Secret Service Agent Breaks Silence On What He Saw During The JFK Assassination That Might Change Everything
For many years, there have been various speculations and questions surrounding the untimely death of President John F. Kennedy.
A former Secret Service agent who was present on the day of Kennedy's assassination has stepped forward to share his personal account of what truly occurred that tragic and fateful day. Paul Landis, who witnessed the tragic killing of the 35th U.S. president, spoke out about the situation for the first time, sixty years after the fact. Read through to hear what he had to say.
That Fateful Moment
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He was riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza when he was shot and killed.
The assassination took place while Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine with a history of anti-government sentiments, was arrested, but he was also killed two days later.
A Day That Will Be Remembered
The event shook the nation, sparking many theories and investigations. The Warren Commission officially concluded that Oswald acted alone, but doubts and controversies persist.
Kennedy's assassination remains a significant and tragic chapter in American history, with lasting impact on the nation's collective memory.
Contradictory Sentiments
The official report that came out on the President's assassination left many people unsatisfied, including members of the Kennedy family themselves.
JFK's autopsy revealed that it was not one bullet wound but two the President was afflicted with on the day of his murder.
Enter Paul Landis
Paul Landis is a former Secret Service agent who witnessed the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.
Decades later, he came forward to share his firsthand account of the events of that fateful day, shedding new light on the historic tragedy.
Paul Released A Book
The book, titled The Final Witness: A Kennedy Secret Service Agent Breaks His Silence After Sixty Years, finally shed some light on Paul's version of what happened on that fateful day.
There were some bombshells in the novel, written while Paul was 88-years-old.
Paul Shared His History
Paul wrote that he joined the Secret Service in 1959, and by 1963 he had been assigned as security detail for President Kennedy's wife, Jackie Kennedy, as well as the rest of his family.
This meant that on that fateful day, he was walking directly behind the limo.
Paul Shared His Version
Paul revealed that when he heard the first gunshot, he turned around to see where it had come from, but was unable to see anything.
When he turned back around, his fellow agents were sprinting towards the vehicle containing the President.
Paul Saw Everything
It was at that point that President Kennedy was shot.
Paul revealed that he was standing so close to the vehicle that he had to duck behind cover in order to avoid being splattered with blood.
Paul Found Evidence
Paul then claimed that he found one of the bullets in the limo and stored it in his pocket.
Of course, this contradicts the idea that the President was killed by one bullet, as reported in the official Commission, which found another bullet on fellow victim Governor Connelly's stretcher.
Paul Was Not Happy With The Way The Crime Was Handled
"There was nobody there to secure the scene, and that was a big, big bother to me," Paul told the New York Times. "All the agents that were there were focused on the president."
A crowd was gathering, and that was why Paul knew he had to act.
So Paul Grabbed The Evidence
"This was all going on so quickly," Paul said. "And I was just afraid that — it was a piece of evidence, that I realized right away. Very important. And I didn't want it to disappear or get lost."
"So it was, 'Paul, you’ve got to make a decision,’ and I grabbed it.’" Paul picked up the bullet.
A Controversial Telling
"If what he says is true, which I tend to believe, it is likely to reopen the question of a second shooter, if not even more," historical author and lawyer James Robenalt said to The Times of the situation.
It Could Change Everything
"If the bullet we know as the magic or pristine bullet stopped in President Kennedy's back, it means that the central thesis of the Warren Report, the single-bullet theory, is wrong," Robenalt said.
It Was Traumatizing
"I don't know if that story’s true or not, but I do know that the agents that were there that day, they were tormented for years by what happened," said former Secret Service director Lewis C. Merletti.
Paul Says He Has No Ulterior Motives
"There's no goal at this point," Paul said of why he was coming forward with this information now, so long after the fact.
"I just think it had been long enough that I needed to tell my story."
It's Not Unusual
"It's very common as people get to the end of their lives," Ken Gormley, President of Duquesne University and a presidential historian said of Paul's decision to come forward so many years later.
"They want to make peace with things. They want to get on the table things they've been holding back, especially if it’s a piece of history and they want the record corrected."
Not A Ploy For Attention
"This does not look like a play by someone trying to get attention for himself or money," Gormley said.
"I don't read it that way at all. I think he firmly believes this. Whether it fits together, I don’t know. But people can eventually figure that out."
Not Everyone Believes Him
"People's memories generally do not improve over time, and it is a flashing warning sign to me, about skepticism I have over his story, that on some very important details of the assassination, including the number of shots, his memory has gotten better instead of worse," Gerard Posner, an author who has written about this subject, told The Times.
Why Didn't He Speak Sooner?
"I didn't want to talk about it," Paul said. “I was afraid. I started to think, did I do something wrong? There was a fear that I might have done something wrong and I shouldn’t talk about it.”
A Pivotal Moment In History
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, remains a pivotal moment in American history, shrouded in theories and speculation.
Paul Landis's firsthand account will be keeping the intrigue alive for generations to come.
