A successful propaganda campaign has convinced many people that John F. Kennedy was murdered by an evil cabal of American government officials who wanted his power. Crazy!

The anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy falls on Thanksgiving this year. He was murdered in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, while riding in an open convertible and waving at the crowds standing along the route. Who was allowed to be in the car with JFK?

Since the assassination, there has been an ongoing propaganda campaign to convince the world and the American people in particular that JFK was murdered by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, the intelligence agencies, and the military industrial complex. The basis of the theory is the people who killed him wanted a larger war in Vietnam, and they also feared that President Kennedy was going to push them out of power and even replace LBJ as vice president for the 1964 election.

This theory means that everything that is done by the U.S. government after that day in Dallas is illegitimate. The American Republic died that day, according to the people who have developed and continuously spread this fable. This powerful lie has damaged the confidence of many Americans in their government. It has poisoned the hearts and minds of people, and that is what it was designed to do—undermine the faith of Americans in their leaders and their institutions.

According to this theory, the murder was done in Texas because that was Vice President Johnson's home state and he controlled the levers of power there. His longtime friend John Connally, was the governor of Texas. The Dallas police were under the control of Mayor Earl Cabell and would go along with the plot. Mayor Cabell's brother, General Charles Cabell had been the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency until he was fired by President Kennedy. The FBI was going to play ball because J.Edgar Hoover, a longtime friend of Johnson, hated the Kennedy brothers and would benefit from the murder. Texas was crucial because Johnson could control the investigation at the local, state and national level.

This seems like a pretty good plan so far. Vice President Johnson, Governor Connally and Mayor Cabell will ensure that everything is perfect for the assassination on their turf. President Kennedy will be in a slow-moving convertible on the streets they control when the assassins suddenly blast the vehicle. This theory claims Lee Harvey Oswald was set up and wasn't involved in the plot, but was scheduled to be framed by local, state and federal law enforcement. There were multiple assassins firing on the motorcade—just not Oswald—that day.

After planning the setup, manipulating events to put President Kennedy's motorcade in the assassins' kill zone, and preparing the cover-up with multiple law enforcement officials, there was only one thing left to do: wait and watch.

Actually, there was one more thing to do: get into the line of fire with the president.

Vice President Johnson, Governor Connally and Mayor Cabell all got into the vehicles they knew were going to be fired on with high-powered rifles in a few minutes. They even brought their wives along with them. The Dallas Chief of Police and the local sheriff were also in the motorcade, and they must have known what was going to happen, according to the conspiracy theory on the table.

Governor Connally received the Bronze Star for his valor during combat in World War II and was an avid hunter. He understood the difficulty of hitting a moving target with a rifle and the confusion that happens in a combat situation. Despite his experience with weapons and his knowledge of the assassins lying in wait, Connally got into the car with the president. Lyndon Johnson had been in combat in WWII and understood the randomness of where a bullet ends up once it leaves the barrel.

Connally was shot in the back that day in Dallas; he was the only one in that car who survived their wound.

The next time someone starts telling you that President Kennedy was killed by members of our government, ask them to explain the facts I just laid out. The foundation of all the various theories that JFK was killed in a palace coup is proved ridiculous with a glance at the participants in the motorcade.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. 

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