Stories & Myths: The JFK Assassination, Vietnam, and Watergate
Learn how the assassination of John F. Kennedy led to nearly 20 years of tumult in the United States, including Vietnam and Watergate on this week's Stories & Myths with Dr. Craig von Buseck.
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Transcript
Good evening. Good afternoon.
Good morning. Wherever you are
tuning in from around the
world. We are so glad to have
you join us here tonight for
Stories and Myths yet another
episode of Stories and Myths.
I'm here with the uh Seafair
and Captain John C. Farrell.
So, John you decided to go with
the nautical theme this week.
Yes. I am that I'm my heart is
with those people who are being
affected with the by the
hurricane. Um oh, that's what
it was exactly. Yeah. It's kind
of your way. authenticity comes
through in a beautiful way. I
want you to know II. I'm glad
you appreciate that and have
noticed that um no. well,
you're always stressing the sea
so I was like, I don't I don't
want to just be boring and put
AC so I spelled it out for you.
I'm kind of like a pirate that
way. I'm stressing the sea
Alright, now, moving on. Yeah.
You know that voice you just
did. Yeah. Let's not revisit
that. You don't like my pirate
voice?
No. Well, it it will come out
when appropriate but for now,
we'll we'll it needs some work.
It needs some work. My pirate
voice needs some work maybe It
sounds like you just woke up
after like a long slumber and
you're you have like a fun on
my ship. The red pearl Yes.
Yeah. So, did you ever get that
fixed? That has the black
pearl? I have the red pearl.
Did you ever get that piece
that I was trying to help you
fix? that piece of on top of
your um of your car? Oh yes, I
fixed it that afternoon. Quite.
it took me all of 25 seconds I
think to finish and it took me
about 10 minutes to do just a
little bit. I have the I have
the pirate hands long of
gathering the jewels. It was a
really, really hot and that's
my. Oh, okay. That must be
it.
Yeah. Alright. What do what do
we have on top for the this
evening's episode of Stories
and Myths? Well, we are going
to talk about JFK and what he
meant to American history and
all the um his assassination
and um his involvement with the
Vietnam War as well as we're
going to
be talking a little bit about
Watergate and um some things
that have happened since then.
So, that's why on this program,
we've talked about the
nineteenth century and last
week, we talked about the
eighteenth century. So, I
thought it would be good for us
to come in to the twentieth
century Uh we're just a little
behind the times. We don't
know. It's it's a show about
history so uh. Right, right.
You never know where we're
going to talk about it. Yeah.
we're not talking about
yesterday.
Now this is uh before before I
were born. so Yes. So what What
is our first question? So, the
first question is um it's about
JFK. You say that he ran for
president If he ran for
president today, he would be
considered a conservative and
that is how much of the country
has shifted to the left. I was
wondering if you could explain
that statement a a little
Kennedy was a cold warrior. Uh
he believed in a strong defense
of the United States. uh
Kennedy. He cut taxes. Um he
believed in um in a strong
space program and he was a very
strong um he's very strong on
free enterprise. So, across the
board, uh Kennedy had positions
that are now considered
conservative that right back
then uh you know he was
considered a centrist or even a
liberal to a certain degree and
by certain members of the
country but today, Uh his
positions are the positions of
more conservative politicians
which shows how the country has
moved politically uh far to the
left Since that time. I believe
that part of the reason is uh
to his assassination which
started a series of uh things
in the country that uh broke
down the trust of the American
people in their own government.
and uh We are now really far
down that road to the point
there is distrust on both the
um both sides of the political
spectrum and it's a major major
problem but Ronald Reagan who
was a Democrat, he was a huge
fan Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Ronald Reagan was a Democrat
for most of his life. Oh, and
what he said in the nineteen
early 1960s. I don't remember
exactly what year that he made
the switch but when people ask
him, why did you switch from
the Democratic Party to
Democratic Party to the
Republican Party? He said, I
didn't leave the Democratic
Party. The Democratic Party
left me and um so today and
even during his presidency,
people called Reagan a far
right conservative uh but
Reagan's policies were not very
different from John F.
Kennedy's policies and they
were only 20 years different
That's what is hard to even
grasp. Uh looking back in
history because it seems like
Kennedy was so far before
Reagan but it was only 20 years
and if you count his
assassination, uh it was only
uh 17 years between uh
Kennedy's assassination and and
uh Reagan's um election uh 2017
and a half but still you know
um you know
it's pretty pretty remarkable.
Uh I take that back. No Exactly
seventeen because Kennedy was
killed in November of 73 or 63
and Reagan was elected in
November, November, 8 eighty.
So, 17 years Exactly. Uh we're
talking a little bit more about
about JFK assassination. So,
what are your thoughts on that?
Was it what was it a conspiracy
theory or um was there a lone
gunman? Well, let me ask you,
what do you think because most
people have an opinion
II. honestly, don't know what
to think II. think kind of like
what we're discussing today
III, think that there was
someone who was definitely
assisted um in the shooting. I
don't know if there was
necessarily more than one
gunman. Um I did read a
fictional retelling of it by
Don Delillo called Libra which
actually um so my my thoughts
on are kind of blurred with the
fictional retelling that Don
Delillo um wrote. It's
great, great novel. Um I read
it in grad school and um so
I've I don't I'm trying to
remember which which of the
facts are that and which of
them is part of the the Libra
book but um II think if there
if there was and I think
there's at least more than one
person involved whether there's
more than one gunman. I'd, I
don't know. Okay. So, my
opinion correct me, what's
that? I said, so, correct me.
Oh, no, no, no. I mean, no one
knows for sure. Right, Right.
Based on, I I've been to the
plaza. I've been to the uh
museum I've seen the snipers
nest there uh in the book
depository, I've stood on the X
uh which Uh pretty much they're
pretty sure that that was the
spot where Kennedy was killed.
I have studied and read about
the Kennedy assassination since
I was in college uh which was a
few years ago now and uh I am
convinced that it was a
conspiracy. I'm convinced that
there were at least two gunmen