Secret Service Agent Finally Speaks Out on JFK Assassination After 60 Years

John F. Kennedy served as president of the United States from 1961 until he was assassinated in 1963 while riding through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.

For decades, theories and suspicions have surrounded Kennedy’s untimely demise. As of late, even members of his own family have spoken out about conspiracies they have. Now, a former Secret Service agent who was present at the time of Kennedy’s killing is coming forward with his account of what really happened that day. Paul Landis witnessed the callous murder of the nation's 35th president firsthand. For the first time, Landis is opening up about what transpired on November 22, 1963.

Landis Drops Several Bombshells in His Book

In his recently released book, "The Final Witness: A Kennedy Secret Service Agent Breaks His Silence After Sixty Years," Paul Landis tells his version of events surrounding JFK's death.

There have always been conspiracies about JFK’s murder, and the former agent is adding fuel to the fire. The 88-year-old retired Secret Service agent has called several details about the assassination into question and even suggested that Lee Harvey Oswald may not have acted alone when he set out to murder Kennedy.

He Had Close Contact With JFK and His Family

In his book, Landis recounts how he first joined the Secret Service in 1959.

By 1963, he was assigned to protect JFK's wife, Jackie Kennedy, and their children, John Jr. and Caroline. Due to his responsibility to protect the First Lady and the president's family, Landis was one of the Secret Service agents walking directly behind the presidential limo on that fateful day in 1963 when everything changed.

The Secret Service Agent Vividly Remembers What Happened

When Landis heard the first gunshot on November 22, 1963, he quickly turned around to see where it had come from.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to see anything. When he turned back around, he noticed fellow Secret Service agent Clint Hill sprint toward the vehicle that JFK was sitting in. It was then that Landis saw the president get shot in the head. Landis was in such close vicinity of the grizzly scene that he had to duck for cover to avoid being splattered with blood.

Landis Found Blood-Soaked Bullet Fragments in the Limousine

The driver of the limousine promptly rushed John F. Kennedy to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Texas Governor John Connally was also wounded by gunfire.

When the men were removed to receive medical care, Landis saw two bullet fragments sitting in a pool of blood inside the vehicle. He didn't touch them, but he also noticed another fully intact bullet in the seam of the car's leather cushion that could be a major piece of evidence in JFK's assassination.

What Is the Single-Bullet Theory?

There are several aspects of JFK's murder that haven't added up, and the single-bullet theory is one of them

According to a 1964 report published by the Warren Commission, a single bullet is said to have entered JFK’s head and passed through his neck before causing multiple injuries to Connally who was seated nearby. Governor Connally was wounded in the chest, right wrist, and left thigh. The assumption that a lone bullet could have caused all of that damage is a bold one, to say the least.

The Evidence Didn’t Add Up

The 889-page report produced by the Warren Commission was rejected by Connally's family and the president's brother, Robert Kennedy, referred to it as a "shoddy piece of craftsmanship."

Unconvinced that a single bullet was to blame, conspiracy theorists ran wild with speculation. JFK's official autopsy determined that he was struck by two separate bullets. According to the autopsy report, one entered his upper back and came out through his neck and the other hit him in the back of the head and exited the front of his skull.

The Single-Bullet Theory Is Unlikely for a Number of Reasons

The alleged single-bullet is often referred to as the "magic bullet" because it somehow would have managed to zigzag through JFK and Governor Connally multiple times.

The bullet was discovered on Connally's stretcher and the Warren Commission alleged that it “eliminated President Kennedy’s stretcher as a source of the bullet." These findings are wholly inconsistent with Landis' claims that he found the bullet in the limo and stored it in his pocket. In an interview with The New York Times, Landis expressed his discomfort with how the police handled the crime scene.

Landis Claims to Have Pocketed the Bullet

“There was nobody there to secure the scene, and that was a big, big bother to me," said Landis. He added that there was so much commotion and confusion happening at the time, that it was easy for certain things to go unnoticed.

“All the agents that were there were focused on the president. This was all going on so quickly. And I was just afraid that – it was a piece of evidence that I realized right away. Very important. And I didn’t want it to disappear or get lost,” he said. Landis recounted how he made a quick decision to take the bullet, adding, “I grabbed it.”

Chaos and Confusion Clouded Judgement on That Day

According to Landis, he planned on handing the bullet to one of his superiors while at the hospital but he ended up placing it on Kennedy's stretcher instead.

His hope was that doctors could decipher exactly what had happened by examining the bullet and comparing it to the entry and exit wounds. Landis thinks that the bullet may have "bounced" off of JFK's stretcher and onto the governor's stretcher, resulting in the single-bullet theory.

Could His Admission Rewrite History?

Landis believes that the bullet he found may have struck JFK in the back but not deeply enough to pass through his body.

In theory, Landis thinks the bullet landed in the backseat and a separate bullet was responsible for JFK's murder. The new information contributed by Landis adds new insight into a 60-year-old assassination. Landis’ groundbreaking account of what transpired on November 22, 1963, could mean that Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t act alone and the single-bullet theory is incorrect.

Why Is Landis Coming Forward Now?

Landis has emerged to share his story after all this time because he never recovered from witnessing JFK's murder.

“The president’s head exploding – I could not shake that vision,” he said. “Whatever I was doing, that’s all I was thinking about.” He had previously been afraid to speak up about his experience from that day, explaining, "There was a fear that I might have done something wrong and I shouldn’t talk about it.” He said fellow Secret Service agent Clint Hill also discouraged him from speaking out, warning him of the possible “ramifications” that could come along with his testimony.