Who Killed JFK?

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Who Killed JFK? For 60 years, we are still asking that question. In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's tragic assassination, legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner teams up with award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien to tell the history of America’s greatest murder mystery. They interview CIA officials, medical experts, Pulitzer-prize winning journalists, eyewitnesses and a former Secret Service agent who, in 2023, came forward with groundbreaking new evidence. They dig deep into the layers of the 60-year-old question ‘Who Killed JFK?’, how that question has shaped America, and why it matters that we’re still asking it today.

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Our Editor's Take

The Who Killed JFK? podcast is on a mission to find the actual assassin who shot President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on that historic, fateful day in 1963. Police charged Lee Harvey Oswald within hours of Kennedy's murder. The next day, Oswald made a curious statement. He told the press he was a "patsy" who took the blame for someone else. The hosts of the show, film director Rob Reiner and broadcast journalist Soledad O'Brien, investigate his defense.

The day after Oswald's claim, reporters gathered in the police headquarter's garage. They came to record Oswald's escort to the county jail to await trial. Without explanation, nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot Oswald in the stomach. He claimed it was to avenge the president and appease the First Lady. Was it to silence Oswald before his testimony? It took fifteen years for government officials to change their story. They began calling the murder a conspiracy. The podcast hosts believe the original one-bullet theory wasn't logical. There was a pristine bullet found where the First Lady sat.

Reiner was 16 at the time of the JFK assassination. He created the Who Killed JFK? podcast because he believes Americans deserve the truth. To Reiner, this act might as well have happened yesterday since it's unsolved. As time passes, new truths continue to emerge. Did Joe Biden or Donald Trump conceal them? Was Lyndon B. Johnson involved? The hosts provide answers. Through research and tips, Reiner formulates a theory. He and author Dick Russell tell listeners there may have been at least four shooters. They name them and their hidden locations.

Reiner founded Castle Rock Entertainment and cofounded the American Foundation for Equal Rights. He starred in All in the Family and Spinal Tap, a film he cowrote and produced. Reiner is an activist who makes iconic movies, including When Harry Met Sally. O'Brien founded Starfish Media Group. She's worked with CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and HBO. O'Brien is a correspondent on America Tonight and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. She hosts Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien. Listeners can expect exceptional entertainment from Who Killed JFK?

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Introducing: Who Killed JFK?

Introducing: Who Killed JFK?

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, Who Killed JFK? explores the pressing questions that still surround one of the most tragic moments of the 20th century. Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien and beloved filmmaker Rob Reiner team up to discover the truth behind the assassination, revealing how the ramifications of the 1963 tragedy still impact American society today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episodes

Introducing: Who Killed JFK?

Introducing: Who Killed JFK?

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, Who Killed JFK? explores the pressing questions that still surround one of the most tragic moments of the 20th century. Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien and beloved filmmaker Rob Reiner team up to discover the truth behind the assassination, revealing how the ramifications of the 1963 tragedy still impact American society today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Shots Have Been Fired"

"Shots Have Been Fired"

Who wanted the president dead? And is the unexpected murder of the lead suspect the first clue in the answer to this mystery? Our hosts, Rob Reiner and Soledad O’Brien, discuss why the question “Who Killed JFK?” endures in the American imagination 60 years later. Did President Kennedy have a target on his back when he transformed from ‘Cold Warrior’ to global peacemaker? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Investigations

The Investigations

Was there a coverup? The Warren Commission published a report in 1964 that claimed Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman. But over a decade later, the House Select Committee on Assassinations claimed that President Kennedy was killed as the result of a ‘conspiracy.’ Why the conflicting results? With revelations over the last 60 years, flaws in both investigations are exposed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the forensic evidence reveal? We start at the scene of the crime, move to the hospital and end with the strange autopsy. And with breaking news from one of Kennedy’s Secret Service Agents, the Single Bullet Theory will finally be put to rest. A big thank you to The 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and WFAA TV Collection. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who was Lee Harvey Oswald? We dig deep into Oswald’s story. Starting with his childhood, talking directly to people who knew him, we explore his time in the military and his curious defection to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Was he just a disgruntled ex-Marine, a lone wolf who wanted to take down a president? Or was he part of something bigger?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wilderness of Mirrors

The Wilderness of Mirrors

What did Oswald mean when he uttered the now-famous words “I’m just a Patsy!”, just hours before he was murdered? To begin to understand what those words mean, we step into the ‘Wilderness of Mirrors’ to see the world of counterintelligence through the eyes of James Jesus Angleton – a man known as “The Poet Spy.” In the Wilderness, confusion is a key weapon. We’ll trace Oswald’s steps from his return from the Soviet Union to his activities in New Orleans in the summer of 1963. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who is Richard Case Nagell, and why did he mysteriously rob a bank two months before President Kennedy was assassinated? We’ll continue to follow Oswald’s movements, including how he got a job in a building that overlooked the President’s motorcade route. We’ll discuss a CIA plan that might be the smoking gun. The plan that exposes the conspiracy: Operation Northwoods.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strange Bedfellows

Strange Bedfellows

Who had the motive? We explore the three groups who had both motive and means to assassinate Kennedy: the Mafia, the Cuban Exiles, and the intelligence community. And we uncover the unexpected ways they were working together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We revisit November 22nd, 1963, through the eyes of Lee Harvey Oswald. Through expert testimony and first-hand witnesses, we follow Oswald, starting with his strange behavior the evening prior to the shooting and ending with his famous declaration – “I’m just a patsy.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who was Jack Ruby? And why did this nightclub owner and low-level mobster murder Lee Harvey Oswald? We look at the strange treatment of Oswald while in custody and the reactions to Kennedy’s death from leaders around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who Killed JFK?

Who Killed JFK?

Finally, who killed JFK? Rob and Dick walk Soledad through their theory of who killed President John F. Kennedy. They name the shooters, their locations, and who was behind the tragic, world-changing event.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Withheld Documents [BONUS]

Withheld Documents [BONUS]

An extended discussion with Jefferson Morley about the thousands of documents the US Government is still keeping hidden from the public. We discuss why these documents are still being protected 60 years later, what information may be in these documents, and what hope we have, if any, of the authorities releasing these materials.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Secret Service Agent Who Witnessed it All [BONUS]

The Secret Service Agent Who Witnessed it All [BONUS]

Secret Service Agent Paul Landis, who was riding in the car behind the President when he was murdered, joins us to talk about his memories of that fateful day. After years of silence, Paul opens up about the assassination, sharing details that may forever change our understanding of what happened on November 22nd, 1963.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.