President John F. Kennedy
and
Jacqueline Kennedy

Dallas Motorcade 1963

Luncheon Lecture

November 12, 2026 11:00 AM

 “The Kennedy Assassination and the Development of the Zapruder Film”

Bonnie Hunter, a retired CIA employee, was recruited by the agency at age 17 and went on to build a distinguished career spanning nearly 30 years. After retiring, Bonnie and her husband, Bennett, returned to the CIA as independent contractors, working on the declassification and public release of records, with Bonnie focusing on the JFK assassination. Through that work, she discovered that Bennett had played a little-known role in this history—an unexpected connection that brings us to the story she is here to share.

The Zapruder film is a silent, color 8mm home movie recorded by Abraham Zapruder using a Bell & Howell camera as President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade traveled through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Unintentionally, the film captured the assassination of the president.

Although several films and photographs documented the events of that day, the Zapruder film is considered one of the most significant visual records of the assassination. Shot at 18.3 frames per second from a slightly elevated position, it provides a relatively clear view of the motorcade and the fatal head wound. Researchers have used the individual frames to help establish a timeline of the shooting and examine the sequence of events.

The film became a crucial piece of evidence for the Warren Commission and subsequent investigations. Its detailed footage, particularly the final moments of the assassination, has been extensively studied and has played a central role in continuing debates over whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

In 1994, the Library of Congress selected the Zapruder film for preservation in the National Film Registry, recognizing its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. It was the first amateur film to receive this distinction.

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