November 22, 1963 . . . The myths, fables, and conspiracies of JFK after 62 years (G&R 441)

Green & Red has been at the forefront of refuting the various romantic versions, lies,and conspiracy theories about JFK and we once again discuss the reality of Kennedy. For decades now, especially after Oliver Stone's JFK created the idea that Kennedy had changed course and was going to withdraw from Vietnam, develop a relationship with Cuba, and end the Cold War, various pundits and commentators, including many on the Left, have accepted Stone's revisionist ideas and now present them as fact.But the reality, rooted in documents and archives, is very different. Kennedy was a consummate Cold Warrior who came to office dedicated to flex American muscle and extend American empire. We began by discussing his approach to Latin America, where he made the overthrow of Castro in Cuba one of his first priorities at the Bay of Pigs and then, despite Stone's insistence he'd had a change of heart and mind after the Missile Crisis continued to subvert Cuba in the hopes of ousting the government there. Meanwhile, he developed an internal security model for all of Latin America in order to prevent Left movements from gaining momentum. In this context he also subverted governments in places like Brazil and Guyana.Of course, the main point of Stone's argument related to Vietnam, where he and his followers claim that JFK had decided to wind down and withdraw from Vietnam in 1963. The reality was very different. Kennedy actually ignored the advice of U.S. military officials, who consistently warned that Vietnam was not an American security priority, that American troops weren't well-trained and prepared to fight a jungle guerrilla war, and he authorized a coup against Ngo Dinh Diem, surely a sign that he was not preparing a withdrawal.Conspiracies are anti-political . . . the seek good individuals and heroes and posit that nefarious characters in the "deep state" are upending the better angels in government. These theories distract us, especially on the Left, from analyzing systems and structures, like the ruling class. The continued obsession with Stone's conspiracies may be lucrative for some, but they're a dead end for people trying to make sense of American power and resist it.For more on this, see "JFK: 60 Years of Myths and Disinformation" with links to relevant articles and podcasts, at https://afflictthecomfortable.org/2023/11/22/jfk-60-years-of-myths-and-disinformation/——————-🎸 Outro- Green and Red Blues by Moody🔗 Links🌐 G&R: Noam Chomsky on Oliver Stone's "JFK Revisited" (https://bit.ly/4hatG9c)🌐 G&R: The Cuban Missile Crisis at 60: Was JFK Really A Hero? (https://bit.ly/3PONVwJ)🌐 G&R: JFK... 60 Years of Myths, Lies and Disinformation (https://apple.co/49SF1Yc)🎙️ Follow Green and Red🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast🌐 Website: https://greenandredpodcast.org💬 Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/ccJgRR26📰 Follow us on Substack: https://greenandredpodcast.substack.com🌌 Follow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/podcastgreenred.bsky.social💚 Support the Green and Red Podcast🎉 Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast☕ One-time donation: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR🌍 Our Networks🎧 Labor Podcast Network: https://www.laborradionetwork.org📢 Anti-Capitalist Podcast Network: https://linktr.ee/anticapitalistpodcastnetwork📻 Listen on WAMF (90.3 FM) New Orleans: https://wamf.org📢 False Positive Podcast (https://bit.ly/3LvyTgJ)🎬 A Green and Red Podcast production👨‍🏫 Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969)✂️ Edited by Scott🔔 Subscribe for more analysis on U.S. politics, leftist strategy, and anti-establishment resistance.