Introduction
Good morning, detectives.
As today, you are no longer students, but private detectives hired by a wealthy and politically connected client whose identity must remain confidential and never be revealed.
Your assignment: Investigate the most controversial assassination in American history, who killed President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime, but decades later, questions remain:
- Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone?
- Were other people involved in the act?
- Were other people involved in the planning?
- Was the CIA involved?
- Were other countries involved?
Your client believes that the truth matters—not because it supports a favorite theory, but because a democracy depends on citizens who can conduct research, think critically, examine evidence, challenge assumptions, and differentiate between facts and speculation.
Task
Your job is to conduct research, challenge the US government-accepted story that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, explore different theories, apply critical thinking, and formulate conclusions based on plausible inferences and evidence.
Based on the available evidence, prepare a written report on what is the most reasonable conclusion about who was responsible for the assassination of John F. Kennedy and if it involved a greater conspiracy?
Process
Step 1: Familiarize yourself with "official" story, review the Warren Commission Report
Step 2: Explore alternative theories
Step 3a: Meet amongst yourselves to discuss and assign for research into identified inconsistencies and implausible events, to include; if Oswald fired every shot, the single-bullet theory, eye witness accounts.
Step 3b: Assign further investigation into possible involvement of organized crime, foreign governments, and US intelligence agencies
Step 4: Detail possible motives of those suspected
References:
https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/toc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSzszCTWFwg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BckPa2_A8gI
https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/release-2025
https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-files-94755-v.pdf
https://www.britannica.com/event/assassination-of-John-F-Kennedy/Conspiracy-theories
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/conspiracy-cases-for-and-against/
Evaluation
| Criteria | Outstanding | Thorough | Needs Improvement | Missed the Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understanding Events | Complete scope | Mostly understood | Some understanding | Not understood |
| Investigation | Multiple perspectives | One perspective | Some perspective | Not investigated |
| Applied Critical Thinking | Applied to all facets | Applied to most facets | Applied to some facets | Not applied |
| Conclusion | Fully supported theory | Mostly supported theory | Somewhat supported theory | Not supported |
Conclusion
After report is complete and presented to the client, reflect on the following:
What evidence did you find most important and why?
What sources seemed reliable/unreliable and why?
What questions remain for you and for the country?
How did you apply critical thinking?