Documents / FOIA release
This CIA Historical Review Program release, dated 1966-07-28 and released under the JFK Act, reproduces a New York Review article by Richard H. Popkin reviewing Edward Jay Epstein's Inquest and Harold Weisberg's Whitewash. The article argues that Oswald could not have fired all the shots in the Kennedy assassination. It points to FBI reports, the Zapruder film and bullet No. 399. Popkin proposes a two-assassin conspiracy involving a 'second Oswald' and calls for release of the autopsy photographs and X-rays.
“The Pentagon”1 page
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he heard the first shot and the ballet traveled much faster than the speed of sound, looked for its source to the right and to the left, and then was struck. The Commission has to have him oblivious to the wounding for about a second, while he is looking, even though his fifth rib was smashed and his wrist shattered, and even though he stated positively that when hit, he felt something slam into his back. THE PROBLEM OF whether the Commission theory is at all possible first turns on whether Kennedy was hit in the neck or the back. A simple factual matter like this 'should be definitely ascertainable. But the Commission did not examine the photos or X-rays of the autopsy, and it remains unclear where these are now to be found. Instead the Commission makes bullet No. 399 the key. If the bullet fell out of Connally after traversing the two victims, then the Commission could claim, in seventeenth-century theological style, that if it happened, it must be possible. But bullet No. 399 raises all sorts of problems. First, almost all of the medical experts, including two of the Kennedy autopsy doctors, held that No. 399 could not have done all the damage to Governor Connally, let alone Kennedy Number 399 had lost only about 2.5 grains of its estimated original weight, and more than 3 grains of fragments were either still in Connally or had been recovered from his body. (Salandria's article in The Minority of One examines this in full detail and provides all of the pertinent references.) Second other bullets shot from Os- newsman, Seth Kantor of Scripps Howard, that Jack Ruby was there, that this is denied by Ruby and strongly doubted by the Commission). Fourth, when, late on November 22, the bullet was turned over to the rst expert, Robert Frazier, it didn't need any cleaning (3:428-29). Weisberg makes a great fuss about this, claiming that somebody must have cleaned the bullet earlier and thereby destroyed valuable evidence. However, the history of No. 399 does not indicate that anybody ever cleaned it that day, and thus that it may never have been dirty or soiled. All of these points indicate not only that No. 399 can hardly have done the remarkable things the Commission claims it did, but that there is no evidence at all that it did these things, or came off Connally's stretcher, or ever was in Governor Connally's body. I will suggest presently an explanation for its features. At this point, I should only like to stress that No. 399 is a very shaky reed on which to base the one-bullet hypothesis. To argue that it happened and therefore is possible is not persuasive here, since no one knows what had happened to No. 399 before it was found. WHILE THE REASONS for doubting the "official" theory are becoming much stronger, its ultimate defense is now crumbling because of Epstein's researches. If his account of how the Commission and its staff functioned is correct (and he seems to have the evidence), then the Commission did not do an adequate investigative job, and did not weigh all of the data carefully. "This book should be a must for all those whose minds now fail to accept the idea, for they may alter their opinions after the arguments are presented in detail, photographs shown and case histories outlined." Camden Courier-Post "For those who have never read any serious book on Unidentified Flying Objects, this well-researched volume by Frank Edwards is a must!" Miami News "There has been a vital need for this particular book. It informs, it enlightens, but it does not scare. 'Flying Saucers - Serious Business' is carefully documented, reasoned and convincing!" - Tulsa World "Edwards has succeeded in raising some serious questions on the Pentagon's honesty and/or intelligence in its dealings with the mass of UFO sightings by credible observers. Exciting reading." — Newday "FLYING SAUCERS SERIOUS BUSINESS" by Frank Edwards is available at bookshops everywhere. Get your copy today. If your local bookshop can't supply you, use the coupon below to order directly from the publisher. July 28. 1966 Lyle Stuart, Inc. 227 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10003 I enclose $5.95*. Please send a copy of Frank Edwards' FLYING SAUCERS—SERIOUS BUSINESS* to me postpaid and by return mail. My name is: ___ (please print) Street: ___ Also send me the following books by Frank Edwards for which I enclose additional payment in full: (1) STRANGE PEOPLE $4.95 (2) STRANGER THAN SCIENCE $4.95 (3) STRANGE WORLD $4.95. *(New York State residents please enclose appropriate sales tax. The tax for New York City is 20C for FLYING SAUCERS — SERIOUS BUSINESS and 2X for each of the other titles.) ```markdown ```
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 15 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.