19. The C.I.A. Did It
This is probably the most popular theory I've heard by word of mouth from friends and colleagues. It's no secret that during Communist dictator Fidel Castro's reign in Cuba, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is said to have attempted to assassinate him as many as 638 times, with about 42 known attempts made during the 34 months while Kennedy was in the White House. The theory, first postulated by Bobby Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, asserts that Kennedy had in fact not authorized any or all of these hits on Castro and a certain rogue element of the CIA felt it necessary to eliminate Kennedy in order to ensure the agency's longevity over fears of disbandment. Kennedy later backed down from this theory, but maintained until the day he himself was assassinated that the Warren Commission was bogus and that Oswald was not the lone gunman. Author and historian Dave Perry, who specializes in the analysis of JFK conspiracy theories, said in a recent interview with CNN that this is the one conspiracy theory that cannot be ruled out or debunked. My question, however, is this. Kennedy was obviously no friend to Cuba, with the U.S.-Cuba embargo still in its infancy and tensions high amid the Cuban Missile Crisis. Was Kennedy really completely in the dark about the CIA's antics? Until the relevant records are declassified, if ever, we may never really know.