The JFK Assasination... Again?

When I was a kid I never was much of a reader. Of course I picked up and digested comic books quite often. I also remember enjoying a pulpy series of novels about Vietnam called the Chopper series. My literary life was indeed severely limited by my own choice. Instead I was physically active- pretty much the opposite of the way I am now. But I do remember being so captivated by a certain subject in ninth grade that I actually spent time in my high school library of my own volition. It was then that I discovered the Kennedy assassination conspiracy.

It should have been predictable that I was drawn to such macabre material. Even then I was enthralled with subjects of mystery. There were some surefire ways of getting my attention- all you had to do was bring up the Bermuda Triangle, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, ghosts or alien abductions. All these. of course, were phenomena that were outside the purview of the natural sciences. As I've mentioned before, I was not the kind of kid that was drawn to the conventional authority opinion about life. The stranger the better- I wanted to make up my own mind about things.

So I have a vivid memory of poring over trade paperbacks, examining photos of head wounds, eyewitness testimony, and diagrams reconstructing Dealey Plaza and the Book Depository. I was obsessed with enigmatic terms associated with the case- the Grassy Knoll and the Zapruder Film. I read all I could find about the "lone gunman", and delved into the mystery of the "multiple Oswalds". I was fascinated by Jack Ruby, who forever sealed the secret that Lee Harvey Oswald harbored. Somehow I though that if I could just read emough about it, I could find the missing piece, and forever end the rampant confusion as to the true nature of what happened in Dallas. I would identify the escaped killers- whether it be the CIA, the Mafia, the Russians, or Cuban exiles.

As time went on, I eventually got caught up in other things. But every once in awhile I would return to the JFK enigma. In 1991, when I was in college, speculation exploded through pop culture, as controversial director Oliver Stone released his movie JFK. The country once again became divided over the true import of the tragedy. Many were comfortable with the establishment version of the Warren Commission. Meanwhile many viewers were convinced that there must be something else to discover about the events. Others (like me) experienced a reawakening of interest in the whole story. For many who weren't even alive in 1963, it was an exciting time. Stone rallied the voices of an increasing number who wanted more answers. But the media and the government branded the director a delusional loony-toon, and excoriated him on national television. Somehow the term "conspiracy" started sounding like something only a paranoid schizophrenic would believe in. In fact it is still used in politics to silence dissenters, no matter the issue.

But listening to Fresh Air on NPR today, I got the impression that we may be revisiting the JFK assassination yet again. The guest was Salon.com founder David Talbot. He is releasing a book called Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, and it is likely to cause more discomfort to the establishment. Apparently he has found ample evidence that Robert Kennedy himself never believed in the "Lone Nut" theory, even though he publicly supported the findings of the Warren Commission. Talbot says that the younger Kennedy actually began his own campaign of investigation to find the truth. The plan was to run for the presidency and put the full weight of the executive department behind exposing the plot. Evidently RFK believed that the federal government was divided during the administration of his sibling, and that a conspiracy was hatched that included the Mafia and highly-placed CIA operatives who were mortified by JFK's "abandonment" of Cuba.

There will be many who discount the new revelations with the admonition that dredging up the controversy once again will have a negative effect on the nation and its government. While this is potentially true, I think it's imperative to seek out the authentic history of these formative events. The subsequent direction and development of the country may be better understood through a clean lens. The only reason to bury new information is to hide from our reality. Obviously the final chapter of JFK's killing has not yet been written.