JFK assassination: consensus?

spylon · 23-06-2009 10:50pm #1

From my understanding, the much-derided Warren report decreed that Oswald acted alone; a second official investigation in the seventies decided that there was probably a conspiracy; later, all manner of investigators and charlatans weighed in on the topic, unleashing all manner of theories, from the most mundane to the frankly bizarre.

The rumours and speculation don't particularly interest me. My question, then, and without having to wade through all of the innumerable books on the subject, nor enter into the realm of conspiracy theory, is whether or not there exists a consensus among sensible academic historians on who or what was behind the assassination of JFK.

dubtom · 25-06-2009 2:56pm

I read a book recently about the Kennedy brothers, ironically called Brothers, by David Talbot. Basically, he puts forward the theory that the CIA, from the top down, were responsible for both assignations. He lays out in great detail the whys and who's, based on recently released declassified documents and interviews with many involved with the Kennedy's and the CIA. As with every thing to do with the JFK assignation at this stage however, it's all conjecture, even an admission by someone in the room when it was being planned is hearsay so long after the fact. Certainly it's Talbot's view, and he claims RFK's, that the CIA were involved, whether his findings make a difference in terms of proving anything is doubtful though. There probably is a general concessus among historians which doesn't follow the official line, but publishing those views at this stage only makes, as in Talbot's books case, a fine read.

pablomakaveli · 27-06-2009 2:54pm

I saw a documentary that said that the kennedy family (particularily JFKs father) had contacts in the mafia and had the mafia use their political connections to help with kennedys campaign.

When JFK got into office he began to crack down on the mafia and so they may have played a part in the assassination.

I can't remember the name of this documentary but i think it may have been on discovery or the history channel.

Commish · 22-02-2010 2:51am

Hi,
im really curious as to how many people find the confession of James E Files as being the gunman on the grassy knoll and firing the fatal shot as truth or fiction????

InTheTrees · 22-02-2010 11:51pm

spylon wrote: »

My question, then, and without having to wade through all of the innumerable books on the subject, nor enter into the realm of conspiracy theory, is whether or not there exists a consensus among sensible academic historians on who or what was behind the assassination of JFK.

I think(!) the consensus is that the warren commission was a white wash, oswald was a patsy and the shooter(s) were most likely on the grassy knoll.

But that view opens up far more questions that cant really be answered so the theories persist.

fontanalis · 23-02-2010 4:07pm

There's so much nonsesne attached to the case, if there was a conspiracy I'd say it was alot of low level people like in James Ellroys American Tabloid but not the massive one like in Oliver Stones JFK.

MilanPan!c · 23-02-2010 4:08pm

He was definitely assassinated.

ejmaztec · 23-02-2010 4:18pm

MilanPan!c wrote: »

He was definitely assassinated.

That's what you think.:eek:

donaghs · 24-02-2010 10:17am

I was only reading recently about how the CIA kept secret from the Warren Commission the fact that John & Bobby Kennedy were obsessed with killing Castro. And the actual CIA plots against Castro which had been planned or carried out - were basically following the Kennedy's clandestine orders. By burying this info, the CIA were trying to protect their own reputation from the post-assassination fallout.

Added to this, the Mitrokhin Archive shows that the KGB ran many disinformation campaigns all over the world. And one of them involved linking the CIA and others to the Kennedy assassination.

Previously, I'd always tended towards the CIA/mafia angle. The Cubans did at times act indepedently of the Soviets, and this could have been one example - i.e. Castro gave the go-ahead to have Kennedy assassinated.

Oasis44 · 06-03-2010 9:38pm

I have read enough JFK books and watched many documentaries as well as the Zapruder film.

As far as I'm concerned Oswald acted alone that day and was solely responisble for the killing. There was only 3 shots fired that day and if there was another shooter on the grassy knoll then there would have been more shots fired and in all probability Jackie O would have been shot also (as was the angle from the knoll to the car at the time of the fatal shot). I'm not sayin the mafia/cia were not involved with Oswald to be clear - all i'm sayin is that oswald acted alone as a shooter.

The only thing that doesn't make sense is the placement of the 3 shots. The first missed completely, the second hit him in the back of the neck and the third was the fatal head shot. They should have really been the reverse of this i.e. the first bang on, second in the back and the third missing completly (due to the panic the shooter must have felt).

If you think about it the first shot should have been bang on as the limo was approaching the bookstore at the time and oswald had the time to place the shot. Instead he waited till the limo turned away from the bookstore to start firing which doesn't make sense unless his line of sight was somehow obscured when the car was approaching.

In particular I watched a doc recently where they reconstructed the whole thing and proved beyond doubt that the shots that hit JFK came from behind, from above and with the same calabre of bullet that the gun found in the bookstore would have used. Good enough for me.

yobr · 06-03-2010 9:44pm

Oasis44 wrote: »

I have read enough JFK books and watched many documentaries as well as the Zapruder film.

As far as I'm concerned Oswald acted alone that day and was solely responisble for the killing.
In particular I watched a doc recently where they reconstructed the whole thing and proved beyond doubt that the shots that hit JFK came from behind, from above and with the same calabre of bullet that the gun found in the bookstore would have used. Good enough for me.

Bit of a JFK assassination nerd myself too....Case Closed is an excellent book which agrees with view that Oswald acted alone. As times goes on we must realise that we are getting further away from the truth as the assassination is now an industry and there are more peopkle who have a vested interested in keeping the industry alive than getting to the actual truth...in my opinion we will never decisively know as the truth or a means to getting it died with RFK

Commish · 07-03-2010 4:46pm

Ive read books, ive watched all the docs that there is on the whole case, i went over to Dealeys the whole lot and there is no way in hell Oswald was the lone gunman. If Oswald fired any shots at the target - he missed. He had the worlds worst shoulder weapon in his hand with a scope that was off and he was a rubbish shot. Ive fired rifles for a long time now and one thing i know is its hard to kill with a rifle. The whole magic bullet theory is an insult to anyone that knows anything about weapons and ammunition. If i was a betting person i would put my house on it that Oswald was not on the sixth floor when the shots were fired. Eye witnesses placed him no where near the sixth floor seconds after the shooting. So if Oswald was to get off 3 shots in 5.6 seconds from the rifle that cant be recycled quick enough to do that shooting hide the rifle where it was discovered wipe it clean of prints get down the stairs in Olympic time and appear on the second floor as cool as a cucumber. I think we have a miracle worker on our hands. And the big question remains??? Why did everyone run for the grassy knoll straight after the shooting occured???? Smoke was clearly seen and gunpowder could be clearly smelled in the air. All those people that ran to the knoll all believed there was at least a shot fired from there. Men with secret service badges held everyone back from the area even though the secret service said they had no agents anywhere near the fence and all theyre agents were on route to the hospital with the president. How could all these people be wrong???
On the subject of the 3 shots the house select committee on assassinations claimed that there was more than likely 4 shots from audio evidence and that there may have been a conspiracy to kill the president. Call me a buff call me whatever you want - i think of myself as a realist and there is no way i can see in this real world that Oswald was a lone gunman.

ejmaztec · 07-03-2010 5:11pm

I don't think that we are ever going to find out the absolute truth in this case. It seems that whatever admissions of guilt have been made, they are quickly discredited, but we don't know for certain that this discrediting isn't part of an over-all cover-up, where information is planted just to throw people off the scent.

I'm still inclined to believe that Oswald wasn't the only one involved, but as to who the others were, it could have been any group, or groups.

JFK assassination: consensus?

Comments