Reasonable Doubt: The single bullet theory

Transcription

1 Reasonable Doubt: The single bullet theory Assignment Select one claim that was discussed in the movie, and analyze that claim using Toulmin s framework. For example: Identify and discuss the strength or correctness of the claim that: 1. Governor Connolly was shot by a second bullet; 2. The mafia shot JFK; 3. Castro was responsible for JFK s assassination; 4. The CIA arranged for JFK s assassination; 5. The Pentagon ordered JFK s execution; 6. Cuban anti-communists arranged for JFK s death; 7. The Soviet Union KGB engineered JFK s assassination. 8. Select any other claim from the information provided. Identify and explain clearly the parts of the argument, and evaluate the strength of the argument as a whole. You do not need to believe the argument. You are evaluating its strength. Your evaluation should be around two pages long, so select a claim that is not so large as to require a book-length essay to explain. Include a cover page, outline, body, and a works cited page. Use either MLA or APA format. The film is titled Reasonable Doubt: The single bullet theory and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, written by Chip and Mike Selby, and produced and directed by Chip Selby. CS Films, Inc., 1988.

2 THE SAULT STAR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1993 AS Who shot JFK? T3UNI)R.EDS OF BOOKS and articles I lexamining John Kennedy s assassi nation have raised doubts about the Warren Commission s official version that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, They have put forward numerous the ories to explain the killing, most of which have been debunked by various federal investigations. Here are the main six conspiracy the aries and the official response to each: THE MAFIA Conspiracy theory: Angry at a Kennedy administration crackdown on organized crime after the Mafia helped JFK get elected in 1960, mob bosses put out a contract on the president s life. A variation holds that the mob was angry that JFK did not make a serious effort to overthrow Fidel Castro and restore their lucrative Cuban casino and drug busi- -, nesses. - Official version: FBI wiretaps of lead-. ing mobsters uncovered no plot against JFK. Also, most experts believe Oswald, too unstable to interest the Mafia as a hitman. CASTRO Conspiracy theory: The Cuban leader had JFK killed to avenge numerous U.S. attempts to oust him, including the botched Bay of Pigs invasion. Official version: Castro had to know that if he was linked to the assassina tion, it would be followed by a major U.S. invasion he could not stop. The CIA Conspiracy theory: The CIA, worried about JFK s threats to disband the agency after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, ordered his death. Official version: While assassination, was nothing new for CIA, there is no solid evidence of any agency treason - against JFK. THE PENTAGON Conspiracy theory: Concerned that JFK was ready to end American involv&i ment in Vieam, the military establish-. ment had him killed. Some theorists, - including Elm-maker Oliver Stone, also involve L.vndon Johnson in the plot. Official version: No concrete evi dence the president was considering a Vietham pullout, nor that LilT was involved in the conspfracy CUBAN ANTI-COMMUNISTS Conspiracy theory: The Cuban ex patriates who survived the Bay of Pigs, invasion, believing JFK et them up and then abandoned them, joined with ths affected CIA agents to get revenge. -. Official version: The main perpetrator of this theon was discredited by a con gressional investigation. SOVIET UNION Conspiracy theory: N&ita Khrushchev, at the height of the Cold War and recently humiliated by the Cuban missile crisis, ordered the KCB to kill JFK. The KGB recruited Oswald, who lived in Russia for several years, to do the job. Official version: Recently declassified Soviet documents suggest the KGB, while aware of Oswald, made no effort to enlist him as an assassin. Indeed, they indicate he was to be avoided at all costs.

3 March CBC-W News in Review witnesses questioned and requestioned. A consensus on the answer to the question still Connally. This historical certainty however soon gave way to a multitude of hypotheses, three shots from the southeast corner of the sixth floor of the Texas School Book The strongest visual evidence is the now famous eight-millimetre home movie various conspiracy theories, chief among them, that of Jim Garrison, the District three shots within 5.6 seconds at a moving target? In fact, how many shots were fired? behind the picket fence at the top of the knoll? What about the unannounced and person who was older than ten at the time remembers not only the shock of hearing of campaign. The rifle shots fatally wounded Kennedy and injured Texas Governor Jolm theories, official reports, and elaborate scenarios purporting to explain the how and why Commission that bears his name concluded that one assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, fired Depository Building, killing John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The three dissenters never wrote Attorney for the city of New Orleans and the protagonist in Oliver Stone s movie. What What about the violent snapping of the President s head backward and to the left? Didn t the latter indicate that a shot must have come from the front and to the right, several witnesses? What about the mysterious men with rifles some people say they saw Chief Justice Earl Warren broke a 3-3 tie vote on the Commission s findings and the the idealized Camelot, of liberalism, and of the New Frontier. He was visiting the the assassination but exactly what he or she was doing at the tithe, John F. Kennedy was the youngest and first American president born in this century, the embodiment of movie JFK, which, many say, deftly mixes truth, fiction, fact, and fantasy. Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy s successor, appointed a commission of seven credible And now the debate has been resurrected and intensified by Oliver Stone s S-K) million j public figures to delve into the assassination. Unbeknownst to the public at the time, from the so-called grassy knoll? What about the smoke on the knoll reported by weapon because of its notorious inaccuracy? What about the timing of the shots headquarters, where he murdered Oswald on live television? What about the alleged the assassination have led many people to raise disturbing questions and to propose was Oswald s motive? Did Oswald kill Dallas police officer J. 0. Tippit? How was local nightclub owner Jack Ruby able to gain access to the basement of the Dallas police a minority report. in Dallas have come into common usage. Evidence has been analysed and reanalysed; magic bullet, lone nut, patsy, Dealey Plaza, best evidence, and six seconds November 22, 1963, Dallas, Texas, 12:30 p.m. The moment is frozen in time. Any documentaries, and several films. New terms and expressions such as grassy knoll, of the assassination. of evidence, other eyewitness accounts, and conflicting accounts of what happened after murder weapon, a forty-year-old Italian rifle, which was labelled a humanitarian o JFK: WHAT S FACT, WHAT S NOT? Who killed JFK? The question has generated its own mini-industry hundreds of books, innumerable theories, two major government inquiries, countless evades us. No generally accepted truth has yet to emerge, and some say it never will. city of Dallas in order to mend political fences prior to launching his 1964 re-election footage of the actual assassination taken by a man named Abraham Zaprnder. This piece Introduction

4 and the left onto Elm? What about the questions surrounding the autopsy of the shots and the timing of them meant that more than one person was involved, and thus a A Special Note to Teachers CBC-W News in Review 49 March 1992 military-industrial complex, which includes the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, and Thirty years later, however, all we still know for sure is that John F. Kennedy was average person s propensity for skepticism or need for well-defined beliefs and the role ap prbpdate. preview the video and to consider carefully the age group for which it is this footage could be upsetting to some students. Teachers are strongly advised to The video contains actual footage from the Zapmder mm. The graphic nature of According to proponents of conspiracy theories theories based on circumstantial indeed come from behind the grassy knoll. The conclusion that there had been four A 1979 House subcommittee, whose mandate was to investigate assassinations, public traumatized by the assassination and its implications. The depth of uncertainty died or disappeared under seemingly mysterious circumstances. These and other Kilgallen, and the more than 130 witnesses who supposedly had important evidence who through the Freedom of Information Act and computer-enhanced evidence, have what s fact and what s not? Where do we draw the line between dramatic licence and medium such as the big budget Hollywood movie JFK? Does the desire for truth, the medium for working out the inconsistencies in the American Dream, the loss of faith them not to leap to conclusions? and even other politicians. big business, which profits from a foreign policy supporting international conflict. Also put such a film in the perspective it deserves? Do young people who are pan of a on the pan of the American public, and their passion for truth? Can the average person of art in revealing universal truth validate a film such as JFK? Is the film a legitimate as true something that is not proven true, by a powerful and artistically convincing the erroneous interpretation of history? How might the viewer be seduced into believing book? and most recently a powerful and controversial film, Oliver Stone s JFK. But Fuelling and heightening the public s need to know more are numerous conspiracy fl I President? What happened to the lead motorcyclist? What about the man opening an umbrella on a sunny day? What about Lee Bowers, Officer Billy Harkness, Dorothy ballistic, acoustic, and medical facts. The subcommittee concluded that a fourth shot had confirmed as well as contradicted the subcommittee s finding. component of the hypotheses, as are the resources required to engineer the original assassination and the presumed cover-up. Numerous candidates have been suggested: the suggested were the FBI, the CIA, pro-castro Cubans, anti-castro Cubans, the Mafia, assassinated by gunfire in Dallas, Texas. And yet a desire for greater truth persists. media-intense generation have the skills to separate fact from fiction? Can we teach unnecessary last second change in the motorcade route the right turn onto Houston unanswered questions eventually preoccupied numerous individuals and an American created fertile ground for speculation and a legitimate need for further explanations. reviewed all the evidence of the Kennedy assassination, eye-witness accounts and conspiracy was highly likely. Subsequent studies, however, using evidence released evidence there are a number of possible perpetrators. Motivation is an important

5 March you have seen and heard. Finally, compare your lists with those of other members of the class. Assess the differences, if any, and account for them. Then carefully view JFK: What s Fact, What s Not? You may do this several times if necessary. After viewing, list in the appropriate columns the significant information that What positively did not happen. What may have happened. a What really happened. Divide a sheet of paper into the following three columns: This, That, and the Other Thing: Determining Facts JFK: WHAT S FACT, WHAT S NOT? 4... CBC-7V News in Review SO

6 DUPUCATIBLE EXAMINING CLAIMS OF EVIDENCE Blacks Lait Dictionan: a basic reference for attorneys, has a definition for the term evidence. Part of it reads as follows: That which.., makes clear, or ascertains the truth of the.. point in issue, either on one side or the other. Evidence may be offered in the form of othcial records, maps. drawings. objects. or testimony by witnesses, Items A and B on this page are forms of evidence. They deal with questions surrounding President Kennedy s assassination. Examine both careftill Then answer the questions at the bottom of the page. ITEM A. Shortly after noon on November 22, a procession of carp entered Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Within seconds, two occupants in one of these cars U.S. President John Kenneth and Texas Governor John Connally were shot. The map below shows the route of the motorcade. The Warren Commission. which investigated the attack, concluded that all shots came from Point I on this map. O O G 0 O O Bullet enters upper right part of JFK s back Bullet hale on JFK s tie knot Bullet entry hole near Connally s right ormpit Bullet exit wound through Connally s finn rib Bullet entry and exit wounds on Connally s right wrist Bullet entry on Connally s left thigh O O 0 O Texas Scñool Book Deaositcry Dallas County criminal count building Grassy knoll Site of president s car 01 time of Ossossir.a:ion 0 Railroad tracks fl Railroad averdass tripie underpass) Motorcade route ITEM B. In Dealev PIna, President Kennedy was murdered, and Governor Connally was wounded. The Warren Commission concluded that only one shooter was involved. To reach that conclusion, members had to accept that one of the bullets, which was found almost intact, tore through both Kennedy and Connally in the manner shown in this drawing. The drawing is an artist s version of the Commission s finding, which did not include a diagram. THINK IT THROUGH 2. In the Warren Commission concluded that only 1. Put yourself in the place of an official whose task is to one assassin. Lee Harvey Oswald, was responsible for the identify and bring JFK s assassin(s) to justice. Look at Items death of President Kennedy. In the House Select A and Band decide: (a) What questions would you start Committee on Assassinations concluded that JFK was with? (h) What problems might either piece of evidence probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy Reflect or offer you? (c) What kinds of additional evidence would you these two findings. Then write a brief essay on whether or look Rn? State your answers briefly. not the U.S. government should open the investigation again JFK ThE Sfl)Ri mw tnvi an.w w

7 4. Are there differences between facts and evidence? If so, what are they? Which CBC-W News in Review 51 March 1992 I evaluate. I observe. I wonder. 2. At what point does a piece of information become a fact? 3. Is a fact always true? Do facts change over time? 5. Why is there disagreement over facts? has greater credibility, facts or evidence? Why? What determines that one piece of information is factual and another is not? commonly accepted as true, in and of itself, requiring no flwther evidence to make it true. With this definition in mind and working with a partner, formulate answers to the following questions: In historical terms, a fact has been defined as a piece of information that is Fact or Fiction? JFK: WHAT S FACT, WHAT S NOT? I store knowledge. I generalize. I notice. I look for evidence. I conclude. your decision. I 6. Arrange the following into what, in your opinion, is the correct order. Justi

8 . CBC-fl News in Review. Below are a series of twenty statements about the Kennedy assassination. Identi& each 5; The fatal shot, given the movement of Kennedy s head, must have come from the right front that is, from the grassy knoll. find. (Please note that there are details in this exercise that are not contained on the with that of another member of the class. Note and account for any discrepancies you as being either a fact, a theory, or something else and, after doing so, compare your list observation and reasoning. (The Gage Canadian Dictionary) video.) Theory: an explanation based on thought or speculation, an explanatioh based dn 1. There were three shots fired in Dealey Plaza on November 22, achial existences. (The Gage Canadian Dictionary) Fact: anything known to be thie or to have really happened; something that has or had Fact or Theory? JFK: WHAT S FACT, WHAT S NOT? March 1992 H. The so-called magic bullettm entered the upper right pan of the President s back, time of the shooting. 10. Acoustical evidnce suggests that shots came from more than one location at the 9. Several witnesses saw smoke and men with rifles in the area of the grassy laoll at the time of the shooting. turned right onto Houston Street and left onto Elm Street. The lead motorcycle policeman who aused the change has never been identified. 8. There was a last-second, unannounced change in the motorcade s route as it alone a moving target.... required 5.6 seconds. When he did, he was unable to hit a stationary target, let 7. Only one out of the five top FBI marksmen was able to fire three shots within the 6. The minimum time required between shots for the rifle used by Oswald was 2.3 seconds per shot.. States under mysterious circumstances. 3. Lee Haney Oswald defected to the Soviet Union and returned to the United 4. Lee Haney Oswald shot Dallas police officer J. I). Tippit. of the Texas School Book Depository. 2. Lee Haney Oswald fired at the President from the sixth floor southeast window. 52

9 CBCW News in Review Marc½j9fl assassination, there is as yet no hard evidence to support it. 13. Because of his connections with the Dallas police force, Jack Ruby was able to 14. Over 130 people with sirificant information bearing on the case hive either died 15. The 1979 House subcommittee investigating assassinations concluded that there 16. The single most important document of the assassination is the twenty-two-second 17. Jack Ruby hew Lee Haney Oswald. home movie taken by Abraham Zapmder. was a conspiracy. under mysterious circumstances or disappeared. kill Lie Haney Oswald in the basement of the police headquarters. hocked out. 12. At the time of the assassination, the telephone system in Washington, D.C., was 18. The picture of Lee Haney Oswald holding his rifle was doctored. 19. The autopsy results were rigged to conform with the theory of a lone assassin. found in almost pristine condition on a stretcher in Parkiand Hospital. exited through his neck, entered Governor Connally s armpit, exited through the Governor s fifth rib, smashed his right wrist, entered his left thigh1 and was 20. Although considerable circumstantial evidence exists for a conspiracy behind the

10 March CBC-W News in Review classify organize emphasize select looking at how people process facts. examine the same set of presumed facts, they may arrive at significantly different Below are a series of ways in which observers process fcts. For each, explain the causation. According to this concept, even when people observe the same event and conclusions. How can this happen? The answer to this perplexing question involves process by giving a specific example from the Kennedy assassination. The Kennedy assassination provides an intriguing case for the historical concept of Processing Facts C JFK: WHAT S FACT, WHAT S NOT? analyse create distort manipulate draw inferences reject

11 JFK: WHAT S FACT, WHAT S NOT? A Frame of Reference Individuals have perceived the facts of the Kennedy assassination differently because they observe or have observed the events from a different position or vantage point, whether it be the actual killing or the subsequent investigations. In observing and analysing historical facts, each of us brings with us a particular frame of reference. Working in groups of three, suggest ways in which an individual might have observed or might recall the events of the Kennedy assassination from a different frame of reference. In your discussion, consider elements such as the following: age of the observer occupation of the observer - previous experience of the observer emotional state of the observer nationality of the observer physical location of the observer political affiliation of the observer television coverage radio coverage newspaper or magazine coverage source and reliability of information other CBC-W News in Review 55 March 1992

12 meaning. Working in small groups, proceed as follows: assassination. They may seem very similar or they may be quite different in actual Below are a series of words that are frequently used when discussing the Kennedy (EN March CBC-W News in Review hypothesis assumption deduction interpretation opinion conjecture evidence speculation supposition proof thesis theory belief I conclusion inference guess data 3. Choose a spokesperson to present your findings to the rest of the class. Observe differences or similarities. 2. As a group, create a sentence using each word with specific reference to the Kennedy assassination. 1. As a group, define each word and create a sentence using the word. JFK: WHAT S FACT, WHAT S NOT? Language as the Indicator

13 JFK: WHAT S FACT, WHAT S NOT? Toward Truth Although they may use different terminology, historians and scientists, essentially use the same method to attempt to arrive at the answer to a question. The Historian (or Social Scientist) Step One: The Question. The historian poses a critical question about why a certain event occurred. Step Two: The Hypothesis. The historian formulates a tentative answer to that question which will serve as a guide to further research. Step Three: Research. The historian researches the relevant facts from primary and secondary sources. Step Four: Analysis. The historian processes the facts in a variety of ways. (See the section Processing Facts on page 54.) Step Five: Interpretation. The historian, after drawing a series of inferences from the facts, offers a final conclusion or answer to the original question. The Scientist (or Applied Scientist) Step One: Observation and the Database. The scientist observes a particular phenomenon and accesses a database of what is already known about the issue. Step Two: Hypothesis. From the database, the scientist devises a possible explanation for the observed phenomenon, essentially asking What it?. Step Three: Prediction. From the hypothesis, the scientist devises an experiment or series of experiments to test the hypothesis and predicts the outcome. Step Four: Experimentation. The scientist performs the experiment and measures the results. Step Five: Venfication. The scientist verifies if the results of the experiment allows him or her to conclude that the prediction was valid. If the results prove valid, a scientific theory is formulated and becomes part of the existing body of knowledge. Discussion 1. Suggest how each of the above methods of reasoning could be applied in order to determine the facts of the Kennedy assassination. In your opinion, is one method more effective than the other? CBC-W News in Review 57 March 1992

14 10. Social Limitation. The social framework within which scientists operate may March CBC-W News in Review modified or contradicted by the new evidence. about the material world until eventually all may be understood. 1. Objectivity. Conclusions are based only on the facts. Ten Principles of Scientific Inquiry in determining facts? Discuss each in terms of the Kennedy assassination. opinion, is this a valid way to critique a film? Kennedy assassination? 5. Parsimony. Scientists attempt to reduce their view of the world to the simplest influence their conclusions. determine and limit the kinds of problems with which they work, and may also of sets of relationships rather than absolutes. 6. Materiality. Preference is for material and mechanical explanations, rather than those which depend on non-material or supernatural factors. possible terms. laws which have always operated in the same way. film about the Kennedy assassination such as Oliver Stone s JFK. In your 4. Examine the following ten principles of scientific inquiry. How is each relevant 2. Tenra.tiveness. Conclusions are not regarded as final. Rather, they can be 7. Relativeness. Scientists think of the world, and the phenomena in it, as consisting 9. Continuous Discovery. Scientists hope that it will be possible to go on learning 2. Suggest how either of these two methods could be used to evaluate or critique a 3. What is the role of common sense in determining the facts of an event such as the 3. Consistency. The assumption is made that behaviour is describable in terms of 4. Causality. Every phenomenon results from discoverable causes. 8. Dynamism. Scientists expect nature to be dynamic rather than static.