Paul Landis, an 88-year-old former Secret Service agent who was present during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas nearly six decades ago, has recently cast doubt on the widely accepted “magic bullet” theory and the notion of a single shooter. Landis was assigned to protect First Lady Jackie Kennedy during the president’s motorcade procession through Dallas in 1963.
Landis vividly remembers the sound of the gunshot that echoed through Dealey Plaza, where he was walking just a few feet away from the president. He heard two more shots and saw President Kennedy slump over in the back of the open limousine. Landis had to take cover to avoid being hit by the splatter.
Landis’ account diverges from the official government findings in the aftermath of the chaos. He claims to have found a bullet lodged in the back seat of the car where Kennedy had been sitting and placed it on the president’s hospital stretcher for investigators.
The 6.5 mm bullet, long believed to have been found on the stretcher of Texas Governor John Connally after it fell from a wound in his thigh, was dubbed “the magic bullet.” The Warren Commission concluded that this bullet, fired by Lee Harvey Oswald, had passed through Kennedy’s throat from the rear, hit Connally’s right shoulder, and then somehow also wounded his back, chest, wrist, and thigh. The report stated that one of the shots missed the motorcade, another was the “magic bullet,” and the final shot fatally struck Kennedy in the head.
Landis now believes that the bullet he placed on Kennedy’s stretcher somehow ended up on the governor’s stretcher as the two were pushed together. The Warren Commission, however, ruled out the bullet coming from the president’s stretcher.
Landis expressed his frustration over the lack of security at the scene. He was concerned that the bullet, a crucial piece of evidence, could have been lost or misplaced in the ensuing chaos. Landis believes that the bullet hit Kennedy but was undercharged and did not penetrate deeply into the president’s body, popping out before he was removed from the vehicle.
Although Landis had always believed that Oswald was the lone gunman, he now questions that conclusion. The bullet, found fully intact, was positively matched to Oswald’s Mannlicher-Carcano through ballistics analysis, according to the Warren Commission.
Landis’ revelations are detailed in his upcoming book “The Final Witness,” set to be published by Chicago Review Press on October 10. James Robenalt, an Ohio-based lawyer and author who has extensively researched the assassination, believes Landis’ book will raise new questions about Kennedy’s death.
Robenalt suggests that if Landis’ account is accurate, it could reopen the question of a second shooter. He also speculates that Connally could have been shot by a separate bullet, as he believes Oswald could not have reloaded fast enough. The theory of multiple shooters has been popular since the immediate aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination.