21 November 2023 , 22:22
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The two surviving secret service officers who were protecting John F Kennedy when he was murdered fear the truth about his death will die with them.
On the 60th anniversary of the murder, Clint Hill and Paul Landis have spoken out as the world remains divided over the killing. The two men, who rode in the presidential cavalcade in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, are concerned their facts will give way to falsehoods after they die. Hill, who leapt on the back of JFK’s limousine after the shooting, feels strongly about his legacy.
He says: “It concerns me a great deal because there aren’t many of us left and eventually, the way things have been going, the conspiracy theories are going to win out, and then you won’t have any factual information about what happened. It should be documented. It should be factual, not conspiratorial.”
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Landis near JFK on day of killing (Bettmann Archive)Few of those present during the murder in Dealey Plaza witnessed the tragedy as intimately as Hill and Landis, who had been assigned to First Lady Jackie Kennedy’s detail. Despite his 91 years, Hill vividly recalls the shots ringing out.
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He says: “All of a sudden, I heard an explosive noise from over my right shoulder. I began to turn, but my eyes remained fixed on the President. He grabbed his throat and fell to his left. I jumped off and ran to try and get to him, to Mrs Kennedy, to form a barrier to protect them.”
Paul LandisHill climbed on the presidential limousine – one of the moments captured on film by clothing manufacturer Abraham Zapruder – as it began to accelerate away. Hill has steadfastly maintained his belief the death was caused by “one man, one gun, three shots”, and that former Soviet Union defector Lee Harvey Oswald pulled the trigger.
Hill has always agreed with the Warren Commission’s conclusion that neither Oswald nor the man who shot him dead, Jack Ruby, were part of a conspiracy to kill Kennedy. Hill’s then colleague Landis has now revealed something that some say explodes the magic bullet theory. He was on the running board of the car behind Kennedy when the shots were fired.
Clint Hill jumping on the limo (CPL / Everett / Rex Features)Landis, 88, says he noticed a bullet lodged in the back of Kennedy’s car. He adds: “I saw the bullet and my immediate concern was to secure it. There was chaos, and the last thing we needed was for evidence to be mishandled.”
Fearful the bullet might be lost, he placed the seemingly undamaged projectile on the stretcher carrying Texas Governor John Connally. This act gave rise to the magic bullet theory – introduced by the Warren Commission – suggesting a round hit Kennedy in the back, exited his throat, then struck Connally, who had been in front of JFK.
Oswald is killed by Ruby (Popperfoto/Getty Images)Landis has broken his silence by writing his book, The Final Witness. His account is a major development. There are many theories about how many gunmen were involved, who was ultimately responsible, and how many bullets hit the president. Dr Cyril Wecht, a medical-legal consultant who is an expert on many high-profile deaths, says Landis’ revelations disprove the theory one of the bullets hit both Kennedy and Connally.
Wecht said: “It pours more concrete over the gravesite over the single bullet [theory].” He believes a small group including the Italian Mob and rogue elements of the CIA may have been behind the killing. Wecht says: “The motive would have been to stop Kennedy’s socio-political agenda, nationally and internationally.”
Daily Mirror in 1963 (Daily Mirror)Many people think there is still crucial evidence being concealed. Two attorneys – Lawrence Schnapf and William Simpich – along with the Mary Ferrell Foundation, are suing the US government in an attempt to obtain more records regarding the assassination.
A hearing is scheduled for December 14. Regardless of whether this quest for information will give ammunition to conspiracy theorists, Hill does not expect to change his view about what happened 60 years ago today. He says: “There are very few people left who were present that day, and we’ll all be gone soon, and there will be no one left to tell the facts.”