William Greer, SA Secret Service & Limo Driver on 22/11/63
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:11 am
On the 22nd November, 1963, Greer was assigned to drive the presidential car in the motorcade through Dallas. Several witnesses said that Greer stopped the car after the first shot was fired. This included Jean Hill, who was the closest witness to the car when Kennedy was shot: According to Hill "the motorcade came to almost a halt at the time the shots rang out". James Chaney (one of the four Presidential motorcyclists) - stated that the limousine "after the shooting, from the time the first shot rang out, the car stopped completely, pulled to the left and stopped." Mary Woodward, a journalist with the Dallas Morning News wrote: "Instead of speeding up the car, the car came to a halt... after the first shot". William Manchester claims that William Greer (limo driver) told Jackie Kennedy at Parkland Hospital: "Oh, Mrs. Kennedy, oh my God, oh my God. I didn't mean to do it, I didn't hear, I should have swerved the car, I couldn't help it. Oh, Mrs. Kennedy, as soon as I saw it I swerved. If only I'd seen it in time!" I feel that Greer's words to Jackie above are, perhaps, the strangest utterance of that day, next to Gov. Connolly's "My God, they're going to kill us all!"Let's examine what Mr. Greer said. "I didn't hear..." Didn't hear what? Didn't hear his boss, Roy Kellerman (seated beside him) telling him to accelerate? Didn't hear the shots? We can only guess what he meant by this."I should have swerved the car...." What would make Greer want to swerve the car and why would that have helped the sitation? Did Greer see something ahead of the car, such as a concealed shooter, and felt that by swerving the limo it would spoil the shot? What other possible reason would there be to swerve if the shooter was behind you? Wouldn't rapid acceleration be the correct solution here?"...as soon as I saw it I swerved. If only I'd seen it in time!" Saw what? And is this the "serve to the left" so many witnesses mentioned when they described the limo coming to a stop or near stop? What on earth could the "it" have been that would make Greer swerve instead of accelerating?I do not personally believe that either Bill Greer or Roy Kellerman were part of the conspiracy to murder JFK. I do believe, though, that the answer to this riddle can be found in the words of Greer and other Secret Service agents.For example, what would a swerve to the left accomplish? One possibility is a shooter on the south knoll (other side of Elm St. from the Grassy Knoll) that Greer may have spotted at the last second. This shooter would have been on the left front side of the limo, and swerving to the left would have put the limo head on to the shooter, concealing JFK and spoiling the shot.