On November 22nd, JFK was assassinated on Dealey Plaza, Dallas. The world was never to be the same.
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Ever since the assassination of JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald Conspiracy Theories have grown in abundance. In 1963 The Warren Commissions investigations that lasted ten months from November 1963 to September 1964 concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F Kennedy and the wounding of governor Connolly. The warren Commissions findings also concluded that Jack Ruby also acted alone when he killed Lee Harvey Oswald. These findings were soon met with disbelief and conspiracy theories continued to compound an increase improbability. The HSCA (House Select Committee on Assassinations) was created in order to find out the truth of JFK's assassination. Their conclusion as a contrast to the warren commissions findings. The HSCA stated that JFK was “probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy". It also stated that there was "...a high probability that two gunmen fired at the President." Today around There have been many Conspiracies since the time of JFK's death ranging from the Bizarre to the plausible. Major conspiracies include; The Mafia, the existence of two shooters, and the CIA. As of 2013 61% ofAmericans believe there is a conspiracy behind the assassination of John F Kennedy.
A Second Shooter
The Mafia
The Mafia is one highly popular Conspiracy theory behind the assassination of JFK. Organised crime was seen as a big problem in the eyes of Kennedy and he felt determined to bring it down. This was also true for his brother Robert "bobby" Kennedy, whom was also assassinated. The Mafia conspiracy theory typically centres on New Orleans mobster Carlos Marcello, who was deported to Guatemala after Kennedy came to office. Carlos Marcello allegedly threatened to assassinate the president in order to short-circuit his brother Attorney General "Bobby" Kennedy who was leading his administration's anti mafia crusade. The HSCA also finds it plausible for the Mafia to be behind the assassination stating "The committee believes, on the basis of the evidence available to it, that the national syndicate of organized crime, as a group, was not involved in the assassination of President Kennedy, but that the available evidence does not preclude the possibility that individual members may have been involved". Another connection between the assassination of JFK and the mafia is Jack Ruby. Jack Ruby was the man who killed Lee Harvey Oswald before his hearing, which at first people thought he simply did this as an act of aggression for killing the president. However, soon after people thought there was more to him killing Oswald than meets the eye, and people thought he was a conspirator with Oswald, believing his death to be a cover-up. Jack ruby was a Dallas nightclub owner who had underground connections. This therefore meant he could have had connections to the mafia.. Today around thirteen per cent of Americans believe The Mafia was behind the assassination of JFK. I think it is the most likely conspiracy as so many people believe they were behind it as well as the mafia having something to gain. The fact Bobby Kennedy was killed a few years later also points towards the Mafia being responsible for JFK's death.
The CIA
The CIA is another well known and popular conspiracy behind the assassination of JFK. The CIA's potential involvement was highlighted frequently between the 1960's and 1970's where they were involved in plots to assassinate a number of world leaders such as Cuban leader Fidel Castro. New Orleans attorney Jim Garrison claimed that Kennedy was assassinated By the CIA in order to retain tensions with the soviet Union and Cuba, and to prevent the United states from withdrawing from Vietnam. Kennedy also detested the Cia saying he wanted to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds." The CIA also wanted to assassinate Kennedy as he was turning away from the cold war and seeking to negotiate peace with the Soviet Union. Therefore Kennedy had to be killed. "The three tramps" were three people detained and questioned by the police following the assassination of JFK. conspirators believe these three to be working for the CIA. These people were suspected to be; E. Howard Hunt, a CIA station chief who was involved in the bay of Pigs invasion, Frank Sturgis, who like Hunt worked together on the Bay of Pigs invasion, and lastly, Chauncey Holt, who claimed to be a double agent working for the mafia and the CIA. This connection of one of the CIA operatives to be working for the Mafia also suggests that the Mafia could have been working together to get rid of Kennedy.
The Cuban Government
During JFK's presidency, relations were at an all time low between Cuba and The US. This feud between nations came to a climax during the Cuban missile crisis, where both countries risked being destroyed. In order to stop the leadership of the country by Fidel Castro, a number of attempts were taken by the CIA to assassinate him. Therefore many theorists believe that Fidel Castro ordered the assassination of JFK in retaliation of their attempts of assassinating him. The killer of JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald also had links to Cuba, due to him being head of the "Fair Trade for Cuba Committee". Clare Booth Luce, A sponsor of anti-Castro groups, said that on the night of the assassination, she received a call from a member of a commando group she had sponsored. According to Luce, the caller's name sounded "something like" Julio Fernandez who claimed he was calling from New Orleans. Castro. Fernandez told her that Oswald had approached his group with an offer to help assassinate Castro. The commando group, kept close watch of Oswald until he had fled to Mexico and then Dallas. Fernandez than told her that "There is a Cuban Communist assassination team at large and Oswald was their hired gun." This evidence shows that Oswald was possibly hired by the Cuban government to assassinate JFK. However, the HSCA stated "The committee believes, on the basis of the evidence available to it, that the Cuban Government was not involved in the assassination of President Kennedy". Despite this, Theorists still believe that Fidel Castro was responsible for the assassination of Kennedy.