Fix the Bus

Louie Steven Witt was apparently the Umbrella Man. But was he T-H-E Umbrella man?

I don’t thiink so.

Mr Witt is a mysterious man to me. I suppose he could be shy and reserved, not given to bombast, and certainly not inserting himsef into the JFK story by any means possible, but it he were, he would be among the few.

Questions need to be asked.

First, it is true, he did live where he said he lived. And he did have a family, a boy and a wife. He also by the way had the umbrella, the most famous umbrella in the world, with close runners up going to Neville Chamberlain and Mary Poppins.

Yes, he saved it all these years. And no it did not have a flechette fiirng device embedded into it, ha ha, as he stated to the HSCA (a big laugh was had by all).

Well, in light of such laughter maybe we should ask a few questons.

1. Why did he not go to law enforcement that day or for the next fifteen years? His answer was inadequate and vague. This was the crime of the century; eveyrone was talking abou it, and here he had a front row seat. Mr. Witt has no good answer. The ever-helpful HSCA suggested to him that it might have to do with reprisals? Mr. Witt does not fully commit. He gives a vague answer somewhere between not wanting the public spotlight and fear of reprisals. What reprisal, and for what?
2. Where are his friends, coworkers, family members and associates in all this? He never said a word to them? And they never thought to reach out to the media or law enforcement for fifteen years: “Hey, my buddy here saw the whole thing.”
3. He states that he went to Dealey Plaza that day to heckle JFK with the umbrella because a friend told him at the last moment that the umbrella was a symbolic gesutre of antagonism that would be sure to get at JFK’s goat. Yet, he claims not to be much of an activist or a political joiner. This is plausible, but too convenient.
4. Why did he go all the way down to Dealey Plaza which was quite a distance away? Given that he began his journey on Field and Elm, he could have easily stopped anywhere along Main Street and gotten a good view of the President. Mr. Witt often states that he often took walks during lunchtime.
5. Where did he go after the assassination? Who did he speak to? What did they then say when he told them he was down there in the mix of things?

Some important pooints to note about his testimony:

1. He’s farily articulate and a master of the pregnant pause.
2. He’s vague when he needs to be.

Let’s go back to the umbrella though. Yes, the umbrella was a symbol of appeasement to Hitler, and , yes, Joe Kennedy was a Hitler appeaser and known anti-semite. But why would using the umbrella in Dealey Plaza be perceived by the President as an affront to him. He was not his father. Besides, it had been raining earlier that morning. It would therefore be natural for the President to expect that there might be some umbrellas out in case there were still a few lingering rain clouds.

Nevertheless, the umbrella was an important symbol. Witt himself, despite his self-proclaimed political innocence regarding the umbrella mentions an incident with an umbrella, being a source of antagonism to the Kennedys that had occurred in Phoenix. So, the story is possible that LSW was using the umbrella for that specific purpose.

It is also possible though, that someone who had planned the assassnation used that umbrella specifically as a last dig at the President before he died. It makes much more sense that a political adversary would drive that point home with an umbrella than would an oridnary citizen who wasn’t really much of a political activist and who knew nothing of the umbrella symbolism until that very day.

What do you think?

What were Mr. Witt’s specific gripes against JFK anyway? He doesn’t say, and he is not asked. He only vaguely refers to the political climate in Dallas at the time when he is asked about why he didnt go to the police.

Well, we know that Dallas was a right wing city, and we also know from Mr. Witt’s testimony that he was opposed to JFK, so it would seem logical to me that Mr. Witt was the conservative he claimed to be in his testimony.

If so, why is he sitting next to a man who he states is a negro (Walkie Talkie Man). If Mr. Witt is an opponent of JFK, specifically what is it about his policies that bother him? Cuba? More likely than not, it is JFK’s views on race and comingling of the races that bother him. If that is the case, then why is Mr. Witt conversing with a black man if indeed W-T man is black and Mr Witt is sitting next to him?

Let’s go to the umbrella. Mr. Witt tells us he believes the umbrella sitting next to him during his testimony is T-H-E umbrella. I don’t know about you, but in my experience umbrella heaven sits right next to sock heaven. Mr. Witt is right, it’s never there when you need it, nor will it ever be. I’ve bought many umbrellas in my life time and I can find not a one of them.

Finally, I would like to know if Louie Steven Witt has ever had a relationship of any kind with the CIA or other intelligence agency. Was he contracted by a government or government agency to appear before the HSCA and present himself as T-H-E umbrella man?

With all that stated though, thre is no doubt that Louie Steven Witt existed and that he did live where he said he did. If he is a liar, he is one good liar. His story is compelling, but we’ve seen other people come forth in the JFK saga whose story is compelling. Maybe it’s easier to be compelling when the people asking you questions are offering up cream puffs.

In order to prove Witt’s story false, we would have to know more about him, his background, and the Rio Grande National Life Insurance Company. That’s the problem. We don’t know, and no one is coming forward to fill in details on him. Suppose that the Rio Grande Insurance Company was a front company for the CIA, what then?

It seems ood that in all these years, we have heard nary a peep from Mr. Witt’s childhood friends, his classmates, his teachers, his colleagues, his neighbors, nor any of the people he interacted with. It almost seems as if Mr. Wit is a two dimensioanl creation of a larger agency with a vested interest in presenting him in just such a way.

Incidentally, the HL Hunt Oil company was located less than a block away at 1401 Elm. I’m not sure what to make of that other than people of a certain ilk tend to group together.

By the way, what was Mr. Witt’s role at the Rio Grande National Life Insurance Company? Was he a salesman, an actuary, and administrator or something else altogether? And what was his occupation at the time of testimony because he states he was no longer with the company. The company merged with another company in 1968. It was an insurance firm out of Kentucky.

I have other questions. He states that after the assassination, he sat down on the retaining wall somewhat stunned while other people were either hitting the deck or running around. He also states that a negro man was sitting next to him although he didn’t get a good look at him. How could he not get a good look? This man was within five feet of him for a considerable amount of time before, during and after the assassination.

Another question: Was Mr. Witt married or not? During his testimony before HSCA, he refers to his family. Public records suggest that he was married, yet during his testimony he is not wearing a wedding ring.

Now, let’s delve into the umbrella itself. He states that he did not take it from home. He states that he either got it from his car or his place of work. Well, if he got it from work, can we be sure whose umbrella it was? In the 1960s we didn’t enjoy the variety of choices in goods that we do today. Henry Ford’s dictum that you can have any color you want as long as it’s black was very much in force.

Many questions need to be asked regarding Mr. Witt before his testimony is embraced. The CIA is very good at finding people who will do its bidding.

Another question we might ask the HSCA is this: How many people called in with tips as to the identity of Umbrella Man? How many tipsters claimed to be Umbrella Man? People confess to crimes all the time. Maybe Mr. Witt is someone who had a penchant for fame.

Lastly, I hope, why are there no more interviews of Mr. Witt? He lived in Dallas a good portion of his life. Why did not the Sixth Floor interview him? They interview everyone else who will happily conform to the lone assassin tale.

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