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

Mob Patsy” who is enmeshed in a plot to assassinate the president and is manipulated by
organized crime. There are also elaborate theories of a “Double Oswald” in which
Oswald’s identity is taken over by a conspirator, or “Manchurian Candidate Oswald” in
which he is brainwashed to carry out the assassination. The most popular conspiracy
theory is “Secret Agent Oswald” in which the accused assassin is an undercover U.S.
intelligence operative who takes the blame for a plot involving mobsters, the CIA, anti-
Castro Cubans, or a combination of these elements. For the critics, Oswald’s life, which
can be seen in so many contradictory ways, is a refracted image of the fears many
Americans felt of sinister groups in the nation.
How one views Oswald also could affect how one appraises President Kennedy.
The president’s assassination at the hands of the mob or extreme right-wing would give
Kennedy a heroic dimension: he died because of his moves to crack down on organized
crime, advance civil rights, or ease Cold War tensions. On the other hand, Kennedy slain
at the hands of Oswald as lone nut or left-wing extremist would have less impact on how
one interprets Kennedy or American society.
How one perceives Oswald in part reflects how one perceives the United States
during the Cold War: Oswald as lone gunman is a freakish anomaly in a generally good
society, and he is placed outside the community politically, socially, mentally, and
perhaps sexually. Oswald as patsy reflects a darker view of American society, in which
the former Marine was connected to forces larger than himself let loose in American
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