Unsealed: The JFK Files and the Secrets They Reveal

Part 7: The Cover-Up Continues – The House Select Committee and the Fight for the Truth

---

Introduction – The Investigation That Challenged the Warren Commission

For 15 years after JFK’s assassination, the Warren Commission’s conclusion remained the official U.S. government stance:

• Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
• There was no larger conspiracy.
• The case was closed.

But by the mid-1970s, new evidence, witness testimonies, and growing public skepticism pushed Congress to reopen the case.

• The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was formed in 1976 to reinvestigate JFK’s death.
• It identified serious weaknesses in the Warren Commission’s work and investigated evidence that had not been fully addressed in 1964.
• It ultimately concluded that JFK was “probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.”

For the first time, a major U.S. government investigation publicly acknowledged that the official story did not fully hold up under scrutiny.

• The Warren Report was incomplete in key areas.
• The record supported the likelihood of a conspiracy (HSCA conclusion).
• Important evidence and context were mishandled, limited, or withheld across multiple stages of investigation.

But if Congress concluded JFK was likely killed in a conspiracy… why didn’t the case meaningfully reopen?

---

The House Select Committee’s Findings – What They Got Right (and What Stayed Contested)

1) The HSCA Exposed Major Weaknesses in the Warren Commission

The HSCA’s first major impact wasn’t solving the case outright—it was showing how vulnerable the Warren Commission’s conclusions were.

• The committee reviewed forensic, medical, and eyewitness evidence and raised serious issues with prior reconstructions.
• It argued that the Warren Commission did not fully account for contradictions in timing, wounds, and witness statements.
• HSCA investigators found that agencies had failed to fully disclose relevant material in earlier investigations.
• The broader record suggested the original investigation was shaped by institutional pressure to close the case quickly.

What This Means in Hindsight:

• The U.S. government effectively admitted that the Warren Commission’s work had significant blind spots.
• A major reinvestigation found that key agencies were not fully transparent with investigators.
• The “lone gunman” narrative became harder to defend as a complete explanation.

Key Question: If the U.S. admitted the Warren Commission had major flaws, why wasn’t the case reopened?

---

2) The Acoustic Evidence – Proof of a Second Shooter, or a Contested Interpretation?

One of the HSCA’s most controversial (and most cited) findings was its interpretation of acoustic evidence—suggesting the possibility of a fourth shot, which would imply more than one shooter.

• A recording tied to a police radio transmission was analyzed for sound patterns consistent with gunfire.
• HSCA analysis interpreted the pattern as consistent with an additional shot beyond the Warren timeline.
• This played a major role in the HSCA’s “probable conspiracy” conclusion.

However, the acoustic evidence became a battlefield:

• Critics argued the recording may not have captured gunfire at all.
• Later re-analysis challenged the timing and assumptions behind the HSCA interpretation.
• The debate remains unresolved—yet it continues to be one of the strongest catalysts for public doubt.

What This Means in Hindsight:

• The HSCA created an official foundation for the conspiracy conclusion—but one pillar of that foundation remains disputed.
• The speed and intensity of later efforts to discredit the evidence fueled suspicion rather than closure.
• Even without acoustic certainty, the broader record still exposed institutional failures and withheld information.

Key Question: Was the collapse of the acoustic finding simply scientific correction—or a convenient rollback of a dangerous conclusion?

---

3) The CIA’s Role in Limiting the Investigation

The HSCA uncovered repeated examples of institutional control over information—especially in relation to intelligence agencies.

• HSCA investigators concluded that key intelligence records were not fully shared with earlier investigations.
• Some CIA officers admitted information had been withheld from the Warren Commission in 1963.
• HSCA staff described limits in access, cooperation, and scope—especially when probing sensitive intelligence contexts.
• Evidence tied to anti-Castro operations, intelligence networks, and foreign contacts remained difficult to fully validate.

Even when Congress reopened the case, the investigation still depended on agencies that controlled the paper trail.

What This Means in Hindsight:

• The HSCA demonstrated that government transparency depends on the gatekeepers of the records.
• The committee could push deeper than the Warren Commission—but it still ran into hard institutional boundaries.
• That boundary is part of why the case remains permanently “open” in public consciousness.

Key Question: If there was nothing to hide, why did intelligence agencies retain control over what Congress could fully examine?

---

The Open Case – What’s Still Missing?

Even though the HSCA contradicted major elements of the Warren Commission, the reinvestigation still ended without closure—and without prosecution.

• Many records were unavailable, restricted, incomplete, or delayed.
• Witness claims were investigated unevenly, and some leads could not be verified under the constraints.
• The Justice Department did not pursue the HSCA’s “probable conspiracy” conclusion as a new criminal case.
• No equally serious federal follow-up investigation was launched afterward.

If the U.S. government acknowledged a probable conspiracy, why was the trail allowed to go cold again?

---

Closing Thoughts – What’s Next in the Series?

The HSCA pulled the curtain back further than any investigation since 1964.

It didn’t “solve” the JFK assassination—but it did something equally important:

It proved the official story was not strong enough to end the debate.

In the next articles, we’ll dive into:

• Part 8: The Final Pieces – What the Unsealed Files Still Reveal – Connecting the dots across the record.
• Part 9: Who Benefited from JFK’s Assassination? – Tracing the power shifts after his death.
• Part 10: The Last Secrets – What’s Still Hidden in Classified Files?

Your Turn:
If the HSCA acknowledged the likelihood of a conspiracy, why do you believe the U.S. government didn’t pursue justice?

Drop your thoughts below—we’re building this investigation together.

Explore More Hidden Truths & Investigations

JFK Assassination Series:
📌 JFK Files: The Secrets They Reveal – Newly unsealed documents challenge the official story. What’s still hidden?

📌 JFK, CIA, and Operation Mongoose – The Bay of Pigs disaster exposed JFK’s war with the CIA. Did it seal his fate?

📌 JFK and the Mafia: The Real Assassination Connections – The Mob helped JFK win, but RFK’s crackdown turned them against him.

📌 The Warren Commission’s Cover-Up – How the government controlled the narrative and buried key evidence.

📌 JFK, Vietnam, and the War Profiteers – JFK wanted to pull out of Vietnam—his death changed everything.

📌 Jack Ruby’s Mafia and CIA Connections – Why did Ruby kill Oswald? Who really ordered the hit?

📌 The HSCA’s Findings on JFK’s Assassination – Congress reopened the case—and found conspiracy. Why was it ignored?

📌 The Final Revelations from the JFK Files – What declassified documents confirm about JFK’s murder.

📌 The Power Shifts After JFK’s Assassination – Who had the most to gain from JFK’s death?

📌 What the Government Still Won’t Release – 60 years later, critical documents are still hidden. Why?