[Sample B: Approval/Signature Sheet] - George Mason University

CONCLUSION: CHOOSING FROM MULTIPLE OSWALDS
Charged by President Johnson to investigate all aspects of the assassination, the
Warren Commission fell short of its historic task of answering once and for all the
question, “Who killed Kennedy?” Instead, in the decades since the report’s release, a
heated debate has occurred in American society over the assassination and the alleged
culprit, Lee Harvey Oswald. Another official investigation, by the U.S. Congress, in the
1970’s concluded there probably was a conspiracy involving organized crime. In
addition, novels, non-fiction books, films, and television shows have all delved into the
mystery. As this dissertation has shown, the American public can choose from a variety
of theories regarding the assassination and the life of Oswald. In death, Oswald has taken
on a life as a post-modern man, in which multiple interpretations of his life are presented
in American culture depending on the perspective of the viewer.
The Warren Commission had trouble determining the motive of the man the panel
blamed solely for the assassination. However, the Commissioners recounted the details
of Oswald’s life in the hope of shedding light on his notorious deed. The Warren
Commission saw Oswald as mentally unbalanced and a communist – someone outside
the norms of American society. Oswald was a malcontent and loner, a Marxist, and a
little man who wanted to make himself great through a terrible deed. This fit into the
supposed historical pattern of the “lone nut” assassin.
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