AboutSteve Anderson, MA Expertise Any area of American History, EXCEPT military history or economic history, these are not strong points of mine. Areas of particular expertise include the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 19th century women's history, 1950s-1960s popular culture, 1920s, Colonial America, Jacksonian Era, migration west, immigration, ethnic history, presidential decisions, treaties, tariffs, causes and results of wars, and entertainment history since World War II (television, movies, and music.)
Experience Twenty-five years of teaching Advanced Placement American History, Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in American History
Organizations Society of American Historians, California Teacher's Association
Expert: Steve Anderson, MA Date: 6/23/2008 Subject: JFK/RFK assassination
Question my brother believes that both of them were killed by the mob rather than oswald an sirhan sirhan. have you ever heard any conspiracies about that if so what our those conspiracies
Answer Well, your brother is not alone. A lot of people think that. However, a lot of people are wrong--including your brother. And here is why:
1. When the police investigate a murder one of the first things they do to get their list of suspects is to compile a list of who had a clear and logical motive to murder the victim.
2. After that initial list is compiled they begin to investigate each and every one on that list. Imagine of the list has five names on it it is logical that not ALL of those five individuals were in the vicinity of the victim at the time of the murder. Therefore out of the five names possibly three of them would have provable alibis as to their whereabouts at the time of the murder--therefore they are off the list.
3. Now we are down to only two suspects. And of those two the police now have only to see which one of them is linked to the forensic evidence left at the murder scene. This evidence includes things like fingerprints, murder weapon ownership, hair, fibers from clothing, blood, semen, skin, photographs, eyewitness descriptions (if any) footprints, etc...;
4. When all of these steps are followed it generally leaves one and ONLY one person left standing. And THAT is your criminal.
However in a presidential assassination the list of people with motives could number in the thousands, tens or hundreds of thousands or even millions. So narrowing down a list of possible suspects is obviously more complicated. But the basic steps are still followed:
1. Granted, organized crime figures DID hate the Kennedy brothers (Bobby in particular) and they DID have a motive to have them murdered, but the following steps must be followed to solve both cases.
2. Is there ANY evidence that leads to a gunman in the John F. Kennedy assassination? Yes. Does it point to more than one gunman? No. ALL of the evidence that has come forth thus far points to one and ONLY one person--Lee Harvey Oswald. HE owned the murder weapon, HE was photographed holding the weapon months prior to the assassination, HE left his finger and palm prints on the murder weapon, HE was seen carrying a suspicious package into work that morning, HE fled the scene of the murder moments after the fact, HE murdered a police officer that stopped to question him, HE left his shirt's fibers imbedded on the rifle's butt plate, HE left prints on boxes all around the scene of the shooting, HE was witnessed by one man who later gave an accurate description of him, and HE told lie after lie during his interrogation that led the police and responsible historians to conclude beyond any logical or verifiable doubt that Lee Harvey Oswald was the ONLY person involved in the actual shooting of President Kennedy.
3. Now, is there any evidence that he was hired by organized crime figures to carry out the murder FOR THEM? No. A resounding, "NO." No one has ever connected Oswald with ANY organized crime figures. He never met any, he never received any money for the assassination, after he was killed himself, two days later, the police found NOTHING in his personal papers, bank account, or effects that led them to believe that ANYONE had made ANY contact with Oswald about assassinating President Kennedy. None. If your brother has access to information linking Oswald with organized crime figures, please have him share it with you (he won't, because he doesn't have any--no one does.)
So while it is fun and exciting to entertain fantasies about the Communists, or the Cubans, or the CIA, or the Mafia, or Organized Crime, or the Secret Service, or some other nefarious organization murdering President Kennedy, the cold, hard, facts are that there is nothing to support such silly notions. No evidence. All, and I mean ALL evidence points to one and ONLY one assassin--Lee Harvey Oswald.
