The CIA, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the Kennedy Assassination: Declassified Documents Surface
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 remains shrouded in mystery and speculation. Recently, a trove of newly linked documents has emerged from a records review conducted by the FBI, raising questions about the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) knowledge of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged gunman.
New Records Shed Light on Oswald’s Mexico City Visit
The 2,400 newly declassified documents stem from President Donald Trump’s executive order in January 2021, calling for the release of records related to the assassination. Key among these is the focus on Oswald’s visit to Mexico City six weeks prior to the assassination, during which he visited the Soviet embassy.
Gerald Posner, author of "Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK," highlights the significance of this visit: "If [the records] reveal that the CIA knew more than it let on about Oswald’s activities in Mexico City, that would be a big story."
Continuing Questions about the CIA’s Role
Posner raises a crucial question: "The question for me is not whether the CIA was complicit, but whether the CIA was negligent." The newly released documents may provide insights into the CIA’s handling of information about Oswald and potential failures to act on it.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has expressed his belief in CIA involvement in his uncle’s death, despite the agency’s denial. Kennedy Jr. also questions the official account of his father’s assassination, suggesting multiple gunmen were involved.
Long-Standing Fascination and Conspiracy Theories
The Kennedy assassination has captivated the public for decades, fueling numerous conspiracy theories. The newly released documents are unlikely to quell these theories, according to historians.
Fredrik Logevall, a history professor at Harvard University, expects "nothing too dramatic or fundamentally new" in the released documents, but remains open to surprises.
Mixed Reactions to Declassification
The decision to declassify records has drawn mixed reactions. Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy’s grandson, criticized the move, arguing that it uses JFK’s legacy as a political prop.
On the other hand, the Justice Department and other federal agencies maintain that Oswald acted alone in the assassination. However, polls indicate that many Americans believe otherwise.
Unlikely to End Debate or Settle Controversies
Alice L. George, author of "The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: Political Trauma and American Memory," predicts that the declassified documents will not resolve the longstanding debates about the assassination.
"I can’t imagine any document that would convince (conspiracy theorists) that Oswald acted alone," George states. "It will likely leave them in the same place where they are now."
Conclusion
The newly linked documents on the Kennedy assassination offer a glimpse into the ongoing efforts to piece together the events surrounding the tragic day in Dallas. While they may not provide conclusive answers, they shed light on the CIA’s knowledge of Lee Harvey Oswald and raise questions about the agency’s actions in the lead-up to the assassination. The release further highlights the enduring fascination with this historic event and the continuing controversy surrounding its circumstances.