I knew Oswald was the accused assassin, but I had no idea how aggressively he advertised his communist beliefs before November 1963.
The guy literally wrote to the Soviet Union asking for citizenship, saying: “I am a communist and a worker, I have lived in a decadent capitalist society where the workers are slaves”. He defected to Russia in 1959 thinking he’d find an ideal Marxist society.
Back in the US, he didn’t exactly keep a low profile:
- July 1963 – Lectured a group of Jesuits in Alabama about Marxism, confirming he was a Marxist (though he admitted he was disillusioned with the USSR)
- August 1963 – Appeared on New Orleans radio debating anti-communists, where he admitted he was a Marxist and defended Castro’s Cuba
- Summer 1963 – Handed out pro-Castro “Hands Off Cuba!” leaflets on the streets of New Orleans and was arrested for disturbing the peace
He also attempted to assassinate anti-communist General Edwin Walker in April 1963—months before Kennedy—and left a note for his wife suggesting he expected to be caught or killed.
Now here’s the twist that blew my mind: many researchers and even some government investigations have suggested Oswald was set up as a fall guy. The House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded in 1979 that JFK’s murder was probably the result of a conspiracy. Jim Garrison (the New Orleans DA whose investigation inspired the film JFK) built a case that Oswald was deliberately framed by US intelligence elements. Some conspiracy theories claim Oswald was an “innocent fall guy” who played no knowing role, while others suggest he was a CIA asset set up to take the blame.
The guy was basically walking around telling everyone he was a communist, getting into debates, handing out leaflets, and even trying to kill an anti-communist general—then suddenly he’s the lone gunman who killed the president? And he gets murdered by Jack Ruby before he can talk?
I’m not saying I believe any particular theory, but the timeline is absolutely wild.
You are reading a cover story
Oswald was truly a communist but that’s one of the reasons the CIA chose him to be the patsy.
Nah, he was sheep dipped as a communist by US intelligence. A real communist as outspoken as he was would never have been allowed to keep his security clearance. He learned the Russian language at a school that was only attended by US intelligence agents who were going on assignments. He was likely told by his commanders that he was going to spy on Russia, but his true purpose was to make it look like a communist sympathizer (or Soviet spy) was behind the assassination.
All of his activities as a communist were high profile incidents designed to gain attention and create a paper trail, but involved no genuine effort. Michael Parenti described his depth of knowledge of communism as “laughable”.
https://hexbear.net/comment/7252678
Yeah this is something I’ve somehow never considered. This would make sense for why all his friends were virulent anti-communists and state informants.