What do you think?
Rate this book
Six Seconds in Dallas: A Micro-Study of the Kennedy Assassination
Six Seconds in A Micro-Study of the Kennedy Assassination by Josiah Thompson.
Hardcover
First published January 20, 1967
8 people are currently reading
929 people want to read
About the author
Josiah Thompson
11 books11 followersJosiah Thompson is an American writer, professional private investigator, and former philosophy professor. He wrote Six Seconds in Dallas, A Micro-Study of the Kennedy Assassination. In 1967 he published The Lonely Labyrinth, a study of the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard's thought, and in 1972, Kierkegaard: A Collection of Critical Essays. He also wrote a biography of Kierkegaard in 1974, and a well-received book about his own, post-academic life as a private detective, Gumshoe: Reflections in a Private Eye in 1988.
Thompson graduated from Yale University in 1957. He entered the Navy, serving in Underwater Demolition Team 21. Then he returned to Yale for his M.A. in 1962 and Ph.D. in 1964. After receiving his doctorate, he taught at Yale as Instructor of Philosophy and then moved on to teach at Haverford College, where he remained until 1976, resigning to begin a career as a private detective.
Thompson graduated from Yale University in 1957. He entered the Navy, serving in Underwater Demolition Team 21. Then he returned to Yale for his M.A. in 1962 and Ph.D. in 1964. After receiving his doctorate, he taught at Yale as Instructor of Philosophy and then moved on to teach at Haverford College, where he remained until 1976, resigning to begin a career as a private detective.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 27, 2021
In his Six Seconds in Dallas, Josiah Thompson, professor of Philosophy in Haverford College, concludes that four shots from three different guns were fired at President John F. Kennedy. The author analyzes the Zapruder film by means of micro-analysis, thereby achieving a scientific reconstruction.
According to the Warren Commission, one of the difficulties on studying the Zapruder film is that the originals are in the private vault of Life magazine, which purchased them almost immediately after the assassination, and the Commission could obtain only the copy of a copy. (What is, I'm afraid, more likely is that Henry Luce, the creator of Life and a long-time friend of the CIA, hid the original film on purpose because it would have contradicted the Commission's lone-assassin theory.) Professor Thompson considers the Zapruder film in its entirety to be the most important evidence available to the Commission. Ironically, Mr. Zapruder, who had earlier that day decided not to bring his camera to work because of an overcast sky condition, managed to return home when the overcast lifted at midmorning and arrived at his office near Dealey Plaza just on time to film the historic event.
Fortunately, Thompson, while an employee of Life magazine, could examine sharper material than the Commission. The Zapruder film picks up the presidential motorcade at what is known as frame 161 and continues until the motorcade disappears under the underpass at frame 434. The second fatal shot undoubtedly occurs at frame 313, but the occurrence of the first shot is hotly debated, the Warren Commission placing it between frame 210 and 225.
In addition to the Mr. Zapruder, there were at least 22 other people taking pictures in Dealey Plaza. Thompson structures his analysis primarily on this type of evidence: "[T]he present study seeks to make proper use of the photographs inasmuch as the constitute the only inviolable form of evidence."
The author's study of the photographic evidence leads to the fact that after holding steady for some twelve frames, the President's head is suddenly driven forward between frames 312 and 313, and in frame 314, which is 1/18 second later, his head is moving backward and to the left. After examining several hypotheses for this change of movement, such as Kennedy's head's striking some fixed surface of the car or Mrs. Kennedy's pulling the President into her arms after the impact, Thompson refutes them all and then suggests that the only logical alternative is that the shot came from a second assassin came from the grassy knoll with perfect timing, striking the President's head 1/18 of a second after the shot from the Book Depository. "First, a bullet from behind exploding forward, and in that same split second another bullet driving into the exploding mass, forcing tissue and skull in the opposite direction."
Overall, his speculations lead to the following reconstruction: an assassin, shooting from the Book Depository, fired a shot that hit the President in the back; a second assassin, shooting from the roof of another building (Houston Street Building) shot and wounded the Governor. The first assassin then fired again, hitting the President at the back of his head (frames 312 and 313), and a third assassin, behind the stockade fence, shooting a pistol, hit the President in the side of the head (frame 314). Altogether, this makes four shots from three guns in six seconds.
This hypothesis strongly coincides with the testimonies of many witnesses, who had either seen a shot from the front or had concluded that the head wound in the right rear of Kennedy's skull could not have been caused by a shot from the rear. Those witnesses, such as the Parkland Hospital doctors for instance, were, however, effectively cowered into silence. If we draw a parallel with the aborted plot to assassinate the President in Chicago, which also involved three snipers and one mentally unstable scapegoat (Thomas Valle), though, Thompson's version of events becomes even more plausible.
Six Seconds in Dallas is a meticulously researched study of the available photographic evidence. Professor Josiah Thompson's conclusions are logical, insightful, and supported by facts. Anyone who cannot help but doubt the Warren Commission's lone-assassin theory will find this book immensely interesting.
According to the Warren Commission, one of the difficulties on studying the Zapruder film is that the originals are in the private vault of Life magazine, which purchased them almost immediately after the assassination, and the Commission could obtain only the copy of a copy. (What is, I'm afraid, more likely is that Henry Luce, the creator of Life and a long-time friend of the CIA, hid the original film on purpose because it would have contradicted the Commission's lone-assassin theory.) Professor Thompson considers the Zapruder film in its entirety to be the most important evidence available to the Commission. Ironically, Mr. Zapruder, who had earlier that day decided not to bring his camera to work because of an overcast sky condition, managed to return home when the overcast lifted at midmorning and arrived at his office near Dealey Plaza just on time to film the historic event.
Fortunately, Thompson, while an employee of Life magazine, could examine sharper material than the Commission. The Zapruder film picks up the presidential motorcade at what is known as frame 161 and continues until the motorcade disappears under the underpass at frame 434. The second fatal shot undoubtedly occurs at frame 313, but the occurrence of the first shot is hotly debated, the Warren Commission placing it between frame 210 and 225.
In addition to the Mr. Zapruder, there were at least 22 other people taking pictures in Dealey Plaza. Thompson structures his analysis primarily on this type of evidence: "[T]he present study seeks to make proper use of the photographs inasmuch as the constitute the only inviolable form of evidence."
The author's study of the photographic evidence leads to the fact that after holding steady for some twelve frames, the President's head is suddenly driven forward between frames 312 and 313, and in frame 314, which is 1/18 second later, his head is moving backward and to the left. After examining several hypotheses for this change of movement, such as Kennedy's head's striking some fixed surface of the car or Mrs. Kennedy's pulling the President into her arms after the impact, Thompson refutes them all and then suggests that the only logical alternative is that the shot came from a second assassin came from the grassy knoll with perfect timing, striking the President's head 1/18 of a second after the shot from the Book Depository. "First, a bullet from behind exploding forward, and in that same split second another bullet driving into the exploding mass, forcing tissue and skull in the opposite direction."
Overall, his speculations lead to the following reconstruction: an assassin, shooting from the Book Depository, fired a shot that hit the President in the back; a second assassin, shooting from the roof of another building (Houston Street Building) shot and wounded the Governor. The first assassin then fired again, hitting the President at the back of his head (frames 312 and 313), and a third assassin, behind the stockade fence, shooting a pistol, hit the President in the side of the head (frame 314). Altogether, this makes four shots from three guns in six seconds.
This hypothesis strongly coincides with the testimonies of many witnesses, who had either seen a shot from the front or had concluded that the head wound in the right rear of Kennedy's skull could not have been caused by a shot from the rear. Those witnesses, such as the Parkland Hospital doctors for instance, were, however, effectively cowered into silence. If we draw a parallel with the aborted plot to assassinate the President in Chicago, which also involved three snipers and one mentally unstable scapegoat (Thomas Valle), though, Thompson's version of events becomes even more plausible.
Six Seconds in Dallas is a meticulously researched study of the available photographic evidence. Professor Josiah Thompson's conclusions are logical, insightful, and supported by facts. Anyone who cannot help but doubt the Warren Commission's lone-assassin theory will find this book immensely interesting.
December 5, 2013
To add to my ever expanding collection of JFK assassination books, 'Six Seconds in Dallas' is one I have been looking to obtain for a long time. I met the author at JFK Lancer's 'November in Dallas' conference, snapped up the 1976 paperback publication and had it signed by the man himself.
Originally with a 1967 copyright, perhaps Josiah Thompson's painstaking probe into the Warren verdict, (he does not deal with Tippit or Ruby) now looks slightly obsolescent after fifty years of inexorable research. Where this book has it's strength, is in Thompson's contact with Life magazine, providing him with access to the Zapruder film, which convinced him of the utter nonsense of Arlen Spector's 'magic bullet'. The 1976 version of 'Six Seconds' is enhanced by use of Zapruder pictures, after the court victory over Time Inc, whereas the original 1967 version had to make use of artists renderings, no doubt on account of national security.
As stated above, the author has undertaken a painstaking probe into the shots in Dealey Plaza. With the benefit of much further research since the 60's, I find myself in disagreement with very many of Tink's conclusions here. Nevertheless, not only is this a historic publication, it does contain some of the best diagrams I have come across, such as the locations of witnesses and the location of photographers.
I find that Thompson is like a dog with a bone on so many issues too, leaning over backwards to the Nth degree to accommodate what we now know to be disordered and shabby conclusions that were reached back at the time this was written. I have to remind myself that so much was still being withheld.
Three stars for content and one extra star on account of it's historic value.
Addendum:-In his 2013 lecture, Thompson admits he made errors in this book with regard to the forward head movement on the Zapruder film at frames 312-313. He now agrees with a 2001 study, that this was a cause of blur on the film! Today he states that JFK took a shot from the right front at frames 312-313, followed by the last shot from the rear at Z328.
Originally with a 1967 copyright, perhaps Josiah Thompson's painstaking probe into the Warren verdict, (he does not deal with Tippit or Ruby) now looks slightly obsolescent after fifty years of inexorable research. Where this book has it's strength, is in Thompson's contact with Life magazine, providing him with access to the Zapruder film, which convinced him of the utter nonsense of Arlen Spector's 'magic bullet'. The 1976 version of 'Six Seconds' is enhanced by use of Zapruder pictures, after the court victory over Time Inc, whereas the original 1967 version had to make use of artists renderings, no doubt on account of national security.
As stated above, the author has undertaken a painstaking probe into the shots in Dealey Plaza. With the benefit of much further research since the 60's, I find myself in disagreement with very many of Tink's conclusions here. Nevertheless, not only is this a historic publication, it does contain some of the best diagrams I have come across, such as the locations of witnesses and the location of photographers.
I find that Thompson is like a dog with a bone on so many issues too, leaning over backwards to the Nth degree to accommodate what we now know to be disordered and shabby conclusions that were reached back at the time this was written. I have to remind myself that so much was still being withheld.
Three stars for content and one extra star on account of it's historic value.
Addendum:-In his 2013 lecture, Thompson admits he made errors in this book with regard to the forward head movement on the Zapruder film at frames 312-313. He now agrees with a 2001 study, that this was a cause of blur on the film! Today he states that JFK took a shot from the right front at frames 312-313, followed by the last shot from the rear at Z328.
November 22, 2013
Probably the best of the original JFK Assassination "Conspiracy" books. Scientific evidence is analyzed in painstaking detail, as Thompson attempts to disprove many elements the Warren Commission used to come to their conclusion which has since been chipped away at. Rare and hard to find, but worth it for the read.
August 3, 2024
Interesting angle
December 7, 2017
This is a serious, academic immersion into the Kennedy assassination, seemingly written with noble intentions back in 1967 before conspiracy theorists completely went off the deep end. There's nothing buried in here that hasn't been rehashed for decades, and some of its assertions and theories have been debunked since its publication, but it does reaffirm that there are too many holes in the Warren Commission's findings. And...the hardcover first edition sparkles in this reader's hands!
February 2, 2025
Incredibly interesting read about the JFK Assassination with many areas discussed (at a very granular level) that I had never considered. Those six seconds remain unsolved nearly 60 years since this book was written but felt this was definitely worth a read for those who have an interest in 11/22/1963 in Dallas.
August 17, 2023
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on this book through a friend (it is no longer in print and is crazy expensive), and I highly suggest to anyone to read this book if the opportunity ever presents itself. In this book, Thompson unapologetically lays out the basic facts of the assassination, exploring in depth the trajectories and firing locations of each gunshot, wound descriptions and autopsy reports, hundreds of eye and ear witness testimonies, available photographic and video evidence, and documents in the National Archives. He points out where the Warren Report ignored or seriously twisted the available evidence to support its highly implausible single-bullet theory. In my opinion, it is impossible to walk away from this book without accepting that there was more than one assassin involved. Thompson does not delve into any of the conspiracies regarding the identity or motivations of the assassins, which I appreciate. He does not try to tackle too much in this book by making grandiose claims of the origin story of all the assassins and why they did it; he merely presents the evidence in favor of there being three gunmen and leaves it to the reader to do further investigation into the many conspiracy theories trying to answer this “why” question.
March 21, 2022
This is a book for the buffs. Josiah ‘Tink’ Thompson, the author, is an academic, private investigator, and dedicated researcher of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. Having previously published a milestone book on the assassination in 1966, this book picks up some of the threads from that book and explores them further based on revealing research and modern advanced scientific methods. The book focuses on several aspects of the crime relating to the final second of Kennedys killing: the witnesses; the Zapruder film; and the Acoustics of the audio recorded throughout the assassination. Although the author’s research is comprehensive and flawless, the book becomes increasingly technical, especially the findings relating to the acoustic evidence. Therefore, this book is best suited to those assassination buffs with a prior understanding of the dynamics of the assassination. Regardless, the findings and conclusion to the analysis of the evidence are shocking and convincing, and essential knowledge for JFK assassination buffs.
December 6, 2023
Fascinating read. Pretty dry reading, but this WAS an investigation or report of an investigation Thompson did. With more material being released since the book was written in the late 1960's and now Paul Landis's book which goes into the mystery bullet that was found on a stretcher, much of the information in the book isn't accurate. In Landis's book he admits he, in essence, tampered with evidence by taking the bullet out of the car and laying it on a stretcher -- which then led to much confusion as to how it got there and what it meant.
Still, the steps Thompson took and the depth he went to was a fascinating read.
Still, the steps Thompson took and the depth he went to was a fascinating read.
April 8, 2025
Thoroughly researched and measured in its claims. Thompson raised good questions about the legitimacy and accuracy of the Warren report’s official findings in the investigation about the Kennedy assassination.
At best the Warren report was clumsy. At worst they neglected to do their due diligence. This does not suggest a conspiracy, but it doesn’t preclude one.
There are enough discrepancies between autopsy findings, eyewitness testimony and other results from the investigation that a new investigation or commission exploring these events would be useful.
I wonder what really happened during those six seconds in Dallas and how things would be different had Kennedy not been murdered.
At best the Warren report was clumsy. At worst they neglected to do their due diligence. This does not suggest a conspiracy, but it doesn’t preclude one.
There are enough discrepancies between autopsy findings, eyewitness testimony and other results from the investigation that a new investigation or commission exploring these events would be useful.
I wonder what really happened during those six seconds in Dallas and how things would be different had Kennedy not been murdered.
February 28, 2025
I have read this book by my uncle many times. It remains a primer for anyone wanting to study the murder of President Kennedy in any depth. His conclusions, even back in the 1960s, stunned the country, and his sponsor, who tried to sue him for not toeing the Warren Commission line. It contains little passion or polemic. It is indeed a "micro-study" of the events in Dealey Plaza and is nothing more. If you want to get into the kookiness of those who claims that JFK was assassinated by the CIA, the Mafia, or a cabal of Circus Clowns, look elsewhere.
December 26, 2017
Based on the Zapruder film, and interviews (e.g., with the Connolys), Thompson is sure that there were three shooters and four shots fired. His book is still the best of the early conspiracy studies, and still holds up in the face of unreliable sources like the Warren Commission. The fact that it was never reprinted is interesting.
July 7, 2018
Excellent discussion of the tragedy in Dallas. I read Death of a President 30 years ago and just visited Dallas last week. I cannot wrap my head around the Warren Commission findings.
June 26, 2025
I didn't realize this was as big of a conspiracy as thus is
July 28, 2008
Having been a little young when this epic in US history took place, I was intrigued when I went to Dallas and took the tour of the Texas School Book Depository Bldg. and just had to know more. Written in 1967, it gave what the world then had as information.
Want to read
December 26, 2013The author is currently the subject of some mini-documentaries hosted by the NYT online. Fascinating event, my fav period in history.
A cursory attempt at trying to get hold of an old copy ... foiled! It's out of print and used editions sell for over $800 on Amazon. The plot thickens.
A cursory attempt at trying to get hold of an old copy ... foiled! It's out of print and used editions sell for over $800 on Amazon. The plot thickens.
December 12, 2015
Gripping book about the Kennedy assassination. No rumours just facts that point to a clear conclusion, someone else was involved in the JFK shooting, not just Lee Oswald. Fifty years later and not many of the questions in this book have been answered, or ever will be.
January 14, 2014
Brilliant case study of the assassination without devolving into conspiracy theory. Just the facts, ma'am.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews