The Silent Conspiracy

[Jon Banks]

It wasn’t a game changer for Oswald. Here is a quote from the introduction of  Latell’s book “Castro’s Secrets” that I think paints a good picture of LHO’s apparent mindset:


The Cuban revolution had beckoned and intrigued Oswald since the last year of his military service. He was assigned before Christmas in 1958 to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, near Santa Ana in Southern California, just as Fidel Castro was seizing power in Cuba. Oswald spent the next nine months at El Toro, becoming progressively more enamored of his bearded hero even as Castro’s revolution was spiraling into greater violence and confrontation with the United States. It was a transformational period for the impressionable young Marine. He delved deeper into Marxist literature, became more alienated from the country where he sensed he could never fit in, and immersed himself in news coming out of Havana. “Cuba interested him more than most other situations,” a Marine officer who had a degree in international relations recalled. “He was fairly well informed.”2 The interest was not just academic. Oswald and Marine buddy Nelson Delgado dreamed of going to Cuba to take up arms for Castro. They would fight for him, either in defense of his revolution or in a guerrilla incursion of the kind being sponsored by Cuba to topple rival Caribbean dictatorships. The two young Marines were following the exploits of William Morgan, an American army veteran and adventurer who became a high-ranking commander in Castro’s insurgent forces and, after their victory, went on to help defeat a counterrevolutionary plot against Fidel. Oswald was remarkably like Morgan. Both were brooding social misfits, high school dropouts and dreamers—wanderers attracted to high-risk, violent conflicts. They had both been court-martialed and delighted in rebelling against authority. Morgan redeemed himself, however, by starting a new life when he committed to Castro in early 1958. A year later Oswald hoped to do the same. He fantasized that he might become famous too: Morgan had attracted considerable attention as the swashbuckling “Americano” in a cast of colorful comandantes led by Fidel and Che Guevara.3

William Morgan rejected Castro's turn towards Communism and was executed by Castro in 1961.

Oswald was a Marxist and likely would've been comfortable with Cuba's transition into a Communist country.

What seems contradictory is how Oswald seemed to like and admire JFK despite all the hostility between the US and Cuba early in Kennedy's Presidency.

[Charles Collins]

William Morgan rejected Castro's turn towards Communism and was executed by Castro in 1961.

Oswald was a Marxist and likely would've been comfortable with Cuba's transition into a Communist country.

What seems contradictory is how Oswald seemed to like and admire JFK despite all the hostility between the US and Cuba early in Kennedy's Presidency.

What seems contradictory is how Oswald seemed to like and admire JFK despite all the hostility between the US and Cuba early in Kennedy's Presidency.

No matter whether he really liked JFK or not, the intensity of the news coverage of the covert wars and subsequent language of the speeches by both Castro and JFK in the fall of 1963 most likely alarmed LHO because of the very real threat to Castro and his revolution. (I was only ten years old back then and therefore didn’t fully comprehend, but I do remember the high tensions and constant news coverage. Castro and Cuba were the first to come to many people’s minds when trying to make sense of why JFK was killed.)

LHO apparently made his assassination attempt on Walker soon after Walker’s call for the overthrow of Castro. And the perception that JFK was also threatening Castro was apparently all the motivation that LHO needed...

[Jerry Freeman]

Maybe, but I would think that if Castro received a tip that the exiles were going to kill JFK that he would have revealed that. Certainly after the assassination if not before.

Why would anti-Castro Cubans "tip" Fidel about what was in the works?

After all, Castro claimed that "rightist elements" killed JFK.......

And he was correct. It was supposed to happen in Miami....but Dallas had the right stuff [no pun intended]

[Jon Banks]

What seems contradictory is how Oswald seemed to like and admire JFK despite all the hostility between the US and Cuba early in Kennedy's Presidency.

No matter whether he really liked JFK or not, the intensity of the news coverage of the covert wars and subsequent language of the speeches by both Castro and JFK in the fall of 1963 most likely alarmed LHO because of the very real threat to Castro and his revolution. (I was only ten years old back then and therefore didn’t fully comprehend, but I do remember the high tensions and constant news coverage. Castro and Cuba were the first to come to many people’s minds when trying to make sense of why JFK was killed.)

LHO apparently made his assassination attempt on Walker soon after Walker’s call for the overthrow of Castro. And the perception that JFK was also threatening Castro was apparently all the motivation that LHO needed...

That seems wildly speculative.

It’s hard to believe the news coverage about Cuba was MORE intense in 1963 than it was after the Bay of Pigs or Cuban Missile crisis.

General Walker was no more anti-Communist than the average White Southerner in the early 1960s.

What Oswald may have been concerned about with Walker was his violent anti-Integration racism.

Walker was believed to have incited a riot at ‘Ole Miss’ in 1962:

“The crowd reached approximately three thousand rioters, led by former Army Major General Edwin Walker, who had recently been forced to retire when he was ordered to stop giving out racist hate literature to his troops but refused to do so. The crowd consisted of high school and college students, Ku Klux Klan members, Oxford residents, and people from outside the area.

By 9:00 p.m. the riot turned extremely violent. U.S. marshals who had been defending Meredith and university officials in the Lyceum building on campus, where Meredith registered, ran out of tear gas. Rioters threw rocks and bottles and began to shoot. President Kennedy then decided to bring in the Mississippi National Guard and Army troops from Memphis, Tennessee, during the middle of the night, led by Brigadier General Charles Billingslea...”

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ole-miss-riot-1962/

One of the redeeming things about Oswald was his opposition to racism and segregation. But it also might’ve been what motivated him to target Walker whom he viewed as a potential ‘Adolf Hitler’.

As for Oswald’s pro-Cuba activism, he had plenty of opportunities to target anti-Castro Cuban Exiles in New Orleans and Dallas with violence or ‘assassination’ throughout 1963.

If he were so concerned about Raids against Cuba, it seems inconsistent that he would ignore the Cuban Exiles and instead focus on Walker then Kennedy.

Full disclosure, I’m inclined to believe that Oswald was involved with JFK’s assassination (haven’t ruled out a conspiracy) but I don’t know what his motive may have been.

The claim that some obscure news article about assassination attempts on Castro in the Fall of 1963 changed Oswald seems weak when viewed in the context of all the other bad stuff between Kennedy and Cuba that we can be certain Oswald was aware of when he said nice things about JFK.

Also, Capt. Will Fritz says Oswald mentioned that US policies towards Cuba were unlikely to change in an LBJ Presidency...

[Jerry Freeman]

That seems wildly speculative.

That is all that poster does---speculate.
I was accused of trying to hijack this thread yesterday.
[Which I did not intentionally try and do] However---I think that it would be the best thing that could happen to it--hijacked to say... somewhere on Venus?
Now Jon---

General Walker was no more anti-Communist than the average White Southerner in the early 1960s.

That is not entirely true. I grew up in 50-60s Dallas. Most people took the McCarthy doctrine --A Red under your bed---with a grain of salt. I saw a Walker speech [at the Kiwanis club I think] and have his recordings [still] and the General was super ultra radical scary

[Martin Weidmann]

That is all that poster does---speculate.
I was accused of trying to hijack this thread yesterday.
[Which I did not intentionally try and do] However---I think that it would be the best thing that could happen to it--hijacked to say... somewhere on Venus?

Now Jon---That is not entirely true. I grew up in 50-60s Dallas. Most people took the McCarthy doctrine --A Red under your bed---with a grain of salt. I saw a Walker speech [at the Kiwanis club I think] and have his recordings [still] and the General was super ultra radical scary

That is all that poster does---speculate.

Indeed, that's exactly what he does. He started this thread with a preconceived opinion, not based on reason or common sence, but with the mere conviction that what Brian Latell wrote in his incredibly speculative book is actually true and he only wants discussion with those who, at least to some extend, share his view.

He is not interested in rational or difficult questions which when answered would destroy his opinion. The entire thread is filled with "could have been", "it's possible", "it's likely" etc conjecture.

I was accused of trying to hijack this thread yesterday.

When he couldn't (or didn't want to) answer my questions he claimed I attacked him and that he wasn't interested in my opinion. The latter is telling, as it goes against every reason he could have to start a thread on a public forum for the the sole purpose of discussion. It's pathetic!

[Charles Collins]

That seems wildly speculative.

It’s hard to believe the news coverage about Cuba was MORE intense in 1963 than it was after the Bay of Pigs or Cuban Missile crisis.

General Walker was no more anti-Communist than the average White Southerner in the early 1960s.

What Oswald may have been concerned about with Walker was his violent anti-Integration racism.

Walker was believed to have incited a riot at ‘Ole Miss’ in 1962:

“The crowd reached approximately three thousand rioters, led by former Army Major General Edwin Walker, who had recently been forced to retire when he was ordered to stop giving out racist hate literature to his troops but refused to do so. The crowd consisted of high school and college students, Ku Klux Klan members, Oxford residents, and people from outside the area.

By 9:00 p.m. the riot turned extremely violent. U.S. marshals who had been defending Meredith and university officials in the Lyceum building on campus, where Meredith registered, ran out of tear gas. Rioters threw rocks and bottles and began to shoot. President Kennedy then decided to bring in the Mississippi National Guard and Army troops from Memphis, Tennessee, during the middle of the night, led by Brigadier General Charles Billingslea...”

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ole-miss-riot-1962/

One of the redeeming things about Oswald was his opposition to racism and segregation. But it also might’ve been what motivated him to target Walker whom he viewed as a potential ‘Adolf Hitler’.

As for Oswald’s pro-Cuba activism, he had plenty of opportunities to target anti-Castro Cuban Exiles in New Orleans and Dallas with violence or ‘assassination’ throughout 1963.

If he were so concerned about Raids against Cuba, it seems inconsistent that he would ignore the Cuban Exiles and instead focus on Walker then Kennedy.

Full disclosure, I’m inclined to believe that Oswald was involved with JFK’s assassination (haven’t ruled out a conspiracy) but I don’t know what his motive may have been.

The claim that some obscure news article about assassination attempts on Castro in the Fall of 1963 changed Oswald seems weak when viewed in the context of all the other bad stuff between Kennedy and Cuba that we can be certain Oswald was aware of when he said nice things about JFK.

Also, Capt. Will Fritz says Oswald mentioned that US policies towards Cuba were unlikely to change in an LBJ Presidency...

It’s hard to believe the news coverage about Cuba was MORE intense in 1963 than it was after the Bay of Pigs or Cuban Missile crisis.

No one said that the coverage was more intense. However, it was intense. The antagonistic words between Castro and JFK were getting more personal. Here is a quote from Latell’s book that you might find informative. Cubela had requested a meeting with Bobby Kennedy before he would proceed with the CIA’s plan to overthrow Castro. Unbeknownst to the CIA, Cubela was telling Castro all about it. And never had any plans to actually carry out a coup.

The unlikely pair—Fidel’s premier double agent and Bobby Kennedy’s understudy—sat side by side. Sanchez translated and, back at headquarters two weeks later, prepared a memorandum for the record. It is the only surviving contemporaneous account of what is purported to have occurred. Des told Cubela that the Kennedy administration would support a coup to remove the Castro dictatorship. Ironclad assurances were given: “The United States is prepared to render all necessary assistance to any anti-communist group” that succeeds in “neutralizing the present Cuban leadership.” The implication was that a coup would be bloody and Fidel would be killed. In Senate testimony a dozen years later, Sanchez reluctantly conceded that Cubela talked that day about “getting at the leadership first.”8

Footnote 8 - Memo for the record, November 13, 1963, NARA 104-10215-10364; Nestor Sanchez CC testimony July 29, 1975; IGR; Rolando Cubela, HSCA testimony, August 28, 1978.

[Steve M. Galbraith]

I think most people, including Castro, consider Cuban Exiles "rightwing elements". They're generally the most rightwing group among Latino Americans.

I'm not totally convinced by the claims that Castro personally had foreknowledge of JFK's assassination (based on his first speculative comments about the Kennedy assassination he seemed as confused by the events as anyone else) but it seems plausible that Cuban Intelligence agents were in contact with Oswald.

But given how much Cuban Intel knew about Cuban Exile groups in the US, it seems more plausible that any alleged tips in advance about the Kennedy assassination could've came via other sources.

You don't think Castro would have loved implicating the anti-Castro groups in the assassination of JFK? If he had any evidence of it I am quite sure he would have been promoting it. Hell, his people - Fabian Escalate among others - were and have been making the claim for years without showing any evidence. And of course the Soviets were spreading disinformation about the assassination too.

I see zero credible evidence that Castro or his agents that infiltrated these groups had any knowledge of Oswald's attempt. Yes, it was Oswald. The evidence he did it plus the implausibility of alternative explanations plus fifty plus years of little (to me) evidence to the contrary leads me to believe it was him. I mean, good grief, he didn't bring curtain rods with him to work that day. And he didn't leave right after the shooting because he thought he would have the day off. He was fleeing.