Solving JFK
Criminal Content
Solving JFK examines each issue in the JFK Assassination by looking at the arguments from both those who believe Oswald acted alone and those who believe there was a conspiracy to kill president Kennedy. Host Matt Crumpton analyzes each tree in the...
- 27 minutes 59 secondsEp 93: Soviet Union (Part 4)
We wrap up the Cold War context by looking at Kennedy's push for peace with Khrushchev in the final months of his life, including the American University speech, the Limited Test Ban Treaty, and a secret Khrushchev letter proposing further cooperation that the State Department never even showed to the President. Then we stress-test former CIA Director James Woolsey's claim in "Operation Dragon" that Oswald killed Kennedy on Khrushchev's direct orders after meeting with Soviet assassination chief Valeriy Kostikov in Mexico City. The problem? FBI Director Hoover told LBJ the day after the assassination that the man at the Soviet Embassy was not Oswald. A suspicious letter to the Soviets contained information Oswald couldn't have known. And LBJ himself clearly didn't buy the Soviet conspiracy angle, but he used the threat of one to strong-arm Earl Warren into chairing the Commission and steering it toward the lone gunman conclusion.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy15 April 2026, 4:26 am - 29 minutes 17 secondsEp 92: Soviet Union (Part 3)
In Part 3 of our Soviet Union series, we dig into the Cold War spy games swirling around Lee Harvey Oswald and ask whether the KGB had a hand in JFK's assassination. The trail starts with Pyotr Popov, a Soviet military intelligence colonel who became a CIA defector-in-place in 1952 — and whose tip about a KGB mole hidden deep inside the CIA launched one of the most consequential mole hunts in Agency history. We trace how Popov was burned, how counterintelligence chief James Angleton became obsessed with finding "Popov's Mole," and how Oswald's strangely routed CIA file suggests he may have been used as "flypaper" by the Agency to smoke the mole out.
From there, we tackle the riddle of Yuri Nosenko, the KGB officer who defected just months after Dallas and conveniently insisted the Soviets had zero interest in Oswald. Was he a genuine defector — or a Soviet plant sent to clear Moscow of any role in Kennedy's murder? We walk through Pete Bagley's case against Nosenko, the bombshell 1994 admissions from former KGB chief Sergey Kondrashev, new evidence of real Soviet intelligence interest in Oswald, and Professor John Newman's startling theory about who Popov's Mole actually was — a man hiding in plain sight inside the CIA the entire time.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy8 April 2026, 4:05 am - 23 minutes 21 secondsBonus: PBS Nova - JFK Cold Case Review
In this bonus episode, Solving JFK reviews and critiques PBS Nova's JFK Cold Case documentary in response to a question from a listener. We'll be back with Part 3 on the Soviet Union series next week.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1 April 2026, 4:05 am - 28 minutes 25 secondsEp 91: Soviet Union (Part 2)
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the United States and the Soviet Union ever came to nuclear war—a thirteen-day period where decisions made in real time carried unimaginable consequences. In this episode, we break down how the crisis developed, why Khrushchev chose to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, and how American intelligence and leadership responded as the situation escalated. Inside the Kennedy administration, there was no consensus. Military leaders urged immediate force, while Kennedy weighed options that might avoid triggering a nuclear exchange.
As the pressure intensified, miscommunications, near-misses, and rogue actions on both sides pushed the world closer to disaster than most people realized at the time. This episode examines the internal tensions within the U.S. government, the role of backchannel diplomacy, and the narrow margin by which catastrophe was avoided. It’s a look at leadership under extreme stress—and what this moment reveals about power, perception, and the risks that defined the Cold War.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy25 March 2026, 4:05 am - 28 minutes 52 secondsEp 90: Soviet Union (Part 1)
In Part 1 of this new series, Solving JFK zooms out to examine the Cold War backdrop that shaped the world leading up to President Kennedy’s assassination. From the so-called “missile gap” and early U.S.–Soviet tensions to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, this episode explores the fragile and often volatile relationship between Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. While often portrayed as either a Cold War hawk or dove, Kennedy emerges here as something more complex—navigating intense pressure from both sides while attempting to avoid catastrophic conflict.
The episode also dives into the high-stakes geopolitical flashpoints of 1961, including Berlin, Vienna, and the creation of a secret backchannel between the White House and the Kremlin through Soviet agent Georgi Bolshakov. As tensions escalate to the brink of nuclear confrontation at Checkpoint Charlie, listeners begin to see how close the world came to disaster—and how critical Kennedy’s decision-making may have been in preventing it. This foundational episode sets the stage for examining the Soviet angle in the JFK assassination, including Lee Harvey Oswald’s connections to the USSR and the mysterious events in Mexico City.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy18 March 2026, 4:05 am - 54 minutes 25 secondsBonus: Four Died Trying Director John Kirby and Producer Libby Handros
In this bonus episode of Solving JFK, Matt Crumpton speaks with John Kirby, director, and Libby Handros, producer, of the ongoing documentary film franchise Four Died Trying. The project explores the lives—and assassinations—of President John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, asking what connects these four pivotal murders of the 1960s and how they reshaped American political history. Through more than 130 interviews with family members, colleagues, eyewitnesses, and others connected to these events, the series revisits these tragedies with fresh research and a wide range of perspectives.
John and Libby discuss the origins of the project, the decision to structure the films as a series of stand-alone chapters, and the themes introduced in the newly released Prologue. We also talk about the challenges of researching and presenting such historically complex and debated events, and what they hope audiences take away from revisiting this turbulent era of American history.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy4 March 2026, 5:05 am - 1 hour 50 minutesRecap & Rebuttals Part 19 (Ep 86-89) Israel with Jefferson Morley
We recently completed a four-part series examining whether Israel played a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In this episode, we revisit the strongest claims, examine the weakest links, and discuss what the evidence actually shows.
Joining me is former Washington Post reporter and leading JFK researcher Jefferson Morley, author of The Ghost, the definitive biography of CIA counterintelligence chief James Angleton. We take a deeper look at Angleton’s close relationship with Israeli intelligence, his role in Israel’s nuclear development during the Kennedy administration, and whether any of that connects in a meaningful way to November 22, 1963. We also address rebuttals, counterarguments, and what still remains unresolved.
If you’re following the Israel series, this conversation is essential. And if you’re new to Solving JFK, this episode offers a focused deep dive into James Angleton, Israel, and the broader intelligence landscape surrounding the assassination.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy18 February 2026, 5:05 am - 28 minutes 36 secondsEp 89: Israel (Part 4)
In the final episode of our Israel series, we bring together the remaining evidence and arguments relied upon by researchers who believe Israel may have played a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. We revisit Jack Ruby through the lens of his alleged connections to Mickey Cohen and Meyer Lansky, examine the operational capabilities of the Mossad in the early 1960s, and explore newly declassified material touching on Israel’s involvement in covert operations related to Cuba. We also analyze claims involving Cuban exile foreknowledge, including the Homer Echeverria file, and address allegations surrounding Israeli intelligence ties to Oliver Stone’s film JFK.
After weighing motive, means, opportunity, and the available evidence, we assess whether the case against Israel holds up under scrutiny.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy11 February 2026, 5:05 am - 28 minutes 45 secondsEp 88: Israel (Part 3)
In this episode, we continue our deep dive into the theory of Israeli involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy by expanding the lens beyond James Angleton. We revisit Meyer Lansky through the specific context of his ties to Israel, organized crime, offshore banking, and intelligence-adjacent networks, examining whether those relationships plausibly intersect with Dealey Plaza. Along the way, we explore Lansky’s connections to figures like Jim Braden, the Corsican mafia, and the murky financial world that sat at the crossroads of intelligence agencies and criminal enterprises.
We then turn to Permindex, a shadowy international trade organization that has long fueled speculation among assassination researchers. Was it simply a failed commercial venture, or a covert financial cut-out tied to intelligence operations and political violence abroad? By analyzing its leadership, banking relationships, alleged ties to the CIA, and its connection to Clay Shaw, we weigh what can be supported by documentary evidence against what remains unresolved. As always, we separate what is provable from what is possible—and leave you to decide how compelling the case really is.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy4 February 2026, 5:05 am - 28 minutes 11 secondsEp 87: Israel (Part 2)
This episode centers on CIA Counterintelligence Chief James Angleton and his exceptionally close, largely unsupervised relationship with the Israeli government and its intelligence services. We trace Angleton’s rise inside the CIA, his exclusive liaison role with Mossad, the extraordinary authority he exercised with minimal oversight, and his deep personal ties to senior Israeli political, intelligence, and nuclear figures during the critical years leading up to 1963. We then turn to Israel’s secret nuclear program and the unresolved mystery of the missing highly enriched uranium from the NUMEC facility in Pennsylvania.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy28 January 2026, 5:05 am - 28 minutes 32 secondsEp 86: Israel (Part 1)
In this episode, we begin a multi-part examination of Israel, focusing on whether serious and escalating policy disputes between the Kennedy administration and Israeli leadership could constitute motive.
This episode examines four major areas of conflict: Kennedy’s effort to enforce the Foreign Agents Registration Act on pro-Israel lobbying groups, his comparatively pro-Arab Middle East policies, disputes over UN Resolution 194 concerning Palestinian refugees, and—most critically—his confrontation with Israeli leaders over Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program at Dimona. Drawing from historical records, declassified materials, and firsthand accounts, this episode lays the groundwork for a deeper exploration of Israel’s potential role.
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