From Rorschach Test to Time Clock: The Zapruder Film

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Published 2015-05-29
Author and journalist Max Holland traced the tangled history of the most famous yet misunderstood piece of evidence from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy: the 26.6 second long film made by Dallas businessman Abraham Zapruder.

The opinions and viewpoints expressed here are those of the presenter(s), not The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

Note: The question-and-answer portion of this program has been edited for time.

This presentation took place at the Museum on May 7, 2015. To see related films, photos, documents and oral histories from The Sixth Floor Museum's collection, visit our online collections database (emuseum.jfk.org/). Or make a research appointment to explore the books, DVDs and other materials available in the Museum's Reading Room (www.jfk.org/go/reading-room).

All Comments (21)
  • @davidrusso1280
    The thing that really trips me up: Everyone I listen to sounds reasonable in that moment. Then I hear the other side and they sound reasonable. I would love to see a debate on each point of contention, where the "evidence" offered by each side is examined and affirmed or debunked.
  • One bullet explodes on impact, one bullet travels through 2 bodies and is in near perfect condition to be recovered as evidence. The claim the exploding bullet was due to it hitting the bone in the skull, yet the other hit bone also, why such a dramatic difference. Have tests been done on these bullets to prove they explode when hitting a human skull ?
  • @judhudon6235
    I don't know if Mr. Holland is covering up for the powers-that-be or if he has tunnel vision. With any murder, especially with a political assassination, there is context as well as the crime scene. Mr. Holland is only interested in the crime scene. He says nothing about the acoustic recording that shows at least four shots. He says nothing about the Parkland physicians who, to the man, said that there was a frontal shot that was fatal. He says nothing about Deputy Roger Craig's testimony and mysterious death. He says nothing about how the president's body was illegally and forcibly removed from the hospital. He says nothing about the botched autopsy at Bethesda Hospital. He says nothing about how the real head of the Warren Commission was ex-CIA Director Allen Dulles and how John J. McCloy, a Rockefeller man, played a principle role in the cover-up. Instead, Holland concocts yet another Arlen-Spector-type theory on how Oswald fired three shots in now eleven, not six, seconds. The question should not be about Oswald in Dallas but the powers-that-be in New York City in 1963. Similarly, the question should not be about Booth in Washington, D.C. but the powers-that-be in New York City throughout 1864 till mid-April 1865.
  • There were several copies made of the Zapruder film. The chain of possession of each copy is in doubt.
  • @Jim75793
    Holland’s answer to the question re. the comment by Parkland medical attendances that a bulllet entered from the front was wrong because they didn’t see JFK’s back. What Holland leaves out is that Parkland medical authorities would have seen JFK’s back but also the front of his head where Dr. McClellan believed the bullet that killed JFK entered. Had JFK’s body not been illegally removed, Parkland medical authorities would have been able to make a complete examination of the wounds.
  • @dpitd
    Fascinating. Thank you.
  • Minor correction to a misstatement . Tague's wound was actually on HIS right cheek. The scab circled was in fact just that, a scab from a previous wound.
  • @roberta.6399
    His very last statement about the head shot being from the rear is completely opposite of Dr. Cryil Wecht's hypotheses pertaining to the fatal head shot. Dr Wecht also states that the 2 lead Pathologists at Bethesda were extremely inept at best for a litney of reasons. Dr Wecht's argument is very compelling.
  • @MakerInMotion
    Hey if I donate to the museum will you promise to use it to buy a pop filter for your lectern's microphone?
  • @erikalesi7603
    Imagine ignoring modern day forensic science and ballistics and still believing Oswald acted alone.
  • @davidgoetz2576
    Very interesting. An important contribution to the history of the event. A good example of how to synthesize different pieces of evidence. The early first-shot conclusion finally gives Oswald a solid amount of time to get off all 3 shots and provides important support to the lone-gunman conclusion. I agree with the presenter that it is unfortunate that the Warren Commission had not settled this issue when the had the chance. But they had a lot to do and limited time in which to do it. And I think a lot of the criticism of the Commission and the development of all the conspiracy theories would have happened anyway, in large part thanks to Jack Ruby.
  • @beebroot
    What about inability to see the target from the window through the oak tree and the traffic signal that has been changed out since 63? It's always amazed me how many landmarks have been moved in Dealy Plaza since the murder.
  • @benruffo1197
    Bits of exploding ammunition were found in Connelly s wrist. No metal was missing in the magic bullet. Please explain.
  • @FredLL1950
    "The opinions and viewpoints expressed here are those of the presenter(s), not The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza." This phrase at the bottom of the description is all you need to know about what this guy has to say. If the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza doesn't agree with him, why should anyone.
  • @rerschik
    The fact that the 6th Floor would not allow the display of Matt Shaw's material on Dorthy Kilgallen and Jack Ruby is wrong on so many levels. It's clearly in their financial best interest to support the single shooter theory.
  • I have a hard time believing the traffic light post was the same one after 50 years. A jacketed bullet ricocheting off a lamp post would leave an obvious mark.
  • I also thought the first missed shot is on the zapruder film. The little girl running, stops and turns her head, hearing the first shot.