What is JFK: What the Doctors Saw about? Documentary explained

As we approach the 60th anniversary of the assassination of John F Kennedy, Paramount Plus is set to stream a compelling new documentary, JFK: What the Doctors Saw – here’s what it’s about, who’s in it, and if it’s worth watching.

Long before conspiracy theories were associated with QAnon and Flat-Earthers, they were a realm for alternative thinkers, underpinned by earnest investigations and discussions that often brought to light tangible evidence. All of these were speculative exercises in the pursuit of truth.

This is certainly the case for the assassination of the former US President, a pioneer who was shot dead in his prime on November 22, 1963. The enigmatic Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime and assassinated two days later, but to this day, a majority of the public believe the killing involved a conspiracy. 

As we approach the 60th year since this world-changing event, streaming services are gearing up for a fresh batch of documentaries on the matter. But arguably none are quite as intriguing as JFK: What the Doctors Saw, set to arrive on Paramount Plus today. 

What is JFK: What the Doctors Saw about?

Directed by Barbara Shearer, JFK: What the Doctors Saw is a documentary film featuring never-before-seen footage of doctors who were present in the Parkland Hospital Emergency Room when John F Kennedy was brought in after the shooting. Their claim? The wounds suggested Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t act alone. 

Check out the trailer below: 

As per the official synopsis: “Previously unreleased footage unveils an extraordinary reunion involving seven doctors who were present in the Parkland Hospital Emergency Room where President John F. Kennedy was rushed after being shot on November 22, 1963. Their testimonies divulge unsettling medical details surrounding the assassination, raising doubt about government investigations that found Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.”

The idea that Oswald was the lone assailant has long been contested and is the sole basis for the various conspiracy theories circulated to this day. Over the years, theories have implicated the CIA, the Mafia, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, former Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro, the KGB, or a combination of thereof. 

The Warren Commission concluded in 1964 that Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated JFK and had acted alone, but this has been contested by the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations, which in 1979 deemed a conspiracy likely, citing probable flaws in the original investigation and the possibility of multiple gunmen​. The story took a new turn when Oswald himself was shot dead by local nightclub owner Jack Ruby, with many believing this was organized to ensure the greater conspiracy wasn’t leaked. 

Wikimedia Commons

The general public appears to agree, with the latest figures showing that 65% of Americans think the Kennedy assassination involved a conspiracy. While some documentaries follow the Warren Commission’s hypothesis, JFK: What Doctors Saw throws further doubt into the mix. It might be easy to disregard armchair detectives, but the same can’t be said for a full group of doctors who were present on that fateful day. 

Speaking to Rolling Stone about the motivation for making the film, Shearer – who also serves as executive producer – said: “I became involved with the story because one of my personal physicians told me he was in the emergency room at Parkland Hospital when JFK was brought in. 

“He introduced me to six of the other doctors who were there that day and when I interviewed them, I began to realize their observations from Trauma Room 1 didn’t match the government story. Based upon my interviews with the doctors, Jim Jenkins and Robert Tanenbaum, and my own research, there’s no question in my mind there was a government cover-up.”

Who’s in JFK: What the Doctors Saw?

JFK: What the Doctors Saw features interviews with the seven doctors who were working at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas when John F Kennedy was rushed in. Below you can find their names as well as their positions at Parkland when the world-changing event unfolded: 

• Dr. Joe D. Goldstrich – 4th Year Medical Student
• Dr. Lawrence Klein – 3rd Year Medical Student
• Dr. Ronald Jones – Chief Resident
• Dr. Donald Seldin – Chief of Medicine
• Dr. Robert McClelland – Assistant Professor of Surgery
• Dr. Kenneth Salyer – 1st Year Resident
• Dr. Peter Loeb – 3rd Year Medical Student

Their most significant observation is that JFK had a bullet entrance wound in the neck, which would have been impossible if Oswald had acted alone and shot from behind. As stated by Jones: “We thought that there was an entrance wound in the neck and an exit wound in the back of the head.”

Paramount+

Other figures interviewed in the Paramount Plus documentary include: 

• Douglas Horne, Chief Analyst for Military Records of Assassination Records Review Board
• Robert K. Tanenbaum, Deputy Chief Counsel from 1976-1977, House Select Committee on Assassinations

Discussing the doctors’ claims, Horne says: “The Parkland doctors were a serious problem for the US government because they provided evidence that there was a shooter somewhere in the front…. Everything changed as soon as JFK’s body left Parkland Hospital.” 

This is followed by Tanenbaum stating: “Certain people in our government tampered with critical evidence to make sure the American people do not know the truth about who murdered the President. And that’s about as bad as it gets.”

Is JFK: What the Doctors Saw worth watching?

Although it’s too early for a Rotten Tomatoes score, there is a lot of excitement for JFK: What the Doctors Saw thanks to its uncovered footage and intriguing testimony.

In its review, Datebook wrote: “Four Died Trying is an indication – and JFK: What the Doctors Saw is flat-out reassurance – that documentarians and streaming platforms are once again willing to break from the lone gunman orthodoxy. It’s about time.”

Elsewhere, CBS described it as a “powerful new documentary,” which “brings to light revelations from the doctors who were in the ER when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.”

JFK: What the Doctors Saw is streaming on Paramount Plus from November 14. You can read more of our documentary coverage below: 

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