View of site of car and assassination from window on Sixth Floor (7.14.11). Oswald had a clear shot- see the X in the street over the tree. I stood on the front steps of the Depository in December 1963 and have never doubted that Oswald was able to and did do it....................

AVOC

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August 27, 2011

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Dawson Vacation 2011- Dallas, Dealey Plaza & JFK – Part 5

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By Wendell Dawson, Editor, AVOC, Inc

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We continued south on I-35 to Dallas, Texas.     I have been to Dallas and Dealey Plaza several times.  Betty and Jennifer have been also but years ago.    Since our last visits, the old Texas School Book Depository has become a county building and the Sixth Floor Museum was opened.

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Historic Plaque on Book Depository Building at corner of Elm and Houston -7.14.11

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Dealey Plaza became an Historic Site on November 22, 1963, as the President’s motorcade turned down Elm in front of the Texas School Book Depository and headed toward the Stemmons Freeway (I-35 W).   A few car lengths along the way, Kennedy was shot from behind by Lee Harvey Oswald who had a perch set up in the corner of the Sixth Floor of the School Book Depository.  

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Dallas - Dealey Plaza at Elm and Houston with Book Depository to the right was scene of John F. Kennedy Assassination - 7.14.11

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View of site of car and assassination from window on Sixth Floor.Oswald had a clear shot- see the X in the street over the tree.I stood on the front steps of the Depository in December 1963 and have never doubted that Oswald was able to and did do it.   7.14.11

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On a visit to Dallas in December 1963, I stood on the front steps of the Book Depository and could see Oswald’s line of sight.  I have never doubted that he was the single shooter of Kennedy.   The theories about shots from the grassy knoll have never made sense.   It is very unlikely that two people could synchronize their shots at exactly the same time.

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PHOTO of Dealey Plaza as of 11.22.1963 – Book Depository in center

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Corner of Elm & Houston-where Kennedy car turned to go down street in front of School Book Depository –Betty Dawson - 7.14.11

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The Dealey Plaza was filled with flowers and wreaths for sometime after the assassination.  The area has drawn many tourists and still does.   A number of people were there on July 14, 2011, when we visited.

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Gift and Coffee Shop at Dealey Plaza at Houston and Elm- Betty and Jennifer Dawson shopping -7.14.11

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Millions of photographs have been made and circulated of the assassination site along the freeway entrance.   Betty and Jennifer stood along the street at the site on the day of our visit.   It was really hot that day so most folks were staying with the shade.

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JFK Assassination site on Elm St – Betty and Jennifer Dawson -7.14.11

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Another view of the assassination site – Betty is taking Jennifer’s picture- 7.14.11

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Another view of the assassination site –Jennifer Dawson is standing at the point of an X that marks the point where Kennedy was shot on November 22, 1963

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Sixth Floor Museum picture of JFK and car just prior to being struck by bullet - Betty Dawson with packages 7.14.11

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11-28-05 My Memories of the JFK Assassination - 42 YearsLater

http://www.avoc.info/info/article.php?article=3209&ENGINEsessID=e04d716c8705fb17f07f3ca9b8d9f59f

December 1964-- I stood on the steps of the Texas School Book Depository and looked toward the site of the President’s limousine.   A tree was in my path of vision but I noticed it would not be in the way of one in a window on the upper floors.    The experience convinced me that Lee Harvey Oswald had a clear and straight shot at the President and was probably a lone gunman.

A Post Card Acquired in Texas in 1964

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I looked at the Grassy Knoll, the underpass and the whole scene in including the nearby Dallas jail where Oswald was held.Later, my wife and daughter visited the site and I stood on the grassy knoll and walked around the parking lot.Based on these visits and volumes of reading, I have never believed anyone else was involved.I think Oswald was a nut and was the sole shooter…….

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At the time, this all happened I knew it was historic and of great drama.   As the years have passed, I have realized even more the unique spots in which fate placed me at this historic time.

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I voted for John Kennedy and liked him.I was commissioned in the U.S. Army under his time as Commander in Chief.Like most Americans, I felt the assassination was a terrible event and a national tragedy.I have always felt that had he lived, he would have handled Vietnam differently from LBJ.He had much more substance than his youngest brother, Teddy.

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The Warren Commission Report was published by the Associated Press and I ordered a copy of the Report Summary from the El Paso Times.  

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AP photo story published at time of assassination in November 1963

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NEXT- PART 6 – Martin Luther King – Memphis- Lorraine Hotel