Ex-CIA Officer: The JFK Assassination & the CIA's Secret Wars Are Connected (1989)

John Stockwell is a former CIA officer who became one of the agency's most outspoken critics after leaving the organization. Born in 1937, Stockwell served as a Marine before joining the CIA in the 1960s. During his time with the CIA, he held various positions, including chief of the Angola Task Force during the Angolan Civil War in the 1970s.

Stockwell is perhaps best known for his role in managing covert operations in Angola, where the CIA supported anti-communist forces against the MPLA, a Marxist-Leninist group. After leaving the CIA in 1977, Stockwell became disillusioned with the agency's activities, particularly its involvement in covert operations that, in his view, caused significant harm and destabilization in various parts of the world.

He wrote a book titled "In Search of Enemies: A CIA Story," published in 1978, in which he detailed his experiences and criticized the CIA's operations. In this book and subsequent public appearances, Stockwell argued that the CIA's activities often went against the interests of the American people and contributed to global conflicts and human suffering.

As a whistleblower, Stockwell played a significant role in raising public awareness about the controversial aspects of U.S. intelligence operations during the Cold War. His critiques have been influential in discussions about the ethical and moral implications of intelligence work.

John Stockwell was among those who believed that there was a conspiracy behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Although Stockwell was not directly involved in any investigation related to the assassination, his views were shaped by his experience in the CIA and his understanding of how intelligence agencies operate.

Stockwell argued that the official explanation provided by the Warren Commission, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, was not credible. He suggested that there were significant inconsistencies and unanswered questions in the official account, leading him to believe that more powerful forces were at play.

He believed that elements within the U.S. government, possibly including the CIA, had a role in the assassination. Stockwell's position was in line with various conspiracy theories that questioned the involvement of the CIA, the military-industrial complex, and other shadowy entities in Kennedy's death. His stance was part of a broader skepticism about the transparency and honesty of government institutions, which was a recurring theme in his post-CIA activism.

While Stockwell did not claim to have concrete evidence proving a conspiracy, his statements reflected a deep distrust of the official narrative and an understanding of the CIA's capabilities and willingness to engage in covert operations, even against domestic targets.