Do you know this tidbit about Lee Harvey Oswald?

[Vorticity]

This is the first I've heard of it, but I haven't really been into the whole JFK assassination subculture.

 

[Drysdale]

Yep, my stepmother believed in the conspiracy.

I engulfed anything I could find on it for awhile.

 

[Matthew Best]

I didn't know, but I don't think that has anything to do with my level of education, which was primarily in math and physics rather than history. After all, can you calculate a multi-dimensional tensor transformation from one metric to another? If not, does that speak to the quality of your education?

Sorry if that comment came across the wrong way. What I meant was that in general I find that this forum is full of people who know more than me about just about everything (for example, I have no idea what you are even talking about in your second sentence). It just surprised me to find that there is something that I know that it seems many people here do not. Especially as I don't consider myself a particular student of the JFK assassination (all I have done is read a book about it a while ago).

I guess I should have used the term "more knowledgeable" instead of "better educated". My apologies for impugning your schooling, Mr Upchurch.

 

[Metullus]

I have known it for a very long time. When I was a kid I confused Oswald's General Walker with Walton Walker.

 

[Marquis de Carabas]

Knew about it, though would not have recalled the name or the month before reading the OP.

 

[NoScotsman]

I like to ask people I meet about the JFK assassination ... you know, for profiling purposes. The JFK case is the greatest woo detector ever invented.

 

[Stellafane]

Yes, I knew about the attempt on Walker. This is going to sound really, really heartless and awful, but from a purely pragmatic point of view, I wonder if on the whole it would have been better (or at least, had a lesser impact on history) if Oswald's first attempt at assassination had in fact succeeded.

 

[GrouchoMarxist]

Yes, I knew about the attempt on Walker. This is going to sound really, really heartless and awful, but from a purely pragmatic point of view, I wonder if on the whole it would have been better (or at least, had a lesser impact on history) if Oswald's first attempt at assassination had in fact succeeded.

Well, the SCOTUS wouldn't have heard Associated press v. Walker, but somehow I don't think that's what you meant.

 

[ksbluesfan]

I didn't know that tidbit, but I haven't spent much time thinking about JFK's assassination. Enough people I respect were convinced Oswald was responsible, so I never felt compelled to dig deeper.

 

[Fnord]

47 years later, people still think that the individuals involved in the J.F.K. assassination are still relevant.

... with the exception of Caroline Kennedy, of course...

 

[kookbreaker]

I've known about it since the Posner book. It was in the Warren Commission report but the fact that such a detail was so unknown shows how much the media has bent over to the whims of the conspiracy subculture - if they didn't want you to know about it they didn't mention it and that was that.

The other important thing I learned from the Posner book is that Conspiracy theorists can and will lie about their subject matter. Constantly.

 

[Simon39759]

Yeah; I knew, maybe from some History Channel documentary from before the channel went to crap, he had failed an assassination attempt before Kennedy but I had no memories beyond that, the name of the intended victim or his profession or when the attempt took place were long forgotten...

 

[bynmdsue]

There's also his alleged attempt on Nixon that doesn't get alot of play.

 

[timhau]

Alleged by who?

 

[Wolrab]

Yes, isn't that common knowledge that after failing this one, he set his goals higher?

I would have said he set his sights higher.

 

[SezMe]

I didn't know that tidbit, but I haven't spent much time thinking about JFK's assassination. Enough people I respect were convinced Oswald was responsible, so I never felt compelled to dig deeper.

I think ksbluesfan hits the key which differentiates the knows from the know nots. Generally speaking, those who've delved into the matter or watched documentaries about it on TV seem to be in the know. Those of us who just never got into the minutia were unaware of this particular tidbit - and probably many other facts that those who are JFK assassination fans consider "common knowledge".

 

[kookbreaker]

Alleged by who?

His wife.

 

[timhau]

His wife.

I've never even heard of that one... Does the claim have any credibility, or is it just Martina O. trying to cash in on her fringe fame?

 

[valis]

I think it is fairly common knowledge if you read anything about Oswald.

Although I am the first to admit that there is no compelling evidence of a conspiracy it is certainly understandable that people believe there was one.

An ex marine defects to the USSR at the height of the cold war; comes back to the US and ends up shooting the president,yells "I'm a patsy" to the press and then is shot by a (your choice of low level mobster, police groupie or mob hanger on) before he can be tried or even interrogated at length. How does that not make you look for a conspiracy?

It's not exactly far fetched to suspect greater forces might have been involved. Although I have never seen anything compelling to tie things together in any way.

 

[Simon39759]

An ex marine defects to the USSR at the height of the cold war; comes back to the US and ends up shooting the president,yells "I'm a patsy" to the press and then is shot.

Little known fact, Oswald actually yelle 'I'm a pastry'.
He was just making fun of Kennedy's 'Ich bin ein berliner'... Yeah... making fun of your victim, really classy, Harvey...