Disturbing History - DH Ep:36 The Kennedy Assassination

Episode Date: September 24, 2025

On November 22, 1963, three shots in Dealey Plaza shattered America's innocence and sparked the most controversial investigation in our nation's history. This comprehensive episode examines every aspect of President Kennedy's assassination, from the political tensions that brought him to Dallas to the enduring mysteries that remain unsolved six decades later.We trace the complete lives of Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby, two troubled men whose violent intersection would deny America the truth it desperately sought. From Oswald's fatherless childhood and defection to the Soviet Union to Ruby's connections with organized crime and the Dallas police, we explore how their personal failures and desperate need for significance converged in one terrible weekend that changed history.Through meticulous reconstruction of that fatal Friday, we follow the presidential motorcade into Dealey Plaza, examine the contested evidence of the shots, and witness the chaos that followed. We delve into the Warren Commission's controversial single bullet theory, the House Select Committee's acoustic evidence suggesting conspiracy, and the theories that continue to challenge the official narrative. This is the definitive telling of America's darkest day - a story not just of assassination but of how a nation's confidence gave way to permanent suspicion, how transparency became paramount, and how the echo of those shots still reverberates through our democracy today.

Some stories were never meant to be told. Others were buried on purpose. This podcast digs them all up. Disturbing history peels back the layers of the past to uncover the strange, the sinister, and the stories that were never supposed to survive. From shadowy presidential secrets to government experiments that sound more like fiction than fact, this is history they hoped you'd forget. I'm Brian, investigator, author, and your guide through the dark corner.

of our collective memory. Each week I'll narrate some of the most chilling and little-known tales from history that will make you question everything you thought you knew. And here's the twist. Sometimes the history is disturbing to us. And sometimes, we have to disturb history itself, just to get to the truth.

If you like your facts with the side of fear, if you're not afraid to pull at threads, others leave alone. You're in the right place. History isn't just written by the victors. victors. Sometimes, it's rewritten by the disturbed. The year 1963 found President John Fitzgerald Kennedy navigating treacherous political waters as he approached the midpoint of his first term. The young president who had assumed office with the narrowest of victories over Richard Nixon in

1960 faced mounting challenges both domestically and internationally. The Cold War had reached a fever pitch following the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962, where Kennedy had success successfully faced down Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in a nuclear standoff that brought the world to the brink of catastrophe. While this confrontation had enhanced Kennedy's stature as a strong leader internationally, it had also intensified the already fierce opposition he faced from various quarters within the United States. The domestic political landscape was equally fraught with tension. Kennedy's progressive stance on civil rights had alienated many Southern Democrats. Traditionally a cornerstone of the party's electoral coalition. His administration's support for integration,

particularly the use of federal troops to enforce desegregation at the University of Mississippi in 1962, and the University of Alabama in 1963 had generated fierce resentment throughout the Deep South. Meanwhile, his attempts to navigate a moderate course often frustrated civil rights leaders who wanted more aggressive federal action against segregation and discrimination. In Texas, the political situation was particularly complex. The state's Democratic Party was deeply divided between conservative and liberal factions, with Governor John Connolly representing the conservative wing

and Senator Ralph Yarbrough leading the liberals. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Texan himself, had been instrumental in delivering the state to Kennedy in 1960. But the fragile coalition he had assembled was showing signs of strain. The upcoming 1964 presidential election loomed law, and Texas's 25 electoral votes were considered essential for Kennedy's re-election prospects. It was against this backdrop that Kennedy decided to embark on a political fence-mending trip to Texas in November, 1963. The journey would take him to San Antonio, Houston,

Fort Worth, Dallas, and Austin over two days, with the primary goals of raising funds for the Democratic Party and healing the rifts within the Texas Democratic establishment. The president would be accompanied by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, making one of her first major public appearances since the death of their infant son, Patrick, in August. Her presence was considered a significant political asset, as she was immensely popular and could help soften the president's image in a state where he faced considerable opposition. The presidential party had spent the night of November 21st at the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth, where Kennedy had delivered speeches to enthusiastic crowds, despite the rainy weather.

On the morning of November 22nd, the president addressed the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast gathering, displaying his characteristic wit and charm. Outside the hotel, several thousand people had gathered in the parking lot, and Kennedy, accompanied by Jackie, made an impromptu appearance to greet them.

The crowd's enthusiasm was palpable, and Kennedy remarked to his aide Kenneth O'Donnell about the warmth of the reception. At 10.40 a.m., Air Force One departed Carswell Air Force Base for the brief 13-minute flight to Dallas Love Field. During the flight, Kennedy reviewed the morning's Dallas newspapers with his staff. The Dallas Morning News carried a full-page, black-bordered advertisement placed by a group calling itself the American Fact-Finding Committee, which accused Kennedy of various pro-communist sympathies and actions.

The hostile tone of the advertisement troubled the president, who showed it to Jackie, commenting on the virulent nature of the opposition they faced in Dallas. Dallas had earned a reputation as a hotbed of right-wing extremism. Just a month earlier on October 24th, United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson had been physically assaulted by protesters during a visit to the city. The incident had raised serious concerns about security for the presidential visit, and there had been discussions about canceling the Dallas stop altogether. However, Kennedy was determined not to appear intimidated, and the political importance of Texas made the visit essential.

The weather in Dallas had cleared by the time Air Force One touched down at Love Field at 1140 a.m. The president and first lady emerged from the aircraft to bright sunshine and a crowd of several thousand enthusiastic welcomeers. Jackie was presented with a bouquet of red roses and yellow roses of Texas, and the couple spent several minutes shaking hands along the fence line, with the crowd pressing forward eagerly to glimpse the glamorous first couple. The warmth of the reception seemed to belie the concerns about Dallas's hostility. The presidential motorcade had been carefully planned weeks in advance. The route would take Kennedy from Lovefield through downtown Dallas to the trademark, where he was scheduled to deliver a luncheon address to civic and business leaders.

The specific route had been published in Dallas newspapers on November 19th, providing detailed information about the streets the motorcade would travel. From Lovefield, the procession would move east on Main Street through the downtown area, where the largest crowds were expected, then make a right turn onto Houston Street, followed by a sharp left turn onto Elm Street to access the Stemman's Freeway approach to the trademark. The motorcade consisted of multiple vehicles arranged in a specific order. The lead car, an unmarked white Dallas police car, carried police chief Jesse Curry and Secret Service agents, including Winston Lawson, who had advanced the trip,

and Forrest Sorrels of the Dallas Secret Service office. Behind them followed the presidential limousine, a specially modified 1961 Lincoln Continental Convertible, codenamed SS100X. The vehicle had been flown in from Washington specifically for the trip and could be fitted with a bulletproof bubble top, though this was not used on November 22nd, due to the clear weather and Kennedy's preference for open car appearances.

In the presidential limousine, Kennedy sat in the right rear seat with Jackie to his left. In front of them, in the jump seats, sat Governor John Connolly on the right and his wife, Nellie on the left. Secret Service agent William Greer drove the vehicle with Agent Roy Kellerman in the front passenger seat. The limousine's running boards were occupied by Secret Service agents, though they would later step off as the motorcade picked up. speed. Following immediately behind was the Secret Service follow-up car, a 1956 Cadillac convertible code named Halfback, carrying eight Secret Service agents. Agents Clinton Hill and William McIntyre

stood on the left running board, with agents John Reddy and Paul Landis on the right. Inside were agents George Hickey, Glenn Bennett, and others, with presidential aides, David Powers, and Kenneth O'Donnell, also in this vehicle. The motorcade proceeded from Lovefield, into the city, with crowds lining the route. The turnout exceeded expectations, with police later estimating that between 150,000 and 200,000 people had come out to see the president. The crowds were particularly dense in the downtown area along Main Street, where people stood 10 to 12 deep on the sidewalks and hung from office building windows. The atmosphere was festive and welcoming, causing the motorcade to slow frequently as Kennedy and Jackie waved to

the enthusiastic onlookers. At 1229 p.m., the presidential limousine completed its turn from Main Street onto Houston Street, heading north toward the Texas School Book Depository, a seven-story brick building that served as a warehouse for textbooks. The building overlooked Deley Plaza, a small park area that had been designated a national historic landmark as the birthplace of Dallas. As the motorcade approached the intersection of Houston and Elm Streets, it would need to execute a sharp left turn of approximately 120 degrees, requiring the vehicles to slow to roughly 11 miles per hour. The Texas School Book Depository had undergone no special security screening, despite its commanding view of the motorcade route. Several of its employees had gathered at windows to watch

the presidential procession, while others had gone outside to view from the street level. On the sixth floor, near the southeast corner window, a sniper's nest had been constructed using boxes of textbooks to create a shield from view from most of the floor. The window had been opened partially, providing a clear line of sight to the street below. As the presidential limousine completed its turn onto Elm Street at approximately 1230 p.m., Nellie Connolly turned to Kennedy and said, Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you. Kennedy replied, no, you certainly can't. These would be the last words he would speak. The vehicle was now traveling at approximately 11 miles per hour down the gentle grade of Elm Street,

approaching a triple underpass where three railroad tracks crossed over the roadway. At 12.30 p.m., the sharp crack of a rifle shot rang out across Dealey Plaza. The exact number and timing of shots would become one of the most debated aspects of the assassination, but the Warren Commission would later conclude that three shots were fired, all from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository. The first shot apparently missed the limousine entirely. Some witnesses reported seeing a bullet strike the pavement, sending up a spray of concrete that wounded bystander James Tague,

who was standing near the triple underpass. The timing of this first shot remains disputed, with some evidence suggesting it occurred earlier than initially believed, possibly just as the limousine was completing its turn onto Elm Street. The second shot fired approximately 3.5 seconds after the first, according to the Warren Commission's timeline, struck President Kennedy in the upper back, penetrating his neck and exiting through his throat just below his larynx. This bullet later designated as Commission Exhibit 399 and controversially known as the Magic Bullet,

then struck Governor Connolly, entering his back near his right armpit, traversing his chest and shattering his fifth rib, exiting below his right nipple, passing through his right wrist and shattering the radius bone, and finally lodging in his left thigh. The trajectory and condition of this bullet would become one of the most contentious issues in the investigation. Kennedy's reaction to being shot

was immediate and distinctive. His hands moved up toward his throat in what doctors would later recognize as a neurological response called the Thorburn position, indicating spinal damage. Jackie Kennedy seated beside him, turned toward her husband with a look of concern and confusion.

In the follow-up car, Agent Clint Hill saw the president's distress and immediately jumped from the running board sprinting toward the presidential limousine. The third and fatal shot came approximately 4.8 to 5.6 seconds after the second shot. This bullet struck Kennedy in the right side of his head, causing a massive and devastating wound. The Zapruder film, an 8mm home movie that would become the most important visual record of the assassination, captured the horrific moment in frame 313. The President's head moved violently. Brain matter and skull fragments exploded from the wound,

and his body slumped to his left toward Jackie. The First Lady's reaction was one of shock and horror. In what appeared to be an instinctive response, she climbed onto the trunk of the limousine, with various theories proposed for her action. Some suggesting she was trying to retrieve a piece of her husband's skull, others that she was attempting to escape, and still others that she was reaching to help Agent Hill,

who was climbing onto the, the back of the accelerating vehicle. He'll reach the limousine and pushed Mrs. Kennedy back into her seat, then clung to the back of the car as it sped away. In the presidential limousine, chaos and horror reigned. Governor Connolly, despite his severe wounds, remained conscious and cried out, my God, they're going to kill us all. His wife, Nellie pulled him down into her lap, possibly saving his life by preventing a second shot from hitting him. Jackie Kennedy cradled her mortally wounded husband crying, Jack, Jack, what have they done to you? Blood, brain tissue, and skull fragments covered the rear of the limousine and its occupants. Secret Service agent William

Greer, the driver, had initially slowed the vehicle after the first shot, looking back over his shoulder to assess the situation. After the fatal headshot, Agent Kellerman shouted, get out of here fast. Greer accelerated rapidly, racing toward Parkland Memorial Hospital, approximately four miles away. Agent Hill, clinging to the back of the limousine, used his body to shield the president and first lady from any additional shots. In Dealey Plaza, pandemonium erupted. Many spectators threw themselves to the ground. Parents shielded their children, and people ran in various directions seeking cover. Some witnesses immediately pointed toward the Texas school book depository, having seen a rifle in the sixth floor window, or observed pigeons flying from the building at the sound of

shots. Others ran toward a grassy knoll on the north side of Elm Street, believing shots had come from that direction, a claim that would fuel decades of conspiracy theories. Stay tuned for more disturbing history. We'll be back after these messages. Police officers and sheriff's deputies immediately converged on the area, with many running toward the schoolbook depository. Officer Marion Baker, who had been riding a motorcycle in the motorcade, rushed into the building accompanied by the building supervisor, Roy Trulley. In the second floor lunchroom, they encountered an employee named Lee Harvey Oswald, who appeared calm and collected. Truly identified him as an employee, and Baker continued his search upward through the building.

This encounter occurred approximately 90 seconds after the shooting. The presidential limousine arrived at Parkland Memorial Hospital at approximately 12.38 p.m., having covered the four miles in less than six minutes. The hospital had been alerted by radio, but the emergency room staff was still unprepared for the severity of the situation they would face. As the limousine screeched to a halt at the emergency entrance, medical personnel rushed out with stretchers. Governor Connolly, though grievously wounded, was conscious and was quickly transferred to a stretcher and wheeled into trauma room too. President Kennedy remained in the car momentarily as Jackie Kennedy refused to let him go, concerned about the extent of his visible wounds. Agent Hill removed his suit jacket and placed it over the president's head to provide some dignity and shield the wound from photographers.

Kennedy was then lifted onto a stretcher and rushed into Trauma Room 1. The scene in Trauma Room 1 was one of controlled chaos as doctors and nurses worked frantically to save the president's life. Dr. Malcolm Perry performed a tracheotomy, making an incision through the bullet wound in Kennedy's throat to establish an airway. Dr. Kemp Clark, the hospital's chief neurodeme, surgeon examined the massive head wound and immediately recognized its fatal nature. Despite this, the medical team continued aggressive resuscitation efforts, including massaging the president's heart

in an attempt to restart it, and blood transfusions. At 1 p.m., after all efforts had failed, Dr. Clark pronounced President John F. Kennedy dead. The official time of death was recorded as 1 p.m. Central Standard Time, though in reality the president had likely died instantly. from the head wound in Dehle Plaza. Father Oscar Huber, a Catholic priest, was summoned to administer last rites, which in the Catholic tradition can be given up to two hours after death. Lee Harvey Oswald entered the world on October 18, 1939, in New Orleans, Louisiana, already marked by loss. His father, Robert Edward Lee Oswald Sr., had died of a heart attack two months before his birth, leaving his mother, Marguerite Francis Claverie Oswald, pregnant and with two

young sons to support. This prenatal loss would cast a shadow over Oswald's entire life, creating a void that would manifest in his perpetual search for belonging and significance. Marguerite Oswald was a complex and difficult woman whose personality would profoundly shape her youngest son's development. Born in 1907, she had already been widowed once before marrying Robert Oswald. Her first husband, Edward John Pick Jr., had died, leaving her with a son, John Edward Pick. She married Robert Oswald in 1933 and had Robert Jr. in 1934. By the time Lee was born, she was 32 years old, twice widowed, with three boys to raise a loan during the tail end of the Great Depression. Financial desperation forced Marguerite to make decisions that would traumatize young Lee.

When he was just three years old, she placed him and his brothers in the evangelical Lutheran Bethlehem orphan's home in New Orleans. While his older brothers, John Pick and Robert Jr. were old enough to understand the temporary nature of this arrangement. Lee experienced it as abandonment. He would spend 13 months in the orphanage, visited sporadically by his mother, who was working various jobs to support the family. The orphanage experience left indelible marks on Oswald's psyche.

Staff members later recalled him as a withdrawn, solitary child who struggled to connect with others. He was reunited with his mother in 1944 when she married her third husband, Edwin Eckdahl, an electrical engineer. For a brief period, it seemed the family might achieve stability. Egdahl appeared to genuinely care for the boys, and the family moved to Benbrook, Texas, near Fort Worth. However, this marriage was tumultuous from the start. Marguerite was possessive and suspicious, frequently accusing Eckdal of infidelity. Young Lee was often caught in the middle of their fights, with Marguerite using him as an ally against her husband. She would take Lee with her when she followed Eck doll, trying to catch him

with other women. On one occasion, six-year-old Lee witnessed his mother and Ekdahl in a physical altercation that required him to call for help from neighbors. In August 1952, Marguerite made the impulsive decision to move to New York City, where her son John Pick was stationed with the Coast Guard. She arrived with Lee, now 12 years old, expecting John to support them. This unrealistic expectation quickly led to conflict. John's wife, Margaret, was shocked by Marguerite's presumption and Lee's behavior. The boy was rude, demanding, and threatened John's wife with a knife when she asked him to turn down the television. The confrontation led to Marguerite and Lee being expelled from John's home, further deepening Lee's sense of rejection. They moved to a small apartment

in the Bronx, where their isolation intensified. Lee refused to attend school, spending his days alone in the apartment watching television or wandering the city. He discovered the subway system and would ride for hours, observing people but never connecting with them. The truancy led to legal intervention. In 1953, Lee was remanded to Youth House, a detention facility for juvenile delinquents, for psychiatric evaluation. This three-week period provided the first professional assessment of Oswald's psychological state. Dr. Renatus Hartogs, the chief psychiatrist, diagnosed him with personality pattern disturbance with schizoid features and passive aggressive tendencies. The psychiatric evaluation revealed a boy of above-average intelligence with an

IQ tested at 118 who was deeply disturbed. Lee told the psychiatrist about fantasies of omnipotence and revenge against a world he perceived as hostile. He expressed no emotional connection to anyone, including his mother, though he was dependent on her. Dr. Hartoggs noted that Lee had potential for explosive violence, but saw no evidence of psychosis. He recommended continued psychiatric treatment, which Marguerite rejected, viewing it as an attack on her parents. Marening. On October 24, 1956, six days after his 17th birthday, Lee Harvey Oswald enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. His brother Robert had joined the Marines earlier, and Lee saw military service as an escape from his mother and a path to significance. The Marines, with their emphasis on elite

status and weapons training, appealed to his fantasies of power and importance. Oswald's initial training at Marine Corps recruit depot San Diego went reasonably well. He qualified as a sharpshooter on the rifle range, scoring two hundred twelve points, just two points above the minimum for the qualification. This achievement would later take on enormous significance, though at the time it was unremarkable. Most Marines qualified at this level, or higher. He completed basic training and was assigned to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida for Aviation Fundamental School. In March 1957, Oswald was assigned to Marine Air Control Squadron 1 at Naval Air Facility, Atzugi, Japan. Atsugi was not an ordinary base.

It served as a CIA operations center and was the home base for U-2 spy planes, conducting reconnaissance flights over communist China and the Soviet Union. As a radar operator, Oswald had access to classified information about aircraft operations, though the extent of his knowledge about the U-2 program remains debated. Life in Japan marked a turning point in Oswald's alienation from American life. He struggled to fit in with his fellow Marines, who nicknamed him Ozzy Rabbit for his submissive response to hazing. He was court-martialed twice,

once for accidentally shooting himself in the elbow with an unauthorized 22-caliber pistol, and once for challenging a sergeant to a fight. His behavior became increasingly erratic, and he began openly expressing communist sympathies, earning another nickname, Oswald Skowicz. Oswald began planning his defection to the Soviet Union while still in the Marines. He applied for a dependency discharge, claiming his mother needed his support due to an injury.

The discharge was granted on September 11, 1959, though it was later discovered that his mother's injury was minor and didn't require his assistance. This fraudulent discharge would later be, be changed to dishonorable after his defection. On September 17, 1959, Oswald boarded a freighter from New Orleans to La Ave France. He had saved $1,500 from his marine pay, a substantial sum that required considerable discipline to accumulate on a private's salary. From France, he traveled to England and then to Finland, arriving in Helsinki on October 10th. The ease with which he obtained a Soviet visa in

Helsinki, typically a lengthy process that he completed in just two days, has fueled speculation about possible intelligence connections. Oswald entered the Soviet Union on October 15, 1959, crossing from Finland with a six-day tourist visa. He immediately traveled to Moscow and on October 16th informed his in-tourist guide that he wished to become a Soviet citizen. This declaration set off a bureaucratic process that nearly ended in tragedy. The Soviets, suspicious of this young American who appeared at the height of the Cold War wanting to defect, initially rejected his request. On October 21st, after being told he must leave the Soviet Union when his visa expired,

Oswald attempted suicide in his hotel room by slashing his left wrist. The attempt was discovered by his entourist guide, Rima Shirakava, who found him bleeding in the bathtub. He was taken to Botkin Hospital, where he was placed under psychiatric observation. This suicide attempt may have been calculated to force the Soviets' hand, as they now had to decide what to do with an unstable American on their soil. On October 31st, 1959, Oswald appeared at the American Embassy in Moscow, where he dramatically announced his intention to renounce his American citizenship. He met with consul Richard Snyder and threw his passport on the desk, declaring that he was a Marxist who had voluntarily come to the Soviet Union. Most significantly, he stated that he intended to give the Soviets any information he had acquired as a marine radar operator. This threat to reveal classified information would have serious implications for his later return to the United States.

The Soviets, after much deliberation, decided not to accept Oswald as a citizen, but granted him status as a stateless person. In January 1960, he was sent to Minsk, the capital of Baiala, Russia, where he was, was given a job at the Gorizant Electronics Factory, which produced radios and television sets. He was provided with a comfortable apartment by Soviet standards and a salary supplemented by a red cross payment that gave him an income higher than that of his Soviet co-workers. In March 1961, Oswald met Marina Nikolaevna Prusakava at a dance at the Palace of Culture. Marina was 19 years old, attractive, and living with her uncle Ilya Prusakoff, who was a the Colonel in the MVD, the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The speed of their courtship was remarkable. They married just six weeks after meeting on April 30, 1961. The marriage required special permission from Soviet authorities, suggesting either their approval or their desire to maintain surveillance on Oswald through his wife. Marina's background was nearly as troubled as Oswald's. Born in Severodvinsk in 1941, she had never known her father. who left when she was an infant. Her mother had died when Marina was 15, and she had been raised by various relatives. She had trained as a pharmacist, but was working at the third clinical

hospital in Minsk when she met Oswald. Like him, she was looking for escape from an unsatisfactory life. The marriage was troubled from the beginning. Oswald was controlling and sometimes violent. Marina later testified that he struck her on several occasions and was jealous of any attention she received from other men. He insisted she learned English but became angry when she didn't progress quickly enough. Despite these problems, Marina became pregnant in the fall of 1961. On June 2nd, 1962, Lee and Marina Oswald, along with their infant daughter, June, left the Soviet Union. They traveled by train to Holland and then sailed to New York, arriving on June 13, 1962. The State Department had loaned Oswald $435 for the journey.

Alone, he would partially repay. Upon arrival, he was briefly interviewed by FBI agents, but was not arrested or charged, despite his earlier threat to reveal classified information to the Soviets. The Oswald's initially stayed with Robert Oswald in Fort Worth. Robert was shocked by his brother's appearance. Lee had gained weight and lost hair, looking older than his 22 years.

The relationship between the brothers was strained. Robert was a conservative who disapproved of Lee's defection, while Lee saw Robert as a conformist who had sold out to capitalism. Lee found work at Leslie Welding Company in Fort Worth, but was dismissed after three months. He then found employment at the graphic arts firm of Jaggers-Chilly Stovall in Dallas, where he worked as a photoprint trainee. This job gave him access to photographic equipment that he would later use to create forged documents.

His coworkers remembered him as competent but aloof, often reading Russian magazines during lunch breaks. Stay tuned for more disturbing history. We'll be back after these messages. In February 1963, Oswald ordered a manlicker Carcano rifle through the mail using the alias A. Hedel. Around the same time, he ordered a 38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver. These purchases marked a turn toward violence in his political activities. he began surveilling the home of General Edwin Walker, a right-wing extremist who had been forced to resign from the Army

for distributing John Birch Society literature to his troops. Walker represented everything Oswald despised about American society, militarism, anti-communism, and racial segregation. Oswald took photographs of Walker's home and made detailed plans for an assassination attempt. On March 31, 1963, Marina photographed Lee in their backyard, holding the rifle, wearing the pistol, and holding copies of the worker and the militant. These photographs would become crucial evidence after Kennedy's assassination. On April 10, 1963, Oswald attempted to kill Walker.

He fired a single shot through Walker's window while the general sat at his desk. The bullet struck the window frame, deflecting slightly and missing Walker's head by inches. Walker reported seeing a man fleeing, but no immediate suspect was identified. Oswald returned home and told Marina what he had done, showing her a note he had left with instructions in case he was captured or killed. Unable to find work in Dallas after being fired from Jaggers-Chile's Stovall, Oswald moved to New Orleans in April, 1963, staying initially with his aunt, Lillian Murrett. Lillian's husband, Charles Dutz Murrett, was a bookmaker with connections to organized crime figure Carlos Marcello, though the significance of this connection remains debated.

Oswald found work at the Riley Coffee Company, where he was employed as a greaser of coffee grinding equipment. He was a poor employee, often disappearing from his post to read gun magazines or political literature. He was dismissed in July for poor performance. During this period, Oswald created a one-man chapter of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, a pro-Castro organization. He printed leaflets with the alias Lee Osborne and listed the office address of 544 Camp Strait. Street, the same building that housed the office of Guy Bannister, a former FBI agent who was now involved in anti-Castro activities. This curious connection has never been fully explained. On August 9th, 1963, Oswald was arrested while distributing pro-Castro leaflets on Canal Street. He had been

confronted by Cuban exiles, including Carlos Brenguey, and a scuffle ensued. The arrest appeared somewhat staged. Oswald seemed to want to be arrested to establish his pro-Castro credentials. While in jail, he asked to see an FBI agent, unusual behavior for someone genuinely committed to communist causes. In late September 1963, Oswald traveled to Mexico City with the apparent intention of obtaining visas to travel to Cuba and ultimately return to the Soviet Union. This trip, lasting from September 27th to October 3rd, remains one of the first. of the most mysterious periods of Oswald's life. He visited both the Cuban and Soviet embassies multiple times, but his visa requests were denied. At the Cuban embassy, Oswald met with Consul

Elzebio Ascué and became agitated when told he couldn't receive an immediate visa to Cuba. He showed his documentation of pro-Castro activities, but was told he would need Soviet approval first. At the Soviet embassy he met with Consul Valeri Kostakov, who was later identified, as a KGB officer working in the assassination department, though the significance of this remains unclear. Oswald's behavior during these visits was erratic and desperate. Witnesses described him as alternately pleading and demanding, at one point breaking down in tears when his requests were denied. The Cubans found him unstable and suspicious, while the Soviets wanted nothing to do with a former defector who had already caused them problems.

Oswald returned from Mexico City, defeated and desperate. His attempts to return to the Soviet Union or reach Cuba had failed. He was unemployed, his marriage was failing, and he was living apart from Marina and their two daughters. Marina was staying with Ruth Payne, a Quaker woman who had befriended her and offered assistance. On October 14, 1963, Ruth Payne mentioned to her neighbor, Lenny May Randall, that Oswald needed work. Randall's brother, Buell Wesley Fraser, worked at the Texas school book depository and mentioned they were hiring. Oswald applied and was hired on October 15th as a temporary employee filling book orders for $1.25 an hour. The job at the book depository was menial work, far below what Oswald believed he deserved.

He saw himself as an intellectual, a revolutionary, a man of destiny. yet here he was filling book orders in a warehouse. His supervisor, Roy truly, remembered him as a good worker but quiet and unfriendly. Co-workers found him odd. He would eat lunch alone and never joined in conversations. During the week, Oswald lived in a rooming house in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, under the alias O.H. Lee. On weekends, he would ride to Irving with Buell Fraser to visit Marina and the children at Ruth Payne's house. These visits were often tense.

Marina was considering leaving him permanently, and Oswald would alternate between begging her to reconcile and angrily demanding his rights as a husband. On November 21, 1963, Oswald broke his routine by asking Frazier for a ride to Irving on a Thursday night, claiming he needed to pick up curtain rods for his room. That evening, he tried to reconcile with Marina, but she rejected him. According to her later testimony,

He seemed sad and defeated. He went to bed early, but Marina noticed he left the light on in the garage where he had stored the rifle wrapped in a blanket. On the morning of November 22nd, Oswald left $170 and his wedding ring on Marina's dresser, almost all the money he had. He took with him a long brown paper package that he told Frazier contained curtain rods. During the drive to work, Oswald was unusually quiet, even for him. Frazier noticed that Oswald carried the package differently than one would normally carry curtain rods, cupping one end in his hand with the other end under his armpit. At the book depository, Oswald was seen on multiple floors that morning.

He was observed on the sixth floor arranging boxes near the southeast corner window. Charles Givens, a co-worker, saw him alone on the sixth floor at 1155 a.m. when everyone else had gone to lunch. Oswald had constructed a sniper's nest using bookwomen. boxes, creating both concealment and a rifle rest. At 1230 p.m. as the presidential motorcade passed below, Oswald fired three shots from the sixth floor window. His marine training, his practice with the rifle and the relatively short distance, less than 90 yards for the fatal shot, made the assassination technically feasible, despite later claims about the difficulty

of the shots. After firing, he hid the rifle between boxes and walked down the stairs. In countering police officer Marion Baker and Roy Trulley in the second floor lunchroom, approximately 90 seconds after the shooting. Back at the Texas School Book Depository, police had discovered the sniper's nest on the sixth floor at approximately 12.58 p.m. Deputy Sheriff Luke Mooney found the arrangement of boxes creating a shield, three spent shell casings on the floor near the window, and a brown paper bag that appeared to have been used to conceal the rifle.

At 122 p.m., officers Eugene Boone and Seymour Weitzman discovered a rifle hidden between boxes near the back stairwell on the sixth floor. The weapon was initially misidentified as a 7.65 millimeter German Mouser, but was actually a 6.5 millimeter Italian manlicker Carcano rifle with a telescopic site. Lee Harvey Oswald had left the schoolbook depository within three minutes of the assassination. He walked east on Elm Street for seven blocks, then boarded a city bus. When the bus became stuck in traffic caused by the assassination chaos, Oswald got off and hailed a taxi, taking it to the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, arriving at his rooming house at approximately 1 p.m. His landlady, Erlene Roberts,

observed him enter hurriedly and go to his room, emerging minutes later having changed his jacket and armed himself with a 38-caliber revolver. At approximately 1.15 p.m., Dallas police officer J.D. Tippett, who had been patrolling the Oak Cliff area in response to the radio alerts about the assassination, spotted Oswald walking along East 10th Street. The description of the suspect broadcast over police radio, a white male approximately 30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches, 165 pounds, matched Oswald's appearance. Tippett pulled alongside Oswald and engaged him in conversation through the passenger window. Tippett then exited his patrol car and walked toward the front of the vehicle. As he reached the front wheel, Oswald pulled out his revolver and fired four shots,

hitting Tippett three times in the chest and once in the head, killing him instantly. Multiple witnesses observed the Tippett shooting, and several saw Oswald fleeing the scene, reloading his revolver as he ran. He was seen ducking into the entrance alcove of Hardy Shoe Store as police sirens approached, then continuing west on Jefferson Boulevard. Johnny Calvin Brewer, manager of Hardy's shoe store, noticed Oswald's suspicious behavior and followed him, watching as he entered the Texas Theater without paying for a ticket.

Brewer alerted the theater cashier, Julia Postal, who called the police. Within minutes, police officers converged on the Texas theater. The house lights were brought up, and officers began systematically checking patrons. When Officer Nick McDonald approached Ozzy, Oswald, who was seated near the back of the theater, Oswald stood and reportedly said,

well, it's all over now. He then punched McDonald in the face and reached for his revolver. A struggle ensued with McDonald and other officers subduing Oswald and disarming him. As he was being arrested, Oswald shouted, I am not resisting arrest. Police brutality. While Dallas police were pursuing Oswald, a constitutional crisis was being quietly resolved at Parkland,

hospital. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had been riding two cars behind Kennedy in the motorcade, had been rushed to a secure area of the hospital by his Secret Service detail. Upon confirmation of Kennedy's death, Johnson became the 36th President of the United States, though the formal oath of office had not yet been administered. A dispute arose between local and federal authorities over jurisdiction of the president's body. Dallas County Medical Examiner Dr. Earl Rose insisted that Texas law required an autopsy to be performed in Dallas for any homicide victim. The Secret Service and Kennedy's staff were determined to return the president's body to Washington

immediately. The confrontation became heated, with Secret Service agents and Dr. Rose nearly coming to physical blows before the federal agents essentially forced their way out of the hospital with the president's casket at approximately 208 p.m. The bronze casket containing Kennedy's body was loaded into a hearse and driven to Love Field, where Air Force One awaited. Jackie Kennedy, still wearing her blood-stained pink suit, refused to change clothes, reportedly saying, let them see what they've done. She accompanied her husband's casket, maintaining a vigil beside it. President Johnson, concerned about the possibility of a broader conspiracy and acting on the advice of Attorney General Robert Kennedy, decided to take the oath of

office before departing Dallas. Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes was summoned to Lovefield, arriving at 2.30 p.m. At 2.38 p.m. in the crowded state room of Air Force One, with Jackie Kennedy standing at his side, Lyndon Baines Johnson took the oath of office as president of the United States. The iconic photograph by White White House photographer Cecil Stoughton captured this historic moment. Jackie Kennedy, still in shock, her clothing stained with her husband's blood, witnessing the transfer of power to Johnson. Lee Harvey Oswald was formerly charged with the murder of Officer Tippett at 7.10 p.m. on November 22nd. Throughout the afternoon and evening, he underwent intermittent interrogation by Dallas Police Captain Will Fritz, FBI agents, and Secret Service agents.

No stenographer was present, and no tape recording was made of these sessions, a serious procedural lapse that would later fuel suspicions about the investigation's integrity. During these interrogations, Oswald maintained his innocence, claiming he was a patsy who had been set up to take the blame. He denied owning a rifle, denied being in the sixth floor window during the assassination, and claimed he had been eating lunch in the first floor domino room of the school book depository when Kennedy was shot. He admitted to leaving work after the assassination, but said this was because he assumed work would be suspended for the day due to the confusion. Jack Ruby was born Jacob Rubinstein on March 25th, 1911, in Chicago, Illinois, the fifth of eight children born to Joseph and Fannie Rubinstein, Jewish immigrants from Poland. The family lived in poverty in Chicago's Maxwell Street area, a predominantly Jewish ghetto teeming with push-cart vendors,

small shops, and tenement buildings. Joseph was an alcoholic carpenter, who was frequently unemployed and occasionally violent. Fannie was illiterate and possibly mentally ill. She would later be committed to a state hospital. The Rubenstein household was chaotic and dysfunctional. The parents fought constantly, often physically, and the children were left to fend for themselves. Young Jack learned early that survival meant being tough

and that violence was an acceptable solution to problems. By age 11, he was skipping school regularly and running with street gangs. He earned money by selling newspapers, scalping tickets, and running errands for local gamblers and racketeers. Stay tuned for more disturbing history. We'll be back after these messages. In 1923, when Jack was 12, his parents separated, and the children were temporarily placed in foster homes.

Jack spent about 18 months in foster care, an experience that reinforced his belief that he could only rely on himself. When the family reunited, minus Joseph, Jack became increasingly involved in petty crime. He was arrested multiple times as a juvenile for truancy and fighting, but avoided serious consequences. As a teenager, Jack was small but fierce, quick to fight anyone who insulted him or his family, particularly anyone who made anti-Semitic remarks. He developed a reputation as someone who would not back down from a fight, even against larger opponents.

This pugnacious nature would remain a defining characteristic throughout his life. He was also known for his volatile ten. Emperor, capable of switching from friendly to violent in seconds. In 1943 at age 32, Jack was drafted into the Army Air Forces. Military service provided structure and a degree of respectability that had been absent from his life. He served stateside throughout the war, working mostly in aircraft maintenance at various bases in the South.

Fellow servicemen remembered him as a good soldier who was eager to fight anyone who made anti-Semitic remarks or spoke favorably of Hitler. After the war, Jack briefly returned to Chicago but found the city had changed. The mob was more organized and violent, and his old connections were less valuable. His siblings were establishing legitimate lives, and he felt increasingly out of place. His sister Eva had moved to Dallas to manage a nightclub, and she encouraged Jack to join her, suggesting that Dallas offered opportunities for an ambitious man willing to work on the margins of legality. Jack Ruby arrived in Dallas in 1947 with a few hundred dollars and a determination to become somebody in his new city.

Dallas in the late 1940s was a wide open town where gambling, prostitution, and other vices operated with minimal police interference, provided appropriate payments were made. Jack quickly learned the local rules and began establishing himself in the nightclub business. His first venture was the Silver Spur Club on South Irvay Street, which he operated with his sister, Ava. The club featured country music and beer, catering to the working-class migrants who had come to Dallas for defense industry jobs. Jack threw himself into the business with manic energy, working 18-hour days, personally greeting customers and violently ejecting troublemakers. He cultivated relationships with police officers, providing them free drinks and food, understanding that their friendship was essential for operating on the edges of legality. In 1948, Jack Chang,

changed his name legally to Jack Leon Ruby, partly to sound less Jewish in a city where anti-Semitism was common. He began presenting himself as a tough but fair nightclub operator who ran clean establishments. However, police records show he was repeatedly arrested for various minor offenses, including carrying a concealed weapon, simple assault, and violating liquor laws. He always managed to avoid serious consequences through his police connections and the strategic payment of fines. In 1960, Ruby took over the Carousel Club on Commerce Street in downtown Dallas. This would become his primary business and the center of his world for the last three years of his life. The Carousel was a strip tease club that Ruby tried to position as a class establishment,

though it remained fundamentally a place where men paid to watch women undress. Ruby was obsessed with the carousel's reputation and his own status as a nightclub operator. He hired quality musicians for the band and tried to book feature dancers with national reputations. He instituted a dress code for customers and would personally eject anyone he deemed insufficiently refined. However, his violent temper undermined these pretensions to respectability. He was known to beat customers who complained, attack competitors who tried to hire his dancers, and assault employees who displeased him. The carousel existed in a complex ecosystem of corruption and violence.

Ruby paid regular bribes to police officers to avoid raids and maintain his liquor license. He had arrangements with taxi drivers and hotel bellman to steer tourists to his club. He was connected to, though not formally part of, the network of organized crime figures who controlled much of Dallas's vice operations. These included Joseph Savella, the local mafia boss, and various gamblers and bookmakers who operated under Sovello's protection. Ruby's financial situation in the early 1960s was precarious. The carousel was barely profitable, and he owed money to various creditors,

including the federal government for back taxes. He was constantly scheming to make money through various ventures, including an exercise device called the Twist Board that he tried to promote. His financial desperation led him to become involved in various, dubious schemes, including alleged gun running to Cuba and participation in illegal gambling operations. When President Kennedy's visit to Dallas was announced, Ruby saw it as an exciting event that might bring business to downtown. On November 21st, he attended a midnight press conference at the Dallas Police Department related to the president's visit, though his presence there was not

unusual given his regular visits to police headquarters. On November 22nd, Ruby was at the Dallas morning news placing advertisements for the carousel when he learned of the assassination. Multiple witnesses described him as genuinely distraught, crying and saying he couldn't believe anyone would kill the president in Dallas. He immediately closed the carousel, one of the few nightclub operators to do so, and seemed genuinely offended that competitors remained open. That evening and throughout November 23rd, Ruby's behavior became increasingly erratic. He visited police headquarters multiple times, mingling with reporters covering the Oswald investigation. He was seen on the third floor where Oswald was being interrogated, though he claimed to be

translating for Israeli reporters. He brought sandwiches to officers and reporters, presenting himself as a helpful local businessman, though his presence at sensitive locations raised later questions. On the evening of November 23rd, Ruby attended a memorial service at his synagogue, congregation sherrith Israel. Rabbi Hillel Silverman later recalled that Ruby approached him after the service, saying he was devastated by the assassination and worried about the image of Dallas. Ruby seemed particularly concerned about the anti-Kennedy advertisement that had appeared in the Dallas morning news on November 22nd, noting that it had been signed with a Jewish-sounding name.

On the morning of November 24th, Ruby's movements became the subject of intense scrutiny and debate. He claimed to have been at his apartment until approximately 11 a.m. When he received a phone call from one of his dancers, Karen Carlin, also known as Little Lynn, who needed money. Ruby said he drove downtown to send her a wire transfer from the Western Union office on Main Street, one block from police headquarters. The Western Union receipt shows Ruby sent $25 to Carlin at 1117 a.m. The transfer of Oswald was scheduled for 10,000.000. The transfer of Oswald was scheduled for 10 a.m. but had been delayed. Ruby claimed that after sending the money, he walked to police headquarters to see the transfer, leaving his beloved Doxan Shiba in his car. He said he was able to

walk down the ramp into the basement garage because a police car was exiting, and the officer guarding the ramp had stepped aside. However, this timeline has been questioned. Some researchers suggest Ruby had inside information about the actual transfer time and that his Western Union errand was designed to establish an alibi. The fact that he arrived at the precise moment of Oswald's emergence in a basement filled with police officers who knew him suggests either extraordinary coincidence or coordination. On Sunday morning, November 24th, preparations were made to transfer Oswald from the Dallas City Jail to the county jail. The transfer had been announced to the media, and the basement of the Dallas Police Department was packed with reporters, photographers,

first live television broadcast of a murder. At 1121 a.m., Oswald flanked by detectives, emerged from the jail office into the basement garage. He was wearing a dark sweater and was handcuffed to Detective J.R. Lavelle. As they walked toward the transfer vehicle, a man in a dark suit and fedora hat suddenly lunged forward from the crowd of reporters. This was Jack Ruby. Ruby extended his right hand holding a 38-caliber colt cobra revolver and fired a single shot into Oswald's abdomen. Oswald grimaced and doubled over as officers immediately wrestled Ruby to the ground. Oswald was heard to groan, oh, as he collapsed. The entire incident was captured on live television, with millions of Americans witnessing the shooting as it happened.

Oswald was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, the same emergency room where President Ken had been pronounced dead two days earlier. Despite emergency surgery performed by the same doctors who had tried to save Kennedy and Connolly, Oswald's injuries were fatal. The bullet had struck multiple organs, causing massive internal bleeding. He was pronounced dead at 107 p.m., taking with him any opportunity for a trial that might have revealed his motivations or confirmed whether he acted alone. Jack Ruby's motives for killing Oswald remained debated. Ruby claimed. Ruby claimed he shot Oswald to spare Jackie Kennedy the trauma of a trial, saying he wanted to show that Jews have guts. However, his connections to organized crime figures and his presence at the jail at the exact moment of the transfer

raised suspicions about a possible conspiracy to silence Oswald. Ruby would be convicted of murder and sentenced to death, but he died of cancer on January 3, 1967, while awaiting a new trial. On November 29, 1963, President Johnson established the President's Commission on the assassination of President Kennedy, popularly known as the Warren Commission, after its chairman, Chief Justice Earl Warren. The commission included former CIA Director Alan Dulles, Representative Gerald Ford, Representative Hale Boggs, Senator Richard Russell, Senator John Sherman Cooper, and former World Bank President, John J. McCloy. The commission's investigation was massive in scope, ultimately interviewing 552 witnesses and collecting thousands of documents. The FBI conducted approximately 25,000 interviews and re-interviews, while the Secret Service conducted 1,550 interviews. The commission's work was supported by a staff of lawyers led by General Counsel Jay Lee Rankin,

divided into teams focusing on different aspects of the assassination. The commission faced several. challenges from the outset. The lack of a proper autopsy in Dallas meant relying on the autopsy performed at Bethesda Naval Hospital, which itself was problematic due to the inexperience of the pathologists with gunshot wounds and interference from military officials. The absence of recorded interrogations of Oswald meant relying on sometimes contradictory recollections of those present. The commission also operated under pressure to complete its work quickly to calm public anxiety and conspiracy theories.

A critical piece of evidence examined by the commission was the Zapruder film, the 26.6 second home movie that captured the entire assassination sequence. Abraham Zapruder, a Dallas dressmaker, had positioned himself on a concrete pedestal on the grassy knoll to film the motorcade

with his 8mm bell and howl camera. The film's 486 frames provided a precise timeline of events and showed the fatal headshot in grassy detail. Frame 313, showing the impact of the fatal bullet, became one of the most analyzed images in history. One of the most controversial aspects of the Warren Commission's findings was the single bullet theory, primarily developed by commission staff lawyer Arlen Specter, who would later become a United States Senator. This theory proposed that one bullet caused all of the non-fatal wounds to both President Kennedy and Governor Connolly. The theory was

necessary to explain the wounds within the time frame established by the Zapruder film and the number of shots that could have been fired from Oswald's bolt action rifle. If Kennedy and Connolly were struck by separate bullets in rapid succession, it would have been impossible for Oswald to have fired both shots given the minimum cycling time of the rifle. This would suggest a second shooter and thus a conspiracy. According to the single bullet theory, commission exhibit 399, the nearly pristine bullet found on a stretcher at Parkland Hospital, entered Kennedy's back, exited his throat, entered Connolly's back, shattered a rib, exited his chest, passed through his wrist shattering the radius bone, and lodged in his thigh. Critics argued that the

bullet's trajectory required impossible angles and that no single bullet could cause such damage while remaining largely intact. The commission addressed these criticisms by noting that the bullets path was consistent with the alignment of the two men in the limousine, with Connolly seated lower and to the left of Kennedy on the jump seat. Tests with similar ammunition showed that bullets could remain relatively intact when passing through soft tissue and even when striking bone at certain angles. However, the single bullet theory remained a point of contention for critics of the Warren report. On September 24, 1964, the Warren Commission presented its 888 page report to President Johnson.

The commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, fired three shots from the sixth floor window of the Texas school book depository, killing President Kennedy and wounding Governor Connolly. They found no evidence of a conspiracy, either domestic or foreign, to assassinate the president. The commission determined that Oswald's Marxist ideology, his history of violence as evidenced by the attempted shooting of General Walker, his troubled personality,

and his desire for notoriety, motivated the assassination. Stay tuned for more disturbing history. We'll be back after these messages. They concluded that Jack Ruby also acted alone in killing Oswald, motivated by grief over Kennedy's death and a desire to spare Jackie Kennedy a trial.

The report was critical of the Secret Services' performance, noting inadequate advanced preparations, insufficient agents on the president's detail, and poor coordination with local law enforcement. It recommended numerous changes to presidential security procedures, many of which were immediately implemented. However, the Warren report failed to satisfy many Americans. Polls showed that a majority of the public doubted the lone gunman conclusion almost immediately. Critics pointed to witnesses who reported shots from the grassy knoll, the supposedly pristine condition of the magic bullet, the improbability of Oswald's marksmanship, and the numerous connections between key figures

and intelligence agencies or organized crime. Almost immediately after the assassination, alternative theories began to circulate. Some focused on the grassy knoll, where several witnesses claimed to have heard shots or seen smoke. The Badge Man theory emerged from analysis of photographs, claiming to show a figure with a rifle behind the fence on the knoll. Acoustic evidence, would later be interpreted by some as indicating a shot from this location. The CIA became a focus of suspicion due to Kennedy's alleged plans to dismantle the agency following the Bay of Pigs fiasco and his perceived betrayal during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Oswald's mysterious trip to Mexico City in September 1963, where he visited both the Cuban

and Soviet embassies, raised questions about intelligence agency surveillance and possible manipulation. The CIA's failed to be a few. to fully inform the Warren Commission about its plots to assassinate Fidel Castro, further fueled suspicions when revealed years later. Organized crime theories centered on the mob's anger over the Kennedy administration's aggressive prosecutions, led by Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Jack Ruby's connections to organized crime figures and the fact that key mob bosses like Carlos Marcello and Santo Traficant had threatened the Kennedy's added weight to these theories. Some theorists proposed that the mob

and CIA worked together, united by their shared interest in overthrowing Castro and their anger at the Kennedys. In 1976, growing public skepticism about the Warren Commission's findings and revelations about CIA and FBI misconduct led Congress to establish the House Select Committee on Assassinations to reinvestigate both Kennedy's assassination and that of Martin Luther King Jr. The HSCA conducted a thorough reinvestigation, employing modern, forensic techniques unavailable to the Warren Commission. They enhanced the Zapruder film, conducted new ballistics tests, and performed neutron activation analysis on bullet fragments.

The committee also had access to classified documents that had been withheld from the Warren Commission. The most controversial aspect of the HSCA investigation was its acoustic evidence analysis. A Dallas Police Dictabelt recording, discovered in 1978, appeared to have captured the sound of the assassination. Analysis by acoustic experts initially suggested that four shots were fired, with one coming from the grassy knoll area. This led the committee to conclude that Kennedy was probably assassinated as a result

of a conspiracy, though they could not identify the other gunman or the nature of the conspiracy. However, this conclusion was immediately controversial. Further analysis by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the Dictabelt recording did not actually capture the assassination sounds, as it was recorded approximately one minute after the shooting. This finding effectively undermined the HSCA's conspiracy conclusion, though the committee's other findings largely supported the Warren Commission's physical evidence. In the decades following the assassination,

advancing technology has allowed for new analysis of the evidence. Computer modeling has been used to recreate the trajectories of the bullets, generally supporting the feasibility of the single bullet theory when the correct positions of Kennedy and Connolly are accounted for. Enhanced analysis of the Zapruder film has provided clearer images of the fatal shot, though interpretations of Kennedy's head movement continue to vary. In 1992, the JFK Records Act mandated the release of all government documents related to the assassination. The Assassination Records Review Board established to oversee this process, released millions of pages of documents between 1994 and 1998.

While no smoking gun proving conspiracy was found, the documents revealed extensive CIA and FBI surveillance of Oswald, previously unknown CIA plots, and the agency's efforts to hide information from investigators. Modern ballistics analysis has generally supported the conclusion that the fatal shots came from behind and above Kennedy, consistent with the sixth floor window. Studies of the bullet fragments using neutron activation analysis have concluded they are consistent

with coming from just two bullets, supporting the Warren Commission's three-shot scenario. However, some experts continue to dispute these findings, pointing to inconsistencies and uncertainties in the evidence. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy remains America's most analyzed and debated historical event. Despite millions of pages of the evidence, of documents, thousands of books, countless investigations, and decades of technological analysis, fundamental questions remain unanswered. The basic facts that Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots

that killed Kennedy are accepted by most investigators, but the context, connections, and possible conspiracies continue to generate controversy. Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby were in many ways quintessentially American figures of their era. Outsiders seeking significance, men of violence in a violent time, individuals whose personal failures and frustrations found expression in acts that changed history. Their lives, though different in detail,

shared common themes of alienation, failure, and a desperate need for importance. Oswald, the fatherless child who never found a place to belong, sought meaning and ideology but found only deeper isolation. His intelligence and ambition were undermined by his personality disorders and inability to connect with others. His act of assassination can be seen as the ultimate expression of his narcissistic need for historical importance. If he couldn't be recognized for his talents, he would be remembered for his crime. Ruby, the tough guy from the Chicago streets who never quite made it as a respectable businessman,

lived his entire life on the margins of legality and respectability. His violent temperament and connections to organized crime made him a perfect instrument for silencing Oswald, whether by design or coincidence. His act ensured that the full truth about Kennedy's assassination would never be known, leaving questions that persist to this day. The assassination marked a turning point in American history, ending the post-World War II era of confidence and beginning a period of questioning and cynicism that continues today. It changed how we protect presidents, how we investigate major crimes, and how we think about government transparency and accountability. The event demonstrated both the vulnerability of democratic leaders and the resilience of democratic institutions in moments of crisis. What remains most striking about the Kennedy assassination is not just the event itself, but its enduring hold on the public imagination. Each generation discovers the assassination anew, bringing fresh perspectives and technologies to bear on the evidence.

The recent releases of previously classified documents continue to provide new information, though no smoking gun proving conspiracy has emerged. The tragedy in Dealey Plaza fundamentally changed America, transforming not just the presidency, but the nation's understanding of itself. The optimism and confidence of the early 1960s gave way to suspicion and doubt. The belief that America was moving toward a bright future was shattered by three shots in six seconds. The questions raised by those shots about who was responsible, who benefited, and what really happened, continue to resonate because they touch on fundamental issues of power, truth, and justice in democratic society. As we move further from November 22nd, The Kennedy assassination transforms from living memory to history.

The witnesses are passing away, the physical evidence deteriorates, and the cultural context that made Kennedy such a significant figure fades. Yet the fascination endures, suggesting that the assassination speaks to something fundamental in the human experience. The sudden intrusion of violence into ordinary life, the fragility of even the most powerful, and the difficulty of ever knowing the complete truth about complex events. The assassination remains unsolved, not in the legal sense. Oswald was identified as the shooter within hours,

but in a deeper sense that encompasses motivation, connection, and meaning. Whether Oswald acted alone or as part of a conspiracy, whether he was a committed assassin or a manipulated Patsy, whether Kennedy's death changed history's trajectory, or merely accelerated existing trends. These questions remain open because they cannot be definitively answered with the evidence available. In the end, the Kennedy assassination endures as America's great mystery, not because of what we don't know, but because what we do know raises such profound questions.

A young president full of promise was cut down at the height of his power. A nation's innocence was shattered, and the reverberations of those shots in Dele Plaza continue to take. echo through American history, reminding us of the fragility of life, the persistence of violence, and the elusiveness of truth. The search for answers continues, driven by new technologies, newly released documents, and new generations of researchers. Perhaps someday a definitive answer will emerge, though after more than 60 years, this seems increasingly unlikely. More probably, the Kennedy assassination will remain what it has become. A defining moment,

in American history, whose full truth remains just beyond our grasp, a modern mystery that speaks to timeless questions about power, violence, and the nature of historical truth itself. The legacy of November 22, 1963, is not just the death of a president, but the birth of a different America, one more skeptical, more divided, but also more demanding of transparency and accountability from its government. In that sense, the assassination's impact continues to shape our present, making it not merely a historical event, but a continuing presence in American life. The shots in Dele Plaza ended one era and began another, and we are still living with the consequences of that terrible day in Dallas.