There is one Presidential Assassination in American History that the killer is to be unknown. On November 22, 1963, it was early afternoon when President John F. Kennedy was riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, and was shot and killed. (“Death of the President” 1) Several conspiracies have developed since then:
1. Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone?
2. Was the CIA involved?
Let’s examine the Assassination of Kennedy, with the most plausible solution being the CIA was behind it all.
Character Analysis
John F. Kennedy ought to be a person whose charisma came naturally. When being a national leader, this is a trait that is vital to gain people’s trust. Another thing that is needed is making things clear and direct so people can understand easily. Kennedy’s leadership style was charismatic and authoritative (“Transformational Leadership and John F. Kennedy.” 1). His leadership helped him to become a likable president of the country. He became a fantastic orator through his political years because he was able to show people a vision through words.
Kennedy was known for being a charismatic leader who was able to gain the obedience of his followers (“Transformational Leadership and John F. Kennedy.” 1).” By his charismatic leadership style, Kennedy was able to engage the nation, to inspire and to motivate the people by communicating a clear vision of the future” (1). Kennedy was able to share with his followers on a deep emotional level. He respected everyone for who they were because he enjoyed the diverse traits and personalities of individuals. An example of Kennedy’s charismatic leadership would be when he created the Peace Corps. He made this to get Americans more actively involved with the cause of global democracy, peace, development, and freedom (“Peace Corps” 1). By creating a system to help countries in aid, Americans were ready to help take action based on his compassion and charisma. Since Kennedy had gained the trust and the obedience of his followers, they were not hesitant to join the Peace Corps. To this date, there have been more than 241,000 Peace Corps volunteers that have served in 143 countries.
The primary way Kennedy got his followers to trust him was from being authoritative. He was accurate and reliable; therefore, he was honored by others. When there was a goal or dilemma, Kennedy would make a clear vision for the path to success. An example of his authoritative leadership would be when he set a goal for our country to be the first to send a man to the moon. In his speech to students at Rice University, Kennedy said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win…” (“Transformational Leadership and John F. Kennedy.” 1). Although Kennedy was not alive for Neil Armstrong to be the first man on the moon, he was the one that started the urge for our country to start the journey to the moon. His authoritarian personality gathered the nation to use their resources to accomplish a goal (1).
Kennedy’s determination is something that he used to his advantage. In becoming a leader of a nation, he needed to speak well to his audience. However, public speaking did not come easy to him. In his public speaking class at Harvard, he received a C+. Ironic because he then gives the “We choose to go to the Moon” speech (Gallo 1). Kennedy put the work in and trained himself to speak in front of smaller groups than more prominent groups to become a more comfortable speaker. His transformation in his speaking was an example of a leader who wants to move people to action (1). Kennedy demonstrated creating a clear path in his Commencement Address at American University, “We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of its success. Confident and unafraid, we labor on--not toward a strategy of annihilation but toward a strategy of peace.” (“Commencement Address at American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963” 1.) The speech demonstrated a sliver of hope to Americans as they were going through the Cold War. Overall, Kennedy was not born a natural orator; however, he set a personal goal of becoming one. Kennedy’s transformation in his speaking showed the country that he could create a plan, work for it, and achieve it.
Conspiracy Theories
Within the John F. Kennedy assassination, there have been several conspiracies about who shot Kennedy. Many believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was not the only shooter (Gillon 1). A survey showed 61% of Americans believe Oswald was not the only one responsible for Kennedy’s death (Halleman 1). According to the Warren Commission, Oswald fired three shots within 8.4 seconds: the first shot missed, the second wounded Kennedy and Governor John Connally, and the third struck Kennedy’s head (Greenspan 1). The possibility of Connally and Kennedy both getting shot by the same gunman within seconds creates speculation. The autopsy of Kennedy’s body done at Parkland Hospital stated, “Parkland doctors found that the bullets entered about 2 centimeters above the President’s bow tie, and emerged out of his lower back, about 14 centimeters below the entering wound” (“JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theories” 1). For this to have happened, it would have been an impossible shot for Oswald to have fired. The Warren Commission ignored all of this in their official report. The shots fired and the time do not add up, establishing the conspiracy of multiple people involved with the shooting. However, there is not enough evidence to clarify if there was a second shooter, but this does not mean Oswald was the only one behind the assassination.
The second conspiracy involves the Central Intelligence Agency’s involvement in the assassination of Kennedy. Kennedy was determined to end U.S. involvement in Asia by withdrawing the U.S. military from Vietnam (“JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theories” 1). Taking away the military aid caused the CIA to become upset and frustrated. The CIA then met with Kennedy to try and change Kennedy’s mind about Vietnam. However, Kennedy refused to negotiate with the CIA, creating the motive for the CIA to want to kill Kennedy. After the assassination, news reports only spoke of Oswald being the lone assassin. “This lack of information to the public was the brainchild of the CIA in its attempt to cover-up the facts. This craftily constructed plot was carefully monitored by skilled agents who could control certain key facets of the bureaucracy, the Warren Commission and the news media” (1). The CIA was able to cover up its tracks by not being transparent with the public, and, at first, there were no questions about multiple people involved with the shooting.
Another compelling piece of evidence that the CIA was involved in the assassination was the quick reversal of Kennedy’s policies by Lyndon B. Johnson. “Whether for political reasons or for self-preservation, President Johnson both supported the Warren Commission’s findings and reversed the course of Kennedy’s Vietnam policy” (“JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theories” 1). Johnson was doing all of this out of fear for his own life. He had just witnessed what Kennedy had gone through for making the CIA upset, so he was doing everything in his power to stay on their good side. There is a lot of suspicion around the CIA and the Kennedy assassination, allowing people to believe the CIA was involved.
It has been over fifty-seven years since the Kennedy assassination, and it will forever be one of America’s most significant conspiracy theories. It is evident that no matter what, Oswald was involved with Kennedy’s shooting. However, there is too much overwhelming evidence surrounding the case to be more than just a lone attack. The most plausible cause was that the CIA was working behind the scenes. Not having enough solid and unmistakable evidence to prove the CIA was involved officially establishes one of the most interesting American conspiracy theories.
After researching and writing about the John F. Kennedy assassination, the two conspiracies left to ponder are:
1. Did Harvey Lee Oswald act alone?
2. Was the CIA involved?
Even today, fifty years after the shooting of the beloved President of the United States, the truth is still unknown. However, the CIA was likely behind the whole assassination.
