Unraveling the JFK Assassination Files: A Conversation with Steve Fantetti on Happy Hour Holidaze
In a riveting new episode of Happy Hour Holidaze, hosts Manny Febre and Sean Febre take on one of the most debated and enduring mysteries in American history—the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Joined by attorney, author, and entrepreneur Steve Fantetti, the trio delves into recently released JFK documents, long-standing conspiracy theories involving the CIA and the mafia, and how these revelations reshape our understanding of the 1960s. Filled with lively banter, nuanced historical details, and intriguing speculation, the episode offers fresh perspectives on a tragedy that altered the course of American politics.
Below is a comprehensive blog post that recaps the entire discussion, places it in historical context, and highlights the biggest takeaways from an episode that’s as informative as it is entertaining.
Introduction: A Toast to Unresolved History
Happy Hour Holidaze is known for its blend of camaraderie, business insights, and thought-provoking discussions. In this special installment, Manny and Sean pour themselves a drink (a hallmark of their laid-back “happy hour” approach) and welcome a guest who matches their enthusiasm for complex storytelling. Steve Fantetti wears many hats—attorney, sports agent, and author—but here, he is the guide to one of the most controversial topics in American history: the assassination of JFK.
Fantetti explains he has poured hours into studying the newly released documents related to JFK’s murder. As Manny and Sean listen with growing fascination, it becomes clear that every new piece of information raises more questions. How many groups had a vested interest in removing JFK from power? How did secret government agencies operate behind the scenes, possibly in league with organized crime? Why did the official investigations leave so many gaps? This conversation draws you in like a detective thriller, but with a real-life crime that still haunts the American psyche.
The Road to Dallas: Setting the 1960s Stage
To understand why so many parties might have wanted President Kennedy out of office, one must first appreciate the tumultuous climate of the early 1960s. Fantetti outlines key historical moments:
Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961): A failed CIA-backed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba, an operation set in motion under President Eisenhower and inherited by Kennedy. The fiasco humiliated the U.S. on the world stage and exacerbated tensions within Kennedy’s administration—particularly with the CIA.
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): Perhaps the closest the world came to nuclear war. When the Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, JFK faced massive internal pressure from generals and intelligence officials who advocated military action. Kennedy chose a naval blockade instead, narrowly avoiding global catastrophe.
American Imperial Interests: During this era, powerful individuals in Washington sought to expand U.S. influence and control abroad, often through covert action. This “deep state,” as some label it, had become reliant on clandestine interventions to safeguard specific business and geopolitical interests. JFK’s desire to reduce these covert operations placed him in the crosshairs.
Manny and Sean pause here to note that the period was rife with hidden agendas, making it entirely plausible that multiple factions—governmental and otherwise—had reasons to target the president. Their lively banter underscores the dramatic political environment that set the stage for a tragic day in November 1963.
CIA, Mafia, and the Roots of Conspiracy
The conversation then pivots to the overlapping motivations of the CIA and the mafia. Fantetti points out that the CIA had begun as an intelligence-gathering entity post-World War II, but quickly transformed into a formidable organization with sweeping powers. Documents and historical records indicate:
Covert Overthrows of Foreign Leaders: From Iran to Guatemala, CIA-supported coups took down democratically elected leaders in favor of U.S.-friendly regimes, often benefiting corporate interests.
Collaboration with Organized Crime: During WWII, the U.S. military and intelligence agencies allegedly teamed up with the mafia to gather strategic intelligence. Later, the mafia’s gambling and financial interests in Cuba converged with CIA attempts to oust Castro.
Kennedy’s Anti-Mafia Stance: JFK’s brother, Bobby Kennedy, served as Attorney General and vigorously prosecuted organized crime figures, despite speculation that the mafia helped swing critical votes in Illinois to secure JFK’s 1960 election victory. This perceived betrayal fueled further resentment.
Fantetti draws from specific references in the released documents to argue that both the CIA and the mafia had concrete, high-stakes motivations to see JFK out of office. In short, money and power were at risk.
Oswald the “Patsy”?
Host Manny jokes about Lee Harvey Oswald as “the scapegoat,” echoing one of the most polarizing questions in the JFK assassination narrative: was Oswald acting alone, or was he a puppet?
Fantetti highlights:
Oswald’s Travels to the Soviet Union: The CIA’s close tracking of Oswald in the late 1950s, as he ventured to the USSR, raised eyebrows. Why was he allowed to return to the U.S. with minimal scrutiny at the height of Cold War tensions?
Alleged Attempts on Other Figures: Oswald was rumored to have tried to kill General Edwin Walker, a staunch anti-communist, though details remain murky.
The Quick Silencing by Jack Ruby: After Oswald’s arrest, nightclub owner and alleged mob associate Jack Ruby shot and killed him—live on national television. This brazen murder further fed suspicions that Oswald was merely a disposable tool in a bigger conspiracy.
Sean and Manny, in classic Happy Hour Holidaze style, chime in with their own speculations, questioning how a single individual could navigate complex intelligence webs and ultimately bring down a president—unless there were invisible hands guiding the outcome.
LBJ, the Vietnam War, and High-Stakes Politics
While the conversation starts with the CIA, mafia, and Oswald, it inevitably leads to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ), who assumed the presidency immediately after JFK’s death. Within 24 hours of Kennedy’s assassination, LBJ reversed key policies, most notably escalating American involvement in Vietnam. Fantetti underscores the following:
Defense Contracts and the War Machine: With a larger U.S. troop presence in Southeast Asia came massive profits for arms manufacturers and defense contractors. Critics argue LBJ’s decisions aligned suspiciously well with corporate interests that Kennedy might have thwarted.
LBJ’s Legal Troubles: Before joining JFK on the 1960 ticket, LBJ had battled corruption allegations. Bobby Kennedy was, by multiple accounts, angling to prosecute LBJ. Had JFK survived his first term, LBJ’s political fate might have been far less secure.
Changing the Course of History: The group debates how Kennedy, had he lived, intended to pull the United States out of Vietnam, thereby avoiding a decade of costly conflict and social upheaval.
Manny can’t help but wonder aloud how different the American landscape might look if JFK had served two full terms without interference. This segment of the episode offers listeners a dramatic “what if” scenario that frames the assassination not merely as a historical event, but as a defining pivot in U.S. politics.
Multiple Shooters, Grassy Knoll, and the Zapruder Film
One of the focal points of the JFK assassination lore is the belief in multiple shooters, especially given conflicting eyewitness accounts and the infamous footage filmed by Abraham Zapruder. Key points from the discussion include:
Zapruder Film Anomalies: Shown to the American public for the first time on Geraldo Rivera’s show in the 1970s, the film suggests JFK’s head moves “back and to the left,” implying a shot from the front—perhaps the so-called “grassy knoll.”
Conflicting Testimonies: Witnesses at Dealey Plaza reported hearing shots from different directions. Others, like Lee Bowers (mentioned in the conversation), died under mysterious circumstances before giving fuller accounts.
Warren Commission Skepticism: The official government body determined Oswald was the lone gunman, firing three shots from the Texas School Book Depository. However, the presence of potential ballistic discrepancies, along with the involvement of Allen Dulles (the fired CIA director) on the commission, continues to provoke distrust.
By layering historical detail with newly accessible files, Fantetti, Manny, and Sean underscore why this single event still captivates and confounds: the evidence for a second (or even third) shooter is too compelling to ignore.
Inside the Newly Released Files
In 2023, additional sets of JFK assassination records became accessible, further adding fuel to the conspiracy debate. According to Fantetti:
Lack of a “Smoking Gun”: No single document openly declares a covert CIA-mob plot, but patterns emerge, especially regarding Oswald’s movements and intelligence oversight.
Memos and Under-the-Radar Conversations: References exist to individuals who feared for their lives after claiming to possess insider knowledge. Memos from figures like Charles “Chip” Underhill raised suspicions that rogue elements within the CIA played key roles.
Redactions and Illegibility: Some files are heavily redacted or typed in ways that are barely legible, suggesting that critical pieces of the puzzle may be permanently obscured.
Even with thousands of newly released papers, certain documents remain classified—reinforcing the belief among critics that full transparency is still elusive.
Steve Fantetti’s Forthcoming Book: Across the Knoll
Fantetti teases his upcoming historical fiction novel, tentatively titled Across the Knoll, which weaves real historical details with fictional elements. His inspiration stems from seeing inconsistencies in newly released data and imagining a scenario where additional footage beyond the Zapruder film exists. In his book’s premise:
Additional Camera Angles: What if a second film crew captured the motorcade from another vantage point, revealing the presence of multiple shooters in crystal clarity?
Government Collapse or Public Empowerment?: Fantetti speculates that such irrefutable proof of a conspiracy could either destabilize faith in government or catalyze a renewal of accountability.
Character-Driven Narratives: While anchored in well-researched facts, Fantetti’s novel uses fictional characters to bring the tensions of the 1960s to life. Readers can expect cloak-and-dagger intrigue, moral quandaries, and the haunting question: “Can the American public handle the unvarnished truth?”
This blend of fact and fiction sets the stage for a conversation on how history itself might have diverged if critical information had surfaced sooner.
Media Coverage: Then and Now
One of the most striking threads in the episode is how drastically the media landscape has evolved:
1960s Coverage: With only major TV networks and newspapers, public opinion was shaped by limited sources. The Warren Commission’s findings were mostly taken at face value. Conspiracy theorists were marginalized.
Contemporary Era: Podcasts (like Happy Hour Holidaze), social media, and 24-hour news cycles allow for deeper scrutiny. Leaked documents, amateur investigations, and viral theories proliferate, making it impossible for official narratives to go unchallenged.
Fantetti, Manny, and Sean note how the democratization of information fosters both transparency and confusion—listeners must sift through a sea of competing storylines to ascertain any objective truth.
Reflecting on Motives, Power, and Transparency
As the hosts refill their glasses, the conversation turns introspective. They grapple with whether moral compromises by intelligence agencies can ever truly be justified:
National Security vs. Democracy: Is it acceptable for powerful agencies to manipulate global events secretly if it “protects” American interests?
Powerful Individuals vs. Elected Officials: How much sway should unelected figures (in intelligence, defense contracting, and big business) hold over foreign policy decisions?
The American Public’s Right to Know: With partial files still withheld, the question remains whether full disclosure is a utopian ideal or a necessary step toward restoring trust.
These questions strike at the heart of a decades-long debate. Despite the comedic dynamic of the show, the subject matter turns deeply philosophical, illustrating the consequences of secrecy on a grand scale.
Episode Highlights and Key Quotes
Steve Fantetti on CIA Covert Operations:
“They weren’t just collecting intelligence. They were removing foreign leaders, making deals with mobsters, and shaping foreign policy in secrecy. That’s why Kennedy wanted to break them apart ‘into a thousand pieces.’”
Manny Febre on the Mafia’s Motivations:
“They lost huge money when Castro took over in Cuba. Their casinos, their entire revenue model—gone. Add Bobby Kennedy busting them in court, and you’ve got all the incentive to want JFK out of the picture.”
Sean Febre on Multiple Shooters:
“Zapruder’s film, eyewitness accounts, the ballistic evidence—none of it lines up with one random guy with a rifle. If we’re going to be real about it, the official story never fully added up.”
Fantetti on Across the Knoll:
“Imagine if another camera captured that day in Dallas from a completely different angle. My book explores the fallout: how would a new, definitive perspective shatter trust in institutions and reshape our modern world?”
Closing Thoughts: A New Lens on JFK and Beyond
The Happy Hour Holidaze podcast, true to its name, offers a unique blend of lighthearted humor, candid discussion, and no-holds-barred curiosity. In this episode, the trio exposes the labyrinth of potential players involved in JFK’s untimely death: a vengeful mafia, a wary CIA, politically motivated vice presidents, and shadowy figures orchestrating covert wars.
Despite the monumental volume of documents released, the conversation makes one fact clear: the JFK assassination may forever remain partially cloaked in mystery. Even so, continued dialogue—and the release of previously hidden evidence—can illuminate new paths for understanding not just who pulled the trigger, but why.
As Manny and Sean clink glasses with Steve Fantetti, they remind listeners that the pursuit of truth, much like good conversation, thrives on open minds. Whether you’re a devoted historian or a curious passerby, the enduring enigma of John F. Kennedy’s death offers lessons on power, accountability, and the lengths some will go to protect their interests. And if there is one takeaway from this Happy Hour Holidaze episode, it’s that history—much like a good happy hour—always leaves you wanting just a bit more.
