JFK - 60 years today

[cheshiregreen]

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the assassination of JFK.

Still the conspiracy theories remain. There is a new documentary about what happened in the trauma room in Dallas that day. Several medical professionals suggest he was hit by a bullet fired from the front (the grassy knoll) as well as the Oswald shot from behind.

Whatever happened it was a defining moment in world history.

 

[MickyD]

Yes, I've watched it: JFK: What the Doctors Saw

None of it is new, in truth, but the interviews fix some things in place for the record before every eyewitness is gone, and possibly introduce the subject to a new generation. (They have pretty much all gone now: it appears that the interviews were conducted about ten years ago, when the doctors were already well into their seventies and eighties.)

Most conspiracy theories are utterly absurd but this one, sadly, is almost certainly true.

 

[mervyn]

Visited the JFK museum in Hyannis Port, Cape Cod, back in the spring. What really hit me was the youth, vigour and potential he offered; something I didn’t appreciate as a teenager when he died.

 

[Meant to be fun]

Visited the JFK museum in Hyannis Port, Cape Cod, back in the spring. What really hit me was the youth, vigour and potential he offered; something I didn’t appreciate as a teenager when he died.

Although only 7 it still sticks in my mind the shock and sense of loss even in the UK. A very imperfect man but one who engendered hope for the future. Possibly the assassination of his brother had a more profound practical impact as LBJ pushed the JFK social agenda further than he himself had at that point announced. RFK being shot probably cost the Democrats the 68 election to Nixon that definitely damaged both the social agenda and the hopes of an immediate end to the Vietnam. Interesting that the generation that voted for JFK and those reforms are largely voting republican now.
As a side note JFK wrote a book in 1940 not only criticising the UK for appeasement and failing to re-arm quicker but also encouraging the US to ally with GB and enter the War completely against the views of the then US Ambassador, his father Joe.

 

[mervyn]

About 15 years ago I visited a Florida building described as the Southern White House, in Key West. The house was created by Truman for Presidents to get away from Washington whilst still working. I sat at the table where JFK sat down with Harold MacMillan, and agreed to provide us with American ballistic missiles to maintain our defensive capability whilst Polaris was still being developed. A very generous act. The only stipulation he made was that it was done in secret to avoid adverse reaction in the States. Hard to imagine this happening today without a leak somewhere within hours.

 

[Frank Butcher]

The documentary with the Parkland docs was interesting. Despite being filmed some time ago (obviously) it was the first airing and confirmed much of what was suspected.

For a bit of balance on JFK the man it’s also worth searching out the Kennedy/Sinatra documentary and claimed links to the mafia early in his career. Taken at face value it explains possible motivation given JFK’s change in stance once he assumed power.

 

[Argylegames]

What really hit me was the youth, vigour and potential he offered

I know what you mean, but the vigour was partially a public sham. He spent much of his time in a tight corset/back support and eating painkillers because of the back injury he'd suffered in the Navy. Some days he could barely stand.