Facts and fiction in the Kennedy assassination

One of the best-known witnesses to the assassination, and the only one who is also the author of a book from the point of view of an eyewitness, was a woman named Jean Hill (Sloan and Hill 1992). She can be seen in the Zapruder film, standing beside a friend.

In her testimony, told and retold over the last forty years, she claimed among other things that she was looking at the limousine where she saw Kennedy and his wife, Jackie; the couple was "looking at a little dog between them," a "white fluffy dog." Hill then jumped to the edge of the street to yell, "Hey, we want to take your picture!" JFK turned over to look at her. At that point, he was shot, and Jackie shouted, "My God, he has been shot!" Then, Mrs. Hill said that she saw "some men in plain clothes shooting back" and "a man with a hat running toward the monument" on the other side of the plaza on the so-called "grassy knoll." immediately, she started running after him, thinking he was involved in the shooting. "When I ran across the street," she specified, "the first motorcycle that was right behind the President's car nearly hit me."

Thus, she was the first person to run up the grassy knoll, and many followed her. However, the man ran off and she missed him. She was convinced that this man was Jack Ruby, the club owner who, in three days, would kill Lee Harvey Oswald.

And there we have our proof for the existence of a conspiracy.

This, however, is one of those rare occasions in which dozens of reporters and photographers are present on the scene of an event and so there are countless statements on record from eyewitnesses and pictures from every angle. Thus, we can compare Jean Hill's memory with actual facts.

* She said that she was looking at the limousine.

In the film, you can see that when Kennedy is shot the first time, she is looking away from him.

* She said that the couple was "looking at a little dog between them," a "white fluffy dog."

There was no dog between them, just a bunch of red flowers.

* She said that she "jumped to the edge of the street" to yell, "Hey, we want to take your picture!" and JFK turned over to look at her.

The Zapruder film shows that Hill never moved or said a word--and the President did not turn to look over. In fact, he had just been shot when he passed in front of her.

* She said that Jackie shouted, "My God, he has been shot!" Jackie and the car's four other witnesses deny that Jackie said anything.

* She said that she saw "some men in plain clothes shooting back."

But in an interview recorded just forty minutes after the assassination by a Dallas television station, she was asked: "Did you see the person who fired the--" And she answered: "No ... I didn't see any person fire the weapon ... I only heard it."

* She said that she immediately started running after the "man with a hat," thinking he was involved in the shooting. "When I ran across the street," she specified, "the first motorcycle that was right behind the President's car nearly hit me."