As you know, JG, from having had the opportunity to personally examine my library, I'm a bit if a JFK assassination buff, and have read about 25 books or so on the subject.

As Don Cardi correctly points out, conspiracy theories abound.

In addition to the culprits he cited (CIA, Mafia, Castro, Russia), there are also theories - as legitimate as any of the others - which connect Lyndon Johnson and the Texas oil interests to JFK's death, another which blames conspirators who were members of a U.S. "shadow government" and part of the "military-industrial complex" which President Eisenhower warned the country about in one of his final addresses to the nation, and others which involve two of these groups working together, as in "the CIA hired some Mafia hitmen."

Despite all of the study I have devoted to the subject, though, I have never been able to definitely reach a conclusion in my own mind as to who exactly was responsible.

Every theory I've read makes sense, and yet every one of them has a hole or two in it here and there.

The only two things that I personally am certain of is that Lee Harvey Oswald, if he was, in fact, one of the shooters (and I'm not even sure of that), absolutely did not act alone, and that Jack Ruby, in killing Oswald, was in some way involved in the plot himself.

"The Cubans did it" is low on my list of probable scenarios, though.

I believe that the cover-up began almost immediately, particulary in the way that the autoposy was mishandled, and the only way that an immediate coverup could have begun would be if some branch (read: CIA) of the government had been involved.

There is no way Fidel Castro could have gotten the coverup rolling immediately, if at all.

In the immediate aftermath of the assassination itself, no one seemingly had any way of knowing who was responsible, and even though Oswald was caught a mere few hours later, no one seemingly had any idea as to the extent of his involvement or who he was working for or with.

But if you agree that the coverup started almost immediately and continued two days later with Ruby killing Oswald, then you have to agree that there was government participation.

And since the factions in our government who had the motives for seeking JFK's removal were vehemently anti-Communist, it's impossible to picture them working with Castro.