View from the Sniper's Nest

[William Kelly]

View from the Sniper's Nest

Embedded with Snipers

JFKcountercoup: Dealey Plaza - View from the Sniper's Nest

By William Kelly

The Sniper's Perspective of the Dealey Plaza Operation

“In a free society, counter-espionage is based on the practice most useful for hunting rabbits. Rather than look for the rabbit, one posts oneself in a spot where the rabbit is likely to pass by.” - Alexander Hamilton (as attributed by Allen Dulles)

The lead Humvee in the convoy suddenly comes to a hault as it slips under a tree on the edge of town, an empty tin can, hanging from a branch by a thread, dangles in the breeze.

To the untrained eye it is an empty tin can hanging from a tree, but to the trained eye it’s a sure sign of danger – a makeshift wind gage, a sniper’s wind gage, indicating a Level 2 or Level 3 sniper is operating in the area and they were about to enter the sniper’s kill zone.

When Uncle Sam contacted me for a special mission recently, I answered the call and spent a few weeks in the field helping to train American soldiers, including expert snipers, from whom I learned some things that can be applied to a better understanding of the mechanics of what happened at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963.

Before trying to figure out who the Sixth Floor Sniper was and why he did the things he did, a few things must be understood about the nature of the sniper profession.

Not a new idea, the historical development of the sniper as a key surgeon in the course of battle has only been perfected in the last half of the twentieth century.

During the Revolutionary War, at the Battle of Brandywine, near Philadelphia, a British sniper had General George Washington in his sights, but decided not to shoot him as he thought it ungentlemanly to do so, thus sparing the life of the man who would be the first president of the American republic.

At Saratoga, a few months later, an American sniper with a Kentucky long rifle shot and killed a British general, decisively altering the outcome of not only that battle but the war.

On eighteen and nineteenth century war ships, the marines were issued long barrel rifles and placed in high mast nests from where they would shoot select targets during battles, so friendly forces were forced to wear identifying marks on their hats so not to be accidently hit by the marine marksmen.

As European gunsmiths refined the rifle and ammo, the abilities of marksmen increased, though applying the weapon for assassination purposes didn’t really become effective until World War II,
and increased steadily through the Korean War and Vietnam, when the sniper came into his own.

Snipers played pivotal roles on the Russian front during World War II, and refined their abilities in Korea, but it wasn’t until Vietnam (1965-1973) when the Level One sniper came into his own, especially recruited, trained, equipped and sent into the field on specific missions.

But it wasn’t until over a century and a half later that a sniper would once again alter America’s destiny and history.

Historically snipers were responsible for killing mobster Bugsy Siegel, civil rights activist Medgar Evers, and the Texas Tower murders, as well as failed attempts to kill Charles deGaul and Fidel Castro.

Before the Dealey Plaza analysis begins, for starters, you must understand that there are three categories of snipers. From the Sniper’s Manual (Based on the Canadian Army TTP – Training, Techniques and Procedures.

Level One – the Specially Trained Sniper

The most dangerous sniper is the one who is individually selected, trained and equipped with an accurate sniper rifle outfitted with a modern scope, night vision device and thermal imager, an expert trained to select key personnel as their target and can hit the bull’s eye accurately at great ranges (1,000+ meters).

These snipers are accompanied by a spotter-security aide and are skilled in avoiding detection. This sniper is the most difficult to effectively counter.

The Level One sniper doesn't take multiple shots at a target when one shot is all that’s needed. As they say, “One shot one kill,” is their motto.

This level sniper is portrayed in the Hollywood movie “The Shooter," which exemplifies the training, discipline, pride and professionalism exhibited by expert snipers at this level.

Level Two Snipers

Level Two Snipers are trained marksmen, often found in the national armies of the world and commonly utilized in urban combat, equipped with a standard issue weapon and with fair to good field craft skills, he is difficult to detect. May be deployed alone or in teams, with women snipers effective against the Nazis on the Russian front during World War II.

The Level Three Sniper

The Sixth Floor Sniper, whether it was Lee Harvey Oswald or someone else, would be classified a Level Three Sniper by his weapon – the Mannlicher Carcano, a standard issue Italian weapon, and if Oswald, by his limited US Marine Corps training.

As explained to me, a Level One sniper wouldn’t use that weapon and wouldn’t need or take more than one shot. In 1963, a Level One sniper would probably use a state of the art custom weapon and scope, or a prized Winchester Model Since the weapon and MO – modus operandi – identifies the Sixth Floor Sniper as a Level Three Sniper, Level One snipers say the Sixth Floor Sniper probably didn’t take the fatal head shot that killed President Kennedy.

There are also indications that the bullet that struck JFK in the head was a different type of bullet than those fired from the Mannlicher Carcano, and that shot was probably taken by a Level One sniper with a different style of weapon, different type of bullet from a different location.

From the Sixth Floor sniper’s nest, the best shot was when the target was approaching the window on Houston Street, as it slowed down for the turn onto Elm Street, and from then on the shots get harder, as the target moves from left to right on a downward slope and interference by a tree.

The U.S. Army Sniper’s Manual says under Engaging Moving Targets that: “Engaging moving targets not only requires the Sniper to determine the target distance and wind effects on the round, but must also consider the lateral and speed angle of the target, the rounds time of flight, and the placement of a proper level to compensate for both. These added variables increase the chance of a miss. Therefore, the Sniper should engage a moving target when it is the only option.” [www.cybersniper.com]

To calculate leads, you take the Time of Flight (in seconds) x (times) target speed (in feet per seconds) which equals = lead (in feet) x (times) .3048 = meters x 1000 = mil. lead divided by range.

Of course familiarity with the weapon and practice shooting at moving targets increases the ability and skill of the shooter, but if Oswald was the Sixth Floor Sniper there is no indication that he ever shot that rifle before, didn’t practice or even purchase ammo for it.

As Lee Harvey Oswald’s brother Robert, who was familiar with his shooting abilities said, “If Lee did not spend a considerable amount of time practicing with that rifle in the weeks and months before the assassination, then I would say that Lee did not fire the shots that killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally.” (p. 208, “Lee – A Portrait of Lee Harvey Oswald by his Brother, Coward-McCann, Inc., NY, 1967)

For the Fiftieth anniversary of the assassination, the gunsmith at Kline’s in Chicago who placed the scope on Oswald’s rifle was interviewed and quoted in a news article saying that if Oswald used that rifle and scope he was “very lucky,” and the snipers agree.

All of the snipers agree that whoever fired those shots with that rifle from the Sixth Floor window he did not use the scope, which was not properly aligned and not necessary at that distance, where the manual sight would be sufficient.

While the Sixth Floor sniper didn’t take the best shot from that location, as the nearly stationary target came towards him, the head shot was most probably taken by a Level One Sniper from either in front or behind so there was no lateral movement as the target came towards or was going away from him.

From what the Level One snipers tell me, the purpose of the Sixth Floor Sniper was to provide diversion and deception, put ballistic evidence incriminating Oswald into the car while the Level One sniper did what such snipers are trained to do – kill the high priority target (HPT) with one shot.

They say the Sixth Floor Sniper, whoever he was, was a Level Three sniper and his standard issue weapon, while capable of firing three shots in the allotted time and get out of three hits on target, was incapable of taking the fatal head shot from that position with that weapon. Not a “lucky” shot, it couldn’t happen. So there must have been a Level One sniper who took the fatal head shot from another location, using a different type of weapon and ammo, and stationed in front of or behind the target.

Integral aspects of the Level One sniper attack, the diversion and deception not only ensures the escape of the sniper and his spotter, but also protects the actual sponsors, as one of the reasons for using a sniper to commit an assassination is permit the escape of the shooter and to protect the sponsor.

The diversion and deception were needed because there would be limited suspects if a Level One sniper killed the President with only one shot, incriminating those few military and intelligence agencies capable of putting a Level One sniper in the field and taking out the highest priority target in the world without getting caught. The Level Three sniper firing openly at the same time diverted attention from the Level One sniper, expanded the suspect pool in general and incriminated Oswald in particular.

In the Marines Oswald’s nickname was “Ozzie Rabbit,” which they said was based on a cartoon character popular at that time, and like Alice goes Through the Looking Glass and into the Rabbit’s Hole to begin her adventure, those who devised the Dealey Plaza operation incorporated Oswald, not as the real assassin or the Sixth Floor sniper, but as the patsy and rabbit that would be set loose to set a false trail and keep the official investigators from the real perpetrators of the crime.

In his book, “A Sniper Looks at Dealey Plaza,” Craig Roberts concurs saying, “I analyzed the scene as a sniper,….(and concluded)…it would take a minimum of two people shooting. There was little hope that I alone, even if equipped with precision equipment, would be able to duplicate the feat described by the Warren Commission,” so neither could Lee Harvey Oswald, or any Level Three sniper.

“I would have never put anyone in the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD) with so many locations that were much more advantageous,” Roberts said, “unless I needed a diversion. If I did, it would be a good place for red herrings to be observed by witnesses.”

As seen from the street below, the Sixth Floor Sniper, according to all witnesses who saw him, wore a white shirt (Oswald wore brown), and according to one witness (Amos Eunis) who got a clear view of him, the sniper in the window had a very distinctive bald spot on the top of his head, not a physical characteristic shared by Oswald. Like Oswald, the Sixth Floor Sniper probably had good reason to be there, possibly worked in the building or as a subcontractor or delivery person familiar with the area, one who it wouldn’t seem suspicious for other employees to see him there.

Just as the dangling tin can was sign indicating there was a sniper operating in the area, there were similar signs of danger before JFK entered Dealey Plaza, but they went unheeded or were intentionally ignored.

Of the Dealey Plaza danger signs, a few stand out, especially those who expressed foreknowledge of the assassination, the Walker shooting, the recorded Alpha 66 threat, the Stevenson incident and Umbrella Man.

While each of these danger signs should be reviewed in depth, the Umbrella Man was right there at Dealey Plaza, and he admits that his umbrella was intended to be a sign – a silent protest, a signal and message that President Kennedy would recognize and understand – a sign that referred to his father’s isolationist stand at the beginning of World War II, the image of Chamberlain’s umbrella at Munich that represented the failed policy of “appeasement” with the Nazis, which the Umbrella Man (Louis deWitt) implied was JFK’s policy towards communists.

If you Google "Munich," "appeasement" and "JFK" you will read the transcripts of the conversations recorded in the White House Oval Office in October 1962 when Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. LeMay told President Kennedy that his resolution of the crisis without resorting to nuclear war was "like Munich" and an "appeasement" that was America's worst defeat ever.

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The Umbrella Man's sign may have been the last thing President Kennedy saw before his head was shattered by a bullet fired by a Level One sniper who was not Lee Harvey Oswald.

Nor did he leave immediately, as the Warren Commission Report has Oswald running down four flights of stairs to get to the Second Floor lunchroom in time to be seen there by Dallas Police officer Marion Baker ninety seconds after the last shot. The Sixth Floor Sniper took his time, did not run, and instead, as the photo evidence proves, he moved boxes around, putting one on the window sill that was mistakenly believed to have been used as a gun rest. He was still in the window nearly four to five minutes after the shooting when seen by a secretary from across the street. If not a TSBD employee or contractor, the Sixth Floor Sniper was possibly a police or sheriff’s officer who just stayed nearby and blended in with the other investigators when they began a search of the building.

The sniper’s analysis is that the Sixth Floor, Level Three sniper’s job was to divert and deceive, not to kill, and he did not take the fatal head shot, which was probably taken by a Level One sniper from a location in front of or behind the target, with a different style weapon and type of bullet, one that shattered on impact.

This sniper’s analysis is supported by the 1998 report by U.S. Attorney John Orr that indicates the bullet that hit JFK in the head was a different type of bullet than CE399 and other bullets fired from the Mannlicher Carcano rifle found in the TSBD. Orr’s important report convinced the Department of Justice, the FBI, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) to conduct further tests of CE567, bullet fragments from the limo, no mean feat.

[http://jfkcountercoup2.blogspot.com/2012/03/re-wc-ce-567-bullet-fragment-found.html]

Like the snipers, when a veteran deer hunter visited Dealey Plaza he was immediately drawn to the area behind the picket fence on the Grassy Knoll and said that’s where he would set up his deer stand.

But a Level One sniper could take that fatal head shot from hundreds of yards away, tucked back in a room away from the window so that no one could see him. Level One snipers are the most difficult to detect and to counter.

According to the Canadian Army Sniper Manual, the best way to stop a sniper is for another sniper to kill him. The manual says: “The best way to stop the sniper is to kill the sniper. Let them escape and they will attack someone else, somewhere else.”

When under fire the response policy is to keep moving, get out of the Kill Zone as quickly as possible and move in a swerving S or Z pattern, identify the sniper’s location, return fire, maneuver, attack and kill them. “Do not fixate on casualties, kill the sniper!”

Although Will Greer, the Secret Service driver was trained in these same procedures he inexplicably slowed down after the first shot and came to almost a complete stop precisely at the moment the head shot was taken. A Protestant Irishman from Northern Ireland, Agent Greer was an Orangeman who belonged to the secret order that fought the IRA and worked closely with the British MI5 and MI6 intelligence agencies.

Ian Fleming, in the short story “The Living Daylights,” has 007 assigned to kill a sniper expected to try to shoot a defector running across the no-man’s land at the Berlin Wall, and James Bond is surprised to see through his scope a beautiful women sniper, and he is reprimanded when he only wounds and doesn’t kill her.

The President’s security sometimes included counter-sniper snipers. Such precautions were taken a few weeks before Dallas when the President visited Tampa and traveled through the city in a similar motorcade, and over a dozen Tampa Sheriff’s deputies were deployed with rifles on roofs along the motorcade route. But no such precautions were taken in Dallas.

It has been alleged (by Penn Jones), that Dallas Deputy Sheriff Weatherford was on the Records Building roof overlooking Dealey Plaza with a rifle at the time of the assassination, and there are published reports he returned fire. But Weatherford’s official statement reflects that he was on the Houston Street sidewalk with other deputies. Weatherford said that he was with Deputy Allan Sweatt, whose statement confirms Weatherford’s story that they ran to the Grassy Knoll before entering the back of the TSBD and searched the building.

Weatherford assisted in the search of the sixth floor that discovered the shells and the rifle, but failed to find Oswald’s clipboard, and he also participated in the search of the Paine’s house and garage when the backyard photos were found depicting Oswald holding the murder weapons and communist publications, which was part of the cover-story, a failed black propaganda operation that attempted to blame the assassination on Fidel Castro.

Just as the dangling tin can was sign indicating there was a sniper operating in the area, there were similar signs of danger before JFK entered Dealey Plaza, but they went unheeded or were intentionally ignored.

Of the Dealey Plaza danger signs, a few stand out, especially those who expressed foreknowledge of the assassination, the Walker shooting, the recorded Alpha 66 threat, the Stevenson incident and Umbrella Man.

While each of these danger signs should be reviewed in depth, the Umbrella Man was right there at Dealey Plaza, and he admits that his umbrella was intended to be a sign – a silent protest, a signal and message that President Kennedy would recognize and understand – a sign that referred to his father’s isolationist stand at the beginning of World War II, the image of Chamberlain’s umbrella at Munich that represented the failed policy of “appeasement” with the Nazis, which the Umbrella Man (Louis deWitt) implied was JFK’s policy towards communists.

If you Google "Munich," "appeasement" and "JFK" you will read the transcripts of the conversations recorded in the White House Oval Office in October 1962 when Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. LeMay told President Kennedy that his resolution of the crisis without resorting to nuclear war was "like Munich" and an "appeasement" that was America's worst defeat ever.

The Umbrella Man's sign may have been the last thing President Kennedy saw before his head was shattered by a bullet fired by a Level One sniper who was not Lee Harvey Oswald.

http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/2014/02/view-from-snipers-nest.html

[Paul Brancato]

I too think umbrella man was a significant clue. I think the sniper analysis a good one, but think it more likely that there were multiple hit teams, and that several groups participated. Other writers have pointed out, and I agree, that there was a kind of safety in numbers. In my opinion it is no accident that films of Dealey plaza that day who so many lookalikes to 'suspects'. People like E Howard Hunt, George Bush, Rip Robertson. The presence of known Corsican hitmen in Dallas, hitmen in the Dal-Tex building, men with guns in several promising locations including rooftops, railroad overpass, grassy knoll, snipers nest. This is a bit off topic I suppose - just sayin'

[Ray Mitcham]

Agreed, Paul. Seems too much of a co-incidence that "Umbrella man" was next to a black guy who appeared to have a walkie talkie, right where the road had newly painted yellow lines on the curb, ( the reasons for these, nobody seems to know,) and the part of the road where Greer just happened to brake hard.

IMO this is the killing zone, and the Umbrella man and the walkie talkie man were the guys in just the right position to ensure that the hit teams were co-ordinated.

Again just my 2c.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Ray Mitcham

[Ken Davies]

What? You don't buy the Witt Umbrella man fable? His testimony was unbelievable, and is easily refuted by the Z film.

The DCM, as he is called, actually seems to be on the road in front of the limo, with his fist raised high, in a few photos.

Was he trying to slow or stop the limo, as well as assist in signaling the shooters?

Isn't it odd that these two conspicuous characters appear to be doing "strange" things at the exact time and place that JFK

is being publicly executed in a plaza named after one of his critics? No, these things happen every day in dreamland.

[William Kelly]

Louie Witt, who worked at the Rio Grande National Insurance Co. In the Rio. grande building, where the Secret Service and Military intelligence also had their offices, told the HSCA that he used the umbrella as a silent protest of JFK's liberal policies because he heard, in a conversation at work, that the umbrella was a sore spot with the Kennedy family.

Witt wasn't sure about the details, but it had something to do with JFK's father when he was ambassador to UK and supported the policy of appeasement of Hitler at Munich by Neville Chamberlain, whose symbol was a black umbrella that he frequently carried.

So Witt - the Umbrella Man, used the umbrella as a sign of protest directed at JFK.

Shooters, whether Level 3 or Level 1 snipers, would not need a signal to shoot.

The Umbrella was a sign for JFK, not a signal for shooters.

As a sign for JFK, possibly the very last thing he saw, and had time to reflect on, is not an innocent explanation, as Tink believes, but could be the reason why he was killed.

BK

[Ken Davies]

Bill, we seem to agree that Umbrella man had some role, but Witt's claim of Kennedy family embarrassment over umbrellas referencing Chamberlain, etc. have never been mentioned in any of the hundreds of books that I have read pertaining to the family, its members or the public execution. Can anyone cite some corroboration?

Also, as someone who used umbrellas regularly over the years, and very regularly during my visit to England, I find it dubious that someone who uses his umbrella, would have the same one after 15 years.

At any rate, keep up the good work.

[William Kelly]

Bill, we seem to agree that Umbrella man had some role, but Witt's claim of Kennedy family embarrassment over umbrellas referencing Chamberlain, etc. have never been mentioned in any of the hundreds of books that I have read pertaining to the family, its members or the public execution. Can anyone cite some corroboration?

Also, as someone who used umbrellas regularly over the years, and very regularly during my visit to England, I find it dubious that someone who uses his umbrella, would have the same one after 15 years.

At any rate, keep up the good work.

Hi Ken,

My source isn't any books or articles, but HSCA testimony, readily available at Mary Ferrell or NARA.

It's a shame that the HSCA staff did not press Witt on who at his place of employment told him that the umbrella was a symbol that embarrassed the Kennedy family, but he did site a newspaper report that mentioned the fact that others had used the umbrella as a symbol of protest against the Kennedys, a news report that I don't know has ever been run down. So if there's any researchers out there with time on their hands, perhaps they can find a news/media reference to the umbrella being used as a sign of protest against JFK before November 1963, possibly in the Southwest USA. Witt makes reference to these news reports in his testimony.

I think that Witt's testimony is true and accurate - that he used his umbrella as a sign of protest and that JFK understood what it meant, and that it was probably the last thing that entered JFK's mind before he was shot in the head by someone - a Level One sniper - not Lee Harvey Oswald.

As for my source, it is the HSCA testimony of Louie Witt that mentions what I have stated, and also see Tink Thompson's excerpt on Earl Morris' documentary that there are "non-sinster" explanation for events.

I think Witt's symbol of protest was a sign - just like the empty tin can on a string is a sniper's wind gauge, the umbrella was a sign of Kennedy's demise, and provides a clue as to the reasons why he was killed.

BK

[Ken Davies]

Bill,

I watched the Witt testimony in 1978, and read the HSCA report. I never found him credible.

Russ Baker, in a 2011 online article on the Umbrella Man quotes John Simkin, the eminent

British historian as saying that an umbrella was never a symbol of Chamberlain and appeasement at Munich

and points out that a piece of paper that Chamberlain was waving while leaving his plane was

the symbol in question. Sorry, I can't link the article, but if one googles Kennedys and umbrellas , it can easily be found.

[William Kelly]

Well he looks like the man in the films and photos,, and the umbrellas match. He worked in Rio Grande bldg with SS and military intel and HE claimed to believe the umbrella was a symbol of appeasement that irritated the Kennedy's because someone at work told him so.

What part of his story is not credible?

While my article, which no one appears interested in discussing, concerns how real Level One snipers view what happened at DP, I only use the Umbrella Man as a sign of danger, no more no less. Others insist it was a signal for shooters, but the snipers themselves dispute this, saying no such signal was needed.

Witt said there was a news article.that mentioned a previous umbrella protest against the Kennedy's. if so it should be archived somewhere.

If not Witt it was somebody else with a similar umbrella who did the things he did for other reasons and Witt must have been convinced to come forward and perjure himself by someone with interest in muddying the waters.

I believe Witt and politely disagree with you about Witt's credibility and Tink Thompson's assertion that it is an innocent and not sinster explanation.

It was a sign, a symbol f protest against JFK, and I think he got the message.

More significant I think, is the sniper's contention that the Sixth Floor Sniper was a diversion and deception and did not take the fatal head shot, but everybody seems fixated on Umbrella Man.

BK

Edited March 13, 2014 by William Kelly

[Paul Brancato]

I may have gotten the ball rolling on focusing this thread on Umbrella man, but it was quite unintentional. The rest of my post is about multiple hit teams. I don't think Umbrella man was signaling shooters, but I do find it extremely odd that he and his 'partner' sat down on the curb after the shooting and waited while everyone else was running up the embankment or at least somewhere. That it was a symbol of the reason JFK was killed I have no doubt, as the killers in this large conspiracy saw him as an appeaser, trying to make peace with a sworn enemy. That was what I had in mind when I called his actions a significant clue.

[William Kelly]

Witt claimed he didn't know the other guy and they weren't partners, but as has been said, it appears they were u to something.

It's suspicious the other guy has not been identified.

I've also located a few political cartoons that depict Chamberlain as Umbrella and more recent umbrella protests in UK but not the one mentioned by Witt.

Is he still alive?

BK

[Ken Pierce]

I appreciate your work Bill.

[David Andrews]

Russ Baker, in a 2011 online article on the Umbrella Man quotes John Simkin, the eminent

British historian as saying that an umbrella was never a symbol of Chamberlain and appeasement at Munich

and points out that a piece of paper that Chamberlain was waving while leaving his plane was

the symbol in question. Sorry, I can't link the article, but if one googles Kennedys and umbrellas , it can easily be found.

Google up Chamberlain and there's a separate section for Umbrella photos. When he was photographed shaking Hitler's hand on the stair at the Berghof, NC had an umbrella in the other hand. Period cartoonists used the brolly to caricaturize Chamberlain's Britishness, which was easier to do thusly than with a piece of paper.

If Umbrella Man was making a Chamberlain reference, it connects him syntactically to...Curtis LeMay's own comment to JFK (re: Joe, Sr.) during an infamously disapproving meeting with the JCS. (Bill Kelly, take note.)

Edited March 15, 2014 by David Andrews

[Ken Davies]

If Mr. Baker's quote of Mr. Simkin is correct, then I would not disagree with a noted historian.

[David Andrews]

Delete

Edited March 15, 2014 by David Andrews