What really happened? The JFK Assassination and More

May 2014

Between Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, CIA director Allen Dules, and the organized criminals across the U.S., you could say that a few people had it in for President John F. Kennedy.

Yet how could the real alleged killer Lee Harvey Oswald, a man who was an ex-marine, who lived in Russia for some time, who had nothing against President Kennedy, nor knew anything about his policies, be responsible for the death of the American leader which affected thousands of lives? What were the motives that compelled Lee Harvey Oswald to kill JFK, a hero in the eyes of the American people?

Here are the logistics of the facts, the conspiracies and everything in between: what really happened on November 22nd, 1963 and is one man truly capable of so much destruction? Some people think not, and their emotions have created their own reasoning as to what happened on this historical date. The evidence is mounting and for you to decide.


Background

President John F. Kennedy died on November 22nd, 1963. He was assassinated by a man named Lee Harvey Oswald, although multiple conspiracy theories have said otherwise. The majority of the American people still feel that there is hidden information about the incident which hasn’t been released to the public.

As the Cold War escalated, President John F. Kennedy faces many hardships. Despite the obvious approval from the American people, the president acquires some formidable enemies who begin to pose a threat to the president’s security.

Unfortunately, during a campaign trip to Dallas Texas, Kennedy is brutally gunned down in his car. He is rushed to the hospital as the nation cries in panic and confusion. What has happened? Who is responsible? Why would the beloved president of the United States be killed? Where could the motive possibly lie? The events leading up to the notorious assassination are almost as fascinating as the assassination itself.


Conspiracies

You have the facts of the case. You know the final decision and the outcome of what supposedly happened. You are aware of probably majority of the conspiracies circulating through the air. But, do you know the technical definition of a conspiracy? According to dictionary.com, a conspiracy is defined as an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons. So is the Kennedy assassination a one man hit ot a plot by multiple sources?

However, I am not too fond of that definition. In fact, I am not too fond of any of the definitions you can find by googling the word ‘conspiracy’. With that definition, a bunch of hoodlum low lifes that plan to secretly rob a grocery store could be considered a conspiracy. What is the proper way then to classify such a seminal event in history?

No. My definition of a conspiracy is this: the act of entertaining a false claim, when knowingly dissociating promising evidence with the rest of the case. That is the real idea behind a conspiracy. If a conspiracy wasn’t that definition, then there would be no such thing as a conspiracy! Sit back and think about that one. The fact of the matter is, how could one ignore an enormous pile of evidence just to say that one specific circumstance is what had occurred.


The ideology is ludicrous. It’s just not convincing. The only possible approach that can be used to squash conspiracies is to consider all of the facts. Consider all points of view, all possible explanations, then rule them out one by one based off which pile of evidence seems to corroborate and which does not.

The first time that I had heard of the JFK conspiracy theories was when I was watching a History Channel program which had spoken of the Magic Bullet Theory (which explains how the bullet had entered the president in his back and exited through his throat). This was the first time in which I realized that the assassination of our president was not in cold hard facts. I was completely devastated. How was this not to be mentioned in the “textbook”? I felt as if society had hidden this information from me. What could I have done for this information to be concealed from me?

Do the American people disregard the possibility of new information to old knowledge merely because they are fearful of a challenge to intellectual safety? Or the better questions to the American people are “ How can fact deciphered from fiction?” Should other possibilities to history be considered credible ideas or just irrelevant to the topic in general? How can bias and perspective be taken into account of history? Let’s dive right into the argument shall we.



The Forest

When studying a case such as the JFK assassination with many different theories, there truly is no right or wrong answer. Just like running through a forest, the path you take is irrelevant, just as long as it takes you out of the brush by the end of the day.

It is very easy to get lost in a forest. Like a forest, conspiracies can make your mind wander in many different directions without a set path. The forest can blind the explorer from the light. The light can be distorted based upon the angle viewed upon. This viewpoint can easily push the said explorer to one direction, regardless if it is the desired path.

How does the explorer escape the forest and it’s ability to blind an individual? The answer is simple. Walk in a straight line. Focus on the hard evidence, the primary sources. The facts are where the evidence of all history lies.

Fundamentally a conspiracy is a claim. A claim to distort the evidence. A plea to believe what is not true. These claims are only used to hide the truth behind the locked doors of our emotions, for we can never accept the truth whether good or bad. Yet, we the American people, must wake up one day and stare the facts right in the face and realize that we must accept them for what they are.

Abide by the direction of the straight path. It will lead you to the truth. A conspiracy is not something that will bring you a definite answer. The truth may never be revealed. But the thought, and the study of the possibility is what truly holds the most meaning. I would have much more fun reading about a historical phenomena with many possibilities to an answer to the truth than a definite answer to history. The excitement is within the “what if”.


Decoding Fact vs Fiction

Children in today’s modern era have an extremely hard time deciphering the evidence of actual event that occurred on the day of the assassination. There is no question why. With the amount of conspiracies out there, it is very easy to get all boggled up in the lies, as the forest theory clarifies. The JFK assassination proves to be a very dense, thick forest with many obstacles to overcome. In order to debunk such a perplexing case, it might be easier to practice with some other intriguing conspiracies.





The David Icke Conspiracy

David Icke is an English writer, public speaker and professional football player who believes in the theory that lizard people rule the world. Yes, he believes that lizard people rule the world. Yet, how can an individual believe such an idea that is acceptable in his mind, but absolutely ridiculous in the mind of the average American? Icke has been known as something of an attention seeker in the past, for he did claim that he was the son of God in a BBC interview in the early 1990’s. Is his credibility lost due to the fact that he “cries wolf¨ to gain the public’s glance? He has been known as an extremist to the public, so his conspiracy theories are not only false, but extremely radical as well. The fact that David Icke takes himself seriously, as if the public should do the same, only establishes the point that he is quite frankly insane. When insanity is combined with radical claims, the worst will ensue. To what extent can you delve your mind into these crazy thoughts and to what degree must you deviate yourself from them? In order to walk that fine line, it is to stick with the facts. In this scenario, it is particularly easy to debunk due to the lack of evidence, but lets rank up in difficulty.




The Moon Landing Conspiracy

Was the Apollo 11 moon landing just an elaborate hoax? I guess conspirators will always create something to conspire about. It seems a bit absurd to think that NASA, arguably the most reputable space agency in the entire world, would make up such a drastic lie. Even so, the losers can never lose fairly. Russian cosmetologists have created many claims as to why the pictures photographed from the Apollo 11 landing are faked. From the flags wave, who took the pictures, the stars not being visible, no landing crater, and more, just about every spec of evidence has been tested and verified. This is a prime example of source. At the height of the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia were at a constant battle for technological advancement. What is the actual truth? Could the U.S. have created a humongous lie as some Russian scientists declared, or was the truth told? Yet, the evidence of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the Moon is evident. What would be the motive to have a hoax surrounding the Moon landing anyway? What gain would possibly made to mask the truth to the American people? Only time will tell.


Area 51 Conspiracy

Are aliens truly living among us? Space fanatics seem to think so. I mean, it honestly isn’t the craziest claim out there. Think about it: scientists estimate there are hundreds of billions of galaxies. Inside those galaxies, there are billions of planets. How is it possible that the planet earth is the only planet that sustains actual life forms? For some reason when this topic comes up as much as my gut wants to believe “aliens” otherwise known as other life forms don’t exist, a piece of mind believes they do. But the problem is, beside crop circles, what real evidence do we have? Crop circles could be created just from falling meteors, and like the notorious big foot claims, there is no actual photographed evidence of UFO’s or so called aliens. This claim truly is the factory of the American people’s imagination and Hollywood’s fantasy breakthroughs. The movie Men In Black depicts if extraterrestrial life lived amongst human inn a an urban setting. Yet, this is only an interpretation of a science fiction fantasy. This can only conclude with the fact that the Area 51 is merely a publicity stunt used to lure in the uninformed and juvenile.


The JFK Assassination Conspiracy

The JFK assassination is seen as one of the most historically significant events in American history. It had been inferred that the possible conspirators could be the Cubans, Soviets, Lyndon B. Johnson and even the CIA. Yet, if we stick to the facts of the case, the truth will be preserved. JFK had been assassinated on November 22nd, 1963. He had been shot in the throat as well in the head while on a presidential campaign in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald had been an Ex- Marine who had learned how to become a sniper in the military. He had also been admitted into a psychiatric hospital as a young child for unruly behavior. He had been considered a crazy man for the time. Oswald had been associated with the USSR. There is a theory that the Soviets had hired a hitman to assassinate JFK. Yet, there is no issued documentation regarding this possibility of the theory. So this idea is only a thought, not a reality. The only proven shooter had been Lee Harvey Oswald. Any other conspiracy had been disproven because the facts hold the truth.

However, questions of more than one possible shooter being involved, the CIA being behind this catastrophe, and the Italian mafia somehow being involved still linger in the murmurs of the American people. In regards to the possibility of there being more than one shooter.. is there any sort of photographic evidence of there being another individual involved? Even more so, is there any evidence of a personal account of an eye witness stating there was more than one person firing shots at the president? If it were possible for a man to pull off such an event and to then slip away scot-free, he would be considered the greatest con artist of all time. But the fact of the matter is, this part of the JFK conspiracy is not even remotely reliable, it is truly the result of wandering American minds coming up with endless possibilities.

The conspiracies surrounding the CIA and the Italian mafia are a bit more convincing due to the supporting evidence that surrounds them. It is true, that this assassination had occurred after the complete failure and embarrassment in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. It is also true, that there were a lot of feelings of resentment and tension after the whole debacle between the president and CIA. But could this truly mean that the CIA, the United States most trusted and secretive intelligence organization, be responsible for such chaos? The ramifications of this truth being evoked could mean the brink of another civil war. It just does not seem likely.

Yet, people will continue to entertain other ideas. The Italian mafia being involved is another imaginative, but more realistic idea in a crazy sort of way. John F. Kennedy has been recalled as sort of a “flirt” back in his day. Although he was married, it is a fact that JFK had multiple affairs with many other women, including big wig Marilyn Monroe. How does this relate back to the Italian Mafia? Along the line of women, JFK’s good friend and famous singer Frank Sinatra introduced the president to a girl by the name of Judith Exner. While frequently having affairs with the president, Judith also had a relationship with the head of the Chicago mafia, Sam Giancana. You can imagine the tension there. Yes, there is proof of Judith being with the president through many phone calls and other documentations. Could the mafia be responsible for the assassination based solely on the facts that JFK had a mafia mistress?

Here, the forest may seem a bit thick. It may seem dense and abstract. There are some conspiracies that can be thrown away immediately, while there are others that are not so clear cut. In this scenario, it is best to go with your gut. What seems most reasonable? It may be hard to determine, but there must be some reason as to why this theory is not the most accepted theory out there.


Why do Conspiracy Theories Arise At All?

Conspiracy theories rise to suppress feelings of emotion. The American people could not possibly deal with the emotional pain attached with the JFK assassination: The President could not have been assassinated by an American, since all Americans love and adore the President of the United States. The Conspiracy Theory is used to blame other individuals in order to cope with the feeling of loss. If not an American, then who assassinated the President of the United States? It must have been the Soviets, Cubans or someone who had been out to get JFK. Yet, the facts of the assassination report otherwise. It is known that Lee Harvey Oswald murdered JFK on November 22nd 1963. It is through this fact that the false identity is created. In our minds, JFK did not die because of an American, but because of an enemy of the USA.

To navigate through this kind of forest, we must be able to know the facts before we make an acquisition to a historical event. It is vital to understand the historical context of the situation to have an opinion. Yet, the opinion should not even exist for the historical content speaks for itself. All conspiracy theories are merely pleas for attention in order to mask the fears of the sensitive and unassured.

The world is not a perfect and peaceful place. There are many individuals who gain great joy through the pain and suffering of others. It’s sick. Yet, we as the American people must embrace those individuals and act accordingly to the facts, not to our emotions.
Essay Citations
Goldman, Russell. "The Top 5 John F. Kennedy Assassination Conspiracy Theories." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 31 May 2014.
Network, Ashley M. Williams. "Who Shot JFK? 6 Conspiracy Theories." USA Today. Gannett, 29 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 May 2014.
"November 22, 1963: Death of the President." - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2014.
Pappas, By Stephanie. "10 Persistent Kennedy Assassination Theories."LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 31 May 2014.
Patterson, Thom, Ed Lavandera, and Jason Morris. "One JFK Conspiracy Theory That Could Be True." CNN. Cable News Network, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 May 2014.