U.S. President John F. Kennedy assassinated by lone gunman, Warren Commission concludes 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 27 1964)

1960s, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'November 22nd and The Warren Report' (Sept. 27, 1964, 5:00-7:00 p.m. EDT)

(Sunday, September 27, 1964, 6:30 p.m. EDT) — President John F. Kennedy’s assassination was the work of a single, unhappy man, Lee Harvey Oswald, with no evidence of a conspiracy, foreign or domestic, the Warren Commission has concluded.

The commission, which was chaired by Chief Justice Earl Warren and future U.S. President (then-U.S. Rep.) Gerald Ford, presented its unanimous 888-page final report to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on Sep. 24, 1964, and released it to the public tonight, dispelling numerous theories surrounding the tragic event.

The report also found that Jack Ruby acted independently when he killed Oswald, rejecting any connections between the two men.


Video: '"THE WARREN COMMISSION REPORT" (1964 NBC-TV SPECIAL)' (Sept. 27, 1964, 6:30 p.m. EDT)

The commission dismissed the involvement of rightist or communist groups in the President’s murder on November 22, 1963, in Dallas.

The commission admitted it could not provide a definitive motive for Oswald’s actions, describing his reasons as elusive and his behavior as irrational by the standards of reasonable men.

The report suggested that Oswald’s actions were the culmination of a life marked by isolation, frustration, and failure.


Video: 'JFK's murder and the persistence of conspiracy theories'

“Oswald was profoundly alienated from the world in which he lived,” the report stated. “He had very few, if any, close relationships and struggled to find a meaningful place in the world. He was never satisfied with anything. In the United States, he resented the capitalist system; in the Soviet Union, he resented Communist Party members who he felt betrayed communism, and he spoke well of the United States.”

The commission found evidence of Oswald’s violent tendencies, noting his attempt to shoot former Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker in Dallas on April 10, 1963, narrowly missing him. This act demonstrated Oswald’s capacity for violence.

The commission identified several factors that might have driven Oswald to assassinate the President:

  • A deep-rooted resentment of all authority and hostility toward every society he lived in.
  • An urge to secure a place in history.
  • An avowed commitment to Marxism and communism, as he understood the terms.