2005 Press Releases
Who Killed Kennedy?
Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone or was he part of a complex plot to
kill John F. Kennedy on that fateful Dallas day in 1963? A world-wide
industry fuelled by conspiracy theorists has blossomed since the
assassination, made all the more poignant for Irish people as only a
few months before, in June of that year, Kennedy had made a triumphant
visit to this country.
Millions turned out on the streets of Dublin, Cork, Galway and
elsewhere, to welcome the bronzed hero to the land of his ancestors and
the visit is still alive in the memory of those who witnessed it. UCC's
Professor Fergus Shanahan who leads a team at the cutting edge of
medical research, was a young boy in Dublin when the Kennedy motorcade
passed by. Like everyone else, he was fascinated by the impact of the
presidential presence and devastated on hearing news of the
assassination. As a distinguished medical career developed, his
fascination, as he puts it, "grew into something of an obsession" and
he continued to pore over the evidence from one of the most "notorious
and photographed crime scenes in history."
On Wednesday evening next, as part of "The Last Lecture Series,"
UCC's continuing science lecture series, which this year
celebrates Cork's designation as European Capital of Culture 2005,
Professor Shanahan will examine the medical evidence compiled after the
assassination. Perhaps, for once and for all, the insights which he
will present in a lecture titled: "The John F. Kennedy Assassination -A
Medical Perspective," will lay the many theories and rumours to rest.
"The best evidence," Professor Shanahan says, "is always the
body." "Forget the hype and the false data trotted out again and
again by the conspiracy theorists - remember people love conspiracies -
but that's what I call soft evidence. The medical evidence is the hard
evidence and if you put it all together, it is overwhelmingly in favour
of only one conclusion which I will discuss on Wednesday next. It is
important to note as well that under US law, all the ballistic,
photographic, medical, and other evidence is available for inspection,
nothing can be held back."
"In its own way, the industry that has grown up around the
assassination is also fascinating," Professor Shanahan said, adding
that the most weird and wonderful allegations had been given
credence over the years. "Nixon was in Dallas that day, for instance.
One theory suggests the probability of Nixon being in Dallas when
Kennedy was shot is in the region of one to one billion therefore
something terribly sinister must have been afoot. That kind of thing
might be very seductive if you like conspiracies but when you subject
it to proper analysis it just doesn't stand up at all. Another one is
that Kennedy's clothes were not available at the autopsy, but he was
moved in a crisis situation from Dallas to Washington, so I'm going to
look at this aspect as well. I suppose it's been an obsession for me,
but as this is The Last Lecture Series I've decided that the
lecture will be my last word on the subject. After this I'll have
to find a new obsession," he added.
The series is organised by Professor William Reville on behalf of the Faculty of Science, UCC.
The venue is Boole Lecture Theatre 4 at 8pm on Wednesday April 13th,
admission is free and members of the public, as always, are welcome to
attend.
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