Jack White’s research collection on President Kennedy’s assassination investigates Lee Harvey Oswald’s role in the assassination and the identity of others who were probably involved in committing and planning his murder and why. White’s collection is totally related to the JFK assassination. Series I, Correspondence, is primarily with those who have done research on the assassination and want to share their findings. Letters from abroad or in the U.S. also include, you might say, his fans. They complement and agree with his findings and sometimes share their own take on the subject. Business materials and dealer’s catalogs document the sources he contacted for reproducing some of his photos and the publications that he consulted that supported his research. The remaining collection further supports his conclusion that there were multiple assassins who participated in the assassination. In addition to Oswald suspects were U.S. government organizations (FBI, CIA, the Military), foreign agents (Cuba, Soviet Union), the Dallas police, wealthy conservative businessmen, and even the Mafia. Series II, Subjects, contain information that White collected from people and organizations that he recognized as sources that could help him prove his theory. Photographs and negatives that accompanied files in both the Correspondence and the Subject Series were left in place. See the Photograph series for the bulk of visual materials. Series III, Publications and Printed Materials, is extensive with a variety of sources both original and photocopies. Included are published articles by investigative reporters, newspaper stories of the day, plus newsletters from organizations whose purpose was to collect and share information about who may have killed the president and why. Notable are The Continuing Inquiry, The Assassination Chronicles, Echoes of Conspiracy, The JFK Assassination Forum, The Grassy Knoll Gazette and Probe: Citizens for Truth about the Kennedy Assassination, plus many other thought-provoking newsletters. The magazines are divided into two categories, popular publications of the day and those in group X. The latter group of magazines specifically focuses on adult content; therefore, the JFK related articles have been photocopied for researchers to use if they prefer not to use the originals. Many publications in this series contain articles by respected authors that reveal a number of witnesses connected to the president’s assassination died mysteriously. Series IV, Photographs, were Jack White’s specialty. He borrowed and copied any and every photograph of the JFK motorcade that he could find. Included are multiple images of parts of the Zapruder film, that he concluded was tampered with, snapshots of and from witnesses to the event, Mary Moorman and Jean Hill, especially. Many years later, White and interested acquaintances staged a replication of the motorcade scene in Dallas on Elm Street by measuring the distance between the motorcade, the distances between the JFK limousine and motorcycle policemen, and the fence behind the grassy knoll in Dealey Plaza, as well as the distance from the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository to the motorcade. Plans and maps of the Dallas downtown area, the parade route, images of witnesses and whomever he thought might be suspects were studied. He produced slides of the photo comparisons he made for presentations to various groups. Slide scripts of his presentations are included in the collection. White made an extensive photographic study of Lee Harvey Oswald from his childhood until his capture in Dallas. He noted differences in Oswald’s face, stature, dental records, and passport and identification photos to prove what he determined were two Oswalds. One Oswald supposedly shot JFK from the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository and claimed he was a “patsy." The other Oswald was the original Lee Harvey Oswald who defected to the Soviet Union in late 1959. White believed another look-alike Oswald returned to the U.S. in 1962. Multiple photos, negatives, slides and posters are in the collection. Some photos are enlarged and accompanied by notes on them or mounted on display boards. There are posters and enlarged prints that depict his photo comparisons. He produced two videos, Fake and the Backyard Photos in which he presented forged photos of Oswald. He sold copies of the videos. The differences in Oswald’s appearance and statistics supported his theory that the Oswald that defected to the Soviet Union was not the Oswald that returned to the U.S. but a look-alike. White made an intensive study of the rifle and bullets that were found at the scene. Claims were made that the rifle used to murder the president was not the same rifle that the Dallas Police had shown to the public. The bullets could not have come from Oswald’s rifle. See the comparisons he made between the bullet that came from a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle and those retrieved from the scene. White also made a study of the single-bullet theory, called the “magic bullet," introduced by the Warren Commission. The Warren Report argued that a single bullet hit both JFK and John Connally. More information about the rifle and bullet controversy can be found in the Subject Series. Autopsy photographs of both JFK and Oswald are in this series. There is evidence both men’s autopsy photos were tampered with. Multiple news stories relate an attempt by a British author, Michael Eddowes, to get permission to exhume Oswald to prove that it was not really Oswald in the grave but an imposter. There are multiple opinions on whether JFKs autopsy was tampered with after leaving Dallas or misinterpreted because surgeons trying to save his life had to examine and explore bullet holes which possibly confused the entry and exit wounds. A description of autopsy findings is with the photographic materials. Also see photos and medical findings about both men in the Subject Series. Series V, Media, presents the opportunity to hear and view expert scientific witnesses, investigators, reporters, and congressmen discuss the evidence for and against the single bullet theory, multiple assassins, and technical descriptions of the scene. Testimony at the House Select Committee on Assassinations is available on cassette tapes and DVDs, 1978-1979. It is more interesting for the researcher to view the DVDs, because charts, statistics and findings are presented by witnesses. Jack White presented his findings before the committee in 1978. A copy of his testimony is included in correspondence under the House Select Committee on Assassinations. The committee concluded there may have been multiple assassins. The VHS tapes are copied excerpts by White of news reports, television programs, and lectures from presentations at conferences related to the assassination, 1963-2008. There is a special limited-edition VHS tape set from Oliver Stone to Jack White, the film, JFK. There are only a few CDs. The film reels were not viewed. Two of the film reels are described as the “New Z-Film, 1978." Two additional films were not described. Jack White made a valiant attempt to prove his case that quite a bit of evidence was tampered with. One poster in the collection states, “Who Killed JFK--Not Lee Harvey Oswald." The collection has a multitude of evidence and proofs collected from every source that White could find at the time. He had an extensive community of committed colleagues who tried to prove and believed in the multiple assassin theory, discouraged the existence of the single-bullet theory, and who pointed the finger at possible corruption in government who failed to protect a well- respected American president. As you read through the 68 manuscript and 15 oversize boxes, you can certainly come to your own opinion and possibly discover evidence that did not stand out during the time it was written. Undated materials are present throughout the collection. Approximate dates may be detected by the researcher from the surrounding materials in each series folder. Please note: All red dot stickers on many collection items were placed before UTA received the collection. If removed, paper may be damaged, so they remain where placed.
Finding aid available here. Materials provided by Special Collections and Archives at the University of Texas at Arlington.
