Don DeLillo’s novel, Libra, explores the possibility of a conspiracy in the
assassination of John F. Kennedy and reflects
many beliefs that were held by American citizens during the 1950s and 1960s. The life of Lee Harvey Oswald, and his mother’s struggles to support her family, all chronicled in this book, provide him with sufficient proof to believe that the American capitalist system is evil. He watches American society and believes that if the nation was under a
communist system, his family would not have been poor, and racism and segregation would not exist. Oswald believes so deeply in Marxist ideals that he learns how to speak Russian and defects from the Marine Corps to the Soviet Union. Initially, his time in the Soviet Union seems to provide Oswald’s more contented moments in the novel. He loves it so much that at first he does not seem to notice the relative scarcity of wealth in the country; he goes by a Russian name, and even goes so far as to attempt suicide just so he can stay. Over time, however, Oswald realizes that life in Russia is not exactly as he had imagined it would be. Yet he does not let go of his conviction that communist ideals are best. Rather than blame his disappointment in Russia on communism in general – and his personal, albeit subconscious, shift in beliefs – Oswald blames it on Lenin, who altered the original ideology of Karl Marx. With this new theory in mind, he now turns his attention to Cuba, which he believes does run on the pure communist ideals expressed by Karl Marx. When he does return to the United States, Oswald performs an unsuccessful
assassination attempt on General Ted Walker, because Walker is anti-Castro and anti-Communist. Oswald also learns how to speak Spanish, in hopes of spending time in Cuba some day. He continues to read literature about communist political and economic policies and continually expresses an interest in going to school so that he might study politics and economics. Oswald’s activities draw the attention of CIA agents who are trying to amend their failure in the Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba. The agents agree that the best way to do this is to launch another invasion on the island, this time with enough forces and firepower to ensure that it is successful. However, they first need to find a way to convince Congress and President Kennedy that another invasion of Cuba is not only necessary, but also justified. Win Everett suggests that an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Kennedy, which can be traced back to Castro and communist Cuba, would provide them with all the justification they would need. With his pro-Castro sentiments and past history, Lee Harvey Oswald seems to be the ideal candidate for implementing the agents’ plan. Everett’s mission, ironically, is to perform a fake assassination of Kennedy to save the country. The event does not go precisely according to Everett’s plan, however. Oswald fires his rifle with the intent to kill President Kennedy, and not just stage an assassination attempt. Nevertheless, the fact that Everett is willing to have bullets fired at the President of the United States shows how deeply his paranoia of communism and patriotic sentiments have embedded themselves in his psyche. He is convinced that what he is doing is his duty as a citizen and that it is right for the country. Fellow conspirator, and also disgruntled CIA agent, T.J. Mackey is ultimately responsible for Oswald’s intention to kill Kennedy, as opposed to merely staging an attempt. In spite of his ill feelings toward Kennedy, Win Everett ultimately wants to get Castro. When speaking to Frank and Raymo, anti-Castro Cubans whom he brings into the conspiracy, Mackey purposely leaves out some of the important details. Mackey feels strongly about ridding of Castro, and after the failure in the Bay of Pigs, he does not want Kennedy to be involved in any way in any subsequent invasions. Throughout the book, Oswald expresses a desire to become a prominent figure in history by making people understand the value of a communist system. He even believes that the similarities between himself and John F. Kennedy are a sign that they are fated to make history together in some way. The fact that Kennedy is scheduled to drive right past his own window further convinces Oswald of the truth to this idea that Kennedy is his doorway into the history books. Oswald’s initial reaction to being thrown in prison for the assassination is that he is being treated unjustly by the capitalist system, which is now denying him basic rights entitled to prisoners. But when he hears his full name being used by the press – Lee Harvey Oswald – he realizes that this is a sign that he has, indeed, etched his name into the history books. He also decides that prison will not be so bad after all. He can write books to make people see his point-of-view that capitalism will eventually leave America in ruins.