Do you remember what you where doing 50 years ago?

[John McGillivray]

Originally Posted by Lang

I love the theories about the shooting.

Actually I think I recall they said one sniper did get the shots off on target after his 3rd practice go.

This was Howard Donahue. I think that the trials were arranged by CBS back in 1968. Although Donahue was able to get off three shots in 6 seconds with an Italian 6.5mm Mannlicher Carcano rifle on his third attempt, he concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald could not have done it. Donahue is the person who came to the conclusion that the third shot was from an AR-15 rifle with .223 (5.56mm) high velocity, soft-point or hollow point, frangible bullets, and that the shot was a result of an accidental discharge by Secret Service agent George Hickey.

[Lang]

John,

I think among the numerous recreations the Donohue is the best known but done on simulated targets. The one I was referring to was done recently, from a cherry-picker in front of the library window, with a laser sight fitted to the rifle so the strike point could be seen on the people sitting in the moving car acting the Kennedy etc parts.

Both the early recreation and the new laser recreation concluded that the most highly trained snipers would have found it not impossible, but almost, to do what Oswald is credited with.

The new experiment is also a great exponent of the Secret Service accidental? discharge. There, I have gone and done it! By putting in that question mark we now have fuel for further investigations into Secret Service real involvement in the shooting.

[Marc Montgomery]

Lang... the show I saw..had a -shooter- in the exact oswald position..not a cherry picker outside.(which necessarily changes trajectory..and wobbles)

they compared to film footage second by second (actually 1-18th second) to the audio track and found that at the exact moment of detonation the car and kennedys head was covered by the street sign..

also in the same place they showed how he had to adjust his position for the third shot and recreated the ejections several times and the casings all ended up in similar positions to the actual casings.

A completely different show did the ballistics tests..which apparently had -never- been done before..and showed exactly how and why the shots from oswald, that gun and that particular type of bullet could do exactly what happened....and medically explained why Kennedy jerked back instead of forward...and what sounds like a plausible explanation to me.

I dont recall them having difficulty with the timing..fast yes but not impossible..
There are a number of hurdles to the lone gunman...,,used rifle, potentially difficult bolt, possible lack of practice....but maybe it was one of those cases of tragic luck... He couldn't do it.. and titanic can't sink.

Personally Id like to know a lot more about Jack Ruby and what happened there ..why, who.. etc

[Marc Montgomery]

PS-http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Shooting_holes_in_theory_that_a_Secret_Service_age nt_killed_President_Kennedy.html

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts...-1226759260572

BTW-yes there will always be questions about the autopsy and why forensic experts weren't used but army doctors instead.

[Lang]

That Australian article covers some ground but it is as flawed as all the other stories. It is quite obvious the writer has his own conclusions and is selectively damning those which do not meet his theories.

Like most journalists he has used other peoples works as reference (even the most outrageous theories in various books on the subject were the result of their authors doing vast amounts of first person research) and has decided what is credible and what is not. It is merely a book review. Unfortunately he will now be quoted in references on the subject along with hundreds of others without one minute's detailed research or personal knowledge.

Guess we will never know.