The Kennedy Assassination November 17 th, 2014 American Conspiracies
Warm-Up: Kennedy Brainstorm Working with a partner (optional), come up with a list of things you know/have heard/assume about this unit! Laptops closed. Working together! If you don t know, take a guess! 1) What do you know about John F. Kennedy, the man? (i.e. Where was he from? Career background? Family?) 2) What do you know about John F. Kennedy s Presidency? (i.e. Major accomplishments? Challenges or failures?) 3) What do you know about the assassination? (i.e. Location, time, date, people involved, aftermath)
Step 1: John F. Kennedy, the President Born: May 29 th, 1917 in Brookline, MA Powerful political family, son of a successful businessman and politician Joseph P. Kennedy Political Career Arc: U.S. House of Reps from MA (1947-53), U.S. Senator (1953-1960), lost the Democratic Primary in the Presidential Race of 1956 35 th President of the United States, Defeated Richard Nixon on November 8 th, 1960 http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/presidentialelections/videos/the-first-jfk-nixon-debate
John F. Kennedy, the President 1960: What comes next? Conflicts to consider: Soviet Union and the Cold War An experienced young Politician, particularly with issues of foreign policy Context to consider: Uneasy Americans i.e. The Civil Rights Movement Communism and the Red Scare Threat of Nuclear War https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=p1pbqlvmp98
Milestones of the Kennedy Presidency 1 st Catholic President in U.S. History Established the Peace Corps Treaty to limit nuclear testing with the Soviet Union Helped end segregation of inter-state transportation authorities Cuban Missile Crisis and The Brink Space Exploration and NASA https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=g25g1m4exrq
Warm-Up: Friday, 11.21.2014 Watch the following clip from the PBS documentary American Experience: JFK (1:26:14) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/ jfk/player/ Considering both this clip and the article, discuss the following questions with others at your table: 1) Do you think the Kennedy Campaign was corrupt for denying these truthful allegations? What are the possible consequences for keeping secrets like this? 2) From the HW: Does a President s health play an important role in his ability to succeed?
Dallas, TX - November 22 nd, 1963 President Kennedy and the First Lady travel to Dallas, TX Purpose: campaign fundraiser with Texas Governor John Connolly Leaves Dallas Love Field Airport at 11:40am, planned arrival Dallas Trade Mart for 12:15 luncheon Huge crowds slow the motorcade route, arrives in Dealey Plaza at approximately 12:29pm (PBS mark - 3:31:13) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/ americanexperience/films/jfk/player/
Evidence: The Zapruder Footage Closely watch the following clip.. Filmed by Abraham Zapruder (civilian, resident of Dallas TX) Ukrainian textile worker, age 58 The most comprehensive footage of the two bullets that (allegedly) struck President Kennedy from the rear (School Book Depository) https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=c7rlyh52fpe
Shots Fired and the Aftermath Lee Harvey Oswald shoots and kills Dallas Police officer J.D. Tippit shortly after 1:00pm approx. 3 miles from Dealey Plaza Oswald is arrested at 1:40pm after confrontation with officers in the Texas Theatre Denies shooting anyone, claims he is a patsy due to previous Soviet Union connections President Kennedy pronounced dead at 1:00pm at Parkland Memorial Hospital VP Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as President aboard Air Force One in Dallas at 2:38pm November 24 th : Jack Ruby kills Oswald as he is escorted to an armored police car at Dallas Police HQ
Warm-Up: November 25th Working with your table partners, please compile a list of possible conspiracy connections for the following terms: CIA J. Edgar Hoover Grassy Knowl Example of a connection you can record: Witnesses say that policemen immediately ran towards grassy knowl after the shooting, possible 2 nd shooter Once your group has compiled the list, please write these up on the board in the corresponding spot!
Introduction to the Theories Single Bullet (a.k.a. Magic Bullet) Theory: The accepted theory that a single bullet struck both JFK and Gov. Connolly (first to hit either), fired by Oswald from Book depository building Free Cuba Theory: Tying together Oswald s connections with the Free Cuba Committee (an anti-castro movement) CIA Cover-Up Theory: Behind closed doors, JFK disapproved of CIA tactics. CIA in turn planned the assassination in order to not be disbanded as a government organization Military Industrial Complex Theory: Due to JFK s supposed willingness to eventually pull out of Vietnam, powerful financial backers of U.S. Military spending wanted to oust the Kennedy Administration in favor of LBJ Other Less Probable Theories to include: LBJ Did It and the Mob Theory
Single Bullet Theory Pt. 1 Developed in three separate stages by both the FBI and Warren Commission Phase 1 & 2: DEC 1963 MAR 1964 Bullet #1 caused all of Governor Connally s wounds by passing through his torso and shattering his right wrist; Bullet #2/3 caused President Kennedy s fatal head wound Bullet #3 caused one of Kennedy s non fatal wounds by entering his back, but did not cause his throat wound
Single Bullet Theory, Pt. 2 The wounding of the bystander, James Tague, was unexpectedly made public The commission became obliged to use the only plausible explanation that would account for all of the wounds having been inflicted by just three bullets Bullet #1 caused Tague s wound Bullet #2 caused President Kennedy s fatal head wound; Bullet #3 caused all of Kennedy s and Connally s non fatal wounds by entering Kennedy s back, exiting through his throat, entering Connally s back, exiting his chest, passing through his right wrist, and lodging itself in his left thigh: the single bullet theory
Warm-Up: Thursday, December 4th Part 1 Take out your NOVA Film Questions sheet from Tuesday Make sure to fill in any additional informational you find as we watch the remainder of the documentary! Part 2 (Laptops Closed) With your table partners, please use your film notes to answer the following questions (one scribe per group) listing all group members on the sheet! 1) After watching the various experiments and reconstructions this film uses, does your group agree on whether there was only a single shooter or multiple shooters? What evidence supports your various answers? 2) Looking forward, what do you think is more likely: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating the President OR other forces were at work outside of Oswald (i.e. multiple shooters, CIA, FBI, Cuba, U.S.S.R., organized crime, etc.)
CIA, Cuba and Oswald: A Tangled Web NBC Article: What evidence is presented to support a CIA cover up? Contexts for the Theories 1) Bay of Pigs Invasion is a massive foreign policy failure, CIA and Kennedy at odds over how it is handled 2) Allen Dulles s involvement in the Warren Commission 3) Cuban Missile Crisis of 1963 4) Organized crime s involvement in the expansion of Cuban Casinos and the abrupt changes that result following Castro s rise to power in 1959-61
Hoover, Dulles and the CIA Allen Dulles (former CIA director) and November 1961 resignation Failure at Bay of Pigs prompts his dismissal from the Agency (Video 2) J. Edgar Hoover and aggressive Agency tactics Possible ties to LBJ often accused Theory: JFK seen as a threat by the CIA, needed to be removed in order to maintain the Agency and avoid a panicked American public Both LIHOP and MIHOP theories are supported by conspiracy theorists
Welcome Back Monday 12/8 6 Degrees of Separation: JFK, the CIA and Organized Crime Please check the Wordpress and identify which individual you will investigate based on your table number (sanborntraiphumanities.wordpress.com) 1) Please refer to your Kennedy Unit Guide and review your definition of this individual 2) Read/watch the attached document/clip based on your alleged player in the JFK conspiracy 3) Please answer the following in a Google Doc titled Six Degrees JFK, CIA and the Mob a) What possible connection does this individual have to the assassination of JFK? b) What evidence is present to make this connection? Do you feel this person was involved in a conspiracy?
To Review: Oswald Theories Alleged Theories: 1) Oswald was known to be a Communist, and these connections are covered up by CIA due to failure in apprehending Oswald and his conspirators 2) Oswald was a FBI informant, and through a tangled web of government deals, he is aided by CIA to assassinate the President (Jack Ruby subsequently silenced Oswald) 3) Oswald was an agent of the Soviet Union and his assassination of Kennedy was an act of war Other Factors to Consider: -Organized crime and supposed connections between Jack Ruby and agents of Chicago and New Orleans mob activity -CIA recruitment of agents of organized crime to oust Cuban leader Fidel Castro -The Kennedy Administration s war on organized crime
The Players: Jack Ruby Born in Brazil, IN (1911) known best for shooting Oswald Lived in Chicago from 1937-1947 (Military service 43-46) Dallas nightclub owner, arrested eight times between 1949 and 1963 All citations for minor arrests (alcohol license violations, traffic violations, simple assault) Demanded to be taken to Washington to meet in person with the Warren Commission Repeatedly insisted he would not make it long enough to deny accusations of involvement in conspiracy to kill JFK July 18 th, 1964: takes voluntary polygraph test in Dallas Warren Commission: results of the test prove too unreliable to use in their official report Granted new trial in late 1966 died January 3 rd, 1967
The Players: Sam Giancana Born in Chicago, IL (1908) known best as a powerful mob boss within The Chicago Outfit Connections with a number of important groups relevant to the Kennedy assassination including Dallas mobster Joe Campisi and New Orleans boss Carlos Marcello The not-so-public dealings between Giancana, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford and JFK (video 1:44 to 5:48) Numerous allegations are made that Giancana was recruited by the CIA to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro during JFK s presidency 1967-74: Exile in Mexico, returns to Chicago Weeks before Giancana was to be called to testify in Washington, D.C. he is shot and killed in his Chicago home (Keep in mind the date June 19 th, 1975) Church Committee s purpose: to investigate possible collusion between CIA, the mob, and JFK assassination
The Players: James (Jimmy) Hoffa Born in Brazil, IN best known for serving as International Brotherhood of Teamsters(IBT) labor union President between 1958-71 Organized crime had a substantial influence on the trucking and freight industry during the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s Hoffa accommodated these groups One of the central targets of Robert F. Kennedy s war on organized crime during both his time in the U.S. House of Representatives and as Attorney General Charged and convicted of attempting to bribe a grand juror in 1964 thanks to information uncovered by both FBI and RFK operatives FBI informants reporting on Hoffa: I ve got to do something about that son of a bitch Bobby Kennedy. He s got to go. (1963) Released from jail in 1971 after a pardon by President Nixon disappeared from suburban Detroit on July 30 th, 1975 and is presumed dead in absentia in 1982
For Wednesday: Jim Garrison WS Please complete the research worksheet on Jim Garrison s investigation of the JFK assassination This research should be web-based and focus on reasons behind the longstanding fascination with Garrison s investigations Six Degrees Kennedy activity Pt. 2 on Wednesday to begin class Any missing work to submit? Please see me after class!
Warm-Up: December 10th Take out your Garrison WS that was completed for HW Please discuss your answers with the other students at your table Compile a group list of details for each person listed on the sheet Add THREE DETAILS for each person to the list on the white board YES, details can be used more than once by different groups
An Introduction: House Select Committee on Assassinations Two main factors contributed to the formation of the HSCA: 1) Zapruder film going viral (March of 1975) 2) The Church Committee Investigation on Intelligence Activities in the U.S. (Spring 1975-76) The Church Committee reported that the CIA had withheld information from the Warren Commission during its investigation of the JFK assassination Additionally, they did not share information regarding: -Plots by the U.S. government against Fidel Castro and Cuba -The FBI conducting a counter-intelligence program (COINTELPRO) against Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (video) -These programs were eventually exposed as an initiative originally created by J. Edgar Hoover (above) in 1956 -Ex: Murder of 21 year old BBP spokesman Fred Hampton -Investigation concludes in 1978, final report issued in 1979
Findings of the HSCA Report Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots at President John F. Kennedy. The second and third shots he fired struck the President. The third shot he fired killed the President. Scientific acoustical evidence establishes a high probability that two gunmen fired at President John F. Kennedy. Other scientific evidence does not preclude the possibility of two gunmen firing at the President. (video #2) On the basis of the evidence available to it, that President John F. Kennedy was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy (but was) unable to identify the other gunman or the extent of the conspiracy. The Secret Service was deficient in the performance of its duties. The FBI and CIA failed to investigate adequately the possibility of a conspiracy to assassinate the President and share information with other agencies and departments.
1977: A Curious Year for Witnesses Date of Death Potentional/Former Witness Connection to the Kennedy Assassination and/or Investigation Cause of Death 3/77 George DeMohrenschildt Close friend to both Oswald and Bouvier family (Jackie Kennedy's parents), CIA Gunshot wound ruled suicide contract agent 3/77 Carlos Prio Soccaras Former Cuban President, money man for anti-castro Cubans Gunshot wound ruled suicide 3/77 Paul Raigorodsky Business friend of George DeMohrenschildt and wealthy oilmen Natural causes 5/77 Lou Staples Dallas radio Talk Show host who told friends he would break assassination case Gunshot to head,ruled suicide 6/77 Louis Nichols Former No. 3 man in FBI, worked on JFK investigation Heart attack 8/77 Alan Belmont FBI official who testified to Warren Commission "Long illness" 8/77 James Cadigan FBI document expert who testified to Warren Commission Fall in home 8/77 Joseph C. Ayres Chief steward on JFK's Air Force One Shooting accident 8/77 Francis G. Powers* U-2 pilot downed over Russia in 1960 Helicopter crash (He reportedly ran out of fuel) 9/77 Kenneth O'Donnell JFK's closest aide Natural causes 10/77 Donald Kaylor FBI fingerprint chemist Heart attack 10/77 J.M. English Former head of FBI Forensic Sciences Laboratory Heart attack 11/77 William Sullivan* Former No. 3 man in FBI, headed Division 5, counter- espionage and domestic intelligence Hunting accident
HSCA: Takeaways and Impact The HSCA investigation marked a drastic change in the way both the U.S. government and the general public viewed the JFK assassination Significantly weakened the standard set by the Warren Commission Report in 1964 Continues to fuel an ongoing controversy surrounding the possibility of two shooters and/or the involvement of elements outside of Oswald s personal control (CIA, FBI) The Warren Commission's conclusion that the agencies of the government co-operated with it is, in retrospect, not the truth. We also now know that the Agency set up a process that could only have been designed to frustrate the ability of the committee in 1976-79 to obtain any information that might adversely affect the Agency. Many have told me that the culture of the Agency is one of prevarication and dissimulation and that you cannot trust it or its people. Period. End of story. I am now in that camp. Robert Blakely, Law Professor at the University of Notre Dame
For Tuesday: December 16th Use your Kennedy Unit Guide Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 to review all terminology We will take a written in class assessment on Tuesday (think back to the Lincoln Post Assessment) Example Question: Using at least three terms from the vocabulary list, please explain what conspiracy theory attempts to connect organized crime or the Mob with the assassination of President Kennedy Also on Tuesday: We will be selecting our unit project topics for the Kennedy Assassination!
Project Work Day + Our Next Step After today s brief warm-up, we will dedicate our efforts to our individual JFK projects! Please choose TWO options from the list below 1) Roswell, UFOs and Extra-Terrestrials 2) The Moon Landing Hoax 3) Secret Societies Rule the World 4) CREATE YOUR OWN In an email to me titled Conspiracies Vote, please pick two of these topics and give a brief 1-2 sentences explanation of why we should cover this topic over our final month!