The Peppers Theatre was packed for this intriguingly titled session by Matthew Smith on "Who Really Killed President Kennedy?". It was chaired by Al Senter who introduced the speaker by saying that those who were 'of a certain age' would all recall where they were fifty years ago when the news broke that President John F. Kennedy had been shot at Dallas in 1963.
Matthew Smith said that he has been searching for the truth ever since and he stated unequivocally that the report produced by the Warren Commission was "rubbish and lies". He went on to say that in a report that was over ten million words long and ran to twenty six volumes, there were bound to be inconsistencies, but he implied that the truth had been manipulated. Also he failed to understand why it was published in dribs and drabs around the world.
Smith claimed that many people were unimpressed by the way the investigation was conducted and there were several, doctors, lawyers and professors all well aware that the Warren report was deeply flawed.
His own researches, together with others had started very soon after the event and some parts of which are still not complete, even today. However, his new book is to mark the fiftieth year since the killing of Kennedy.
The title, he said, had been taken from the book originally written by Thomas Gittings Buchanan and published in 1964. Buchanan had been a journalist who was then working in Paris and his book was published before the Warren Report. Going back to the Warren Report itself, he said that in spite of its size it had no index, however, Sylvia Marr had produced an index and this 'opened the flood gates' to researchers who wanted to use the report.
Smith asked why so many books have been written about the murder of JFK, and still continue to be written? Because it is still seen as an unsolved mystery. Here was the leader of the free world who was gunned down on a friendly visit to Dallas. Kennedy's wounds were horrific and, Smith said, could not be described to this audience without upsetting everyone.
So what was it that had brought the Warren Commission Report so much into disrepute? He cited the example of statements from a number of Deputy Sheriffs who had found Lee Harvey Oswald's weapon on the top floor of the book depository and who had all said that it was a German Mauser rifle. Subsequently it was claimed that it actually was an Italian weapon, so the official Warren investigators got everyone to change their signed affidavits, however, one of the Deputies refused to amend his statement and he was then fired and later killed in strange circumstances.
Smith claimed that this was but one example of situations where, if evidence did not fit the Commissions' findings those involved were killed. Although pressed later for further evidence, Smith said that if we wanted further information we should read the book! He did say that he had examples where individuals were honoured if they made their evidence fit the Warren Report findings.
Smith said that he had evidence in his book that indicated that three coffins had been used at different times for the dead President. Again he claimed that all this conflicted with the report submitted by the Warren Commission. He said that there were also conflicting reports of what had happened at the autopsy.
Smith claimed that his evidence all came from individuals who actually saw what had happened. From this, the implication was that the true account is not the one in the Warren Report.
Asked about how many bullets were fired, Smith said that up to six could have been fired in the 5.6 seconds of the engagement. He added that this was a classic ambush with bullets coming from several sides.
He said this had been established through the police motorcycle radio exchanges that were being recorded and which Smith had analysed with new technology in the 1970s. Smith said that the importance of this confirms that there were at least two people involved and so disproves the Warren claim that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. In itself this, Smith claimed, was vitally important evidence which destroys the position taken by the Warren Commission and the US Government.
Asked about Jack Ruby, Smith said he was a low level Mafiosi who received payment from an unidentified source, but thought to be a well off businessman, who wanted to eliminate Lee Harvey Oswald lest his evidence should upset the established official view at the time. There was according to Smith evidence of a reconnaissance being carried out which showed that Lee Harvey Oswald could be assassinated relatively easily, and this is what happened.
Matthew Smith was obviously anxious for us all to buy his book as he only provided snippets of information and evidence before directing us back to the book. He has clearly spent a lifetime researching and following up leads connected with his various theories, so must be one of the most knowledgeable men alive on this subject. He is totally convinced that his evidence is authentic and totally rejected anyone who took issue with him.
Perhaps time will tell whether he is correct or not, but the death of Kennedy is an enthralling subject, particularly for those that lived through those years.
Who Killed Kennedy by Matthew Smith (Mainstream Publishing Co, 2013)