The Timeline of Events
On November 22, 1963, 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Eye-witness accounts of the event relayed a gunman firing from a warehouse window and documented Secret Service Agent James Hill racing to the back of the presidential limousine in an attempt to halt the bullets’ trajectory. Confusion and speculation abounded in the aftermath of the tragedy and widespread rumors circulated that the CIA was somehow involved in the assassination.
Conspiracy Theory History
When the Warren Commission was convened shortly after Kennedy’s death in order to investigate the involvement of foreign parties in Kennedy’s assassination, rumors flared up that the CIA had orchestrated the murder in order to oust Kennedy from office. However, the Congressional report released in 1964 found no evidence of nefarious CIA activity.
Despite the Warren Commission’s report, in 1969 former New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison declared his intention to investigate the matter. He determined the involvement of Cuban exile and CIA informant, Clay Shaw. In the 1993 British documentary “Cold War, Hot Nerve”, Shaw is alleged to have spoke of collusion between the CIA and the mafia in the assassination plot.
Garrison’s continued investigation lead to the publishing of his book “On the Trail of the assassins” in 1992 which featured further theories of CIA involvement. The book also mirrored Garrison’s 1991 television documentary, “JFK: The Case for Conspiracy” and his 1978 film “Executive Action”, starring Burt Lancaster and Robert Ryan.
Government Secrecy
Strong evidence that the CIA was involved in the assassination of JFK was government secrecy at its highest level. In 1964, an amendment was passed forbidding any release of sensitive information regarding JFK’s assassination for a solid 75 years. Details of events which began on November 22nd of that year could not be legally made available until the year 2039.
This high level of secrecy has only served to make the public more suspicious of what the CIA may be hiding. It has been argued that this amendment was only passed in order to protect those parties involved in the assassination and to prevent the public from prying.
CIA Response
In response to the widespread rumors of their involvement in JFK’s assassination, the CIA released a report in 1992 to allay the public’s fears and address the questions which had been raised due to the disclosures made in Garrison’s books and films.
The report reaffirmed the conclusions of the Warren Commission, specifically that the assassination resulted from shots fired by Lee Harvey Oswald and that Oswald acted alone in doing so. They also stated that some of the allegations made by Garrison and other sources had been refuted by witnesses or by other evidence.
Public Opinion
Public opinion however, suggested otherwise, with varying polls showing that a significant portion of the American population believed that the CIA had a hand in the assassination.
Writing for PBS news in 2019, historian Craig Shirley declared, “The Kennedy assassination has remained the most controversial and debated episode of the 20th century and shows no signs of ebbing. Conspiracy theories pointing direct culpability not only at Oswald, but at the mafia, the KGB and the CIA, remain ubiquitous — and fiercely-held — in the minds of many.”
Accusations of Cover-ups
The CIA has also been accused of covering up the facts of JFK’s assassination. Rumors of various agents having foreknowledge of a plot to kill Kennedy or having received warning of the impending attack, have persisted over the years. The CIA has however, consistently denied knowledge of any cover-up or involvement in’ or prior warning of Kennedy’s assassination.
One example of a high-ranking CIA figure who stood out for his knowledge was David Atlee Phillips, a former CIA agent who had been stationed in Mexico City. According to witnesses, Phillips had ties Oswald and may have been directly involved in the events of the assassination. Yet, CIA agents’ testimony and Phillips’ denial of such knowledge was accepted by the Warren Commission.
Business Interests
It has also been argued that Kennedy’s assassination was a simple business transaction, with powerful business magnates profiting from the assassination. Many of these influential players had a vested economic interest in Kennedy’s ouster and, money being the driving force, this could have been the prime mover in Kennedy’s assassination.
Kingsley Martin, professor of Cultural Studies, argues that this is a prime example of the “confluence between economic freedom and political events”. He adds that often what appears to be a political event could in fact be the result of a power battle between economic forces, the result being an abuse of state authority.
CIA Ties to Mafia
The CIA was also alleged to have had ties to mafia figures such as Carlos Marcello and Santo Trafficante. It was claimed that the CIA was involved in a plot to oust Castro from Cuba to advance mafia interests. When Kennedy refused to back the plot, it is alleged that mob bosses Marcello and Trafficante were outraged, and formed a plot of their own to assassinate Kennedy.
The accusations of such plots were further fueled by one of Garrison’s witnesses, Perry Russo. Russo is alleged to have heard from mob figures at a party held in 1964 that there had been talks to remove Kennedy from the presidency.
Marking an Era of Suspicion
No concrete evidence has yet been presented which would lead to the CIA being found guilty of orchestrating the assassination of JFK. However, the evidence presented which might explain the involvement of this organization in the events of November 22nd, 1963 has become a source of heated debate and suspicion.
The sheer weight of the theories and narratives surrounding the assassination still linger to this day, marking the assassination of JFK as one of the greatest scandals of the twentieth century.
Mass Disbelief in Official Records
Massive disbelief in the Warren Commission’s findings, as well as the CIA’s rebuttal of the evidence implicating them have only served to bolster suspicions of a possible cover up. The CIA’s lack of full disclosure and numerous gaps in the official records have meant that the public are still left confounded with unanswered questions as to what actually happened on that day in November 1963.
Perpetuation of Theories Through Media
Movies such as Oliver Stone’s 1991 film “JFK”, have also served to keep theories of the CIA’s involvement in Kennedy’s assassination alive. The film starred Kevin Costner as Garrison and depicted detailed scenes of the alleged plot involving CIA agents and mafia informants.
The conclusions to be drawn from the film are synonymous with Garrison’s own charges that the CIA was complicit in JFK’s murder due to Kennedy’s refusal to back a plot to restore the mafia’s control of Cuba.
Freedom of Information Act
In 1993, the release of several ‘assassination documents’ was made possible through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This allowed the public access to the files which contained the details of the various conspirators’ involvement, but not without the overarching suspicion that some of the documents therein had been altered or withheld.
Publications such as the “JFK Declassified: The Secret Assassination Files” have since sought to uncover further evidence which could support one or other of the alleged conspiracies surrounding Kennedy’s assassination.
The Russia and China Factor
The conspiracy theorists’ argument is that Kennedy posed a threat to powerful allies such as Russia and China due to his refusal to permit the CIA to back a plot to overthrow the Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The CIA allegedly saw Kennedy as verging on disloyal due to his position, and sought to remove him from office in a bid to restore their reputation and influence.
In 2020, however, the conclusion of many is that Kennedy’s assassination was a matter of international political intrigue, with the CIA using the mafia’s flair for premeditated killing to achieve their own political aims.
