Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F.…

9. The Commission has found no evidence that either Lee Harvey Oswald

570 words  |  Chapter 20

or Jack Ruby was part of any conspiracy, domestic or foreign, to assassinate President Kennedy. The reasons for this conclusion are: (_a_) The Commission has found no evidence that anyone assisted Oswald in planning or carrying out the assassination. In this connection it has thoroughly investigated, among other factors, the circumstances surrounding the planning of the motorcade route through Dallas, the hiring of Oswald by the Texas School Book Depository Co. on October 15, 1963, the method by which the rifle was brought into the building, the placing of cartons of books at the window, Oswald’s escape from the building, and the testimony of eyewitnesses to the shooting. (_b_) The Commission has found no evidence that Oswald was involved with any person or group in a conspiracy to assassinate the President, although it has thoroughly investigated, in addition to other possible leads, all facets of Oswald’s associations, finances, and personal habits, particularly during the period following his return from the Soviet Union in June 1962. (_c_) The Commission has found no evidence to show that Oswald was employed, persuaded, or encouraged by any foreign government to assassinate President Kennedy or that he was an agent of any foreign government, although the Commission has reviewed the circumstances surrounding Oswald’s defection to the Soviet Union, his life there from October of 1959 to June of 1962 so far as it can be reconstructed, his known contacts with the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, and his visits to the Cuban and Soviet Embassies in Mexico City during his trip to Mexico from September 26 to October 3, 1963, and his known contacts with the Soviet Embassy in the United States. (_d_) The Commission has explored all attempts of Oswald to identify himself with various political groups, including the Communist Party, U. S. A., the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, and the Socialist Workers Party, and has been unable to find any evidence that the contacts which he initiated were related to Oswald’s subsequent assassination of the President. (_e_) All of the evidence before the Commission established that there was nothing to support the speculation that Oswald was an agent, employee, or informant of the FBI, the CIA, or any other governmental agency. It has thoroughly investigated Oswald’s relationships prior to the assassination with all agencies of the U. S. Government. All contacts with Oswald by any of these agencies were made in the regular exercise of their different responsibilities. (_f_) No direct or indirect relationship between Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby has been discovered by the Commission, nor has it been able to find any credible evidence that either knew the other, although a thorough investigation was made of the many rumors and speculations of such a relationship. (_g_) The Commission has found no evidence that Jack Ruby acted with any other person in the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald. (_h_) After careful investigation the Commission has found no credible evidence either that Ruby and Officer Tippit, who was killed by Oswald, knew each other or that Oswald and Tippit knew each other. Because of the difficulty of proving negatives to a certainty the possibility of others being involved with either Oswald or Ruby cannot be established categorically, but if there is any such evidence it has been beyond the reach of all the investigative agencies and resources of the United States and has not come to the attention of this Commission.

Chapters

1. Chapter 1 2. CHAPTER I. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 1 3. CHAPTER II. THE ASSASSINATION 28 4. CHAPTER III. THE SHOTS FROM THE TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY 61 5. CHAPTER IV. THE ASSASSIN 118 6. CHAPTER V. DETENTION AND DEATH OF OSWALD 196 7. CHAPTER VI. INVESTIGATION OF POSSIBLE CONSPIRACY 243 8. CHAPTER VII. LEE HARVEY OSWALD: BACKGROUND AND POSSIBLE MOTIVES 375 9. CHAPTER VIII. THE PROTECTION OF THE PRESIDENT 425 10. CHAPTER I 11. episode and the fact that her husband still owned the rifle. She went 12. 1. The shots which killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor 13. 2. The weight of the evidence indicates that there were three shots 14. 3. Although it is not necessary to any essential findings of the 15. 4. The shots which killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor 16. 5. Oswald killed Dallas Police Patrolman J. D. Tippit approximately 45 17. 6. Within 80 minutes of the assassination and 35 minutes of the Tippit 18. 7. The Commission has reached the following conclusions concerning 19. 8. The Commission has reached the following conclusions concerning the 20. 9. The Commission has found no evidence that either Lee Harvey Oswald 21. 10. In its entire investigation the Commission has found no evidence of 22. 11. On the basis of the evidence before the Commission it concludes 23. 12. The Commission recognizes that the varied responsibilities of the 24. 1. A committee of Cabinet members including the Secretary of the 25. 2. Suggestions have been advanced to the Commission for the transfer 26. 3. Meanwhile, in order to improve daily supervision of the Secret 27. 4. The Commission recommends that the Secret Service completely 28. 5. The Commission recommends that the Secret Service improve the 29. 6. The Commission recommends that the Secret Service continue its 30. 7. The Commission believes that when the new criteria and procedures 31. 8. Even with an increase in Secret Service personnel, the protection of 32. 9. The Commission recommends that the President’s physician always 33. 10. The Commission recommends to Congress that it adopt legislation 34. 11. The Commission has examined the Department of State’s handling 35. 12. The Commission recommends that the representatives of the bar, law 36. CHAPTER II 37. 11. RAILROAD OVERPASS (TRIPLE UNDERPASS)

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