Assassination of John F. Kennedy

The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy Within six seconds on November 22, 1963, three shots were fired. Seated in an open limousine, President John F. Kennedy was killed by two of the shots, which also wounded Texas Governor John Connally. Kennedy was the youngest president to be elected and a man people either loved or hated. There was a fascination about this young First Family too, a family which created an image that many American families yearned for. As a result, the assassination came as a surprise and left many people shocked, in sadness and confusion. As the investigations began, the prime suspect in the case was murdered, which led to another list of questions. People wanted an answer, but the aftermath following the assassination led to no conclusion. Researchers still wonder: Who killed John F. Kennedy? Facts have pointed to Lee Harvey Oswald as the murderer of the President. There have been many theories and assumptions following the presidential assassination, but with the limited video footage and information available, investigators have formulated only educated guesses. Upon the President’s arrival in Texas, there was already speculation about his safety. The political atmosphere in the state was very conservative and the right wing hated President Kennedy’s involvement in the Vietnam War. In Robert Stone’s documentary, it laid foundation that, in the previous October, the United State’s ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson, had been verbally abused by Texas citizens (Stone, Oswald’s Ghost). The presidential administration was uneasy about the visit; however, it was prepared to take extra precaution, since the President needed to make the trip to Texas to gain support and raise funds for the 1964 re-election. During the visit, it had been unanimously decided, if there was enough time, there would be a motorcade to downtown Dallas, giving an opportunity for the public to see the President. Special Agent Winston G. Lawson and

Bibliography: Bugliosi, Vincent. Reclaiming History: the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Ltd., 2007. Nizer, Louis, and Bruce Catton, comps. The Official Warren Commission Report on the Asassination of President John F. Kennedy. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1964.