Strange Things That Never Made Sense About JFK's Assassination
Do you think the official JFK story is exactly what really happened? Or is it all a giant cover for a very different plot? This is just some of the evidence for a much darker theory of an American tragedy.
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00:00More than six decades on, the intrigue surrounding JFK's assassination endures.
00:05The peculiar details of that fateful day in Dallas continue to fuel our curiosity and speculation about what truly transpired.
00:13If a deathbed confession from a seasoned hitman could illuminate the events in Dealey Plaza, that moment may have already arrived.
00:21Many strange things were happening and your Lee Harvey Oswald had nothing to do with them.
00:26In 1966, during a prison raid, Gimeno Diaz Garcia, a Cuban mafia hitman, allegedly claimed to fellow mobster Tony Cuesta that he had a role in assassinating President Kennedy.
00:37This revelation is detailed in investigative journalist Anthony Summers' book, Not In Your Lifetime.
00:43In 2007, Summers and former House Select Committee on Assassinations Chief Counsel Robert Blakey interviewed Cuban exile Reynaldo Martinez Gomez.
00:52Gomez, who also spoke with The Telegraph in 2013, revealed that Cuesta had shared Diaz's confession with him.
01:00Interestingly, Diaz was in the United States on November 23, 1963, and had a history of 20 political assassinations.
01:07While this account remains unverified and hitmen are known to embellish or lie, it adds another layer of intrigue to the Cuban connection to JFK's assassination.
01:17Additionally, former Secret Service agent Abraham Bolden revealed to ABC in 2007 that the service had received a tip-off about a potential threat to JFK during an aborted trip to Chicago on November 2, 1963.
01:31Cuban men with rifles were reported to be stationed along the motorcade route.
01:35Unfortunately, the surveillance operation was poorly executed and the suspects disappeared.
01:40These connections and missed opportunities continue to stir speculation about the true circumstances surrounding Kennedy's assassination.
01:49John F. Kennedy was widely adored as a president, while Sam Giancana was a notorious mobster with a past linked to Al Capone.
01:57A claimed answer because I always believed my answer might tend to incriminate me.
02:00Despite their vastly different worlds, their lives intersect in intriguing ways that fuel speculation about a mafia connection to Kennedy's assassination.
02:09Books on both men reveal surprising overlaps.
02:11Giancana had historical connections with JFK's father, Joseph P. Kennedy, dating back to Prohibition.
02:18The old man and Kennedy was a very close friend of Giancana's.
02:21They were in business together in the old days, in the bootlegging business.
02:24In his 1997 book, The Dark Side of Camelot, journalist Seymour Hersh claimed that Joe Kennedy enlisted Giancana's help to secure his son's 1960 presidential victory.
02:35Frank Sinatra, a mutual friend of both JFK and Giancana, adds another layer to the mystery.
02:41Sinatra's daughter, Tina, later alleged that her father had asked Giancana to leverage union influence to support JFK in the primaries.
02:49Moreover, both Kennedy and Giancana were romantically involved with Judith Campbell Exner, who claimed in 1988 to have facilitated secret meetings between them.
02:58I can at this time emphatically state that my relationship with Jack Kennedy was of a close personal nature.
03:06The most perplexing twist involves Giancana's own demise.
03:10The mob boss was involved in CIA attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro.
03:14Just as he was set to testify before the Senate's church committee about his dealings with the CIA, Giancana was himself murdered, deepening the enigma surrounding his connections and Kennedy's assassination.
03:26Perhaps the most baffling aspect of Lee Harvey Oswald's story is that he wasn't closely monitored by the CIA, FBI or any other agency in the lead up to Kennedy's assassination.
03:37Despite being a defector, Oswald seemed to slip through the cracks.
03:41On October 16th, 1959, he arrived in Moscow and declared his intention to renounce his American citizenship.
03:47When the Soviet authorities rejected his request, Oswald attempted suicide, leading to a temporary stay in the USSR.
03:54The KGB then sent him to work in a radio factory in Minsk.
03:57Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Anthony Summers reported that Oswald claimed he had offered the Soviets information on America's U-2 spy planes.
04:06No, sir, I'm not a communist. I have a study Marxist philosophy, yes sir, and also other philosophers.
04:11Fast forward to June 1962, Oswald returned to the United States with his Soviet wife and newborn daughter.
04:18Given his defection history, one would expect his return to be met with intense scrutiny, possibly involving men in dark glasses whisking him away for interrogation.
04:26Instead, the CIA never questioned him and the FBI didn't place him under surveillance.
04:32Astonishingly, Oswald was allowed to move freely around the country, culminating in the tragic assassination of President Kennedy.
04:39This oversight remains one of the most perplexing elements of Oswald's life and the events surrounding JFK's death.
04:47In footage of Ronald Reagan being shot, the first gunfire prompts an immediate response.
04:52The president is swiftly shielded and John Hinckley Jr. is quickly subdued.
04:56Contrast this with the Kennedy assassination.
04:59When the first bullet struck JFK in the throat, the Secret Service remained inactive.
05:03The second bullet, a fatal headshot, followed five seconds later.
05:07A rapid response like Reagan's might have saved Kennedy.
05:11However, driver William Greer didn't take evasive action and Paul Landis trailing the car didn't leap in to protect the president.
05:18The agent seen jumping onto the car in the footage is Clint Hill, who was assigned to Jackie Kennedy's detail, trying to shield her.
05:25Vanity Fair interviews with Secret Service agents reveal a culture of machismo where members often skipped food and sleep and spent nights drinking heavily.
05:34While a no sleep hangover might explain their lethargy, it doesn't account for other oversights like why the running boards on JFK's car were retracted, leaving no one to protect the president when the shots rang out.
05:45This tragic event underscored significant failures in the security detail with dire consequences.
05:51John F. Kennedy died at approximately one o'clock Central Standard Time today here in Dallas.
06:00After Kennedy's assassination, officials launched an extensive effort to identify all potential witnesses.
06:06It was just just right by us when it all happened, just right in front of us.
06:10Many were only known by nicknames like Umbrella Man, the Three Tramps and Badge Man.
06:15While most were identified by the 1990s, Badge Man's existence remains doubtful.
06:20However, one mystery endures, the Babushka Lady.
06:23She was seen in Dealey Plaza filming the assassination while wearing a distinctive Russian style headscarf.
06:29Her footage would be of immense historical value.
06:32For decades, people have searched for her without success.
06:35In 1970, Beverly Oliver claimed to be the Babushka Lady, but was dismissed by historians due to her implausible claims, including using a camera that didn't exist and knowing who really killed Martin Luther King Jr.
06:48Thus, the real Babushka Lady remains unidentified.
06:52If you were a woman with a headscarf filming in Dealey Plaza on November 22nd, 1963, the FBI is still interested in speaking with you.
07:00You might hold the key to one of history's most significant events.
07:04Describing Lee Harvey Oswald as enigmatic barely scratches the surface of his mysterious nature.
07:09Despite being the 20th century's most notorious assassin, many aspects of his life remain unclear.
07:16His motivations for assassinating JFK are still unknown, as are the reasons behind his visit to Mexico City in the weeks leading up to the assassination.
07:24Professor T. Jeremy Gunn told NPR that Mexico City was considered the spy capital of the Western Hemisphere at the time, with Cuban agents, Soviet moles and CIA operatives all present.
07:36Oswald's presence there raises numerous questions.
07:39It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma.
07:42We know Oswald tried to obtain a Soviet visa during his stay in Mexico, but the records are muddled.
07:47On the day he visited the Soviet embassy, the CIA's surveillance camera malfunctioned, so there are no photographs.
07:53There was once a recording of a phone call from someone claiming to be Oswald, but former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover controversially decided it wasn't Oswald's voice and the tape disappeared.
08:05Then there are the unidentified individuals Oswald was seen with.
08:08According to Politico, CIA informants spotted him with two young Americans at a party in the city, but their identities remain a mystery.
08:16They spent a few days with the future presidential assassin before disappearing without a trace.
08:21The unanswered questions surrounding Oswald's activities in Mexico City continue to intrigue and perplex historians, adding to the enduring enigma of his life and actions.
08:32One notable spy in Mexico City during Oswald's visit was June, or Jerry Cobb.
08:36An Oklahoma native who initially supported Castro before becoming disillusioned with Cuba and working for the CIA, Cobb was a highly regarded intelligence asset.
08:46Her reports were typically credible, so when she informed her CIA handlers that Oswald had been seen at a Mexico City party where people joked about assassinating JFK, the authorities took notice.
08:57According to Politico, this story remains enveloped in mystery.
09:01Cobb's file is still classified for security reasons, so Politico's account is based on related CIA and FBI documents.
09:08Nonetheless, the details are intriguing.
09:10Mexican playwright Elena Garro told Cobb about the party, describing it as a gathering spot for Cuban diplomats, some of whom jested about the potential benefits of Kennedy's assassination.
09:21Garro's information was alarming enough that the FBI interviewed her in 1964.
09:26However, Cobb's intelligence was dismissed by the CIA, and no further action appeared to have been taken.
09:32Despite exhaustive investigations, no evidence has linked the assassination to Cuba or the Soviet Union, even with the release of KGB files.
09:41This leaves us pondering what exactly transpired at that party and Oswald's role in it.
09:45The unanswered questions continue to spark curiosity and speculation, adding another layer of complexity to the enigmatic figure of Lee Harvey Oswald and the events leading up to JFK's assassination.
09:57After JFK's assassination, events took an even stranger turn.
10:01At Dallas Parkland Memorial Hospital, a dispute erupted over who would perform the autopsy.
10:06Local coroner Earl Rose, citing Texas law, insisted it was his responsibility since the murder occurred in the state.
10:13However, the Secret Service and Jackie Kennedy vehemently disagreed.
10:17According to the L.A. Times, tensions quickly escalated.
10:20I'm the medical examiner.
10:23This is a homicide case. The deceased can't leave until there's been an autopsy.
10:27When Rose attempted to physically block the Secret Service from taking the body, a heated confrontation ensued.
10:33Some accounts even suggest that guns were drawn during the altercation.
10:37Ultimately, the Secret Service took control, and Kennedy's body was transported to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland for the autopsy.
10:45This dramatic incident highlighted the need for clarity in such situations.
10:49Consequently, a 1965 code was established, making it unequivocally clear that the assassination of the president is a federal crime, ensuring federal jurisdiction in future cases.
11:01Considering its significance, one might assume JFK's autopsy was conducted with utmost precision.
11:07However, numerous irregularities and issues have since emerged.
11:11Autopsies typically follow strict procedures, including the removal and weighing of organs.
11:16In 1996, autopsy doctor James Joseph Humes admitted this step was skipped.
11:21More concerning, Humes didn't preserve the original JFK autopsy report.
11:26He made a handwritten copy and burned the original, claiming he wanted to prevent it from becoming a morbid curiosity.
11:32Yet, he failed to destroy other bloodstained documents.
11:45Additionally, the autopsy photos in the National Archive are of poor quality and lack crucial details such as the number of bullet wounds.
11:53During his work with the 1992 Assassination Records Review Board, Professor Gunn showed these photos to Sandra Spencer, who had developed the originals.
12:02She remarked that they didn't resemble the images she remembered.
12:05She said that the photographs that she developed had a large exit, massive exit wound in the back of the head.
12:11Gunn further investigated by comparing the archived photos to those printed by Spencer's lab shortly before the assassination.
12:19The photo paper was different, suggesting the archived photos were from a different printing session.
12:24These discrepancies raise questions about the autopsy's thoroughness and the integrity of the preserved evidence, adding to the enduring mystery surrounding JFK's assassination.
12:34Official records of Lee Harvey Oswald's interrogation by Dallas police and the FBI are nearly non-existent.
12:40The questioning was neither recorded nor transcribed, leaving us with only sparse handwritten notes from the two interrogators.
12:47These notes, rough and incomplete, offer a fragmented view into Oswald's mindset.
12:52Remarkably, only one set of these notes has survived, discovered among the personal effects of former police captain J.W. Fritz in the 1990s and donated anonymously.
13:08Fritz's notes reveal that Oswald consistently maintained his innocence, insisting that the photographs showing him with the murder weapon were fabricated.
13:16While this doesn't resolve conspiracy theories, it does suggest that Oswald's motives may not have been driven by a desire for fame or notoriety.
13:25Since Kennedy's assassination, a surprising number of crucial records and documents have disappeared.
13:31The Mary Farrell Foundation has created an online archive detailing these missing records.
13:36Although some of the Foundation's conspiracy claims lack verification, their catalogue of lost documents is thorough.
13:43Notably absent are a note Oswald sent to the FBI, an Army intelligence file on him, and Secret Service records concerning a planned JFK trip to Chicago in November 1963.
13:54There are also indications that the Marine Corps, where Oswald served, might have conducted its own investigation, but no documents from this inquiry have been found.
14:03Adding to the intrigue is the case of a missing page from Oswald's notebook, as reported by the LA Times.
14:09Historian James Reston Jr. recounts that Secret Service agent Mike Howard discovered a notebook in Oswald's apartment with a page labelled,
14:19The page listed an FBI agent, a general, and Richard Nixon, with Texas Governor John Connolly's name marked with a dagger.
14:26Reston suggests this could indicate Oswald intended to target Connolly, who was seriously injured during the assassination.
14:32However, the page was removed before Howard handed over the notebook, and it has never been recovered.
14:39Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, researchers gained temporary access to KGB files, including file number 31451, which detailed Lee Harvey Oswald's time in the USSR.
14:50Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on these documents before the files were sealed again, but instead of clarifying the situation, these reports only added to the confusion surrounding the assassination.
15:01So what really happened that day? Let's just for a moment speculate, shall we?
15:06Oswald, a defector, was under close scrutiny by the KGB, yet the files suggest that the agency considered him largely insignificant.
15:14The documents describe him as a poor marksman, noting that he only achieved a fair ranking in a shooting competition among his factory colleagues.
15:22The KGB's assessments indicated that they did not believe Oswald was capable of carrying out Kennedy's assassination.
15:30I didn't believe he could have done it. It seemed to me that he was framed, using the whole situation with the Soviet Union.
15:35This apparent dismissal could be more than it seems.
15:38One theory is that the KGB might have been involved in a deliberate cover-up, downplaying Oswald's capabilities to protect their own interests or avoid scandal.
15:48The real enigma lies in the remainder of Oswald's KGB file.
15:52When the files were reclosed in 1992, they were described as consisting of five thick volumes plus a folder tied with shoelaces, most of which remains unpublished.
16:03Currently held by Belarusian intelligence, it seems unlikely that these documents will be released any time soon.
16:09They might contain crucial information that could shed light on JFK's assassination, but for now, their secrets remain locked away, leaving us to speculate about their potential revelations.
16:20President Kennedy's brain has mysteriously disappeared.
16:23In 1966, it was discovered missing from a secure vault at the National Archives.
16:28The case took an unusual turn when historian James L. Swanson suggested in his book, End of Days, The Assassination of John F. Kennedy, that Robert F. Kennedy, JFK's brother, might be behind the theft.
16:41After the autopsy, Kennedy's brain was stored in a stainless steel container, along with tissue samples.
16:47Initially held by the Secret Service, it was later transferred to the National Archives, where it was monitored by JFK's former secretary due to its sensitivity and morbid significance.
16:57Despite these precautions, the brain and tissue samples vanished in October 1966.
17:02An investigation was promptly launched by the Attorney General, but the missing evidence remains unresolved to this day.
17:08Swanson's theory posits that RFK might have stolen the brain to conceal the extent of JFK's medication use.
17:15Had the American public known just how sick Jack Kennedy was, he probably could not have been a presidential candidate.
17:22According to reports from The Telegraph, JFK was heavily medicated, using codeine, Demerol and methadone for back pain, in addition to other drugs for insomnia and anxiety.
17:32If this theory holds any truth, it adds a layer of intrigue to an already perplexing mystery.
17:38In July 2017, a batch of new documents related to JFK's assassination was made public, in compliance with a 1992 law mandating the declassification of all records by October 26, 2017.
17:52While many of these newly released files were simply rehashes of previously available material, one revelation stood out for its peculiar nature.
18:01Historically, from the Warren Commission onward, the CIA publicly adhered to the lone gunman theory, asserting that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
18:10However, the recently declassified documents suggest a significant shift in the CIA's internal stance by the mid-1970s.
18:18Contrary to their public position, the agency had begun to entertain the possibility of a conspiracy behind JFK's assassination, although they continued to publicly support Oswald as the sole perpetrator.
18:29I know what it is to kill someone. You don't bounce and come this way. When you bounce and come this way, you got hit in the front.
18:38The CIA's internal views on what transpired are both vague and contradictory. Some documents hint that certain agents considered the Soviet Union and Cuba as potential conspirators.
18:48Others speculated that the assassination might have been a retaliatory act connected to the CIA's own operations.
18:55According to this theory, Oswald might have been inspired by knowledge of CIA attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro and sought revenge by killing Kennedy.
19:03As Politico highlights,
19:05If that proved true, it would have raised a terrible question for the CIA. Was it possible that JFK's assassination was blowback for the spy agency's plots to kill Castro?
19:15What this indicates, and this was the judgment of the committee, is that our own people aren't as efficient as we might think they ought to be.
19:22Despite these internal considerations, the CIA chose to keep its evolving views on the assassination secret, even from other government bodies.
19:30This secrecy adds another layer of complexity to the already murky circumstances surrounding JFK's assassination, highlighting the ongoing enigma of what truly transpired.