Under the Umbrella • 127 Assassinology expert R.B. Cutler with an Mkl Bichette. (Courtesy of R.B. CutlerJ could be fired. The handle/barrel was held together by a screw which had to be removed manually to eject the spent case and to reload. The other weapon was a .32-caliber rifle with the barrel comprising the entire length of the umbrella shaft. The police had confiscated both weapons in a raid on a drug distribution center. But it was the major murder story of the twentieth century that brought the umbrella gun into real headline news. One of the highly reputable investigators looking for the truth of John Kennedy's murder has developed a theory that involves just such an improvised weapon. R.B. Cutler has published a book which presents the thesis that the socalled Dealey Plaza "umbrella man" was one of the JFK assassination teams/ members. The man's weapon was built into the open umbrella he was holding aloft as the Kennedy motorcade approached. That day was sunny, bright, and clear, so it does seem odd that this man would