Frontline - Interview With Robert Oswald (brother of Lee Harvey Oswald)

PBS - Frontline ^ | 11/20/03 | Staff and Robert Oswald

[Capitalist Eric]

"The Warren Commission was correct."

Only if you're a gullible dupe.

[Abcdefg]

http://www.pimall.com/nais/news/backyard.html

[veronica]

Robert Oswald is a dupe? A dupe who accepts the guilt of his brother? That makes no sense. With all the conspiracy theories out there to choose from, why would he nail his own brother? I'd say he's a very courageous man to accept the truth. No excuses, no lies.

[Lyford]

"The Warren Commission was correct."

Only if you're a gullible dupe.

This perfectly illustrates the pointlessness of any discussion of the Kennedy assassination. It's impossible to have a conversation, or a debate, because it's a religious issue. It's an article of faith for some people that there was some conspiracy, so any piece of information that would tend to point to Oswald being the lone killer has to be faked or false or misinterpreted, and anyone that believes Oswald acted alone has got to be a "gullible dupe."

[Capitalist Eric]

On another thread, Veronica essentially said the same thing. My response to her was the following:

It was physically impossible for it to have been the work of just one man. Consider the physics- look at the Zabruder film. Even better, try to fire three bullets from a bolt-action rifle, and fire accurately over that distance at a moving target. I have friends who are professionals at such skills, and even they can't do it....

Therefore, since Oswald could not have done it alone, it is, by definition, a conspiracy. That you fail to recognize the realities of what I have told you, doesn't mean I'm crazy- just that you are uneducated as to the facts.

"...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[luvbach1]

Gullible? Is it less gullible to accept a grand conspiracy involving anyone (or everyone)from Nixon, LBJ, J. Edgar Hoover, the Secret Service, the CIA et al? And all of this wrapped together by leftist dingbats like Oliver Stone?

[luvbach1]

Interesting. I have heard "professionals" say that a rifle such as Oswald used could have been fired with similar rapidity and accuracy by an expert rifleman. I believe tests proved this. Anyway, the bullets that struck Kennedy and Conally did not hit with pinpoint accuracy.

[mass55th]

Watch the Unsolved History program pertaining to this segment of the Kennedy Assassination, and Oswald's movements after the shooting. You might find the recreations within it interesting and informative. I did.

[orbitboy]

I have friends who are professionals at such skills, and even they can't do it....

bull, then they aren't very good shots. really a pretty easy shot.

[mass55th]

Forgot to mention, that Unsolved History is on The Discovery Channel Wednesday nights. Check it out.

[Lyford]

It was physically impossible for it to have been the work of just one man.

I disagree.

Consider the physics- look at the Zabruder film.

Yup. I've done so. I'm not a ballistics expert, however, so I have to go to others for much analysis.

Even better, try to fire three bullets from a bolt-action rifle, and fire accurately over that distance at a moving target. I have friends who are professionals at such skills, and even they can't do it.

That may be meaningful for you, but it's meaningless for me. I don't know your friends. I don't know their qualifications.

I do know that I've seen a 70+ year old man sight a bolt action rifle, fire, work the bolt, re-sight, fire, work the bolt, re-sight and fire again in 7.2 second, 1.1 seconds less than the three shots in Dallas took. And it didn't seem particularly rushed.

I've read a lot of the conspiracy stuff. I've heard all of the arguments about why Oswald couldn't have done it. I started out with the mind-set that Oswald hadn't done it. And I, at this point, based on all that I've read and seen, am completely convinced that Oswald acted alone. There's absolutely no doubt left in my mind...

[mass55th]

"Interesting. I have heard "professionals" say that a rifle such as Oswald used could have been fired with similar rapidity and accuracy by an expert rifleman."

Most recently this, along with other questions pertaining to Oswald's movements after the shooting were recreated in an Unsolved History segment on the Discovery Channel. They proved that although the Italian carbine could sometimes prove unreliable, when it did function properly, the shots could have been fired accurately and within the time frame suggested by the Zapruder film. They also tested the theory of Oswald's dumping the rifle and getting to the 2nd floor lunch room within 90 seconds of the shooting. They had a man of the same weight and height as Oswald recreate the movements he made, and proved he could have stashed the weapon, walked down the stairs to the second floor lunch room within 90 seconds. Oswald was in the lunch room when he was confronted by a police officer. The officer later claimed that Oswald had not appeared flustered or out of breath. The man who recreated this scenario wasn't out of breath either and made it within the 90 seconds. They also recreated, using the same man, the possible routes taken by Oswald once he left his boarding house and headed to his confrontation with Officer Tippett. The program was very well done and well worth watching.

I record this series on a regular basis. They have tackled some other historical occurences of interest: Boston Massacre, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Custer's Last Stand, The Alamo, Pearl Harbor, etc. They use modern forensics techniques where applicable, and recreate the sites, sounds and physical attitributes of the places/incidents/people & items involved, that they are investigating. I highly recommend this series.

[happygrl]

BUMP to what you said.

[Jeff Chandler]

try to fire three bullets from a bolt-action rifle, and fire accurately over that distance at a moving target. I have friends who are professionals at such skills, and even they can't do it....

My wife could do it. Needless to say, I have never cheated on her.

[Oztrich Boy]

This perfectly illustrates the pointlessness of any discussion of the Kennedy assassination. It's impossible to have a conversation, or a debate, because it's a religious issue.

Absolutely. I think, while it is possible that LBJ might have told Warren not to emphazie anything that might lead to nuclear war with the Soviets, that does not affect what actually happened in Texas.

And while the Warren Commsion got most of it right, they made a few mistakes. for instance, by assuming the second shot was a miss, they came up with a total elasped time of 4.6-5.3 seconds.

more careful analysis suggest the first shot (missed) was at Zapruder frame 161, which gives a total elapse time of 8.3 seconds.

The really weird thing. The only peoples still sticking to the Warren Commission 4.6 seconds are the Conspiratists. (It seems that they believe that Warren got something right after all)

[VOA]

I have heard "professionals" say that a rifle such as Oswald used could have been
fired with similar rapidity and accuracy by an expert rifleman.

The FrontLine special noted (IIRC) that Oswald did a some target practice along a
river bank in the DFW metro area. (Not suprising...up till maybe 10-15 years ago,
lots of places in flyover country had "empty lots" or riverbanks where a lot shooters might
show up to practice.)

What I did like about the FrontLine show is that while they did build a good case for
the "Oswald, Lone Gunman, Lone Actor" scenario, they did admit that their investigation
did have gaps of time in which they couldn't account for Oswald's locations/association.

For a fair number of reasons, I keep an open mind on the issue.

But I've been to "the scene of the crime" in Dallas and my amateur marks-man
opinion is that fellow who'd qualified in the shooting dimension of US Marine Corps
boot camp, then practiced and got to really know the quirks/limitation of his
carbine...could have pulled off the 3 shots in about 8 seconds scenario.

And if Oswald truly did it, I suspect he was "grinning on the inside" at having
a good day of shooting, despite the first missed shot.

[plain talk]

Well like you said, its a religious issue. Some people have their mind up. Seems you are one of them.

[#3Fan]

Good point. If Oswald shot Kennedy and wanted to be famous for it, all he had to do was sit on a box and wait for the cops to get up there. No need for a photograph with a newspaper. lol