Frontline: Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?

Just as Oliver Stone's JFK went a long way towards convincing the public that Lee Harvey Oswald had not acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy, so Frontline's Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? mounts an impressive defense of the original Warren Commission's conclusion: that Oswald was the lone assassin. This absorbing three-part documentary features interviews with a wide range of parties: from Oswald's brother Robert to former CIA director Richard Helms. But perhaps the key interviewee here, and-I suspect the film's equivalent of a Mr. X is author Gerald Posner, whose critically acclaimed 1993 bestseller Case Closed took advantage of computer simulations and other technological forensic techniques not available previously to re-examine the evidence. The first hour briefly traces Oswald's childhood, his military career, his defection to Russia, his return to America, and his unsuccessful assassination attempt on General Walker. Part 2 follows Oswald to New Orleans and examines the conflicting evidence surrounding his work with the pro-Cuban Hands Off Cuba organization, and traces Oswald's journey to Mexico. Part 3 covers the time from Oswald's return to the U.S. (on October 3, 1963), his movements on the day of the assassination, and his brief stay in custody before being shot by Jack Ruby. While dissenters who still believe in a conspiracy theory offer their opinions, the program keeps returning to Posner. For the moment, this is the definitive film answer to Stone's JFK. Sure to be very popular. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)