President John F. Kennedy is assassinated during a visit to Dallas, Texas. His death caused intense mourning in the United States and brought Vice President Lyndon Johnson to the presidency. Kennedy’s untimely death also left future generations with a great many “what if” questions concerning the subsequent history of the Cold War.In the years since Kennedy’s death, a number of supporters argued that had he lived he would have done much to bring the Cold War to a close. Some have suggested that he would have sharply curtailed military spending and brought the arms race under control. The most persistent claim, which served as the centerpiece of Oliver Stone’s 1991 film JFK, is that Kennedy would have withdrawn U.S. troops from Vietnam after being re-elected in 1964. Stone went on to charge that right-wing militants in the U.S. government coordinated the assassination plot.It is difficult to say what Kennedy would have done had he not been killed in November 1963, but the arguments raised by Stone and others do not seem supported by the available evidence. During his brief presidency, Kennedy consistently requested higher military spending, asking for billions in increased funding. After the humiliating defeat at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, his administration approved Operation Mongoose, a CIA program that involved plots to destabilize the communist government in Cuba. There was even discussion about assassinating Cuban leader Fidel Castro. In Vietnam, Kennedy increased the number of U.S. advisers from around 1,500 when he took office, to more than 16,000 by the time of his death. His administration also participated in the planning of the coup that ultimately overthrew South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, who was murdered by his own military just three weeks prior to Kennedy’s assassination. If Kennedy was going to become less of a cold warrior after 1964, there was little to suggest this change prior to November 22, 1963.
This was the bullet found on the stretcher in Parkland Memorial Hospital. According to the Warren Commission, the bullet was the second shot taken by the gunman that fatally struck Kennedy. Investigators said the bullet then exited Kennedy to hit Connally breaking a rib, shattering his wrist and ending up in his thigh. Critics have sarcastically referred to this as the "magic-bullet theory" and claim that a bullet responsible for this much damage couldn't possibly be as intact as it was. Read more: Why the Public Stopped Believing the Government about JFK's Murder
The front of the shirt worn by President Kennedy on day of his assassination. The initials "JFK" were embroidered on the left sleeve.
Authorities reported that the shots were fired from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas along Kennedy's motorcade route. The Warren Commission claimed three shots were fired in the span of 8.6 seconds. However, skeptics have disputed that assessment and presented their own theories. Among the widely circulated theories is that there had been a second shooter on a grassy knoll ahead of the president, on an elevated area to his right.Read more: What Physics Reveals about the JFK Assassination
At the Texas School Book Depository, authorities found this cartridge case after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Authorities also identified finger and palm prints on boxes inside the Texas School Book Depository after the assassination. They were in a secluded area where boxes had been stacked by a window.
Former Marine Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested by the Dallas Police Department just over an hour after the shooting for possible involvement in the John F. Kennedy assassination and the murder of a police officer. Oswald had recently started working at the Texas School Book Depository Building.
Less than an hour after Kennedy was shot, Oswald killed Officer J.D. Tippit who questioned him on the street near his Dallas rooming house. Some 30 minutes later, Oswald was arrested in a movie theater by police responding to reports of a suspect. This is the gun and bullets used by Oswald to kill the officer while resisting arrest.
A bus transfer was found on Oswald upon his arrest. Oswald allegedly used the transfer ticket to leave the scene of crime after the assassination.
Here is a detailed view of the Italian-made rifle, with telescopic mount, allegedly used by Lee Harvey Oswald in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
1 / 9: Time Life Pictures/National Archives/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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