Although many present-day Americans were not alive when John F. Kennedy faced his tragic end, the speculation surrounding his assassination continues to be fervent. Saving Jackie K, a novel skillfully blending reality with imagination, endeavors to uncover the elusive “truth” behind these pivotal events. But what do the historical archives truly reveal?
At 12:30 pm on November 22, 1963, President Kennedy became a target of sniper bullets while traveling through Dealey Plaza in Dallas in an open limousine. The sound of gunfire echoed through the plaza, leaving bystanders in shock as they witnessed the fatal headshot that stained Kennedy’s Lincoln convertible with blood.
Merely eighty minutes later, Lee Harvey Oswald, an employee at the Texas School Book Depository located in Dealey Plaza, was apprehended for the murder of Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit. Subsequently, Oswald faced accusations of assassinating the president, allegedly firing shots from the book depository’s sixth-floor window using a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle.
Despite these allegations, Oswald never faced trial. Two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald in the basement of the police headquarters as officers prepared to transfer him to jail—an event broadcast live on television, shocking the nation. President Lyndon Baines Johnson appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren to lead a committee tasked with investigating the assassination. After ten months of hearings, the Warren Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone. Nevertheless, widespread skepticism persists, with many Americans suggesting a broader conspiracy and alleging a cover-up. As highlighted by JFK author and assassination historian L.D.C. Fitzgerald in a recent interview, the discourse surrounding Kennedy’s assassination remains a captivating and puzzling topic for generations to come.