Part 1: The evidence for Oswald's guilt according to Vincent Bugliosi.
Let's take a look at the evidence. A very quick look at the evidence. I have two lists below. One a list of items indicating Oswald killed the President, according to Vincent Bugliosi, and one a list of items indicating there was a conspiracy, according to Jesse Ventura and his co-writer Dick Russell. I have taken the liberty of adding a number after each item. 0 = irrelevant or not worth considering, 2 = probably not worth considering, 5 = worth considering, 8 = probably significant, 10 = undoubtedly significant.
Part 1: The evidence for Oswald's guilt according to Vincent Bugliosi in Reclaiming History.
(1) Oswald always visited Marina in Irving on a Friday. Nov 21 was the first Thursday visit ever. 5
(2) Oswald's claim to be getting curtain rods in Irving was an implausible lie. 2
(3) Oswald told Frazier he would NOT be coming back to Irving on Friday night. 0
(4) That night Oswald avoided Kennedy talk with Marina, a subject it was their custom to discuss. 0
(5) Friday morning, Oswald left almost all his cash and his wedding ring in Irving. 5
(6) On Friday morning, Oswald placed a long paper-wrapped package in the back seat of Frazier's car. 2
(7) Frazier noticed that for the first time on a return trip from Irving, Oswald brought no lunch. 2
(8) On arrival at the TSBD, Oswald walked faster and ahead of Frazier for the first time ever. 2
(9) For the first time ever, Oswald didn't read the paper in the TSBD domino room. 0
(10) Oswald's pretense with a co-worker that he didn't know JFK's route. 2
(11) Howard Brennan saw Lee Harvey Oswald fire the third shot that killed the President. 0
(12) Kennedy's assassin was at the now-infamous sixth-floor window. 2
(13) During interrogation, Oswald put himself on the sixth floor at the time of the assassination. 0
(14) Oswald's story of getting a Coke after hearing commotion of assassination is not sensible. 0
(15) It makes no sense that Oswald the "political animal" had no interest in the President's death. 0
(16) After the assassination, only Oswald missed a roll call at the TSBD. 2
(17) Oswald walked past his normal bus stop and walked seven blocks to board a different line. 2
(18) Oswald left the Marsalis bus when it got caught in traffic. 2
(19) Oswald's not speaking to the cab driver about the assassination is striking. 0
(20) Oswald had the cab drive past his residence, dropping him off down the road. 5
(21) Oswald's behavior at his boarding house indicates a flight in progress. 5
(22) Oswald retrieved his revolver at the rooming house. 8
(23) In addition to getting a coat and his gun, Oswald changed trousers. 0
(24) Lee Harvey Oswald murdered J.D. Tippit. 8
(25) A store manager saw Oswald evading police sirens in front of his store. 5
(26) Oswald slipped into the Texas Theater without buying a ticket. 2
(27) When approached by police in the Texas Theater, Oswald said "Well, it is all over now." 8
(28) Oswald then fought the police and tried to pull his revolver out. 8
(29) After arrest, Oswald refused to even give his name to arresting officers. 0
(30) Oswald made a clenched-fist salute to reporters. 0
(31) Oswald refused a lie detector test. 0
(32) After visiting him on Saturday, Marina came away convinced of Oswald's guilt. 2
(33) Oswald's Mannlicher-Carcano rifle was found on the sixth floor of the TSBD. 10
(34) The mostly intact bullet (CE 399) and two of the fragments were fired from this rifle. 10
(35) The three expended shells on the sixth floor were "fired in and ejected from" Oswald's rifle. 8
(36) A handmade paper bag large enough to carry Oswald's rifle was found in the sniper's nest. 0
(37) Oswald's prints were found on boxes that comprised the sniper's nest. 5
(38) Oswald was the sole owner of the revolver found in his possession on arrest. 0
(39) The bullets recovered from Tippit's body were consistent with being fired from Oswald's .38. 5
(40) The four cartridge shells found at the Tippit murder scene were fired from Oswald's revolver. 5
(41) A paraffin test on Oswald's hands showed he'd fired a revolver just before his arrest. 5
(42) Oswald left his blue jacket behind in the TSBD. 0
(43) Oswald's tan jacket was found along the path Tippit's killer took. 5
(44) Oswald's work clipboard was found on the sixth floor of the TSBD. 0
(45) Oswald lied about owning a rifle, and about owning the Mannlicher-Carcano specifically. 10
(46) Oswald lied about being in the backyard photo where he was holding his rifle. 5
(47) Oswald lied about having seen the picture before. 5
(48) Oswald lied about living at the place where the picture with the rifle was taken. 0
(49) Oswald lied about telling Wesley Frazier the curtain rod story. 5
(50) Oswald lied about putting a long package into Frazier's car that morning. 5
(51) Oswald told police the only thing he'd brought to work that morning was his lunch. 5
(52) Oswald lied about having lunch on the first floor with two other employees. 0
(53) Oswald lied about where he'd bought his revolver. 0
Total score: 167 Breakdown: 0-19, 2-11, 5-15, 8-5, 10-3 Avg: 3.15
Part 2: The evidence for conspiracy according to Jesse Ventura and Dick Russell in They Killed Our President.
The Evidence
1. Frontal Gunshots (as indicated by the Parkland witnesses) 5
2. Zapruder Film (shows back and to the left) 8
3. U.S. Secret Service Agents (heard shots from knoll) 2
4. Grassy Knoll (witnesses ran there after the shooting) 8
5. Previous Plots Against President Kennedy 8
6. Last Minute Change of Motorcycle Formation 2
7. Secret Service Agents Ordered Off Limousine 0
8. Motorcycle Route Changed 0
9. Too Many Bullets 2
10. Acoustic Evidence at Dealey Plaza 0
11. Three Rifle Shots in Six Seconds (difficulty of firing) 10
12. Shots That Were Too Close Together With a Rifle That Was Not Even "Sighted In" 10
13. Oswald Couldn't Have Carried in the Murder Weapon 10
14. No Eyewitnesses 0
15. Logistically Impossible That Oswald Fired shot (since he was found on the second floor) 5
16. Mauser Rifle Was Found 0
17. No fingerprints 5
18. Oswald Was a U.S. Intelligence Operative 8
19. Oswald Had a Look-Alike Intelligence Double 2
20. Oswald Had No Motive For Murder 8
21. Paper Trail on the Rifle Was Intentional 0
22. The "Backyard Photo" of Oswald Was Deemed a Forgery 5
23. Oswald Denied Shooting the President and Modern Voice Technologies Determined He Was Telling the Truth 5
24. "Umbrella Man" and "Radio Man" in Dealey Plaza Appeared To Be Acting Operationally 0
25. The Three Tramps Photographed in Dealey Plaza After the Assassination Were Not Actually Tramps 0
26. Oswald Could Not Have Murdered Officer Tippit (didn't have time) 2
27. The Murder of Oswald Was Obvious Witness Silencing 5
28. Jack Ruby Knew Lee Harvey Oswald 0
The Cover-up
29. The smoking gun of the cover-up (Katzenbach memo) 10
30. The presidential limousine was crucial crime scene evidence 5
31. The illegal removal of the president's body 5
32. Hoover and the FBI assisted the cover up (claims Oswald was an informant) 5
33. The X-rays showed that the bullet fragments were from exploding ammunition 5
34. The official autopsy photos and x-rays were altered 0
35. Another key witness conveniently silenced: Navy Lieutenant Commander William Bruce Pitzer 0
36. The Zapruder film was apparently altered 0
37. The magic bullet theory has been proven false 10
38. The U.S. Government subverted the investigation of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison 8
39. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: David Ferrie 10
40. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: Dorothy Kilgallen 2
41. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: Lee Bowers 2
42. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: Mary Pinchot Meyer 2
43. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: Sam Giancana 10
44. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: Johnny Rosselli 10
45. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: George de Mohrenschildt 8
46. The Warren Commission structured the evidence to fit its pre-formed conclusion (Ford moves the back wound) 10
47. The CIA also participated in the cover-up (Mexico City) 8
48. Mainstream Media reinforced the False Conclusions of the Warren Commission 10
The Witnesses
49. A Special Team from Military Intelligence was sent to Dallas 0
50. Conclusions of U.S. Intelligence Agents (Prouty, Hunt) 5
51. Testimony and Wiretapped Conversations with Mobsters 5
52. Other Witnesses (Judy Baker, Madeline Brown, Marina Oswald) 2
53. Fabian Escalante and Conclusions of Cuban Intelligence Study 5
The Why, Who, and How
54. The Military Industrial Complex, JFK's Foreign Policy, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff 10
55. The Kennedy Administration's War on Organized crime and Big Oil 10
56. Complicity of the CIA (Oswald double) 5
57. Complicity of Military-Industrial Complex 5
58. Complicity of the Mafia (Files, Holt, Harrelson, Rogers) 2
59. Complicity of Anti-Castro Cubans (Martino) 10
60. Complicity of Lyndon Johnson 8
61. Complicity of H.L. Hunt and "Texas Oil" 5
62. A CIA Plot Against Castro was Apparently "Hijacked" and Used Against JFK, Which Explains the Perceived Need for a National Security Cover-Up (Jack Anderson, Rosselli) 10
63. The True Facts Concerning the Conspiracy and Cover-Up Have Still Not Been Revealed to the American Public (Morley on Joannides) 10
Total score: 322 Breakdown: 0-13, 2-10, 5-16, 8-9, 10-15 Average score: 5.11
As you can see, I am skeptical of a lot of the stuff in both books, but am impressed by more stuff in Ventura's book.
So now let's cull the lists, leaving only the stuff I consider significant, and then putting them in a coherent order.
Proposition 1: Lee Oswald killed Kennedy
(33) Oswald's Mannlicher-Carcano rifle was found on the sixth floor of the TSBD. 10
(34) The mostly intact bullet (CE 399) and two of the fragments were fired from this rifle. 10
(35) The three expended shells on the sixth floor were "fired in and ejected from" Oswald's rifle. 8
(22) Oswald retrieved his revolver at the rooming house. 8
(24) Lee Harvey Oswald murdered J.D. Tippit. 8
(27) When approached by police in the Texas Theater, Oswald said "Well, it is all over now." 8
(28) Oswald then fought the police and tried to pull his revolver out. 8
(45) Oswald lied about owning a rifle, and about owning the Mannlicher-Carcano specifically. 10
Now, all of this can be true, and Oswald can still be innocent of shooting Kennedy. If Oswald was involved in some sort of operation, which was turned around on him, to make him look like the assassin, he might very well have figured it out fast enough to get away. In fear for his life, he might have then picked up his revolver, and have even shot a cop who he assumed had been sent to kill him. He might very well have then lied to the police.
Now lets look at the rest of the evidence, the evidence people focusing on Oswald tend to ignore.
Proposition 2: Kennedy was killed by a conspiracy, whose plan included using Oswald as a patsy.
First question--Could Oswald have fired the shots?
13. Oswald Couldn't Have Carried in the Murder Weapon 10
11. Three Rifle Shots in Six Seconds (difficulty of firing) 10
12. Shots That Were Too Close Together With a Rifle That Was Not Even "Sighted In" 10
Second question--Does the medical evidence suggest more than three shots were fired?
37. The magic bullet theory has been proven false 10
2. Zapruder Film (shows back and to the left) 8
Third question--Were shots fired (or simulated) from a location other than the sniper's nest?
4. Grassy Knoll (witnesses ran there after the shooting) 8
Fourth question--Was Oswald's background that of a typical American assassin?
20. Oswald Had No Motive For Murder 8
18. Oswald Was a U.S. Intelligence Operative 8
Fifth question--Did the Johnson Administration honestly investigate the assassination?
29. The smoking gun of the cover-up (Katzenbach memo) 10
46. The Warren Commission structured the evidence to fit its pre-formed conclusion (Ford moves the back wound) 10
47. The CIA also participated in the cover-up (Mexico City) 8
48. Mainstream Media reinforced the False Conclusions of the Warren Commission 10
Sixth question--Was there reason to suspect powerful forces were behind the assassination?
54. The Military Industrial Complex, JFK's Foreign Policy, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff 10
55. The Kennedy Administration's War on Organized crime and Big Oil 10
62. A CIA Plot Against Castro was Apparently "Hijacked" and Used Against JFK, Which Explains the Perceived Need for a National Security Cover-Up (Jack Anderson, Rosselli) 10
5. Previous Plots Against President Kennedy 8
Seventh question--Did subsequent actions by the suspects suggest their participation in a conspiracy?
60. Complicity of Lyndon Johnson 8
38. The U.S. Government subverted the investigation of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison 8
59. Complicity of Anti-Castro Cubans (Martino) 10
63. The True Facts Concerning the Conspiracy and Cover-Up Have Still Not Been Revealed to the American Public (Morley on Joannides) 10
Eighth question--Was anyone killed as part of the cover-up?
39. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: David Ferrie 10
43. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: Sam Giancana 10
44. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: Johnny Rosselli 10
45. Another Key Witness conveniently silenced: George de Mohrenschildt 8