Latest news with #HouseTaskForce
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oliver Stone calls on Congress to reopen JFK assassination investigation
Filmmaker Oliver Stone on Tuesday called for Congress to reopen the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Stone is testifying before a House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets hearing on the release of recently declassified records of the investigation into the Kennedy assassination. Stone took aim at the Central Intelligence Agency, calling it a tax-funded agency that "arrogantly believes it is outside our laws" and that "nothing of importance has been revealed by the CIA in all these years." He asked, "Can we return to a world where our government can level with us," and tell the truth? Stone's 1991 film "JFK" focused on the work of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, who conducted an independent investigation of the assassination, resulting in his failed prosecution of New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw, who Garrison alleged was involved in a CIA conspiracy to kill the president. The film was a commercial and critical success, grossing $205 million and winning two Academy Awards. The film is credited with popularizing conspiracy theories of FBI and CIA involvement in the Kennedy assassination. The film was credited by the Assassination Records Review Board as being at least partially responsible for the passage of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. Stone testified before Congress in support of the bill. The act mandated the release of all documents related to the assassination by 2017, though that timeline was delayed several times. The film's release also coincided with an increased degree of public skepticism in the Warren Commission's findings that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of Kennedy. Gallup polling has consistently shown that a majority of Americans has consistently believed more than one person was responsible for the assassination. The number believing the official conclusion of a lone gunman saw a sharp decline in the 1970s and 1980s, reaching an all-time low of 10% in 1992. Stone has long been active in politics, largely supporting Democratic candidates and has been a vocal supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He has been the subject of criticism for statements that have been perceived as supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin. he took aim at the cia calling it a tax funded agency that "arrogantly believes it is outside our laws" and that "nothing of importance has been revealed by the cia in all these years". He asked "can we return to a world where our government can level with us" and tell us the truth. Oliver Stone calls on Congress to reopen JFK assassination investigation originally appeared on
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone is to testify on latest JFK assassination files
Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, whose 1991 film JFK portrayed President John F Kennedy's assassination as the work of a government conspiracy, is set to testify to US Congress today regarding thousands of newly released documents surrounding the killing. Also invited are Jefferson Morley and James DiEugenio, who both have written books arguing for conspiracies behind the assassination of JFK. Experts say the files that Donald Trump ordered to be released did not reveal any new information that weakened the conclusion that a lone gunman killed Kennedy. Many documents were previously released but contained newly removed redactions, including Social Security numbers. The first hearing of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets comes five decades after the Warren Commission investigation concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old former Marine, acted alone in fatally shooting Kennedy as his motorcade finished a parade route in downtown Dallas on 22 November 1963. Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who chairs the task force, said last month that she wants to work with writers and researchers to help solve 'one of the biggest cold case files in US history.' Stone's JFK was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, and won two. It grossed more than $200 million but was also dogged by questions about its factuality. The last formal congressional investigation of Kennedy's assassination ended in 1978, when a House committee issued a report concluding that the Soviet Union, Cuba, organized crime, the CIA and the FBI weren't involved, but Kennedy 'probably was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.' In 1976, a Senate committee said it had not uncovered enough evidence 'to justify a conclusion that there was a conspiracy.' The Warren Commission, appointed by Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, concluded that Oswald fired on Kennedy's motorcade from a sniper's perch on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Police arrested Oswald within 90 minutes, and two days later, Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast on live television.
NBC News
01-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
‘JFK' director Oliver Stone to testify to Congress about the newly released assassination files
Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, whose 1991 film 'JFK' portrayed President John F. Kennedy's assassination as the work of a shadowy government conspiracy, is set to testify to Congress on Tuesday about thousands of newly released government documents surrounding the killing. Scholars say the files that President Donald Trump ordered to be released showed nothing undercutting the conclusion that a lone gunman killed Kennedy. Many documents were previously released but contained newly removed redactions, including Social Security numbers, angering people whose personal information was disclosed. The first hearing of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets comes five decades after the Warren Commission investigation concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old former Marine, acted alone in fatally shooting Kennedy as his motorcade finished a parade route in downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who chairs the task force, said last month that she wants to work with writers and researchers to help solve 'one of the biggest cold case files in U.S. history.' Scholars and historians haven't viewed the assassination as a cold case, viewing the evidence for Oswald as a lone gunman as strong. Stone's 'JFK' was nominated for eight Oscars, including best picture, and won two. It grossed more than $200 million but was also dogged by questions about its factuality. The last formal congressional investigation of Kennedy's assassination ended in 1978, when a House committee issued a report concluding that the Soviet Union, Cuba, organized crime, the CIA and the FBI weren't involved, but Kennedy 'probably was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.' In 1976, a Senate committee said it had not uncovered enough evidence 'to justify a conclusion that there was a conspiracy.' The Warren Commission, appointed by Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, concluded that Oswald fired on Kennedy's motorcade from a sniper's perch on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, where Oswald worked. Police arrested Oswald within 90 minutes, and two days later, Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast on live television. For Tuesday's hearing, the task force also invited Jefferson Morley and James DiEugenio, who both have written books arguing for conspiracies behind the assassination. Morley is editor of the JFK Facts blog and vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination. He has praised Luna as being open to new information surrounding the killing.
Boston Globe
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘JFK' director Oliver Stone to testify to Congress about the newly released assassination files
The first hearing of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets comes five decades after the Warren Commission investigation concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old former Marine, acted alone in fatally shooting Kennedy as his motorcade finished a parade route in downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Advertisement Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who chairs the task force, said last month that she wants to work with writers and researchers to help solve 'one of the biggest cold case files in U.S. history.' Scholars and historians haven't viewed the assassination as a cold case, viewing the evidence for Oswald as a lone gunman as strong. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Stone's 'JFK' was nominated for eight Oscars, including best picture, and won two. It grossed more than $200 million but was also dogged by questions about its factuality. The last formal congressional investigation of Kennedy's assassination ended in 1978, when a House committee issued a report concluding that the Soviet Union, Cuba, organized crime, the CIA and the FBI weren't involved, but Kennedy 'probably was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.' In 1976, a Senate committee said it had not uncovered enough evidence 'to justify a conclusion that there was a conspiracy.' Advertisement The Warren Commission, appointed by Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, concluded that Oswald fired on Kennedy's motorcade from a sniper's perch on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, where Oswald worked. Police arrested Oswald within 90 minutes, and two days later, Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast on live television. For Tuesday's hearing, the task force also invited Jefferson Morley and James DiEugenio, who both have written books arguing for conspiracies behind the assassination. Morley is editor of the JFK Facts blog and vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination. He has praised Luna as being open to new information surrounding the killing.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'JFK' director Oliver Stone to testify to Congress about the newly released assassination files
Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, whose 1991 film 'JFK' portrayed President John F. Kennedy's assassination as the work of a shadowy government conspiracy, is set to testify to Congress on Tuesday about thousands of newly released government documents surrounding the killing. Scholars say the files that President Donald Trump ordered to be released showed nothing undercutting the conclusion that a lone gunman killed Kennedy. Many documents were previously released but contained newly removed redactions, including Social Security numbers, angering people whose personal information was disclosed. The first hearing of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets comes five decades after the Warren Commission investigation concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old former Marine, acted alone in fatally shooting Kennedy as his motorcade finished a parade route in downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who chairs the task force, said last month that she wants to work with writers and researchers to help solve 'one of the biggest cold case files in U.S. history.' Scholars and historians haven't viewed the assassination as a cold case, viewing the evidence for Oswald as a lone gunman as strong. Stone's 'JFK' was nominated for eight Oscars, including best picture, and won two. It grossed more than $200 million but was also dogged by questions about its factuality. The last formal congressional investigation of Kennedy's assassination ended in 1978, when a House committee issued a report concluding that the Soviet Union, Cuba, organized crime, the CIA and the FBI weren't involved, but Kennedy 'probably was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.' In 1976, a Senate committee said it had not uncovered enough evidence 'to justify a conclusion that there was a conspiracy.' The Warren Commission, appointed by Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, concluded that Oswald fired on Kennedy's motorcade from a sniper's perch on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, where Oswald worked. Police arrested Oswald within 90 minutes, and two days later, Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast on live television. For Tuesday's hearing, the task force also invited Jefferson Morley and James DiEugenio, who both have written books arguing for conspiracies behind the assassination. Morley is editor of the JFK Facts blog and vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination. He has praised Luna as being open to new information surrounding the killing.
