President Biden's View on the JFK Assassination circa 2005

[Steve Rosen]

I had the opportunity to ask then-Senator Joe Biden about the JFK assassination in approximately 2005.

I was attending a "Joe Biden Seminar" as a guest of my uncle, who went to grade school with Biden in Delaware. The "seminar" was a senatorial fundraiser for Biden at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.

I attended 2 such seminars in successive years. I believe they were in 2004 and 2005. One year, John Kerry was the featured speaker, and another year, Jack Valenti gave the keynote address. Valenti was an aide of Lyndon Johnson, who was in one of the follow-up vehicles to JFK's car on November 22, 1963. Valenti's description of that day was compelling and harrowing. 

After Valenti spoke, people mingled about for a hour or so, having drinks.

I saw Senator Biden speaking to a group of senior citizens. When they walked away from him, he was alone. I approached and re-introduced myself (I had met him several times before) as the nephew of his childhood friend, my uncle (who was somewhere nearby). Biden greeted my warmly and we shook hands. I then asked him:

"Senator Biden, do you believe JFK was killed as a result of a conspiracy?"

Answer:  "No."

"So do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald, alone and unaided, killed President Kennedy?"

Answer:  "Yes."

I was struck how the famously garrulous senator was responding with clipped replies and no amplification (albeit, direct answers). I sensed it wasn't up for further discussion, and not wanting to get on the Secret Service radar, I thanked him and ended my inquiry.

Given that he previously deferred releasing the remaining JFK already because of Covid concerns in 2021*, I do not hold much hope he will release the remaining files on December 15, 2022.

I hope that I'm wrong.

* https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/22/memorandum-for-the-heads-of-executive-departments-and-agencies-on-the-temporary-certification-regarding-disclosure-of-information-in-certain-records-related-to-the-assassination-of-president-john-f-k/

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Steve Rosen said:

I had the opportunity to ask then-Senator Joe Biden about the JFK assassination in approximately 2005.

I was attending a "Joe Biden Seminar" as a guest of my uncle, who went to grade school with Biden in Delaware. The "seminar" was a senatorial fundraiser for Biden at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.

I attended 2 such seminars in successive years. I believe they were in 2004 and 2005. One year, John Kerry was the featured speaker, and another year, Jack Valenti gave the keynote address. Valenti was an aide of Lyndon Johnson, who was in one of the follow-up vehicles to JFK's car on November 22, 1963. Valenti's description of that day was compelling and harrowing. 

After Valenti spoke, people mingled about for a hour or so, having drinks.

I saw Senator Biden speaking to a group of senior citizens. When they walked away from him, he was alone. I approached and re-introduced myself (I had met him several times before) as the nephew of his childhood friend, my uncle (who was somewhere nearby). Biden greeted my warmly and we shook hands. I then asked him:

"Senator Biden, do you believe JFK was killed as a result of a conspiracy?"

Answer:  "No."

"So do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald, alone and unaided, killed President Kennedy?"

Answer:  "Yes."

I was struck how the famously garrulous senator was responding with clipped replies and no amplification (albeit, direct answers). I sensed it wasn't up for further discussion, and not wanting to get on the Secret Service radar, I thanked him and ended my inquiry.

Given that he previously deferred releasing the remaining JFK already because of Covid concerns in 2021*, I do not hold much hope he will release the remaining files on December 15, 2022.

I hope that I'm wrong.

* https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/22/memorandum-for-the-heads-of-executive-departments-and-agencies-on-the-temporary-certification-regarding-disclosure-of-information-in-certain-records-related-to-the-assassination-of-president-john-f-k/

If I remember correctly he was supposedly a good friend of Ted Kennedy, he spoke after Teds death, recanting stories. You would think Ted had given his opinion.  
 

What should we expect from Biden, he is the establishment. Did nothing exceptional in 30-40 years, and waited for his time to sit in the top seat. IMO he was being shrewd, not honest in answering the questions. 

[Paul Jolliffe]

1 hour ago, Chris Barnard said:

If I remember correctly he was supposedly a good friend of Ted Kennedy, he spoke after Teds death, recanting stories. You would think Ted had given his opinion.  
 

What should we expect from Biden, he is the establishment. Did nothing exceptional in 30-40 years, and waited for his time to sit in the top seat. IMO he was being shrewd, not honest in answering the questions. 

Of course. Political expediency is the watchword/phrase for all national politicians. 

And Joe Biden's "Love Affair" with the CIA has been the subject of news stories for years:

Joe Biden’s Love Affair With the CIA - The American Prospect

 

[Benjamin Cole]

15 hours ago, Steve Rosen said:

I had the opportunity to ask then-Senator Joe Biden about the JFK assassination in approximately 2005.

I was attending a "Joe Biden Seminar" as a guest of my uncle, who went to grade school with Biden in Delaware. The "seminar" was a senatorial fundraiser for Biden at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.

I attended 2 such seminars in successive years. I believe they were in 2004 and 2005. One year, John Kerry was the featured speaker, and another year, Jack Valenti gave the keynote address. Valenti was an aide of Lyndon Johnson, who was in one of the follow-up vehicles to JFK's car on November 22, 1963. Valenti's description of that day was compelling and harrowing. 

After Valenti spoke, people mingled about for a hour or so, having drinks.

I saw Senator Biden speaking to a group of senior citizens. When they walked away from him, he was alone. I approached and re-introduced myself (I had met him several times before) as the nephew of his childhood friend, my uncle (who was somewhere nearby). Biden greeted my warmly and we shook hands. I then asked him:

"Senator Biden, do you believe JFK was killed as a result of a conspiracy?"

Answer:  "No."

"So do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald, alone and unaided, killed President Kennedy?"

Answer:  "Yes."

I was struck how the famously garrulous senator was responding with clipped replies and no amplification (albeit, direct answers). I sensed it wasn't up for further discussion, and not wanting to get on the Secret Service radar, I thanked him and ended my inquiry.

Given that he previously deferred releasing the remaining JFK already because of Covid concerns in 2021*, I do not hold much hope he will release the remaining files on December 15, 2022.

I hope that I'm wrong.

* https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/22/memorandum-for-the-heads-of-executive-departments-and-agencies-on-the-temporary-certification-regarding-disclosure-of-information-in-certain-records-related-to-the-assassination-of-president-john-f-k/

Thanks for posting your personal experience with Biden. I lived in the Washington in the 1980s as a news reporter.  Yes, long-time ago, but occasionally I would ask people about the JFKA. Usually, no one cared, but their views, if they had any, were conventional. 

And yes, you are right. I always felt if I pursued the topic, I would become regarded as a nut and suspect. So, I did not pursue the topic. 

 

[John Cotter]

On 12/13/2022 at 6:43 PM, Chris Barnard said:

If I remember correctly he was supposedly a good friend of Ted Kennedy, he spoke after Teds death, recanting stories. You would think Ted had given his opinion.  
 

What should we expect from Biden, he is the establishment. Did nothing exceptional in 30-40 years, and waited for his time to sit in the top seat. IMO he was being shrewd, not honest in answering the questions. 

All too true.

[Pat Speer]

I think it is a mistake to actually attribute "thoughts" to most any politician regarding the JFK case. CBS et al told them it was Oswald and this was regurgitated by media-darlings like Posner and Bugliosi--and heck, even Stephen King said it was Oswald! So they think it was Oswald. And when they see the wild eyes in all too many of those who suspect conspiracy, they shy away. It's not something they can digest in 10 minutes, so they'd prefer just to ignore it. 

It was interesting, however, to see that for the fiftieth anniversary, a few of them dropped their masks. John Kerry, for one, said he thought there was some sort of a plot. At one point, I believe Hilary Clinton said so as well. 

So it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Biden is actually on the fence on this, but simply takes the easy way out when asked about it directly. 

[Kirk Gallaway]

4 hours ago, Pat Speer said:

I think it is a mistake to actually attribute "thoughts" to most any politician regarding the JFK case. CBS et al told them it was Oswald and this was regurgitated by media-darlings like Posner and Bugliosi--and heck, even Stephen King said it was Oswald! So they think it was Oswald. And when they see the wild eyes in all too many of those who suspect conspiracy, they shy away. It's not something they can digest in 10 minutes, so they'd prefer just to ignore it. 

It was interesting, however, to see that for the fiftieth anniversary, a few of them dropped their masks. John Kerry, for one, said he thought there was some sort of a plot. At one point, I believe Hilary Clinton said so as well. 

So it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Biden is actually on the fence on this, but simply takes the easy way out when asked about it directly. 

Thank you Stephen! I think Pat pretty much captures the reasons for the reactions. To a politician, every topic that's brought up to them for consideration is weighed in terms of 1) how much public interest or concern there is and 2)how much negative public fallout is there from the issue.  In the case of the JFKA, it's not really in the top 40 issues of public concern for either party. So it's dismissed.

But I think there is a unique opportunity in  the current  time to force it as a general open government issue as the promises for release  have for so long,  not been kept. There's also currently free speech issues involving social media, that brings the JFKA into the public realm right now.

I've never heard any scoop here about what Teddy thought of the assassinations of both his brothers. I saw him and Biden a lot together over the years,  but given the general passivity and silence of the Kennedy's over the decades about the issue, you could almost think there was an understood agreement not to talk about it within the clan. So Biden could think if Teddy never talked about it, that if it was never an issue with the Kennedy's, the official story was accurate. 

Pat, I'm a little surprised you heard something like that from Hilary Clinton? She, to me, as a politician never said anything surprising!