Why Americans Have A Heard Time Buying Official Government Narratives. It’s a Learned Behavior.
New CIA Lies About Lee Harvey Oswald and JFK Assassination
The Philadelphia Inquirer article from July 14, 2025, reveals that the CIA misled the American public and Congress for over 60 years by claiming minimal knowledge of Lee Harvey Oswald’s activities before the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Newly released documents, uncovered by a House Oversight Committee task force, confirm that CIA agent George Joannides, under the alias “Howard Mark Gebler,” was covertly funding and directing an anti-Castro Cuban student group (DRE) that interacted with Oswald months before the assassination. The CIA denied any connection to the DRE or awareness of Oswald’s pro-Castro activities to the Warren Commission (1964), the House Select Committee on Assassinations (1978), and the Assassination Records Review Board (1998), falsely claiming “Howard” didn’t exist. Joannides obstructed investigations by acting as a CIA liaison while concealing his role, earning a commendation in 1981 for his efforts. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and researchers like Jefferson Morley argue this indicates a deliberate cover-up, possibly by a rogue CIA element, to hide embarrassing or incriminating details about Oswald’s monitoring.
Broader Pattern of Government Bureaucracy Deception
The CIA’s deception in the JFK case reflects a long-standing pattern of government bureaucracies lying to both the public and elected officials:
Church Committee (1975): The CIA concealed illegal domestic surveillance (Operation CHAOS) and assassination plots against foreign leaders, including Fidel Castro, from Congress, citing “national security” to avoid accountability. Declassified documents later exposed these lies.
Iran-Contra Affair (1980s): The CIA and Reagan administration officials secretly sold arms to Iran and funded Nicaraguan Contras, bypassing Congressional oversight. They destroyed documents to cover their tracks, only revealed when the scandal broke.
NSA Surveillance (2013): Edward Snowden’s leaks revealed the NSA’s mass collection of American phone data, contradicting Director James Clapper’s 2013 Senate testimony that no such program existed. This exposed systemic deception of Congress and the public.
9/11 Commission (2000s): The CIA withheld critical information about al-Qaeda operatives they were tracking before the attacks, hindering the commission’s work. Commissioners like Bob Kerrey later criticized the agency’s “systemic” withholding of information.
These cases demonstrate a consistent bureaucratic tactic of withholding, falsifying, or destroying information to evade oversight, undermining democratic accountability and public trust.