony of Algeria. Like
the attack on Hydrich the OAS attack on deGaul was at a sharp curve in the road
that forced the target vehicle to slow down – such was the case at Dealey
Plaza.
DeGaul
escaped however – as the French Intelligence report to the CIA indicated the
French car deGaul used did not stop when damaged – and his Michelin tires
continued to function after being shot out.
While
working with the OP FOR – Opposition Force on various scenarios – I watched as
they huddled around a Sand Table – one of the oldest instruments of war ever
devised and still used today. If Alexander the Great came back and watched them
as I did – he would recognize the Sand Table, as he used one too. The Sand
Table is a simple sand box that can be configured to whatever is needed –
hills, towns and roads can be situated on a sand table with simple rocks and
twigs. The Op For team leader, face painted black, AK47 swung over his shoulder
– put his finger in the sand and made a swerving trail, to indicate the road.
At the point of the curve he said, is where they plant an IED – Improvised Explosive
Device, and that’s where they attack the expected convoy.
Much
like Dealey Plaza.
A mob
hired professional sniper was responsible for killing mobster Bugsy Siegel, a
rare mafia killing of that type, civil rights activist Medgar Evers was killed
by a KKK racist Bryan DeBeckwith, and the Texas Tower murder was a US Army
veteran.
Traditionally
snipers have been measured by the ultimate yardstick – confirmed kills, as well
as the longest shot, most difficult shot and high target value.
As for
confirmed kills, there is Simo Hayha on top, and no one else really close.
Although relatively unknown outside of his native Finland, where he is a
national hero, you can thank Hayha for popularizing the Olympic sport that
combines cross country skiing and accurate shooting, as that’s the way he
attacked and killed over seven hundred invading Germans in 1939.
A lone
wolf with no military chain of command, Hayha used his intimate knowledge of
the terrain to attack and evade the Germans, who kept track and confirmed his
kills and sent Level 1 sniper teams and eventually a hole brigade to stop him.
Following
Hayha, there’s a Fyodor Okhlopkova, a World War II Russian sniper with 423
kills, and Francis Pegahmagabow, a Canadian native American Indian scout and
sniper credited with 378 kills during World War I.
A World
War II German, Matthaus Hetzenauer comes in at number four with 345 kills,
while his Russian front antagonists Lyudmila Pavlichenko (309 kills) a women,
is fifth on the all time snipers list.
Vasikly
Zaytsev, who shared Lee Harvey Oswald's nickname – “the Rabbit,” (242 kills) is
sixth, and probably one of the best known snipers thanks to the movie “Enemy at
the Gate,” which depicted the personal battle between the best German and
Russian snipers during World War II. Zaytsev went on to instruct snipers at a
special school he established and his students were known as "little
rabbits" and accounted for another 3,000 confirmed kills.
Red
Chinese sniper Zhang Tyaofang (214 kills) fought in Korea, is number seven.
The
Americans don’t rank until number 8 with Chris Kyle, a US Navy SEAL whose 160
confirmed kills during the Iraq war just outrank Australian Billy Sing, whose
150 kills during World War I and American Adelbert F. Waldron II, whose 109
kills in Vietnam round out the top ten snipers of all time.
Two
other American Marines deserve notice however, as Chuck Mawhinney (103 kills)
and Carlos Hathcock (93 kills) in Vietnam are almost celebrities, as the USMC
has an award named after Hathcock, while Mawhinney is known for being humble
about his achievements, as not even his wife, family or friends knew of his
Vietnam exploits until they were revealed in a book over twenty years
later.
Top Twelve Snipers of All Time - Based on Confirmed Kills
1- Simo
Hayha – 705 kills (505 w/ rifle) Finnland 1939 WWII
2- Fyodor
Okhlopkov – 423 kills – Russian WWII
3- Francis
Pegahmagabow – 378 kills - Canadian WWI
4- Matthaus
Hetzenauer – 345 kills – German WWII
5- Lyudmila
Pavlichenko – 309 kills - Ukraine WWII
6- Vasikly
Zaytsev – the rabbit - German 242 kills WWII
7- Zhang
TYaofang – 214 kills Chinese - Korea
8- Chris
Kyle – 160 kills – US Navy SEAL – Iraq War
9- Billy
Sing – 150 + Australian during WWI
10- Adelbert
F. Waldron III – 109 kills US Navy/Army 1968 Vietnam
11- Chuck
Mawhinney – 103 kills USMC 1968
12- Carlos
Hathcock – 93 kills USMC 1968
Longest
Shot
As for
the longest shot, the long standing record once held by Canadian Corporal Rob
Furlong – 2,430 meter (1.51 miles) was eclipsed by Craig Harrison, of
the Royal Marines at 2,475 meters.
Carlos
Hathcock is said to have taken the most difficult shot ever, killing an enemy
sniper by shooting him through his scope as he was aiming at Hathcock.
Adelbert
Waldron once shot an enemy sniper in a tree from a moving boat, and an American
in Iraq made a successful shot through a brick wall.
When “in
the field” in combat situations, officers remove their insignia so as not to
reveal their rank, and enlisted men are ordered not to salute officers so as
not to reveal their true rank to possible snipers. Offices
like Captain, Majors and Colonels – Colonels are the highest ranking officer in
the battlefield – are considered HTPs - High Priority Targets by snipers.
THREE
LEVELS OF SNIPER TRAINING
According to the snipers, the Sixth Floor sniper, whoever he was - was a Level Three sniper who is officially credited with making the most difficult shot of all time at the highest priority target, and that's why they don't believe it.
According to the snipers, the Sixth Floor sniper, whoever he was - was a Level Three sniper who is officially credited with making the most difficult shot of all time at the highest priority target, and that's why they don't believe it.
Before
the Dealey Plaza analysis begins however, for starters, you must understand
that there are three categories of snipers - Level One, Level Two and Level Three.
From the
Sniper’s Manual (Based on the Canadian Army TTP – Training, Techniques and
Procedures.
Level One – the Specially Trained
Sniper
The most
dangerous sniper is the one who is individually selected, trained and equipped
with an accurate sniper rifle outfitted with a modern scope, night vision
device and thermal imager, an expert trained to select key personnel HPTs as their
target and can shoot them in the head accurately at great ranges (1,000+ meters).
These
snipers are accompanied by a spotter-security aide and are skilled in avoiding
detection. This sniper is the most difficult to effectively counter.
The
Level One sniper doesn't take multiple shots at a target when one shot is all
that’s needed. As they say, “One shot one kill,” is their motto.
This
level sniper is portrayed in the Hollywood movies “The Shooter" and “American
Sniper” – the story of Chris Kyle, both of which exemplify the training,
discipline, pride and professionalism exhibited by expert snipers at this
level.
Level Two Snipers
Level
Two Snipers are trained marksmen, often found in the national armies of the
world and commonly utilized in urban combat, equipped with a standard issue
weapon and with fair-to-good field craft skills, he is difficult to detect. He
may be deployed alone or in teams, often taking the lead as the Point man,
observer as well as sniper, as the sniper is depicted in the movie “Saving
Private Ryan.”
The Level Three Sniper
The
Level Three sniper is the armed irregular, with little or no formal military
training, who may or may not wear a distinguishing uniform, and may or may not
carry his general issue weapon openly. He will go to great lengths to avoid
identification as a sniper, and may even leave his cheap, but often effective
weapon behind in the course of his escape – as the Sixth Floor Sniper did.
The inexpensive mail order Italian Army issue 6.5
mm Manlicher Carcano with cheap Japanese scope and custom US Air Force pistol holster
sling (Where did Oswald get the sling?)
On the
Fiftieth anniversary of the assassination, the gunsmith at Kline’s in Chicago
who placed the scope on Oswald’s rifle was interviewed and quoted in a news
article saying that if Oswald used that rifle and scope he was “very lucky,”
and the snipers agree.
The
Sixth Floor Sniper would be classified a Level Three Sniper by his weapon – the
Mannlicher Carcano, a standard issue Italian weapon, and if Oswald, by his
limited US Marine Corps training.
Winchester Model 70 - Circa 1963
As
explained to me, a Level One sniper wouldn’t use the Mannlicher-Carcano as a weapon
and wouldn’t need or take more than one shot. In 1963, a Level One sniper would
probably use a state of the art custom weapon and scope, or a prized Winchester
Model 70, top of the line models.
Remington Model 700 - Circa 1963
Since
the weapon and MO – modus operandi – identifies the Sixth Floor Sniper as a
Level Three Sniper, Level One snipers say the Sixth Floor Sniper didn’t take the fatal head shot that killed President Kennedy.
The
first class snipers said that while the Sixth Floor
Sniper may have shot JFK in the back and wounded Governor Connally – he most
certainly didn’t take the fatal head shot. That shot was taken by a first class
sniper – “one shot one kill” who always shoots for the head and always his it.
There
are also indications that the bullet that struck JFK in the head was a
different type of bullet than those fired from the Mannlicher Carcano, and that
shot was probably taken by a Level One sniper with a different style of weapon,
different type of bullet from a different location.
From the
Sixth Floor sniper’s nest, the best shot was when the target was approaching
the window on Houston Street, as it slowed down for the turn onto Elm Street,
and from then on the shots get harder, as the target moves from left to right
on a downward slope and interference by a tree.
The U.S.
Army Sniper’s Manual says under "Engaging Moving Targets" that: “Engaging moving
targets not only requires the Sniper to determine the target distance and wind
effects on the round, but must also consider the lateral and speed angle of the
target, the rounds time of flight, and the placement of a proper level to
compensate for both. These added variables increase the chance of a miss.
Therefore, the Sniper should engage a moving target when it is the only
option.” [www.cybersniper.com]
To
calculate leads, you take the Time of Flight (in seconds) x (times) target
speed (in feet per seconds) which equals = lead (in feet) x (times) .3048 =
meters x 1000 = mil. lead divided by range.
Of
course familiarity with the weapon and practice shooting at moving targets
increases the ability and skill of the shooter, but if Oswald was the Sixth
Floor Sniper there is no indication that he ever shot that rifle before, didn’t
practice or even purchase ammo for it.
As Lee
Harvey Oswald’s brother Robert, who was a US Marine marksman, hunter and familiar
with his shooting abilities is often portrayed as someone who believes his brother killed the President. But he also wrote in his book that, “If Lee did not spend a considerable amount
of time practicing with that rifle in the weeks and months before the
assassination, then I would say that Lee did not fire the shots that killed
President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally.” (p. 208, “Lee – A Portrait of Lee Harvey Oswald by his Brother,
Coward-McCann, Inc., NY, 1967)
And according to the Warren Commission the rifle and the scope remained in the heavy wool blanket in the Paine's garage until the morning of the assassination, and there is no evidence Oswald ever shot that rifle or even purchased bullets for it.
And according to the Warren Commission the rifle and the scope remained in the heavy wool blanket in the Paine's garage until the morning of the assassination, and there is no evidence Oswald ever shot that rifle or even purchased bullets for it.
All of
the snipers agree that whoever fired those shots with that rifle from the Sixth
Floor window, he did not use the scope, which was not properly aligned and not
necessary at that distance, where the manual sight would be sufficient.
While
the Sixth Floor sniper didn’t take the best shot from that location, as the
nearly stationary target came towards him on Houston Street, the head shot on Elm Street was most likely taken
by a Level One Sniper from either in front or behind so there was no lateral
movement as the target came towards or was going away from him.
From
what the Level One snipers tell me, the purpose of the Sixth Floor Sniper was
to provide diversion and deception, put ballistic evidence incriminating Oswald
into the car while the Level One sniper did what such snipers are trained to do
– kill the high priority target (HPT) with one shot to the head.
They say
the Sixth Floor Sniper, whoever he was, was a Level Three sniper and his
standard issue weapon, while capable of firing three shots in the allotted time
and get three hits on target, he was incapable of taking the fatal head
shot from that position with that weapon.
Not a “lucky” shot, it couldn’t happen. So there must have been a Level One sniper who took the fatal head shot from another location, using a different type of weapon and ammo, and stationed in front of or behind the target
Not a “lucky” shot, it couldn’t happen. So there must have been a Level One sniper who took the fatal head shot from another location, using a different type of weapon and ammo, and stationed in front of or behind the target
Integral
aspects of the Level One sniper attack, the diversion and deception not only
ensures the escape of the sniper and his spotter, but also protects the actual
sponsors, as one of the reasons for using a sniper to commit an assassination
is permit the escape of the shooter and to protect the sponsor. Leaving the
rifle behind also implicated Oswald – Ozzie Rabbit – the Patsy.
The
diversion and deceptions were needed because there would be very limited
suspects if a Level One sniper killed the President with only one shot,
incriminating those few military and intelligence agencies capable of putting a
Level One sniper in the field and taking out the highest priority target in the
world, without getting caught. The Level Three sniper firing openly at the same
time diverted attention from the Level One sniper, expanded the suspect pool in
general and incriminated Oswald in particular.
In the
Marines Oswald’s nickname was “Ozzie Rabbit,” which they said was based on a
cartoon character popular at that time, and like Alice goes Through the Looking
Glass and into the Rabbit’s Hole to begin her adventure, those who devised the
Dealey Plaza operation incorporated Oswald, not as the real assassin or the
Sixth Floor sniper, but as the patsy and rabbit that would be set loose to set
a false trail and keep the official investigators from the real perpetrators of
the crime.
In his
book, “A Sniper Looks at Dealey
Plaza,” Craig Roberts concurs saying, “I analyzed the scene as a
sniper,….(and concluded)…it would take a minimum of two people shooting. There
was little hope that I alone, even if equipped with precision equipment, would
be able to duplicate the feat described by the Warren Commission,” so neither
could Lee Harvey Oswald, or any Level Three sniper.
As has been pointed out, Amos Heacock, the celebrated Marine sniper and Vietnam veteran who went on to train snipers at Quantaco, Virginia, attempted to duplicate the feat attributed to Oswald, shooting the moving target in the head from the allotted distance, and he couldn't do it.
As has been pointed out, Amos Heacock, the celebrated Marine sniper and Vietnam veteran who went on to train snipers at Quantaco, Virginia, attempted to duplicate the feat attributed to Oswald, shooting the moving target in the head from the allotted distance, and he couldn't do it.
“I would
have never put anyone in the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD) with so many
locations that were much more advantageous,” Roberts said, “unless I needed a
diversion. If I did, it would be a good place for red herrings to be observed
by witnesses.”
As seen
from the street below, the Sixth Floor Sniper, according to all witnesses who
saw him, wore a white shirt (Oswald wore brown), and according to one witness
(Amos Eunis) who got a clear view of him, the sniper in the window had a very
distinctive bald spot on the top of his head, not a physical characteristic
shared by Oswald. Like Oswald, the Sixth Floor Sniper probably had good reason
to be there, possibly worked in the building or as a subcontractor or delivery
person familiar with the area, or a policeman, someone who it wouldn’t seem
suspicious for him to be there.
Nor did
he leave immediately, as the Warren Commission Report has Oswald running down
four flights of stairs to get to the Second Floor lunchroom in time to be seen
there by Dallas Police officer Marion Baker ninety seconds after the last shot.
The Sixth Floor Sniper took his time, did not run, and instead, as the photo
evidence proves, he moved boxes around, putting one on the window sill that was
mistakenly believed to have been used as a gun rest. He was still in the window
nearly four to five minutes after the shooting when seen by a secretary from
across the street. If not a TSBD employee or contractor, the Sixth Floor Sniper
was possibly a police or sheriff’s officer who just stayed nearby and blended
in with the other investigators when they began a search of the building.
The
sniper’s analysis is that the Sixth Floor, Level Three sniper’s job was to
divert and deceive, not to kill, and he did not take the fatal head shot, which
was taken by a Level One sniper from a location in front of or behind the
target, with a different style weapon and type of bullet, one that shattered on
impact.
This
sniper’s analysis is supported by the 1998 report by U.S. Federal Attorney John Orr that
indicates the bullet that hit JFK in the head was a different type of bullet
than CE399 and other bullets fired from the Mannlicher Carcano rifle found in
the TSBD. Orr’s report convinced the Department of Justice, the FBI, the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and Assassination Records
Review Board (ARRB) to conduct further tests of CE567, bullet fragments from
the limo, no mean feat.
[For
more on Orr’s report - http://jfkcountercoup2.blogspot.com/2012/03/re-wc-ce-567-bullet-fragment-found.html]
The ear witnesses to the assassination are all in agreement in that the spacing of the three shots they heard were different in that the time between the first and second shots was longer than that of the second and third shot, which were almost on top of each other and could not have been fired by the same person with the same rifle.
The ear witnesses to the assassination are all in agreement in that the spacing of the three shots they heard were different in that the time between the first and second shots was longer than that of the second and third shot, which were almost on top of each other and could not have been fired by the same person with the same rifle.
Like the
snipers, when a veteran deer hunter visited Dealey Plaza he was immediately
drawn to the area behind the picket fence on the Grassy Knoll and said that’s
where he would set up his deer stand.
But a
Level One sniper could take that fatal head shot from hundreds of yards away,
tucked back in a room yards from the window so that no one could see him. Level
One snipers are the most difficult to detect and to counter.
According
to the Canadian Army Sniper Manual, the best – and possibly only way to stop a
sniper is for another sniper to kill him. The manual says: “The best way to
stop the sniper is to kill the sniper. Let them escape and they will attack
someone else, somewhere else.”
Counter-snipers
are instructed to “Have a plan and rehears it. Do Not fixate on casualties!
Kill the sniper, then attend to casualties.”
But no
one returned fire at Dealey Plaza, though there were many guns and a number of
agents and officers could have, but didn’t.
When
under fire the response policy is to keep moving, get out of the Kill Zone as
quickly as possible and move in a swerving S or Z pattern, identify the
sniper’s location, return fire, maneuver, attack and kill them. “Do not fixate
on casualties, kill the sniper!” says the Sniper’s Manual.'
Although
Will Greer, the Secret Service driver was trained in these same procedures he
inexplicably slowed down after the first shot and came to almost a complete
stop precisely at the moment the head shot was taken. A Protestant Irishman
from Northern Ireland, Agent Greer was an Orangeman who belonged to the secret
order that fought the IRA and worked closely with the British MI5 and MI6
intelligence agencies.
Former
British Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming, who ran his own behind the
lines commando unit during WWIi, wrote the short story “The Living Daylights,” which has secret agent 007 assigned to kill a Soviet Russian sniper
expected to try to shoot a defector running across the no-man’s land at the
Berlin Wall. At first James Bond is surprised to see through his scope a
beautiful women sniper, and he is reprimanded when he only wounds and doesn’t kill
her.
The
President’s security sometimes included counter-sniper snipers. Such
precautions were taken a few weeks before Dallas when the President visited
Tampa and traveled through the city in a similar motorcade, and over a dozen
Tampa Sheriff’s deputies were deployed with rifles on roofs and overpasses along the motorcade
route. But no such precautions were taken in Dallas.
It has
been alleged (by Penn Jones), that a Dallas Deputy Sheriff named Weatherford
was on the Records Building roof overlooking Dealey Plaza with a rifle at the
time of the assassination, and there are published reports he returned fire.
But Weatherford’s official statement reflects that he was on the Houston Street
sidewalk with other deputies. Weatherford said that he was with Deputy Allan
Sweatt, whose statement confirms Weatherford’s story that they ran to the
Grassy Knoll before entering the back of the TSBD and searched the building.
Weatherford
assisted in the search of the sixth floor when the shells and the rifle were
discovered, but they failed to find Oswald’s clipboard and jacket, that weren’t
found until a week later. Weatherford also participated in the search of the
Paine’s house and garage when the backyard photos were found depicting Oswald
holding the murder weapons and communist publications, which was part of the
cover-story, a failed black propaganda operation that attempted to blame the
assassination on Fidel Castro.
Fidel Castro with
sniper rifle
Just as
the dangling tin can was a danger sign indicating there was a sniper operating
in the area, there were similar signs of danger before JFK entered Dealey
Plaza, but they went unheeded or were intentionally ignored.
Of the
Dealey Plaza danger signs, a few stand out, especially those who expressed
foreknowledge of the assassination, the Walker shooting, the recorded Alpha 66
threat, the Stevenson incident and Umbrella Man.
While
each of these danger signs should be reviewed in depth, the Umbrella Man was
right there at Dealey Plaza, and he admits that his umbrella was intended to be
a sign – a silent protest, a signal and message that President Kennedy would
recognize and understand. Louie Steven Witt said the umbrella was a sign that
referred to his father’s isolationist stand at the beginning of World War II,
the image of Chamberlain’s umbrella at Munich that represented the failed
policy of “appeasement” with the Nazis, which the Umbrella Man implied was
JFK’s policy towards communists.
Louie Steven Witt was a Dallas insurance office worker who claimed to be the Umbrella Man. He told the HSCA that the umbrella was a visual protest of JFK’s father’s policies of appeasement of Hitler at Munich when he was ambassador to the UK (1938-39), with the umbrella being a reference to Nevelle Chamberlain.'
Louie Steven Witt was a Dallas insurance office worker who claimed to be the Umbrella Man. He told the HSCA that the umbrella was a visual protest of JFK’s father’s policies of appeasement of Hitler at Munich when he was ambassador to the UK (1938-39), with the umbrella being a reference to Nevelle Chamberlain.'
Witt
told the HSCA that it was someone in his insurance office cafateria - the Rio Grande
National Insurance Co., told him that the Kennedys were sore about the
umbrella being used as protest sign. “I was going to use the umbrella to heckle
the president’s motorcade….I just knew it was a sore sport with the Kennedys. I
just knew the vague generalities of it. It had something to do with something
that happened years ago with the father Joe Kennedy when he was the Ambassador
to England.”
The Umbrella Man at Dealey Plaza
Who
planted the seed in Witt’s mind to heckle the president? Perhaps it was someone
who also shared an office in the Rio Grande building, - which included the Army
Intelligence, Secret Service and the Emigration and Naturalization Service, who
all shared the same cafeteria where Witt said he learned of the Kennedy’s
distaste for umbrellas. Was it someone in cafeteria from Army Intelligence or the Secret Service who told Witt of the meaning of appeasement and symbol of the umbrella?
It is a building that Oswald visited a number of times. Witt’s references to Chamberlain’s umbrella and appeasement at Munich are echoed exactly by General LeMay at the White House a year earlier.
It is a building that Oswald visited a number of times. Witt’s references to Chamberlain’s umbrella and appeasement at Munich are echoed exactly by General LeMay at the White House a year earlier.
Chamberlain - Appeasement at Munich '
At the
height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, on October 19, 1962, President Kennedy met
in the Oval Office with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when Air Force Chief Gen.
Curtis LeMay was recorded as saying, “…I don’t see any other solution for it
[other than direct military action].….This is almost as bad as the appeasement
at Munich.(Pause)...”
Sheldon
Stern wrote that,“The general had gone well beyond merely giving advice or even
disagreeing with his Commander-in-chief. He had taken his generation’s ultimate
metaphor for shortsightedness and cowardice, the 1938 appeasement of Hitler at
Munich, and flung it in the President’s face. President Kennedy, in a
remarkable display of sang froid, refused to take the bait; he said absolutely
nothing.”
A few
minutes later JFK did reply to LeMay’s remark that, “…In other words, you’re in
a pretty bad fix at the present time.”
“What
did you say?” Kennedy asked.
“You’re
in a pretty bad fix,” LeMay repeated.
And in a
response JFK told LeMay
that, “You’re in it with me.”
And the
pretty bad fix that JFK and LeMay were in together then was not about Munich
but Cuba.
Then, as
JFK entered Dealey Plaza and slipped into the sniper’s Kill Zone, the Umbrella Man's sign
may have been the last thing Kennedy saw before his head was shattered by a
bullet fired by a Level One sniper who was not Lee Harvey Oswald.
Please Support this Research and Writings - Thank You.
COMMENTS
Robert
Truitt (USMC) said...
Bill,
I was looking for something on the internet to get me/keep me interested in JFK's murder. I read JFK Facts at least daily and I listen to Black Ops Radio weekly. But Bill you hit another homerun with this article, Dealey Plaza - View from the Sniper's; Klein's Gunsmith says, "If LHO did it he was very, very lucky." I thought that I had read almost every one of your articles but apparently I haven't. I'm going to have to read all of these articles. I like baseball and I like a pitcher's duel, but I like when you come to bat as it seems that your either on base or hitting a three-run homer. Please continue your great work. Bob Truitt
I was looking for something on the internet to get me/keep me interested in JFK's murder. I read JFK Facts at least daily and I listen to Black Ops Radio weekly. But Bill you hit another homerun with this article, Dealey Plaza - View from the Sniper's; Klein's Gunsmith says, "If LHO did it he was very, very lucky." I thought that I had read almost every one of your articles but apparently I haven't. I'm going to have to read all of these articles. I like baseball and I like a pitcher's duel, but I like when you come to bat as it seems that your either on base or hitting a three-run homer. Please continue your great work. Bob Truitt
Clinton Mercheson said...
Mr.
Kelly,
I have always enjoyed your editorial articles, as they are well composed, and of coarse, they always hit the nail right on the head.
With regard to the afore mentioned article, I would agree with the assessment of the Kill Box, or Kill Zone (as we used to call it), by those snipers whom you had interviewed. One of the few schools the Army had that I did not have opportunity to attend, was the Sniper School. However, having read the FM Manual on the subject (including the newest revision), I no doubt agree with their assessments…..
Alan Ford:
Well written as usual, Mr. Kelly, thanks for sharing these informative insights.
I have always enjoyed your editorial articles, as they are well composed, and of coarse, they always hit the nail right on the head.
With regard to the afore mentioned article, I would agree with the assessment of the Kill Box, or Kill Zone (as we used to call it), by those snipers whom you had interviewed. One of the few schools the Army had that I did not have opportunity to attend, was the Sniper School. However, having read the FM Manual on the subject (including the newest revision), I no doubt agree with their assessments…..
Alan Ford:
Well written as usual, Mr. Kelly, thanks for sharing these informative insights.
