Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Johnson Admits To Walter Cronkite That He Knows Who Killed Kennedy

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• published: 22 Apr 2012
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LBJ makes an incredible mistake with his first answer by undermining the purpose of his Warren Commission. His supposed doubts about international connections opens the door for Uncle Walter to question the conclusions of the WC. LBJ tries to close it again at 0:55. But Cronkite walks right in and LBJ fumbles big time as he realizes what a hole he has dug himself. He starts to address the WC conclusions, but then launches into a defense of the Commission's integrity instead, realizing that he can only make things worse by talking specifics. At 1:25 a wonderful subtle snarl stirs the left corner of his mouth as he regrets letting Uncle Walter into the ranch. Then his obfuscating generalities hit the name "Oswald," and he pauses, realizing that he did not want to speak that name and closes his eyes in despair, before continuing to the ultimate flub, "others that could have been involved." This is the former President of the United States here, not some schlub who just read a Mark Lane book, and he's talking about the motivations of Oswald and others who might have been involved, to Walter Fucking Cronkite. What can he do now, but ask Cronkite not to broadcast this unbelievable answer? And our kindly Uncle Walter obliges. It seems weird that LBJ would bring up "international connections" 6 years later, but this is part of the original cover story. There had to be an implication of international connections in order to convince Earl Warren and others that confirming the lone gunman theory was necessary to avoiding the possibility of WW3. "Oswald Done It Himself," avoids Cuban and Soviet involvement. The conspirators provided just enough false implication of international connections to create a reason for relatively honest men to join the cover up. Ruby's Warren Commission testimony is sometimes quoted out of context. There, he wants to talk to Lyndon Johnson, he says, to convince him that he was not involved with the Kennedy assassination plot. Perhaps the key point is that he wants to talk to Lyndon Johnson. He has just been sentenced to death for killing Oswald, and he had probably been promised to get off lightly, the way Mac Wallace had got away with murder. Later, he blames "the man in office now," and he never sounds more sane than when he says that. The Weissman ad was probably planted just to give him a reason to shoot Oswald. Why did he wake up George Senator in the middle of the night to go look at a billboard and go to the post office? Because Senator would make a good corroborating witness to his motivations. But, when Johnson didn't come through for him, he pointed the finger of blame. It is interesting to note how close Ruby kept to Senator. In November 1962, Senator moved into a new apartment, and, according to Senator's testimony to the Warren Commission, within a week Ruby moved into the next door apartment. The adjoining apartment. They shared a wall. One year before the assassination Ruby moved in next door to his future character witness. This apartment was less than a mile away from Oswald's famous "backyard," and about 4 blocks from where Tippit would die. And this was about the same time that George de Mohrenschildt was getting to know his new friend Lee ("I think in the summer of 1962"), and about the same time that Michael Paine moved out of his house ("Michael moved to an apartment in September of 1962"). The scene was being set a year in advance. That's Janet "Jada" Conforto, at this time, a former dancer in Ruby's club. She also mentioned in the video that she thought that Jack particularly didn't like Bobby Kennedy, which isn't surprising given the fact that Jack had gangster friends. It is also priceless how she looks at the interviewer when he suddenly starts talking as if she is not there. You'll find the interview is on YouTube somewhere, if you search for it. She died in the 70's riding her motorcycle when she was hit by a bus. Jada, here, says that she doesn't think Ruby loved Kennedy that much. In part of this interview not shown here, she emphasizes how he disliked Bobby. I just yesterday saw another interview with another dancer who related how upset Ruby was with the assassination of his "beloved" president. This seems to be a contradiction, but when you realize that Jada had left the Carousel Club long before the assassination and that the other dancer was working there at the time of the assassination, then it makes sense. Ruby didn't like the Kennedys, but he was putting on to explain the motive for what he was about to do, to kill Oswald. Ruby was pretending to be upset that JFK had been murdered. He really didn't like the Kennedys.