WHITEWASH-the report on the Warren Report by Harold Weisberg, Chapter 4: The Marksman
Knoxville, Tennessee (JFKASSASSINATION) Today this blog reports on Chapter 4 of Harold Weisberg's book "Whitewash--the report on the Warren Report", published in 1965.
The title of Chapter 4 is The Marksman.
Harold Weisberg begins this chapter with a quote from Warren Commission member & former CIA director Allen Dulles:
"The essence of intelligence is to get one fact & bulldog it to death."
In Mr. Weisberg's view, Allen Dulles "did not practice what he preached."
Weisberg writes:
"There is no single thing that is proved beyond reasonable doubt about the marksman, the rifle, the ammunition, the shooting or the number of shots except that (JFK) was killed, Officer Tippit was killed, & (John) Connally was wounded."
He points out that the Commission evaded most of the solid evidence that "it could not avoid developing."
Mr. Weisberg refers to the testimony of a former marksman in the US Navy, Ordinanceman Andrews, who said:
"You just don't pick up a rifle....& stay proficient with it. You have to know what you are doing....Somebody else pulled the trigger."
Mr. Andrews points out that in his years of experience, everyone he knew could not stay proficient in the use of a rifle without constant, repetitive practice.
Weisberg argues that even if Oswald had been a skilled marksman, there is no evidence to show he practiced to maintain his skill.
He further states that while in the US Marines, Lee Oswald was a poor marksman. In one test, he scored in the middle grade, but in another "did very badly."
Added to this information is the fact that the Manlicher-Carcano found on the 6th floor of the TSBD "could not be fired accurately" due to a defective "sight".
Another factor that Mr. Weisberg brings out is that the ammunition for the rifle is of "rather low velocity." The Commission, Weisberg points out, repeatedly refers to the rifle as being of high velocity.
Weisberg does admit that "the Commission did link the....rifle to Oswald" but after it came into his possession there was no further evidence produced that would connect him to this particular weapon.
Harold Weisberg ends this chapter with these words:
"(The Commission)...presumes Oswald's possession of the rifle & ammunition &, on the basis of these presumptions, concludes that Oswald was the marksman who committed murder."*
*Chapter 4 includes a copy of Lee Harvey Oswald's Marine Corps qualification scores for May 6, 1959.
Using an M-1 rifle, Oswald's score was 191, just 1 point above the minimum score to be qualified as "Marksman".
A score of 220 was "Expert", 210 "Sharpshooter", & 190 "Marksman".
Is it true that Oswalds Carcano's sights had to be shimmed by marksmen testing the rifle just to hit a target? If so this doesn't say much for the theory of him as "The Lone Assassin".
ReplyDeleteIs it true that Oswalds Carcano's sights had to be shimmed by marksmen testing the rifle just to hit a target? If so this doesn't say much for the theory of him as "The Lone Assassin".
ReplyDeleteThanks for the question. Mr. Weisberg cites Volume 17 of the Warren Report "where the table of contents refers to "3 shims inserted under the mount of the C2766 rifle during tests performed on the rifle." I agree with you, it does not match up with the "lone assassin" theory.
ReplyDeleteI've been researching the medical evidence for a college paper. The differences in reported wounds between dallas and Maryland are fantastic; implausible.
ReplyDeleteThat's great. I would definitely be interested in reading your paper if you could email it to me & with your permission would like to publish a summary of it on this blog. Good luck with your paper.
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