Current project started in 1964: I-Accuse
Intro
One of the most important films of the John F. Kennedy murder was an 8mm color movie taken by Abraham Zapruder. Zapruder stood mid-way between the depository and the underpass and filmed the Presidential limousine continuously from the time it turned the corner of Elm and Houston Streets until it reached the triple underpass. His original unaltered film recorded what occurred inside the vehicle.
On the afternoon of November 24, 1963, two days after the assassination, CBS newsman Dan Rather viewed a copy of the Zapruder film in Dallas. His report noted Connally, as he turned to look back at the President, “…exposed his entire shirt front and chest because his coat was unbuttoned…at that moment a shot very clearly hit that part of the Governor.†On available copies, only Connally’s head appears in this sequence.
The original Zapruder film, however, seems to be unavailable.
Look for these 2 descriptions which are NOT seen on the Zapruder film;
Dan Rather:
1. The car as it makes it’s left turn from Houston Street unto Elm Street is NOT seen on Zapruder’s film even though it’s described in Rather’s report.
2. Governor Connolly “turned in such a way to expose his entire shirt front and chest. At that moment, a shot very clearly hit the front of the Governorâ€. We DO NOT see this, we only see from Connolly’s shoulders up.
Abraham Zapruder:
1. Talks about filming the car turning left from Houston onto Elm, but we DO NOT see that on the film.
“Z” Film
Look for these 2 descriptions which are NOT seen on the Zapruder film;
Dan Rather:
1. The car as it makes it’s left turn from Houston Street unto Elm Street is NOT seen on Zapruder’s film even though it’s described in Rather’s report.
2. Governor Connolly “turned in such a way to expose his entire shirt front and chest. At that moment, a shot very clearly hit the front of the Governorâ€. We DO NOT see this, we only see from Connolly’s shoulders up.
Abraham Zapruder:
1. Talks about filming the car turning left from Houston onto Elm, but we DO NOT see that on the film.
Audio
#1 Dan Rather
Hear Rather’s description of the Zapruder film, viewing it just 2 days after the assassination. This leads us to believe that he saw the original film before it was altered.
“…… at the President’s assassination, an amateur photographer positioned himself on an old street lamp base and was facing the automobile, with his side to the window from which the shots came. The President’s open black Lincoln automobile made a turn off of Houston Street in Dallas onto Elm Street right below the window from which the shots were fired, it got about 35 yards from the face of the building.
President Kennedy had just put his right hand up to the side of his right eye; in front of them were Governor and Mrs. Connolly, two Secret Service men in the front seat. At almost the instant the President put his hand up to his eyebrow, the President lurched forward just a bit, uh, it was obvious that he had been hit, in the movies but…you had to be looking very closely in order to see it. Mrs. Kennedy does not appear to be aware that he was hit. But Governor Connolly in the seat just in front of the President duly heard the shot, turned in such a way to expose his entire shirt front and chest. At that moment, a shot very clearly hit the front of the Governor. He was wounded once with a chest shot which we now know, and the Governor fell back in his seat. And at that instant, the 2nd shot, the 3rd shot total, hit President Kennedy and there was no doubt there it, it, hit him, went forward with considerable violence. Mrs. Kennedy stood up immediately then threw herself out of the back seat of the car onto the trunk of the car, and then the Secret Service man standing on the back bumper. The Secret Service man leaned over, put his hands on her shoulders and shoved her back into the car. A Secret Service man in the front seat of the car ah, was already on the telephone, perhaps he had been on the phone all along, it was not clear. And the car sped away.
The complete scene that I just described to you covered exactly 20 seconds, that is from the time the car made the turn, until the car disappeared onto an underpass. It is very clear that President was hit, Governor Connolly was hit, then the President was hit again. The 2nd shot hit President Kennedy, and there was no doubt there it it hit and went forward with considerable violence.”
#2 Abraham Zapruder
Zapruder discusses filming the limo making a left turn from Houston Street onto Elm. From video tape of the live broadcast seen nationwide on the ABC network on November 22, 1963
WATSON: A gentleman just walked in our studio that I am meeting for the first time as well as you, this is WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas. May I have your name please, sir?
ZAPRUDER: My name is Abraham Zapruder.
WATSON: Mr. Zapruda?
ZAPRUDER: Zapruder, yes sir.
WATSON: Zapruda. And would you tell us your story please, sir?
ZAPRUDER: I got out in, uh, about a half-hour earlier to get a good spot to shoot some pictures. And I found a spot, one of these concrete blocks they have down near that park, near the underpass. And I got on top there, there was another girl from my office, she was right behind me.
And as I was shooting, as the President was coming down from Houston Street making his turn, it was about a half-way down there, I heard a shot, and he slumped to the side, like this. Then I heard another shot or two, I couldn’t say it was one or two…
Transcripts
Hughes Rudd: Dick, ah, Dan Rather just came into the studio, ah and we’ve just been discussing this statement just made by Texas Attorney General Wagoner Carr about a full and complete investigation that is going to be carried out and so on … what do you have that’s new, anything?
Dan Rather: Well I’m not sure that this is the proper context in which to put it … but as you may know Hughes I, I … have just returned from seeing a … a movie … which clearly shows in some great detail the exact moments preceding, the exact moments of, the President’s assassination which clears up some of the points that had been rather vague up until this time. Now may not be the time or the place to discuss that, perhaps Dick uh…
Richard Hotelet: No I think it is … uh, Dan … I think it fits right into the context of what we’ve been saying.
Dan Rather: Well let me tell you then, give you a word picture of the motion picture that we have just seen. The President’s automobile which was proceeded by only one other car containing Secret Service Agents … the President’s open black Lincoln automobile … made a turn, a left turn off of Houston Street in Dallas onto Elm Street, this was right on the fringe area of the downtown area. This left turn was made right below the window from which the shot was fired … as the car made the turn completed the turn went below the window from which this shot was fired … went on past the building keep in mind the window was on the sixth floor … it got about 35 yards from the base of the building that is if you had dropped a plumb line from the window to the sidewalk to the President’s car was around 35 yards from that spot … President Kennedy had just put his right hand up to the side of his right eye, it appeared that he was perhaps brushing back his hair or rubbing his eyebrow. Mrs. Kennedy was not looking in his direction. In front of them in the jump seat of the Lincoln … were Governor and Mrs. Connally. The Governor as was the President was on the side of the car of the building in which the assassin was located. Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Connally were on the opposite side, two Secret Service men on the front seat. At almost the instant the President put his hand up to his eyebrow … on the right side of his face, with Mrs. Kennedy looking away … the President lurched forward just a bit, uh, it was obvious he had been hit in the movie but you had to be looking very closely in order to see it. Mrs. Kennedy did not appear to be aware that he was hit but Governor Connally in the seat just in front of the President … seemly heard the shot … or sensed that something was wrong … Governor Connally whose coat button was open turned in such a way to extend his right hand out towards the President and the Governor seemed to have a look on his face that might say, “What is it? What happened?! And as he turned he exposed his entire shirt front and chest because his coat was unbuttoned … at that moment a shot very clearly hit the part of the Governor. He was wounded once with a chest shot, this we now know … uh the Governor fell back in his seat … Mrs. Connally immediately fell over the Governor, uh, I say fell, she threw herself over the Governor … and at that instant the second shot the third shot total but the second shot hit President Kennedy and there was no doubt there, his head … went forward with considerable violence … Mrs.. Kennedy stood up immediately her mouth wide open … the President slumped over against Mrs. Kennedy almost toppling her over as she was standing … Mrs. Kennedy then threw herself out of the back seat of the car onto the trunk of the car almost on all fours stretched out over the trunk of the car … there was a Secret Service man standing on the back bumper … it would appear that Mrs. Kennedy was either trying to get herself out of what she knew instinctively was danger or perhaps was trying to grab the Secret Service man and pull him into the back seat of the car for help at any rate Mrs. Kennedy was prone, uh face down on the back of the car on the trunk … the Secret Service man leaned over put his hands on her shoulders and shoved her back into the car he seemed to be in danger of perhaps rolling or falling off the back. A Secret Service man in the front seat of the car uh was already on the telephone perhaps he had been on the phone all along it was not clear and the car sped away.
Richard Hotelet: The car never stopped did it!
Dan Rather: The car never stopped, it never paused.
Walter Cronkite: Correspondent Dan Rather was permitted today to see some films of the actual assassination and here is his report from Dallas.
Dan Rather: The films we saw were taken by an amateur photographer, who had a particularly good vantage point, just past the building from which the fatal shot was fired. The films show President Kennedy’s open, black limousine, making a left turn, off Houston Street on to Elm Street on the fringe of downtown Dallas, a left turn made just below the window in which the assassin was waiting. About 35 yards past the very base of the building, just below the window, President Kennedy could be seen to, to put his right hand, up to the side of his head to, either brush back his hair or cover up his eyebrow. President Kennedy was sitting on the same side of the car, as the building from which the shot came. Mrs. Kennedy was by his side. In the jump seat in front of him, Mrs. Connally, and Governor Connally, Governor Connally on the same side of the car as the president. And in the front seat, two Secret Service men. Just as the president put that right hand up to the side of his head, he, you could see him, lurch forward. The first shot had hit him. Mrs. Kennedy was looking in another direction, apparently didn’t see, or sense the first shot, or didn’t hear it.
But Governor Connally, in the seat in front, appeared to have heard it, or at least sensed that something was wrong. The Governor’s coat was open. He, he reached back in this fashion, back as if to, to offer aid or ask the president something. At that moment, a shot clearly hit the governor, in the front, and he fell back in his seat. Mrs. Connally immediately threw herself over him in a protective position. In the next instant, with this time Mrs. Kennedy apparently looking on, a second shot, the third total shot, hit the president’s head. He, his head can be seen to move violently forward. And, Mrs. Kennedy stood up immediately; the president leaned over her way. It appeared that he might have brushed her legs. Mrs. Kennedy then, literally went to the top of the trunk, of the Lincoln car, p-put practically her whole body on the trunk. It, it appeared she might have been on all fours, there, reaching out for the Secret Service man, the lone Secret Service man who was riding on the bumper of the car, the back bumper on Mrs. Kennedy’s side. Uh, the Secret Service man leaned forward and put his hands on Mrs. Kennedy’s shoulder to, push her back into the car. She was in some danger; it appeared, of rolling off or falling off. And when we described this before, there was some question about what we meant by Mrs. Kennedy being on the trunk of the car. Only she knows, but it appeared that she was trying desperately to, to get the Secret Service man’s attention perhaps to help pull him into the car. The car never stopped, it never paused. In the front seat, a Secret Service man was, was on the telephone. The car picked up speed, and disappeared beneath an underpass. This is Dan Rather in Dallas.
WATSON: A gentleman just walked in our studio that I am meeting for the first time as well as you, this is WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas. May I have your name please, sir?
ZAPRUDER: My name is Abraham Zapruder.
WATSON: Mr. Zapruda?
ZAPRUDER:Â Yes sir.
WATSON: Zapruda. And would you tell us your story please, sir?
ZAPRUDER: I got out in, uh, about a half-hour earlier to get a good spot to shoot some pictures. And I found a spot, one of these concrete blocks they have down near that park, near the underpass. And I got on top there, there was another girl from my office, she was right behind me.
And as I was shooting, as the President was coming down from Houston Street making his turn, it was about a half-way down there, I heard a shot, and he slumped to the side, like this. Then I heard another shot or two, I couldn’t say it was one or two…
Share
  
  