- Formally:
- Presidentâs Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
- Date:
- 1963 - 1964
- Areas Of Involvement:
- assassination
- murder
- Inquest
- Related People:
- Earl Warren
- Arlen Specter
- John J. McCloy
- Lyndon B. Johnson
Warren Commission
-
What was the Warren Commission?
The Warren Commission, formally known as the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963. Chaired by Chief Justice Earl Warren, its purpose was to investigate the circumstances surrounding President Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963, and the subsequent shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Composed of senators, representatives, and private citizens, the commission gathered testimony from over 550 witnesses and received thousands of reports from the FBI and Secret Service. The commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in firing the shots that killed President Kennedy from the Texas School Book Depository. The commission also stated that there was no evidence of a conspiracy, either domestic or foreign. However, this conclusion has faced scrutiny and skepticism over the years. The commission's report, released to the public, also proposed measures to strengthen the Secret Service and protect the president.
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Why was the Warren Commission created?
The Warren Commission was created by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963, to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, and the subsequent shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Composed of prominent figures such as Chief Justice Earl Warren and representatives from the Senate, House, and private sector, the commission aimed to provide a comprehensive account of the events. From December 5, 1963, to September 24, 1964, the commission gathered testimony from over 550 witnesses and reviewed more than 3,100 reports from the FBI and Secret Service. The commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination.
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Who were the main people on the Warren Commission?
The Warren Commission was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963, to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The commission was chaired by Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren. Other members included:
* Richard B. Russell, U.S. Senator from Georgia
* John Sherman Cooper, U.S. Senator from Kentucky
* Hale Boggs, U.S. Representative from Louisiana
* Gerald Ford, U.S. Representative from Michigan
* Allen W. Dulles, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency
* John J. McCloy, former president of the International Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentThe commission released its report to the public after submitting it to President Johnson. The report concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
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What did the Warren Commission investigate?
The Warren Commission was appointed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963, to investigate the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, and the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin, two days later.
From December 5, 1963, the commission took testimony from over 550 witnesses and received over 3,100 reports from the FBI and Secret Service. On September 24, 1964, the commission reported that Oswald fired the bullets that killed President Kennedy from the Texas School Book Depository. The commission found no evidence of a foreign or domestic conspiracy involving Oswald or Jack Ruby, who was charged with Oswaldâs murder.
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What conclusion did the Warren Commission make about President Kennedy's assassination?
The Warren Commission was created by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963, to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
After a 10-month investigation, the commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and fired the shots that killed Kennedy. The commission also stated they found no evidence of a conspiracy involving either Oswald or Jack Ruby, who murdered Oswald. This conclusion has been questioned in books, articles, and a congressional committee report.
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Why do some people question the findings of the Warren Commission?
Doubts persist regarding the Warren Commission's findings on the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, firing three shots from the Texas School Book Depository.
However, many find the "single bullet theory"âthe idea that one bullet struck both Kennedy and Governor Connallyâunconvincing. Some believe a second shooter was present on the grassy knoll in Dealey Plaza. Theories also connect the event to Cuba, either through the Cuban government or anti-Castro groups, and some even implicate the CIA or Lyndon B. Johnson.
A former Secret Service agent's account in 2023 further fueled skepticism, suggesting the "magic bullet" may have dislodged from Kennedy, implying Connally was hit by a separate shot and raising the possibility of a second shooter.
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Warren Commission, commission appointed by U.S. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy, in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, and the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin, two days later. The chairman of the commission was the chief justice of the United States, Earl Warren. The other members were two U.S. senators, Richard B. Russell of Georgia and John Sherman Cooper of Kentucky; two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Hale Boggs of Louisiana and Gerald Ford of Michigan; and two private citizens, Allen W. Dulles, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and John J. McCloy, former president of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
From December 5, 1963, when it first met, to September 24, 1964, when it submitted its finding to the president, the commission took the testimony of more than 550 witnesses and received more than 3,100 reports from the FBI and Secret Service. A key piece of evidence was the home movie of the assassination recorded by Abraham Zapruder. It was aided by 10 major departments of the federal government, 14 independent agencies, and 4 congressional committees. The commissionâs 888-page report was released to the public immediately after being submitted to President Johnson. The commission reported that the bullets that killed President Kennedy were fired by Oswald from a rifle pointed out a sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository.
There is very persuasive evidence from the experts to indicate that the same bullet which pierced the Presidentâs throat also caused Governor Connallyâs wounds. However, Governor Connallyâs testimony and certain other factors have given rise to some difference of opinion as to this probability, but there is no question in the mind of any member of the Commission that all the shots which caused the Presidentâs and Governor Connallyâs wounds were fired from the sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository.
The commission also reported that it had found no evidence that either Oswald or Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub operator charged with Oswaldâs murder, was part of any conspiracy, foreign or domestic, to assassinate President Kennedy. This conclusion of the commission was later questioned in a number of books and articles and in a special congressional committee report in 1979.
The commission described in detail its investigation of Oswaldâs life but did not itself attempt to analyze his motives. The commission also proposed the strengthening of the Secret Service organization; the adoption of improved procedures for protecting the president; and the enactment of legislation to make killing the president or vice president a federal offense. The report was published by the U.S. Government Printing Office under the title Report of the Presidentâs Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (1964).