Mark Ulrik

That's lovely, but not exactly on-topic.

Well, isn't that a bummer. OK, maybe it wasn't as unimaginable as I thought that you actually could get arrested in Maryland in 1945 for hunting deer with steel-jacketed bullets.

You've got the timing horribly wrong, Ben. According to the AP article, it was soon after the shooting that Curry said that in his opinion the bullets were steel-jacketed, etc. It's not known if he actually said "steel-jacketed" or it was a misquote, but he went on to say that it had not been confirmed to him. This tells us that he almost certainly hadn't yet received the 11/23 FBI memo identifying the bullet specimens as copper-jacketed. It would seem that the AP reporter, not knowing about the memo, simply assumed that Curry was still waiting for a response when they wrote that "the type of bullets used to shoot JFK a week ago remained a secret of the FBI." NB! It feels a bit harsh to criticize the FBI for using the expression "Mannlicher-Carcano rifle bullet." The stretcher bullet (Q1) and limo fragments (Q2+3) were ballistically matched to the TSBD rifle (K1) identified as a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle (a slight misnomer for the Carcano rifle) whereas the TSBD cartridges and cases (Q6+7+8) were easily identified by their headstamp as having been manufactured by the Western Cartridge Co. More later, if I can summon the energy. Ben has the Mai Tai advantage.

[I have a few comments but no time right now]

The arrest mentioned in the article would've made more sense (at least to me) if "steel jacket" were replaced with "full metal jacket," so I still suspect it was a misnomer. From the 2010 codes and statutes for the state of Maryland: https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2010/natural-resources/title-10/subtitle-4/10-416

Have you read this article? Lee Oswald / Study in Psychopathology

Well, I believe that's the main argument for outlawing FMJ ammo for hunting. You don't want the animal to suffer more than necessary. You also don't want the bullet to just punch through and hit something (or someone) else. What's your argument for outlawing steel jackets? They cause forest fires? Yes, because they prefer to kill as quickly and effectively as possible. It conceivable that they're also legally prohibited (at least in parts of the US) from using FMJ ammo.

Sounds like someone who may have been considering more than one option. What was Marina's response?

Thanks for the link, Ben. It seems to me that the article may have been (mis)using "steel jacket" as a pseudonym for full metal jacket.

It strikes me as a slightly odd way to sum up the WC's case by accusing the police of having made a wrongful arrest. Does Parker really believe that there were more immediately obvious suspects than Oswald, or that they eventually should have realized that Oswald wasn't the right guy and released him? Perhaps with a nice apology?

Hi David. I was suggesting that they take a look themselves instead of blindly trusting someone else's account. Sorry if that rubbed you the wrong way.

Instead of blindly trusting Simkin's account, why not navigate to the actual pages and see for yourself? Scans are easy to find online, and I even posted a link above. Hoover's letter concerning the "printing error" (in the WC volumes) is also easy to find. Let me know if you don't know where to look.

Fair enough. I got the idea in my head that you were using the documentary to attack the movie, but if all you did was focus on the documentary, you did a more than adequate job of convincing me that it's not worth watching. A single-paragraph summary would probably have been just as effective. Back in the day, when the Marcello/Trafficante theories were trending, I couldn't even bring myself to buy the Giancana book because it seemed so unconvincing.

Well, Jim seems to think we're movie critics. Personally, I'd prefer to suspend judgment until after I've watched it. It might still turn out to be a perfectly watchable counter-myth (to a counter-myth).

That's mean Bob.

You need to get your facts straight, W. Good luck finding (a) a copy of Life Magazine with the reversed sequence and/or (b) the letter from Hoover confirming same.

Doing my humble bit to save one of the most endangered fish in the language sea, the vocative comma, and I get accused of trying to score cheap points. Outrageous.

That's great advice, John, but I've never met an author who wasn't grateful for free proofreading.

Being Danish, I can't help but notice that you misspelled Viggo Mortensen's name. You see, our patronymic surnames typically ends in -sen, and his father was born in Denmark. It's the same with Norwegian surnames, by the way, and corresponds to the Swedish -son. You also have an unfortunate aversion to the vocative (or direct address) comma. This is perfectly fine in informal chat, but in a published article? I mean, how do you actually giggle Mr. Giancana? Should I use a comma before and after vocative?

Pretty sure "We can't hear you back here" is correct.

I don't see any frame reversal. LIFE Magazine November 29, 1963

Seems we're going beyond simple mind-reading and into crystal ball territory. What possible impact could this have had on Sullivan's thinking in the early morning hours of 12/4/63? I don't think I knew that. Could you elaborate? Too many leaps of faith.

What was in that "package"? Are you saying that the DPD made copies of the case file (or at least some of the paperwork) and sent it along with the bullet? That doesn't sound quite right. Wouldn't the #1 priority by far be to simply have the bullet examined?

You're a funny guy. I think I'll stop commenting and wait for Steve's review. Go easy on the Mai Tais.

No protest, Ben? Perhaps you've realized in the meantime that the FBI sent Curry a lab report dated 11/23 describing the JFK bullet specimens as copper-jacketed. It would make zero sense for him to – several days later – be waiting for "confirmation" that the bullets were steel-jacketed! Let's revisit the 11/30 AP article: Curry must have quickly surmised that the bullets were (jacketed) rifle bullets but happened to use the misnomer "steel-jacketed" when talking to reporters. It could also be a misquote. The header (Bullet Type Used on JFK Kept Secret) indicates that the AP reporter was unaware of the lab report.