Countdown to Dallas

The Warren Commission has been the subject of ridicule for decades. But conspiracy theorists often overlook one key thing about it. And—why have conspiracy writers—who have accused the Commission of overlooking things during its nine-month probe, overlooked things during a far longer time—two-thirds of a century?

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President and Mrs. Kennedy arrive in Dallas. The weather is spectacular, so the president’s top aide orders the Secret Service to keep the “bubble top” roof off Kennedy's car, so everyone can get a good look at the First Couple. The motorcade proceeds along a route that has been publicized for days, and large, friendly crowds give the Kennedys a warm welcome. “You can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you,” Nellie Connally, the first lady of Texas, tells the president just moments before shots ring out in Dealey Plaza.

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In Fort Worth, Kennedy makes jokes about being assassinated. In his final speech, he says the world is “dangerous and uncertain”. Oswald, meantime, drives into Dallas with Frazier, with a long, heavy-looking package in the backseat. He asks a co-worker which way the president’s motorcade is coming—though he and everyone else have already read about it in the paper.

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After learning that President Kennedy would pass right in front of his work place — the Texas School Bool Depository — Lee Harvey Oswald makes a surprise—and unwanted—visit to Marina Oswald, who is living with her two children at the home of Ruth Paine in Irving. He brings with him a 38-inch long bag—long enough to hold the dissented rifle that he kept—without Paine’s knowledge—in her garage. Meanwhile, in Houston, President Kennedy makes a joke about leaving office early. Later that night, in Fort Worth, at least nine members of his Secret Service detail hit the town.

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While campaigning in Florida, President Kennedy takes his usual security risks—and comments in the possibility of being assassinated. Ahead of his upcoming visit to Dallas, President Kennedy's motorcade route is released to both of the city’s newspapers — where it is seen by Lee Harvey Oswald. Realizing that Kennedy would pass in front of the Texas School Book Depository, he asks a colleague for a lift to Irving, claiming he wants to pick up curtain rods for his room in a boarding house. Oswald’s room already had curtains. 

Buy the book Countdown to Dallas: The Incredible Coincidences, Routines, and Blind "Luck" that Brought John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald Together on November 22, 1963 here.

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Final preparations are made for President Kennedy’s trip. Coming off the death of their son Patrick, Jacqueline Kennedy is eager to travel with her husband, but dreads Texas itself. In New York, a Secret Service agent aims his rifle at a motorist who gets too close. Meanwhile, in these final days, what was Oswald up to?

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What was presidential security like before President Kennedy’s fatal visit to Dallas? Paul Brandus explores motorcades and more — plus, the attitude that 20th-century presidents had towards their own safety. 

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President Kennedy’s Texas trip takes shape. How were the arrangements made for Kennedy’s trip? Who decided where he would go and when? 

Buy the book Countdown to Dallas: The Incredible Coincidences, Routines, and Blind "Luck" that Brought John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald Together on November 22, 1963 here.

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After failing to get a visa to visit Cuba — dashing his dream of joining Castro’s revolution — Lee Harvey Oswald reluctantly returns to the United States. He has no job and little money. He has been fired from two other jobs in the past six months. He has been arrested, and humiliated on a radio program, his lies exposed. He lives apart from his estranged wife — 8 1/2 months pregnant with their second child. Life is bleak. Oswald has few prospects and is desperate for work. But thanks to a group of suburban women having coffee, he lands a menial position at the Texas School Book Depository.

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Determined to get to Cuba—where he dreams of joining Castro’s revolution—Lee Harvey Oswald travels to Mexico City, where he hopes to get a visa. But he immediately runs into trouble at both the Cuban and Soviet Embassies. Meanwhile, the CIA—which closely monitors both communist embassies—tracks Oswald’s comings and goings. Conspiracy theorists cast doubt on whether this was really Oswald.

Buy the book Countdown to Dallas: The Incredible Coincidences, Routines, and Blind "Luck" that Brought John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald Together on November 22, 1963 here.

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