Itʼs bigger than questions surrounding the authenticity of the Zapruder film; and bigger than the failure of the Secret Service to protect their charge that day. Indeed, thereʼs more security around Dealey Plaza today than there was 50 years ago. But this anniversary is bigger than that, too.
Itʼs bigger than H.L. Hunt, Richard Nixon, Clint Murchison and James Jesus Angleton. Itʼs bigger than Gerald Posner, Bill OʼReilly, Vince Bugliosi, John McAdams, Magda Hassan, David Guyatt, Gary Mack and all the rest of them and those of their ilk.
Itʼs bigger than Vietnam and bigger than the Cold War. Indeed, the significance of this anniversary is bigger than both the conspiracy to assassinate John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the conspiracy to cover it up…combined!
For me, today is not the 50th anniversary of JFKʼs being murdered at the hands of conspirators, though murdered he was; nor is it about the injustice by which the perpetrators enjoyed impunity courtesy of a well-orchestrated, high level, cover-up. Rather, I am here, 50 years later, to memorialize that day when a government of, by, and for We The People…failed to endure, and I am here to grieve that failure.
The success of a democratic republic such as ours depends on the founding fathersʼ concept of 3 distinct and separate fully functional branches of government. When one of those branches is rendered impotent, relegated to a position of inferiority, or, as in this case, effectively disemboweled… then the system upon which such a republic was anchored will drift aimlessly, directed by the tides and the wind, until someone or something re-takes the helm. But, since 1963, the helm has been left unclaimed by whoever has occupied the Oval Office, and under the circumstances, you can hardly blame them. But, all too often, in the absence of such leadership “the something that has ended up taking over” has been war.
I cannot speak for all researchers, only for myself, and perhaps for some of us who recall John F Kennedyʼs words that cold winter day in January of 1961, instructing us to ask ourselves, “What can we do for our country?” Some of us believe the answer is demonstrated by our commitment to hold government accountable to we the people, as our Constitution informs us is not only our right, but also is our duty. But, we are challenged to find a way by which to accomplish it. One that is historically significant, personally meaningful to each of us, responsive to the needs of our fellow citizens, worth passing on to our children and future generations, all the while preventing the positive elements of government, of which many still remain, from perishing.
Thomas Paine said: “An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.”
What must be accomplished need not be done at the expense of responsibility, resulting in riots, lawlessness, or civil war. In short, Iʼm certainly not seeking revenge. Iʼm not even seeking justice anymore…
There is a plaque at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA that quotes the words of Saint John: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” What I seek is truth and the freedom that accompanies it.
Absent truth… the only hope for freedom is a Revolution of Mind.
So how do JFK and the sabotaged Bay of Pigs invasion figure into this endeavor? First, we need to dispel a great myth associated with this event; a myth perpetuated by the Central Intelligence Agency for 5 decades. And we will use the Agencyʼs own documents in order to disentangle us from the false premise central to their thesis.
The great myth, which has been repeated more times than any of us can count, involves the claim that the invasion failed as a result of JFKʼs not having kept his promise to provide air support, thus dooming the operation and allowing over a thousand anti-Castro Cubans in Brigade 2506 to be killed or captured. But, before I refer you to the documents that will be used to impeach this myth, I would like to point out that the late Colonel L. Fletcher Prouty spoke and wrote extensively about this subject. He was perhaps the only person who was both in a position to actually know the “behind the scenes” facts surrounding these events and who was not sworn to secrecy. Much of the information that was obtained from Fletcher on this and other subjects could not be verified prior to his death because the documents that confirm his account were yet to be declassified. But, now they are…and here we are.
