Ep 4. The Cuban Connection

JFK Declassified: Tracking Oswald season 1 episode 4, titled "The Cuban Connection," delves into the potential involvement of Cuban intelligence agencies in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The episode begins by exploring the animosity between the United States and Cuba in the early 1960s, particularly following the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The possibility that Cuban intelligence, specifically the DGI and the KGB, may have played a role in the assassination is not a new theory, and the episode explores the evidence that supports it.

Viewers are introduced to several individuals who may have had links to Cuban intelligence, including Sylvia Odio, a young Cuban-American who claimed to have met with Lee Harvey Oswald and two other men in September 1963, just weeks before the assassination. She described them as "Latins," and claimed they discussed plans to kill President Kennedy.

The episode also examines the activities of several anti-Castro groups in the months leading up to the assassination, including Alpha 66 and the Cuban Revolutionary Council. These groups were known for their hostility towards Kennedy, and several members had ties to the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

The episode features interviews with several experts on the subject, including Peter Kornbluh, a Cuba specialist and director of the National Security Archive's Cuba Documentation Project. Kornbluh discusses the role of Cuban intelligence in Latin America and their motives for wanting Kennedy dead.

The team of investigators also examines several pieces of evidence that suggest Oswald may have had ties to Cuban intelligence. These include his trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination, where he attempted to obtain a visa to visit Cuba, and his purported meeting with a Cuban consulate official named Valery Kostikov, who was believed to be a KGB officer.

The episode also explores the possibility that the Soviet Union may have played a role in the assassination, either as a co-conspirator with Cuba or as a lone actor. The Soviet Embassy in Mexico City was known to be a major hub of espionage activity, and several individuals connected to the embassy had contact with Oswald in the weeks leading up to the assassination.

Overall, "The Cuban Connection" is a fascinating exploration of one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. While it does not offer a definitive answer to the question of who killed President Kennedy, it presents compelling evidence that Cuban intelligence may have played a role in the assassination. Viewers will be left with a deeper understanding of the complex relationships and motivations that may have led to that fateful day in November 1963.