Review: Report of the Warren Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

Report of the Warren Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy by Warren Commission
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thoughts I had in 2011 musing upon reading this years earlier:

I read this a long time ago. So, I am left with impressions but rather than details. Well, there are two main impressions: First, it is a very dry read as one would expect for a government body investigation report. Secondly, so many bullets found at the scene and so many people shot (not just those in the car), that it is hard for me to believe it was a single gunmen that less loose all that ammo in six seconds. Still, I suppose it is possible....

Then, I re-read it. I also at the same time read A Concise Compendium of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, so I will let my thoughts on the Report itself reside in that review.

This edition from The New York Times including many more photographic displays of Commission exhibits and four introductory pieces:

1. Tom Wicker's Special to The New York Times of Nov. 23, 1963 including such early reporting as:

Mr. Kennedy also had a massive, gaping wound in the back and one on the right side of the head. However, the doctors said it was im­possible to determine immediately whether the wounds had been caused by on bullet or two.

That makes it sound like JFK was hit twice from the front and the only shot that hit anyone from the Texas School Book Depository was the one that hit Connally. There are substantiated theories that Oswald wanted to kill Connally, not Kennedy.

2. An introduction from Harrison E. Salisbury that suggests this is the final word, but won't stop conspiracies from growing.

3. Same thing in a small piece from Anthony Lewis. Well, his adds fuel to the idea above that Kennedy was not Oswald's goal:

After his arrest, he told the police that “My wife and I like the President's family. They are interesting people.” He said, “I am not a malcontent; nothing irritated me about the President."

4. Finally, two pages from James Reston attempting to quickly summarize the inexplicable Oswald in the context of a panoply of other assassinations.

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