“Save Me from My Friends”, J. F. Kennedy Pleaded

The killing of US President J. F. Kennedy at the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, had been one of the most debated topics in US history. The real reasons and culprits are unknown hitherto. Many conspiracy theories have been evolved regarding the event consequently. The witnesses state that at 12.30, the fairest, yet the most unfortunate couple, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, together with John Connally, the Governor of Texas, were riding a convertible Lincoln near Texas School Book Depository when someone shot three or four times from the 6th floor. The attacker wounded both males, but Governor Connally appeared to be the luckier survivor. The most handsome of US Presidents succumbed to the ‘conspired attack’ within the next 30 minutes. The investigation into the national tragedy completed in 10 months. The statements from the witnesses further obfuscated the forensic experts’ reports. The complex international scenario, the conspiracies within the land, and last but not least, the killing of the President’s murderer soon after his killing, led to the confusion, which shrouds the US history. During the investigation, the famous Warren Commission, headed by Chief Earl Warren, worked days and nights to learn about the reasons, which gave birth to the horrendous event. They ventured to record evidence through statements, forensic reports, ballistic experts, medical authorities and all those, who could prove helpful in determining the factual position of the event. Ironically, the deductions were either too confounding or complex. Various riddles even today pose a big question mark or grin at the helplessness of those avid to know the reality. The interviews of various personalities, who were present on the site, further proved that the situation was not as simple to be understood easily. The bullets hitting the late President from entirely different sides narrate a complex story, i.e. more than one shooter was the protagonist that every day. At least three bullets had hit the assassinated President: one at the back, the other in the neck, yet the third one in the forehead, forcing him to surrender to the angel of death.

The ‘planned’ assassination of poor President’s alleged killer Lee Harvey Oswald before he could be tried, has also further created doubts about the incident. Behind an apparently enraged reaction over the demise of endeared President, many people have been trying to smell a conspired endeavor to hide the facts. The fear of being caught might have suggested to the contrivers that the killed Lee Harvey Oswald may serve their vested interests better. John Rubenstein, therefore, resorted to the killing of poor Oswald. Today many believe that Oswald was nothing more than a mere puppet, whose strings were pulled from behind the stage, the horrendous stage set to persecute the popular President for the sins never committed. Jacob Rubenstein, the killer of the killer, died from lung cancer before anyone else could execute him in 1967, thus leaving an unresolved mystery to ail the ever teeming US brains. It is ironic that Jacob Rubenstein survived for complete four years before succumbing to the mortal lungs cancer. Even though none endeavored to question, investigate or penalize him for the killing, not the killer, thus causing irreparable damage to the investigation process. Perhaps, the killing of Jacob Rubenstein was the easiest solution available to the vindictive rivals to wash their hands off the filthy business. They were, in this case, fortunate enough to hide the villainy and thus save themselves from the public or legal brunt.

An inquiry into the direction, from which the shots came, further complicates the situation. The hypothesis of three shots fired from the direction of Texas School Book Depository was questioned by the statement from a few people, who claimed to have heard shots from many directions. The investigation team was thus too confused to reach any proper conclusion, therefore. However, one needs to consider the fact that even the people standing right under the Texas School Book Depository reflected the possibility of the fires shot from different directions, and not only from TSBD. Others even went to the extent of claiming to have seen shadows on the buildings located on exactly the opposite side.

The situation worsened with the rising possibility of more than three shots. The number and direction of the shots thus sufficiently suggested the involvement of two or yet more firers in the murder. The inflicted Governor Connally also suggested the possibility of more than one firers shooting to kill the president. The commission’s report declaring that all three shots were fired within a maximum time of 7 seconds also bear testimony to the use of either an automatic rifle or the involvement of more than one individual.

The theory of four fired rounds, instead of three, from three different directions, is based on a strong hypothesis. The reports by the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) proclaim strongly that at least four shots were fired, three of these hit the President and one the Governor. It, in any case, denies the possibility of Lee Harvey Oswald of being a just and the only enraged rival trying to satisfy his anguish. He rather appears to be the tip of an iceberg, under which a complete mob of intriguers was hidden. In any case, the fact was more likely to be established that there were more than one and probably three firers, who fired 4 shots at the late president. All the gathered evidence hinted at it. The confused statements of the few eyewitnesses added voluminously to the indecision of the investigation agencies, however.

The next question, obviously, in such a case, would be about who can ail the US public with the greatest of tragedies. Many have been doubted hitherto: CIA officials, Russian agents, mafia dons, international key players, the Trojan horses within own lines, or a devilish nexus of a few or all of these.

CIA was alleged to be the partner in the sorrows’ mysteries of the US public. CIA officials, inflicted with the feared changes in the agency after the failed invasion of Bay of Pigs, could have planned that the President must bid adieu to the arms as well as the world. The conspiracy theory gets further, strengthened with the alleged presence of a senior CIA official, Mr. Bush. However, despite all the efforts by the investigation team, no solid evidence could be found to support the above conspiracy theory.

Other theories of suspected involvement of foreign elements, biased locals, or intelligence agencies of other countries were similarly half-rejected since either the investigation team lacked in evidence or seriousness mandatory for establishing the reality of the things.

One of the leading conspiracy theories included Lyndon Johnson, the eager candidate for the presidency for the next term. The theory gets strength from the alleged presence of a CIA stalwart W. H. Bush around the scene. It is the most unfortunate that even today most of the people suspect ‘CIA rogues’ to be guilty of everything nasty, not only in the US but around the globe.

A very strong conspiracy theory is linked with the US intervention in Vietnam. Few factions of the critics firmly believe that an extra life of a few days more to the killed president could have resulted in possible non-intervention, thus saving US troops from the ignominious reputation of a humiliating exit from the foreign land.

The Anti-Castro Cubans or the Right Wing Americans could have been the probable conspirers of the catastrophe. Strong evidence of vehement detest by these had been recorded through a recorded tape of Cuban exiles. However, amongst many, this theory also required sufficient evidence to prove itself.

To conclude, we have got a plethora of possibilities, all being quite strong to lure in the devil of suspicion. In fact, any worthy gentleman can rightly smell the rat in the whole affair. Something very dubious might have caused the slaying of the most loved American President. Decades have passed, but the unexplored nasty intrigues keep on haunting sages throughout. Starting from the simplest fact of three or four bullets to the direction the bullets were fired from and identification of all those possible culprits of the scene.

Unfortunately enough, the Warren Commission perhaps was not focused on exploring the facts. It rather endeavored to pacify the protesting nation, the enraged Americans, who were vehemently waiting for the investigation reports. In fact, in modern US history, the grimness of the sad happening could not be paralleled by any other. Therefore, the nation was taking it very seriously. The Commission, therefore, focused on calming the ailed, yet legitimately proud Americans, through twisting arguments and proving that the evil act was just individual and no hypocrite conspirers were backing the plan. A conscious effort appears to have been made to ignore the alleged involvement of three shooters, thus trying to bury the discussion. Moreover, the Commission never gave the due weight to the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged killer. The culprit murderer of Oswald survived only four years after the tragedy, therefore failed to stand a trial.

On the contrary, a report by the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) strongly suggests that at least four shots were fired by at least three men, who had positioned themselves at different sides of the scene. If the hypothesis may be assumed to be true, then a keener effort was required out to dig out the conspiracy and unveil the evil faces behind this great game. The Kennedy family is considered to be one of the most loved, yet the most unfortunate in the US history. If pride and prejudice of the foes had inflicted hard times on the Kennedys, then those guilty of murder should have been penalized. The sons and the lovers of John Fitzgerald Kennedy have been mourning the death of the President for more than three decades, and no remedy has ever been provided to them. There always was the need to investigate the issue to establish the guilt of offenders.

Aforementioned in view, it is established that there were some gross intrigues at the back of the incident. The President was ruthlessly killed either by the native or foreigner villains or both. The matter needed to be investigated more properly, as the linked US reputation was perhaps more important than anything in this regard.