“Man Who Got $25,000 for Assassination Film Gives It to Widow of Patrolman,” Associated Press, November 27, 1963.
Information and quotes from the letters, telegrams, and postcards addressed to Abraham Zapruder and additional newspaper clippings in US and foreign newspapers regarding his donation to Mrs. Tippit come from Zapruder family papers.
Abraham Zapruder’s statement regarding his donation to the Tippit family came from the legal files of Passman & Jones. Quote is from previously cited AP article.
Articles about the donation come from Zapruder family papers and include “Film’s $25,000 Given to Tippits,” Denver Post, November 27, 1963; “Tippitt’s [sic] Widow Gets $25,000 Paid for Assassination Movies,” New York Times, November 28, 1963, from November 27 AP report; “JFK Death Film Proceeds Given to Officer’s Family,” Rocky Mountain News, November 28, 1963; “As Camera Recorded the Assassination,” Kansas City Star, November 29, 1963; “The President’s Assassination,” New York Daily News, November 30, 1963; “Abraham Zapruder’s Fine Gesture,” Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, December 1, 1963.
Associated Press, “Contributor of $25,000 to Tippets Won’t Talk,” Reading Eagle, November 30, 1963.
“Generosity Forces Gentle Abe Into Hiding,” Houston Chronicle, undated clipping in Zapruder family papers.
“He’s Sorry He Filmed Assassination,” Miami Herald, December 21, 1963.
Lillian Zapruder quote is from previously cited Houston Chronicle article.
Chapter 5: Images in Print
The history of the film at LIFE, including direct quotations from memos, letters, internal documents, and other correspondence comes from the Zapruder film files in the Time Inc. Archives. Materials from Time Inc. and LIFE are used with permission.
Descriptions from “President John F. Kennedy 1917–1963,” LIFE, November 29, 1963, and “John F. Kennedy Memorial Edition,” LIFE, December 14, 1963.
Information about the Warren Commission and its use of the Zapruder film comes primarily from previously cited Hearings; Report of the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1964); Trask, National Nightmare; Bugliosi, Four Days in November; and Howard P. Willens, History Will Prove Us Right (New York: Overlook Press, 2013).
Additional information came from an interview with Warren Commission Associate Counsel Howard P. Willens conducted by the author on November 10, 2015.
Paul Mandel, “End to Nagging Rumors,” LIFE, December 6, 1963.
Secret Service chief James Rowley memo to LIFE Washington bureau chief Henry Suydam comes from the Zapruder film files in Time Inc. Archives.
Information about Secret Service efforts in conjunction with the CIA and NPIC to enlarge and print frames from the film and the apparently subsequent analysis of it several weeks later was pieced together from a number of sources, including previously cited Trask, National Nightmare; CIA Document 450 and related records on file in the JFK Assassination Records Collection at NARA; and a brief mention of the NPIC analysis in David Robarge, John McCone as Director of Central Intelligence 1961–1965 (Washington, DC: Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA, 2005). For this section, I am indebted to Max Holland and Paul Hoch, who provided me with documentation and a careful, prudent review of my text.
Secret Service chief James Rowley’s letter to LIFE’s Washington bureau chief Henry Suydam came from the Time Inc. Archives.
Information about the analysis of the Zapruder film by the Warren Commission comes primarily from Lyndal Shaneyfelt’s testimony in Hearings, vol. 5, pp. 138–142, and from Trask, National Nightmare.
Receipt for the loan of the original Bell and Howell camera to Robert Barrett of the FBI comes from Zapruder family papers.
Details and excerpts of Abraham Zapruder’s testimony comes from previously cited Hearings, vol. 7, pp. 569–571.
Correspondence and memos regarding the sale of the film to LIFE magazine come from legal files at Passman & Jones.
Letters to and from William Manchester and from the office of Jacqueline Kennedy come from Zapruder family papers. Notes from William Manchester’s interview with Abraham Zapruder come from previously cited William Manchester Papers at Wesleyan University.
Quotes come from Richard Stolley telephone interview with Lillian Zapruder, July 1973 (Richard B. Stolley Collection, Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza).
Chapter 6: Mounting Pressure
As previously cited, the history of the film at LIFE, including direct quotations from memos, letters, internal documents, and other correspondence comes from the Zapruder film files in the Time Inc. Archives. Materials from Time Inc. and LIFE are used with permission.
Information about the three versions of the Zapruder film images comes from versions of “The Warren Report: How the Commission Pieced Together the Evidence,” LIFE, October 2, 1964; and Vincent J. Salandria, “A Philadelphia Lawyer Analyzes the Shots, Trajectories, and Wounds,” Liberation, January 1965, pp. 13–19.
Letters to LIFE are from Time Inc. Archives. Material is used with permission of Time Inc.
Richard Trask, National Nightmare, pp. 13, 178.
Harold Weisberg, Whitewash: The Report on the Warren Report (New York: Dell, 1965).
Art Simon provides an exceptionally clear and helpful overview of what he calls the “assassination debates” in the introduction to Dangerous Knowledge: The JFK Assassination in Art and Film (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2013) and a detailed and insightful chapter on the Zapruder film.
The account of Mark Lane’s interview with Abraham Zapruder came from the previously cited interview with Lillian Rogers.
For critical analysis of Blow-Up, I consulted relevant sections in Art Simon, Dangerous Knowledge; David M. Lubin, Shooting Kennedy: JFK and the Culture of Images (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003); and Øyvind Vågnes, Zaprudered: The Kennedy Assassination Film in Visual Culture (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2013).
Loudon Wainwright, “Editorial,” LIFE, October 7, 1967.
Calvin Trillin, “The Buffs,” New Yorker, June 10, 1967.
“A Matter of Reasonable Doubt,” LIFE, November 25, 1966.
Information and quotations from Josiah Thompson about his work on “A Matter of Reasonable Doubt” and his copying of the Zapruder film came from Trask, National Nightmare, especially from the notes, which include a lengthy chronology written by Thompson himself; Josiah Thompson interview conducted by Bob Porter on November 21, 1998 (Oral History Collection, Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza); and his testimony before the ARRB on April 2, 1997.
“Marvin Scott Interviews Abraham Zapruder, 1966” (Marvin Scott Collection, Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza); and Marvin Scott, “Zapruder Film Frame by Frame: Listen to Him Narrate the Kennedy Assassination,” PIX11, WPIX New York, pix11.com/2013/11/18, posted November 18, 2013.
Details about CBS and LIFE negotiations about the use of the Zapruder film come from internal records in the Zapruder film file in the Time Inc. Archives.
Unpublished statement from Wesley Liebeler about the Zapruder film comes from the Zapruder film file in the Time Inc. Archives. Useful additional information comes from Richard Levine, “Film of Kennedy Torn, Life says,” Baltimore Sun, December 22, 1966.
Information and quotes come from Thompson, Six Seconds in Dallas; Josiah Thompson, “The Crossfire that Killed President Kennedy,” Saturday Evening Post, December 2, 1967; and “A New Assassination Theory,” Newsweek, November 27, 1967. Background information about the interaction between Thompson and LIFE executives came primarily from records from Time Inc. v. Bernard Geis Associates, 293 F. Supp. 130 (S.D.N.Y. 1968), and from “Life Sues to Halt Book on Kennedy; Magazine Charges Misuse of Its Assassination Film Drawings Based on Film Called Public,” New York Times, December 9, 1967.
A CBS News Inquiry: The Warren Report, CBS, June 27–30, 1967. (The broadcast can be seen at http://jfk-archives.blogspot.com/2011/05/cbs-news-
inquiry-warren-report.html.)
Chapter 7: Court Cases and Bootlegs
As previously cited, the history of the film at LIFE, including direct quotations from memos, letters, internal documents, and other correspondence comes from the Zapruder film files in the Time Inc. Archives. Materials from Time Inc. and LIFE are used with permission.
Quotations are from Bernard Geis’s preface in previously cited Thompson, Six Seconds in Dallas.
Background information and quotations come from previously cited Josiah Thompson interview in the Oral History Collection, Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, and testimony before the ARRB. Additional quotes are from a transcript of Thompson’s interview on The Mike Douglas Show (December 14, 1967).
Background on Moses Weitzman’s history with the Zapruder film and quotations come from Weitzman’s testimony before the ARRB, April 2, 1997.
Information about the judgment in Time Inc. v. Bernard Geis Associates comes from previously cited court case, and from “Time Inc. Loses Suit on ‘Dallas’ Photos,” New York Times, October 1, 1968.
Information about Jim Garrison and the Clay Shaw trial came from James Kirkwood, American Grotesque: An Account of the Clay Shaw–Jim Garrison Affair in the City of New Orleans (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1970); internal documents from Time Inc. Archives; contemporaneous newspaper accounts, including “Garrison Subpoenas Film of Kennedy Assassination,” New York Times, February 5, 1969; and the extensive online records from the trial, including testimonies from the Grand Jury hearings and the trial itself, which can be found online.
Mark Lane, “Editorial: The Story of Two Subpoenas,” Midlothian Mirror, April 25, 1968.
Mark Lane, Rush to Judgment (London: Bodley Head, 1966).
Information about Luis Alvarez and his research into the assassination came from Trask, National Nightmare, and from correspondence with Paul Hoch, who added a great deal to my understanding of Alvarez’s experiments. Additional sources include Luis W. Alvarez, “A Physicist Examines the Kennedy Assassination Film,” American Journal of Physics, vol. 44, no. 9 (September 1976), pp. 813–827.
Letter and summons for Abraham Zapruder to appear at the Clay Shaw trial comes from Zapruder family papers. Information about the trial comes primarily from previously cited American Grotesque and from contemporaneous accounts, including “Zapruder Put on Stand, New Trial Phase Begins,” New Orleans States-Item, February 13, 1969; “Shaw Trial Sees the Death of JFK,” New York Post, February 14, 1969; “Shaw Trial Jury Shown Film of Kennedy Murder,” Times-Picayune, February 14, 1969; and Martin Waldron, “Zapruder Film of Kennedy Shown at Shaw Trial,” New York Times, February 14, 1969.
Abraham Zapruder’s testimony in The State of Louisiana v. Clay Shaw can be found online.
Greg Olds, “Editorial: The Zapruder Film,” Texas Observer, December 19, 1969. Two contemporaneous accounts of Greg Olds’s bootleg copies of the Zapruder film in circulation include “Texan Pushes Cause: Bootleg Film of JFK Slaying Offered,” Washington Evening Star, November 29, 1969, and “Bootleg Film of Kennedy Killing Turns Up in Texas,” Dallas Times Herald, December 19, 1969.
Extensive records in the Time Inc. Archives include correspondence with Greg Olds, Abraham Zapruder, and others about this issue and detailed efforts to trace the source of the bootleg copies. They include a second article by Greg Olds on the subject, titled “A Report,” Texas Observer, December 19, 1969, and a letter he wrote to those who requested copies of the film after his decision not to continue distributing it.
Information and quotations about Abraham Zapruder’s illness came from previously cited interviews with Marjorie Zapruder and Myrna Ries.
“A Kennedy Film Canceled in Paris; Director Says United Artists Blocked Sept. 17 Premiere,” New York Times, September 6, 1969.
Dick Hitt, “Historic Film on the Market?” Dallas Times Herald, April 9, 1970.
Chapter 8: LIFE’s Dilemma
Recollections about Abraham Zapruder and his funeral came from the author’s father and from previously cited Marjorie Zapruder, Myrna Ries, and Lillian Rogers interviews.
“Abraham Zapruder Dies; Filmed Kennedy Death: Footage of Tragedy in Dallas Had Role in Shaw Trial and Warren Commission Report,” New York Times, August 31, 1970; “A. Zapruder Dies,” Dallas Morning News, August 31, 1970.
Interview with Robert Groden conducted by the author on November 1 and 2, 2013. Additional information came from Trask, National Nightmare; F. Peter Model and Robert J. Groden, JFK: The Case for Conspiracy (New York: Manor Books, 1976); Robert Groden interview conducted by Bob Porter on June 20, 1994 (Oral History Collection, Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza); and his deposition before the ARRB on July 2, 1996, which can be found online.
Moses Weitzman quotes come from his testimony before the ARRB, April 2, 1997.
Information about the potential sale of the original Zapruder film and subsequent debate about disposition of it comes from the Zapruder film files in the Time Inc. Archives.
Correspondence with the Committee to Investigate Assassinations and communication with Robert Richter regarding possible documentary film comes from the Zapruder film files in the Time Inc. Archives.
Negotiations with Zapruder family over disposition of the film comes from the Zapruder film files in the Time Inc. Archives, and from Bob Trien interview conducted by the author on May 8, 2011.
John Kifner, “Critics of Warren Report Meet to Ask New Study,” New York Times, February 3, 1975.
The screening of the Zapruder film on Good Night America is available on YouTube. Contemporaneous articles about it include John J. O’Connor, “TV: Two Programs Exploit Subjects; Hope Diamond Study Remains Tall Tale, Dallas Assassination Viewed by Rivera,” New York Times, March 27, 1975; and Earl Golz, “Assassination Film to Air,” Dallas Morning News, March 5, 1975.
Details regarding the return of the Zapruder film to the Zapruder family from LIFE and subsequent storage at the Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company come from Zapruder family papers and Bob Trien interview with the author.
Chapter 9: The Eternal Frame and the Endless Debates
Information about CBS’s first authorized use of the film, the Itek analysis, and Luis Alvarez’s theory come from Itek Corporation, John F. Kennedy Assassination Film Analysis, Conducted by Itek Corporation, May 2, 1976; Trask, National Nightmare, pp. 224–232; and from articles and information provided to the author by Paul Hoch.
“The American Assassins,” CBS Reports Inquiry, November 26, 1975.
“Film Analysis Backs Warren Report,” New York Times, November 26, 1975.
To learn about The Eternal Frame, I watched the film (provided to me by Doug Hall and Chip Lord) and I read the relevant portions of previously cited Art Simon, Dangerous Knowledge; David Lubin, Shooting Kennedy; and Øyvind Vågnes, Zaprudered. Other materials include “The Eternal Frame,” National Lampoon, January 1976; “Glenn Phillips Interviews Doug Hall and Chip Lord About The Eternal Frame,” in California Video: Artists and Histories, exhibition catalog, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2007; and e-mail correspondence with Chip Lord and Doug Hall. There is also a wealth of materials on Doug Hall’s website (http://www.doughallstudio.com), including essays, articles, and images from The Eternal Frame.
Information about the Assassination Information Bureau and the showings of the film around the country come primarily from David R. Wrone, The Zapruder Film: Reframing JFK’s Assassination (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2003).
Details about the House Select Committee came from relevant sections of Trask, National Nightmare; from Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979); and from the National Academy of Sciences, Report of the Committee on Ballistic Acoustics (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1982).
Chapter 10: The Floodgates Open
Recollections about Henry Zapruder and the early years of managing the Zapruder film came from Anita Dove interview
conducted by the author on May 17, 2011.
Information and quotes from letters, legal records, and license agreements concerning the Zapruder film come from LMH legal files.
Information regarding Chip Selby and Harold Weisberg’s lawsuit comes primarily from “Gerard A. Selby and Harold Weisberg (Plaintiffs) v. Henry G. Zapruder and the LMH Company (Defendants), Complaint for Preliminary and Permanent Injunctive Relief and for Declaratory Judgment,” United States District Court for the District of Columbia, October 20, 1988. Other sources include relevant section in Wrone, The Zapruder Film, and “2 Sue over Film Rights on Kennedy Slaying,” New York Times, October 26, 1988.
Jerry Urban, “Price Tag on JFK Death Film: Up to $30,000 a Client,” Houston Chronicle, September 4, 1988.
Additional information about the resolution of the Selby and Weisberg lawsuit came from Jamie Silverberg interview conducted by the author on April 16, 2013.
Chapter 11: JFK: The Movie and the Assassination Records Act
As previously cited, information and quotes from letters, legal records, and license agreements concerning the Zapruder film come from LMH legal files.
Information about Oliver Stone’s film JFK comes from a wide variety of sources, including relevant sections in Trask, National Nightmare; Simon, Dangerous Knowledge; and Vågnes, Zaprudered; and from Oliver Stone and Zachary Sklar, JFK: The Book of the Film (Montclair, NJ: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 1992).
Material also came from voluminous contemporaneous news articles and reviews, including George Lardner Jr., “On the Set: Dallas in Wonderland—How Oliver Stone’s Version of the Kennedy Assassination Exploits the Edge of Paranoia,” Washington Post, May 19, 1991; Oliver Stone, “Stone’s ‘JFK’ a Higher Truth? The Post, George Lardner and My Version of the JFK Assassination,” Washington Post, June 2, 1991; “Who Is Rewriting History?” New York Times, December 20, 1991; Phil McCombs, “Oliver Stone, Returning the Fire: In Defending His ‘JFK’ Conspiracy Film, the Director Reveals His Rage and Reasoning,” Washington Post, December 21, 1991; and “What Does Oliver Stone Owe History?” Newsweek, December 23, 1991.
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