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Before the assassination, Lyndon Johnson was known to be power-hungry. This is one of his traits that proves he could have been responsible. Robert Caro states that "the hunger that gnawed at him most was a hunger not for riches but for power in its most naked form; to bend others to his will. At every stage of his life, this hunger was evident". Johnson accepted Kennedy's offer of Vice President despite his dislike of him. Jim Marrs observes that this was a total shock to most people, even Kennedy. Marrs also states that Johnson was put a step closer to the President by accepting the position. Rowland Evans and Robert Novak state that once Johnson's position had been secured, he was after power before Kennedy was even inaugurated. Evans and Novak also acknowledge that Johnson did not accept the traditional view of the Vice President's role. Johnson wanted more power. One of Johnson's attempts at an inordinate amount of power proved to be unconstitutional. Although Johnson was to become Vice President in 17 days, he chose to be in charge of Senate Democratic caucuses as well. Furthermore, Johnson sent an executive order to President Kennedy in reference to his supervision of NASA. Kennedy regarded this as one of Johnson's power grabs, and just ignored the memo. Kennedy himself was aware of Johnson's greed. In fact, he was "disturbed over 'gang-up' tactics used on him by Johnson". These attempts by Johnson to gain excessive power exhibit his persistent desire to become President of the United States and supports the possibility of an assassination plot by Johnson. As aforementioned, Johnson did not particularly care for Kennedy, and this dislike did not change while he was in office. This is another one of Johnson's behaviors that makes him suspicious. Evans and Novak express that the relationship between Johnson and Kennedy was not joyful. In fact, Johnson withdrew from legislative affairs when Kennedy requested his experience and knowledge on the matter. Johnson also wanted to do things by himself. Johnson was rather unhappy with his lack of involvement, and it was starting to show other places in his life. Berstein notes that Johnson felt unwelcome in the Senate, and his friends almost abandoned him altogether. In addition, Johnson felt subordinate to the Kennedys. His outlook on the future was rather gloomy. In addition to these behaviors that make Johnson distrustful, his political career was also filled with scandals, which resulted in his close friends ending up in jail. He used these schemes to benefit his own position. Johnson's main connection was with Bobby Baker, a Texas oil dealer and mobster. He and Johnson were best friends in some of these political scandals. People around Johnson say that he was the type of person that would commit any kind of crime, and managed to have the worst traits in his personality. Others have stated Johnson was devoted entirely to personal gain. When Johnson was Vice President, large cash transfers were observed. Cash contributions from the mob were also noted. Another action that may link Johnson to the mob was a letter he wrote to the parole board to get Jack Halfen, a member of the mob, out of jail. These strange occurrences should not be overlooked. They exemplify Johnson's willingness to do anything it takes to get what he wants, and in the same way, he acquired the presidency by plotting JFK's assassination. The day of and the days following the assassination, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson performed some tasks that were very much out of the ordinary. During the assassination, Johnson was reported to have his ear pressed against a walkie-talkie turned down low. This is somewhat questionable. This must have been something Johnson wanted kept private from his secret service men in his car. This action has no reasonable explanation. Then, just days after the assassination, Johnson had the presidential limousine sent to Detroit to be refurbished. This destroyed valuable evidence pertaining to the positions of the assassins. Some other items of evidence destroyed were Governor Connally's clothes, the Texas Governor who was riding in the limousine with Kennedy. Johnson had his aide send secret service to attain the bloody clothes and have them cleaned. This was an unnecessary action. Zirbel notes that among other things, Johnson immediately fired President Kennedy's secretary. This could have waited, but Johnson insisted on carrying out the task immediately. In addition, Zirbel notes that Johnson had the audacity to order Mrs. Kennedy out of the White House by the following Monday, the day of the funeral. The most disrespectful and unnecessary action that Vice President Johnson performed was the removal of President Kennedy's belongings less than twenty-four hours after his death. This was an act that totally disregarded the feelings of the Kennedy family and the rest of the country. These suspicious procedures that Johnson carried out can only lead a person to believe that he had foreknowledge of the assassination. They also further prove his hunger for power and greed. Another tactic Johnson used to cover up his guilt was shifting blame. The day the assassination occurred, Johnson quickly stated that a worldwide conspiracy was to blame; however, he did nothing to answer this threat. A second person Johnson blamed was Fidel Castro. This is another instance where Johnson tried to remove blame from himself. Not only did Johnson blame people, he blamed a country, Vietnam. This story of Johnson's never proved valid because of lack of evidence. All of these incriminating activities were not the end for Johnson. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Warren Commission shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Most people expected this to help find the true assassin, but it proved to be a confusing ordeal to those who read the commission's report. It was long and hard to comprehend. Not only did the Warren Commission's report confuse people, it totally cleared Johnson of all criminal suspicion. Johnson created it to keep him from being accused. Then, Johnson excluded public review of all evidence until the year 2039. As another precaution, Lyndon Johnson proposed that a Texas commission investigate the assassination. Johnson wanted to keep the case in Texas instead of moving it to Washington D.C., which might have put him in the spotlight for Robert Kennedy to press criminal charges. Despite the Warren Commission interviewing 551 witnesses, they failed to interview Vice President Johnson. Again, here is another attempt by Johnson to cover himself. The last thing Johnson did with the Warren Commission was to prevent the investigation of certain people. Johnson's friends, such as McWillie(Jack Ruby's friend), the oil men(Bobby Baker), and Kirkwood(another friend of Jack Ruby), were all suspects, but never were investigated by the Warren Commission. When Johnson had become President in 1964 and had finished his term, the assassination of JFK had not been talked about publicly for a while. Then Johnson granted an interview with Walter Cronkite. During the interview, Johnson mentioned the possibility of more than one person being involved in the assassination. Afterwards, the former President asked television executives to delete his remarks concerning the assassination. Obviously, he had said something he should not have said, and tried to cover it up. It could have been something incriminating. The JFK assassination has been a crucial event in the history of the United States. Those old enough today can remember exactly what they were doing when they received news of the tragedy. It has greatly affected this country. The possibility of a conspiracy has been considered ever since. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was known for his hatred of the Kennedys, especially John Kennedy. His hunger for power and willingness to do whatever it takes to get his way makes him a suspect in the assassination. Johnson covered up many of his attempts, but people cannot ignore his malevolent presence. Lyndon B. Johnson should be considered to be an essential player in the assassination of JFK. |
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