Scientists cast doubt on Kennedy bullet analysis

In summary: Lee Harvey Oswald was an American assassin of President John F. Kennedy who was convicted of murder in 1967. He was shot by Jack Ruby while in jail, and died a few days later of a chest wound.
  • #1
Ivan Seeking
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Evidence used to rule out more than one shooter flawed, study says

In a collision of 21st-century science and decades-old conspiracy theories, a research team that includes a former top FBI scientist is challenging the bullet analysis used by the government to conclude that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

The "evidence used to rule out a second assassin is fundamentally flawed," concludes a new article in the Annals of Applied Statistics written by former FBI lab metallurgist William A. Tobin and Texas A&M University researchers Cliff Spiegelman and William D. James.[continued]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18709539/

The never ending saga...
 
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  • #2
I have a family member who was a off duty cop, very close to where the shooting happened. To this day he will tell you the shots rang out from several areas.
 
  • #3
hypatia said:
I have a family member who was a off duty cop, very close to where the shooting happened. To this day he will tell you the shots rang out from several areas.

Weren't there buildings? Um... the sound bounced off the buildings. Anyone ever think of that?
 
  • #4
Sure, and a city cop would certainly think of that. Either way, this is part of the explanation that has always been used to explain the observer reports of a second gunman.
 
  • #5
Someday, after my childrens childrens children are dead, the reports on his death will be declassified (if there was indeed a plot to kill him). The same way we learn about what really happened about things in say WWII, only today.
 
  • #6
A recent issue of Rolling Stone mag had an interview with St John Hunt, the son of E Howard Hunt, who was one of the people who broke into the Watergate Hotel. E Howard also got asked to take part in the Kennedy assassination, but opted to not be involved directly.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13893143/the_last_confessions_of_e_howard_hunt
(see pg.7 especially)
E Howard hadn't been doing very well in the last few years and, expecting to die soon, spilled his guts to his son. His son then went to a radio station with the cassette tape that he made, naming names & all that sort of stuff:
http://www.saintjohnhunt.com/testament.html

(& I don't need a team of scientists to tell me there was another shooter. Just watch the Zapruder film, Kennedy's head goes BACK and TO THE LEFT)
 
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  • #7
fourier jr said:
(& I don't need a team of scientists to tell me there was another shooter. Just watch the Zapruder film, Kennedy's head goes BACK and TO THE LEFT)

The famous physicist Luis Alverez explained this as the jet-recoil effect and there is a film of him demonstrating this by shooting a watermelon. The mass ejected from the front creates a greater force than the bullet entering from behind. It is the loss of mass [head or watermelon parts] that complicates things.
 
  • #8
Ivan Seeking said:
The famous physicist Luis Alverez explained this as the jet-recoil effect and there is a film of him demonstrating this by shooting a watermelon. The mass ejected from the front creates a greater force than the bullet entering from behind. It is the loss of mass [head or watermelon parts] that complicates things.

Penn & Teller did a demonstration of this on their Conspiracy Theory episode. The melon fell toward the shot. That means if Kennedy's head jerked backward, the shot came from behind him... say from a book depository :wink:

That explains the physics of things, but don't forget the other parts of the story. Oswald was qualified as a sharpshooter in the US marines. It's more than plausible to believe he can make 2 successful shots in just a few seconds.
 
  • #9
ShawnD said:
The melon fell toward the shot. That means if Kennedy's head jerked backward, the shot came from behind him... say from a book depository :wink:

That's what I just said. :confused:
 
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  • #10
Anyone ever play the game/simulator JFL Reloaded? (It's free, you just have to look around for it) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JFK:_Reloaded

I actually got pretty close to what 'really' happened. It's neat to try anyway.
 
  • #12
How many bullets did they find or did they find any?
 
  • #13
I think it was 3 bullets. 2 hits, 1 miss.
 
  • #14
Lee Harvey Oswald

Who was Lee Harvey Oswald?
FRONTLINE's investigation examines the life and enduring mysteries of Oswald.
Watch the full program online.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/oswald/view/
 
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1. What is the significance of scientists casting doubt on Kennedy bullet analysis?

The significance of this is that it calls into question the accuracy and reliability of the original analysis and conclusions made by the investigators in the Kennedy assassination case.

2. How did scientists come to doubt the original bullet analysis?

Scientists have used advanced technology such as 3D imaging and computer simulations to reexamine the evidence and have found inconsistencies and errors in the original analysis.

3. What impact does this have on the overall investigation of the Kennedy assassination?

This could have a significant impact as it could potentially lead to a need for further investigation and a reassessment of the evidence and conclusions made in the original investigation.

4. Are there any other factors that could have influenced the original bullet analysis?

There could have been various factors that may have influenced the original analysis, such as human error, limited technology and resources at the time, and external pressures to quickly close the case.

5. What is the next step in light of these doubts raised by scientists?

The next step would be for further research and analysis to be conducted, potentially by an independent team, to fully examine the evidence and determine the accuracy of the original bullet analysis and its impact on the Kennedy assassination investigation.

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