Amanda Alty
Ms. Gillhespy
ENC 1102
23 April 2013
JFK Assassination: A Communist
Conspiracy
November 22, 1963 started out as a sunny, breezy day for President
Kennedy as he boarded the motorcade to ride through the streets of Dallas. At
12:29CST, Nellie Connally, the then First Lady of Texas, turned to him inside
the vehicle and said, “Mr. President, you can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you!”
Less than 90 seconds later, President Kennedy fell victim to a most heinous
crime, as he was fatally shot. There are several conspiracies surrounding the
1963 murder of President John F. Kennedy. The Warren Commission, the
organization designated to solve the mystery, named Lee Harvey Oswald as the
lone gunman that fired three shots into the vehicle during a Texas Parade.
However, other theories include the idea that the U.S. government involved or
that Marilyn Monroe and her fiancée were involved. Through my research, I have
come to believe that the Warren Commission was correct in their finding Oswald
guilty, but I also believe that his motivation for killing president Kennedy was
external, as he was believed to have ties to Communist parties in both Cuba and
the Soviet Union. Fidel Castro and his army manipulated this young, troubled,
American into becoming a traitor and conspirator as they asked him to
assassinate the United States’ highest leader.
During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, there was obvious tension
between the Democratic United States and the communist nation of Cuba.
Journalists Stephen Molten and Gus Russo have researched this connection
extensively and wrote the article “Did Castro OK the Kennedy Assassination?” to
explain how these tensions led to the murder. Through their research, they found
evidence that proves the Kennedy Administration was already planning a coup on
the Cuban government in November 1961. CIA desk leader Sam Halpern had
constructed a plan known as “Operation Mongoose” that would dispatch both Castro
and his descendants, preventing any of his offspring from coming into power. On
March 16, 1962, the president met with his brother Bobby, who was the newly
inducted director of the CIA, John McCone, and Ed Lansdale, the coordinator of
the operation to formally discuss a plan of action for Operation Mongoose
(Molton and Russo, 18). It is Lansdale who wrote a memo of the meeting later on
in the day. With such a critical matter, it was quite reckless to have
documentation of this meeting, and it is extremely possible that Castro found
out about the operation because of Lansdale’s letter. If Castro knew of the
operation, he would certainly take action to prevent his own assassination by
planning the assassination of Kennedy.
Daniel Harker, a member of the associated press, became close with Castro
as a journalist and was a trusted relay of communication between Castro and the
United States. Harker remembers a specific conversation that he and Castro had,
implying an assassination. He explains, “Hey, Colombian," said Fidel, "come over
here, I want to talk to you." He started in about the recent attacks, the other
reporters bending in to hear more. "We are taking into account… the Caribbean
situation," he growled, "which has been deteriorating in the last few days due
to piratical attacks by the United States against the Cuban people…. Kennedy is
a cretin … the Batista of our times." He never used the word "assassination,"
but his meaning was clear. "If U.S. leaders are aiding terrorist plans to
eliminate Cuban leaders, they themselves will not be safe. Let Kennedy and his
brother Robert take care of themselves, since they too can be the victims of an
attempt which will cause their death” (Molton and Russo, 29). Because these
words came from a reliable source, it is extremely likely that Castro honestly
had a plan to assassinate the leader of the United States government, President
Kennedy.
So how is Harvey Lee Oswald
connected to all of this? Oswald became connected with the Communist party in
1969 as he attempted to move to Moscow to become a citizen of the Soviet Union.
They did not allow him to become a citizen however, which led to his attempted
suicide. Upon failing, he returned to the United States with hatred in his heart
for both democracy and Americans. A Cuban spy named Oscar Marino then made
contact with him about Cuba’s dissention with the United States. According to
Marina, Oswald willingly accepted the opportunity to destroy his native country.
Marino has said, “"Oswald volunteered to kill Kennedy. He was so full of hatred
that it gave him the idea. He wanted it himself [because] he hated his country.
He was already prepared to do it. He was a soldier of the revolution and offered
his services to us in order to kill Kennedy…. Let's just say we used him. He
adopted our plans as his own — his idea was a natural projection of our wish
(Molton and Russo, 42)". In regard to Cuba’s involvement, he has also said, “I
know for certain the assassination was an operation run by the Cuban secret
service G2” (Huismann, 5). The Cubans wanted President Kennedy dead because he
opposed communism and sought to eliminate Castro from office. Marino, who had
already been captured and accused as a spy, had no reason to lie about Oswald’s
involvement.
So why was there never a thorough investigation of Cuban involvement
after Kennedy’s assassination? The answer is still unclear, as an FBI agent was
assigned to the case in the following days of Kennedy’s death. Agent Laurence
Keenan was sent to Mexico to initiate the investigation of Cuba, but was
recalled after only 3 days. Keenan has said it was, “"perhaps the worst
investigation the FBI was ever involved in…I realized that I was used. I felt
ashamed. We missed a moment in history” (Huismann, 10-11). Keenan then suggested
that that President Lyndon B. Johnson was a firm believer that Cuba was
involved, but called off the investigation because he feared a pronounced swing
to the right if the truth were revealed.
It is clear that Oswald’s motivation for assassinating President Kennedy
was a result of his obsessive hatred for the United States and love for
Communism worldwide. He would have done anything to display his loyalty to the
Communist party because he sincerely believed that democracy was the root of
evil. It has been proven that Oswald shot at the motorcade three times, but his
have only recently been revealed. Some theories suggest that he had connections
with organized crime, and that the assassination was fueled by his fear of
conviction. Because there is so much evidence of his connection with Cuba and
the Soviet Union, it is doubtful that Oswald was motivated by anything other
than a desire to be part of the Communist community. It is important that we
pursue this fact so that our government can take the necessary precautions in
dealing with Cuba and other communist nations. Evidence about the assassination
continues to be revealed, and as more is released, society will come to accept
this theory as truth.
Works Cited
Beschloss, Michael R.“An Assassination Diary.” Newsweek
23 Nov. 1998: 42. Criminal
Justice
Collection. Web.
27 March 2013.
Molton, Stephen and Gus Russo. “Did Castro OK the Kennedy
Assassination?” American
Heritage 58.6
(2009):20-29. EBSCOhost. Web. 27 March 2013.
Huismann, Henry. “JFK Assassination was a ‘Cuban Plot’”. www.news.bbc.co.uk.
BBC
News.
4 January 2006.
Web. 5 April 2013.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4582488.stm
Ms. Gillhespy
ENC 1102
23 April 2013
JFK Assassination: A Communist
Conspiracy
November 22, 1963 started out as a sunny, breezy day for President
Kennedy as he boarded the motorcade to ride through the streets of Dallas. At
12:29CST, Nellie Connally, the then First Lady of Texas, turned to him inside
the vehicle and said, “Mr. President, you can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you!”
Less than 90 seconds later, President Kennedy fell victim to a most heinous
crime, as he was fatally shot. There are several conspiracies surrounding the
1963 murder of President John F. Kennedy. The Warren Commission, the
organization designated to solve the mystery, named Lee Harvey Oswald as the
lone gunman that fired three shots into the vehicle during a Texas Parade.
However, other theories include the idea that the U.S. government involved or
that Marilyn Monroe and her fiancée were involved. Through my research, I have
come to believe that the Warren Commission was correct in their finding Oswald
guilty, but I also believe that his motivation for killing president Kennedy was
external, as he was believed to have ties to Communist parties in both Cuba and
the Soviet Union. Fidel Castro and his army manipulated this young, troubled,
American into becoming a traitor and conspirator as they asked him to
assassinate the United States’ highest leader.
During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, there was obvious tension
between the Democratic United States and the communist nation of Cuba.
Journalists Stephen Molten and Gus Russo have researched this connection
extensively and wrote the article “Did Castro OK the Kennedy Assassination?” to
explain how these tensions led to the murder. Through their research, they found
evidence that proves the Kennedy Administration was already planning a coup on
the Cuban government in November 1961. CIA desk leader Sam Halpern had
constructed a plan known as “Operation Mongoose” that would dispatch both Castro
and his descendants, preventing any of his offspring from coming into power. On
March 16, 1962, the president met with his brother Bobby, who was the newly
inducted director of the CIA, John McCone, and Ed Lansdale, the coordinator of
the operation to formally discuss a plan of action for Operation Mongoose
(Molton and Russo, 18). It is Lansdale who wrote a memo of the meeting later on
in the day. With such a critical matter, it was quite reckless to have
documentation of this meeting, and it is extremely possible that Castro found
out about the operation because of Lansdale’s letter. If Castro knew of the
operation, he would certainly take action to prevent his own assassination by
planning the assassination of Kennedy.
Daniel Harker, a member of the associated press, became close with Castro
as a journalist and was a trusted relay of communication between Castro and the
United States. Harker remembers a specific conversation that he and Castro had,
implying an assassination. He explains, “Hey, Colombian," said Fidel, "come over
here, I want to talk to you." He started in about the recent attacks, the other
reporters bending in to hear more. "We are taking into account… the Caribbean
situation," he growled, "which has been deteriorating in the last few days due
to piratical attacks by the United States against the Cuban people…. Kennedy is
a cretin … the Batista of our times." He never used the word "assassination,"
but his meaning was clear. "If U.S. leaders are aiding terrorist plans to
eliminate Cuban leaders, they themselves will not be safe. Let Kennedy and his
brother Robert take care of themselves, since they too can be the victims of an
attempt which will cause their death” (Molton and Russo, 29). Because these
words came from a reliable source, it is extremely likely that Castro honestly
had a plan to assassinate the leader of the United States government, President
Kennedy.
So how is Harvey Lee Oswald
connected to all of this? Oswald became connected with the Communist party in
1969 as he attempted to move to Moscow to become a citizen of the Soviet Union.
They did not allow him to become a citizen however, which led to his attempted
suicide. Upon failing, he returned to the United States with hatred in his heart
for both democracy and Americans. A Cuban spy named Oscar Marino then made
contact with him about Cuba’s dissention with the United States. According to
Marina, Oswald willingly accepted the opportunity to destroy his native country.
Marino has said, “"Oswald volunteered to kill Kennedy. He was so full of hatred
that it gave him the idea. He wanted it himself [because] he hated his country.
He was already prepared to do it. He was a soldier of the revolution and offered
his services to us in order to kill Kennedy…. Let's just say we used him. He
adopted our plans as his own — his idea was a natural projection of our wish
(Molton and Russo, 42)". In regard to Cuba’s involvement, he has also said, “I
know for certain the assassination was an operation run by the Cuban secret
service G2” (Huismann, 5). The Cubans wanted President Kennedy dead because he
opposed communism and sought to eliminate Castro from office. Marino, who had
already been captured and accused as a spy, had no reason to lie about Oswald’s
involvement.
So why was there never a thorough investigation of Cuban involvement
after Kennedy’s assassination? The answer is still unclear, as an FBI agent was
assigned to the case in the following days of Kennedy’s death. Agent Laurence
Keenan was sent to Mexico to initiate the investigation of Cuba, but was
recalled after only 3 days. Keenan has said it was, “"perhaps the worst
investigation the FBI was ever involved in…I realized that I was used. I felt
ashamed. We missed a moment in history” (Huismann, 10-11). Keenan then suggested
that that President Lyndon B. Johnson was a firm believer that Cuba was
involved, but called off the investigation because he feared a pronounced swing
to the right if the truth were revealed.
It is clear that Oswald’s motivation for assassinating President Kennedy
was a result of his obsessive hatred for the United States and love for
Communism worldwide. He would have done anything to display his loyalty to the
Communist party because he sincerely believed that democracy was the root of
evil. It has been proven that Oswald shot at the motorcade three times, but his
have only recently been revealed. Some theories suggest that he had connections
with organized crime, and that the assassination was fueled by his fear of
conviction. Because there is so much evidence of his connection with Cuba and
the Soviet Union, it is doubtful that Oswald was motivated by anything other
than a desire to be part of the Communist community. It is important that we
pursue this fact so that our government can take the necessary precautions in
dealing with Cuba and other communist nations. Evidence about the assassination
continues to be revealed, and as more is released, society will come to accept
this theory as truth.
Works Cited
Beschloss, Michael R.“An Assassination Diary.” Newsweek
23 Nov. 1998: 42. Criminal
Justice
Collection. Web.
27 March 2013.
Molton, Stephen and Gus Russo. “Did Castro OK the Kennedy
Assassination?” American
Heritage 58.6
(2009):20-29. EBSCOhost. Web. 27 March 2013.
Huismann, Henry. “JFK Assassination was a ‘Cuban Plot’”. www.news.bbc.co.uk.
BBC
News.
4 January 2006.
Web. 5 April 2013.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4582488.stm