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Home , Jack Ruby, Nellie Connally, Ralph Yarborough, Roy Kellerman, Warren Commission, William Greer

The of President John F

Aim: To understand the events of 22nd • On 22nd November, 1963, President John F. Kennedy arrived in , . It was decided that Kennedy and his party, including his wife, Jackie Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor and Senator Ralph Yarborough, would travel in a procession of cars through the business district of Dallas. A pilot car and several motorcycles rode ahead of the presidential limousine. As well as Kennedy the limousine included his wife, John Connally, his wife Nellie, , head of the Secret Service at the and the driver, . The next car carried eight Secret Service Agents. This was followed by a car John Connally, , John containing Lyndon Johnson and Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy in the Ralph Yarborough presidential limousine. At about 12.30 p.m. the presidential limousine entered Elm Street. Soon afterwards a shot was fired. Secret Service agent Roy Kellerman said to the driver, William Greer, "let's get out of here." However, Greer hits the breaks. More bullets were fired, and John F. Kennedy was hit by bullets that hit him in the head and the left shoulder. John Connally was also hit in the back. At this point Jackie Kennedy crawled onto the trunk of the limousine. At the same time Secret Service agent Clint Hill, runs forward from the car behind. As he reaches the limousine, he heard her say: "I have a piece of his brain in my hand." Hill managed to get onto the Clint Hill gets onboard to help Jackie Kennedy. trunk (boot) and shove her back into the car, placing his body over hers and the Presidents. Ten seconds after the first Witnesses at the scene of shots had been fired the the assassination claimed president's car they had seen shots accelerated off at high being fired from behind a speed towards Parkland wooden fence on the Memorial Hospital. Both Grassy Knoll and from men were carried into the Texas School Book separate emergency Depository. The police rooms. Connally had investigated these claims wounds to his back, and during a search of chest, wrist and thigh. the Texas School Book Kennedy's injuries were Police Depository they far more serious. He had discovered on the floor by a massive wound to the one of the sixth-floor head and at 1 p.m. he windows, three empty was declared dead. cartridge cases. They also found a Mannlicher- Carcano rifle hidden beneath some boxes. At 1.16 p.m. J. D. Tippit, a Dallas policeman, approached a man walking along East 10th Street. A witness later testified that after a short conversation the man pulled out a handgun and fired a number of shots at Officer Tippet. The man run off leaving the dying Tippet on the ground. Twenty minutes later, Johnny Brewer, a manager of a shoe shop, saw a man who appeared to be hiding from passing police cars. He called the police after he saw the man enter a cinema. When the police arrived Mr. Brewer accompanied the officers into the cinema where he pointed out the man he had seen acting in a suspicious manner. After a brief struggle the man was arrested. His name was . The police soon found out that Oswald worked at the Texas Book Depository. They also discovered his palm print on the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle that was found earlier that day. Other evidence emerged that suggested that Oswald had been involved in the killing of John F. Kennedy. Oswald's handprints were found on the book cartons and the brown paper bag. Charles Givens, a fellow worker, testified that he saw Oswald on the sixth floor at 11.55 a.m. Another witness, Howard Brennan, claimed he saw Oswald holding a rifle at the sixth- floor window. The police also While being interrogated discovered that the by the Dallas Police, Mannlicher-Carcano rifle Oswald denied he had was purchased under the been involved in the name A. Hiddell. When killing of Kennedy. He he was arrested, the claimed that he was a police found that Oswald "patsy" (a term used by was carrying a forged the Mafia to describe identity card bearing the someone set up to take name Alek Hiddell. The the punishment for a rifle had been sent by the crime they did not mail order company from commit). to P.O. Box 2915, Dallas, Texas. The Post Office box belonged to Oswald. On 24th November 1963, the Dallas Police decided to transfer to Oswald to the county jail. As Oswald was led through the basement of police headquarters a man rushed forward and shot him in the . The gunman was quickly arrested by police officers. Lee Harvey Oswald died soon afterwards. The man who killed him was identified as . The new President, Lyndon B Johnson, ordered a full investigation into the assassination of JFK and a 12-man committee was set up to complete the job. The man in charge was called and the 12 men became known as "The ". The Warren Commission reported to President Johnson ten months later. It reached the following conclusions: • The shots which killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally were fired from the sixth-floor window at the southeast corner of the Texas School Book Depository.

• The weight of the evidence indicates that there were three shots fired.

• Although it is not necessary to any essential findings of the Commission to determine just which shot hit Governor Connally, there is very persuasive evidence from the experts to indicate that the same bullet which pierced the President's throat also caused Governor Connally's wounds. However, Governor Connally's testimony and certain other factors have given rise to some difference of opinion as to this probability but there is no question in the mind of any member of the Commission that all the shots which caused the President's and Governor Connally's wounds were fired from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository.

• The shots which killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally were fired by Lee Harvey Oswald. • Oswald killed Dallas Police Patrolman J. D. Tippit approximately 45 minutes after the assassination.

• Within 80 minutes of the assassination and 35 minutes of the Tippit killing Oswald resisted arrest at the theater by attempting to shoot another Dallas police officer.

• The Commission has found no evidence that either Lee Harvey Oswald or Jack Ruby was part of any conspiracy, domestic or foreign, to assassinate President Kennedy.

• In its entire investigation the Commission has found no evidence of conspiracy, subversion, or disloyalty to the U.S. Government by any Federal, State, or local official.

• On the basis of the evidence before the Commission it concludes that, Oswald acted alone.