I for one thought it was the most ridiculous and far-fetched theory when I first heard it on the radio, but in the few weeks since then, I have come to the conclusion that it might in fact be the truth. I certainly feel a lot more satisfied with it than with either of the alternatives - the lone gunman or the complex conspiracy. The kill shot was in fact a terrible, tragic accident and the cover up was not part of a sophisticated coup d'etat...but desperate and frantic damage control driven by embarrassment and shame. But it is a proposition that most suits humanity's MO - one of stupidity, incompetence and scandal.
"It's not sexy. It's not rife with intrigue," said Bonar Menninger, a Kansas City journalist and a leading proponent of the theory. "But for that reason, in my mind, it's extremely compelling — because it's the only theory that hews tightly to the available evidence."
So 50 years to the day of JFK's controversial assassination, and in fact longer since then than he actually lived 9he died aged 46), obviously we are all agreed that it is far from clean-cut. The stench of conspiracy and cover-up is everywhere to be found. Something is clearly amiss, and was from the very start. But at the same time, I've often felt the ornate, over-sophisticated conspiracy involving the CIA, the Mafia and Cuban exiles put forward by Oliver Stone et al is a bit sketchy too. Not because their arguments are not convincing - they are; as convincing as they are intriguing. But more because it I have come to the conclusion that on balance, when it comes to people: clumsiness, incompetence, shame and deceit tend to be more at the forefront of major events than the kind of precision-organisation, diligence and, above all, discretion required to pull off such an ambitious plot - for these are not humanity's strong suits.
So if you can read about or watch "JFK: The Smoking Gun" you will get a very surprising view of the events, through the eyes of a very clinical forensic investigator - Australian Colin McLaren. The outcome is likely to be a story that will initially seem quite ridiculous and unsatisfying to you, but as it begins to settle into your brain you realise that it is far more than plausible and I now think the most likely scenario. After all, history is all about fallibility is more the norm than clinical execution ('scuse the pun) .
So the potted theory is this: the secret service guys had all been "bar-hopping" around Dallas the night before 'till the very early hours and were feeling very delicate. So Agent George Hickey - ordinarily a driver, lacking rifle training but who hadn't been out the night before - was given the task of manning the high-powered rifle in the Secret Service car immediately behind the President's car. When the second shot cracked through the Dallas air he grabbed the cocked rifle and stood up looking up towards the Book Depository where the shot came from. As he did so, the car he was in accelerated off behind the President's car - already carrying an injured President and Governor. As the car took off, the half-standing Hickey was thrown back into his seat and as he did so he accidentally blew his President's brains apart with his rifle.
It sounds crazy, but as you review the evidence it falls into place. The cover up was managed by the Secret Service, desperate to keep their scandalous incompetence from the public. Ultimately, the Government was complicit in the Warren Commission, which pursued the line that Oswald got off all three shots.
But some key bits of evidence do it for me.
- The way the President's head reacts to the final shot is not actually consistent with the Grassy Knol theory. the special - typically secret-service-employed - bullet explodes on impact unlike the orthodox bullets fired by Oswald. The way the president reacts to the shot is more consistent with his being shot from behind, and by a different rifle from that of Oswald.
- The witness statements of gunsmoke at street level is very compelling, as obviously this isn't consistent with either a shot from Oswald or the "second shooter" on the Grassy Knoll.
- They have proved that the initially laughable "magic bullet" theory does actually stand up as the Governor's seat was actually lower and to the left of the President - meaning Oswald's second shot inflicted all those injuries.
- Agent George Hickey never contested the theory.
It is a bit disappointing, but the shame of it - the sheer human ineptitude and tragedy of it - is a much better explanation for how everyone has kept silent about the truth all these years. The Mafia-CIA-Cuba nexus theory always baffled me because I just couldn't see all of the hundreds of people supposedly involved keeping their mouths shut.
Oswald could still be part of that conspiracy though, and his assassination by Jack Ruby could also be part of that. But it is just as likely that he is part of a Secret Service conspiracy to cover up the fact that Oswald only got off two shots - the first shot went stray - and that they executed the leader of the free world, by accident...50 years ago today.