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| 60 YEARS AGO JFK TAKEN (Page 1/1) |
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Sage
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NOV 22, 01:01 PM
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Raydar
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NOV 22, 02:07 PM
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Thanks for the reminder. Yeah... it was pretty much the defining moment of my childhood. For me it was "the end of the innocence", in no uncertain terms.
If you ever have the opportunity, I would recommend reading "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters" by James W. Douglass.
It gives a great deal of background to the politics and goings-on of the period. The whos, whys, and hows.
If nothing else, it also provides a great deal of insight into just how little power a president really has, and how dirty the "alphabet agencies" can be.
The author is an outspoken peace activist. But all of his information seems quite credible. (Before I read most books of this type, I try to discern the "leaning" of the author, but in this case, I really don't think it matters.)
I'm about halfway through it.
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Patrick
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NOV 22, 04:10 PM
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Hardly seems possible it was 60 years ago today, but yes, I remember that day very well. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that JFK's assassination changed the world (or at least our view of it) forever. 
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steve308
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NOV 22, 07:47 PM
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I was in Catholic grade school at the time. I remember a nun bursting into the class room screaming and crying and having us get on our knees and praying for the president. As kids we really didn't understand the gravity of the event. My parents were devastated. It was a far different time.
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Raydar
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NOV 25, 09:53 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by steve308:
I was in Catholic grade school at the time. I remember a nun bursting into the class room screaming and crying and having us get on our knees and praying for the president. As kids we really didn't understand the gravity of the event. My parents were devastated. It was a far different time. |
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So was I. First grade. Like I said, "the end of the innocence".
And yeah. World-changing, for sure.
At the time of his election, Kennedy was certain we were on the way to blowing up the world.
According to the book I'm reading, Kennedy was hell-bent on getting us out of Viet Nam, and had earned the trust of Kruschev and Castro via "back channels". (If we had succeeded with the Bay of Pigs invasion, which the CIA had choreographed, the nukes in Cuba would have been launched, etc.)
Of course, the CIA and the joint chiefs wanted to "eradicate communism", and Kennedy was in their way.
I hate to keep harping on this book. I may just be gullible. But if it's even 25% true, it's a hell of an eye-opener.
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rinselberg
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NOV 25, 11:50 AM
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It wasn't until a year and a half later, after the Bay of Pigs, that the Russians started setting up nuclear missiles and launch sites in Cuba. Or maybe just a year after the Bay of Pigs—depending on how long the Russians were "at it" before the first evidence of nuclear-capable Russian missile installations was photographed from U.S. aircraft that were flown over Cuba.
I think the Russian missiles were intended partly as a way to deter the U.S. from orchestrating or getting involved in a second Bay of Pigs-like operation to overthrow the Castro regime.[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 11-25-2023).]
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Raydar
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NOV 25, 06:22 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by rinselberg:
It wasn't until a year and a half later, after the Bay of Pigs, that the Russians started setting up nuclear missiles and launch sites in Cuba. Or maybe just a year after the Bay of Pigs—depending on how long the Russians were "at it" before the first evidence of nuclear-capable Russian missile installations was photographed from U.S. aircraft that were flown over Cuba.
I think the Russian missiles were intended partly as a way to deter the U.S. from orchestrating or getting involved in a second Bay of Pigs-like operation to overthrow the Castro regime.
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I think you're right. I was only six when all of that was going down - obviously.
It's been a bit since I read that chapter, but the nuclear missiles certainly were going to be used, if there was an invasion.
The Bay of Pigs happened in early 1961, while the "meeting of the minds" between Kennedy and Castro (and Kruschev) happened in 1962. Makes sense.
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