Central Intelligence Agency

CIA

Thriller novel, Saving Jackie K, explores a fictional universe where the JFK conspiracy plot failed, and Jackie Kennedy was killed by mistake.

In the factual universe, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Some conspiracy theorists blame the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for orchestrating the coup.

The CIA had several widely known conflicts with President Kennedy, despite the fact that his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, effectively had authority over the Agency. Would these be enough for the Agency to kill the president and organize a massive cover-up?

Early in JFK's presidency, the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion caused a strain on his relationship with the CIA. In an effort to overthrow Fidel Castro's Communist reign of Cuba, the US sent CIA-trained Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

President Kennedy authorized the invasion plan, but he was determined to disguise US backing. However, as news broke of the attack, photos of the US planes bombing Cuban airfields became public and revealed American support for the invasion. Thus, President Kennedy cancelled a second air strike. Cuban armed forces - trained and equipped by Russia - defeated the invading combatants within three days.

Photo of US Air Force bombing Cuban Airfields.

Because of the public embarrassment of the failure, Kennedy fired CIA director Allen Dulles. A source claims that Kennedy wanted "To splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds."

Kennedy also purportedly disagreed with the CIA's involvement in foreign assassinations, such as the murder of Vietnamese President Diem in November of 1963.

JFK was killed just three weeks after Diem.