Poll on Depth of Oswald's Involvement

[Aldin Lee]

I'm curious about the percentage of the CT (conspiracy theory) community who believe in Oswald's knowledge/involvement, and to what degree.   This is only for those who fervently believe, after considerable research, that there are other (unknown or otherwise) assassination plotters.   I hope the poll function is working now, as I saw that at one point it had a fatal flaw, but also read where it may have been corrected.

Click the Poll tab above.  

Let me emphasize again, this is ONLY for those who don't think Oswald acted completely alone.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Aldin Lee

[Norman T. Field]

A flawed set of answer options, as it is likely that LHO thought there was a fake assassination attempt being perpetrated. 

[Joe Bauer]

3 hours ago, Norman T. Field said:

A flawed set of answer options, as it is likely that LHO thought there was a fake assassination attempt being perpetrated. 

Agree with Norman.

[Denny Zartman]

I'm voting "generally aware" even though I believe Oswald was in contact with conspirators. He obviously didn't know everything because he didn't know the true identity of the designated fall guy, namely himself. Yet he knew enough about the plot and the people that the conspirators believed he had to be silenced. I don't think Oswald was intended to be apprehended alive in the first place.

I think Norman and Joe are right in that there is also a possibility that Oswald believed he was part of a secret counter-assassination plot or something along those lines. I suspect a number of players in the conspiracy believed the same, at least initially.

So, yes, I believe Oswald had some working knowledge of the planned assassination, but what role he thought he was playing is still a mystery to me.

[Denny Zartman]

And I screwed it up. I should have voted "specific knowledge." My mistake.

[Joe Bauer]

Within a short few minutes ( 5, 10, 15? ) right after JFK was shot, Oswald leaves the TXSBD and makes a somewhat disjointed beeline ( first a bus, then a cab ) to his room at 1026 North Beckley, Oak Cliff.

When Oswald arrives, he rushes past housekeeper Earline Roberts to his room without responding to her idle comments to him. In the room for just a couple or few minutes,  he changes into a zippered jacket, grabs his 38 caliber hand gun and ammo, leaves his room and rushes back out into the street and walks away. No bus ride intention obviously.

Reportedly, he then walks toward the Oak Cliff downtown area and on the way is stopped and confronted by DPD Officer J.D. Tippit.

Oswald reportedly shoots Tippit after Tippit makes the move of leaving his police car to obviously do more than talk to Oswald out of his open passenger side door window.

It is an aggressive shooting. 3 shots to the body, 1 shot to the head, all at point blank range.

If all true, Oswald knew he was personally in life and death danger when he left the TXSBD.

He armed himself with gun and bullets, used them when confronted, acted evasively when police cars were whizzing by the shoe store and theater, jumped up and slugged a police officer when confronted in the theater, etc.

If these incidents were all true as reported, isn't it a no-brainer to easily conclude that Oswald knew enough about the assassination to know whatever his knowledge of or even participation in it meant his own life was in immediate danger within minutes after JFK was killed?

If Oswald was truly an absolutely innocent person, totally disconnected from any plot regards JFK, he wouldn't have rushed back to his room and armed himself with gun and ammo and so quickly thrust himself back outside to take a seemingly haphazard afternoon walk about into a frantic worked up wasp nest whizzing cop car scene imo.

Oswald was connected to the plot. To what extent? That's the $64,000 question.

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Joe Bauer

[Greg Doudna]

There is one option missing: "I don't know", which is what I would vote if it were listed (that is, among the options named except for the last one). Therefore, I am unable to answer this poll, even though I believe there was a conspiracy.

[Aldin Lee]

22 hours ago, Norman T. Field said:

A flawed set of answer options, as it is likely that LHO thought there was a fake assassination attempt being perpetrated. 

Norman, I take it from your phrasing that is your contention (and possibly that of others).  Instead of asking you to elaborate, can you point me to a topic thread where that is asserted/explored/discussed?  

[Aldin Lee]

5 hours ago, Greg Doudna said:

There is one option missing: "I don't know", which is what I would vote if it were listed (that is, among the options named except for the last one). Therefore, I am unable to answer this poll, even though I believe there was a conspiracy.

Greg, I added what is essentially an "I don't know" option.

Edited July 20, 2020 by Aldin Lee

[Greg Doudna]

On 7/20/2020 at 4:18 PM, Aldin Lee said:

Greg, I added what is essentially an "I don't know" option.

Thanks.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Greg Doudna

[David Andrews]

What about, Oswald played an active role in monitoring assassination conspirators?

If someone cares to formulate this more exactly, go ahead.

Without explanation, the "aware/had knowledge" choices can seem to lean toward "guilty knowledge," especially given the choices that follow.

I chose "don't know," because if we could positively identify a trend in Oswald's behavior, our sense of mystery would be reduced.

Edited July 21, 2020 by David Andrews

[Aldin Lee]

15 hours ago, David Andrews said:

What about, Oswald played an active role in monitoring assassination conspirators?

If someone cares to formulate this more exactly, go ahead.

Without explanation, the "aware/had knowledge" choices can seem to lean toward "guilty knowledge," especially given the choices that follow.

I chose "don't know," because if we could positively identify a trend in Oswald's behavior, our sense of mystery would be reduced.

David,

Your 'What About' (of which there could be almost an endless number) is faulty in itself.  If he played a role in monitoring (as you then described them) 'assassination' conspirators, he would have first needed a reason to be monitoring them, and secondly, unless, completely incompetent in that pursuit, would have had at least some inkling that an assassination plan was afoot.  He therefore would have had some knowledge, even if he came by it via his own covert espionage work (for whatever bizarre reason), but yet was not (apparently) compelled to reveal it to non-conspiratorial authorities.  Thus, choice #2 was/is sufficient.  The 'guilt' of having but not revealing that knowledge is a subjective judgment for each person, not implied by the statement.    

[David Andrews]

6 hours ago, Aldin Lee said:

David,

Your 'What About' (of which there could be almost an endless number) is faulty in itself.  If he played a role in monitoring (as you then described them) 'assassination' conspirators, he would have first needed a reason to be monitoring them, and secondly, unless, completely incompetent in that pursuit, would have had at least some inkling that an assassination plan was afoot.  He therefore would have had some knowledge, even if he came by it via his own covert espionage work (for whatever bizarre reason), but yet was not (apparently) compelled to reveal it to non-conspiratorial authorities.  Thus, choice #2 was/is sufficient.  The 'guilt' of having but not revealing that knowledge is a subjective judgment for each person, not implied by the statement.    

I..stand...corrected.

 

Edited July 22, 2020 by David Andrews

[Aldin Lee]

A reminder to vote in the above poll, if you have not already. 

[Chuck Schwartz]

I believe LHO knew who the assassins were and that is why he was killed. Anyone who could point the public in the correct direction ( and actually tried to do so) of who actually killed JFK died an unnatural death (see Belzer's book "Hit List" )..  I believe it was LBJ who said there will be no trial  of LHO in Texas - not now,, not ever.