JUSTIFYING
      AN
     
     
      ERODED
     
     
      CONFIDENCE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Jason
      Greene
      and
      Glenn
      J.
      Roberts
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      10/X-Press/November
      18,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      his
      November
      22nd
      marks
      the
      30th
     
     
      anniversary
      of
      the
      assassination
      of
     
     
      the
      youngest
      man
      ever
      elected
      to
     
     
      the
      presidency.
      John
      F.
      Kennedy,
     
     
      America’s
      35th
      president,
      possessed
     
     
      a
      certain
      charisma
      and
      flare
      that
     
     
      many
      politicians
      today
      strive
      to
     
     
      emulate.
      Famous
      for
      his
      speeches
      and
      wit,
      Kennedy
      was
     
     
      the
      royalty
      of
      the
      republic;
      the
      Shakespeare
      of
      North
     
     
      American
      politics.
      Superior
      as
      an
      international
      states-
     
     
      man,
      he
      was
      beyond
      his
      years
      as
      a
      leader.
      As
      the
      Cold
     
     
      War
      caused
      uncertainty
      to
      flourish,
      the
      American
      people
     
     
      trusted
      him
      with
      the
      future.
      What
      began
      with
      such
     
     
      promise
      ceased
      ina
      fashion
      that
      was
      as
      brusque
      as
      it
      was
     
     
      tragic.
      An
      american
      dream
      lost;
      an
      effulgent
      career
     
     
      senselessly
      slain.
      So
      much
      history
      was
      made
      with
      his
     
     
      political
      career.
      So
      much
      more
      was
      lost
      with
      his
      assas-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sination.
     
    

    
     
      The
      horrific
      day
      occurred
      in
      Dallas
      as
      the
      president
      was
      campaigning
     
     
      for
      re-election.
      While
      driving
      in
      an
      open
      motorcade
      through
      Dealy
      Plaza,
     
     
      the
      president
      was
      fatally
      shot.
      Immediately,
      the
      new
      president,
      Lyndon
      B.
     
     
      Johnson,
      ordered
      a
      commission
      formed
      (to
      be
      titled
      the
      Warren
      Commis-
     
     
      sion)
      to
      investigate
      the
      assassination.
      The
      panel
      of
      7
      concluded
      that
      the
     
     
      president
      had
      been
      shot
      by
      a
      lone
      crazed
      assassin:
      Lee
      Harvey
      Oswald
     
    

    
     
      Within
      a
      couple
      of
      years,
      the
      report
      was
      seriously
      attacked
      by
      a
      broad
     
     
      range
      of
      independent
      researchers
      who
      questioned
      the
      evidence,
      findings,
     
     
      and
      procedures.
      For
      example,
      of
      the
      121
      witnesses
      interviewed,
      51
      said
     
     
      the
      shots
      came
      from
      ‘‘the
      grassy
      knoll’?
      and
      not
      the
      school
      book
     
     
      depository
      where
      Oswald
      was
      situated.
      During
      the
      House
      Select
      Commit-
     
     
      tee
      on
      Assassinations,
      1976-1979,
      they
      concluded
      the
      FBI
      and
      the
      CIA
     
     
      had
      withheld
      relevant
      evidence
      from
      the
      Warren
      Commission,
      such
      as
     
     
      plans
      to
      eliminate
      foreign
      leaders
      (i.e.,
      Fidel
      Castro
      of
      Cuba).
      Just
      as
     
     
      importantly,
      the
      mafia
      was
      a
      part
      of
      the
      CIA’s
      efforts
      to
      get
      rid
      of
      Castro.
     
     
      The
      Israeli
      secret
      service
      (Mossad)
      attempted
      to
      duplicate
      the
      assassina-
     
     
      tion.
      After
      studying
      every
      detail
      of
      the
      assassination,
      repeated
      attempts
      to
     
     
      duplicate
      the
      assassination
      resulted
      in
      repeated
      failures.
      The
      Mossad
     
     
      concluded
      the
      killing
      required
      a
      minimum
      of
      two
      gunmen.
     
    

    
     
      Just
      two
      days
      prior
      to
      the
      assassination,
      Kennedy
      issued
      National
     
     
      Security
      Memorandum
      No.
      273
      designed
      to
      withdraw
      1000
      troops
      from
     
     
      Vietnam
      following
      the
      64
      election.
      2
      days
      after
      the
      assassination,
     
     
      Johnson
      reversed
      the
      decision
      and
      furthered
      involvement
      in
      Vietnam.
     
     
      This
      war
      killed
      58,000
      Americans
      and
      almost
      crippled
      the
      economy.
     
     
      Riots
      and
      demonstrations
      were
      a
      daily
      occurrence,
      destroying
      moral
      and
     
     
      national
      pride.
      Four
      students
      were
      shot
      and
      killed
      while
      protesting
      at
      Kent
     
     
      State.
     
    

    
     
      One
      of
      the
      most
      outspoken
      critics
      of
      the
      American
      policy
      in
      Vietnam
     
     
      was
      Martin
      Luther
      King,
      junior.
      King,
      the
      leader
      of
      the
      black
      civil
      rights
     
     
      movement,
      organized
      numerous
      peaceful
      demonstrations
      against
      the
     
     
      war.
      The
      FBI
      made
      several
      attempts
      to
      discredit
      King
      to
      diminish
      his
     
     
      public
      support.
      King,
      like
      Kennedy,
      was
      fatally
      shot
      by
      a
      lone
      crazed
     
     
      assassin:
      James
      Earl
      Ray.
      Numerous
      facts
      surrounding
      the
      case
      created
      a
     
     
      haze
      of
      suspicion.
      Ironically,
      King
      opposed
      violent
      demonstrations
      and
     
     
      advocated
      peaceful
      integration.
      Within
      a
      couple
      of
      months,
      another
     
     
      public
      figure
      who
      opposed
      the
      Vietnam
      war
      was
      assassinated:
      Robert
      F.
     
     
      Kennedy.
      The
      former
      attorney
      general
      and
      senator
      of
      New
      York
      at
      the
     
     
      time
      was
      running
      for
      the
      Democratic
      nomination.
      An
      ardent
      critic
      of
      the
     
     
      administration’s
      policies,
      Kennedy
      had
      just
      won
      the
      California
      Primary,
     
     
      virtually
      assuring
      him
      of
      the
      nomination
      (to
      run
      for
      the
      president
      in
      the
     
     
      1968
      election).
      Moments
      after
      his
      victory
      speech,
      he
      was
      gunned
      down
     
     
      in
      the
      hotel
      pantry
      by
      yet
      another
      lone
      crazed
      assassin:
      Sirhan
      Sirhan.
      This