Fifty years since the fatal car ride: accounts
by Marina Oswald
By Chelsea Seifert
Texas State University
student
As November approaches, so
does the memory of what most consider a national tragedy. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the John. F.
Kennedy assassination, a
tragedy that left a lasting imprint in American history. Many know the basic
facts of the incident regarding JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby, but there
seems to be one perspective that isn’t quite as well known, that of Marina
Oswald, Lee Harvey Oswald’s wife.
On Nov.
29, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order that created a
Commission “to ascertain,
evaluate and report upon the facts relating to the assassination of the late
President John F. Kennedy and the subsequent violent death of the man charged
with the assassination,” according to “Hearings Before the President’s
Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy” Volume 1, Page 3. This Commission
was known as the Warren Commission.
After 2
½ hours of questioning in Washington D.C.,
Marina
Oswald leaves the headquarters of the Warren Commission, Feb. 3, 1964. Photo by Byron Rollins/AP Images
Marina Oswald, wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK’s
assassin, was placed under oath by the Commission. Their intention was to ask
questions “concerning Lee Harvey Oswald and any and all matters relating to the
assassination,” according to the “Hearings” document.
During the days in which Mrs.
Oswald testified, she recounted her time living in America while married to Lee
Harvey Oswald up until a few days after the assassination. Marina Oswald gave
details of everyday life with her husband and the people and activities he
associated with during the year prior to his fatal shot.
Encounters of Lee Harvey Oswald
Marina Oswald told the
Commission on Monday, Feb. 3, 1964, that her husband had been honorably
discharged from the U.S. Army; however, the honorable title was retracted after
it was discovered that he had spent time in Soviet Russia, where Marina and Lee
met. After the couple moved to America, Marina described how everything
changed.
“Immediately after coming to
the United States, Lee changed,” she said in “Hearings Before the President’s
Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy” on Page 10. “He (Lee)
became more of a recluse.”
After reading Marina’s
entire testimony, I concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald led a very secretive life
with predetermined intentions that he kept locked away within the depths of his
mind. Before Oswald shot and killed President Kennedy, he was connected with
the attempted assassination of Major General Edwin Anderson Walker, a U.S. Army
officer. The assassination attempt occurred on April 10, 1963. It was later
discovered that Oswald had left a note for Marina, with directions for what to
do if he succeeded with the assassination and was arrested. When Marina asked him
why he did what he did, he responded, “because Walker was a bad man, a fascist,”
according to Marina in “Hearings Before the President’s Commission on the
Assassination of President Kennedy” Page 16. “If someone had killed Hitler in
time it would have saved many lives,” she said he told her.
Other
fascinating details Marina discussed Lee’s involvement in Fair Play for Cuba as
a supporter in the Cuban Soviet efforts. Lee became pro-Cuba, got involved in
Cuban activity and even wanted to go to Cuba through Mexico, Marina testified on
Page 22. Lee even made a trip to Mexico to see if the Soviet Embassy would
permit him into Cuba. While there, he went under an “assumed name” and wanted
no one to know of his location.
Lee Harvey Oswald also had a
rifle that he constantly worked on, according to Marina on Page 54.
“I did not see it (rifle),” she
said on Page 54, “but I did hear the noise from it from time to time.”
Marina
Oswald chats with Chief Justice Earl
Warren
in an elevator ride on Feb. 6, 1964.
Photo
provided by AP Images
It wasn’t until after Lee
returned from his unsuccessful trip to Mexico that he got a job at the Texas
School Book Depository at the corner of Elm and Houston streets in Dallas.
The Day of the Shooting
At the time of the shooting,
Marina and Lee were not living together. The Thursday before he shot Kennedy,
Lee made an unannounced appearance at the house Marina was staying at.
“He said that he was lonely
because he hadn’t come the preceding weekend and he wanted to make his peace
with me,” said Marina when asked why she thought Lee had come over.
According to Marina on Page
65, Lee went to bed at approximately 9 p.m. on Nov. 21, 1963, but she knew he
wasn’t sleeping and that he was upset that she wanted nothing to do with him.
“He asked me whether June
(Marina and Lee’s daughter) needed anything and told me to buy everything that
I needed for myself and for the children,” said Marina Oswald in “Hearings
Before the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy” Page
69. I found this particularly suspicious because it sounds like a warning for
her and her children.
The next morning, Nov. 22,
1963, Lee left without a sound. He didn’t wake up anyone and made no noise on
his way out the door. After Marina heard news of the JFK assassination, she was
in shock.
“I didn’t believe it,” said
Marina on Page 71. “I had never heard anything bad about Kennedy from Lee and
he never had anything against him. I went to my room and cried.” Despite Marina
knowing about Lee’s previous attempts and life choices, she seemed legitimately
shocked by the assassination news.
Life for Marina Oswald seemed
like one I couldn’t imagine, after reading her testimony. Living with such a
suspicious man, hiding his secrets, knowing his Soviet affiliations and dealing
with his constant departures makes for one interesting life.
Chelsea Seifert is a journalism and sociology
junior at Texas State University.
ANALYZING
JFK ASSASSINATION
By: Reynaldo Leanos Jr.
Photo Source: Dallas News
Front Pages of The London Times and The
New York Times Being Analyzed to Show Difference of Coverage from Foreign and
Domestic Newspapers
I decided to go back in the day and
learn about the JFK assassination on November 22, 1963 because it has always
been a topic that has interested me. Some consider it a crime, while others
believe it is part of a conspiracy, but whatever one believes it is a moment in
history that shocked not only the United States, but the world as well. My
analysis compares The New York Times, a domestic newspaper with The London
Times, a foreign paper, the day after the assassination occurred to see the
similarities and differences in coverage and style.
The first thing I noticed when
acquiring both newspapers is that The London Times, as a whole, seemed to be
more dense and less organized, when compared to The New York Times. There were
many different type of stories going on and lots of random ads scattered
around. The New York TImes was still pretty dense with information, but the
layout seemed more controlled and was easier for the eye to navigate through
the paper.
The front pages of each of these
papers was also interesting to analyze. The New York Times had a huge
capitalized and centered headline to report the assassination of JFK, while The
London Times only had a smaller headline on the far right of the front page.
There were also more than five pages dedicated to the assassination in the New
York Times. I suppose the difference in coverage is understandable because the
assassination occurred here in the U.S. as opposed to it happening abroad.
Another observation I made is that The London Times capitalizes all headlines
and subheads, while The New York Times does capitalize some headlines and
subheads, but not all.
It was interesting to also realize
that there were a lot more visuals in The New York Times: from pictures of
former president John F Kennedy, the still photograph of the car he was in,
photos of president Lyndon B. Johnson and pictures of the sniper. Another
interesting thing to discover was how The London Times put their own spin on
their newspaper because they decided publish the Queen’s message of sympathy to
the U.S., which was not found in The New York Times.
After analyzing both newspapers from
about 50 years ago, it suddenly interested me on how print journalism has
evolved years later, so I decided to take a look at The New York Times coverage of the assassination 40 years
later. One of the first things I realize is
that the amount of information in the recent coverage is more precise and
clearer because there is a more accurate understanding of what happened and
much more detail. In terms of writing styles, both editions - now and then- of
the New York Times are pretty straight to the point when discussing the topic.
I think what I found most valuable
with this project is the fact that I now know how to use microfilm, which I can
foresee being very helpful in the near future for me, as well as learning more
about the JFK assassination.
PART
TWO: Visual
I
have attached a hyperlink to a visual that
stood out to me the most. I obtained it from the library of congress. The cutline reads: “ Atty. Gen. Robert F.
Kennedy holds Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy's hand as they sorrowfully watch the body
of the assassinated President being removed from the plane to an ambulance
following arrival here [Andrews Air Force Base] 11/22 from Dallas.”
Reynaldo Leanos Jr. is a journalism
major and can be reached at r_l107@txstate.edu
America commemorates 50th anniversary of JFK
assassination
Joshua McKinney, September 26, MC3321
This photo shows
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy as they arrive at Love
Field in Dallas on November 22, 1963. (AP Photo/National Archives via Jimmy
Carter Library and Museum)
With the 50th
anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy less than two
months away, Americans from coast to coast are taking time to reflect on a
pivotal moment in U.S. history. It sparked wide-scale skepticism of the United
States government by its people and, in my opinion, became the foundation for
the modern-day conspiracy-theory junk culture that consumes the nation today. (See: this guy, this guy, and this guy.) The
careers of these mass media pundits who sit on the fringe of reality and
insanity would not get the attention that they receive today if not for the
explosion of conspiracy theory consumption. Large amounts of literature have
been dedicated to the study of the assassination. Countless conspiracies
theories about the JFK assassination exist, involving the CIA, FBI, Cuba, USSR,
the Mafia, oil men, financial institutions, Israel, Richard Nixon, LBJ, etc. There’s
even a theory involving
UFOs.
A subhead could go here to chunk up your content for Web
production
The magnitude of the event has led Dallas, and Texas, to
become synonymous with assassinations, guns and conspiracies. Every year,
tourists flock to downtown Dallas to catch a glimpse at the Grassy Knoll and
Dealey Plaza, which are considered household names in JFK assassination
culture. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, in the former Texas School
Book Depository (from which Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot the president), estimates
that it
receives over 1 million visitors annually, with an estimated
315,000 visiting the museum. Several
events in Dallas are planned to mark the tragic event in 2013.
November 22, 1963: The Background
President John F.
Kennedy is seen riding in motorcade approximately one minute before he was shot
in Dallas, Tx., on Nov. 22, 1963. In the car riding with Kennedy are Mrs.
Jacqueline Kennedy, right, Nellie Connally, left, and her husband, Gov. John
Connally of Texas. (AP Photo)
If you could travel back in
time to November 23, 1963, you would see a nation at a diplomatic, political
and social crossroads. The United States was embroiled in a struggle for global
supremacy against the Soviet Union. U.S. influence increased in the conflict
between North and South Vietnam, a conflict that would ultimately leave more
than 2 million dead, including 58,220
American personal. personnel. Just a year before, the U.S. endured
the Cuban Missile Crisis, a
13-day affair that is considered the peak of hostility
between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Civil Rights hit a fever
pitch. African-Americans demonstrated across the country, often suffering from
police brutality. On August 28, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led more than (or
“some” or “about”) 200,000 people in the March on Washington for Jobs and
Freedom. It was on that day, at the Lincoln Memorial, that King delivered his
iconic “I Have
a Dream” speech, demanding equal rights for all people.
President Kennedy was running
for re-election in 1964. The Republican Party was challenging President Kennedy
over diplomatic, economic and social issues, hoping to take over the White
House. All these issues were placed on the back burner when Kennedy was shot on
that fateful Friday in Dallas.
Media Coverage of Events
Many media professionals
declare that it is the duty of journalism to record history. Every day,
journalists around the world observe, record and interpret information and put it
into context for readers to understand. Because I believe this to be true, I’m
going to take a look at the front page of the November 22, 1962, edition of the
Houston Chronicle to get a better glimpse into the atmosphere of the time of
the JFK assassination.
Houston
Chronicle, November 22, 1963
This
edition of the Houston Chronicle features
the front-page headline, “Assassin’s Bullets Cut Down Kennedy, Connally in
Dallas.” It has a photo of President Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline talking with
Rep. Albert Thomas and his wife in Houston Thursday night at a dinner in honor
of Thomas. Houston was the second stop on President Kennedy’s two- day, five-city
trip to drum up voting support in Texas. He arrived at Dallas’ Love Field
Friday morning, prepared to give a speech at a luncheon later that day at the
Trade Mart, located in the Dallas Market Center. Before his speech, his
motorcade would pass through downtown Dallas. Kennedy his wife Jacqueline and
Governor John B. Connally sat in the back seat of the presidential limousine,
and Mrs. Connally was up front with the driver. President Kennedy would never
reach his destination. According to page 48 of the Report of the President’s
Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, shots were fired at the
presidential limousine about 12:30 p.m. Kennedy and Connally were shot. At 1
p.m., doctors at Parkland Memorial Hospital would pronounce the president dead.
In addition to the
assassination of President Kennedy, the newspaper’s front page gives a sense of
American life in 1963. The struggle for governmental control is featured in the
article “It’s ‘Go’ for Goldwater If Texans Voted Today” by Bo Byers, chief of
the Houston Chronicle’s Austin bureau. The article focuses on the state’s
support of Sen. Barry Goldwater for president, claiming Goldwater’s
“conservatism would carry him to a victory” over Kennedy if the election were held
that day. Byers writes that “general disenchantment with the Kennedy
administration and an adverse reaction to his civil rights program” are two
reasons the majority of Texas voters would not vote for the incumbent in the 1964
election. Kennedy’s assassination is mentioned nowhere in the article. The
front page also has articles on Communist action in other countries,
highlighting an American take on the tug o’ war between western democracy and
Communism. The headline, “Soviets Reject Berlin Protest, Rattle Saber”, written
by the Chronicle News Service, tells of the USSR rejecting an American protest
of the blockade of Berlin and rebutting with threats of military action, which
was commonplace in the Cold War era.
Another article, “Venezuelan
Reds Set More Bombs,” gives a quick description of Communist violence in
Venezuela, stating that “Castro Communists” attacked buildings with bombs in
Coro, Venezuela. The article also mentions that Communist violence in Caracas, the
capital of Venezuela, caused 25 deaths and wounded more than 120 people. I
can’t help but wonder if the headline news of this edition of the Houston Chronicle influenced the anti-Communist,
pro-Republican sentiment of the time or if it just pandered to the paper’s
audience.
Joshua McKinney, Journalism junior
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