JFK was assassinated sixty-one years ago today
Like most people of a certain age, I remember where I was: in school. I found out piecemeal – first that someone had shot at him, then that he was injured, then that he was dead.
Then all the rest.
Regular readers of this blog know I believe Oswald did it alone, and I see the evidence of this as completely and utterly overwhelming. I’m not the least bit naive about it. I’ve read voluminously on the subject, and I find that all theories to the contrary have enormous holes in them.
Rather than write a new post going into all of this, I’ll draw your attention to some previous efforts of mine: this, this, this, and this.
I find that these posts usually generate a lot of comments from those who believe in one or more of the myriad conspiracy theories that have swirled around the JFK assassination from the moment it happened. I’ve answered them and answered them, but I find that rarely do any minds change (sound familiar?) and almost never do people take my advice to read approximately the first 550 pages or so of the Bugliosi book on the subject: Reclaiming History. It might sound like a lot to read, but it’s fascinating – and it’s online and searchable. The latter part of the book – if memory serves, it goes to over 1000 pages – deals with every single conspiracy theory one by one. Looking the book up just now, AI tells me that it is 1,648 pages long. As I said, no need to read all of that. But it is the definitive work.
And if you follow the link to the Bugliosi book , I highly recommend pages 1444 to 1459 for people who are into the idea that Oswald may have done it but that he did it for some agency or entity such as the CIA or FBI or Mafia or Castro whatever it is you think that entity might be.
For those of us who remember the JFK assassination, the recent shooting of Trump was particularly horrific – that is, for those who don’t hate his guts and wish him dead (sigh; unfortunately, there are quite a few Boomers in that latter group). We know only too well what it would have looked like had Trump not fortuitously turned his head at the last moment.
Mark Fuhrman (yes, that Mark Fuhrman) wrote a book on the JFK assassination, and he reached the conclusion that Oswald acted alone. This was after he’d written Murder in Brentwood and also Murder in Greenwich.
Neo, I disagree. I too have studied the JFK assassination, and there is NO WAY that Oswald (or anyone else) could have used that particular alleged bolt-action rifle (with a rough action) to have hit a moving target with such speed and accuracy at that distance. It is just not probable. And what with Oswald getting so conveniently killed shortly after, it is definitely a conspiracy.
My personal theory is that some folks wanted to escalate things in Vietnam even in 1963 (gotta test out new weapon systems, eh?), and that JFK didn’t want to escalate, so he was conveniently shot by *someone*. Then when LBJ took over, LBJ went along with escalating Vietnam because he did not want to also get assassinated.
Rusty:
You may think you have studied it, but I would wager you haven’t read the book, just like the other commenters I describe in my post. You have read incomplete histories that suggest theories that contradict the facts.
Do yourself a favor. Read the Bugliosi book.
Guess human nature hasn’t changed much since then. Was not even into politics when JFK was elected, but do remember claims that he and the Democrats had “cheated” even back then—even when I could care less about politics, so it must’ve been an outcry since it has stuck in my memory.
People still trying to kill American presidents.
Lived in SW Miami during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Remember JFK sending my dad to California to learn some Vietnamese – and then over to Vietnam.
Remember Thich Quang Duc setting himself on fire and burning to death. Remember writing about it for some kind of class assignment—maybe something like ‘write about recent news and what you would do about it in so many words’: OK…wrote something like this:
I thought it was a great originality report, but teacher gave me an F and told me I could do better than that.
I thought JFK was OK…and also remember his assassination.
I was home from school that day and saw it on TV (I don’t think I saw it happen live). Five years later, I saw the video of RFK being shot. Yes, the Trump shooting brought these memories to vivid life.
Let it go, people. Just. Let it. Go.
I was 6 years old when JFK was assassinated, too young to have any real memories about the event. I do vaguely remember watching the funeral. I’m from a Boston Irish Catholic family, on both sides, and so there was a lot of attention paid to this, and the RFK assassination.
That Oswald acted alone seems clear to me. I’ve read quite a bit, though not as much as you Neo, about the event. The fact that no one has come forward with direct, first hand knowledge and evidence of a plot involving the US government and/or foreign actors is relevant and important. Doesn’t prove there wasn’t some sort of plot but certainly argues against there being one.
The attempt on Trump opened a pit in my stomach, just as the attempt on Reagan did. Interesting that your post is the first I’ve seen mentioning the anniversary.
Oswald shot JFK. Al-Qaeda flew the planes into the buildings. Thomas Crooks shot at Trump. Man I’m tired of conspiracy weirdos.
Our government is so skeevy at this point, they bring this on themselves. Why is anything to with this still classified? There must be something deeply embarrassing to dot gov.
Couple of notes: Ex Infantry, fired numerous bolties as well as semi and full auto.
Any grad of Basic could have made that shot–I visited the Depository.
Oswald didn’t fire THREE rounds in that period of time. He fired two. The clock starts at the first.
So far, so good. One lone nut case with more than sufficient nutcasery in his background to fill out the necessary.
Then comes Ruby. Right place, right time, having been doing some banking nearby. So random takes a hit here. When random no longer satisfies, another pattern is sought. It’s human nature.
As to hitting a target–head shot, whatever–that’s meaningless. Any shot is an attempt, no matter how wide it goes and any hit is either lethal or possibly lethal, no matter where on the body. You shoot at a moving target with the adrenalin pumping….you might hit but your placement could be anything. Center of mass…hit the head. Aim at the head, hit the head….or maybe the chest, or maybe the fire plug.
Nee more random, though.
“Thomas Crooks shot at Trump. Man I’m tired of conspiracy weirdos.” -sharksauce.
I think Crooks shot President Trump– but was he a lone assassin or were more people involved in the assassination attempt. We may get answers now that Republicans will have access to more government records.
Since I’m a weirdo, explain to me why the Secret Service snipers that set up behind Trump to surveille that direction didn’t have a clear sight line to where Crooks took his shot? Why did the local LEO’s who were supposed to surveille that building’s roof leave their posts minutes before Crooks fired? Why did the SS not pick up the radios that would have allowed direct communication between them and the local LEO? That’s a few questions I would like answered. There’s more.
How many coincidences does it take to become a conspiracy?
Brian
Coincidences….wait for it…coincide. Do they kind of line up like an arrow pointing in a given direction? Random, they point in all directions. was there any random thingy making the operation more difficult for Crooks?
To the “weirdos”
The answer to “how many”
is:
N+1.
And to keep a conspiracy going the answer is:
Whatever it takes.
I was a very little 3yo kid then, but yet a few months later than Kennedy’s assassination, Douglas MacArthur died with a state funeral. My mother has told me that I asked if another President died, at least makes me think I shouldn’t have but must have got it was a bad event again.
I think Oswald was alone but who knows if he was egged on by others?
Would be nice to see all information released.
“was there any random thingy making the operation more difficult for Crooks?” – Richard Aubrey
no
I was walking on the quad of the University of Illinois when he was shot. I had an immediate strong sense that LBJ had done it.
As a former competitive shooter, University of Illinois Rifle Team and Fort Knox Rifle Team, owner of a Carcano, and someone with a lifelong familiarity with firearms, I say it is impossible for Oswald to have been the shooter.
The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ by Roger Stone, is a great read.
Maybe we will finally know when Trump 2 takes over.
I was in sixth grade.
We went out for after-lunch recess. When we came back, Mr. Reynolds, with a long face, summarized what had happened.
Then he dismissed us for the day.
Life changed.
most likely,
they had oswald on the radar since he defected to Russia, settled in Minsk where coincidentally two future high ranking Cuban regime officials were training married the daughter of a midlevel KGB officer, then settled in Dallas, the seat of the Russian emigres, too many flags to ignore,, his motivations were clearly against
him as it would be with atta, nearly 40 years later, or mcveigh a decade prior,
so mere incompetence one might entertain,
I won’t argue that Oswald acted alone on that day.
I will argue — yea, even with neo — that it might not be that simple. There are still unreleased JFK files. Why? Maybe for good or bad reasons.
The CIA and FBI knew who Oswald was. He had defected to the USSR fergawdsake. They were tracking him. Perhaps they even created him. The CIA did conduct LSD research at Atsugi, Japan where Oswald was stationed.
In those days there was the MKULTRA program (1953-1972) dedicated to mind control and creating mind-controlled assassins.
The CIA destroyed all their MKULTRA files, so there’s no hard proof of anything. I don’t spend long winter nights pondering it.
Trump says he will consider releasing the remaining JFK files.
I look forward to it.
Hmm…so Trump was 17 at the time. Where was he? Any way the left pins this on him?
Oswald did it, but his connections to US and foreign intelligence agencies haven’t fully come to light yet. The MLK and RFK assassinations could use even more investigation and disclosure. For example, I wondered for decades where James Earl Ray got the money and passports that were on him when he was arrested in London. Rumors of a second shooter seem better founded in the RFK shooting than in his brother’s earlier assassination.
18 y/o college freshman studying on the 3rd floor of the university library, between classes, suddenly a loud speaker blared in the quad below as we rushed to the window to look down “Kennedy was shot!” Everything shut down that weekend and the following Thanksgiving week. Less than a year later the lying, conniving, SOB Johnson was telling us not to worry, “Not a mother’s son will fight in Vietnam…” blah, blah, effing blah. Our world changed much for the worse that day.
Oswald did it, but his connections to US and foreign intelligence agencies haven’t fully come to light yet. The MLK and RFK assassinations could use even more investigation and disclosure.
Abraxas:
Quite.
How James Earl Ray, MLK’s assassin, who went from petty redneck crook to criminal mastermind eluding an international manhunt for months, continues to mystify me.
Of course, maybe our vaunted law enforcement agencies are just incompetent, corrupt team players, as we have seen arrayed against Trump and his allies.
Rumors of a second shooter seem better founded in the RFK shooting than in his brother’s earlier assassination.
Abraxas:
I agree.
Fortunately. the physical evidence was destroyed by law enforcement not long after.
The coroner’s claim, that RFK must have have been shot within 1-3 inches, while Sirhan Sirhan’s gun was never closer than a foot, was ignored.
Notice that we don’t know anything more about Thomas Matthew Crooks, attempted Trump assassin, than we did a few weeks after.
Notice that we still don’t know how Trump’s Secret Service / LEO protection was so incompetent that day in Butler, PA.
Notice the media has effectively blacked out that assassination attempt. Compare that to the hysteria over J6.
Nah. It’ll be fine.
Furthermore … notice there is still no good explanation for the Las Vegas Music Festival shooting, as neo has covered, to this day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Las_Vegas_shooting
I’m studying French and electric guitar. I don’t think that much about this stuff these days.
But I still have questions and I’m not getting answers ….
I am old enough, but not too old, to remember the day. I was in San Diego and the news broke as I was shaving before leaving for work. This may sound crass, but my first concern was to find a black arm band to wear on my uniform..
Some might find it odd that although I had experienced the untimely passing of a number of friends, squadron mates, and so forth; protocol did not require a uniform adjustment to demonstrate mourning. That is aside from the time when, as a Naval Aviation Cadet, I represented the USN at the funeral of a flight member. A task I was singuarly unprepared to undertake.
Such foolish thoughts aside, it was a shocking experience.
I was never great admirer of JFK, and sadly he bequeathed us LBJ, and that was an unmitigated disaster.
Abraxas:
You write, “Oswald did it, but his connections to US and foreign intelligence agencies haven’t fully come to light yet.” The Bugliosi book goes into that aspect in great depth. If you’ve never read it, and the topic interests you, I strongly suggest you read it. And as I said, the book is searchable online. Follow the link I gave, for example, and do a search there for something like “KGB” or “FBI”. A ton of references in the book will come up.
Mike Plaiss:
No, but – one of the more ridiculous interludes of Trump’s during his 2016 campaign was when he tried to pin it (sort of) on Ted Cruz’s father. Not Trump’s finest hour.
… one of the more ridiculous interludes of Trump’s during his 2016 campaign was when he tried to pin it (sort of) on Ted Cruz’s father. Not Trump’s finest hour.
–neo
I hated that bit of Trump.
Art Deco, in his usual omniscient fashion, assures us that Cruz wasn’t bothered, but I suspect otherwise and wouldn’t blame Ted Cruz a jot for taking it personally.
I grant that Ted Cruz is also a wise, pragmatic fellow who understands how politics works.
What if … I say, what if .. Oswald were an assassin impelled into action just as Crooks might have been.
Not as an A->B certainty, but as a maybe, throw it at the wall and see if it sticks, possibility .
Kinda like most military battles. Pearl Harbor might have worked, might have failed. D-Day might have worked, might have failed.
Roll the dice. Why not?
Statistics.