John F. Kennedy’s Assassination Conspiracy by Christy Banh

Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of killing John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Is it true that he acted alone or was there a whole group of people out there that has been against John F. Kennedy? President Kennedy is the 35^th president of the United States and at the time it was made obvious that he was going to run for the next president candidacy, he was campaigning in Dallas, Texas when his death had occurred (John F. Kennedy Assassinated.).  The official Warren commission report stated that Oswald had acted independently without any outside help domestically or internationally, but that didn’t help calm down the conspiracies that were made about President Kennedy’s assassination and that people were restless to see why he was killed at that time right before another election (John F. Kennedy Assassinated.). Conspiracy theories spiral around on whether or not Lee Oswald killed John F. Kennedy or could it be the Mafia who had something against the President John F. Kennedy? Since it was right before the election it might even be the government that was against his candidacy for the next election, so could it be CIA?

            It’s been 53 years since the John F. Kennedy’s assassination and still conspiracy theories circle around. John F. Kennedy was a tall man being 6 feet tall, a weight of 170 pounds, thought of as very young looking and handsome, and even though he was very athletic and brawny he had suffered from a chronic back pain most of his life (John F> Kennedy with Ham). He was a little sensitive, but he controlled his temper pretty well and rarely burst out in anger. He always showed his good side to the audience not his chronic pain or bad temper, because he had a presidential role to fill in and that doesn’t tolerate things that would make John F. Kennedy look bad as a United States President.

He was thought of as heroic and strong because he was selfless and put his own life to risk just so that he can help others in some way or the fact that he goes through so much pain and hard work to save others (“What Were Some Personality Traits of John F. Kennedy?”). For example, when he was the commander of his PT boat back in World War II, he was going through degenerative back problems and an addition to that Addison’s disease through it all he had manage to become a commander and rose up to being so fearless (“What Were Some Personality Traits of John F. Kennedy?”). Especially when John F. Kennedy had lost his PT boat and managed to save almost all of his men even through his agony he had thought of his people rather than his own life.

            John F. Kennedy will forever be remembered as both brave and charismatic. He not only puts his people’s life before his own, but he has become such a great role model when he speaks. Due to the fact that he charms people with the way he talks by ensuring people their safety and that his public speaking’s make him connect to his audience in a ethological way. He had a connection to the people of the United States, this can be easily shown when he quotes, "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country" (John F. Kennedy). He was self sacrificing when it comes to his comrades, when he was in the military he would go into dangerous situations to save his comrades without thinking of his own safety (John F. Kennedy). This is just one of many examples on how kind he is. Not only is he thought of as selfless, but also he was known to handle foreign affairs very well. Including handling the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, avoiding a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, and helping NASA aspire to what it is today (John F. Kennedy).

            John F. Kennedy was a well-liked president for his service in the navy, charisma, and trustworthiness. But, he had enemies like every president does because of his perspective as a president and his decision-making. There are many conspiracies on how John F. Kennedy had died and who killed him, including Lee Harvey Oswald, the Mafia, and even from the government specifically the CIA (“Fast Facts about John F. Kennedy.”).

            Lee Harvey Oswald is one of the top conspiracies thought to be true because there was a unidentified witness that supposedly saw him in the building the shooter was from. Not only that but when the shooting had started, Lee was pulled over by a officer when he was running away from the crime scene and in fact shot and killed the officer (Escobedo). This makes it more suspicious and understandable because if Lee had the ability to pull out a gun and shoot a officer, a person thought of as higher authority, then the possibility for shooting the president is more likely to happen. Not only was the officer a victim to Lee Oswald’s shooting, but eight months prior to John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Oswald attempted to kill one of President Kennedy’s foe, Edwin Walker. He was a former U.S. Army General and a outspoken anti-communist. After Walker resigned from the army he was a speaker against President Kennedy’s administration about moving towards racially integrated schools (Escobedo, Tricia.). No one was very sure why Oswald attempted to kill Walker, but there were conspiracies that Oswald disliked him and his beliefs because Oswald was a communist. But, again, Oswald’s attempt on killing a higher authority makes killing the president more believable, although unlike the officer being killed, General Walker was left alive and suffered minor injuries from the bullet fragments.

            The Mafia claimed to kill President John F. Kennedy whether from fame or actuality; it is not as concrete as the Lee Harvey conspiracy. People thought that the Mafia was behind the killing because President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy, a general attorney, were working hard together to take down organized crime (John).

            The hardest conspiracy about John F. Kennedy’s death to believe is the government being behind his assassination. It’s hard to understand because President Kennedy is the face and representative of the United States, but there are always people that are opposed to the president’s view. For example, it may seem suspicious for Lyndon B. Johnson to swoop right in and take John F. Kennedy’s place as president right after President Kennedy had died. Also Lyndon B. Johnson was behind the Warren Commission that investigated Kennedy’s murder (“John F. Kennedy Assassinated.”).  Not only Lyndon B. Johnson but the CIA could possibly be suspects in President Kennedy’s assassination. Because the CIA had thought that President Kennedy had unfavored them especially after the Bay of Pig’s Invasion when the CIA went behind his back and in attempt of killing Fidel Castro (“Fast Facts about John F. Kennedy.”).

            There are many more conspiracies, but these three are pretty common and more believable. In conclusion the poll that was filled out by classmates concluded that Lee Oswald is the most believed in killing the president because he was caught and it is most understandable, but 15 out of the 20 that filled out the poll believed it was Lee Oswald.

            President John F. Kennedy had many conspiracies about his assassination, but the most common and believable one is that Lee Harvey Oswald was the one who pulled the trigger. There is more concrete evidence and witnesses that help support Lee Oswald being behind President Kennedy’s death. Although, there are other conspiracies that are quite believable like Lyndon B Johnson being behind it, so that he can be the president of the United States with no competition, especially since President Kennedy died before the next election. Also, the mafia could have done it since they had a big reason due to President Kennedy trying to take them down. Making the Mafia decide to do it before John F. Kennedy could take them down. But Lee Harvey Oswald was the most concrete conspiracy even though conspiracies still go around because someone as important as the president should not have their deaths be unsolved. People intend to come up with more conspiracies to try and find what actually happened.

Works Cited

Escobedo, Tricia. “5 Things You Might Not Know about JFK's Assassination.” CNN, Cable News Network, www.cnn.com/2013/11/14/us/jfk-assassination-5-things/.

“Fast Facts about John F. Kennedy.” Fast Facts about John F. Kennedy - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library &Amp; Museum, www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/JFK-Fast-Facts.aspx.

(John@spartacus-educational.com), John Simkin. “Spartacus Educational.” Spartacus Educational, Spartacus Educational, spartacus-educational.com/JFKSinvestigation.htm.

"John F. Kennedy Assassinated." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

“John F. Kennedy.” The White House, The White House, 30 Dec. 2014, www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/johnfkennedy.

“John F. Kennedy with Ham.” The Presidential Ham, presidentialham.com/u-s-presidents/john-f-kennedy-with-ham/.

Kaplan, Fred. “Why the Best Conspiracy Theories About JFK’s Assassination Are Bunk.” Slate Magazine, 14 Nov. 2013, www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2013/11/john_f_kennedy_conspiracy_theories_debunked_why_the_magic_bullet_and_grassy.html.

“What Were Some Personality Traits of John F. Kennedy?” Reference, www.reference.com/history/were-personality-traits-john-f-kennedy-4754533fe657b138#