ACrumbley1.HistoricalInquiryPaperREVISED

8/2/2019 ACrumbley1.HistoricalInquiryPaperREVISED

1/9

Crumbley 1

Aaron Crumbley

Ms. Caruso

ENGL 1102

22 Feb 2012

John F Kennedy: The Actual Truth

November 22, 1963, a day when America would lose its President. On this fateful day,

someone or a few people successfully assassinated the thirty-fifth president of the United States.

The possibility of a conspiracy or a cover up has been mused by a large proportion of the

American public and as it stands today, people still believe the details are fishy. There are myriad

theories on what could have happened and this paper is going to discuss five in particular. The

first theory raises its head as Lee Harvey Oswald was a conspiracy theorist himself who was

known to have ties with Cuba and the Soviet Union. Next, I have dissected two different eye-

witness accounts that come from four different people. A more modern theory, we have the

involvement of the American Mafia and the Mafia hated the Kennedys. Lastly we come to the

darkest, most dishonorable of all theories, the idea that Vice President, Lyndon Baines Johnson

had something to do with the death of JFK. After picking apart these theories it will be obvious

to see why the facts point to something out of the ordinary.

Irving, Texas, home to the secret, unsuspected hiding spot of the rifle that would soon kill

the President of the United States. The home belonged to Ruth Paine, a Quaker from Texas who

had befriended the Oswalds.1

Marina Oswald and her two children were living with Ruth while

Lee joined them solely on the weekends; he was living in a rooming house in downtown Dallas 2

near the Texas School Book Depository where he had gotten a job thanks to Ruth. It is worth

Comment [A1]: Formalization, Remove fluff,Clarity, Transitions, Word Choice.

Comment [A2]: Changed the wording up a bit

be less confusing and to label the theory.

Comment [A3]: Formalized my paper by

removing a question and stated a fact that would

support the theory

Comment [A4]: Removed an instance of you to

formalize the paper.


2/9

Crumbley 2

noting that Oswald once travelled a distance of 12 hours to check out a copy of the Biography of

Mao Zedong. Mao was a Chinese Communist Revolutionary who believed heavily in Marxism

and Leninism. This contributes to Oswalds possible political standpoint and his former ties to

the Soviet Union who were known communists. Pairing that with Oswalds visiting Moscow in

19593

with the intention to turn his back on his former country for which he had served certainly

raises a few eyebrows.

Oswald injured or killed four people on November 22, 1963, among them were President

Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, Officer J.D. Tippit and James Tague4

who lastly was

struck by a piece of curb from Oswalds supposed one errant shot. If there are no reports of

anyone explicitly seeing Oswald why did he rush his last shot? Also a single bullet theory has

been proposed, but you tell me how one bullet can hit President Kennedy, Governor Connally

and the curb of the street? In reality we can clearly see that one of the two parties is either lying

or withholding some kind of evidence.

The Warren Commission itself had labeled Oswald the lone assassin, yet faced with

scrutiny the Commission never fought back when people began to question their findings.

Kennedys autopsy had been very flawed as if someone indeed was trying to cover up the true

reason for Kennedys death5. There were a hundred or so mysterious deaths among people who

supposedly knew too much.(Mallon 110) Oswald then proceeded to delay transport from the

city lockup to the county jail solely over changing a shirt, which just so happened to give Mr.

Jack Ruby enough time to show up and murder Oswald at the jail6. Seems ironic how important a

shirt was?Unless Oswald was a party to the conspiracy to murder himself.(Mallon 112)

Jack Bell and Thomas Mallon of the Associated Press both witnessed the assassination of

the President. A loud bang as though a giant firecracker had exploded in the caverns between

Comment [A5]: Changed the wording to help m

paper maybe flow a little smoother and to help ou

with transitioning.

Comment [A6]: New paragraph to transition

smoother and not have run on sentences.

Comment [A7]: Changed up the wording of a

sentence and added in another to formalize the

paper and move away from a conversational tone

Comment [A8]: Trying to move away from the

informal tone again.


3/9

Crumbley 3

the tall buildings(Bell 3) Bell then stated that the second and third shots happened in7

rapid

succession, which does agree with Thomas Mallon . As my eyes swept the buildings to the right,

where the shots-if they really were shots; and it seemed unbelievable-might have come, I saw no

significant sign of activity. Yet supposedly the last shot was rushed which caused Oswald to

miss therefore he must have been in a scurry to get out of the building. When arriving at

Parkland Hospital Bell saw Kennedy face down in the backseat of the convertible lying

motionless; when Bell stopped a Secret Service agent to ask if President Kennedy was dead he

was greeted with I dont know, but I dont think so.8Then we must face the question of why

the top was off of the convertible and why the shatter-proof windows were rolled down. The

Kennedys were welcomed with open arms by everyone in Texas leading up to the motorcade

but this still does not seem like a valid reason to leave the President a sitting duck.

An ordinary man on a business convention in Texas happened to weigh in on the next

report, Norman Similas stated there was an interval between the first and second shot, along with

an interval between the second and third shots, yet Bell reported the three shots to have occurred

in rapid succession. Similas also confirmed that the Secret Service and the local police were both

scanning the crowd and the surrounding buildings before the second and third shots went off. If

this is the case how could so many highly trained professionals not see anything?9

Not even a

shimmer of light from a building or the long barrel of a rifle. Bell was a highly esteemed reporter

who was actually in the motorcade, which means he could reach out and publish an article to

make the public believe what the government wanted. What better way to cover up a scandal

than have a national known reporter come out and say to the public what you want them to

know. It was made out as a simple assassination attempt by an estranged man.

Comment [A9]: In quotations because I wante

a sense of sarcasm in the tone.

Comment [A10]: It was an idea that was

mentioned by Jack Bell, an eyewitness. I included

them because I thought that all of these question

lead one to have reason of suspicion.

Comment [A11]: Added a little detail to back u

what I said about Jack Bell. It just all leads back to

the idea of a conspiracy and the fact that almost

anything can be speculated upon.


4/9

Crumbley 4

Our third report comes from Tom Wicker who happened to be on location for the murder

of President Kennedy. The first official report by Malcolm Kilduff, assistant White House Press

Secretary stated that President Kennedy had been killed by one bullet to the brain. However, Dr.

Kemp Clark, head neurosurgeon at Parkland Hospital claimed Kennedy had one wound below

the Adams apple10, a massive gaping wound in the back and one wound on the right side of the

head. Also worth mentioning Mrs. Connallys report claimed that the first two shots happened in

rapid succession, while Bell, Senator Yarborough and Similass reports both claimed there was

an interval during the first and second shot. Once the notion of a discrepancy in the number of

bullets fired manifested itself it only became fuel for the fire.

Basically we have been faced with three different ways that Kennedy has been

murdered. Oswald had once turned his back on America for the Soviet Union, as well as being

active in the Fair Play for Cuba committee, which backed the Cuban Revolution. Basically

Oswald was an antigovernment man who had ties to Cuba and to the Soviet Union during pivotal

years of the Cold War.11

During the 1960 campaign Lyndon Johnson and his wife were nearly

mobbed in a hotel lobby in downtown Dallas, why return in the following years? There was also

political discrepancy between the Democrats in Texas. Here is an excerpt from Kennedys

speech that was intended for November 22, 1963 Right wing conservatism is the rule, rather

than the exception (Wicker27). Oswald had tried to kill former far right wing General Edwin

Walker, Soviets were extremely prejudiced against conservatism.12

Why would Oswald have not

been locked up or put into an institution after a failed attempt on killing a former General?

Carlos Marcello, Santos Trafficante and Jimmy Hoffa were deemed responsible for the

assassination based on this theory, the mafia was angry with not only John, but Robert Kennedy

for trying to root out organized crime in America. This theory has evolved from a book written

Comment [A12]: Add in the help strengthen t

notion of a conspiracy theory actually occurring.

Comment [A13]: Just more details that do not

seem to add up.

Comment [A14]: I was using this paragraph to

really drive home the fact that Oswald was most

definitely a communist who did not agree with

Americas views which could have lead him to be

the actual killer.


5/9

Crumbley 5

by Trafficantes lawyer Frank Ragano. G. Robert Blakely, chief counsel and staff director to the

House Select Committee on Assassinations believed Oswald was involved, however there was at

least one gunman firing from the grassy knoll.13

Afterwards Blakely came to the conclusion that

in fact it was Carlos Marcello that organized the hit on JFK yet he was never apprehended.14

If

Blakely had enough knowledge to conclude that he knew the killer of the president of the United

States, why did he not arrest him? Writer Matthew Smith brings a very interesting fact to the

table. Thomas Killiam, a man who had once worked for Jack Ruby claimed that there was indeed

a link between Ruby, Oswald, and the Mafia. Killiam told his brother, I am a dead man, but I

have run as far as I am running. Killiam was found dead in an alley in March of 1964, only

three months after the assassination ofPresident Kennedy. (Spartacus 4) The last suspect of

mafia involvement was Sicilian-American, Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana. It was whispered

that Giancana had fixed the Presidential Election of 1960 to go in favor of Kennedy. Cooke

County which had given Kennedy the election was controlled by Giancana. Kennedy supposedly

reneged on his deal with Giancana and suffered the consequences.15

Now the darkest and most devilish of theories, Lyndon Baines Johnson was the

primary beneficiary from the death of JFK.16

He had also persuaded Kennedy to make a stop in

Texas, even though he and his wife had been nearly mobbed during the Texas stop of the 1960

campaign. Johnson even went so far as to try and have Gov. Connallys seat switched with

Senator Yarboroughs the morning before, Johnson and Yarborough did not see eye to eye very

well.17

Now the previous statement haunts me, to think that Johnson could have been so blatant to

actually try and switch seats the morning of and no one ever contemplated this having some sort

of involvement. One of Johnsons close friends, Billie Sol Estes was a known conman with a

dark side yet Johnson stayed near, Robert Kennedy was building a case on the Estes/Johnson

Comment [A15]: Added more conspiracy fuel

the fire, I mean think about this, he supposedly

knew this guy was responsible for killing the

president but he never did anything about it or ha

anyone do anything about it.

Comment [A16]: This excerpt was used to sho

the ruthless brutality that the mafia showed which

would lead one to believe they would show the

same amount of mercy to the president.

Comment [A17]: Separated this sentence into

three separate sentences for clarity and fluidity.

Comment [A18]: Added this in for a better

transition.

Comment [A19]: Adds more responsibility on

the top dogs of the government for not even

realizing what was happening.


6/9

Crumbley 6

relationship and had informed Johnson of this. (Education 6) Oil barons Haroldson Hunt and

Clint Murchison18

helped fund the assassination on claims that Kennedy was going to bring an

end to the oil depletion allowance, however this remained unchanged through Johnsons

presidency which saved the American oil Industry over 100 million dollars. In 1984 Estes was

convinced to give evidence against Johnson, get rid of him, he had claimed Johnson stated,

referring to Dept. of Agriculture worker Henry Marshall who at the time had been investigating

Estes.

On 9th August, 1984, Estes' lawyer, Douglas Caddy, wrote to Stephen S. Trott at the US

Department of Justice. In the letter Caddy claimed that Billie Sol Estes, Lyndon B. Johnson, Mac

Wallace and Cliff Carter had been involved in the murders of Henry Marshall, George Krutilek,

Harold Orr, Ike Rogers, Coleman Wade, Josefa Johnson, John Kinser and John F. Kennedy.

Caddy added: "Mr. Estes is willing to testify that LBJ ordered these killings, and that he

transmitted his orders through Cliff Carter to Mac Wallace, who executed the murders."

(Education)

Mac Wallace had been a lift wing activist in his college years, which is until he met

Lyndon Johnson. He then found himself with a job in the Texas Dept. of Agriculture during

October 1950. Within the next year Wallace had been convicted of murder while trying to cover-

up a scandal involving Johnsons sister. Even though twelve jurors found Wallace guilty th e

judge had overturned his case and he was a free man. Wallace also was defended by the same

man who had defended Johnson when his ballot-rigging scandal erupted. It is uncertain whether

LBJ was actually involved, yet his corrupt, dark political activities lack no evidence.

The circumstances that surround John F Kennedys death are certainly tainted. The

American public still questions the facts to this day. Over the course of this paper I have

Comment [A20]: Shows the intense corruptio

in American Politics that a man this devilish and

dark and willing to cheat to win could ever hold th

office of vice president.


7/9

Crumbley 7

examined several key theories that remain in high standing and also bring hard evidence to the

table. It is hard to believe that so many different groups would want the same man dead, yet he

was not favored by all. There is one thing for certain, President Kennedy was shot and killed on

November 22, 1963, but no one knows the true details behind the murder.

Works Cited

Bell, Jack. Eyewitnesses Describe Scene of Assassination. New York Times.

23 Nov 1963. Print.

Mallon, Thomas. A Knoll of Ones Own. Atlantic Monthly (10727825) 299.5 (2007):

106-112.

Literary Reference Center Plus.Web. 6 Feb 2012.

Scheim, David. Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Web. 8 Feb 2012.

Simkin, John. Educationforum.ipbhost.com. The Education Forum. Web. 8 Feb 2012.

Wieker, Tom. Gov. Connally Shot; Mrs. Kennedy Safe.

New York Times. 23 Nov 1963: Special. Print.


8/9

Crumbley 8

1I may change the location of the house, or simply incorporate a relationship between Oswald and Michael (my

shooter)2

Possibility of Oswald telling his family that was what he was doing while in fact he was living with Michael or the

government had him tied up somehow.3

This is the reason that the government used Oswald as a scapegoat for the assassination.4In reality only Oswalds shot missed for two reasons, one being that Oswald was so nervous because he knew

what would become of him regardless, second because Michael was such a trained expert at what he did, he was

the governments golden child of the time that they had chosen to assassinate Kennedy. 5More government interaction, trying to cover up the autopsy because the government wanted America to believe

that indeed Oswald was the lone gunman.6

This was Oswalds way of making sure that he would for certain be killed at the jail because he knew that hewould not be able to keep the secret safe because he had turned on Michael and the government and did not

want to take the fall for the government who does not even care about its own President.7Michael struck with his first shot and then Oswald correlated his shot with Michaels second so that he would

have time to escape the building because Michael was positioned in a different building.8

It was known that the President was dead, the agent was just ensuring that Texas did not go into a mass panic

and therefore not allow Michael to leave the area.9

The Secret Service agents knew of the plan therefore they were looking without looking, as well as the local

police being switched out with government officials, this would allow for a clean getaway and to ensure that no

local cop tried to be a hero. 10

Michaels first shot being from directly in front of the president. 11

These facts were only stated to merely add to the illusion that the government wanted to keep Oswald as their

scapegoat for this project.12

Oswald indeed tried to kill the former general, yet he had not done so on purpose therefore leaving it common

knowledge that he did not agree with right wing conservatism, along with the government keeping him out of jail,

this way they could continue to use him for their project.13

Here is Michaels connection to the grassy knoll, the government enacted this theory to keep the heat off of

themselves.14

Because the government had enlisted him to take some heat for the assassination yet he was never

apprehended.


9/9

Crumbley 9

15Giancana had been in contact with the government, and when Kennedy did him wrong it was the final straw for

the President, because everyone in the government wanted him gone anyways.16

He was the one who approached Michael about taking on the operation.17

Johnson at first told Michael to not kill Gov. Connally but after his brief episode of trying to switch the cars he

told him to shot Connally , just dont kill him he said. 18

These two heads of oil country, promised Johnson all kinds of rewards if he could keep the oil depletion

allowance high.

ACrumbley1.HistoricalInquiryPaperREVISED

Documents

Transcript of ACrumbley1.HistoricalInquiryPaperREVISED