A Grim (And Conspiratorial!) Anniversary: The Assassination of JFK
This Friday (November 22, 2013) will be the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination. The subject has practically been put underneath a microscope for many years. There are various theories that have emerged since the assassination, including those regarding the magic bullet, whether or not Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, if there was a conspiracy (and who was behind it), the autopsy, and the aftermath (e.g. Oswald being killed by Jack Ruby, the intimidation and/or mysterious deaths of various witnesses).
But let’s focus on the alleged conspirators. There are many of them, but the most likely suspects are as follows: white supremacists, the Soviet Union (and its sympathizers), anti-Castro groups, the Mafia, and the United States Government.
White supremacists no doubt disliked Kennedy, since he was sympathetic to the Civil Rights Movement. But other than a motive, there is hardly any evidence to suggest that they were behind the assassination. Also, Kennedy had inherited the issue of Civil Rights from the Eisenhower Administration, not to mention that Lyndon Johnson would continue to push for Civil Rights.
The Soviet Union (as well as it allies and sympathizers) are more likely suspects, considering Oswald’s defection to the Soviet Union, Castro’s seeking revenge for the attempts to remove him from power, and the Soviets’ wanting revenge for having to back down during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Some people thought the Soviets planned to assassinate Kennedy as a prelude to war between the Soviet Union and the United States. However, war never broke out.
Meanwhile, some individuals say that Oswald was hired by the KGB to assassinate Kennedy. They then claim that the KGB decided to call it off, but Oswald was undeterred. But if Oswald had decided to proceed, wouldn’t the KGB try to stop him? Perhaps they were unaware of his intentions. Or maybe they did know, and let him carry out the deed, and had Jack Ruby kill him.
Anti-Castro groups (particularly Cuban exiles) had good reason not to like Kennedy since the Bay of Pigs fiasco. They had CIA connections, and some were said to have known Oswald. However, there is hardly any more evidence to suggest they were involved in the assassination.
Among the various conspirators, the Mafia and the United States Government are the most likely suspects. The Mafia had plenty of reasons to hate Kennedy. They were anti-Castro (the Bay of Pigs fiasco dashed any hopes they had of reviving their businesses in Cuba) and they weren’t happy about Robert Kennedy’s crackdown on organized crime. In fact, they helped him win the Presidency in 1960. Thus, Robert Kennedy’s actions would have been an act of betrayal. And the message they were sending the Kennedys after JFK was assassinated was “we put you in, we can take you out.”
As for the government, they had their share of motives. The FBI wasn’t crazy about the Kennedys’ sympathy towards the Civil Rights Movement, not to mention JFK considered firing J. Edgar Hoover. The Pentagon was upset over Kennedy not taking a tougher stand against communism, and he allegedly wanted to cut back on defense spending (i.e. the military-industrial complex theory). However, Kennedy wanted to increase military spending, thus refuting the latter reason.
As for the CIA, they are the biggest suspects among all the government agencies, due to the Bay of Pigs and Kennedy being soft on communism. In addition, they had ties to organized crime and Cuban exiles, not to mention having more than their share of professional assassins.
I should point out that if the government was not directly involved (not participating in the assassination) then they were aware of the conspiracy, and probably became collaborators with the mob. But then again, the government did continue its crackdown on organized crime, although perhaps to cover its tracks.
Someday the truth will be revealed.
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