Assassination of John F. Kennedy

The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, occurred on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza, becoming one of the most consequential and widely investigated political murders of the 20th century.

President Kennedy, a Democrat and former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, was 46 years old. He had served as president since January 20, 1961, and was known for his Cold War leadership, the Cuban Missile Crisis resolution, civil rights initiatives, and the space race. He was accompanied in the motorcade by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally's wife, Nellie.

The alleged assassin was **Lee Harvey Oswald**, a 24-year-old former U.S. Marine who had defected to the Soviet Union in 1959 and returned to the United States in 1962. Oswald had a history of pro-communist beliefs, Marxist sympathies, and support for leftist causes. He worked briefly at the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, the location from which the fatal shots were fired according to investigations.

Oswald was apprehended approximately 70 minutes after the shooting, initially charged with the murder of a Dallas police officer, J.D. Tippit, whom he allegedly shot while fleeing. He was later charged with the assassination of President Kennedy. Oswald denied all charges, claiming he was a “patsy,” and was never tried; on November 24, 1963, he was shot and killed by nightclub owner **Jack Ruby** a jew, while in police custody. Ruby’s motivations were officially characterized as avenging Kennedy, though his connections to organized crime fueled decades of speculation.

The U.S. government responded rapidly to the crisis. Vice President **Lyndon B. Johnson** was sworn in as president aboard Air Force One shortly after the assassination, with federal, state, and local authorities coordinating security and investigation efforts. The **Warren Commission**, established by President Johnson and chaired by Chief Justice **Earl Warren**, conducted the official investigation. It concluded in September 1964 that Oswald acted alone, firing three shots from the Texas School Book Depository, with one bullet striking both Kennedy and Governor Connally ("single-bullet theory").

The assassination had widespread political, social, and international consequences. Cold War tensions, particularly regarding Cuba and the Soviet Union, heightened immediately after the attack. The event also catalyzed significant changes in U.S. Secret Service protocols, presidential motorcade security, and federal investigations into political violence. Numerous alternative theories about possible involvement of organized crime, the CIA, anti-Castro Cubans, or other political factions have persisted, though none have been conclusively proven.

Key actors in this historical episode include President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, Chief Justice Earl Warren, FBI Director **J. Edgar Hoover**, and members of the Warren Commission such as Senators Richard Russell and John McCloy. The event also involved multiple government agencies, including the FBI, Secret Service, Dallas Police Department, and later, congressional and investigative bodies examining intelligence and organized crime connections.

Backgrounds and connections: Kennedy came from the influential Kennedy political family; Oswald had defected to the Soviet Union and had ties to pro-Cuban activism; Ruby had connections to Dallas nightlife and organized crime. Federal and local law enforcement coordination, intelligence gathering, and global media coverage made this assassination a seminal moment in 20th-century U.S. and world history.