By Cameron Saucier
On Nov. 22, 1963, one of the most beloved presidents in U.S. history was assassinated. John F. Kennedy was riding through Dallas in a presidential motorcade when he was shot in the head. The Warren Commission, a congregation formed to explore the death of Kennedy, found overwhelming evidence that the shooter was Lee Harvey Oswald. But to this day, skeptics still proclaim that there was more to the story. And these critics are more prevalent than you think.
This gallup poll conducted on Nov. 15, 2013, shows that the majority of Americans think that there were others involved in the Kennedy assassination. Graph by Gallup, Inc.
In a gallup poll conducted on Nov. 15, 2013, 61 percent of Americans said they believe Kennedy was killed in a conspiracy. But some staff and faculty at Elon University think otherwise. According to Carolynn Whitley, program assistant for Elon’s political science department, conspiracy theories started circulating the country only days after Kennedy was shot.
Whitley, who was a freshman in college at Lenoir Ryan University when Kennedy was killed, recounted how her entire campus went into bedlam after hearing news of the tragedy.
“The whole campus was in shock,” said Whitley. “Nothing was open except the dining halls. Our university shut down and we were glued to the television.”
Photo and magazine cover courtesy of the Times.
Whitley said she trusted the Warren Commission and that she believed Kennedy was shot by Oswald. Although, she admitted, others may have been involved with planning the shooting, but there is not way to tell for sure.
Anthony Hatcher, associate professor of communications, was surprised by the gallup poll results, but said he still adheres to the Warren Commission’s report that Oswald acted alone. Hatcher, like Whitley, has also been subjected to countless conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s death.
Hatcher, although only six years old at the time of Kennedy’s death, gave his recount of the tragedy from a child’s perspective.
Despite all of the controversy surrounding the Kennedy assassination, many Americans still come together to celebrate his life and mourn his passing.
Tracy Raetz, a senior at Elon and resident of Dallas, said that tourists mainly come to Dallas to shop, but people always stop by the Kennedy memorial to pay their respect.
“There is a huge “X” by memorial main street that marks the death of Kennedy,” said Raetz. “A lot of tourists take pictures of the memorial.”
Friday, a new memorial will be unveiled at the Dealey Plaza in Dallas, the site of the shooting. The monument will be located on the grassy knoll adjacent to the street Kennedy traveled by in a motorcade. The commemoration will feature historian David McCullough, a frequent visitor and guest speaker at Elon University. McCullough will be reading from Kennedy’s presidential speeches.
Cameron Saucier 