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

 I don't consider myself well-studied on the Tippit shooting, but I want to share some observations that you may not have heard elsdwhere. The first thing is that the authorities never told us what Oswald said about it. We know that he denied doing it, but that's all. For instance, we were told what Oswald said about how he got to his boarding room on N. Beckley, but not about how he got to the theater, or why he went to the theater.

How could that not have come up? He said he went to his room and changed his pants. Then, the police would have said, "And then what did you do?" But, they never told us a word. And I have to believe that it was because whatever Oswald told them must have been very exonerating.

John Armstrong makes the case that Oswald was driven to the theater, and it's a very strong case. It's based on the fact that Butch Burroughs, the Popcorn Man, said that Oswald was in the theater by 1:07, and he couldn't have walked there in that amount of time. The distance was 1.1 miles. And it did not involve going to 10th and Patton. Actually, it was a straight shot down Beckley to Jefferson, and then a short jog to the right.

But, John also points out that if Oswald had walked that distance in broad daylight, it's likely that someone would have seen him and reported it afterwards.

And John doesn't think Oswald took a bus or cab, because that cab driver would have been found, just like the first one was found: William Whaley. And if rode a bus, someone would likely have recalled seeing him there too, the driver or a passenger.

John thinks that his landladby Arlene Roberts cued us in by saying that a squad car pulled up and tapped its horn twice. So, did a cop drive Oswald to the theater? It looks like it. And did the cop give Oswald the pistol? It's a strong possibility.

But, let's talk about the story that Oswald shot Tippit because it is ridiculous. First, as I said, Oswald did not go to 10th and Patton, and he had no reason to go to 10th and Patton. Where could Oswald have been going to put him at 10th and Patton? Nobody has an answer. Some have claimed that he was going to Jack Ruby's apartment. That is ridiculous because they did not know each other.

But, just to show you how ridiculous the whole story is: consider what WC lawyer David Belin said when he was asked where Oswald was going that put him on 10th and Patton. Belin said; "to Mexico." WTF? That is absurd. What does that have to do with 10th and Patton? There isn't the slightest basis to claim it. And then when asked how Oswald was going to get to Mexico when he had only $14 on him, having left most of his big wad with Marina, Belin said he was going to use his pistol like a bank account and just rob people, as needed. Again, it is ridiculous. It's like it was Imagination Day at Kindergarten.

And by the way, that big wad of cash that Oswald had, $168, was equivalent to almost $1800 today. I bet you that not even Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk walk around with that much cash, but Lee Harvey Oswald did. So, where did he get it? Prior to the TSBD, he hadn't worked since July 19. That's when he lost his job at the Reily Coffee Company in New Orleans. And he only started at the TSBD a month before on October 16. And he only made $1.11/hour. He had to pay his own living expenses and give money to Marina. So, how could he have saved the equivalent of $1800 in today's money?

He couldn't have. Somebody must have given him that money. And I bet that whoever gave it to him said, "Now, you better get that out to your wife in Irving. You don't want to leave it in your boarding room."

But, if you, like me, know very well that Oswald didn't shoot Kennedy (and if you don't know that, you need to get the hell out of here because this is not a forum for LNs to debate Oswald defenders) then you know he had no reason to shoot Tippit. If he hadn't done anything, why would he start by killing a cop?

Yes, I know there were witnesses who thought they saw Oswald do it. And that's why John Armstrong thinks that the other Oswald, the one he calls "Lee" did it. We know Lee was there. We know there was an Oswald who left Dealey Plaza by getting into a Nash Rambler that was driven by a black or Hispanic guy (as per about 7 witnesses, including Deputy Roger Craig), and we know that "Harvey" who worked at the TSBD left Dealey Plaza the way he said: by bus and by cab. So, there were two Oswalds.

Tippit was shot at 1:15. The Oswald of fame was in the theater by 1:07. That means he didn't do it. Why did they frame him for it? It may be because they hoped that brandishing him as a cop-killer would make for some itchy trigger-fingers in the theater. But, that didn't work out, just like the best-laid plans of mice and men.