WEBVTT - The JFK files, explained

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<v Speaker 1>Already and this is this is the Daily OS. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the Daily ohs oh, now it makes sense.

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<v Speaker 2>Good morning, and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Friday,

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<v Speaker 2>the twenty first of March. I'm Zara, I'm billy. This

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<v Speaker 2>week the US government released a huge bunch of documents

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<v Speaker 2>relating to the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy

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<v Speaker 2>or JFK. He was assassinated decades ago, and yet questions

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<v Speaker 2>today remain about what actually happened on that day in

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<v Speaker 2>November nineteen sixty three.

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<v Speaker 3>Now there are thousands and thousands.

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<v Speaker 2>Of pages that have been released, including things like confidential memos,

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<v Speaker 2>Department of Defense documents and more. The documents have also

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<v Speaker 2>called into question the unexpected role an Australian played in

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<v Speaker 2>the nineteen sixty three event.

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<v Speaker 4>Okay, Zara, So I think before we jump into this

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<v Speaker 4>story and explain why it's in the news cycle at

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<v Speaker 4>the moment, we should go back to the key details

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<v Speaker 4>around the assassination of JFK. And for those who you know,

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<v Speaker 4>I'm sure we've kind of all heard about it, But

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<v Speaker 4>for those who don't know the exact details, we should

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<v Speaker 4>go through those.

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<v Speaker 2>You mean, those that aren't as obsessed as I am.

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<v Speaker 2>I think my mum told me to stop buying books

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<v Speaker 2>on this because it was becoming weird.

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<v Speaker 4>I think it's one of the first things I learned

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<v Speaker 4>about you that you are absolutely obsessed not just with

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<v Speaker 4>JFK but also the entire Kennedy family.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Anyway, I hope that his grandson is not listening to

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<v Speaker 2>this because that would be embarrassing. But yees, this is

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<v Speaker 2>suddenly a story that I am interested in. But I

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<v Speaker 2>also think there's a lot of global interest in it,

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<v Speaker 2>and we'll get to that a bit later. You said

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<v Speaker 2>to just talk through the basic facts of what happened,

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<v Speaker 2>and I can go off what we understand. The thing

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<v Speaker 2>is that so many of these facts are contested, but

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<v Speaker 2>we'll go through what we know.

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<v Speaker 3>So firstly, John F.

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<v Speaker 2>Kennedy or JFK as we will refer to him for

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<v Speaker 2>the rest of the podcast. He was elected as the

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<v Speaker 2>President of the United States at the nineteen sixty election.

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<v Speaker 2>He was a Democrat, and he was also the youngest

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<v Speaker 2>ever elected president, coming to the highest office in the

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<v Speaker 2>country at the age of forty three. Just to give

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<v Speaker 2>you some context, Barack Obama was forty seven when he

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<v Speaker 2>was elected as president.

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<v Speaker 4>And No one has been younger than him when coming

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<v Speaker 4>into office.

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<v Speaker 3>No, not since that time.

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<v Speaker 2>So it was really this youthfulness that he brought and

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<v Speaker 2>really defined a lot of his presidency in terms of,

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<v Speaker 2>I guess his policy agenda. He served at the height

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<v Speaker 2>of the Cold War, and much of his foreign policy

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<v Speaker 2>direction was informed by that context. So a lot happened

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<v Speaker 2>with Cuba during that time, there was a lot about

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<v Speaker 2>communism and the USSR, so that was really the platform

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<v Speaker 2>that he was elected as president on. Then domestically, during

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<v Speaker 2>his time as president, JFK was a very strong advocate

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<v Speaker 2>for the civil rights movement, and his administration also had

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<v Speaker 2>this really strong focus on organized crime. So that's just

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<v Speaker 2>a really high level run through about who JFK was

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<v Speaker 2>now to the assassination. So on November twenty second, nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>sixty three, JFK was driving through Dallas, Texas in an

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<v Speaker 2>open top motorcade.

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<v Speaker 3>So if you're.

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<v Speaker 2>Thinking in your mind, it's a car that has no roof,

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<v Speaker 2>and you know, today we can never imagine a president

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<v Speaker 2>driving through the streets with something like that, but at

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<v Speaker 2>the time that was a fairly normal thing to do.

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<v Speaker 3>He was driving in.

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<v Speaker 2>The car with his wife, Jackie and with the then

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<v Speaker 2>Texan Governor John Connolly and his wife Nellie, and so

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<v Speaker 2>while driving down the street in the middle of the

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<v Speaker 2>day in Dallas. JFK was shot from the nearby Texas

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<v Speaker 2>Schoolbook Depository. That was at twelve thirty pm on that Friday.

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<v Speaker 2>By one pm, half an hour later, JFK was pronounced

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<v Speaker 2>dead and.

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<v Speaker 1>The assassination was live stream. Would you call it live stream?

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know if we'd call it. It was captured,

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<v Speaker 2>was captured. There's a video, and.

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<v Speaker 1>There's still footage that you can watch it.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, there's a truder film.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the footage is wild.

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<v Speaker 3>It's really so remarkable.

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<v Speaker 2>It wasn't released for some time after, or at least

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<v Speaker 2>the full video wasn't released for some time after the assassination.

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<v Speaker 2>But then when the world could see it for the

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<v Speaker 2>first time, it was, as you just said, so unbelievable

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<v Speaker 2>to watch an American president assassinated in in clear view.

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<v Speaker 2>It was unprecedented.

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<v Speaker 4>The thing that I remember about it that has stuck

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<v Speaker 4>with me ever since I saw it is his wife,

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<v Speaker 4>Jackie turning around to kind of see if she can

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<v Speaker 4>catch his head.

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<v Speaker 3>Like it was just it's so visceral and yeah, you're right.

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<v Speaker 2>You see Jackie kind of clamber back and then you

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<v Speaker 2>see the governor shield his wife and dark like you

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<v Speaker 2>see it all in real time.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, so, yeah, you're right.

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<v Speaker 2>That was something that was so unique about this and

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<v Speaker 2>I think having that footage goes to why there is

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<v Speaker 2>so much of an obsession as to what has happened

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<v Speaker 2>here and what has happened since. So back to November

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<v Speaker 2>of nineteen sixty three, a short time after JFK was shot,

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<v Speaker 2>a man called Lee Harvey Oswald, he was a US

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<v Speaker 2>Marine veteran. He was arrested nearby and he was arrested

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<v Speaker 2>for the alleged assassination of the president and also for

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<v Speaker 2>the murder of a policeman a short time after Kennedy

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<v Speaker 2>was shot.

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<v Speaker 4>So, just to be clear, the person who killed JFK

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<v Speaker 4>then went on to kill a policeman right after.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so that's what we understand about what happened. This person,

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<v Speaker 2>as I said, his name was Lee Harvey Oswald. He

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<v Speaker 2>was arrested on that same Friday, and then on the

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<v Speaker 2>Sunday of that same week, so amir, two days later,

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<v Speaker 2>Lee Harvey Oswald was scheduled to be transferred from police

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<v Speaker 2>headquarters to the county jail. We referred to earlier the

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<v Speaker 2>fact that this was kind of the precipice of video

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<v Speaker 2>and people watching things for the first time, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>random tied. But but Kennedy and Nixon's presidential debate was

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<v Speaker 2>the first televised debate ever, and so people were watching

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<v Speaker 2>all of this unfolded in real time. And so as

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<v Speaker 2>viewers around the world were watching Lee Harvey Oswald being

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<v Speaker 2>transferred in police custody to this county jail, they suddenly

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<v Speaker 2>saw somebody at point blank range shoot Lee Harvey Oswald.

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<v Speaker 3>And kill him.

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<v Speaker 2>It's just to think of this happening now, of a

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<v Speaker 2>president being assassinated, and then shortly after, two days after

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<v Speaker 2>the alleged assassin himself being shot. It was just this

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<v Speaker 2>like huge upheaval. And we later found out that the

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<v Speaker 2>shooter of Lee Harvey Oswald was identified as Jack Ruby.

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<v Speaker 2>Jack Ruby was a night car bonner and he shot

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<v Speaker 2>Lee Harvey Oswold before Oswald could ever stand trial for

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<v Speaker 2>the assassination of JFK.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I mean, it's unthinkable to think about it happening today,

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<v Speaker 4>but it was also unthinkable at the time, and that's

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<v Speaker 4>why we are still talking about it more than sixty

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<v Speaker 4>years later because it was such a moment in history.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's one of those things that you know, you

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<v Speaker 2>ask your parents or your grandparents where they were when

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<v Speaker 2>they found out, and then when they were when they

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<v Speaker 2>found out that Oswald had been killed.

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<v Speaker 1>Just crazy.

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<v Speaker 4>Okay, So to recap, JFK was shot while riding in

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<v Speaker 4>an open top car through Dallas. Authorities arrested the shooter

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<v Speaker 4>and named him as Lee Harvey Oswald. As Oswald was

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<v Speaker 4>being transferred to jail, he himself was shot and he

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<v Speaker 4>was killed by a nightclub owner called Jack Ruby.

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<v Speaker 2>Correct and even saying it today, you know, there are

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<v Speaker 2>so many twists and turns of this story, and it's

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<v Speaker 2>certainly one that has given rise to a whole host.

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<v Speaker 3>Of conspiracy theories.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm sure our listeners aren't coming to this for the

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<v Speaker 2>first time, but really there is so much doubt around

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<v Speaker 2>the facts of what happened and how they played out.

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<v Speaker 4>When I think of conspiracy theories, I think of JFK,

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<v Speaker 4>the assassination of JFK, the moon landing, and nine to eleven,

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<v Speaker 4>And this is this is one.

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<v Speaker 3>Of the big, very big of stories there.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, those are the three big stories, and this is

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<v Speaker 4>absolutely up there because I feel like what I know

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<v Speaker 4>about the JFK is I almost know about the conspiracy

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<v Speaker 4>theories before I know the actual details.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you're right, like this is something that has remained

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<v Speaker 2>true for decades, even though there was this independent investigation

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<v Speaker 2>finding shortly afterwards that found no evidence of a domestic

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<v Speaker 2>or foreign conspiracy. Despite that, conspiracy theories have always run wild.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm not going to go through all of them.

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<v Speaker 2>We would do a whole podcast on that, but I

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<v Speaker 2>do just want to add some insight I guess into

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<v Speaker 2>what the.

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<v Speaker 3>Nature of these theories are.

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<v Speaker 2>So a lot of them revolve around the direction of

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<v Speaker 2>the bullet that killed JFK. There's a lot that goes

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<v Speaker 2>into people not thinking that Leejaviosold was the only shooter

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<v Speaker 2>who was there that day, and who else could have

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<v Speaker 2>been involved and why could they have been involved. Some

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<v Speaker 2>of these theories point to Cuba and the role the

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<v Speaker 2>Cuban government could have potentially played. There are some conspiracy

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<v Speaker 2>theorists who believe that the Cuban government, who had a

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<v Speaker 2>very antagonistic relationship with the US government during the Kennedy administration.

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<v Speaker 2>These conspiracy theorists think that they found out about an

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<v Speaker 2>alleged assassination plot of the Cuban leader and therefore carried

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<v Speaker 2>out their own assassination plot of the US leader. There's

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<v Speaker 2>never been any evidence to suggest that is true, but

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<v Speaker 2>that is certainly one that keeps coming up. On the

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<v Speaker 2>complete other side of the spectrum, there are people who

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<v Speaker 2>believe that the CIA had something to do with it,

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<v Speaker 2>that it was this kind of inside job.

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<v Speaker 4>The CIA being the Central Intelligence agency who's basically responsible

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<v Speaker 4>for surveillance and intelligence, the spy.

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<v Speaker 3>Agency in the US.

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<v Speaker 2>So this line of thinking is that it was something

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<v Speaker 2>potentially to do with organized crime, or it was something

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<v Speaker 2>to do with Russia, or who knows. There's so many

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<v Speaker 2>different ideas, but that this was basically an inside job

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<v Speaker 2>that had been covered up. And so while we can't

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<v Speaker 2>go through all of these theories, what I do just

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<v Speaker 2>want to say is there has always been this, I guess,

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<v Speaker 2>seed of doubt that has been sewn into the story

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<v Speaker 2>of the JFK assassination. And there have always been people,

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<v Speaker 2>people with very high profiles, who have suggested that what

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<v Speaker 2>they understand about the assassination might not be what actually happened.

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<v Speaker 4>And so the reason we're talking about it this week

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<v Speaker 4>is because well, if we go back to January, when

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<v Speaker 4>US President Donald Trump became president for the second time,

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<v Speaker 4>he signed in executive order to release the documents that

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<v Speaker 4>speak about the assassination and kind of all of the

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<v Speaker 4>documents that have been secret for sixty years now, and

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<v Speaker 4>then finally this week those documents were released.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean, it does make it out to be

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<v Speaker 2>a bit more of a blockbuster release than it actually was.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll just explain it's like pretty complex, but I just

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<v Speaker 2>want to go through I guess the history of these documents,

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<v Speaker 2>because this isn't the first time that we have had

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<v Speaker 2>documents relating to the assassination of JFK. So what happened

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<v Speaker 2>was and just bear with me on this. In nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>ninety two, Congress passed a law requiring the National Archives

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<v Speaker 2>and Records Administration to basically put together all the different

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<v Speaker 2>government records they had relating to JFK's assassination into place.

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<v Speaker 2>And at the same time that this law came into

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<v Speaker 2>effects requiring this, it also mandated that documents relating to

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<v Speaker 2>JFK's assassination had to be released within twenty five years,

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<v Speaker 2>except any documents that do identifiable harm to national security.

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<v Speaker 2>So this law came into effect in nineteen ninety two,

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<v Speaker 2>and it had this kind of twenty five year sunset clause,

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<v Speaker 2>So that twenty five year deadline came up in twenty seventeen,

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<v Speaker 2>when you might remember Donald Trump was also the president's

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<v Speaker 2>So at that time, Trump released.

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<v Speaker 3>Some of the papers as he was required to.

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<v Speaker 2>He did though, say that he would put a hold

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<v Speaker 2>on releasing all of them to allow intelligence agencies more

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<v Speaker 2>time to deal with some of the complexities of it.

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<v Speaker 2>But at that time, in twenty seventeen, we got kind

0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:49.319
<v Speaker 2>of the first tranch of these documents. Then in twenty

0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:53.640
<v Speaker 2>twenty three, former President Biden released more documents, and at

0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:57.160
<v Speaker 2>that time he said it was final certification under the law.

0:11:57.320 --> 0:11:59.920
<v Speaker 2>That just means he was saying, no more documents are come.

0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:00.640
<v Speaker 3>That's it.

0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:02.920
<v Speaker 2>We've released everything we can release. There's nothing more to

0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:06.440
<v Speaker 2>say or see here. But then fast forward to this year.

0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:09.800
<v Speaker 2>In January, and like you said, Trump issued an executive

0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:13.840
<v Speaker 2>order where he directed national security agencies to develop plans

0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:16.880
<v Speaker 2>to release all of the remaining government records relating to

0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:21.120
<v Speaker 2>the assassination of JFK, as well as the assassinations of

0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:26.120
<v Speaker 2>civil rights leader Martin Luther King Junior, and JFK's brother RFK,

0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:30.400
<v Speaker 2>who was assassinated a mere five years after him. At

0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:32.760
<v Speaker 2>the time, a White House fact sheet said that more

0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:36.200
<v Speaker 2>than fifty years after these assassinations, the victims' families and

0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:39.080
<v Speaker 2>the American people deserve the truth. And so under the

0:12:39.120 --> 0:12:42.400
<v Speaker 2>executive order, JFK's files were to be released first, and

0:12:42.600 --> 0:12:45.200
<v Speaker 2>MLK and rfk's were to follow next.

0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:46.319
<v Speaker 3>And I know I just said so.

0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:48.880
<v Speaker 2>Many acronyms, but all you need to know is that

0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:51.880
<v Speaker 2>the Trancho documents that were released this week are by

0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:54.480
<v Speaker 2>no means the first time we've had documents on the

0:12:54.520 --> 0:12:55.800
<v Speaker 2>assassination of JFK.

0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:58.520
<v Speaker 4>Okay, so that brings us up to this week. We

0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:01.440
<v Speaker 4>get the documents, it's like six four thousand pages or

0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:02.040
<v Speaker 4>something like that.

0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:03.600
<v Speaker 2>It was meant to be eighty thousand pages, but we

0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:05.559
<v Speaker 2>only got sixty four thousand, oh exactly.

0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:08.240
<v Speaker 1>And so what is in those documents?

0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:11.239
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, look, at a high level, I'm sorry to disappoint,

0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:15.120
<v Speaker 2>there's nothing earth shattering in them. There's nothing that you know,

0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:18.640
<v Speaker 2>provides any evidence to suggest there was a second shooter

0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:21.200
<v Speaker 2>or that it was an inside job. Like, there's nothing

0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:24.200
<v Speaker 2>here that confirms any of the conspiracy theories that we've

0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:26.640
<v Speaker 2>had kind of out there in the universe for the

0:13:26.679 --> 0:13:29.800
<v Speaker 2>last couple decades. What we did learn from the documents

0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:33.080
<v Speaker 2>was just some more information about Lee Harvey Oswald. For one,

0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:35.480
<v Speaker 2>we learned some more about the time he spent in

0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:38.200
<v Speaker 2>Mexico where he was attempting to get a visa into

0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:42.160
<v Speaker 2>Cuba before coming back to the US before the assassination.

0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.719
<v Speaker 2>That's given, I guess, some room for the people who

0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.280
<v Speaker 2>think that Cuba might be involved to be like, told

0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:52.400
<v Speaker 2>you so, but there's no real evidence they're linking anything substantially.

0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:55.680
<v Speaker 2>There were also some claims included in the documents that

0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:59.800
<v Speaker 2>CIA operatives knew about Oswald's plans prior to the assassination,

0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:04.040
<v Speaker 2>but mostly the documents really just revealed some details about

0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:07.679
<v Speaker 2>smaller incidents within the CIA. I was reading some analysis

0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.280
<v Speaker 2>that said, really, the people who will be most annoyed

0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:14.120
<v Speaker 2>by the release of this documents is just former CIA workers,

0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:17.840
<v Speaker 2>because it includes details about them and their jobs and

0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.600
<v Speaker 2>times they messed up at work, and not necessarily this

0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:25.200
<v Speaker 2>big sort of groundbreaking stuff. And more broadly, we did

0:14:25.320 --> 0:14:28.240
<v Speaker 2>just learn some more about the political landscape and how

0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:33.080
<v Speaker 2>US agencies were thinking that JFK's death might impact geopolitics

0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:36.200
<v Speaker 2>and their relationships with other countries. But given how much

0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:39.640
<v Speaker 2>hype there had been, historical analysts are saying, well, we

0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:41.800
<v Speaker 2>didn't really learn anything we didn't know before.

0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:44.920
<v Speaker 4>One thing that did pique my interest was earlier this

0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:47.240
<v Speaker 4>week when I was doing their headlines in the afternoon

0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:50.280
<v Speaker 4>with Emma. Her angle on the story was that there

0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:53.080
<v Speaker 4>was this new Australian connection that we didn't really know

0:14:53.200 --> 0:14:53.920
<v Speaker 4>anything about.

0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:54.960
<v Speaker 3>So random.

0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:57.360
<v Speaker 1>Do you want to explain what happened there?

0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:00.120
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Look, we don't have a heap of information. But

0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:03.520
<v Speaker 2>what we did find out was that the CIA investigated

0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:07.120
<v Speaker 2>anonymous phone calls made to the US Embassy in Canberra

0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:12.120
<v Speaker 2>just before and just after the assassination of JFK. And

0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:16.320
<v Speaker 2>so these documents show that the then as O boss

0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:19.400
<v Speaker 2>SO was talking about the boss of Australia's spy agency.

0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:23.840
<v Speaker 2>He wrote to the CIA and requested that the investigation

0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:27.840
<v Speaker 2>into those phone calls be kept a secret. So these

0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:30.800
<v Speaker 2>documents show that a there were these mysterious phone calls

0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.200
<v Speaker 2>that happened to the US Embassy in Australia, and b

0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:38.160
<v Speaker 2>that any investigation into why and how those phone calls

0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:40.720
<v Speaker 2>came to be that that had to remain a secret,

0:15:41.120 --> 0:15:44.360
<v Speaker 2>and so we found out that the CIA boss confirmed

0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:47.320
<v Speaker 2>that the investigation would not be made public, and it hasn't.

0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:50.320
<v Speaker 2>We've never found out why those phone calls happened or

0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:52.080
<v Speaker 2>what the connection to Australia might be.

0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:54.440
<v Speaker 4>But so this is the first time that we found

0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:57.400
<v Speaker 4>out about those phone calls, correct. But now we don't

0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:59.040
<v Speaker 4>know nothing else.

0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.840
<v Speaker 2>One of those things IA boss kept his promise, it

0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:03.920
<v Speaker 2>never got the public.

0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:05.840
<v Speaker 4>So it's one of those things where it's kind of

0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:07.840
<v Speaker 4>raised more questions than it's answered.

0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:09.920
<v Speaker 2>I think that can be said truly for all of

0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.160
<v Speaker 2>these documents, so many of the people that were involved,

0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:15.360
<v Speaker 2>you know, in them, have since passed away or are

0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:17.640
<v Speaker 2>out of the workforce, or all of these sorts of

0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:19.720
<v Speaker 2>things where not many people are in a position to

0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:21.880
<v Speaker 2>give the answers that people might be wanting.

0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:23.920
<v Speaker 4>So interesting, I wonder if you can do a freedom

0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:25.400
<v Speaker 4>of information request.

0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:27.040
<v Speaker 3>Well, really, I guess you'll have to do it. We'll

0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:29.400
<v Speaker 3>get back to you're the only one looking into it.

0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:33.320
<v Speaker 4>I wonder, And by just talking through how the Kennedy

0:16:33.360 --> 0:16:37.800
<v Speaker 4>family is still very involved in American politics, even Caroline

0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:40.600
<v Speaker 4>Kennedy was just the ambassador to Australia, So.

0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:42.200
<v Speaker 2>You were going to say, even she has sat in

0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:45.080
<v Speaker 2>this seat and been interviewed on this podcast, which she has.

0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:47.400
<v Speaker 4>She has, but she's not the only person in the

0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:50.680
<v Speaker 4>Kennedy family who is still very involved in politics. So

0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:52.480
<v Speaker 4>do you want to take us through the members of

0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:54.680
<v Speaker 4>the family that are still in public life.

0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:57.880
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean there are many, but I guess just

0:16:57.920 --> 0:16:59.960
<v Speaker 2>the two that I think are relevant to this store.

0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:04.600
<v Speaker 2>The first being RFK Junior. So we've spoken about him

0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:08.720
<v Speaker 2>on this podcast before. He's currently the Health Secretary. He

0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.240
<v Speaker 2>was appointed by Donald Trump. He endorsed Donald Trump at

0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:13.879
<v Speaker 2>the last election. He ran himself but then dropped out.

0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:18.280
<v Speaker 2>He's the nephew of JFK and he has long pedaled

0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:21.240
<v Speaker 2>conspiracy theories relating to the death of his uncle. So

0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:23.680
<v Speaker 2>he's one of those people that believes that the CIA

0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:27.200
<v Speaker 2>had something to do with his uncle's death. And shortly

0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:31.480
<v Speaker 2>after getting rfk's endorsement during the presidential race, Trump announced

0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:33.160
<v Speaker 2>that he'd make these files public.

0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:34.320
<v Speaker 3>So there was like.

0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:38.160
<v Speaker 2>Some tenuous kind of connection between the two things where

0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:41.960
<v Speaker 2>he was saying, we've had RFK Junior publicly talk about

0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:44.280
<v Speaker 2>the fact that he thinks there's more out there, and

0:17:44.400 --> 0:17:46.959
<v Speaker 2>Trump saying I'll do everything I can to get that

0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:49.959
<v Speaker 2>information out there. But it has to be said that

0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:52.600
<v Speaker 2>not all Kennedys are on board with the release of

0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:57.920
<v Speaker 2>these documents. JFK's grandson, so the son of Caroline Kennedy,

0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:01.560
<v Speaker 2>the former ambassador to Australia, He's been very vocal in

0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:04.639
<v Speaker 2>his opposition. He wrote on X the truth is a

0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:08.200
<v Speaker 2>lot sadder than the myth. He's referring there to conspiracy theories,

0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:11.560
<v Speaker 2>a tragedy that didn't need to happen, not part of

0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:14.560
<v Speaker 2>an inevitable grand scheme. He then went on to write

0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.919
<v Speaker 2>this week, President Trump is obsessed with my grandfather, but

0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:20.520
<v Speaker 2>not in his life or what he achieved in it. No,

0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:24.480
<v Speaker 2>just like Robert Kennedy Junior, Donald Trump is only interested

0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:29.040
<v Speaker 2>in JFK's carcass. So very strong words there of some

0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:33.120
<v Speaker 2>members of the Kennedy family saying we're not learning anything new,

0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:35.120
<v Speaker 2>there's no conspiracy theory here.

0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:37.000
<v Speaker 3>Just let it be and let's move on.

0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:40.840
<v Speaker 4>It's quite sad seeing this family dispute being played out

0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:42.800
<v Speaker 4>on the biggest stage possible.

0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:45.200
<v Speaker 2>It is, and I mean again, we could do a

0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:47.280
<v Speaker 2>whole podcast on the Kennedy family. But that is a

0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:51.520
<v Speaker 2>family that has experienced so much grief, so much loss,

0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:53.920
<v Speaker 2>all of it has played out in the public eye.

0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:56.000
<v Speaker 2>And now, as you said, now there's this kind of

0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:59.880
<v Speaker 2>family feued over their grandfather's legacy also playing out as

0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:03.680
<v Speaker 2>a political story. So I imagine, yeah, that this must

0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:04.760
<v Speaker 2>be a really difficult thing.

0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.760
<v Speaker 4>Well, Zara, thank you for taking us through it. Thank you,

0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:10.960
<v Speaker 4>and thank you so much for listening to this episode

0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:13.639
<v Speaker 4>of The Daily os. We'll be back again this afternoon

0:19:13.680 --> 0:19:20.480
<v Speaker 4>with your evening headlines. Until then, have a great day.

0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:23.080
<v Speaker 1>My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda

0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:28.119
<v Speaker 1>Bungelung Caalcuttin woman from Gadigol Country. The Daily oz acknowledges

0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:30.359
<v Speaker 1>that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the

0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:33.920
<v Speaker 1>Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres

0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:36.879
<v Speaker 1>Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to the

0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:39.639
<v Speaker 1>first peoples of these countries, both past and present.