Customer Reviews

The Warren Commission Report: Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Whether a steadfast believer that Oswald acted alone, a staunch conspiracy theorist, or an undecided observer of the John F. Kennedy assassination, this book should be your starting point for research into making an informed judgement. Virtually every book on this subject references the Warren Report, either for support or to point out flaws, inconsistencies, and omissions. The Warren Report can be argued as wrought with errors or even completely false, but one has the responsibility of reading it before passing any judgement, since it was indeed the first official stance taken by the U.S. government regarding the murder of JFK. I give the Warren Report a five star rating not because I purport to stand behind its conclusions, but because I view it as the quintessential starting point on this subject. Far too many opinions have already been cast by individuals who trash this work outright without ever having read it. Judge for yourself, and then move on to enlightened works that either support its findings or take great exception. Regardless of your opinion, it will be an informed one.

The Warren Commission's findings have been critically assailed since their findings were released in September of 1964, less than a year after the investigation began. Conspiracy theorists called the Commission's finds a "government whitewash" and contested and derided the findings without end. As a result of the overwhelming trashing by critics, the Warren Commission's findings have fallen into disrepute. This is unfortunate, as the Commission's findings and conclusion's have stood the test of time. Recently, computer simulations have documented the feasibility and likelihod of the so-called "Magic Bullet" theory, and have virtually proven that Kennedy's wounds came from the upper reaches of the Texas Schoolbook Depository, where Oswald sat in the southeast corner window of the 6th floor. So, although extensively trashed by critics, the Warren Commission findings have proven the test of time and are a vital component to any serious Kennedy assassination library.

As a Kennedy assassination buff myself, I was impressed with the voluminous hard physical evidence collected by Dallas police and the FBI. Too many conspiracists tend to sweep this evidence under the rug, as much of it contradicts their pet conspiracy theories. Yet, the evidence cannot be so easily swept away, and this is the profound importance of the Warren Commission's findings. The Commission lays out the evidence in stepwise fashion and comes to the logical (though very controversial) conclusion that Oswald acted alone in killing Kennedy.

This volume is essential to any Kennedy assassination reader, as it lays the groundwork for the assassination discussion. One cannot propose other conspiracy outcomes without having a thorough working knowledge of the Commission's findings. Get this volume for it's information on the evidence, for it is through the evidence that a "murder" case is decided.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig, Kennedy Assassination Buff

...they were pointed in the right direction. Instead of miscalculated blunders like conspiracy theorists, the government DID try to get it right. Most of the others are in it for the money and fame rather than the truth. Not perfect but 4.5 stars.

Whether a steadfast believer that Oswald acted alone, a staunch conspiracy theorist, or an undecided observer of the John F. Kennedy assassination, this book should be your starting point for research into making an informed judgement. Virtually every book on this subject references the Warren Report, either for support or to point out flaws, inconsistencies, and omissions. The Warren Report can be argued as wrought with errors or even completely false, but one has the responsibility of reading it before passing any judgement, since it was indeed the first official stance taken by the U.S. government regarding the murder of JFK. I give the Warren Report a five star rating not because I purport to stand behind its conclusions, but because I view it as the quintessential starting point on this subject. Far too many opinions have already been cast by individuals who trash this work outright without ever having read it. Judge for yourself, and then move on to enlightened works that either support its findings or take great exception. Regardless of your opinion, it will be an informed one.

The killing of President Kennedy is seared into the American conscience. It is quite understandable that so many competing theories of what actually happened that day would persist for so many years.
I read the Warren Commission report many years ago...back in 1974 and 1975. At that time I was convinced that the Commission's findings were accurate.
Over time, however, my feelings changed. Oswald seemed to have ties to Cuba and to the USSR. Ruby seemed to have ties to the underworld. I began reading conspiracy books and began to believe them. The "magic bullet" theory began to seem unbelievable, and the idea of more than one shooter seemed credible.
Over the years, I read about many conspiracy theories. Nixon, for example, was in Dallas that morning -- did he have something to do with it? Then there is that mysterious man with the umbrella, and the shadow by the grassy knoll, and, of course, Lyndon Johnson, who may have had something to do with it. Some even suggested that the driver of the presidential limosine was the shooter!
More recently, I have looked at the evidence again. The other reviewer is right -- the Warren Commission Report has stood the test of time. It seems so very clear to me now that Oswald is the one who did the shooting that day, that he fired three times, and that he probably acted alone.
The evidence of the conspiracy theorists includes hearsay, rumors, and blurred shadows. They speak with great authority as if they had been there -- some of them were probably not even born at the time.
The evidence of the Warren Commission is substantial and solid -- eyewitness testimony, autopsy reports, bullet fragments, a bullet, a gun, and a man who worked in the Texas School Book Depository who owned the gun.
I remember reading a memorable interview with a doctor who worked on President Kennedy at Parkland Hospital. He said (and I am paraphrasing here) that he felt exasperated by conspiracy theorists who insisted that the fatal bullet entered the front of Kennedy's head and exited out the rear. He felt frustrated because, as he put it, he was there -- he saw the President in the flesh, he saw the wounds, he saw the entrance wound and exit wound. And he is a doctor, he said, someone who actually went through medical school and finished medical school. He knows from his own lived experience, from what he saw, that Kennedy's head wounds indicated a rear entry and an explosive exit towards the right front. And, sure enough, that is exactly what the Zapruder film shows. But the doctor, in the interview, puzzled over why people refuse to believe him.
Conspiracy theorists have derided this report for years and years, but I remain impressed by the calm and mature manner in which the Warren Commission presents its evidence. And the evidence is solid. I have been researching this subject for over thirty years now, and no conspiracy theorist has yet to produce anything more solid that what we find in the Warren Commission.
I think some people have a mental block -- for them, the Warren Commission conclusions must not be believed because something greater than a lone gunman had to have been involved in killing the president of the United States. But you don't need a conspiracy to kill a president. All you need is a gun. Lee Harvey Oswald had one and he knew how to use it. And he did. There is no mystery here. None at all.
I have admired President Kennedy for years. It seems almost disgusting that his life should be brought to an end by some loner looking for attention. But that is exactly what happened.
For me, the case is closed. Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. He used his rifle and shot three times from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository. He missed the first time, wounded both the president and the governor with the second shot, and killed the president with the third shot. He acted alone. And, as the Warren Commission puts it, there is no credible evidence of a conspiracy.
My sincerest admiration for the Warren Commission and their fine work.

The Warren Report is the basic starting point for anybody who is even remotely interested in researching the JFK assassination. The book is massive - nearly 2 inches thick, 9 inches in length and 6 inches in width and clocks in at 888 pages. There are many illustrations and photographs to help break the monotony and they are helpful in understanding the text.

Be forewarned. This report is not to be taken at face value. It promotes itself while at the same time laying blame on everybody from Oswald to the Secret Service and the Dallas County Police. You have every right to be critical of this book because of its omissions. One of the most important pieces of evidence - the autopsy photographs - have been completely omitted. Not because they would serve as only disturbing the American people and the Kennedy family but because they where deliberately HOAXED when revealed to the public through the media. There is no excuse for providing the American people with autopsy photographs of another dead man who was not President Kennedy. The original autopsy photographs have since come to light and these shed new information on the case. The report does not even touch on that topic. These photographs alone should warrant deep consideration by the even the most hardened lone-gunman supporters. How can the Warren Report expound on the wrongness of the Dallas Police revealing inaccurate case information when itself is staying shut-mouthed on the deliberately hoaxed autopsy photographs? This kind of hypocrisy is mind shattering and only serves to drive home the most important item of interest of the whole affair - that the US government is knowingly and deliberately hiding evidence and information to protect some interest. You must read more elsewhere to learn the full facts of the case and the other host of omissions that where deliberately kept aside from this report.

The warren commission report starts with its summary and conclusions - that Oswald acted alone in killing President Kennedy and that there was no conspiracy. It then gives a brief synopsis of the assassination and the circumstances surrounding the events on November 22nd 1963. The report continues by developing the scenario in the Texas School Book Depository including the evidence gained from witnesses at the scene and the recovery of the riffle, spent shells and prints. Connections are established between Oswald and the riffle and the School Book Depository building before moving on to the motive and Oswalds background.

The report then deals with Oswalds detention, the media, Oswalds murder and his assassin - Jack Ruby. The next chapter deals with investigating a possible conspiracy before laying out Oswalds background in detail. Next up the Warren report deals with the protection of the President and concludes the entire events on page 468. The remainder of the book goes in-depth with expert witness testimony with several recommendations and more background on Oswald.

In the end you are left feeling that Oswald was involved in the assassination one way or another and certainly the slaying of Officer J.D Tippit by Oswald is the clincher. The murder of patrolman Tippit is a key event which shows that Oswald was capable of murder and was also on a killing frenzy at the time of the assassination. He also tried to shoot officers when he was apprehended in the film theatre. Did Oswald shoot President Kennedy? Probably Yes. Could the Magic bullet theory work? It is possible. Did Jack Ruby kill Oswald on the spur of the moment? The facts surrounding this are vague. Did Oswald act alone? It is possible but unlikely. Does the Warren report do justice for the American people and the people of the world? Absolutely not. Does the Warren report deliberately neglect important and relevant information? Absolutely. Would an impartial jury convict Oswald on the assassination of President Kennedy based on the evidence? Probably not because there is too much doubt at large to deal with. Would an impartial jury convict Oswald of the murder J.D Tippit? Yes. Is there a cover-up and if so why?

The truth is that there is probably a cover-up involved and the Warren report as it stands today is absolute proof that the US government at the time was knee-deep in a conspiracy of some kind simply based on its omissions and neglect to deal with highly important and relevant evidence. Was there a government conspiracy to assassinate the President? Probably not, but there was a cover-up of a conspiracy of some kind and this is what is at the heart of the whole assassination and the follow up events including this report. A blind eye has probably been turned to the truth surrounding the assassination because President Kennedy was considered an obstacle to many important people. In fact the Warren Commission report has all the hallmarks of a new administration that just wants to sweep everything under the carpet.

All in all this is a five star book, not because of the quality of the report, but because its contents when compared to what we now know only serve as a reminder that even the administrators of what is supposed to be a leading democratic and free nation can act in such a wreckful and manipulative manner.

In short Oswald was definitely firing shots from the Dallas School Book Depository building. He owned the gun that shot at the president. He murdered a police officer and tried to kill more. He also tried to assassinate Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker but failed. The chances that Oswald was the only one firing shots at President Kennedy that fateful day in Dallas are slim. When you add an extra shooter the whole thing falls into place. To quote Occams Razor - When explaining a thing, no more assumptions should be made than are necessary.

Magic Bullet vs more than one assassin? - The extra assassin is simply the more logical conclusion easily.

The Warren Report was the official report on the assassination of JFK. Because Lee Harvey Oswald was shot 2 days after the assassination by Jack Ruby, there was no trial. The American people would not stand for this, so President Johnson authorized the Warren Commission to determine what happened on November 22, 1963.

This book is an important work in American history, regardless of which side you take: lone assassin or conspiracy. It is fairly easy to follow; the authors sum up their conclusions in each sub-chapter, make their case and then dismiss what they believe is "uncredible."

Unfortunately, the book I have has no index and no table of contents. I'm not sure if this edition that I'm reviewing does or not; I suspect it also is lacking this critical apparatus. This makes reviewing their notes and conclusions somewhat muddled. Some would say that this was deliberate, all part of the conspiracy and coverup. I can't draw that conclusion.

The Warren Report doesn't prove that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. It proves that Lee Harvey Oswald COULD HAVE acted alone. Many leads are dismissed out of hand. For example: a Dallas cop saw Oswald running down Houston Avenue moments after the shooting, getting into the passenger side of a station wagon. Later that afternoon, that cop saw Oswald in the captain's office being interrogated. He told his chief that's the guy he saw. The chief dismissed this and said that a little old lady saw him board a bus after the shooting. Therefore there was no getaway car.

One of the reasons that Oswald was pinned down to the Kennedy killing was that he took a shot at General Walker. They pinned this crime to him in December of 1963; the shooting took place in March. The day before the shooting, a friend of Walker's saw 2 men peeking in Walker's windows. The day of the shooting, a teenager saw 2 men get into seperate cars, parked next door to Walker's house, and drive away. If Oswald did take a shot at Walker, then what of the other man? This is what I mean when I say the Warren Report proves Oswald COULD HAVE killed Kennedy. Many leads like this are not followed up.

This book should be the starting point of any serious reader who wants to know what happened to JFK. Read it and take a grain of salt. Then read one of the conspiracy books that dismisses the Warren Report out of hand. Then take another grain of salt.

The popular notion that this book is unreliable and obviously a joke is one of the most bizarre mistakes supported by the popular media. None of the people I have ever heard dismiss this book with a mere waive of their hand or a wisecrack has actually bothered to read the report. Yes, the work of the commission in its 26 volumes is not perfect. So what? There is an overwhelming consistency to the evidence and the conclusions of the commission. This report is fascinating because it is the distillation of all that work. Again, it might be possible to quibble with this or that, but the central conclusions of the commission are clearly supported by the weight of the evidence gathered by commission.

Read the book. Look at the documentary evidence in its actual context, not as it is mischaracterized and misquoted in the conspiracy literature. This book is very affordable and an important part of our nation's history. It is too serious and too important to be treated dismissively and irresponsibly to support theories that come from nothing more than fantasies spun from false notions of what the facts are.

If one judges the Warren Commission Report by its purpose, by its physical weight, or by how well it achieved its purpose, it is quite a good document. But if one imagines that the WCR to be the definitive report on a systematic investigation conducted with an open mind in order to discover who was the perpetrator of a crime, one stands to be sorely disappointed. For the WCR openly and uncritically assumes Oswald shot JFK. This is the starting point of the 'investigation.' It theorizes that he acted alone. It systematically avoids introducing any information that might cast doubt on its conclusions. And it goes out of its way to do this.

I started reading the Warren report 38 seconds after having seen the Zapruder film for the first time. Until that point I believed the standard theory because 'only crackpots' believed otherwise. The film, even without analysis, showed convincing proof, IMO, that there could not have been a single, lone gunman; for it depicts two distinct shots to the head just fractions of a second apart. And it shows Jacqueline Kennedy rising out of her seat to fetch clumps of skull and brain matter that have spewn over the long trailing trunk of the limo. This would be a physical impossibility had all the bullets to strike Kennedy's head come from the Book Depository, to his rear. So I read the report skeptically.

Read skeptically, the WCR quickly becomes enigmantic. Over and over again one finds minor or even substantive disconnects between the details and the final conclusions. The problems of creating a theory consistent with all the physical evidence are daunting. Over and over the commission falls short. In the end the WCR conveniently dismisses all the evidence that doesn't fit.

They invent the 'single bullet theory' because without it the shots occur in too fast a sequence to be fired by Oswald. But the 'single bullet theory' requires - depending on who you talk to - for a bullet to travel in some bizarre non-linear fashion. And it requires that it make four separate wounds in two men, encountering several bones before falling out of the wounds onto a hospital stretcher showing not a mark for its wear. Furthermore, this theory can only hold if one disregards Conelly's testimony - even though he's the one hit by the bullet. And if one disregards any testimony by people who heard four shots.

Then there is the General Walker incident. Oswald sneaks up to General Walker's house a little past dusk. Walker is sitting in a room in the rear of his house that has a large window. He is working at a desk, illuminated by a lamp. Oswald places his famous 'assassin's rifle' in a notch in a wooden fence at the edge of the property. He looks through the scope, takes a single shot, and misses the General by a wide margin. Then he hops in a nearby car and speeds away. Oswald, by the way, does not have a car or a driver's license. So , he must have had a co-conspirator. But this question is not treated seriously by the WCR. Nor is the fact that Oswald shot just once and missed by a lot. The WCR uses the incident to prove that Oswald had tried to kill before. But if he was trying to hit Walker and he was the marksman the WCR claimed, why did he miss on such an easy shot. A poor marksman would have hit, without a scope. On the other hand if Oswald was not trying to hit Walker, what was he doing there? In short, one must conclude either a) Oswald could not hit the broad side of a barn with his rifle or b) Oswald was not really trying to kill Walker. Either argument undermines the WCR assertion that Oswald was the lone gunman.

Then there is the theory of motive. Nobody had been able to produce anything that closely resembles a believable motive. Sure, Oswald was enigmatic, strange. Sure, he had or pretended to have odd views of the world. Sure, he was unlikable. But it is preposterous to propose that these are sufficient reasons for a person to shoot a President whom, by all accounts, he at least grudgingly admired. 'Crackpot' is not a motive. Not when there are thousands of more powerful men who own snipers much better than Oswald.Nor does the 'angry citizen' motive work for Ruby.

These are but a few of the many eggregious problems with the WCR.

In a proper police investigation, one normally seeks the facts, builds a theory of the crime that is consistent with all known facts, and finds a perpetrator whose identity is uniquely and unmistakably linked to the theory and its facts. When solid physical evidence exists to disprove a theory, a new one must necessarily be produced that avoids this problem. But the WCR does not do this. Thus it cannot be considered a piece of police work or a piece of serious investigative work. It spurns fact. It is a political document whose authors represent several groups with parallel interests.

Why would the commission create a fabrcation? Those who study the assassination and believe in a conspiracy assert as did Oswald that he was set up as a patsy. Why? 1) to obscure the real killer and preclude an investigation that would seek and uncover him 2) to provoke America to fight Castro Cuba. American leaders in the CIA and FBI probably knew of the Cuban motive (Hoover, for instance knew the CIA had faked Oswald's recorded conversation at the Cuban embassy and he makes a point of telling Johnson he knows) and they had personal or political reasons to keep it hidden. And men like Robert Kennedy who had just gone through the Cuban missile crisis were intent on keeping America out of a nuclear war. Therefore, the WCR was the result of a conspiracy to 'prove' there was no conspiracy. Its purpose never was to investigate who killed JFK. Sounds silly?

Just read the report critically and compare it to the Zapruder film. Then scour the net and read some other points of view. My own introduction to the question came from the A&E special "The Men Who Killed Kennedy" which presents a lot of provocative information along with a number of theories of the crime which, on the surface seem inconsistent with each other. Still, most of these odd theories manage to come much closer to explaining all the facts than does the WCR. The process of just trying to come to grips with the personalities and their roles in history will be illuminating. And no matter what you end up believing about the actual event, the trip is worth the effort.

The completed Warren Commission Report was delivered to President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 24, 1964. The seven-member Warren Commission worked for ten months, examining and investigating the events and circumstances surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and reached the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald, alone, had murdered the President and wounded Texas Governor John B. Connally.

The Commission also found no "credible evidence" to suggest that Oswald or Jack Ruby (the man who killed Oswald two days after JFK's death) were involved in any type of conspiratorial plot when each of them committed their individual acts of violence in November of 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

I, for one, am in complete agreement with the Commission's final conclusions regarding Oswald and Ruby. There is just too much evidence, in my opinion, supporting the idea that Lee Oswald took his own rifle to work with him on the morning of November 22nd, 1963 (wrapped in a brown paper bag), and that he constructed a makeshift "Sniper's Nest" on the sixth floor of his workplace at the Texas School Book Depository Building on Elm Street in Dallas' Dealey Plaza, and fired three shots at the passing Presidential motorcade below him at 12:30 PM, thereby ending the life of the 35th U.S. President.

Every single thing Lee Harvey Oswald did before and after 12:30 PM on November 22, 1963, spells "Guilt" (and more-than-likely "Lone Guilt" as well). ........

Such as:

1.) Oswald's bringing an (approx.) rifle-sized package to work with him on 11/22.

2.) "Send the elevator back up, guys." That was said by Oswald to fellow workers at about 11:45 or 11:50 AM on 11/22. And where was Oswald at the time he had the elevator "sent back up"? -- On the sixth floor, the "Death" floor.

3.) Thirty minutes after President Kennedy is shot, Oswald dashes into his small rented room on Beckley Avenue, grabs his revolver, very quickly exits the roominghouse, and starts walking again.

4.) Oswald shoots and kills Dallas city patrolman J.D. Tippit in cold blood near the intersection of 10th & Patton; then begins walking briskly once more away from the scene of yet another murder.

5.) Oswald is then seen by store employee Johnny Brewer at the entrance to Hardy's Shoe Store on Jefferson Boulevard. Brewer later testified that Oswald was acting in an odd and suspicious manner while at the shoe-store entrance, with his back toward the street, as various police vehicles (with sirens blaring) proceeded along Jefferson Boulevard. Once the police cars had gone by, Oswald then sneaks into the Texas Theater without paying.

6.) Pointed out by Brewer in the theater, Dallas police officers apprehend Oswald and are finally able to snap handcuffs on their suspect after a struggle. During this fight with police, Oswald pulls his revolver and tries to kill yet another officer, but (luckily) the gun misfired.

7.) Just prior to his altercation with police inside the movie theater, Oswald shouts "This is it" and/or "It's all over now". Those two phrases he supposedly uttered also spell (circumstantially) "Guilt" of some kind. What else would a rational person make out of the comment "It's all over now"?

8.) Oswald lies repeatedly to authorities after his arrest. Right down, of course, to telling an obvious falsehood in front of the TV cameras just one second before he uttered his much-heralded and probably-taken-way-out-of-context "I'm just a patsy" declaration.*

* = His "Patsy" remark was prefaced by a KNOWN lie -- "They've taken me in because of the fact that I've lived in the Soviet Union". Oswald knew full well this "Soviet Union" statement was untrue. He knew the true reason why the police had "taken him in" (on suspicion of killing a policeman). Why anyone would suddenly start BELIEVING him regarding the "Patsy" remark when it came on the heels of an OBVIOUS LIE is beyond my comprehension.

9.) And the biggest piece of evidence linking the shooting to Oswald, and only Oswald -- It was Oswald's OWN rifle found on the 6th Floor. This, naturally, doesn't PROVE he killed the President, but it's a darn good solid piece of circumstantial evidence. Logic dictates it was OWNER of said rifle on 6th Floor who PROBABLY used it on November 22nd. Odds are that JFK's killer WAS Oswald (just based on ownership of the murder weapon alone).**

** = To believe otherwise on this point is to believe in the odd notion that Oswald (for whatever idiotic reason) just handed over his OWN, traceable weapon to some other killers for the purpose of either murdering John Kennedy, or for some other unknown reason we could only guess at. Not logical, IMO. .... Or -- If LHO was "Just a patsy", you'll have to necessarily believe that the plotters were somehow able to steal Oswald's rifle without him ever knowing (or without the Paines or Marina Oswald ever suspecting the theft from the known rifle storage location of Ruth Paine's garage).

Another very good indication that Oswald was performing a 'solo' murder act on November 22nd is the fact that he was forced to WALK, RUN, & CHASE DOWN CABS AND BUSSES after leaving the Depository. If Oswald was part of a "killing team" of some sort, he certainly would have arranged for a RIDE away from the scene of the crime.

And then there's also Oswald's rather flimsy excuse for why he left his workplace at 12:33 PM on Friday, with the work day only HALF completed. He could not possibly have been certain (at 12:33 PM, a mere THREE MINUTES after the shooting took place) that all TSBD employees would be sent home for the day due to the assassination, which is the reason he gave to the police for leaving work when he did.

Nor could he have simply ASSUMED at that time, just 3 minutes after a shooting that LHO had (supposedly) NO details about, that HIS OWN WORKPLACE was somehow involved in said shooting. Mrs. Robert A. Reid, a Depository employee who encountered Oswald on the 2nd Floor of the building just after the shooting (and who also mentioned to Oswald that the President had just been shot), didn't specifically say to Oswald during this brief chance meeting -- "The President has been shot FROM THIS BUILDING! We'd better get out, Lee!"

The more one examines Oswald's specific actions (and the reasons he gave to explain them), the more he rises to the level of a GUILTY party in the crime just committed on Elm Street.

Because -- WHY would Oswald just naturally ASSUME that "there would be no more work today" IF he didn't ALREADY KNOW that something had occurred re. the assassination attempt FROM HIS VERY OWN WORKPLACE?

Was this just an amazingly-astute "premonition" on Oswald's part? He somehow KNOWS for certain, a mere 180 seconds after the shooting, that he's going to be sprung for the day by his boss? (I somehow doubt that.)

That comment/excuse used by Oswald, plus his ultra-calm manner when confronted by Police Officer Baker in the lunch room, in my view, indicates that Oswald ALREADY KNEW that the Depository was the source of the shots (and just TWO MINUTES after the last gunshot was fired!). And the reason he already knew is because it was he, himself, who squeezed off those three rifle shots from the 6th Floor.

----------------------

To summarize............

The Warren Report isn't a perfect document. I don't think anyone has ever said it was "perfect" (even among avid "Lone Assassin" believers). But on the whole, and considering the totality of all the evidence, the "Lone Assassin" conclusions purported by the seven members of the Warren Commission were correct conclusions (IMO), and still hold up today (despite innumerable attempts by conspiracists to discredit the work of the WC).

But, given that no "smoking guns" or credible "confessions", etc., have been unearthed by the many JFK researchers in the several decades since the Warren Report was published in 1964, it begins to look more and more like the Warren boys GOT IT RIGHT after all --- One assassin (Oswald); Three shots; No fancy conspiracy plots.