What Killed Kennedy?

Was it the mob? A coup? Cuban dissidents? War hawks? 60 years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the theories are still debated. Do any of them hold up?

John F. Kennedy in the presidential limousine before his assassination on 22 November 1963. Kennedy’s wife Jacqueline sits next to him; Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, are in front. World History Archive/Alamy Stock Photo.

‘It’s a mystery wrapped up in a riddle inside an enigma’, blurts Joe Pesci’s David Ferrie in Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991). Now the 60th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination is upon us, and we are no closer to putting the issue to rest. The enduring fascination prompted Stone to direct a new documentary, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, in 2021. ‘Frustratingly short on answers’, was one critic’s verdict.

If anything, the latest declassification of records in December 2022, coming after an inexplicable five-year delay, only sparked further debate. As one poll showed, over two-thirds of Americans were unhappy with Joe Biden for upholding the redaction of thousands of documents with the vague excuse of preventing ‘possible harm’.

To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.

Start my trial subscription now

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.