Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of GraphSearch.
Concept
Umbrella man (JFK assassination)
Summary
The "umbrella man", later identified as Louie Steven Witt, is a figure who appears in several films and photographs of the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy. He was one of the closest bystanders to the president when he was first struck by a bullet, near the Stemmons Freeway sign within Dealey Plaza. The figure's behavior raised suspicion among investigators due to his maneuvering of an umbrella as Kennedy was passing him, despite clear skies.
Louie Steven Witt came forward to the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978, identifying himself as the "umbrella man" in the footage. Witt said he brought the umbrella that day to heckle Kennedy, as an indirect reference to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.'s support of Neville Chamberlain.
A person popularly dubbed the "umbrella man" has been the object of much speculation, as he was the only person seen carrying, and opening, an umbrella on that sunny day. He was also one of the closest bystanders to President John F. Kennedy when Kennedy was first struck by a bullet. As Kennedy's limousine approached, the man opened up and lifted the umbrella high above his head, then spun or panned the umbrella from east to west (clockwise) as the president passed by him. In the aftermath of the assassination, the "umbrella man" sat down on the sidewalk next to another man ("Dark Complected Man") before getting up and walking towards the Texas School Book Depository. The fact that both men sat there so calmly after the shooting has raised suspicion.
Early speculation came from assassination researchers Josiah Thompson and Richard Sprague who noticed the open umbrella in a series of photographs. Thompson and Sprague suggested that the "umbrella man" may have been acting as a signaler of some kind, opening his umbrella to signal "go ahead" and then raising it to communicate "fire a second round" to other gunmen. The "umbrella man" is depicted as performing such a role in Oliver Stone's film JFK and episode "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man.
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.