* Numerous witnesses, over 40, including the escort patrolmen to the
rear of the limousine, said the limousine stopped or slowed down
markedly for at least a second or two. The Muchmore film shows the
limousine's brake lights on for nine frames (about half a second)
during the time period corresponding to about frames 311-319 of the
Zapruder film (or Z311-319). However, this event is not seen in the
Zapruder film. In fact, the limousine never comes close to performing
this action in the current film.
Opponents of alteration cite the virtually invisible, extremely brief
slowing identified by physicist Dr. Luis Alvarez. This slowing occurs
from about Z295-304, as the car decelerates from approximately 12 to 8
mph in half a second. However, in the film this event is so subtle
that it is usually not noticed by viewers. No one appears to have
noticed it, in fact, until Dr. Alvarez detected it through careful
study and analysis of the film. It seems highly unlikely that this
subtle, half-second slowing is what the witnesses were describing when
they said the limousine came to a full stop or slowed down markedly.
Here is a small sample of the eyewitness testimony:
-- NBC reporter Robert MacNeil (rode in White House Press Bus): "The
President's driver slammed on the brakes - after the third shot.”
-- Dallas Police Department (DPD) policeman Earle Brown: "The first I
noticed the [JFK's] car was when it stopped..after it made the turn
and when the shots were fired, it stopped."
-- DPD patrolman Bobby Hargis (one of the four motorcyclists escorting
JFK’s limousine): "At that time [immediately before the head shot] the
Presidential car slowed down. I heard somebody say 'Get going.' I felt
blood hit me in the face and the Presidential car stopped almost
immediately after that."
-- DPD D.V. Harkness: "I saw the first shot and the President's car
slow down to almost a stop…I heard the first shot and saw the
President's car almost come to a stop and some of the agents piling on
the car."
-- DPD patrolman Douglas L. Jackson (one of the four motorcyclists
escorting JFK’s limousine): ". . . the car just all but stopped, just
a moment.”
-- DPD J.W. Foster: "immediately after President Kennedy was
struck . . . the car in which he was riding pulled to the curb."
-- Special Agent John Ready (riding in the follow-up car): "I heard
what sounded like fire crackers going off from my post on the right
front running board. The President's car slowed.”
-- Ochus V. Campbell: ". . . observed the car bearing President
Kennedy to slow down, a near stop, and a motorcycle policeman rushed
up. Immediately following this, he observed the car rush away from the
scene."
-- Peggy Joyce Hawkins (on the steps of the Book Depository building):
". . . estimated that the President's car was less than 50 feet away
from her when he was shot, that the car slowed down almost coming to a
full stop."
Nothing like the stop or rapid slowdown described above appears in the
current Zapruder film. Nothing. Throughout the current film the
limousine seems to move at a steady speed. No stop or marked slowdown
can be seen by viewing the film at normal speed, which of course is
the speed at which the witnesses would have observed the motorcade.
* The split-second slowing of the limousine from 12 to 8 mph in
Z295-304 actually presents another problem for the film's
authenticity. Though the slowdown is not very noticeable in the film,
it represents a deceleration of about 0.37 g. Physicist Art Snyder
notes that such a rapid slowing would be expected to toss things
around, and he adds that most cars do not decelerate more than 0.4 g.
When one examines the frames immediately after this deceleration, one
sees no visible effect on the occupants from such a dramatic slowing.
The fact that JFK is not moved by this deceleration is particularly
interesting because he no longer had voluntary muscular control and
should have been thrown forward. Yet for many frames before and after
this event, he appears to be quite immobile. Nobody in the limousine
shows any signs of being moved by the split-second deceleration. So,
assuming Dr. Alvarez's data are accurate, the sudden reduction in
speed that he detected would seem to constitute further evidence of
alteration in the Zapruder film. Could it be that this half-second
slowing is a remnant of what was originally a much longer, more
noticeable deceleration?
* Dr. Roderick Ryan believes he has discovered that the limousine is
actually standing still in Z303 but is moving in Z302, even though the
limousine appears to be moving at a nearly uniform speed in the film
during this time (Noel Twyman, Bloody Treason, Rancho Santa Fe, CA:
Laurel Publishing, 1997, pp. 158-159, 164-165). Notes Noel Twyman,
Experience tells us that the limousine could not have decelerated from
11 miles per hour to a complete stop in 1/18 second. (Bloody Treason,
p. 165)
Dr. Ryan made this discovery by analyzing the blurring of background
images in the two frames. Moreover, Dr. Ryan's son, who also works in
motion picture film technology, studied the film and confirmed his
father's discovery (Bloody Treason, p. 159).
In case some might be wondering about Dr. Ryan's background, he is a
retired scientist from Kodak. He holds a Ph.D. from USC, majoring in
cinema and communications. He worked for Kodak for 29 years. He spent
his entire career in motion picture film technology. He is a recipient
of the Scientific and Engineering Award from the Society of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences. He has authored numerous books on motion
picture technology and several articles on motion picture science. In
addition, he is a Fellow of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences and a member of the Committee for Selection of Scientific and
Technical Awards, Special Effects, Documentary Films
CJ