November 22nd

The aircraft touched down at Love Field on a beautiful autumn day; skies were blue and clear, the mood was that of much anticipation. The destination was to be the Dallas Trade Mart, where a speech would be made during that luncheon. The motorcade left the airport at 11:50 am.

The vehicles had already stopped twice to greet cititzens; it was now creeping at 11 miles per hour. In a case of serendipity, Agent Rufus Youngblood happened to look up at the clock atop a building and mentally noted: 12:30.

The building? The Texas School Book Depository.

Shots were heard. The entire event lasted roughly six to eight seconds -- seconds that were to not only change the world, change the United States, but ultimately to change the way its citizens viewed its government. And the Age Of Conspiracy was born.

Texas Governor John Connally was hit in the wrist, shoulder and leg. President Kennedy's wounds would be disputed from then until now. What is incontrovertible is that he officially died at Parkland Hospital four miles from Dealey Plaza.

CBS reporter Walter Cronkite, with much emotion, removed his glasses and said:

From Dallas, Texas, a flash, apparently official. President Kennedy died at 1:00 pm central standard time, two o'clock eastern standard time, some thirty-eight minutes ago."

And a nation sat transfixed and stunned.
Initially, certain frames of the Zapruder Film were never shown -- such as the above frame where the bullet strikes President Kennedy's head. Agent Clint Hill rushed to the presidential Lincoln and pushed Jacqueline Kennedy back into the rear seat, after she had climbed out of the back seat in an attempt to retrieve parts of her husband's skull which had been sprayed behind. She said to Agent Hill: "I have a piece of his brain in my hand."

Was this a conspiracy and who was involved? Who profited? Who benefited politically, and who benefited fiscally? Did Johnson benefit and was he involved? Were the Cubans involved? Was our government involved? Was the CIA involved? Was Organized Crime involved?

Why was it that it appeared everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong? What happened to Kennedy's brain? What happened to his coffin? Why was Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated? What is it that Gerald Ford actually knows? What does Arlen Specter actually know?

It is still remarkably disturbing to people (like myself) who lived during those times that one person or a cabal of individuals could assassinate our President on our own soil, and that so much could go wrong in the ensuing investigation -- and that we still hold no suspects.

President Kennedy died that day, as did the national feeling of a "New Frontier."

Who was responsible?

Why do we not know conclusively?

And why are records, 43 years after the event, still sealed?

BZ