DEALEY
      PLAZA
      REVISITED
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      LANCER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      recent
      release
      of
      the
      Oliver
      Stone
      movie
      ‘‘JFK”’
     
     
      has
      sparked
      the
      latest
      round
      of
      controversy
      surround-
     
     
      ing
      the
      assassination
      of
      the
      late
      president.
      Although
     
     
      there
      is
      nothing
      wrong
      with
      skepticism,
      Stone
      strains
     
     
      credulity
      with
      his
      implicit
      argument
      that
      ‘*rogue’’
     
     
      elements
      of
      the
      CIA
      operated
      in
      collusion
      with
      mav-
     
     
      erick
      generals
      in
      the
      U.S.
      military
      and
      other
      nefarious
     
     
      agents.
      The
      seemingly
      implausible
      aspects
      of
      the
     
     
      much-ridiculed
      Warren
      Commission
      are
      partly
      to
     
     
      blame
      for
      this
      type
      scurrilous
      speculation.
      The
     
     
      ‘*single-bullet
      theory,’’
      for
      one,
      has
      been
      riddled
      with
     
     
      so
      many
      holes
      that
      itis
      inevitable
      people
      will
      start
     
     
      looking
      for
      more
      ‘“‘plausible’’
      solutions.
      Feeling
     
     
      their
      rational
      judgment
      to
      be
      blunted
      by
      the
      apparent
     
     
      impossibility
      of
      the
      Warren
      Commission’s
      claims,
     
     
      people
      begin
      to
      use
      their
      imaginations.
      At
      first
     
     
      glance,
      there
      iscompelling
      evidence
      to
      support
      claims
     
     
      of
      multiple
      gunmen
      and
      conspiracy
      cover-ups.
      In-
     
     
      deed,
      the
      scenario
      set
      forth
      by
      the
      Warren
      Commis-
     
     
      sion
      is
      so
      unlikely
      in
      parts
      that
      it
      is
      more
      unbeliev-
     
     
      able
      than
      some
      of
      the
      less
      extravagant
      conspiracy
     
     
      theories.
      After
      all,
      it
      requires
      a
      certain
      amount
      of
     
     
      naive
      complacency
      to
      accept
      the
      official
      version
     
     
      unquestioningly.
      But
      there
      are
      also
      instances
      where
     
     
      the
      truth
      is
      being
      concealed;
      not
      by
      shadowy
      figures
     
     
      with
      dubious
      connections,
      but
      by
      conspiracy
      theorists
     
     
      like
      Stone.
      Acardinal
      axiom
      of
      Stone’s
      thesis
      is
     
     
      that
      the
      third
      shot
      --
      or
      in
      Stone
      ‘s
      view,
      the
      sixth
      --
     
     
      was
      fired
      from
      the
      grassy
      knoll,
      mortally
      wounding
     
     
      the
      president
      in
      the
      head.
      This
      impression
      is
      gener-
     
     
      ally
      formed
      by
      viewing
      the
      raw
      visual
      data
      on
      the
     
     
      Zapruder
      film,
      and
      by
      less
      substantive
      claims
      of
     
     
      eyewitness
      accounts
      and
      various
      --
      though
      ultimately
     
     
      indeterminate
      --
      attempts
      at
      photographic
      analysis.
     
     
      However,
      a
      shot
      fired
      from
      this
      position
      does
      not
     
     
      correspond
      with
      evidence
      of
      minute
      lead
      fragments
     
     
      found
      embedded
      in
      the
      interior
      windshield
      of
      the
     
     
      presidential
      limousine;
      a
      fact
      which
      unequivocally
     
     
      ascribes
      arearward
      trajectory
      to
      the
      fatal
      bullet.
     
     
      Also,
      if
      a
      bullet
      was
      fired
      diagonally
      from
      the
      right
     
     
      and
      to
      the
      front
      of
      the
      president,
      then
      one
      would
     
     
      expect
      it
      to
      explode
      out
      of
      the
      left
      posterior
      portion
      of
     
     
      the
      skull,
      not
      the
      right
      anterior,
      since
      a
      wound
      of
      exit
     
     
      is
      larger
      than
      a
      wound
      of
      entry.
      Of
      course,
      any
      true
     
     
      conspiracy
      theorist
      would
      sidestep
      this
      logic
      by
     
     
      dismissing
      the
      evidence
      as
      suspect,
      just
      as
      the
      valid-
     
     
      ity
      of
      the
      ‘‘magic
      bullet’’
      discovered
      in
      Connolly’s
     
     
      stretcher
      at
      Parkland
      is
      disputed.
      ButI
      would
      suggest
     
     
      that
      the
      heavy-handed
      planting
      ofa
      practically
      pristine
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dullet
      betrays
      an
      obtusity
      that
      falls
      far
      short
      of
      the
     
     
      subtle
      manipulation
      of
      lead
      particles
      to
      create
      the
     
     
      delicate,
      random
      effect
      of
      the
      windshield
      evidence.
      In
     
     
      short,
      any
      conspirators
      who
      would
      be
      dumb
      enough
      to
     
     
      insert
      a
      bullet,
      conspicuously
      unscathed,
      and
      minus
     
     
      only
      two
      percent
      of
      its
      mass
      into
      the
      assassination
     
     
      puzzle
      would
      lack
      the
      imagination
      or
      subtle
      sensibility
     
     
      needed
      to
      achieve
      the
      desired
      effect.
      Such
      individuals
     
     
      --
      so
      sorely
      lacking
      in
      aesthetic
      refinement
      --
      would
     
     
      likely
      have
      used
      a
      sledgehammer
      on
      the
      windshield.
     
     
      A
      more
      tenable
      position
      to
      come
      out
      of
      the
      conspiracy
     
     
      quagmire
      stems
      from
      the
      assertion
      made
      by
      governor
     
     
      Connolly
      (who,
      ironically,
      does
      not
      believe
      there
      was
     
     
      a
      conspiracy)
      that
      the
      bullet
      which
      passed
      through
     
     
      him
      did
      not
      go
      through
      the
      president
      first.
      Once
     
     
      )
     
     
      )
     
     
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      again,
      the
      Zapruder
      film
      appears
      to
      bear
      this
      out,
      as
     
     
      there
      is
      approximately
      a
      two-second
      delay
      between
     
     
      their
      visible
      reactions
      to
      the
      bullet.
      People
      who
     
     
      adhere
      to
      the
      findings
      of
      the
      Warren
      Commission
      are
     
     
      fond
      of
      saying
      that
      Connolly
      had
      a
      ‘‘delayed
      reac-
      )
     
     
      tion’’
      to
      the
      bullet.
      If
      this
      is
      true,
      then
      is
      it
      not
     
     
      equally
      possible
      that
      Kennedy
      also
      had
      a
      delayed
     
     
      reaction?
      In
      which
      case,
      the
      time
      elapse
      between
      the
     
     
      two
      impacts
      increases
      from
      two
      to
      four
      seconds;
      thus
     
     
      increasing
      the
      likelihood
      of
      separate
      shots.
      Ulti-
     
     
      mately,
      it
      is
      the
      larger
      question
      --
      of
      whether
      or
      not
     
     
      Kennedy
      had
      enemies
      more
      capable
      than
      Oswald
      --
     
     
      which
      plays
      the
      determining
      factor
      in
      assessing
      the
      |
     
     
      viability
      of
      a
      conspiracy
      theory.
      Once
      youacceptthe
      |
     
     
      central
      thesis
      that
      Kennedy
      had
      enemies
      more
      formi-
     
     
      dable
      than
      Oswald,
      the
      question
      of
      one
      or
      two
      shoot-
     
     
      ers
      becomes
      strictly
      academic.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Janua
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ry
      23,
      1992