Ace of Spades HQ

November 22, 2013

The Umbrella Man And Conspiracies
— JohnE.

Are you sick of JFK coverage yet? Well, me too. I promise this isn't too JFK-y and it sort of touches on some of the themes Ace described below.

There's an interesting story I wasn't aware of until recently and it's a bit of a major component in JFK assassination conspiracy theories. This is the man known as the "Umbrella Man". As the story goes, he was the only man to be carrying an umbrella on the route. As JFK's limo approached him, he opened the umbrella up, lifted it in the air and spun it as JFK passed. After the shots rang out, the man sat on the sidewalk until ultimately getting up and walking in the direction of the book depository. Here's the thing: that all actually happened.

Seems a little off, no? This specific part of conspiracy theories seems to endure simply because if presented with the question, "What was he doing there?", it's difficult to come up with a non-nefarious answer. It was a warm, sunny day in Dallas. There was no need for an umbrella, and yet the man made a point to open it up and make a show of it.

The mind drifts towards conspiracy.

The most common belief is that the Umbrella Man "signaled" the shooter(s) that it was safe to take the shot. At that point, depending on your favorite theory, JFK was shot by a number of people in buildings, the grassy knoll or hiding in the sewer grates by people aligned with either mobsters, illuminati or aliens. There are some wackier theories (sliding scale, I suppose) about a hidden gun being built into the umbrella.

I don't think it was touched on directly in Oliver Stone's JFK, but they do allude to it being part of the plot when Donald Sutherland's "X" character discusses it with Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) and says "we never would have allowed a man to open an umbrella on the route". Those of you familiar with the X-Files might remember the Cigarette Smoking Man, the shows running antagonist, being involved in the assassination of Kennedy with the Umbrella Man signaling by moving the umbrella up and down to the shooters.

There is a reason the man did this, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the death of JFK. After rumors persisted and theories abounded, the man finally did come forward to testify to The United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978. His name was Louie Steven Witt and he waved the umbrella in protest of John Kennedy's father, who was a supporter of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain was well-known for frequently carrying around a black umbrella.

In today's era, I think we'd call that a well-researched and obscure troll. But, coupled with the assassination and lingering questions and investigations, his rather bizarre display seemed to fit some sort of deeper plot. It's interesting that it still persists even though the man publicly testified 35 years ago. That part of the story is indeed "solved", and yet it makes its way into places like a major Oliver Stone picture and the X-Files years later.

The New York Times put together a short mini-documentary that's quite interesting on the Umbrella Man. Definitely give it a look.

Posted by: JohnE. at 03:29 PM | Comments (127)
Post contains 558 words, total size 4 kb.

1 Interesting.

Posted by: NCKate at November 22, 2013 03:33 PM (vjZKo)

2 Not my dad. Nope.

Posted by: Woody Harrelson at November 22, 2013 03:34 PM (q4QfH)

3 We have our own Neville Chamberlain in SCOAMF.

Posted by: Carol T at November 22, 2013 03:35 PM (z4WKX)

4 Fire can't melt umbrellas.

Posted by: EC at November 22, 2013 03:36 PM (doBIb)

5 NC Kate, Have you watched any other episodes of Dexter? Carol

Posted by: Carol T at November 22, 2013 03:36 PM (z4WKX)

6 There is a reason the man did this, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the death of JFK. After rumors persisted and theories abounded, the man finally did come forward to testify to The United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978. He name was Louie Steven Witt and he waved the umbrella in protest of John Kennedy's father, who was a supporter of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain was well-known for frequently carrying around a black umbrella. That's what the Freemasons want you to believe...

Posted by: BCochran1981 - Credible Hulk at November 22, 2013 03:36 PM (GEICT)

7 The people who weave most of these conspiracy theories tend to ignore facts and science. Good post Ace.

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 22, 2013 03:36 PM (t3UFN)

8 Obama was also signaling something when he raised and lowered an umbrella at the WH gate. I just don't think it had anything to do with Chamberlain ...

Posted by: Adriane... at November 22, 2013 03:37 PM (jdRXP)

9 Hey Carol. On episode six now. I'm liking it.

Posted by: NCKate at November 22, 2013 03:38 PM (vjZKo)

10 3 We have our own Neville Chamberlain in SCOAMF. Churchill said Chamberlain was honorable but mistaken.

Posted by: fluffy at November 22, 2013 03:38 PM (akvDz)

11 Here's Bill O'Reilly's report on "Umbrella Man" from 1979. Back when Bill had hair and wore bell bottoms jeans.
http://tinyurl.com/m6cudc5

Posted by: lowandslow at November 22, 2013 03:41 PM (IV4od)

12 Some years back, I guess when Oliver Stone's movie came out, one of the NR guys wrote an article about Garrison's investigation. It was interesting in that he had been one of Garrison's investigators. Needless to say, he totally trashes both Garrison and Stone as being grandiose delusional liars. I wish I could remember enough to google and see if the article is available online.

Posted by: toby928© insists on talking about robots at November 22, 2013 03:41 PM (QupBk)

13 Mrs. Plum in the Kitchen with a Wrench.

Posted by: Count de Monet at November 22, 2013 03:42 PM (BAS5M)

14 Bullshit. More of the same loco-talk. America wants a conspiracy on this, and it's gonna have one, facts be damned.

Posted by: Dirty Old Man at November 22, 2013 03:43 PM (Avvys)

15 Stone"s JFK was a decent movie that to many wingnuts took as fact. Stone being one of the wongnuts

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 22, 2013 03:43 PM (t3UFN)

16 If you got an umbrella, why not open it up and wave it around? Makes perfect sense to me.

Posted by: Generalissimo Taco at November 22, 2013 03:43 PM (kkbgQ)

17 Not only was Carol Burnett involved in this conspiracy, but Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) signaled the shooter!

Posted by: guy wearing Reynold's Wrap headgear at November 22, 2013 03:43 PM (xKK9v)

18 The umbrella man should have waved a bottle of boot legged booze instead

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 22, 2013 03:44 PM (t3UFN)

19 NC Kate, I never expected to even like that show, but I ended up loving it. Carol

Posted by: Carol T at November 22, 2013 03:45 PM (z4WKX)

20 For lefty to be constntly calling prisons inhumane, Charlie Manson looks pretty fucking healthy and he's almost 80. It's sickening that he can play aorund with that bimbo.

Posted by: Generalissimo Taco at November 22, 2013 03:46 PM (kkbgQ)

21 Only racist conservative kooks carried umbrellas back then.

Posted by: MSM at November 22, 2013 03:47 PM (5ikDv)

22 >> That part of the story is indeed "solved" That what they want you to think.

Posted by: Andy at November 22, 2013 03:47 PM (0ZQCB)

23 Thanks for link low&slow! IÂ’m going to watch it now.

Posted by: Carol T at November 22, 2013 03:48 PM (z4WKX)

24
The Penguin shot him?

Posted by: TheQuietMan at November 22, 2013 03:48 PM (JivuR)

25 Bloody Ell cant a man take a walk on the promenade without people getting their knickers in a twist?

Posted by: Terry Gillium at November 22, 2013 03:48 PM (N3Al8)

26 My theory is that Jackie shot him. He was pointing out all of the women in crowd he wanted to bang and she pull a gun and shot him

Posted by: TheQuietMan at November 22, 2013 03:49 PM (JivuR)

27 JFK will always be a sleazeball trust fund brat in my eyes, but I do wonder had the assasination never happened, our country would have been better off.

JFK was actually in many ways to the Right of his opponent Richard Nixon, and Goldwater's landslide loss (as LBJ rode JFKs coffin in) gave the Left a blank check, and they cashed it. Most of our problems today are a result of the "Great Society" programs that were enacted.

That's why I always get nervous when the GOP looks like its about to throw a temper tantrum and nominate someone who has zero chance of winning. Landslide losses at the top of the ticket have huge reperucussions.

Posted by: Uniden at November 22, 2013 03:49 PM (XDRsa)

28 What's funny about the JFK conspiracy theories is that there's no THERE there. Nothing they say is true.

1. The bullet that hit Kennedy and Connally was not "pristine."

2. Oswald was an expert marksman.

3. The Zapruder film clearly shows the final head shot spraying blood and brain matter forward, indicating that Kennedy was shot from behind.

4. The History Channel exactly reproduced the single-bullet wounds in ballistic dummies.

5. Several shooters--one who was eighty-six years old--have recreated Oswald's feat of hitting a moving target in the time allowed using a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle.

6. The supposed fourth shot on the tape of the motorcycle cop was shown to be just background noise.

And so on, forever. The conspiracy theorists do this interesting thing to bolster their theories: They lie.

Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 03:49 PM (Az/z4)

29 So maybe I missed it. How did Jack Ruby get through the basement?

Posted by: Tobacco Road at November 22, 2013 03:49 PM (4Mv1T)

30 The science is settled!

Posted by: Count de Monet at November 22, 2013 03:50 PM (BAS5M)

31 This is not hard. Oswald was a Cuban agent. He was sent to kill Kennedy because we had tried to kill Castro at least three times. My father was on the general staff at the pentagon. He had retired by 63. When he heard Kennedy had been killed, he said one thing. "The Cubans did it." That didn't fit the narrative and would have require a response from the USA so we let it slid. You can't start WW3 when you threw the first ball.

Posted by: Nip Sip at November 22, 2013 03:50 PM (0FSuD)

32 Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 07:49 PM (Az/z4) yes that is all very true. Good summary

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 22, 2013 03:50 PM (t3UFN)

33 It was the Dukes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsIQj8gZeo0

Posted by: DaveA[/i][/b][/s] at November 22, 2013 03:50 PM (DL2i+)

34 MARY POPPINS WAS IN ON IT!!!!

Posted by: --- at November 22, 2013 03:51 PM (MMC8r)

35 ya, Im done, I got nothin

Posted by: oc joe at November 22, 2013 03:51 PM (5fkya)

36
I have the answer, so have your credit card ready and call me at 1-800-HOT-MESS.

Posted by: Miss Cleo of Psychic Friends Network at November 22, 2013 03:53 PM (pJF+c)

37 All I got: Fuck Oliver Stone. Fuck that asshole straight to Hell.

Posted by: ghostofhallelujah at November 22, 2013 03:53 PM (XvrTA)

38 Joe Kennedy, Sr. - the original Breaking Bad Walter White. He just wanted to provide for his family.

Posted by: Count de Monet at November 22, 2013 03:53 PM (BAS5M)

39 CarolT,

Did you ever watch Breaking Bad?

Posted by: EC at November 22, 2013 03:53 PM (doBIb)

40 Damn it, I love a good time travel conspiracy. Bring me a temporal paradox link, stat!

Posted by: Fritz at November 22, 2013 03:54 PM (TKFmG)

41 Mason did it.

Posted by: EC at November 22, 2013 03:54 PM (doBIb)

42 Dark Complexioned Man is obviously George Hamilton.

Posted by: --- at November 22, 2013 03:54 PM (MMC8r)

43 >>> How did Jack Ruby get through the basement? Based on what Ace posted earlier, I'll venture that some Joe Kennedy Sr. operative snuck him in.

Posted by: fluffy at November 22, 2013 03:56 PM (akvDz)

44 watching Eddie and the Crusiers, Did you know he was dead?

Posted by: oc joe at November 22, 2013 03:56 PM (5fkya)

45 How did Jack Ruby get through the basement? he walked in

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 22, 2013 03:56 PM (t3UFN)

46 Did you ever watch Breaking Bad? Posted by: EC at November 22, 2013 07:53 PM (doBIb) I really get tired of theme songs and openings. Breaking Bad had a twang twang rattle rattle and then dissolved into the periordic table and the show started. Took about 10 seconds. For that I am thankful.

Posted by: Generalissimo Taco at November 22, 2013 03:57 PM (kkbgQ)

47 I really get tired of theme songs and openings. Breaking Bad had a twang twang rattle rattle and then dissolved into the periordic table and the show started. Took about 10 seconds. For that I am thankful.

Did you know they made a full song out of it? It's for sale on iTunes. I don't think it's all that, but it's for the hardcore fans who want everything BB.

Posted by: EC at November 22, 2013 03:58 PM (doBIb)

48
The other shooter is buried in a hole out past Turalinga. I still got the shovel

Posted by: That old dude from that movie at November 22, 2013 03:58 PM (iGPSR)

49 But it was a 5.56 NATO umbrella!!!!!!!

Posted by: Sean Bannion[/i][/s][/u][/b] at November 22, 2013 03:59 PM (yz6yg)

50 Tom Bethell, and it was the American Spectator, the fellow Stone relied on, Mr. X, was one of General Lansdale's eccentric assistant, Pletcher Prouty, who was an crazy jackalope, the other one was Daniel Ellsberg, he regretted hiring both,

Posted by: jeffrey pelt at November 22, 2013 03:59 PM (Jsiw/)

51 Nip Sip, Your fatherÂ’s words are interesting & probably true.

Posted by: Carol T at November 22, 2013 04:00 PM (z4WKX)

52 Anyone who handles an umbrella with that kind of skill must have been specially-trained trained by foreign agents. Those suckers are complicated.

Posted by: Barky O'Genius at November 22, 2013 04:01 PM (8ZskC)

53 The dog that got enrolled in Obamacare was just on Greta. Baxter, a Yorkie.

Posted by: [/i][/b][/u][/s] Tami at November 22, 2013 04:01 PM (bCEmE)

Wait...... Kennedys dead?

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at November 22, 2013 04:02 PM (jucos)

55 The dog that got enrolled in Obamacare was just on Greta. Baxter, a Yorkie.

No doubt I will soon be paying for Baxter's dental care.

Posted by: Peaches at November 22, 2013 04:02 PM (8lmkt)

56 Good post, Umbrella man was a Historically savvy dork like me.

No really that was the whole point.

Posted by: sven at November 22, 2013 04:02 PM (9jfyN)

57 The most common belief is that the Umbrella Man "signaled" the shooter(s) that it was safe to take the shot.

This is completely wrong. It was the commie black panther that salutes to signal Oswald it was safe to take the shot.

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at November 22, 2013 04:02 PM (iGPSR)

58 Anyone catch this 80's movie called "Flashpoint"? It's about the Kennedy assassination. This one has the US govt all up in the conspiracy as the trigger man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashpoint_%28film%29

It's pretty good. See if you can catch on Netflix or the torrents.

Posted by: EC at November 22, 2013 04:03 PM (doBIb)

59 >>>>How did Jack Ruby get through the basement?>>>>

He was pals with the Dallas PD. They'd go to his strip club, and he'd give them free drinks and the hefty women of the day. He was a cop groupie.

There's footage of Ruby attending the first public display of Oswald after he was arrested, in which Oswald appears with a black eye and says he hasn't been charged with the assassination. Ruby's right there in the back, standing on a chair.

The cops let Ruby roam wherever he wanted in the station. He had no history of violent crime and showed no threatening intent toward Oswald, so nobody thought to stop him when he went into the basement.

Every single law-enforcement official in Dallas was in shock for months. Nobody was thinking clearly.

Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 04:03 PM (Az/z4)

60 Everyone knows JFK was assassinated by JFK, as illustrated in the famous documentary series Red Dwarf.

Posted by: Anachronda at November 22, 2013 04:03 PM (U82Km)

61 I pointed a gun out the window of the Texas Book Depository to protest Archduke Francis Ferdinand, whom I loathed.

Posted by: Zombie Lee Harvey Oswald at November 22, 2013 04:04 PM (8ZskC)

62 Mason did it.

Posted by: EC

Perry or Jackie?

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at November 22, 2013 04:04 PM (KVY+w)

63 So maybe I missed it. How did Jack Ruby get through the basement? Posted by: Tobacco Road at November 22, 2013 07:49 PM (4Mv1T) I watched the CBS special last weekend on JFK and they were learning on the job of reporting live. I think one of them must have said on air that Oswald was being moved. I donÂ’t know, thatÂ’s just my guess. Anyone know how Ruby got in?

Posted by: Carol T at November 22, 2013 04:05 PM (z4WKX)

64 Every single law-enforcement official in Dallas was in shock for months. Nobody was thinking clearly.

Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 08:03 PM (Az/z4)

Plus, as anyone in or near my age group knows, things were vastly different back then. And this was a Whole New Thing and there were no Procedures In Place.

Posted by: Peaches at November 22, 2013 04:05 PM (8lmkt)

65 So the last thing that went through JFK's mind was, "oh shit, another Neville Chamberlain-hater."

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at November 22, 2013 04:05 PM (8ZskC)

66 15 Stone being one of the wongnuts Wong as in the incredibly wealthy Mars Wongs?

Posted by: Anachronda at November 22, 2013 04:05 PM (U82Km)

67 Wait...... Kennedys dead? She was the best VJ MTV ever had. RIP.

Posted by: --- at November 22, 2013 04:06 PM (MMC8r)

Interesting.

Umbrellas are mysterious and complex devices.

That guy handled his like he had some sort of formal training.

Posted by: Barack Hussein Obama at November 22, 2013 04:06 PM (B/qhv)

69 58 EC at November 22, 2013 08:03 PM (doBIb)

http://youtu.be/MK6vYsXe-XM

Flashpoint 15 minutes of key scenes

Posted by: sven at November 22, 2013 04:06 PM (9jfyN)

70 Perry or Jackie?

Posted by: weft cut-loop at November 22, 2013 08:04 PM (KVY+w)

Play more Call of Duty Black Ops.

Posted by: EC at November 22, 2013 04:06 PM (doBIb)

71 JFK was shot by a number of people in buildings, the grassy knoll or hiding in the sewer grates by people aligned with either mobsters, illuminati or aliens

That was ages ago. Now, we're responsible. You pick it, we did it.

Posted by: The Tea Party at November 22, 2013 04:06 PM (Dwehj)

72 63 Carol T at November 22, 2013 08:05 PM (z4WKX)

Uh he was working for the Press and handed out passes to a strip club like a new father passes out cigars ma'am...

for the Horde's perusal Ruby and Oswald 1978

http://youtu.be/AnAIWMAuJwQ

full movie

Posted by: sven at November 22, 2013 04:08 PM (9jfyN)

73 Oh, I thought you were going to say that Obama's disastrous attempt to guide his umbrella through that gate is what caused the rift in the Space Time Continuum to occur, which in turn allowed Sarah Palin's Uterus to travel back in time and murder Kennedy.

Posted by: FYNQ at November 22, 2013 04:08 PM (TM1p8)

74 Ruby also had terminal cancer and mob links. The mob, which has involved in at least two assassination attempts against Castro, probably would not have been disappointed to see Oswald dead. The entire Cuban shit needed to go away. Oswald, if he lived, would have eventually spilled the beans and the whole thing unravels. Best to put it to bed.

Posted by: Nip Sip at November 22, 2013 04:09 PM (0FSuD)

75 Now a days when a prisoner is moved no one knows until they are settled in.

Posted by: Generalissimo Taco at November 22, 2013 04:10 PM (kkbgQ)

76 the guy with the umbrella had nothing to do with it. He was just some nut. Trust me on this.

Posted by: the man on the grassy knoll at November 22, 2013 04:10 PM (O7OxF)

77 http://www.cosmicconservative.com/weblog/?p=8079

umbrellas . . . how do they work?

Posted by: Barky the appeaser at November 22, 2013 04:10 PM (8lmkt)

78 Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 08:03 PM (Az/z4) I didnÂ’t know that about Ruby. Thank you Tacky Adhesive.

Posted by: Carol T at November 22, 2013 04:10 PM (z4WKX)

79 The typhoon in the Philippines? Us.

Posted by: The Tea Party at November 22, 2013 04:10 PM (Dwehj)

80 Ummmmmmmmmmmm........ I am, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh quite handy with an umbrella

Posted by: Preznit Urkel X at November 22, 2013 04:10 PM (jucos)

81 >>>>Anyone know how Ruby got in?>>>>

The garage had no door. It just had a huge, open entrance. Ruby sent a telegram earlier in the day telling someone to take care of some business deal, and then he walked a stripper's dogs. When he went to the police station, he saw the crowd of reporters going into the garage, so he followed.

It's absolutely clear that he acted on the spur of the moment. He was always armed, and his statements indicate that he thought he'd be considered a hero for killing Oswald.

Think of it this way: In three months Snowden exposed the most secret government operations in American history. He went into the NSA with an agenda of doing so.

In fifty years, not a single person has infiltrated the government and exposed any credible evidence that JFK was killed by anybody except Oswald acting alone.

Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 04:11 PM (Az/z4)

82 I am MUCH more interested in the "dark-skinned" man next to him. Looks a lot like Obama's dad to me . . .

Posted by: BuilderDoug at November 22, 2013 04:11 PM (94S4K)

83 At this Point, WHAT DIFFERENCE does it make? Whether he was just a guy with an umbrella on a really hot, sunny day or a guy with a super secret umbrella gun? - H. Clinton, Testimony before the Warren Commission. You did not read her testimony? Conspeeeraaaaceeee, Man.

Posted by: Bill Simpson at November 22, 2013 04:12 PM (sVYU4)

@8 Obama was also signaling something when he raised and lowered an umbrella at the WH gate.

--------------

Don't you mean - when he had the marine raise and lower it for him?

Posted by: junior at November 22, 2013 04:12 PM (UWFpX)

85 Probably vampires . . . we'll just never know.

Posted by: Peaches at November 22, 2013 04:13 PM (8lmkt)

86 77 umbrellas . . . how do they work? And now we know the truth: Obama wasn't having difficulty getting the umbrella through the gate, he was showing solidarity with Chamberlain.

Posted by: Anachronda at November 22, 2013 04:13 PM (U82Km)

87 The mob, which has involved in at least two assassination attempts against Castro, probably would not have been disappointed to see Oswald dead. The entire Cuban shit needed to go away. Oswald, if he lived, would have eventually spilled the beans and the whole thing unravels. Best to put it to bed. Posted by: Nip Sip at November 22, 2013 08:09 PM (0FSuD) To bad there is no absolutely no evidence for that theory

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 22, 2013 04:13 PM (t3UFN)

88 I know someone whose mother became a big jfk conspiracy nut. It destroyed the family.

Posted by: Generalissimo Taco at November 22, 2013 04:13 PM (kkbgQ)

89 Oswald was a communist who hated Russia as not communist enough. As an ex-Marine he could shoot. The KGB had a very successful disinformation campaign up and running right after the shooting. It basically blamed the evil American society and it's continuing decay for Kennedy being shot. Recent testimony by a Dallas police officer who would know says Ruby went in a ramp to the basement that was unguarded by DPD. There was a decoy car that went up the ramp, which Ruby entered. The normal entrance was guarded by that police officer, who said Ruby did not go by him.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at November 22, 2013 04:13 PM (u82oZ)

90 It was the Queen, The Vatican, the Gettys, the Rothschilds...and The Colonel.

Colonel Sanders

Posted by: I Crave Chicken Fortnightly Look at November 22, 2013 04:14 PM (ym8Ts)

91 >>>>Oswald was a communist who hated Russia as not communist enough.
The KGB had a very successful disinformation campaign up and running right after the shooting.>>>>

Behold the self-negating post.

Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 04:15 PM (Az/z4)

92 In fifty years, not a single person has infiltrated the government and exposed any credible evidence that JFK was killed by anybody except Oswald acting alone for the Cubans Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 08:11 PM (Az/z4) FIFY

Posted by: Nip Sip at November 22, 2013 04:15 PM (0FSuD)

93 In fifty years, not a single person has infiltrated the government and exposed any credible evidence that JFK was killed by anybody except Oswald acting alone. I remember hearing something in passing about how Clinton appointed someone to lead one of the lettered agencies with express direction to find information about Kennedy and aliens.

Posted by: bonhomme[/i][/b][/i][/b] at November 22, 2013 04:16 PM (sByIH)

94 I think Oswald hated Russia because it is a miserable place to live. Regardless, he would be miserable no matter where he was.

Posted by: Generalissimo Taco at November 22, 2013 04:17 PM (kkbgQ)

95 New thread!

Posted by: Vendette at November 22, 2013 04:17 PM (MpP9p)

96 The KGB had a very successful disinformation campaign up and running right after the shooting.>>>> Behold the self-negating post. Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 08:15 PM (Az/z4) After the fall of the Soviet Union documents came to light that yes the KGB knew immediately who Oswald was and were scared shitless that they might get blamed. They knew Oswald was a nut also.

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 22, 2013 04:17 PM (t3UFN)

97 Plus, as anyone in or near my age group knows, things were vastly different back then. I wish more people understood this simple truth. A whole lot of serious people thought this was the first shot of WW3. We were put on full alert. Full load, pilots man your planes, etc. etc.

Posted by: VADM(Red) Cuthbert Collingwood (Mentioned in Despatches) at November 22, 2013 04:17 PM (O7OxF)

98 To bad there is no absolutely no evidence for that theory Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 22, 2013 08:13 PM (t3UFN) I don't deny that, it is pure conjecture. More than likely Ruby just wandered in and got pissed and shot the asshole. BUT, only "The Shadow knows for sure".

Posted by: Nip Sip at November 22, 2013 04:17 PM (0FSuD)

99 Oswald was a lot more Occupy than Tea Party.

Posted by: --- at November 22, 2013 04:17 PM (MMC8r)

100 >>>>In fifty years, not a single person has infiltrated the government and exposed any credible evidence that JFK was killed by anybody except Oswald acting alone for the Cubans>>>>

Yes, because the Cubans were not worried in the least that a nation armed with thermonuclear weapons might find out that they'd killed our president.

Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at November 22, 2013 04:17 PM (Az/z4)

101 I remember hearing something in passing about how Clinton appointed someone to lead one of the lettered agencies with express direction to find information about Kennedy and aliens.

Please have her call my West of the Rockies Hotline.

Posted by: George Snoory at November 22, 2013 04:18 PM (Dwehj)

102 I'm sorry but all I could think of when I read "Umbrella Man" was the picture of Obama attempting and failing to work an umbrella...

http://tinyurl.com/4yp8whc

I promise I'll read the rest of this post.

Posted by: Aslan's Girl at November 22, 2013 04:18 PM (KL49F)

103 When does belief in a conspiracy cross over into a mental illness? I would say when they repeat lies that have been proven to be lies. But that would mean tens of millions of people are mentally ill. Look at all the Trayvonites. No matter what the evidence, they gave the Crump version.

Posted by: Generalissimo Taco at November 22, 2013 04:19 PM (kkbgQ)

104 Huh, interesting story, and also LOL that Ollie Stone thought it was part of the "conspiracy"; makes one think he wasn't that well researched, eh?

Posted by: Aslan's Girl at November 22, 2013 04:21 PM (KL49F)

105 Jimmy Breslin on JFKÂ’s Assassination: Two Classic Columns

http://tinyurl.com/le5nouf

Posted by: Dr Spank at November 22, 2013 04:23 PM (P1WNR)

106 It had rained all night and had stopped raining just 2hrs. before that awful moment in time

Posted by: john at November 22, 2013 04:33 PM (XrCJC)

107

And now we know the truth: Obama wasn't having difficulty getting the umbrella through the gate, he was showing solidarity with Chamberlain. Posted by: Anachronda at November 22, 2013 08:13 PM (U82Km)

YES, that fits perfectly, because Barry returned the bust of Churchill.

I am going to write "The Secret Umbrella History of the United States."

Was there an Umbrella Man at Ford's Theater? On the floor of the NY Stock Exchange when the market crashed in '29? Riding with Washington across the Delaware?

Look into every noble and nefarious deed, every filthy plot and you will find an Umbrella Man at the bottom of it.

Posted by: Donna V. sez Dan Brown watch out at November 22, 2013 04:35 PM (R3gO3)

108

103 When does belief in a conspiracy cross over into a mental illness? Posted by: Generalissimo Taco at November 22, 2013 08:19 PM (kkbgQ)

I've always scoffed at conspiracy theories - but this adminstration has me thinking things I would have thought ridiculous back in '08. Like Barry being a puppet with Valerie Jarrett and, ultimately, Soros pulling his strings. That doesn't seem implasible to me any more - so there are moments when I wonder if my hatred for Obama isn't causing me to reach.

Posted by: Donna V. at November 22, 2013 04:41 PM (R3gO3)

109 I thought the umbrella was part of a silent protest by Cuban Americans. They appeared at a lot of Kennedy public events with umbrellas after he refused to provide the "umbrella of aircover" that he originally promised to the Bay of Pigs invaders. I heard this about 20 years ago and again just the other day.

Posted by: newmike at November 22, 2013 04:44 PM (HDLan)

110 The guy might have been just using it to block the sun. Even though it's November, it's Dallas. If he was going to be out there for a while and didn't want the sun in his eyes or getting sunburned, he could have been using it for that.

It's not that common--but people do use umbrellas for that.

Posted by: AD at November 22, 2013 04:51 PM (NmpZu)

111 Tom Brokaw; "Conservative states wanted JFK shot".

This is the 1960 Electoral map.

Red=Nixon Blue=Kennedy

pic.twitter.com/tUfUOdMmbj

Posted by: kbdabear at November 22, 2013 04:52 PM (aTXUx)

112 yeah because no one ever used an umbrella for the sun huh? dumbshits..

google.com/search?q=umbrella+sun

Posted by: Kaptain Amerika at November 22, 2013 04:52 PM (F9D1m)

113 Jimmy Breslin on JFKÂ’s Assassination: Two Classic Columns
http://tinyurl.com/le5nouf

Posted by: Dr Spank at November 22, 2013 08:23 PM (P1WNR)

Those are really good, Spank. Thanks!

Posted by: Peaches at November 22, 2013 04:55 PM (8lmkt)

114 oswald was a commie traitor and deserter who should have been hung instead of being allowed to walk free where murder kennedy on behalf of cuba &the soviets.every thing else is just bull shit by the left who are trying to blame the right.

Posted by: bruce at November 22, 2013 05:04 PM (IDh/t)

115 I'm partial to the theory that the guy driving Kennedy's car is the assassin. If you study frame 313 of the Zapruder film very closely, it seems that the driver is pointing a small pistol backwards over his own shoulder while facing forward. He must have been a pro.

And yes, I actually had somebody tell me this.

Posted by: Biff Boffo at November 22, 2013 06:02 PM (1j9qS)

116 Garrison had to be a nut. There's a book , a diary of the making of Live and let Die by Roger Moore, in it he says he met Garrison while they were filming in LA. He showed him some film footage, couldn't say what, about the case. What did G think, that 007 would find the guilty people ?? G must have shown that stuff to everybody he ever met.

Posted by: bill sometimes bill from canada at November 22, 2013 06:35 PM (o1zlj)

117 Everytime the JFK assasination comes up, conservatives need to push the TRUTH that a left-wing loon killed JFK instead of entertaining all of these ridiculous theories.

Posted by: Uniden at November 22, 2013 07:17 PM (XDRsa)

118 Why do people compare left and right of the JFK era to left and right today? The country at that time was basically conservative socially. Both parties were horrified at JFK's budget presented shortly before his assassination because it was perceived as outrageous.

Umbrella man aside, there is something that no one has ever explained about the Book Depository room where Oswald allegedly stationed. Why did Mac Wallace's fingerprint turn up in that room? Wallace was a known associate of LBJ. That's one of numerous quirks about the case few people even know about.

Oswald may have been a communist, but the strange thing is he was allowed to return to the U.S. despite defecting to Russia.

Whatever the truth behind Kennedy's death was, no one has ever been convicted of doing it. I don't think it was a right-left issue--that isn't how it was perceived then. Many people thought Russia was behind it. Others thought Castro. But the greatest beneficiary of it was LBJ. Life magazine shredded the investigative materials that would have been published the week of Nov. 24. The testimony given to a Senate committee the day before JFK's death would have helped explode LBJ's fragile position at the time; the president had already told his secretary LBJ wouldn't be on the next ticket with him.

It goes on and on. Funny thing is if Ruby hadn't killed Oswald, there might never have been a conspiracy if you think about it.

Posted by: Kay B. Day at November 22, 2013 08:39 PM (SwOZF)

119 First Troll! love it! Umbrella Man

Posted by: unkawill at November 22, 2013 09:24 PM (Gu6LN)

120 I don't understand the hoopla over a man who's father was a illegal substance trafficker, who got his boat run over by an enemy destroyer in wartime, cheated on his wife, and nearly started World War III.

I suspect it is more liberal and hippy navel gazing.

Posted by: Deathknyte at November 22, 2013 11:22 PM (MNes3)

121 Having visited there in November 1968, it was a easy shot. No help needed.

Posted by: burt at November 23, 2013 03:01 AM (1+kJ5)

122 Course Ae.., gots I-T (C- bilius don't have) I c -- as the Hottie said: "they are confus -ed" - but with her bouncy bountifullity and such schitzoidity I don't even know if that's right slash pc anymore ; psyche - no but really - what do they want - psyche - we know - but really - what do they expect - psyche- but really - do they really _really think that - psyche - course: not on top but below o'course so - psyche - so now .... que - what does one do with a rabid rat - psychotic -but really where's HL when u need em - psyche - it's just a dream - psyche - I don't look gift horses in the moufs (180% proof read) Don't wait till the buzzing humm to say what u would have said

Posted by: CrazyEdy-TheCarDealr_4Reals at November 23, 2013 03:21 AM (WOMxz)

123 One of the small points that makes me doubt Oswalds guilt. He got on a bus. Traffic kept the bus from going anywhere. He went to get a cab ... and then he gave away his getaway cab. 12:33 P.M. Lee Harvey Oswald left work, entered a bus, and said, "Transfer, please." 12:40 - 12:45 P.M. Oswald got off the bus, entered a cab, and said, "May I have this cab?" A woman approached, wanting a cab, and Oswald said, "I will let you have this one. . . .

Posted by: Bruce at November 23, 2013 08:26 AM (vJfir)

124 For the record: I'm not a troll. I read here often. I've researched the JFK case because it was a big event for those of us who remember it firsthand. The government has released many documents; people are often unaware they're even available. I don't have answers. I do like to raise questions. Funny. I thought that's what intellectually curious people did.

Posted by: Kay B. Day at November 23, 2013 09:10 AM (SwOZF)

125 many people use umbrella to shade from the sun

Posted by: ploome at November 23, 2013 11:05 AM (UoreL)

126 Kay B Day, I think the person who said "first troll" was referring to the umbrella man himself using troll-like tactics, therefore him being the "first troll" that we know of.

Posted by: Adrienne at November 23, 2013 08:39 PM (U3Y6a)

127 Appreciate that, Adrienne. Reckon I just about don't trust anything I read anymore. Must be all those profs who said, "Be objective. Trust no one." Something like that. Yesteryear.

Posted by: Kay B. Day at November 23, 2013 09:20 PM (SwOZF)

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