American politicians, the media, and many historians tend to avoid a thorny subject: John F. Kennedy’s bitter dispute with Israel over its nuclear program and U.S. oversight. Kennedy pushed for transparency, inspections, and tighter arms control. Israel, then led by David Ben-Gurion, prioritized secrecy and independent strategic decisions—part of a broader drive to build and secure a powerful Zionist state on Arab lands. Kennedy worried that unregulated arms transfers could destabilize the region and provoke wider conflict.¹/²
On November 22, 1963, gunfire in Dallas ended Kennedy’s life and, some argue, marked the end of an era of independent American leadership. Kennedy embodied youth, hope, and a push for civil rights and peace. To millions, he was more than a president—he was a symbol of possibility. But the official lone gunman account left many questions: eyewitnesses reported multiple shots, key evidence vanished, and probing was discouraged.³ Kennedy had made powerful enemies – he clashed with the CIA and the Pentagon, resisted Israel’s aggressive expansionism, and opposed the secret nuclear program in Dimona.” ⁵ Some historians and critics point to Mossad and pro-Israel influence as having strong motives; others dispute those conclusions.⁴/⁵ The point is this: Dallas changed the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy.
What followed, critics say, was a long arc in which successive presidents appeared more deferential to external interests. At home, poverty rose, healthcare costs soared, and inequality widened—while abroad, costly wars raged, often, and predictably, in the Middle East.
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, a staunch supporter of the Zionist state, assumed the presidency and, according to critics, abandoned many of Kennedy’s demands on Israel.
Survivors of the 1967 USS Liberty attack by Israel have alleged that the incident was a false-flag operation involving Johnson directly, designed to be blamed on Egypt to provide a pretext for U.S. entry into Israel’s war against Egypt; they say U.S. officials suppressed investigation and accountability.⁷ Congress had refused to investigate the matter.
Other episodes feed this narrative of influence and cover-up. Critics highlight statements and incidents—such as a reported 2008 remark by Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel benefited strategically from the post-9/11 environment⁹, and the 2001 arrests of five Israelis filmed celebrating the World Trade Center attacks (the so-called “Dancing Israelis”)¹⁰—as evidence of a pattern of manipulation and murky ties. These episodes remain controversial and contested—debated at best rather than settled.
The Kirk Case: How It Fits the Pattern
Ken McCarthy, author of JFK and RFK’s Secret Battle Against Zionist Extremism, summarizes his view bluntly: “When has the original story ever been the real story? John F. Kennedy? No. Robert F. Kennedy? No. Martin Luther King? No. Malcolm X? No. 9/11? No. Vietnam? No. Almost never.” Start from that skepticism, he says, and investigate.¹¹
Assassinations, historically, tend to follow a pattern: prominence, an evolution of views, and a new stance that threatens powerful interests. Martin Luther King Jr. became a target after opposing Vietnam¹². Malcolm X after his pilgrimage to Mecca. John Lennon, critics argue, became a threat after his renewed anti-war activism in the 1980s.
Charlie Kirk fits several elements of that pattern. He launched Turning Point USA at 18 and quickly became the movement’s public face—TPUSA later grew into a substantial operation (widely reported figures put its budget in the tens of millions, with hundreds of staff and thousands of campus chapters).¹³ Kirk was the charismatic frontman who could mobilize youth on the ground. He became more vital than ever to Israel as young people—including young conservatives—grew appalled by the genocide in Gaza and began turning away from the Zionist state. His role was to keep them in line.
In recent months he reportedly changed: he rejected a major donation from Benjamin Netanyahu, warned President Trump against war with Iran, and gave stage time to critics of Israeli policy—moves that generated fierce backlash, according to friends and allies.¹⁵ Some close to him described him as “angry” and “frightened” by pressure from powerful pro-Israel figures. Netanyahu later said he had invited Kirk to Israel; friends say Kirk declined.¹⁷
Then came the sniper’s bullet. The official account has been criticized for inconsistencies, and the investigation’s early messaging prompted questions.¹⁸ Netanyahu denied any involvement and blamed “radical Islamists and ultra-progressives,” even as the arrested suspect had reported ties to far-right circles.¹⁹ For many observers, the combination of motive, evolving views, and an inconclusive official narrative invites scrutiny.
The Unfinished Story
None of these cases are closed. Not really.
The pattern is clear: powerful voices who threaten the status quo are silenced.
The U.S. government may call it coincidence; its media partners, “tragic.”
History calls it what it is—power protecting itself.
Until we confront that truth, the cycle repeats.
The first story is never the last.
Courageous journalists like Max Blumenthal see it as a duty, not quiet acceptance.
This is about relentless, evidence-based investigation, not about spreading unfounded conspiracy theories.It is questioning, probing, uncovering.
Silence is complicity. The unfinished story will not finish itself.
References
- Avner Cohen, Israel and the Bomb (Columbia University Press, 1998).
- Michael Karpin, The Bomb in the Basement (Simon & Schuster, 2006).
- The Warren Commission Report (1964).
- Mark Lane, Rush to Judgment (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966).
- James W. Douglass, JFK and the Unspeakable (Orbis, 2008).
- Irene L. Gendzier, Dying to Forget: Oil, Power, Palestine, and the Foundations of U.S. Policy in the Middle East (Columbia University Press, 2015).
- James M. Ennes Jr., Assault on the Liberty (Random House, 1979).
- Phil Tourney & Mark Glenn, What I Saw That Day (BookSurge, 2009).
- Haaretz, “Netanyahu: 9/11 Terror Attacks Good for Israel,” April 16, 2008.
- ABC News, “The White Van: Were Israelis Detained on Sept. 11 Spies?” June 21, 2002.
- Ken McCarthy, JFK and RFK’s Secret Battle Against Zionist Extremism: The Documentary Evidence (2022).
- David Garrow, Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (HarperCollins, 1986).
- ProPublica, “How Turning Point USA Grew into a Political Powerhouse,” (2021).
- Jane Mayer, Dark Money (Doubleday, 2016).
- The Grayzone, “Charlie Kirk’s Rift with Netanyahu” (2024).
- Interview with Candace Owens, cited in Daily Wire, (2024).
- Benjamin Netanyahu, press remarks, August 2024.
- Washington Post, “FBI’s Charlie Kirk Narrative Under Scrutiny” (2024).
- Times of Israel, “Netanyahu Blames Radicals for Kirk Assassination” (2024).