I have just seen Oliver Stone's documenatary JFK Revisted: Through the Looking Glass. He uses new information made available since his 1991 film to further his case. He is convinced that President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 by a conspiracy and that the Warren Commission Report was a work of fiction to hoodwink the American people.

Oliver Stone has an idealised image of Kennedy. This is apparent in his 1991 film JFK. In Stone’s view, Kennedy stood for peace and reform. He was not going to escalate the war in South Vietnam, he was actually going to withdraw American troops . The forces of reaction in the form of the Military Industrial Complex decided that he had to be removed i.e. killed.

The problem with Stone’s view of Kennedy is that it overlooks that he was a Cold War Warrior. His inauguration address in 1961 was a call to arms against Communism. The meaning of his words is unmistakeable. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

It was Kennedy that approved the Bay of Pigs invasion hoping that it would be a cheaper way to get rid of Fidel Castro in Cuba. The whole episode was a disaster. You can draw link between the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, one almost definitely resulted into the other.

It was Kennedy that approved of the various CIA plots to assassinate Castro, some of which included Cuban exiles and organised crime. The Kennedy brothers were keen to remove this outpost of Communism from America’s “backyard”. If that meant destroying the Cuban economy to create discontent, then so be it. In 2021, think of Russia having a pro-Western Ukraine on the Russian border and you get the idea. Vladimir Putin today is doing what the Kennedys once did in 1960s.

Oliver Stone never refers to or dwells on the Mafia in his films. You cannot tell the story without mentioning organised crime. There is strong circumstantial evidence that Kennedy was elected in 1960 with the “assistance” from the underworld.

Kennedy himself had a relationship with a woman called Judith Campbell, who was also involved with Chicago crime boss Sam Giancana. The Mafia were also keen to get Cuba back from the Communists as it was once a lucrative earner for them before the Cuban revolution in 1959. The Mob were more than willing to participate in CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro as their motivations coincided.

Stone's dilemma is that if you mention the Mafia, it tarnishes Kennedy, making him look sleazy and corrupt. In Stone's view, he was a glamourous figure who wanted to usher in peace and prosperity. Stone has placed JFK on such a high pedestal that he does not want to see the darkness under the glossy surface.