Summaries of Speakers' Talks

The purpose of this page is to provide brief notes on the important points in the talks at the conference

Speaker
Date/Time		 Summary
11-22-2013
John Judge
Introductory Remarks		 John noted that this is the 20th COPA conference.
From 1964 until 1994 when the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) began releasing formerly classified documents 20,000 pages were released on the JFK assassination.  The ARRB then released 4.5 million documents and the total comes to 6.5 millions documents counting documents release after the ARRB's existence.

Researchers have put together 10 points of agreement about political assassinations.

John gave a rundown of the city of Dallas' takeover of the permit COPA and predecessors have had for the last 49 years to hold a moment of silence on the grassy knoll and how it got coverage in the Wall Street Journall, on NPR and in the national news.

An audio recording of the RFK assassination has come to light.

Marina Porter called with a plea to help exonerate her former husband, Lee Oswald.

Movies related to the assassination are being shown at the Texas Theater where Oswald was arrested.

John told of the demonstration by COPA member who got tickets to Dealey Plaza and pointed at the grassy knoll in full view of the world's press during the moment of silence and playing of America the Beautiful that followed.  A picture and story got picked up by AP and got COPA national exposure.

He related how the mayor of Dallas stated that RFK, Jr. would only be allowed to spead at the 50th anniversary event if he "stayed on point", meaning not discuss the assaination.  RFK recently stated in an interview that his father believed that "rogue CIA" may have been involved in the assassination.

Judge stated that the case should be reopened and a grand jury convened to consider evidence.

He also mentioned Arafat's death and how Obama is the first president to kill US citizens with drones.
11-22-2013
Cyril Wecht
Passing the Torch		 Cyril Wecht has done over 17,000 autopsies and served 20 years as coroner of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh).  He is a clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and an adjunct professor of law at Duquesne University.

Wecht co-founded COPA with John Judge, Gary Aguilar and Jim DiEugenio.

People need a political context to understand the case.  The CIA was it's own government.
He recalled the "Wanted for Treason" signs and newspaper ads that greeted JFK on his visit to Dallas and how school children broke out in applause when they heard JFK had been shot.

Wecht will have done 400 autopsies in 2013.

The doctors who performed the autopsy on JFK, Humes & Boswell had never done gunshot autopsies before.

He said that Hume's burning of his original autopsy notes was completely improper.

He told how an Oct 26, 1966 inventory the National Archives im possession of JFK's brain, x-rays, photos and microscopic slides.  The metal can containing the brain and other materials have since gone missing.

Wecht pointed out that nobody has EVER shot a bullet through bone and had it come out in the pristine condition that the magic bullet, CE299, was found in.  (CE399 supposedly went through JFK before breaking Gov Connally's rib and wrist.)

Wecht point out using the fact that "conspiracy theorists" have different beliefs to prove there was not conspiracy is equivalent to saying that the fact that there are different religions proves there's no god.

A high-rnaking police, Charles Batchelor, official let Ruby into the basement where Oswald was killed.

Why talk about the JFK case 50 years later?  There are cold cases all the time on TV.  It's an open case that can be resolved.

"They" couldn't stand 5 more years of John Kennedy followed by 8 years of Bobby.

Everywhere except America the JFK assassination is recognized as a coup d'eta.
11-22-2013
Mark Lane
The Secret Service and the Assassination of President Kennedy		 Lane related how a police officer who ran up the grassy knoll after the shots encountered a man claiming to be a Secret Service agent with Secret Service credentials.  At that time it was the CIA who provided Secrect Service credentials to the Secret Service.