What the Warren Commission Did Well
1. It was a massive investigation for its time.
- 552 witnesses
- 26 volumes of evidence
- Thousands of documents
For 1964, it was a serious, formal attempt to answer the country’s biggest question. 2. Many basic facts it established are still accepted.
- Lee Harvey Oswald fired shots from the Texas School Book Depository.
- JFK was hit by two bullets from behind.
- Jack Ruby killed Oswald alone and impulsively.
These are broadly supported by later forensic work.
Where the Warren Report Was not accurate or responsible
Most historians today agree the Commission made major mistakes, largely because of politics, pressure, and a rush to calm the nation.
1. They relied heavily on the FBI — the same agency under suspicion.
Hoover controlled evidence flow, withheld materials, and shaped interviews.
This compromised independence.
2. They ignored or dismissed contradictory testimony.
Dozens of witnesses who heard shots from the grassy knoll or saw smoke were minimized or disregarded.
3. They declared Oswald acted alone despite incomplete evidence.
- No attempt to examine CIA plots against Castro
- No examination of possible mob connections
- No pressure on the Secret Service despite severe operational failures
A single-gunman conclusion was decided early and worked backward from. 4. They failed to prevent destruction of evidence.
- The Secret Service burned protective notes
- Autopsy materials were mishandled
- Dallas police procedures were chaotic
The Commission didn’t hold agencies accountable. 5. The “single bullet theory” is possible but extremely improbable.
Even later official investigations treated it skeptically.
What later investigations concluded
1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA)
- Concluded “probably a conspiracy.”
- Acoustic evidence suggested a second shooter (later disputed, but the committee still rejected the Warren Report’s lone-gunman certainty).
Church Committee
- Found CIA deception and evidence withholding from the Warren Commission.
These later official bodies show the Warren Report left out extremely important information.
Final Answer
The Warren Report is not a hoax, but it is not fully accurate.
It was:
- incomplete,
- rushed,
- influenced by political pressure,
- too dependent on agencies that hid evidence,
- and overly confident in a conclusion not supported by all the data.
A responsible investigation? Partly.
A complete and correct one? No.
Most historians today view it as “the best that could be done under bad conditions,” but not the final word on the assassination. |
