76 Comments

• SheilaSB | Nov 14, 2012, 08:56 PM EST

  WallsGirl1962 and merefalow make very good points. I was 16 when JFK was killed, and I always thought a conspiracy was involved.

• SheilaSB | Jun 15, 2012, 08:18 AM EDT

  While this is opening "Pandora's Box" - there is nothing higher than the truth. Smart people figured this out years ago! Jackie was always her own woman. Just because old Joe K. wanted her as window dressing for his son's political career, Jackie, as a journalist and photographer extraordinaire, had a panoramic view of ALL that was going on behind closed doors. Caroline Kennedy, a very smart, strong and compassionate woman, had a great teacher! I applaud her for releasing these tapes. It is a small price to pay so that she can hold on to the dignity of the two parents she loved. Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes? Give me a break!

• WallsGirl1962 | Jun 12, 2012, 08:36 PM EDT

  I have read a lot of books regarding JFK's assassination, and I have ALWAYS believed LBJ was behind the whole thing. Yes, Oswald may have fired a shot at JFK, but he was just a patsy in all this. I believe there were two shooters that day, while I don't know or will not hazard a guess as to who the second shooter was, I believe it was the shot from the second shooter that killed JFK. As for Ruby shooting Oswald? Well, here is my thoughts on that. I believe Ruby was the one person that LBJ had contacted to hire Oswald. I am not saying LBJ did it personally, I am saying he had it done. Ruby knows that if Oswald is put under pressure, he will rat on everyone involved that he knows of. So in order to make sure that doesn't happen, and to ensure LBJ is not brought into the mix, Ruby shoots Oswald while he is being "escorted." For almost 50 years the truth has been covered up. Of course most of the participants in this tragedy are dead by now, so bringing the truth to light won't make a bit of difference, except to those who were left to bear the burden of their father being branded a murder.

• merefalow | May 08, 2012, 07:49 PM EDT

  right wing neo cons,capable of anything,it was a planned assassination,kennedy was going to stop the war,will the truth ever emerge,not likely,these were professionals,forget castro,oswald,etc etc,look at the military, armament,industrialist america and what it stood to lose,american economy is geared to having perpetual conflict.

• marciaashley | Feb 04, 2012, 06:57 AM EST

  why do you want to bring up old news from the trash bin? i have and always had my ideas about why kennedy was shot. i think there was a lot jealousy o lbjs part. would anyone ever realy know what the thoughts were behind the eyes and mind of lbj. i was a kid and when you are a kid you form your opinoins and ideas about people.

• Barbaracvm | Sep 21, 2011, 10:36 AM EDT

  At the time of JFK's death, there were a lot of rumors that LBJ knew more than he would admit to. Jackie was not the only person who thought there was a well planned attack. The Warren Commission into the death of JFK has always been considered a joke. There was no love lost between the Kennedys and LBJ. LBJ knew he got the VP just so Kennedy could win the election.

• dv727dv | Sep 16, 2011, 07:28 AM EDT

  Too bad we couldn't interview her in later years to get her deep, deep thoughts on the "October Surprise," Area 51, or whether George Bush was secretly flown to Europe to meet with Sadegh Ghotzbadeh. Maybe Ray Kinsella should have been looking for Her Camelotonian Majesty as opposed to Terence Mann.

• PhlutiePhan | Sep 15, 2011, 10:42 AM EDT

  ABC and Diane Sawyer toned down all of the controversial comments. Caroline responded like a "bobble head doll" and even stated that her mother "loved" LBJ.

• redhand32 | Sep 14, 2011, 10:37 AM EDT

  There is nothing surprising about Jackie O here. It is the same as fat cat Republicans (US) who hate the middle class and poor, arguing that they alone (the fat cats) are human alone, -- the "job creators" for we parasites, untermenschen. The fate cats use the "untermenschen" tea party types and lower midlle class voting Republicans as useful idiots against a pro-middle class andi-poverty agenda. All they have to do is every election time take the anti-abortion social conservative agenda out of their dusty playbook for these gullible idiots who look down at the poor and "entitlements" as the source of all evil. Jackie K =Koch Bros, tea party.

• stanJames | Sep 11, 2011, 03:46 PM EDT

  Kinda wacko idea. If anyone else was behind the killing of Kennedy, it had to be Castro or the Russians Kennedy invaded Cuba, which turned into a military disaster. So Castro simply had him done in, and then in common fashion aomong people like that, had Ruby kill Oswald (the killer of Kennedy) to keep mouths shut forever Given the world situation, at the highest levels of government a decision was made to keep quiet about what happened. And pls remember that this was a time when the Soviet Union adn hte USA were armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons. Even the life of a president was not worth starting a nuclear war which could have for all practical purposes ended life on earth. BTW I was in the military about this time. One of the interesting things that started after Kennedy's assination was a co-operative venture with upper level Soviet military officers. To build trust in them that the USA was not going to annialate the Soviet union with nukes. I actually had met some soviet officers on the program.

• DanShieldsCLAnn | Sep 10, 2011, 10:22 AM EDT

  It is reasonable that an intuitive woman, under severe pressure, and having recently lost a child, would instantly recognize from whence came the "message" that felled her husband. She crawled to the back of the car out of instinctive realization that if they would kill the President, Johnson's cabal would also have her eliminated for anything she might know...When I heard of the shooting of Bill Gwatney in 2008, a week after he had broken the ice to become the first State Democratic Chairman to sign the Petition of 300 to demand that Hillary Clinton's name be entered into nomination at the Denver Convention, I, likewise, recognized that the Chicago Mob was intimidating Clinton's Pledged Delegates. Obama's supporters were crude enough to attempt to erase the 18 million Primary Votes delivered legitimately and were maneuvering to erase the candidacy of the First Female to win a contested primary. Millions saw through that ruse and observed with newly opened eyes, what was actually going down, alerted by the brazenness by which the Democratic Convention was "rumped" with all the world watching. Obama's "Presidency" was doomed from that moment.

• beaglebeast | Aug 17, 2011, 02:28 PM EDT

  Myriad conspiracy exist for the political, social and historical delectation of the whole world regarding JFK, his wife, his Pseudo-Camelot and his death. I'm looking forward to the airing of these "tell-all" recordings made by Jackie with a reputable historian present. Perhaps a little light will be thrown on the Dallas tragedy. As for The Kennedys" docudrama, if the shoe fits, then wear it -- too close to home, Caroline?? And why (if not for meadia $$$) is she ignoring her late mother's wishes and breaking their sealed vault a mere 17-years following Jackie's death? What will the Kennedy family gain from this, if not more saddened speculation and lives ruined? I believe the great Kennedy legacy has crashed and burned.

• mysticeagle | Aug 17, 2011, 12:41 AM EDT

  Except for Vietnam, President Johnson was a truly great man. John Connally who was riding in the car with President Kennedy,, was one of the President's best friends. I hardly think President Johnson would have put Mr. Connally (or his wife) in harm's way. The theory is ridiculous. All African Americans should have three portraits on their walls: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther king, Jr., and Lyndon Johnson.

• realnotracist | Aug 15, 2011, 10:42 AM EDT

  LBJ was much trickier than Tricky Dick ... most Democrats are ... not that Repubs are innocent. Just that the Dems are much more accomplished at deceit. LBJ figured that the Kennedys had taken the Presidency by illegal measures so why couldn't he?

• pilib04 | Aug 12, 2011, 03:24 PM EDT

  Lyndon Baines (child killer) Johnson was capable of any thing in order to gain power. LBJ was up there with Richard (tricky dick) Nixon.

• realnotracist | Aug 12, 2011, 11:12 AM EDT

  Fionnlagh ... well said.

• Fionnlagh | Aug 10, 2011, 07:57 PM EDT

  Swineford, likewise. The Act you adore could have been written specifically for the Jim Crow laws (what about that didn't you grasp?) And yes there has been no successful rulings against it other than an associated ruling that split the court. And just because the Supreme Court approves doesn't make it a good law for the culture as a whole. I am still waiting for the Bachmann quote in your new post. Conceding you "mis-spoke" in a lame attempt at humor. Let me end this with these questions? Is forced intregration and abolition of free association a good thing? If so, what has it done for America. There's as much hatred on both sides as ever. Is the US any less polarized? What did LBJ's so-called other gems The Great Society and the War on Poverty do except nearly destroy the Black family. No, liberals only use Blacks and would like nothing better than setup a slavery chattel by proxy using Federal programs to keep them dependent much as addicts. That's the real legacy of LBJ and thin skinned "perpetually offended" liberals such as yourself.

• vonRyan | Aug 10, 2011, 05:11 PM EDT

  Tweeking the old political stories with unfounded tales are beyond the times that lie in the musty old casket of proof...sometimes lost in the age of reason, which we claim to own to some extent...

• realnotracist | Aug 10, 2011, 04:22 PM EDT

  The assaination of Dr. King was the most sad day in contemporary American history. Here was a man on the brink of potentially creating true and lasting harmony between black & white America. The man was an orator and a very persuasive one at that. I have long said that the true greatness of the American potential will not be realized until black & white America genuinely coexist if not unite. Racism has no place whatsoever in America. Elements of black & white America are equally racist. However there is hope and I see it daily in my life. I have great friends black, white, hispanic, asian ... and the key to success as I see it is education. A person earning her/his own way through life and doing it successfully is generally more humane. And, on a side note, it was Texas Govenor Connaly (not sure of the spelling) who turned to JFK and said "they're going to kill us all." LBJ was never in danger of being hit. If Johnson was afraid for his own safety it was because he was aware of the plot. Often those with inside knowledge are the first to be eliminated. Perhaps Valenti knew nothing but LBJ knew everything.

• msfreeh | Aug 10, 2011, 03:02 PM EDT

  I meant to mention that the History Channel program called THE GUILTY MEN is based on the premise the President Johnson assassinated President Kennedy.In 1999 the Martin Luther King family sued one of the assassins of Martin Luther King in civil court. They did this because the department of justice would not reopen the investigation after the Martin Luther King family uncovered evidence that the FBI, CIA, and Memphis police had assassinated Dr King. The King family also wanted to enter their evidence into a public record so it could be accessed.The jury returned a verdict in favor of the King family and juror members held a press conference saying it was a clear cut case of the FBI assassinating Dr King. There was a media blackout of the trial. Details of the trial can be viewed if you google james douglass mlk rockwell or by reading the book called ACT OF STATE THE EXECUTION OF Martin Luther King written by the trial attorney William Pepper.

• msfreeh | Aug 10, 2011, 02:59 PM EDT

  The History Channel made a 9 part series called THE MEN WHO KILLED KENNEDY. The last segment was called THE GUILTY MEN The History Channel aired this segment a few times and it proved to be the most popular show in the 9 part series. The History Channel pulled this show off the air and refuse to sell it. It details the evidence for the FBI assassinating President Kennedy. You can watch this program on youtube Google the guilty men jfk youtube Watch the 45 minute version

• MyHomeland | Aug 10, 2011, 02:34 PM EDT

  Comments made by then Johnson aide Jack Valenti is more believable...as he was in Dallas with then Vice Pres. Johnson when the assassination took place. He (and others close to Johnson) related how Johnson was (rightly) scared for his own safety and made such statements as "they're gonna kill us all." He wanted and ordered Air Force One to get "the hell out of Dallas" ASAP because of his fear of being the next target. If Johnson had anything to do with JFK's murder, why would he be so concerned for his own safety? The Secret Service had barely enough time to get JFK's body on Air Force One when the plane took off for Washington. (which, by the way, upset the coroner in Dallas since they could not perform a more detailed and exhaustive autopsy in their city)

• MyHomeland | Aug 09, 2011, 08:29 PM EDT

  Fionnlagh, you infer that the U.S. Constitution w/amendments had already provided for the equal rights protections of the 1964 Act, while conceeding that the act was well-intentioned but too broadly written. Well, was it necessary or not? Clearly it was necessary, as was the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Blacks in the U.S. and especially in the South were not afforded equal rights in any meaningful sense - and well you know it. As far as I know, the constitutionality of this landmark legislation has not been successfully challenged before the Supreme Court, which is the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes discrimination. As for my comments re. Michele Bachmann, I was being a little tongue-in-cheek but hardly a liar. Bachmann made a comment recently to the effect that a slave child born in the 1860s had a better chance of living in a two-parent home than a black child born in the U.S. after Obama's election. At best, this was a remarkably insensitive remark, given the dreadful legacy of that vile and evil institution. At worst, it was, yet again, another example of her appalling ignorance of American history. Slaves were property; they were bought and sold and traded. Their marriages were not recognized in law. The idea of slave homes with Mom and Dad and kids is ludicrous. You are right about one thing, Fionnlagh, I do not know you - and that is a good thing.

• cHICAGOMAG | Aug 09, 2011, 01:06 PM EDT

  I think I see a libel suit for Irish Central in the near future. And it will be a well-deserved one!

• realnotracist | Aug 09, 2011, 10:05 AM EDT

  Let me my correct myself. Dr. King initiated the Equal Rights movement to the point of embarrassing America into the light. Kennedy initiated the political process. As has been said, when the people lead, the leaders will follow.

• realnotracist | Aug 09, 2011, 10:00 AM EDT

  I've always thought LBJ had some part in killing Kennedy. He was at the very least an enabler -- knowing beforehand and participating in the coverup. His legacy is the Vietnam atrocity and Welfare, both of which did great harm to America. LBJ was, in my opinion, the most clever criminal mind to occupy the White House in contemporary history. Remeber, Nixon got caught -- he too was criminal, just not as clever. It was Kennedy who initiated the equal Rights movement and LBJ had to follow through because it's time had come and there was no way to stop it. Like slavery itself, most white Americans wanted it. They wanted slavery to end and they wanted equality for Black Americans. Once the Voting Rights Bill was passed LBJ initiated the Welfare program so as to capture a larger portion of those newly registered voters. He gave Black Americans just enough money to remain poor for the rest of their lives while, at the same time, taking away any drive they might have had to truly succeed. The Housing Projects became the new Reservations so as to keep the Black population corralled. LBJ and the Democratic Party has been the single most detrimental force upon the Black American population since slavery itself. You now have generations of Black Americans who have known nothing but Welfare. Charles Barkley once said about Black Americans that they have supported the democrats for 50 years with no results. LBJ drank himself to death and became a recluse. He was wrought with guilt for many misdeeds. His guilt over the Kennedy assaination was only one of them.

• Fionnlagh | Aug 09, 2011, 09:51 AM EDT

  Swinford, your one dimensional thinking is appalling as well as your instipid agruments. The U.S. Constitution w/admendments already addressed, "make all citizens equal at least in law..." The '64 Act was well intended but written in a broad construct in a way as to make the Federal Govt the sole power over what is discrimation not only the legitmate issues of blacks but in ways that even the authors never intended. As far as Michelle Bachmann is concerned, you sir appear to be a liar in addition to being simply a fool. I have read many of Mrs. Bachmann's writings & speeches and have never seen nor heard the comments you attributed to her. Sir you do not know me nor of my militray service as I do not wear my service on my sleeve as you obviously do. But thanks to the '64 Act you adore we may see fellows claiming discrimation because the State Laws forbide him to marry his underaged daughter, a horse, or several women. Such is the Pandora's Box it opened. Space does not allow me to elaborate what plans some in the US will site it for soon.

• seagreen | Aug 09, 2011, 06:58 AM EDT

  I personaly do not believe that Lyndon Johnson had anything to do with the assination of John Kennedy, which is not to say that others based in Texas did not ! Johnson was the bagman for a lot of things, especially since he had to replace a presiudent that had be murdered. Lyndon Johnson did not initiate the Gulf of Tonkin incident, others unbenknownst to him took care of that. Johnson did make it possible for older Americans to survive with the policy's that he enacted, and did bear the brunt of all of the Vietnam escalation. It eventually caused him to not seek re election, and destroyed his health. The escalators "McNamara" and friends were the real culprits. Even though I do not believe LBJ had anything to do with Kennedy's death, most of the suspicion points to Texas bigwigs

• seagreen | Aug 09, 2011, 06:13 AM EDT

  Fionnlagh, LBJ's landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and voting Rights Act of 1965 were historic achievements by any standard - the first time since the Civil War that something concrete was actually done to address America's most shameful and evil legacy. This required both moral and physical courage, attributes with which you are unacquainted. Pray tell, lad, if the federal government did not (eventually) assume the responsibility to make all citizens equal at least in law, who would? Fine patriotic fellows like you? Hardly! From your transparent prose I can see you getting all misty-eyed and nostalgic lamenting the confinement of Jim Crow South to history's dung heap. Perhaps you believe, as Michele Bachmann does, that being a slave back in the 1860s wasn't really all that bad - under the beneovent and fatherly care of a white master. My Lord!, it must be hard on lads like you, all those blacks running around, expecting equality, fairness and justice, and not knowing their place anymore. Why, one of them had the colossal gall to become president. LBJ sacrificed many personal friendships, made over a lifetime, to do the right thing solely because it was the right thing to do. What have you done lately?

• themurphia | Aug 09, 2011, 06:04 AM EDT

  The enduring interest and ability of the Kennedy's to provoke strong feelings is remarkable...Reminds me of something Seamus Behan once said to me about de brudder... another little story for the next instalment of the family memoir...!

• mojo145 | Aug 08, 2011, 10:45 PM EDT

  Maybe this subject should have been brought up a few decades back.Why wasn't this question brought up back then about LBJ everyone seemed to let it slide.No one ever pushed the subject of his brother's death either.I guess both of them rocked too many powerful people boats during their time in the white house.

• Pittsburghkid | Aug 08, 2011, 10:14 PM EDT

  Maybe LBJ was in on it, but I think he had a lot of help. Joe Kennedy was a mobster, although a high class mobster, but still a mobster. So were his father, and father-in-law. Bobby Kennedy went after the mob, in order to illiminate competition. The Kennedy Brothers also double crossed the Cubian at the Bay of Pigs. So the Cubians did not like JFK. Bobby tried to deport the New Orleans crime boss, the deportation proceding were stop by the Justice Dept after 11/22/62. Onassis might of killed JFK to marry Jackie, after Marlyn Monroe got killed. If only the truth was ever known.

• Fionnlagh | Aug 08, 2011, 09:46 PM EDT

  Yes Mr. Swinford it would take one of the looney fringe to suggest LBJ would have been remembered one of the greatest Presidents had it not been for Vietnam which was just one of the situations that hi-lighted his poor decision making. Remember he set the rules of engagement. His Great Society & War of Poverty programs were what I suppose you think marked him as great. Or maybe it was his signing the so-called Civil Rights Act of 1964 which put the Federal Government the sole authority of what is discrimatory. No wait! Maybe you mean the cross town bussing orders he established. Yes there are so many things this President did that it would take a loon to call him a great President indeed.

• Fionnlagh | Aug 08, 2011, 09:07 PM EDT

  concannon, thank you for one of the more rational and thoughtful posts - amongst the expected babble of the looney fringe. I agree with you on all points. I have studied Johnson, the man and the president, a good deal. He had good reason to dislike JFK and RFK - the Kennedy clan regarded LBJ as a Texa buffoon. The Vietnam War, in which I served, destroyed LBJ. Otherwise, he would be considered one of our great presidents. I am surprised that Caroline Kennedy S. would release these tapes. I do not believe for a moment that Jackie Kennedy O. continued to believe that LBJ was involved. JFK was killed by a lone assassin. There has never been a single, solitary shred of credible evidence to suggest otherwise - and every conspiracy theory has been utterly and compellingly debunked - but not, of course, to the satisfaction of the conspiracy buffs who will never accept that someone of such stature and importance could be cut down by a complete nobody. But he was.

• Woodman | Aug 08, 2011, 07:38 PM EDT

  Jackie talked to historian Arthur Schlesinger about her affairs in the White House. She also told him she thought Johnson killed her husband. Now daughter Caroline agrees to release these tapes early to prevent the airing of a fictionalized account on the History channel of her mom and Dad's life. For anyone who believes all this is true, please contact me, I have a time share available for a bridge in Brooklyn.

• Parents | Aug 08, 2011, 05:00 PM EDT

  I saw the Kennedy series here in Canada, there was nothing that we didn't already know. The actors did a very good job and I thought it was well done. I don't know why the family was against it. So it was LBJ, no not that surprising really and all the Kennedys' knew it so it is no wonder they hated him. Another reason why Robert could not be president and had to meet the same fate. A very dark period of history for sure. Jackie was no flake, yes she was rich and privlidged but also pretty smart and if she thought it I am sure she had more insights than we do.

• IrishAir | Aug 08, 2011, 04:37 PM EDT

  LBJ was never Governor of Texas, he only served in the House and Senate, before being elected Kennedy's running mate. This needs to be corrected. There is an old saying amongst Historians, 'Nixon got caught, doing what they had started in Camelot'.

• Fionnlagh | Aug 08, 2011, 04:27 PM EDT

  She is only saying what we who grew up in the Southern United States knew for years. Johnson was a gangster and a bully. And forget the Camelot image of Kennedy perpetuated by the media. He was a plandering womanizer who couldn't keep his zipper up. JFK put Bill Clinton to shame in the bed-hopping category. He had "known" several married women in high places and bad connections that had husbands rich and powerful enough to pull this off as well. Either way LBJ's purpose was served. As the Bible says, "..be sure your sin will find you out." Nu 32:23

• VTMary47 | Aug 08, 2011, 03:25 PM EDT

  I was a Sophomore in High School at the time, but I also believed that LBJ orchestrated it. He appeared power-hungry to me.

• just4fun | Aug 08, 2011, 02:56 PM EDT

  WillRuke and seagreen your on the right track but it goes even deeper than that. Federal Reserve control of money that was ordered changed, Military wars etc. All politicians are crooked bought by the bankers. The only reason any one of them run for office, money, money, money to line their pockets.

• BXBovasso | Aug 08, 2011, 02:46 PM EDT

  What else is new? Johnson went on to initiate the Vietnam war,and cxreate the Great society which put Black America permanrntly on the Dole for permanent entitlement and the subsequet destruction of the the American Black family unity and its Christian affliliation. Bernard X Bovasso

• SirGShaw | Aug 08, 2011, 02:22 PM EDT

  All one need do is mentioned the Murchison Family, who donated a lot of money politically for Oil favors only to be denied by the Kennedy's. LBJ was very beholding to this TX mega-billionaire family, who promised delivery and failed. the rest is History

• themurphia | Aug 08, 2011, 02:09 PM EDT

  Even tho' 'The Kennedys'was panned and banned by the family...even in this lightweight series notwithstanding I was not a fan of his anti Castro/Cuba policies JFK's policies left me stunned they were so progressive... JFK/RFK what a double act what a family...!I remeber my mother crying the day she read the News...I didn't understand...it upset me...I guess we all remember where we were the day JFK died..!

• themurphia | Aug 08, 2011, 02:00 PM EDT

  WillRuha:Excellent post..I would really like to know more about this...Can you recommend anything that will tell the story warts and all? It defies belief that one family could have had such inordinate 'bad luck'...however having said that I don't believe they were all alter boys..!

• PhlutiePhan | Aug 08, 2011, 01:37 PM EDT

  There appears very little doubt of the involvement of LBJ. However, it remains to be seen how "wide ranging" this conspiracy really was.

• IrishCanuck | Aug 08, 2011, 01:08 PM EDT

  I think that this is incredible but I still like the theory of J Edger Hoover and the CIA haveing the most to gain as Hoover hated the Kennedy's with a passion. But I have a lot of respect for Jackie and I do know that LBJ was a twit but I didn't think that he was capable of this. John Kennedy in my mind was one of the best Presidents of our time even with his womanizing he still did a great job and would have done even better and I think that is why he was assinated. Good Presidents don't last to long in the states. I'm very surprised that Obama is still alive.

• WillRuha | Aug 08, 2011, 12:54 PM EDT

  LBJ was complicit in the murder of JFK, but only part of a larger coup d'etat engineered by the CIA & Pentagon, with assistance from J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI, former NSC 5410 chairman Richard Nixon, & key Secret Service agents like Emory Roberts & Rufus Youngblood. JFK had been scheduled for execution in Chicago on Nov. 2, 1963, but SS agent Abe Bolden uncovered the plot. The killing was then moved to Florida for Nov. 17, but was exposed by undercover police informant Bill Somerset. The same scenario was used as for Dallas: triangulation of fire following JFK's limo making a hairpin turn, with blame placed on a pre-arranged patsy. Johnson reversed JFK's executive order to withdraw all troops from Vietnam, gutted his Alliance For Progress, & destroyed his economic progress, while merely fulfilling Kennedy's legislative proposals for Medicare, Civil Rights, & anti-poverty programs. Jackie, Bobby, & Teddy all knew that LBJ was involved in JFK's assassination, but kept quiet while RFK sought the presidency in his courageous attempt to restore justice, peace, rationality & compassion to American governmental policies - only to also be assassinated during his brave quest. The same forces that murdered the Kennedys have since engineered their posthumous assassinations via smears, slanders, lies, manufactured "revelations," scurrilous fictions, & revisionist historical books of little merit.

• WilliamPenn | Aug 08, 2011, 12:46 PM EDT

  The Kennedys are lowlifes with money. From their gangster beginnings to marital infidelity, massive voter fraud, rampant drug and alcohol addiction, the list of their embarrassing escapades is endless. Teddy topped the heap. From causing Mary Jo's death, decades of sexually assaulting women, uncontrolled drinking, communist leanings.... The whole family is one big, ugly stain on American history.

• bob40wil | Aug 08, 2011, 12:25 PM EDT

  A load of BS, just add to the many other conspiracy theorys.

• candlelight | Aug 08, 2011, 12:21 PM EDT

  I thought it had long been suspected that LBJ had had JFK assassinated. As for the series, I don't see why the Kennedy family were so upset by it. It didn't depict anything that wasn't already known or that they are now themselves disclosing. To those saying that JFK's dalliances didn't affect his ability to do his job, no, you're right, they didn't. His inability to do his job affected his ability to do his job. What a shame that the one who was being groomed for the Presidency and the one who was the brains behind his brother's Presidency never made it there.

• Sarge524 | Aug 08, 2011, 11:45 AM EDT

  Fail The series wasn't aired ABC but had a week's run on the cable channel, Reelz.

• Porickseantuny | Aug 08, 2011, 11:33 AM EDT

  During the 60 election, by eldest brother, a veteran and college student proclaimed he couldn't vote for Jack because Jack was under the influence of steroids used for his illness. Steroids cause a sense of aggression and sensuality. My Irish parents nearly disowned him. He was right. The information was out there, but not revealed by the politically motivated press.

• seagreen | Aug 08, 2011, 11:25 AM EDT

  Kennedy's Capstone Speech in 1961 was his death warrant. it was an assault on secret societies,consortiums, and secretive business practices (military industrial complex) The rest was all fluff to plaqate the masses, and portray him in a negative manner so as to justify to some the entire operation... Some things never change !!!

• LisaJHD | Aug 08, 2011, 11:21 AM EDT

  Some of the current financial mess in the US traces back to the policies and programs from the Johnson presidency. While some of the political and social events were inevitable, the government-can-solve-all-financial-needs mentality that came from this administration has been a great detriment to the health and stability of the US's social and financial well-being.

• feliciamaisey | Aug 08, 2011, 11:12 AM EDT

  What I do not understand is why a film, which is not an actual account of the family's life is barred, while the most notorious of secrets is going to be put out there instead, by Caroline no less! She is going against her own mother's wishes to have the tapes kept under wraps until 50 (not 17) years passed after her death. The tape deal is really disrespectful to Jackie's last wishes as far as I am concerned.

• allentown | Aug 08, 2011, 11:05 AM EDT

  Back in 1959, there was a story going around that Jack Kennedy's campaign staff told him to get Jackie pregnant so they would have an excuse to tell reporters why she was not with the campaign. They didn't want her answering reporters questions. Now, I think we see why.

• CitizenWhy | Aug 08, 2011, 10:59 AM EDT

  My aunt was very close to Jackie and Bobby, especially after the assassination. She told me this story, with far more shocking details. For the sake of the country and civil rights, Jackie reconciled with Johnson, and everyone kept quiet.

• milfordmama | Aug 08, 2011, 10:47 AM EDT

  I have always believed this, going back to when it happened and I was in High School. Too many Dems always trying to squash the story. "Where there's smoke there's fire." No surprise to me, LBJ was so corrupt,very evil in my book.

• daddynuz | Aug 08, 2011, 10:46 AM EDT

  Nothing New at all! In 1992 Author Craig Zirbel Explored this subject in his book The Texas Connection. I remember reading this book and weather or not you believed it's conclusions it sure brought up a lot of interesting points. Because of my age this event is the most indelible of my memories. Later as a college student I spent a lot of time hearing about all the conspiracy ideas and read many of the same books this author noted reading in preparing to write the Texas Connection. I never formulated a definite conclusion, perhaps knowing if it were a true account of the events leading the Johnson presidency it would rock the nation like a earthquake of biblical proportions.

• McNamara31 | Aug 08, 2011, 10:44 AM EDT

  Niall/Cathal, I wish you would interview the great (Irish American, Brooklyn born) New York writer Pete Hamill who would have a wealth of stories about the Kennedy's and the political decades in which they lived. Hamill not only dated Jackie but was also present at the assignation of Robert Kennedy and actually helped hold the assassin down until he was captured by police. He’s now in his late seventies still writing and I would love to hear his side of the story.

• themurphia | Aug 08, 2011, 10:43 AM EDT

  kangarooyank:It was shown in UK... it was a bit lightweight and I think it was pulled from the History Channel because it was not considered to be an accurate... It concentrated more on the personal relationships of the protagonists rather than the Politics...I think one of the makers was a Republican and the family thought the content unreliable...You could probably get it on DVD if you wished...I watched it because it was about the Kennedy's but this new programme with the family's endorsement sounds much more interesting...The intrigue of the Court of Camelot is so fascinating...Katie Holmes bore a good resemblence to Jackie and the lead actor was uncannily like JFK..I don't know if Caroline agrees...the actor who played Bobby wasn't handsome enough...imo!

• Shmrck5S | Aug 08, 2011, 10:41 AM EDT

  The world would be a far better place today if all such details were still held secret until 50 years after the death of the parties involved. The ability of JFK to do his job as president was not hampered by his dalliances. We don't need to know who's doing who or who tapped his toe in the men's room or who tweeted his private parts. It's just a symptom of the downfall of our society that these things get so much of our attention.

• mcdolan | Aug 08, 2011, 10:41 AM EDT

  Am not surprised -- always felt LBJ had a hand in it, never trusted him. I think we in Ireland have seen this Kennedy series very recently as I believe Katie Holmes was Jackie Kennedy. Is this possible, or is there another one 'in the can'?

• concannon | Aug 08, 2011, 10:38 AM EDT

  So...because Jackie (who was more than a flake, living in her own bubble of privilege and a bizarre, unfaithful, unhappy marriage) "believed" LBJ was behind the assassination, it must be true?! Sure, LBJ had an ego the size of Texas, what politician doesn't? But what did he get out of being president? more money, fame, power? He pushed through the Great Society legislation, including the 'War on Poverty', finally took a stand to support MLK and the civil rights movement when he said "we SHALL overcome", and sent federal troops to protect the marchers, condemned and sent FBI agents after the KKK, meanwhile pushing the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, as well as Medicare and Head Start, among dozens of other programs for disadvantaged people. These don't sound like the actions of a megalomaniac who would kill to be president. He was wrong on Vietnam, a war he inherited from JFK, and it was his downfall as president. He could have been a "great" president had he seen the quagmire and removed us in the mid 60's. Instead, he was a very effective president on social issues that we still benefit from today. Before people jump to assume Jackie had undeniable facts to support her accusations, I hope they consider all the historical record...but then, there's nothing people like more than a good conspiracy, even if it comes from a flake!

• BaltoIrishGirl | Aug 08, 2011, 10:37 AM EDT

  Back in 1963 when all this happened, my Irish Mother told me of her beliefs about this whole bag of mess. Now I find that EVERYTHING my Mom said was right on the money, about both of them having affairs, and Jackie's belief about that slimeball LBJ killed her husband. So it took a while, but my Mom said it would take about 50 years for "all the bad fruit to fall from the trees". On that, she was once again right, on all counts. I just wish I could tell her, but she died 20 years ago. Yet, I truly believe she is in Heaven and having the biggest "I TOLD YOU SO!" party of all time!!

• KansasUSA | Aug 08, 2011, 10:35 AM EDT

  I've often thought this about LBJ. He had the most to gain by JFK's death and was about as dirty as you could get. I've often wondered if JFK would've been held in such high esteem if he hadn't been assassinated and I wonder what kind of President he would've actually been. Interesting.

• kangarooyank | Aug 08, 2011, 10:21 AM EDT

  i wish my father was still alive to see this.he told me exactly what i've just read here 40 years ago.this is probably the blackist mark on american history and thank god those old enough to have lived thru it have heard the truth.i'm sure jackie had more than just a gut feeling about lbj's involvement.and a HUGE thank you to caroline for having the guts to release the tapes.i think jackie would be proud of her.

• johnshiel | Aug 08, 2011, 10:17 AM EDT

  makes me wonder what was in that tv series that Caroline got canceled, and that we will never (?) see...

• joeustace | Aug 08, 2011, 10:08 AM EDT

  Actually, LBJ was never Governor of Texas, at least not officially.Representative and Senator, bu this boy John Connolly was Governeor at teh time of the assassination; that's why he was sitting in front of JFK.

• Suivness10 | Aug 08, 2011, 10:06 AM EDT

  Is anyone surprised?

• butlerreport | Aug 08, 2011, 09:58 AM EDT

  Well, well.

• cillowen | Aug 08, 2011, 09:41 AM EDT

  no surprize here - back then i'm saying 'don't go' why the fool went i'll never understand.

• Reaganella | Aug 08, 2011, 09:38 AM EDT

  Johnson didn't want to go to Dallas with JFK. That he had a hand in JFK's death did cross my mind at the time. I know Johnson is highly suspected of having had one of his early political opponents in the Texas hill country killed.

• msymsed | Aug 08, 2011, 09:36 AM EDT

  This is hardly a big shock...what is explosive is that it is being released early. I am not at all shocked by these revelations. LBJ was a filthy human being, and I use that term loosely. Kennedy wasn't much better but he WAS the better choice of the two for the presidency. If he had lived, he would not be as revered as he is now.

• colkelley | Aug 08, 2011, 09:30 AM EDT

  The best thing that could be said about LBJ (and this was years ago) was, "At least you can't PROVE LBJ ever had anyone killed." Reminds me of the bumper stickers I saw in 1965 - "Where is Lee Harvey Oswald now that we REALLY need him?"

• themurphia | Aug 08, 2011, 08:19 AM EDT

  I'd thought I'd heard all of the JFK conspiracy theories...is this the first time this has been mooted...Explosive indeed...!