Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

In response to my piece about the mindset of reporters who accepted the official story without question, Paul Carpenter wrote this piece with some very astute recollections from his own life:

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  Paul Carpenter I’ll add a personal note to Ralph Cinque’s piece. Much of the following does not come from what I read or theorize; it comes from what I remember from being there. It is not intended as an expression of “I remember where I was when…”. I wrote it to augment what Ralph Cinque has written above. From 1963:
  
  While waiting for the instructor to arrive, the college botany students learned the man believed to be the assassin was captured. As students walked in the classroom, several times I heard, "Did you hear they got him?" There was no doubt who "him" was -- the man with the rifle. I do not recall any students, including myself, objecting to conviction before trial. 
  
  I do recall the students commenting how quickly the police arrested Oswald. The great anxiety following the murder was somewhat relieved by the arrest. This need for a return to stability is further demonstrated by what happened Sunday. 
  
  I was in church when a second clergyman interrupted the clergyman conducting the service. The second man said Oswald had been shot. He asked we not only pray for the soul of the president but also we pray for the country. I bet he was thinking as I was -- the country was flying apart with this second shooting. He did not ask the congregation to pray for the soul of the man accused because we did not yet know Oswald was dead; however, I do not recall he asked us to pray for but the recovery of the young man who was shot, a former Marine.
  
  Today I think ordinary reporters at that time usually accepted what officials told them because the reporters were not much different than the general population in that they believed the government does not lie. The conformity of the Eisenhower years was not far behind. Stability still was important, not digging into unpleasant matters or questioning the government.
  
  Soon after JFK was buried I recall another college instructor telling his class how reporters assigned to Eisenhower's press conferences routinely dressed up his frequent verbal slips and meandering. Reporters tended to avoid some other behaviorial matters in those days. Why? Today we might say, “Get along to go along.” The unwritten rules for getting along those many years ago, I think, involved what was perceived as patriotism, conformity, security and stability.