In November 1963, President Kennedy went on a political trip to Texas as he planned to run for reelection in 1964. Kennedy was in Texas specifically to heal a bitter feud between two factions of the Texas Democratic Party with the conservatives led by Governor John Connally and the liberals led by Senator Ralph Yarborough. Kennedy had barely won Texas in 1960 by 2% of the vote and believed he needed the state's electoral votes to win in 1964. He was there to build popularity in a state with strong Kennedy opposition where his support for civil rights was making him unpopular with many white Southerners.
Shooting and death
As the car drove into Dealey Plaza, shots were fired. Kennedy was shot once in the throat, and once in the head. It happened at 12:30p.m. Central Standard Time (18:30 UTC). The motorcade drove to Parkland Memorial Hospital4 miles (6.4km) away. At 1:00p.m., Kennedy did not survive his gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead. Shortly after returning to Air Force One at Dallas Love Field, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn-in as the 36th U.S. president.
Lee Harvey Oswald was the main suspect in the murder. He was arrested on the same day for the murder of a policeman, J. D. Tippit. He was charged with both murders later that night. Oswald denied shooting anyone. Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby two days later, on November 24. This was when Oswald was being moved from the police station to a jail. He died in Parkland Hospital. The event left a lasting impression on many worldwide. As with the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor before it and the September 11 attacks after it, asking "Where were you when you heard about President Kennedy's assassination?" would become a common topic of discussion.
Investigations
Robert Croft's photograph of Kennedy in Dealey Plaza, before the first shot struck Kennedy (left), and the Mary Moorman photograph (right), taken a fraction of a second after the fatal shot.
An investigation into what happened was done by the Warren Commission in 1963–1964. It took 10 months. The commission decided that Oswald was the only person involved, and he had fired three shots from the window of a warehouse on the corner of Dealey Plaza. No one else was involved. The man who murdered Oswald, Jack Ruby, was also said to have acted alone.
Most people at the time believed this was true. However, other alternative theories as to what could have happened have developed. Surveys from 1966 to 2004 found that as many as 80 percent of Americans have suspected that there was a plot or cover-up.
Another investigation was done by the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) in 1979. They found that President John F. Kennedy was probably killed as a result of a conspiracy (a secret plot). The HSCA found both the original FBI investigation and the Warren Commission Report to have big mistakes. They agree with the Commission that Oswald fired all the shots. But they say that there were at least four shots fired. They also say that it was very likely that two gunmen fired at the President. No gunmen or groups involved in the conspiracy were pointed out by the committee. They said that the CIA, the Soviet Union, organized crime and several other groups were not involved.
Sketch of the Bullet which first struck President Kennedy; Sketch of the fatal head wound on president Kennedy. Bullet found on stretcher at Parkland Memorial Hospital that struck both Kennedy and Connelly
Conspiracy theories
Oswald dallas arrest mugshot; Oswald being shot by Ruby; Jack Ruby mugshot after his arrest
The assassination is still the subject of a lot of debate. There are a lot of conspiracy theories. Some researchers have suggested that Oswald was not the shooter. Others have suggested that he conspired with others to kill the president. Most of these theories accuse criminal groups, the military–industrial complex, the government of Cuba, the KGB, or the CIA. Lyndon Johnson, George H. W. Bush and Sam Giancana are among those accused. That mob boss Sam Giancana was responsible is supported by the account of his brother and nephew. Only one person was ever put on trial: Clay Shaw, but he was found not guilty.
Some have also argued that the gunshots were fired so quickly there must have been more than one assassin shooting at the President. This could be supported by the fact that most witnesses said that the second and third shots were fired closer together.
Some believe that the bullets could not have hit Kennedy in the place they hit him if they had really been fired from the warehouse. Many of the workers at Parkland Hospital reported that a large portion of the back of the President's head appeared to have been blown out. This may suggest that he had been hit from the front. Today, the truth is not known of the planning and the whole assassination.
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