Phillip Willis
Encyclopedia
Phillip LaFrance Willis (2 August 1918, Kaufman County, Texas
– 27 January 1995, Dallas, Texas
) was a close witness to the assassination of President Kennedy
.
Willis served in the United States Army Air Forces
during World War II
, and as a young lieutenant he was present at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
in 1941. Because of a back injury he suffered when he was shot down over the Pacific, Willis retired in 1946 as a highly decorated Major. He earned a bachelor's degree in government at North Texas State Teachers College
in 1948. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives
in 1946 and 1948. He later became a Lincoln
automobile dealer, and an independent real estate broker. He moved to Dallas in 1960.
Clearly seen in the Zapruder film
at the start of the assassination, Willis was wearing a dark colored suit and tie, standing at the Elm Street south curb to the presidential limousine's left, directly across from the Texas School Book Depository
.
During the assassination, Willis snapped a 35mm color slide (the fifth of twenty-seven he captured in Dealey Plaza
that day) showing the presidential limousine and its occupants, the United States Secret Service
agents' follow-up car and occupants, parade onlookers, and the grassy knoll
visible in the background.
Willis testified to the Warren Commission
that his fifth photo was inadvertently snapped when, just after he had prepared his 35mm Argus camera to capture a photo, he was suddenly startled by a gunshot related noise (the first of three shots he remembered hearing), and his finger that was already on the camera shutter button reacted to the gunshot related noise, then, he quickly depressed the button and the fifth photo was captured. As documented by the House Select Committee on Assassinations, this fifth photo was captured concurrent with Zapruder film frame 202. (The Warren Commission and subsequent investigations have all determined that President Kennedy was hidden by a very large oak tree from the view of anyone firing a weapon from the sniper's lair on the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository
from Z-160 through Z-206.)
In his fifth photo, some conspiracists allege that the image of a still-unknown person can be seen located up on the grassy knoll
, seen near a 3-foot-tall concrete wall and near the 5-foot-tall stockade fence. The angled shape of this still-unknown person's outline has led to that person's image being labeled by authors in books and persons working in the Kennedy assassination research community the "black dog man."
In 1978, when Willis's daughter Rosemary
was interviewed by investigators from the House Select Committee on Assassinations, she stated to the HSCA that her father became upset when the Dallas policemen, sheriffs, and detectives—who first quickly ran onto the grassy knoll where Phillip thought the shots came from—then ran away from the grassy knoll. In Willis's Warren Commission testimony he stated that shots came from the Texas School Book Depository.
In 1988 Willis stated on camera in the UK 1988 Independent Television Company [ITV] documentary, "The Men Who Killed Kennedy
," that during his Warren Commission testimony all the Commission wanted to hear about was that Willis heard three shots that probably originated from the depository, but that for President Kennedy's fatal head shot Willis stated, "So I am very dead certain that, at least, one shot, including the one that took the president's skull off, had to come from the right front, and, I'll stand by that to my death."
When Willis died in 1995, the Texas House passed a resolution to honor him.
Kaufman County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 71,313 people, 24,367 households, and 19,225 families residing in the county. The population density was 91/sq mi . There were 26,133 housing units at an average density of 33/sq mi...
– 27 January 1995, Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
) was a close witness to the assassination of President Kennedy
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
.
Willis served in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and as a young lieutenant he was present at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
in 1941. Because of a back injury he suffered when he was shot down over the Pacific, Willis retired in 1946 as a highly decorated Major. He earned a bachelor's degree in government at North Texas State Teachers College
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
in 1948. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
in 1946 and 1948. He later became a Lincoln
Lincoln (automobile)
Lincoln is an American luxury vehicle brand of the Ford Motor Company. Lincoln vehicles are sold mostly in North America.-History:The company was founded in August 1915 by Henry M. Leland, one of the founders of Cadillac . During World War I, he left Cadillac which was sold to General Motors...
automobile dealer, and an independent real estate broker. He moved to Dallas in 1960.
Clearly seen in the Zapruder film
Zapruder film
The Zapruder film is a silent, color motion picture sequence shot by private citizen Abraham Zapruder with a home-movie camera, asU.S. President John F...
at the start of the assassination, Willis was wearing a dark colored suit and tie, standing at the Elm Street south curb to the presidential limousine's left, directly across from the Texas School Book Depository
Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
.
During the assassination, Willis snapped a 35mm color slide (the fifth of twenty-seven he captured in Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
that day) showing the presidential limousine and its occupants, the United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agents' follow-up car and occupants, parade onlookers, and the grassy knoll
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
visible in the background.
Willis testified to the Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
that his fifth photo was inadvertently snapped when, just after he had prepared his 35mm Argus camera to capture a photo, he was suddenly startled by a gunshot related noise (the first of three shots he remembered hearing), and his finger that was already on the camera shutter button reacted to the gunshot related noise, then, he quickly depressed the button and the fifth photo was captured. As documented by the House Select Committee on Assassinations, this fifth photo was captured concurrent with Zapruder film frame 202. (The Warren Commission and subsequent investigations have all determined that President Kennedy was hidden by a very large oak tree from the view of anyone firing a weapon from the sniper's lair on the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository
Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
from Z-160 through Z-206.)
In his fifth photo, some conspiracists allege that the image of a still-unknown person can be seen located up on the grassy knoll
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
, seen near a 3-foot-tall concrete wall and near the 5-foot-tall stockade fence. The angled shape of this still-unknown person's outline has led to that person's image being labeled by authors in books and persons working in the Kennedy assassination research community the "black dog man."
In 1978, when Willis's daughter Rosemary
Rosemary Willis
Rosemary Willis was a close witness during the assassination of President Kennedy.Clearly seen in the Zapruder film at the start of the assassination wearing a white, hooded coat and a red skirt, located to the limousine's left, she runs southwestward and parallel with the limousine which she...
was interviewed by investigators from the House Select Committee on Assassinations, she stated to the HSCA that her father became upset when the Dallas policemen, sheriffs, and detectives—who first quickly ran onto the grassy knoll where Phillip thought the shots came from—then ran away from the grassy knoll. In Willis's Warren Commission testimony he stated that shots came from the Texas School Book Depository.
In 1988 Willis stated on camera in the UK 1988 Independent Television Company [ITV] documentary, "The Men Who Killed Kennedy
The Men Who Killed Kennedy
The Men Who Killed Kennedy is a 9-part video documentary series by Nigel Turner about the John F. Kennedy assassination. The series, which related various conspiracy theories, was extensively challenged on factual grounds....
," that during his Warren Commission testimony all the Commission wanted to hear about was that Willis heard three shots that probably originated from the depository, but that for President Kennedy's fatal head shot Willis stated, "So I am very dead certain that, at least, one shot, including the one that took the president's skull off, had to come from the right front, and, I'll stand by that to my death."
When Willis died in 1995, the Texas House passed a resolution to honor him.
External links
- Details and Zapruder frames showing the Rosemary Willis rapid headsnap.
- The Phil Willis Camera - Argus Autronic I - Camera revue and User's Manual.
- An Image-stabilized Version of part of the Zapruder Film, Running in a Loop. Users must initially wait a few seconds for the first Quicktime version to download, after which the film runs continuously.