Introduction
The John Fitzgerald Kennedy assassination is one of the most tragic events to have happened in the American history. JFK was one of the most loved Presidents due to his unique qualities that endeared him to many. “His lively family, his winning personality and his tireless energy and the respected courage in time of decision” (Stockland 102). Those were attributes that the American populace held about JFK. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States further doubling as the youngest and first Catholic President. It is his unique nature that pre-empted impediments towards his presidency. Shock was what befell the whole world on his assassination. It was during the peak of US involvement in Vietnam and heightened Cold War between the Soviet Union and America. To fully comprehend the full picture it is important to note the status quo at that time between the United States, Germany, Cuba, and Russia (Soviet Union). The assassination came at a critical time when the Kennedy regime was cementing its national and foreign policy (Poe and Kaiser 31).
President Kennedy was felled by a sniper’s bullet on November 22, 1963 as his motorcade rode through the Dealey Plaza streets in Dallas, Texas. Within six seconds, three shots were fired at the youthful president as he was seated in his open limousine. The then Texas Governor John Connally was also wounded in the process but luckily enough, the two leaders’ wives, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Nellie Connaly escaped unscathed. The President was rushed to the Parkland Memorial Hospital where he was soon pronounced dead.
Commissions of Inquiry
The shots were identified to have emanated from a nearby warehouse. Hours after the shooting police arrested one Lee Harvey Oswald, a warehouse employee, who also happened to be a former marine with links to the Soviet Union. Oswald was however was also killed by a Dallas resident known as Jack Ruby (Livingstone 56). All these dramatic events made many people ponder whether a conspiracy was at play. A commission was established by Kennedy’s successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, to investigate the assassination. The commission was chaired by Earl Warren the then Supreme Court Chief Justice. After ten months, the commission came to a few conclusions regarding the JFK assassination. It cited that Lee Harvey Oswald indeed killed the president, acting alone and also that the Dallas resident; Jack Ruby acted alone when he slayed Oswald before he could stand trial (Poe and Kaiser 66). The findings however were received with great skepticism by the American public. Many could not come to terms how the assassin acted alone and how Jack Ruby’s action was not part of a cover-up plot.
Another commission, United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) arrived at conclusions that contrasted the Warren Commission findings. The HSCA cited that the conspiracy might have been afoot in the assassination. Additionally, the HSCA pinpointed serious flaws in the original FBI investigation and the Warren report. The HSCA seemed to agree with the Warren team that “three shots were fired by Oswald, but there was a fourth shot which portended that there were two gunmen involved” (Poe and Kaiser 68). The HSCA findings were founded on acoustical information that was later disrepute. The commission, despite, its sensational claims did not identify any other group or person in the assassination besides Lee Harvey Oswald. It however exonerated Soviet Union, FBI, and organized crime from blame but could not explicitly say whether there was involvement of the groups’ individual members. The John Fitzgerald Kennedy assassination, to date, is still subject to immense debate spawning a great deal of conspiracy theories and possible alternative scenarios.
Conspiracy Theories
It is not a secret that many of the JFK policies created more enemies for him. For instance, the fact that he was willing to negotiate with Cuba and resuscitate ties with the country, declined to provide no air cover for bay of pigs, supported the withdrawal of American troops in Vietnam, signed the test ban treaty, pushed for civil rights for everyone include Black Americans, end the oil depletion allowance for southerners, threaten to make J. Edgar Hoover to retire and his assertion that he would dismantle the CIA into pieces. Evaluating these elements illustrate a number of reasons why there was a high number of possible suspects with motives to have JFK dead and the discrepancies linked with the Oswald “acting alone theory” (Poe and Kaiser 74).
The FBI
Edgar Hoover as the Director of the FBI was said to be at loggerheads with the president due to his policies particularly the anti-mob stance. Hoover is said to have been a professional blackmailer with much” dirt on the Kennedy’s enough to put them away” (Poe and Kaiser 76). The only problem with this theory is that the probability that the FBI director would commit such a crime was small. Furthermore, it was Robert Kennedy who posed much threat for Edgar Hoover.
The C.IA theory
The C.I.A were identified to be JFK’S first enemies after he declined to provide air cover for the Bay of Pigs. The bay happened to be the location of the CIA trained Cuban exiles with the sole goal of toppling the Fidel Castro regime. The invasion failed which was humiliating for the CIA as the prominent force behind the operation. Prouty and Stone ( 113) cites that the Cuban administration managed to wade off the exiles. JFK, despite his prior knowledge of the plans, criticized CIA for its actions. JKL was on record saying he would” smash CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds” (Prouty and Stone 114) .
Organized Crime
Despite being raised by a mafia, Kennedy had a strong stance about organized crime. Many mafias had funded his campaign and even allegedly help him rig the elections. His aggressive stance on them came as a surprise and angered majority of them. Livingstone (83) notes that at a personal level, Kennedy was said to have an affair with Sam Giancanna, a Chicago Mafia boss’s mistress. Jack Ruby, Oswald’s killer, was also associated with the mafia. The mafia was said to be collaborating with the CIA in ousting the Cuban dictator making it highly probable that might have collaborated in exterminating JFK as a common enemy. Conspiracy theorists argue that the Mafia under this scenario “would do the dirty work as the CIA planted a puppet (Oswald) to take the fall for the crime” (Stockland 109). They would further need the nod from the FBI Director Edgar Hoover.
The Military
The Test Ban treaty and the planned withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam by the year 1965. Majority of the leadership at the leadership felt “through the signing of the test ban treaty undermined the military technological sector” (Prouty and Stone 119). The military further depended on the Vietnam War to experiment some of its guerilla tactics, and it created more funding for the forces. These two aspects might not have been significant enough for the military to participate in the assassination of the president, but it goes on to show that if anything were to happen to JFK the military would not interfere. They would have actually preferred a new Commander in Chief.
Other Theories
The Cuban-exiles and anti-civil groups are other enemies that may have participated in the JFK assassination. The Cuban exiles were “angered and frustrated by the Kennedy’s administration last minute decision not to cover the Bay of Pigs” (Livingstone 122). The latter group made up of conservationists loathed Kennedy’s decision to incorporate civil right reforms in the constitution. These White Supremacists might have been irked to have opted to eliminate the president.
The “lone assassin theory” linked to Oswald emboldened majority of the conspiracies. His return to America despite having being CIA agent that had defected to the KGB was unusually smooth. Despite the knowledge, he was readmitted to the United States (Prouty and Stone 123). It is further alleged that it is the CIA that got him a job at the Texas warehouse where the shooting took place. The Oswald army records further show that the alleged assassin was a mediocre or average shooter. It is also weird that his confession was never released. He is cited to have denied any involvement in the killing. Prouty and Stone (127) cite that a voice analysis test had identified that he(Oswald) was telling the truth. This would have been integral in proving his innocence consequently implicating the concerned intelligence units.
Conclusion
The assassination left America and the World at large confused. Looking at the critical element of the time it took place (the cold war period) it is rightful to say there were fears on whether the attack was part of a greater attack. It also raised concerns of the then Vice President, Lyndon Johnson’s safety. It further formed the basis for the future enhancement of the presidential motorcade security. Currently, the American President is one of the most guarded men in the world. The confusion and misinformation surrounding the killing is what has continued to enhance the emergence of conspiracy theories linking even some of the government agencies to the assassination. The JFK demise left a big dent to the American psyche that had embraced him for his youthful vibrancy and unique leadership. The event shook the world and America with the question “Where were you when John F. Kennedy was assassinated?” becoming a common matter in discussions
Works Cited
Livingstone, Harrison E. The Radical Right and the Murder of John F. Kennedy: Stunning Evidence in the Assassination of the President. Victoria: Trafford, 2004. Print.
Poe, M., and D. Kaiser. "David Kaiser interview, "The Road to Dallas: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy"." (2008): Print.
Prouty, L F, and Oliver Stone. Jfk: The Cia, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy. New York: Skyhorse Pub, 2009. Print.
Stockland, Patricia M. The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Edina: ABDO Pub, 2008. Print.
