The high profile assassination of the then US president John F Kennedy left behind a trail of events that have continued to feed conspiracy theories. In the post assassination scenario, the investigating agencies, FBI and CIA, summoned and questioned people present on the fateful afternoon of November 22, 1963.
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The investigating authorities also questioned those who filmed or photographed the event and confiscated their pictures and films. These pictures and films assumed even more significance when the evidences collected by the investigators were conflicting and numerous witnesses recalled different events and changed their statements frequently.
The photos and films were shot by amateurs and hence were not that sharp, but still served as an important tool to determine what exactly happened on that afternoon. These visual evidences were examined repeatedly to unlock the mystery of assassination of the US president.
Who was Babushka lady:
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Most photographs and movies reveal one common figure, a woman with a camera in front of her face, making a movie of the president’s motorcade when he was assassinated. She figured in many stills and movies, but none was clear enough to establish her identity.
She donned a light brown color scarf over her hair, which earned her the nickname of the “Babushka Lady.” The investigating agencies tried hard to determine the real identity of the lady, but all efforts went in vein. Her ideal position while capturing the events surrounding the shooting made her a prime suspect in the assassination.
The firing on President Kennedy’s cavalcade instilled panic among those present and they fled to safety. No one was sure at that time about the direction from which shots came. When all present there were running for refuge, the lady stood unperturbed and continued shooting as if nothing happened.
Photo developer’s claim
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The world waited for the Babushka lady to come forward and reveal her identity, which unfortunately never happened. Few months after the infamous assassination, a Dallas based film developer made a revelation that he developed a single color slide for an unknown woman, who appeared to be Russian to him in accent and mannerism. This claim holds some credibility because the slide complied with the position where the Babushka Lady was standing.
A false claim
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Few years down the line, Beverly Oliver claimed that she was the real Babushka Lady. According to her, FBI took away the camera she was carrying on the assassination day. For many, this revelation was convincing, until the lady failed to identify the camera correctly. Not only this, the witnesses did not confirm to her claims.
Real identity of the Babushka Lady is still not established. Conspiracy theorists believe she could be an important witness in the Kennedy assassination.
