Who was Gary Underhill? CIA agent found dead after alleging the agency was behind JFK’s assassination
ByTuhin Das Mahapatra
Mar 19, 2025 07:33 AM IST
The death of ex-CIA agent Gary Underhill remains suspicious following his allegations about CIA involvement in JFK's assassination.
Gary Underhill was a former CIA agent whose death remains shrouded in mystery after he alleged that the “agency was responsible for President John F. Kennedy's assassination”.
November 22, 1993 will mark the 30th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, and Texas Governor John Connally ride through Dallas moments before Kennedy was assassinated, November 22, 1963/File Photo(Reuters)
November 22, 1993 will mark the 30th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, and Texas Governor John Connally ride through Dallas moments before Kennedy was assassinated, November 22, 1963/File Photo(Reuters)
On Tuesday, 1,123 pages of documents related to Kennedy’s assassination were released, adding to the over 5 million pages already disclosed. These newly released JFK files have renewed interest in Underhill’s story, as they suggest he feared for his life after making these claims.
Underhill, who had intelligence connections, reportedly fled Washington, D.C., immediately after the assassination. He sought refuge with friends in New Jersey, where he expressed deep fear and urgency.
“The day after the assassination, Gary Underhill left Washington in a hurry. Late in the evening he showed up at the home of friends in New Jersey. He was very agitated,” the classified FBI memo read.
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Underhill claimed ‘CIA was responsible’ for JFK hit
Underhill confided in his friend Charlene Fitsimmons that he believed Kennedy had been killed by a faction within the CIA.
“A small clique within the CIA was responsible for the assassination, he confided, and he was afraid for his life and probably would have to leave the country.”
Less than six months later, on May 8, 1964, Underhill was found dead in his Washington apartment with a gunshot wound to the head. “Less than six months later Underhill was found shot to death in his Washington apartment. The coroner ruled it suicide,” the memo noted.
Before his death, Underhill insisted that Lee Harvey Oswald had been framed for Kennedy’s murder. “Oswald is a patsy. They set him up. It’s too much. The ba****ds have done something outrageous. They’ve killed the President! I’ve been listening and hearing things. I couldn’t believe they’d get away with it, but they did!” he told Fitsimmons.
He also voiced fears about his own safety, telling friends, “I know who they are. That’s the problem. They know I know. That’s why I’m here. I can’t stay in New York.”
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Notably, at the time, the CIA was deeply involved in covert operations aimed at overthrowing Cuba’s government, including the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and assassination attempts on Fidel Castro.
Kennedy’s reluctance to fully support these actions, along with his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, created tensions between him and elements within the intelligence community.
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