Sponsored Content
« Enchanted Crocodiles, Mighty Sorcerers, and Lee Harvey Oswald | Main | Hilarious: The Internet Goofs on Obama For, Get This, Making Himself the Focus of a Picture Supposedly Intended to Celebrate JFK »
November 22, 2013

The Umbrella Man And Conspiracies

Are you sick of JFK coverage yet? Well, me too. I promise this isn't too JFK-y and it sort of touches on some of the themes Ace described below.

There's an interesting story I wasn't aware of until recently and it's a bit of a major component in JFK assassination conspiracy theories. This is the man known as the "Umbrella Man". As the story goes, he was the only man to be carrying an umbrella on the route. As JFK's limo approached him, he opened the umbrella up, lifted it in the air and spun it as JFK passed. After the shots rang out, the man sat on the sidewalk until ultimately getting up and walking in the direction of the book depository. Here's the thing: that all actually happened.

Seems a little off, no? This specific part of conspiracy theories seems to endure simply because if presented with the question, "What was he doing there?", it's difficult to come up with a non-nefarious answer. It was a warm, sunny day in Dallas. There was no need for an umbrella, and yet the man made a point to open it up and make a show of it.

The mind drifts towards conspiracy.

The most common belief is that the Umbrella Man "signaled" the shooter(s) that it was safe to take the shot. At that point, depending on your favorite theory, JFK was shot by a number of people in buildings, the grassy knoll or hiding in the sewer grates by people aligned with either mobsters, illuminati or aliens. There are some wackier theories (sliding scale, I suppose) about a hidden gun being built into the umbrella.

I don't think it was touched on directly in Oliver Stone's JFK, but they do allude to it being part of the plot when Donald Sutherland's "X" character discusses it with Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) and says "we never would have allowed a man to open an umbrella on the route". Those of you familiar with the X-Files might remember the Cigarette Smoking Man, the shows running antagonist, being involved in the assassination of Kennedy with the Umbrella Man signaling by moving the umbrella up and down to the shooters.

There is a reason the man did this, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the death of JFK. After rumors persisted and theories abounded, the man finally did come forward to testify to The United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978. His name was Louie Steven Witt and he waved the umbrella in protest of John Kennedy's father, who was a supporter of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain was well-known for frequently carrying around a black umbrella.

In today's era, I think we'd call that a well-researched and obscure troll. But, coupled with the assassination and lingering questions and investigations, his rather bizarre display seemed to fit some sort of deeper plot. It's interesting that it still persists even though the man publicly testified 35 years ago. That part of the story is indeed "solved", and yet it makes its way into places like a major Oliver Stone picture and the X-Files years later.

The New York Times put together a short mini-documentary that's quite interesting on the Umbrella Man. Definitely give it a look.


digg this
posted by JohnE. at 07:29 PM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
San Franpsycho: "I can't find it for the life of me, but there was ..."

keena: "If the cherries are really tasty, there's no need ..."

G'rump928(c) : "It is suddenly seriously Summer here. Our cat is ..."

Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere [/i] [/b]: "[i]Growing up we had a cat that used to eat everyt ..."

Oldcat: "During some rainy weather last month, for several ..."

Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere [/i] [/b]: "Also, the shorthaired grey cat in our complex stil ..."

Ciampino -- At least it's not the Ides of March: "35 Damn, I was reading the McDonald's story and a ..."

Tracy: "Happy Saturday everyone and go to hell, Mike Mille ..."

Piper: "My part African wildcats would like you to know th ..."

Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere [/i] [/b]: "By the way: Tomorrow is the first anniversary of ..."

Ciampino - At least it's not the Ides of March: "52 30 Anyway he became one of our many and made i ..."

Notsothoreau: "I'm pretty sure the stray is not a feral. He will ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64