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.