Rare News Desk
The conspiracy theorists were out in full force at a Newseum event featuring a conversation with director Oliver Stone. Stone was celebrating the upcoming re-release of his 1991 film “JFK” and his new history text, “The Untold History of the United States.”
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Though Stone referenced throughout the program that he was raised conservative, and even voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980, throughout his talk he put on display just liberal he can be. When discussing the Kennedy assassination, the topic of this and other upcoming events, Stone became a geyser of left-wing theories.
Stones theory, similar to many in the audience is that President John F. Kennedy was not assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald but was gunned down by a coordinated effort of highly trained marksmen. According to Stone, many elements of the political machine were working against Kennedy leading up to the 1964 election.
“There was a lot at stake in the 1964 election, which gives motivation to a crime.” Stone told an audience filled with history buffs, film fans and conspiracy theorists.
In Stone’s opinion, the administration and CIA were angry at Kennedy’s hope to become longterm allies with the Soviet Union. Many of these men were holdovers of the Eisenhower administration, a man who Stone argued “thought we could use nukes as bullets.”
“We were facing the end of the world, and Kennedy said no.” Stone said.
In turn, the powers that be did not think the strong-willed Kennedy would go forward with military action in Vietnam. Though he stopped short at citing individuals, Stone expressed the notion that those in power had the means to take out anyone they wanted, even the president of the United States.
Stone operates on the notion that the whole aftermath of the assassination was mishandled. Though he claimed to have admired Jackie Kennedy, Stone blames her for some of the questions history has yet to answer revolving the murder.
“Jackie Kennedy made mistakes,” Stone said, adding that had she not demanded the body be removed from Dallas, a more thorough and accurate autopsy could have been performed. He continued on this idea, noting that the Warren Commission Report is a work of fiction, and that the gun made famous by the Oswald “wasn’t even there.”
Though the conversation was generally relegated to history’s interpretation of the Kennedy assassination and the making of his 1991 film, Stone and author Peter Kuznick closed with some thoughts on current affairs.
Kuznick, a professor at American University, warned the predominantly left-wing audience to not trust Hillary Clinton in 2016, noting that throughout her career she has been more of a “hawk” than President Obama. Both men agreed that the country was fooled by Obama in 2008 and have been disappointed at the “disenchantment” he has represented.
Stone, who described voting for Jimmy Carter as a great moment in his life, closed out the conversation by expressing hope that the country would rally behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in the upcoming election.
In a conversation memorializing the legacy of JFK, Oliver Stone didn’t offer much insight, choosing instead to continue the narrative he so dearly wants to be true.
