JRE #1759 – Oliver Stone

The JFK Assassination

Stone recounts his fascination with the assassination, how it marked a significant turning point for the United States, and how its legacy continues to affect the country’s direction.

• Stone’s documentary, “JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass,” examines the evidence surrounding the assassination and questions the official narrative.
• He argues that there was a concerted effort to pin the blame on Lee Harvey Oswald and suppress any contradictory evidence.
• The podcast focuses on the inconsistencies in the Warren Commission Report and the evidence surrounding the alleged “magic bullet”.
• Stone highlights the numerous eyewitnesses who died under mysterious circumstances and the cover-up surrounding the assassination.

Operation Northwoods

Oliver Stone discusses the leaked Operation Northwoods documents, exposing the CIA’s plan to fabricate a false flag attack to justify a war with Cuba.

• The plan involved staging attacks on U.S. soil and blaming Cuba, with the aim of drumming up public support for war.
• Stone believes that this plan was a significant motivating factor in the assassination of JFK, given his resistance to war with Cuba.
• This topic brings up the question of whether the CIA and other agencies have continued to engage in similar false flag operations.
• The podcast questions the accountability and ethical considerations involved in such covert operations.

The CIA and its Role in Global Politics

The discussion explores the power and influence of the CIA and its history of covert operations in shaping global events.

• Stone criticizes the CIA’s role in overthrowing democratically elected governments in Guatemala and Iran, highlighting the detrimental consequences of such interventions.
• He highlights the CIA’s involvement in drug trafficking, referencing the Iran-Contra affair and Gary Webb’s accusations of CIA involvement in the crack cocaine epidemic.
• The podcast raises questions about the CIA’s unchecked power and its ability to operate with secrecy and impunity.
• Stone advocates for the abolition of the CIA, arguing that its covert operations are detrimental to the United States’s foreign policy and international relations.

The Military-Industrial Complex

Stone discusses the growing power of the military-industrial complex and its influence on the United States government.

• The podcast connects the origins of the military-industrial complex to the post-World War II era and the subsequent fear of another economic depression.
• Stone highlights how the military-industrial complex has shaped the United States’s foreign policy, leading to a culture of perpetual war and a bloated defense budget.
• He argues that this complex has created a system of entrenched interests that are resistant to peace and diplomacy.
• The podcast underscores the challenge of dismantling this complex and achieving a more peaceful and sustainable foreign policy.

The Legacy of the Kennedy Administration

Oliver Stone reflects on the legacy of JFK’s presidency and the path not taken.

• He argues that JFK was a progressive president who sought to curtail the power of the CIA and the military-industrial complex, and to move the United States toward a more peaceful and diplomatic approach to foreign policy.
• Stone highlights the significance of JFK’s efforts towards nuclear disarmament and his resistance to war in Cuba and Vietnam.
• The podcast discusses the ways in which JFK’s assassination derailed these efforts and led the United States down a different path.
• Stone suggests that the United States could benefit from revisiting JFK’s vision of peace and diplomacy in the current global landscape.

The Role of the Media in Shaping Public Perception

Stone criticizes the role of the mainstream media in perpetuating the official narrative surrounding the assassination and other events.

• He argues that the media has been complicit in covering up the truth about the assassination and other government misdeeds.
• Stone highlights the rise of independent journalism and the role of online platforms in providing alternative perspectives and challenging mainstream narratives.
• He emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and media literacy in navigating a complex media landscape.
• The podcast highlights the need for journalists to hold power to account and to provide accurate and unbiased information to the public.

The podcast also covers a variety of other topics, including:

• The role of the mob in the assassination plot.
• The CIA’s use of mind control techniques.
• The influence of Cuban exiles in the assassination.
• The complexities of the Vietnam War.
• The impact of the Cold War on the United States.
• The role of the Soviet Union in global affairs.
• The challenges of confronting powerful institutions.
• The importance of truth-seeking and historical investigation.

Memorable Quotes:

• “If we go to this particular incident in 63, it’s a demarcation point. It’s a turning point for the country.”
• “This country has gone in the wrong way since the national security state has gotten bigger, stronger, more money, more paranoid, less trust in every which way.”
• “The cynical amongst us would say that that’s inevitable, that whenever you have these situations of power, especially when you have, you know, what people like to call the deep state, but what’s essentially this group of people that never leave office.”
• “We have to modify our behavior, to behave in a humane way with people and recognize people’s differences.”
• “This is why I’ve done, you know, my spare time in documentaries. I’ve done Ukraine. I’ve done Russia with Putin, and I’m very interested in what we call enemies.”