or a while in the Disco-70s, this girlie magazine presented lots of articles by conspiracy writers cumulating in this 32-page “newspaper” insert. Actually a report from Gallery’s ten-member symposium (not a lone-nutter in sight, naturally). Predictable criticism of HSCA missing expectations, along with Jack White’s unintentionally-hilarious “Many Faces of LHO,” and Gary Mack’s paper record of the Dictabelt, later analyzed by Steve Barber who discovered Decker’s cross-talk (discussed in Nova’s 1988 documentary “Who Shot President Kennedy?”). (inside page shown)

or assassination’s 20th-anniversary, Life published this 32-page cover-story package, supervised by then-Managing Editor Richard B. Stolley, who in 1963 negotiated for the magazine the purchase of the Zapruder film. Appearing first is an 8-page retrospective “Favorite Photographs of the Man” showcasing 10 of the most popular images of the President from past issues. The 24-page cover-story feature contained over 80 photographs on the Dallas motorcade, the assassination (with 11 Zapruder stills), the turmoil at Parkland, the apprehension and death of Oswald, the JFK funeral and scene in the White House. First publication of frames from Chris Darrouzet’s home-movie of Kennedy stopping during motorcade to twist in seat, shake hands and do other things that caused his jacket to bunch up even more. For its visit to sites in Dallas, Life presented brief interview excepts and then-current photographs of Marilyn Sitzman, Doris Nelson, Robert Dugger, Nick MacDonald and Jim Leavelle. Little mention of conspiracy allegations, but two-page montage of assassination and Oswald artifacts at the National Archives very sobering.

even-page excerpt from Reston’s forthcoming 1989 Lone Star book on John B. Connally, the Texas Governor who was seriously wounded as he sat in front of the President during the shooting. Rationale for targeting Connally has Oswald being bitter over the downgrading to “dishonorable” of his honorable discharge from the Marines when he defected to the Soviet Union. Reston contends Oswald “defined himself through his Marine Corps service” and the honorable rating was his reward for roughing it through his years in the Marines. In a 1962 letter addressed to Navy Secretary John Connally, Oswald, now wanting to return to the US, asked him to “repair the damage done to me and my family.” But Connally had resigned that federal post six weeks earlier to run for Governor of Texas. Connally’s forwarding the request to his successor was perceived by Oswald as a snub from a fellow Texan. Reston describes Oswald having difficulty finding and keeping work because of the blemish on his record, and that lying about it to get work “launched him into a state of high anxiety.” Seeing Governor Connally now at the pinnacle of Texas politics proved to be the “emotional spark for the assassination.” Reston believes Oswald, in late September 1963, tried to see the Governor in Austin only to be rebuked once again. Then more indifference in Mexico City; Oswald returned to the US with little interest in promoting Castro or Marxism, but with a simmering hatred for the mighty John Connally. Then this bombshell: Dallas lawyer Carroll Jarnagin’s claim of a conversation overheard on October 4 at Jack Ruby’s club between “Lee” and Ruby on plans afoot to kill the Governor. The suspicion that Oswald unintentionally killed JFK in a failed attempt to get Connally (the Accidental Theory) was tendered to the Commission by Marina in 1964; Portrait of the Assassin dismisses it along with Oswald’s “grievance” over the discharge status; Who Was Jack Ruby? discredits the Jarnagin tale. Companion three-page article “Did the Mob Kill J.F.K.?” by Ed Magnuson looks at the attempt in recent books Mafia Kingfish and Contract on America to promote a mob-hit theory incorporating an Oswald impersonator (first theorized in The Second Oswald) to foster a Cuban-Soviet connection. Hugh Sidey’s column poignantly recalled “A Shattering Afternoon in Dallas.”

ombshell claim from son of late DPD officer Roscoe White. Ricky White, then-29 from Midland, Texas, claimed dear ol’ dad led a CIA hit squad that killed Kennedy; Roscoe was stationed alone on the Grassy Knoll, his associates “Lebanon and Sol” fired from the Depository. Pappy also did the tidying-up: killing Tippit (who became suspicious while driving Roscoe and Oswald to the Red Bird Airport) and arranging for Ruby to slay Oswald. The allegations come from what was purported to be Roscoe’s diary, discovered by Ricky in 1982 and now “missing.” Roscoe and Oswald served together in the Marines, Roscoe’s wife Geneva worked in Ruby’s nightclub, and Pops died in a “mysterious explosion in 1971.” Later, a group of Texas investors formed a corporation, MATSU, to market the story as a book or film. Director Oliver Stone was interested but instead used books by Garrison and Marrs. (inside spread shown)

houghtful article that fairly profiled leading critics and the issues, in anticipation of the JFK movie. Grunwald’s article flowed around several contemporary color photos of director Oliver Stone, the motorcade as Stone recreated it, critic Mark Lane, Bob Hayes of the Sixth Floor Museum and Larry Howard in his Assassination Information Center in Dallas. The picture highlight featured a large full-page color photo by Harry Benson of a defiant 77-year-old Penn Jones, Jr. holding a framed headline from his newspaper The Midlothian Mirror. A separate column on most text pages defined “A Conspiracy Lexicon” of terms like Babushka Lady, Black Dog Man and two-Coffins Theory.

Groden received $50,000 for the muddy color Kennedy autopsy pictures appearing on the cover and inside. Sensational headlines that accuse Jackie and Ted Kennedy of suppression equally insulting to President’s memory. No evidentiary value.