The Kennedy Assassination

[Old Man Svensson]

I thought this might be interesting.

In my opinion, yes there was, but it wasn't some elaborate, Alex-Jones-on-a-bad-trip deal. It just so happened that Lyndon Johnson was well-known and infamous for being a cruel, opportunistic son of a bitch.

[H. Ross Peron]

No (normal)

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

No idea...

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

More of a cover up than anything, but there might have been. Lean Yes.

[dead0man]

no, and it's depressing that so many people believe that there was.

[Lumine]

Nope. So many people wanted Kennedy dead (and with good reasons) that a conspiracy was completely unnecessary.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

That's the issue I have... so many conspiracies seem to be about the motives, rather than the evidence.

A motive does not a crime make

[barfbag]

It sounds like something the secret service put together. Kennedy may have wanted his wife out of the picture so he could be with Marilyn Monroe so they decided to take him out instead of his wife. I'll never believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, fired 3 bullets, and only one killed Kennedy. Videos show multiple shots. In fact, did you know there was a fist fight for his body at the hospital? Texas state law at least at the time required an autopsy, but the secret service fought for his body which was flown back to D.C. that night. I saw it on the history channel. Something tells me there was more to Kennedy's personal life than met the eyes of the public. For the early 1960's it was able to be hidden, but today wouldn't last more than a few hours.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I thought this might be interesting.

In my opinion, yes there was, but it wasn't some elaborate, Alex-Jones-on-a-bad-trip deal. It just so happened that Lyndon Johnson was well-known and infamous for being a cruel, opportunistic son of a bitch.

True, although I wouldn't use words that were quite that strong (i.e "SOB").

That being said, I don't think there was a conspiracy of any sort, and LBJ wasn't involved at all.  Whatever you may think about the Warren Commission (and its flaws), I think the historical evidence is pretty solid that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

[anvi]

I used to think so, but then read a few close historical treatments and was relieved of my illusions--at least for this issue... 

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

Yes, but not up the Alex Jones/Jesse Ventura alley.

I've come to accept that, whether or not some greater plot was at work, it's over and I don't really care at the end of the day.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Quite possibly a conspiracy.

[Antonio the Sixth]

It depends what you mean by "conspiracy". If it means that it was an act decided and planned by some group of people, then probably. It would make sense that some extremist Cubans, or some mafiosi, would want to get rid of Kennedy - and succeed, at a time when presidential security wasn't nearly as developed as it is today.

However, the massive conspiracy theories ala Kevin Costner, with involvement from LBJ, the CIA and basically everybody in government, are completely silly.

[Peter the Lefty]

Yes.  And call me crazy, but I'm almost positive that the security apparatus was involved.  There's footage of Oswald yelling that he was "just a patsy."  If he really were someone who hated Kennedy and wanted him dead, one would think he'd be yelling defiantly about how proud he was to have killed JFK.  And the big secret that no one likes to talk about is that Kennedy was planning to end US involvement in Vietnam by the end of his life, and the military-industrial complex couldn't stand that idea.  And given the obvious cover-up in terms of the forensic evidence, it's inconceivable that there weren't major powers at play.

[politicallefty]

It's one of the very few conspiracies I think is actually accurate. I think there was a lot more to his assassination compared to the official report. Oswald may have been part of it, but I don't think he was anything more than that.

[Zioneer]

I'll say no, if you mean the overarching, almost supernatural conspiracy, no, I don't think there was one.

If you mean more than one guy was involved and Oswald probably had help, sure. Even the idea of the Mafia whacking Kennedy is fairly believable.

[Peter the Lefty]

Oh and by the way, Jackie, Bobby, and even LBJ all believed there was a conspiracy, and it's quite difficult to imagine that all three of them were wrong.

[tpfkaw]

No, but I voted yes for the sake of fun.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It depends what you mean by "conspiracy". If it means that it was an act decided and planned by some group of people, then probably. It would make sense that some extremist Cubans, or some mafiosi, would want to get rid of Kennedy - and succeed, at a time when presidential security wasn't nearly as developed as it is today.

However, the massive conspiracy theories ala Kevin Costner, with involvement from LBJ, the CIA and basically everybody in government, are completely silly.

As I have said it is a great movie, but horrible history and facts.

This is one issue where the increase in disclosure following the movie in the 1990's, actually was far more supportive of what the Commission had stated, whereas many of the conspiracy theorists had hit on the witholding of documents to as being evidence of something being hidden.

I think the gov't was desiring a quick way to point away from the Reds, so as to avoid an 1898 scenario that could drive towards nuclear war, they wanted to latch onto the lone gunman theory quickly, and in the process made it look like they were hiding something. In 1963 they couldn't wait for a decades later report saying it was coal dust and not a Spanish mine, with the prospect of a possible nuclear war as opposed to the "Splendid Little War" (as oxymoronic as it was, it certainly applies when comparing it to a nuclear war). There is a book out that says the Russians wanted to do the same thing ironically, but instead funded speakers and books (many unknowingly) to point the attention at the CIA as opposed to the lone gunman.