The JFK Assassination – a Debate with Jefferson Morley and Mark Zaid (Part 1)
Summary
Jefferson Morley and Mark Zaid join Andrew in a debate over the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Mark and Jeff are longtime friends and colleagues with very different viewpoints of what truly happened on November 22nd, 1963.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
- The lasting questions surrounding the Kennedy assassination
- Lee Harvey Oswald’s intelligence connections
- The Warren Commission and the JFK Assassination Records
- The strangest theories Mark and Jeff have heard, and the most plausible explanations of who killed President Kennedy
Reflections
- Public distrust and the search for truth
- Reactions and responses to tragedy
And much, much more …
Episode Notes
This week’s episode features a friendly debate on the Kennedy Assassination – What really happened that November day in Dallas, who was truly responsible, and how the secrecy surrounding the official documents has led to a deep mistrust and skepticism concerning the assassination. In this episode, Andrew moderated a conversation between intelligence author and investigative journalist Jefferson Morley and veteran SpyCast guest and national security attorney Mark Zaid.
They’ve both got an incredible wealth of knowledge on the assassination, but differing views on what actually went down on November 22nd, 1963. They discuss the intelligence connections within the assassination, Oswald’s interesting history with spy agencies and interest in Soviet politics, and the historical context in which these debates live.
To be clear: SpyCast does not promote or support any particular theory or viewpoint on the Kennedy assassination. We encourage critical discussion and thought of the complex impact of intelligence and espionage within our world.
And…
The site of the Kennedy assignation, the Texas School Book Depository building in Dealy Plaza, has since been transformed into a museum. Their exhibits highlight the social and political events of the 1960s, exploring the lasting impact of Kennedy’s presidency and untimely death in 1963. Check it out if you’re in Dallas!
Quotes of the Week
”That's why I think they probably have something to hide. Because it doesn't make sense otherwise … If they had access to that kind of straightforward story, we would get that.” – Jefferson Morley.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
- The Skinny on American Intelligence & the Law with D.C. “Super Lawyer” Mark Zaid (2024)
- Rise of Devils: The Origins of Modern Terrorism with James Crossland (2024)
- Havana Syndrome – A Panel featuring Nicky Woolf, Marc Polymeropoulos, and Mark Zaid (2023)
- The Past 75 Years with Historian of the CIA Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones (2022)
*Beginner Resources*
- Lee Harvey Oswald, Britannica (2024) [Short biography]
- JFK Files: What we're learning from newly released Kennedy assassination records, CBS News, YouTube (2022) [6 min. video]
- Kennedy Assassination Timeline, The Sixth Floor Museum (n.d.) [Timeline of events]
DEEPER DIVE
Books
- The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government, D. Talbot (Harper Perennial, 2016)
- JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, J. W. Douglass (Touchstone, 2010)
- Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA, J. Morley (University Press of Kansas, 2008)
Articles
- Kennedy was assassinated decades ago. Could the 2024 campaign push the final sets of documents into public view? D. Paulsen, NBC News (2024)
- What We Know and Still Don’t Know About JFK’s Assassination, O. B. Waxman, Time Magazine (2023)
- Decades Later, Most Americans Doubt Lone Gunman Killed JFK, M. Brenan, Gallup (2023)
- The Interloper: Lee Harvey Oswald Inside the Soviet Union, P. Gregory, Journal of Cold War Studies (2020)
- Doubt and Deception: Public Opinion of the Warren Report, W. Fox, University of South Carolina (2019)
- JFK assassination conspiracy theories: The grassy knoll, Umbrella Man, LBJ and Ted Cruz’s dad, M. E. Miller, The Washington Post (2017)
Video
Audio
- Who Killed JFK? (2023)
Primary Sources
- President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act (1992)
- Select Committee on Assassinations Report (1978)
- Warren Commission Report (1964)
- LBJ Address to Congress (1963)
- Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald (1963)
- JFK Autopsy Report (1963)
- The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection
*Wildcard Resource*
- Test how you would do in Kennedy’s shoes by playing 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 – A two-player board game that tests your quick-thinking strategy and conflict resolution skills.
