GREAT DEEDS VII: IN THE NAME OF THE REVOLUTION
Memorial Day
It is somewhat ironic that both Cuba and Russia are in the news at the time if the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – 2017). These two nations were at the forefront of the battles that tested the mettle of Kennedy and America. I believe that Fidel Castro’s Communist Cuba and Nikita Khrushchev’s U.S.S.R. were the forces behind the assassination of Kennedy. Khrushchev gave the order for the kill to Castro who then set in motion the clandestine operation that would see the patsy Lee Harvey Oswald pull the trigger. The President was killed as he traveled by motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas on Friday, November 22, 1963 at 12:30 pm Central Standard Time.
The Warren Commission in their investigation of the assassination concluded that Oswald was a lone gunman with no evidence that any others were involved. This was generally not believed then or now. There are numerous conspiracy theories about the belief that others had to be involved. These can be both foreign and/or domestic with a range of conspirators like President Johnson, the CIA, the FBI, the KKK and many others. Most involve multiple shooters, trained assassins and complicated scenarios.
One such example is that of a recently released “enhanced” video of the famous Zapruder 8mm film of the assassination taken at the time of the shooting. This enhancement appears to show a shot from the “grassy knoll” that is to the right of the president’s car. The altered film shows what looks like a line of fire from the grassy knoll area hitting the president on the right side of his head. The enhancement makes it appear as if a bullet is hitting him in a gory explosion in his temple. Some have even theorized that it could have been an exploding bullet.
The 8mm film is too slow to show this so it had to be enhanced to capture a believed second gunman that actually made the kill shot. This would prove that there was a conspiracy to kill the president. On one of the sites the commentator excitedly says that after the shot from the grassy knoll, the people run towards the shooter as he flees the scene. This is said in a form of confirmation that this assessment of the enhancement is conclusive.
However, in reality people would instinctively run in the opposite direction of a shooter. This is evident on 9/11 with the people running from the site of the hit on the Twin Towers. Only the first responders run into the dangerous situation. If there was a shooter in that area, those near would have fled from the grassy knoll with others in tow.
The shot that killed Kennedy came from behind him and when the fragmented bullet exited the right side of his head it exploded out. The autopsy showed bullet fragments from hitting the skull going forward and exiting out of the side of the head.
The people instinctively ran away from the direction of the shots fired at Kennedy. The actual confirmation is that the people fled in the correct direction, away from the shots and toward safety in the grassy knoll.
Even the assassin Oswald fled the scene in the opposite direction from whence he shot and killed the president.
Another attempt at refuting that Oswald was a lone gunman or even the shooter is the “backyard photos” of Oswald that were taken with his camera by his wife Marina around March of 1963. In the most famous, he is shown in his backyard with a rifle in his left hand, wearing a holstered pistol and holding Marxist papers (The Militant and The Workers) in his right hand in front of his chest. When he was shown the photos by the police after his arrest he claimed that they were faked. However, after repeated testing by experts they are believed to be genuine. Oswald undoubtedly lied to the police with the intent of alluding justice.
At a press meeting he was asked by a reporter if he killed the president. He responded in a cagey way by saying that he had not been charged with it. He employed a lie and deny strategy until his death. He probably lied when he was caught as he expected to get off. He left no incriminating evidence with the rifle and everything else could be considered circumstantial evidence.
If he could speak from beyond the grave he would offer up the truth and take full credit for his actions: “I killed John Kennedy.” Speaking of the photo he would say that: “this is the gun that I will use to kill the president.” To clarify: “this is the rifle that I used to kill him, that S.O.B.”
He feels the need to emphasize that he alone was the assassin: “I killed Jack Kennedy – me and only me. Yeah, I got that bastard in the neck with my first shot and then I killed him with my third shot. I wanted him dead in the worse way and so I made sure he was killed. Nobody but me!”
The Marxist papers are at the center of his body and under his head. This is the motivation for the weapons on display, to kill for ideology. This is not a military pose or the posture of a disciplined soldier. The pose is that of a gunslinger and a revolutionary. He is an outlaw as he holds the rifle in a casual way while exuding confidence. He probably fancies himself as a Che Guevara (Cuban revolutionary leader) or a Simon Bolivar (El Libertador).
He called himself a Marxist to avoid the negative connotation of being labeled a communist. He believed in the ideology of Marxism and not necessarily in the reality of life as a communist. The Marxist papers are at the center of his beliefs just as they are at the center of the picture. He is willing to kill for what he believes in and for what he hates and who he hates.
The history of this display by Oswald was for a different purpose than to kill the president. The photos were taken at a time when Oswald planned to assassinate retired General Edwin Walker. He hated this man for his anti-communist views and his activism. Oswald had purchased the weapons for this sole purpose. Oswald’s wife testified that he confessed to her that he shot at Walker. After Kennedy was assassinated the police suspected the arrested Oswald of the failed attempt on April 10, 1963.
Oswald took a sniper shot at Walker and believing him to be dead he fled the scene. The shot missed its mark when it hit an unseen window framing. This proved to be a trial run for Oswald and he learned from it. This failed attempt haunted Oswald and it is the reason that he made sure he didn’t miss the mark with Kennedy. The first shot at Kennedy hit him in the upper back and exited out his throat. The next shot misses and Oswald’s resolve not to fail sees him hit his mark and kill the President.
This is about perception: that many believe that Oswald couldn’t have pulled it off, that he couldn’t have been the one to pull the trigger. But this is a misconception, Oswald was indeed a very dangerous man. He knew his worth, that he was in fact powerful.
To summarize: He joined the Marines only to turn his back on them and his native land. He traveled to the Soviet Union to defect and to impress the leaders with his daring-do. He stood up to the FBI and negative press involving this trek. He had no fear of using the government of the U.S.S.R. or of the U.S.A. to suit his ends. He attempted to assassinate a retired general and escaped. He traveled to Mexico City to engage the consulates of both Russia and Cuba. He made contacts with dangerous people in the Russian and Cuban intelligence agencies, as well as in the mob. He could be confrontational in all of his endeavors.
I believe the plot was a combination of chance opportunity, fortunate timing and a series of events that made this revenge plot possible. In today’s world of entertainment that feature slick and highly sophisticated black ops and sting operations where every moving part comes together, it is easy to believe that it was this way in the past. The 1960’s era of espionage was in reality a much simpler time with less training and equipment than is available today. This does not imply that those involved were not good at their respective jobs, it just means that they had less to work with. It is a mistake to apply today’s sensibilities to those of the past.
The most likely motivation by those other than the assassin Oswald lies with Khrushchev and Castro. Khrushchev was angry about his loss off face with the Cuban Missile Crisis and Castro over the Bay of Pigs operation and the attempts on his life by Kennedy and the CIA. The motivation of Oswald was to prove his worth to these two men as a loyal soldier of the Communist Revolution. I believe that the mob was involved to facilitate this on U.S. soil. Their motivation was to end Kennedy involvement in their affairs. The mob had helped Kennedy to get elected and they were going to guarantee that he did not get re-elected.
Much like in a mob hit, Castro could have gone to Khrushchev for the OK to assassinate or he was told to make it happen. Nothing would have been in writing or recorded to incriminate. Castro would have explored the possibility while waiting for an opportunity. Mob-like loyalty was expected by all. Oswald just happened to be working in this direction on his own and had made contacts with both the Cuban and Russian spy agencies. He most likely volunteered his services as opposed to being recruited.
He viewed himself as a soldier of the Revolution who saw the killing of the Commander-in-Chief of the enemy as an action of war on the field of battle. His history and independent streak would give good cover for those involved. It would allow the Warren Commission the opportunity to pin it all on this “loner” and thus avoid the danger of accusing Cuba and the Soviet Union of complicity in the murder of the president. It was the time of the Cold War and the fear of nuclear war was ever present. All it needed was a spark.
It is apparent that the Warren Commission set out to avoid provocation unless unavoidable. They accepted the perception of Oswald as being a lone-wolf type of individual who was on the fringe of communist activities but with no provable direct ties to a plot. The Commission began with Johnson and as some believe that he was involved in the plot that he used the report as a cover-up. Later, the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations (1979) came to the conclusion that there probably was a conspiracy but they were unable to identify it.
Today the fear of nuclear war is again in the news. North Korea is saber-rattling with their tests of missiles and nuclear bombs. This is a very real danger to America and her allies in South Korea and Japan. This is a Cold War-like threat as the leadership in N. Korea is dangerous, provocative and threatening. They cannot be reasoned with and if push comes to shove military action could take place. They have ties to Communist China much like Cuba did with the Soviet Union.
Russia is in the headlines as there is a fear of a possible revival of the Cold War. Russia is once again exerting herself on the world stage as a power in its area of influence. The source of the conflict is that Russia is a nuclear nation that can rival America and is a threat to American supremacy in the world. It should be noted that Russia is no longer a communist threat and is a democracy aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church.
The threat of a nuclear exchange with a rogue power like N Korea gives this generation a sense of what it was like for Kennedy’s generation. Castro seized power in 1959 and aligned himself with Khrushchev and communism. From Cuba the continental U.S. was vulnerable to nuclear missiles. This possibility was unacceptable and suddenly the reality of a nuclear war hit home. Today the possibility of N Korean nuclear missiles reaching the continental U.S. is equally unacceptable. Yes, the threat of a nuclear war is still relevant and it hangs over presidents heads like the Sword of Damocles.
At the end of President Obama’s time in office he normalized relations with Cuba, ending the Cold War initiated actions. I see this taking place because Fidel Castro was no longer in power and the threat of the spread of Communism had been contained. With Fidel’s younger brother Raul Castro in charge, this symbolic gesture can take place. Fidel had a hand in the assassination of Kennedy and even though it was not made public, it was believed by many in Washington. Someday the truth about Fidel’s role in the plot could come to light, but until then a slow healing of relations is taking place.
If Raul were to speak publicly about the assassination he would say that his brother Fidel had nothing to do with JFK’s murder. He would continue in the lie and deny strategy that they have employed since Kennedy’s death.
However, if Raul were pressed to tell the truth he would admit that he was lying: “Of course Fidel knew, we knew. We played a key role in his death, but it is over now. That was a long time ago and nobody cares anymore. We will never admit to anything during our lifetime.”
Fidel would also deny: “I didn’t kill Kennedy, Oswald did. This is all that I am going to say.”
Raul Castro announced the death of his brother Fidel in a televised statement: “I say to the people of Cuba, with profound pain I come here to inform our people, our friends of America and the world, that today (Friday), 25 November, 2016, at 10:29 pm, died the chief commander of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz.” Dead at age 90.
John F. Kennedy also died on a Friday in November, at the age of 46. It seems that the good die young.
With Fidel’s death, if Raul were to speak he would confirm that they knew of the assassination plot and they aided it. However, he will most likely continue in the lie and deny strategy.
If Kennedy were to speak from the grave he would say: “Khrushchev did it. He killed me. He murdered me to get even for the blockade.”
He would then elaborate: “Fidel killed me. He did it for Khrushchev. He hated me and wanted me dead. Khrushchev gave the order and Fidel was more than happy to carry it out. They conspired against me for the missile crisis. We tried to assassinate him and he assassinated me for it. Fidel murdered me!”
Lee Harvey Oswald died on Sunday, 24 November, 1963, age 24. If he could speak about his death he would say: “Jack Ruby killed me. He gut-shot me! Of course I knew Jack Ruby – he was my contact. Yeah, I thought that I would beat the rap. That’s why I lied. But Jack killed me.”
If Jack Ruby could speak his peace about his role in the assassination he would admit that he was a witness to the shooting: “Yeah that was me. I was sworn to silence. I was watching to see if the little bastard could actually pull it off. When he killed the president I ran, I didn’t want anyone to recognize me. I was told to smoke him as the little prick got caught. I was probably going to kill him anyway as he couldn’t be trusted not to talk. No one believed that he could do it, that he could kill the president. I just had to wait to wait to see what would happen. Who’d have thought it? That that little bastard could actually pull it off? We all wanted the president dead for cheating us and setting his prick brother after us. I’m glad Oswald killed him and I’m glad that I witnessed it.”
If Oswald was pressed on the assassination plot he would answer: “I killed John Kennedy, only me, no one else! Fidel ordered it”
If pressed about his motive he would respond in a halting way: “Yeah, Castro gave the order to kill Kennedy. I did it for Castro and communism. I don’t know nothing about Khrushchev. I wanted John dead for Castro and Cuba. It was always about Cuba.”
If Fidel Castro were to now speak from the grave he would respond with: “I gave the order to assassinate Kennedy. It came from me. Khrushchev wanted him dead for the Bay of Pigs and the blockade. I have nothing to hide anymore. He tried to kill me and so I gave the order. It was a different time. I’d do it again under the same circumstances. I had nothing to do with Bobby that was someone else. I would have killed anyone who would try and stop me. I was an idealist but also a practical man and I would do what was necessary. If he had just backed down he would have lived. He shamed a proud man and there had to be retribution. This has been a long held secret that I took to the grave.”
He continues: “Kennedy wanted me dead so I killed him first. I used that little traitor Oswald to do the deed. I wanted him dead – dead - dead! I would have pulled the trigger myself if I could have. I did pull the trigger by authorizing it. I hated him and his Imperialistic ambitions. With Kennedy out of the way I was free to run my country. Who was he to tell me what was best for my people? That S.O.B. deserved to die. I would kill him again. I would kill that S.O.B. ten times over, I would destroy him!”
If Raul were to weigh in on his brothers confession he would say this: “We really wanted him dead in the worst way. And we did - didn’t we?”
Fidel continues: “I killed Kennedy and I am proud of it. Of course Khrushchev gave the order. He wanted him dead as much as me, maybe even more. He hated him for the Missile Crisis: that he had to back down. I don’t think that he knew at the time that this would lead to his ouster. But maybe he did and that is why he wanted him taken out. A leader doesn’t usually survive a loss like the one that Khrushchev took. I survived because I let it be between Kennedy and Khrushchev. Still, Kennedy wanted me dead and so I turned the tables on him and I had him killed. It was beautiful the way that it all worked out. I bested him in the field of battle and I eliminated him just as I did that little bastard Batiste who was destroying Cuba. I will always be proud of my role in the killing of that bastard John F. Kennedy.”
Fidel further elaborates: “Of course Oswald was a patsy, we used him to do our bidding. He was a willing participant as we didn’t force him to do anything. He wanted to kill the President for Cuba and Mother Russia. He was an odd little man, but useful. We had other plans in place and I wasn’t sure that this would work, but I signed off on it anyway. Worst case Kennedy would get the scare of a lifetime and maybe back down from further attempts at my life. Best case was that the little man would succeed and my problems were over. Again, it worked out beautifully, with the Kennedys out of the way I was left alone to run Cuba. Sure they slapped sanctions on me, but what the hell it was worth it!
If Khrushchev were to tell his side of what took place it would be this: “I did it, I gave the order to kill Kennedy. It was me and only me, not the Party. I wanted him dead for the missile crisis. No one but Castro knew that I gave the order. I won the battle between us. He should never have challenged me. He engaged me in mortal combat and he lost. We used that little traitor Oswald to do the killing. Castro didn’t think it would work but I told him to go ahead with it anyway. I was right and I won.”
He would continue with: “We wanted world domination for the Communist Party. The Party stopped me, not Kennedy. It is true that he stood in the way but he could be dealt with - with my plans unaltered. We should have won the Cold War. Again, it was the Party that lost the war – not me. I was the strongest of them all – stronger even than Kennedy. I knew that he was weak physically. I could have exploited this but the Party stopped me. It was a righteous kill and I would do it again. He was weak and that is why the little traitor succeeded. It wasn’t luck – it was planned. He succeeded because of me. I wanted Kennedy dead and I was the power behind him. That creepy little man succeeded because of me – because of my power. It takes a great man to do a great thing and I am that great man. Castro was great because of me. The Communist Party was great because of me. They feared me and acted out of cowardice. They lost the war not me.”
Khrushchev has more to say: “I wanted that bastard Kennedy dead more than Castro did. He stopped me from achieving my goal of nuclear weapons on Cuba. I could have used this against any aggression towards me - I was Russia. The Party was not the same without me. They failed miserably and lost the Cold War. It wasn’t Kennedy who won – I won and the Party lost. History will record my deeds as greater than Kennedy’s. He was not a conqueror – I was. He just ruled over a powerful nation. I nearly conquered the world for Communism. I would have conquered Islam and it would not be a threat in the world today. It was foolish to stop me. The world would have had peace and order today. Look at China and Vietnam and how successful they are. The world would have been like them. Communism was the only thing that little traitor got right, other than shooting the president. He was a creepy little man, but useful. I did right to take out Kennedy and expose how weak America was. The Party took me out and wasted this great victory. I have no regrets.”
To summarize: There was a conspiracy to assassinate JFK, it was just not of a sophisticated manner like many want to believe. It was more on the level of a gang-like hit on a much hated man who was the President of the United States. The plot was straight forward and based on the realities of its day. The chain of events were not manipulated by the KGB or any other intelligence agency. Khrushchev and Castro conspired to find a way to eliminate Kennedy and Oswald gave them the opportunity. Oswald was not trained or groomed for the role of the assassin, he mostly operated on his own beliefs, instincts, and ego. This is why the Warren Commission could come to the conclusion that Oswald was a lone gunman.
Oswald was known to U.S. intelligence but was considered to be a peripheral figure much like some terrorists today that end up carrying out horrific attacks. They too need to be a part of something much larger than themselves. In these lone wolf cases they can act alone but they are part of an Islamist group like ISIS or inspired by them. They can be known to intelligence agencies but not considered to be a threat or part of a plot. In Oswald’s case, he was driven by the ideology of the Communist Revolution.
Castro had to do everything on the sly because if the U.S. thought or had proof of Castro’s involvement in the assassination there would have been retaliation. The Vietnam War became the surrogate war with communism instead of Castro’s island nation. Kennedy was able to stop Cuba from being the launching pad for a believed communist takeover of the Americas, but the price that he paid was for Cuba to assassinate him.
Ultimately, Khrushchev gave the order for the assassination and it was carried out dutifully by Castro. Khrushchev was Castro’s benefactor and he couldn’t have acted on his own without risking the loss of Soviet help. Khrushchev believed that Kennedy would back down over the missile crisis and that he would win this battle over nuclear missiles in Cuba. Oswald carried out the assassination and he truly was played the patsy by all. He was the only one to get caught and to be named. Oswald did it for Cuba and for Castro because he feared Kennedy’s actions. He probably didn’t grasp the deeper significance of this action.
Oswald killed Kennedy with the help of the Cubans. He had first gone to the Soviet Union to be a soldier for Mother Russia but he was rejected. He then reached out to Cuba and they determined to use him. This was done with the blessing of Fidel and Raul. The impetus for the assassination by Oswald appears to be a belief of an imminent re-invasion of Cuba. Oswald received help from the mob in the U.S. as they also had a grudge against the Kennedys. Jack Ruby was his contact in the mob and was to play a role in Oswald’s escape.
A strong fear of retaliation created a need for secrecy. There was no hard evidence found linking Oswald to Cuba or Russia. It worked and there was no invasion of Cuba and no nuclear war with Russia. The Castro brothers were left to operate as they pleased and the Soviets turned their attention elsewhere.
In the end Kennedy had turned the tide in the Cold War by forcing Khrushchev to back down and withdraw. The reason that Khrushchev ordered the mob-like hit on Kennedy was revenge for this defeat and loss of face. Oswald also acted out of hatred for Kennedy. The assassination can be seen as a parallel to what happened to Abraham Lincoln after the Confederates lost the war and the South was forced to back down. John Wilkes Booth murdered Lincoln as an act of revenge for the loss. It was a deed supported in spirit by all who were filled with hatred at losing the battle.
The Cold War would go on and battles would be fought in many different arenas. But the tipping point was the Cuban Missile Crisis and the defeat of the great Cold War warrior Khrushchev. It is easy to underestimate Khrushchev, but had he succeeded in his ambition to rule the world with communism, the world as we know it today would be a very different place. I believe that he had Hitler-like ambitions to rule the world and Kennedy and America stood in his way.
In conclusion: it was a time for greatness. JFK should be remembered as the man who ended Khrushchev’s communist ambition for world dominance and was subsequently martyred for it. It was the act of a lone gunman who wasn’t acting alone. The bullet that killed this good man was etched with the names of all who hated him and his American ideals. Oswald should not get all of the notoriety for this deed as many were involved. It was hatred that killed the man. Yet John Kennedy gave his life for God and country.
This journey of research in the JFK assassination plot began with a vision. In the vision I witnessed a gangster at the scene of the shooting and I knew him to be of the mob. I could see his look of shock as he watched the shots being fired. He was expecting this to take place but he seemed as surprised as all who witnessed this execution that it succeeded. The people on the ground panicked and began to run. I could see that he too felt the need to run as he looked around to make sure that he was not recognized. I later came to know that this mobster was Jack Ruby, the one responsible for Oswald. He was not on the ground but somewhere near the shooting as an observer for the mob. Having this vision lead to my writing on this plot to assassinate the president. Later visions would confirm the roles that others would play in this truly American story.
I was eleven years old when JFK was assassinated. I remember that I was at home watching TV eating lunch when my show was interrupted for breaking news. The reporter said that the President had been shot. He was in a very serious and somber mood over this. I was of a mind that thought it will not be serious and he will be alright. The announcement was of the first shot that wounded him, but not fatally. The next thing that I can remember was that it was reported that President Kennedy was dead.
I was in shock and could not move. It was a life changing moment for me as I didn’t believe that this could have happened. Suddenly, the world seemed more real than ever before. There was a palpable pall over the nation and a sense of grief that I had not experienced before. I felt a part of the mourning for this great man even thought I also felt numb. I was surprised by this as I only really knew of him through the media.
By the time I went to school there was a sense that life in America was changing. I could feel the shock and sadness over this tragedy. There was an announcement over the speakers about the tragedy and of school closure. The message sounded like a trumpet blast echoing over the campus. It felt like time was standing still for the moment only to shift forward.
My first encounter with the name John Kennedy was through one of my teachers when I was in the third grade. She was young and a fan who talked in glowing terms of him. This was in Southern California where Richard Nixon hailed from and I had only heard talk of him. Nixon was the favorite to win the election and not Kennedy. This didn’t sway her and she was resolute in her admiration for him.
Imagine my surprise when he defeated Nixon and won the election! She was jubilant that he won and expressed hope for the nation. This was the era of the Cold War and there was a deep concern for the world. She swayed me to believe in this hope and light for America. This remains with me still.
I felt the loss of Bobby Kennedy just as deeply but for a different reason. I don’t remember where I was when I got the news but I do remember the sense of loss of hope for the future of America. It was for Bobby to carry on the legacy of his brother and to regain innocence lost. Alas, it was not to be and the Kennedy idealism for America died that day.
I believe that these quotes from John F. Kennedy are relevant to this saga:
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
“Forgive your enemies but never forget their names.”