(NewsNation) — In a gripping exploration of what he calls “America’s great murder mystery,” renowned actor and director Rob Reiner has launched a 10-part podcast series titled “Who Killed JFK,” aiming to unravel the truth behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
In an interview on “NewsNation Prime,” Reiner claims he has proof that four men were involved in Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
Many have speculated about the number of shooters involved in the JFK assassination. Official investigations determined Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman on Nov. 22, 1963. The president was riding in an open-top motorcade in Dallas when he was shot from the sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository.
Reiner claims not only does he know there was more than one shooter, but he is prepared to identify the shooters and their locations.
The podcast, hosted by journalist Soledad O’Brien, promises to shed light on the enigmatic event that has lingered in the American psyche for over six decades.
Reiner, famous for directing classics such as “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride,” shared his personal connection to the tragedy during the interview.
“I was 16 years old when it happened, and it never left me,” he revealed, emphasizing the lasting impact the assassination had on the nation.
He said the key to his theory is a first shot that missed the motorcade.
Reiner claims JFK’s death was part of a conspiracy that included the CIA and government officials including then Vice President Lyndon Johnson. After the shooting, Oswald claimed to be a patsy and his assassination by Jack Ruby led many people to question the official findings.
The podcast is framed as a comprehensive effort to compile 60 years’ worth of information, presenting a cohesive narrative of the events leading up to Kennedy’s death in Dallas. Reiner expressed his motivation for the deep dive, stating, “If a loved one of yours was murdered, you’d want to know who did it and why.”
Despite acknowledging that a definitive smoking gun may never surface, Reiner asserted that the podcast aims to name the multiple shooters involved in the assassination. Drawing on years of research, interviews with forensic experts and visits to key locations, the podcast seeks to provide a clearer picture of the events of that fateful day.
“Over the course of 60 years, you start putting a picture together. You start getting a full picture of what actually happened that day,” he said.
Reiner also delved into his collaboration with O’Brien, highlighting the significance of partnering with someone who experienced the aftermath of the assassination in a different context. O’Brien, born three years after the event, provided a fresh perspective, having grown up with the prevailing narrative that Oswald acted alone.
NewsNation recently presented accounts from firsthand witnesses and investigators who have questioned the official narrative. Among those was Paul Landis, a Secret Service agent at the time who told NewsNation he picked up a bullet from the car and took it into the trauma room. That bullet was not the one found in Connelly’s thigh.
In statements in the 1960s, Landis had said he did not go into the trauma room with First Lady Jackie Kennedy.
Sixty years after the fact, people are still seeking clarity and the release of information related to JFK’s death. An estimated 320,000 documents related to the assassination have been released to the public, with just over 4,600 remaining classified.
Reiner stressed the need for the American people to uncover the truth, suggesting that understanding the events of that day could contribute to rebuilding trust in the government.
Many of the questions center around footage captured by Abraham Zapruder, which was unavailable to the public until 1975. Based on the footage, Reiner rejects the narrative that the same bullet that struck Kennedy also hit Texas Governor John Connelly, who was in the front of the car.
Connelly, who survived the attack, said it was not the same bullet that struck him and continued to maintain there was more than one bullet until his death in the 1990s.
Another film shot by Orville Nix Sr. also captured the assassination and stills from that footage have circulated but the location of the original is unknown. Nix’s grandaughter, Gail Nix Jackson, is suing the National Archives on the grounds they mishandled the film.
Reiner is not naming the shooters until the final episodes of the 10-part podcast.