Instructions for Students: You are investigators reviewing declassified evidence about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Read each evidence packet carefully, weigh the supporting and challenging evidence, and reach your own conclusion. Record your verdict in the final tab.
Key Facts
Location
Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX
Date & Time
Nov. 22, 1963 · 12:30 PM
Accused Shooter
Lee Harvey Oswald
Official Conclusion
Warren Commission (1964): Oswald acted alone
HSCA Finding (1979)
"Probable conspiracy" — 4 shots fired
Weapon Found
Mannlicher-Carcano rifle, 6th floor, Texas School Book Depository
Timeline of Events
11:40 AM
Presidential motorcade departs Love Field airport
12:30 PM
Shots fired as motorcade passes the Texas School Book Depository. Kennedy and Gov. Connally struck.
12:38 PM
Motorcade arrives at Parkland Memorial Hospital
1:00 PM
President Kennedy pronounced dead
1:15 PM
Officer J.D. Tippit shot and killed; Oswald arrested shortly after
Nov. 24
Jack Ruby shoots and kills Oswald in Dallas Police HQ, live on national TV
Sept. 1964
Warren Commission releases its report: Oswald acted alone
Questions to Consider as You Review Evidence
1
Could one person fire three accurate shots in 5.6 seconds with a bolt-action rifle?
2
Does the "single bullet theory" — one bullet through Kennedy AND Connally — hold up physically?
3
Why did Jack Ruby kill Oswald before he could stand trial? Who benefited?
4
What do the acoustics evidence and eyewitness accounts from the Grassy Knoll suggest?
5
Did Oswald have ties to the CIA, Soviet Union, or organized crime?
6
Who had the motive, means, and opportunity to assassinate the President?
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Theory 1: The Lone Gunman (Official Position)
The Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, fired three shots from the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository. No conspiracy was found.
■ Evidence Supporting This Theory
The Sniper's Nest
Boxes were arranged on the 6th floor to create a hidden firing position. Oswald's palm print was found on one of the boxes. Three spent cartridge casings were recovered at the scene.
Source: Warren Commission Report, 1964
The Rifle
A Mannlicher-Carcano 6.5mm rifle was found hidden on the 6th floor. Handwriting analysis confirmed Oswald ordered it by mail under the alias "A. Hidell." His prints were on it.
Source: Warren Commission, FBI Ballistics Report
Oswald's Whereabouts
Oswald was not present when coworkers gathered to watch the motorcade. He was seen near the 6th floor shortly before the shooting, and fled the building immediately after.
Source: Coworker testimony, Warren Commission
The Zapruder Film
The famous 8mm home movie by Abraham Zapruder shows Kennedy's head wounds are consistent with shots coming from behind and above — the direction of the Book Depository.
Source: Zapruder Film (1963), Warren Commission analysis
Officer Tippit Murder
45 minutes after the assassination, Oswald shot and killed Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit. Multiple witnesses identified him. Prosecutors argued this showed Oswald's guilt and desire to flee.
Source: Eyewitness accounts, Dallas PD records
■ Evidence Challenging This Theory
The "Magic Bullet" Problem
The Single Bullet Theory holds that one bullet entered Kennedy's back, exited his throat, then wounded Gov. Connally in the back, wrist, and thigh — changing direction multiple times. Many ballistics experts call this physically impossible.
Source: Dr. Cyril Wecht, forensic pathologist; HSCA review
Marksmanship Questions
FBI marksmen tested the rifle and found it difficult to fire accurately three times in 5.6 seconds (the window between shots). The scope was misaligned. Some experts doubted Oswald, a mediocre Marine shooter, could do it.
Source: FBI weapons test report; Oswald's Marine records
Oswald's Denial
"I'm just a patsy," Oswald told reporters before being silenced. He was denied a lawyer for hours after arrest, a violation of protocol. He never confessed and maintained his innocence.
Source: Dallas Police press conference footage, Nov. 22, 1963
Ruby's Silencing of Oswald
Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner with mob connections, shot Oswald on live TV two days after the assassination — before he could face trial or be questioned further. Critics ask: why?
Source: Dallas Police HQ footage, Nov. 24, 1963
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Theory 2: A Second Shooter — The Grassy Knoll
Many witnesses believed shots also came from the Grassy Knoll — a small hill in front of and to the right of the motorcade — suggesting a second gunman fired from the front.
■ Evidence Supporting This Theory
Witness Accounts
Over 50 eyewitnesses reported that at least one shot came from the Grassy Knoll area. Many rushed toward the picket fence behind it immediately after the shooting. Some reported seeing smoke from that area.
Source: Warren Commission testimony; researcher Mark Lane's interviews
Head Wound Direction Debate
Some doctors at Parkland Hospital described Kennedy's head wound as showing a rear exit — consistent with a shot from the front (the Knoll). This contradicted the autopsy performed at Bethesda Naval Hospital.
Source: Parkland Hospital doctor testimonies, 1963–64
HSCA Acoustics Evidence (1979)
The House Select Committee on Assassinations hired acoustic experts who analyzed a police dictabelt recording. They concluded a 96% probability that four shots were fired — the fourth from the Grassy Knoll direction.
Source: HSCA Final Report, 1979; Bolt, Beranek and Newman acoustics study
Badge Man Photograph
Enhancement of Mary Moorman's Polaroid photo — taken a split second after the final shot — appears to show a figure in a uniform or badge behind the Knoll fence. Researchers call this figure "Badge Man." Its identity remains unknown.
Source: Mary Moorman photograph; Gary Mack / Assassination Archive
■ Evidence Challenging This Theory
No Physical Evidence Found
No shell casings, rifle, or confirmed shooter traces were ever found behind the Grassy Knoll fence. Police and Secret Service flooded the area within seconds and found no gunman.
Source: Dallas Police Department reports, Nov. 22, 1963
Acoustics Evidence Later Disputed
A 1982 National Academy of Sciences panel reviewed the HSCA acoustics study and found significant flaws. They concluded the alleged Knoll shot was recorded a minute after the shooting, casting doubt on the 1979 findings.
Source: NAS Ramsey Panel Report, 1982
Autopsy Findings
The official autopsy at Bethesda Naval Hospital concluded all wounds were consistent with shots from behind and above — not from the front. The Warren Commission relied heavily on this finding.
Source: Bethesda Naval Hospital autopsy report, 1963
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Theory 3: CIA or U.S. Government Conspiracy
Some researchers argue that U.S. intelligence agencies, military figures, or anti-Castro Cuban exiles — with possible CIA involvement — orchestrated the assassination due to Kennedy's policies.
■ Evidence Supporting This Theory
Oswald's CIA Connections
Oswald defected to the Soviet Union in 1959, then returned to the U.S. in 1962 without difficulty — unusual for a defector during the Cold War. He spoke Russian fluently and worked for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Some researchers believe this was a CIA cover.
Source: Oswald's FBI file; declassified CIA records
CIA Documents Withheld
The CIA withheld thousands of documents about Oswald from the Warren Commission. Declassified files released in 2017–2023 revealed the CIA had Oswald under surveillance weeks before the assassination and did not inform other agencies.
Source: JFK Assassination Records Collection, National Archives, 2017–2023
Kennedy vs. the CIA
After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba (1961), Kennedy reportedly said he wanted to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces." He fired CIA Director Allen Dulles — who later served on the Warren Commission investigating the assassination.
Source: Arthur Schlesinger Jr., "A Thousand Days" (1965); Fletcher Prouty research
Anti-Castro Cuban Connections
Kennedy had cut off support for anti-Castro Cuban exile groups after the Bay of Pigs. Oswald had documented contacts with such groups. The HSCA found evidence these groups had discussed killing Kennedy.
Source: HSCA Final Report, 1979
■ Evidence Challenging This Theory
No Direct Evidence of CIA Order
Despite millions of pages of declassified documents, no smoking-gun document ordering or approving a CIA assassination of Kennedy has been found. Critics argue secrets this large rarely stay hidden for 60 years.
Source: National Archives; multiple independent reviews
Multiple Investigations Found No Conspiracy
The Warren Commission, FBI, and Secret Service all investigated and found no government conspiracy. Even the HSCA, which found a "probable conspiracy," said there was no evidence of CIA or government involvement.
Source: Warren Commission Report, 1964; HSCA Report, 1979
The Scale Problem
A multi-agency government conspiracy would require many people to keep the secret for over 60 years — something historians note is extraordinarily difficult and unlikely without any leaks or deathbed confessions.
Source: Historian analysis; David Grann, various historians
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Theory 4: Organized Crime Conspiracy
The Mafia had powerful motives to kill Kennedy: Attorney General Robert Kennedy had declared all-out war on organized crime, and mob bosses blamed JFK's policies for disrupting their Cuban casino empire.
■ Evidence Supporting This Theory
Jack Ruby's Mob Ties
Jack Ruby — Oswald's killer — was a Dallas nightclub owner with documented ties to Chicago and New Orleans organized crime figures. He made multiple calls to mob-connected people in the weeks before the assassination.
Source: HSCA Report, 1979; FBI surveillance records
The HSCA Conclusion
The 1979 House Select Committee found a "probable conspiracy" and specifically identified organized crime as a group with the motive, means, and connections to pull off the assassination. They could not identify specific individuals, however.
Source: HSCA Final Report, 1979
The RFK Crackdown
Attorney General Robert Kennedy prosecuted organized crime figures relentlessly — wiretapping, indictments, and deportations skyrocketed. Mob boss Carlos Marcello of New Orleans reportedly said Kennedy needed to be "taken care of."
Source: FBI surveillance transcripts; G. Robert Blakey, HSCA chief counsel
Cuba and the Mob
Before Castro, the Mafia ran highly profitable casinos in Havana. The CIA actually partnered with mob bosses (Giancana, Trafficante) to plot Castro's assassination. When JFK failed to retake Cuba, the mob lost billions in casino revenue.
Source: Church Committee Report, 1975; CIA declassified records
■ Evidence Challenging This Theory
No Mob Figure Ever Confessed
Despite the Mafia's known tendency to brag about power, no credible mob insider ever provided direct evidence linking organized crime to the assassination order. Many "confessions" have been disputed or proven false.
Source: FBI organized crime files; historian reviews
Killing the President Would Invite Catastrophe
Many mob experts argue that the Mafia would understand that killing a U.S. president would bring unprecedented federal heat — far worse than anything Kennedy's crackdowns brought. It was a massive risk for an uncertain reward.
Source: Historian analysis; former FBI organized crime specialists
Oswald Had No Known Mob Connections
Despite extensive investigation, no direct link between Oswald and organized crime has been established. If the mob hired a shooter, it's unclear how Oswald fit into that plan.
Source: Warren Commission; HSCA investigation
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Your Verdict
Based on the evidence you've reviewed, record your conclusion below. Be prepared to defend your reasoning using specific evidence from the dossier.
Step 1: What is your conclusion?
Step 2: How confident are you?
Confidence level: 50%
Not sure at allAbsolutely certain
Step 3: Strongest piece of evidence?
Step 4: Biggest remaining question?
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Verdict Recorded
Your strongest evidence:
Your remaining question:
Discussion prompt: Share your verdict with your group. Do you agree? What evidence did you weigh differently?